I was pleasantly surprised to find out that one of my cat pins made it into Polymer Cafe magazine!   Not only did it make it in, but it won 2nd prize for the "True Colors Challenge"!  How cool is that???  I'm so tickled that my pin made it into the magazine!  Check it out next time you're at Barnes & Noble or other book store that carries magazines, or a craft store - its in the October 2008 issue, on page 37. 

Happy new year to all!  I'm sitting here watching the snow fall (again!) and wondering where 2007 went.  Seems like it was just here, but now its already 2008 and I'm not sure what happened to the last 365 days!  Just to be sure, I checked and they're not in the refrigerator.  Not under the couch either, but I did find some cat toys and a new herd of dust rhinos. 

I had big plans for 2007.  Starting in January I was going to make a couple extra cat pins each week, so I'd have a good stock by Thanksgiving and wouldn't have to rush during the holidays.  I was going to paint more, create new items to put in my cafe press store.  I was going to get ahead in my work so I wouldn't be rushing each week to make enough to sell.  I was going to update this blog every week.  I was going to finally update my website.  I was going to have free time to read, garden, and go to the beach!  I was going to have a LIFE!  But instead I worked.  I worked almost every day, weekdays, weekends, holidays, from the time I got up until I went to bed.  Despite all that work I never did get ahead and I never made extra pins for the holidays.  I never updated my website.  The bad economy got me and my sales down.  Some days I was so stressed I thought about giving up and looking for a regular job - one with paid vacations and weekends off!  I had no time to garden and only made it to the beach once, but once is better than none, so its still good! 

2007 didn't turn out the way I planned, but I have to say it was still a good year!  I met a new friend who shares my passion for creating art.  My husband and I started a new tradition of going out for breakfast on Friday mornings.  We discuss work (he is also self-employed and works too much), but nobody has to do cook or wash dishes, so its still a break!  Max and Chloe (the fuzzy kids) are doing great.  I smiled and laughed a lot.  I enjoyed all the little moments that make up life - birds on my birdfeeders, the flowers and orchards at the local farms, my cat sleeping peacefully!  Yes, I did take time to enjoy the beauty of the world all around me!  I still love creating my art, and I love my job!  All in all it was a good year, not perfect, but still good.   

Now its 2008 and I have a new goal.  My goal for the year is simple:  I just want to add a little more balance to my life.  Balance between life and work, play-time and obligations.  I'm not hoping for complete balance, that just won't happen, but a little more balance would be great!   I have no idea how to do it, but not knowing how has never stopped me before!  So that's my goal for the year!  Oh, and all that stuff from last year too! 

Happy New Year!  

Oops, I set up this blog them forgot about it!  Ok, so I guess I'm suppose to blab about what I've been up to!  Hey, just my luck, I'm good at blabbing!  

Its been a hectic week for me, but actually all weeks are hectic for me, so maybe I should say its been a typical week???   I spent the first half of the week doing a lot of stuff, but not getting anything done or made!  I swear I was actually working....or something....ummm, ok, maybe I was doing more "something" than work since I didn't get anything made until mid week.  Anyway, I finally got some things made on Weds and Thurs!  Yippy!  Now I have something to sell this week!  And now you know my little secret - I pretty much have NO inventory!   The things you see listed this week were made last week, and every week I face a mad race to try and make enough things to sell! 

Did you ever wonder what its like to be a full time artist?  Well, let me tell you, it's messy!  Oh, wait a minute that's not what I meant to say, although it's true, it IS messy.  When people ask me what its like I tell them its "fun", and it is, but it is also a lot of hard work.  I work ten times as hard as I did when I had my regular job, and I make about 1/4 of the pay, but I LOVE my job!  I work every day - 7 days a week.  It doesn't matter if it's the weekend or a holiday, I still have to work because if I'm not making things, nothing gets made, and I have nothing to sell, and I make no money, and then I have to go out and get an icky office job again - aaaack...noooooo not that!!!  And on that note, I had better get back to work!

Hello!  The furry gang has been after me to do a blog, so here it is....I think...or maybe it isn't...for all I know it might not be.  Do you get the impression I don't really know what I'm doing?  Yup.  Well then you got the right impression!  I'm not exactly sure what the purpose of a blog is other than to babble on and on about me and my wonderful furry children (they made me say that...personally I think they are little monsters!)

Let's see...today I procrastinated, drank coffee, procrastinated more, then finally got to work!  I finished up some kitty pins, made some earrings, then took pictures of everything.  Wow, you never realize how boring your life is until you try writing something about it!  Dum-dee-dum-dum....hmmmm....Oh yeah, I also started updating my poor old website!  You know how websites have those little blurbs down at the bottom that say "Last updated on...."  Well, mine is so outdated it would say "...when dinosaurs roamed the earth".  Yes, its really THAT bad!  I didn't finish it, but I'm working on it!  Hope to have something new up soon!