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Friends, it must be said that the computer is VERY frustrating to me at times. Somehow, I've not yet figured out how to send out my monthly (though, let's be honest, it's usually not that frequent) mailings in a well-managed way. I looked into a couple programs online, but I couldn't quite get how to use them. I recently, I guess, passed the threshold of how many recipients I can send an email to at once with Entourage. I did some online sleuthing and discovered that I could use this free program called Split Recipients, only today it wouldn't let me attach the file below.
So, anyway, here it is now ... a pdf for the first print (5"x7") in my new series called Birds of a Feather. I know – and I hope you know, too – that the pdf does very little to capture the texture and impression of the real deal ... but since I'm barely going to have these done in time for Valentine's Day, I thought I'd just go ahead with this pdf peek.
I'm really excited about this as a first in what I hope becomes a series of work. The first set will include the print above (in peacock blue and ochre inks), intended to be put in a frame or hung up, given or kept ... There will also be 2 different A6 cards – one with the set of feathers on the left and one with the set of feathers on the right. The front will read 'birds of a feather' and the inside will read 'flock together.' I plan on sending these myself, to my friends, for being part of my flock. Because, while I'm telling the truth here, for someone with an abundance of stationery easily at hand, I have become truly awful about sending letters. I did not send a holiday or new year's card, but these will work any time of year ... Valentine's Day or otherwise!
These will all be in the shop early next week so please check back then.
I was looking at the sneak peeks section on design*sponge today and there was this comment that really rang true for me. Someone wrote in that it was so refreshing to see photos of a house that looked like people actually lived in! You may recall that my house was featured back in December – and I'll go ahead and admit that it took me months {MONTHS!!} to get around to taking photos because I was waiting for my house to look just perfect. I was thinking, I suppose, that I'd unpack more boxes, hang more prints, take that box of clothes that had been sitting in the hallway since the week we moved in to the Goodwill ... {although actually what I did was just move the box out of the way when I was taking photos!}
But anyway the real day to day around here? Um, I have a four year old. I think those kids rooms that have no toys out whatsoever are just plain weird. This is not to suggest that I don't have fits about the state of our house ... and I should mention that it IS always pretty tidy around here. But not PERFECTLY just-so. In fact, today this is what it looks like:
The Lionel train is still out – from before Christmas. The stack of library books I got yesterday are piled on the coffee table. The sweater I'm working on – but just realized I need to rework, because I NEVER follow patterns exactly – is on and under the coffee table. The windows? They are dirty, really dirty. I hate washing windows; I just don't really do it. Liam's braces are next to the coffee table. But my FAVORITE thing about this photo is the brown paper cut out of Liam that he made in pre-school this week. He's hanging out behind that chair there. The best part of the whole thing? Its name is the BROWN CREEPER!!
And this is what my kid looks like when he does not want to have his photo taken.
On the work front ... I am really excited to be drawing today. Something new, inspired by these ceramic feathers I bought in December (and which I sent to the lucky winners of the holiday giveaway).
One card, or maybe a series of cards, called birds of a feather ... ... maybe in time for Valentine's Day? Or maybe not, but I think these cards would be good any time.
Well, I waited a while, but I still have calendars left so I've put them on sale now. They're $29 each now ... They used to be $44 so you're saving quite a bit. Please remember: you can easily cut off the bottom portion with the dates and then have twelve art prints to keep ... forever!!
Next year I think I may not print as many ... You can pick yours up here, if you're so inclined.
Oh, and I am sorry that there have been no photos as of late. I'm having a hard time getting back into the blogging thing ... I have the wedding book project and some serious organizing, filing and cleaning to do around here.
Have a listen to this on NPR. I like it very much. It's playing right now as I work out the details – oh, there are so many! – for the wedding books. Really, so many details and so much planning. I'm working on it all as best I can and can't wait to show you the books when they are done ... only that might take a while still.
Well, hello again! I'm sorry it's been so long, but when I take a break from posting, I can be really slow to start up again. But, anyway, I hope your new year is off to a lovely start. What have I been doing in the past month or so? First off, I took a much-needed break. I read a few books, I finished the owl sweater I started for Liam a year and a half ago, and just this week I started a sweater for myself!
And very, very exciting: we got our insurance to agree to pay for Liam's next mobile stander!! Keep in mind that this is the same insurance that both denied his first stander and his power chair. It's been a long battle, each step of the way, so I'll try not to rant and rave too much here. (Because I've already done it here and if you want to read it – and I hope you do, because I think it's such an important issue for all of us – then you can.) I don't know that I ever mentioned, though, that after the story about us on Good Morning America, our insurance company changed its policies to no longer unequivocally exclude power chairs. They didn't pay for Liam's, but they might start paying for other people's – so I think that is pretty wonderful (not to mention right.) In any case, I'm sure it didn't hurt that we were already on the telly once, but I think it has a lot to do with learning just how to navigate this horribly convoluted system. And between insurance (though, I will say everyone there was quite lovely to us this time around) and the durable medical equipment supplier, it took at least a dozen phone calls and a half dozen letters written. It takes the kind of time that many parents (any, not just those with special needs kids) don't have to spare. So if this resonates with you in any way, for whatever reason, stay persistent. You can also read an article about how to fight for medical equipment (with a bit about us) here at the MDA website..
But this week, I've been back in the studio working hard on the Satsuma Press Wedding Book. I'm getting everything in order to print and assemble and I'm really excited about it. I'm hoping to place the book in several specialty shops and boutiques across the States – any suggestions? Yesterday, I also created an ink color sheet – it'll be letterpress printed and at the back of each wedding book/portfolio. What fun to name colors – these are mine: blush, cranberry, autumn, ochre, sunshine, peacock, amethyst, cocoa, garnet, tangerine, silver sage, night, sky, slate, thistle, grass, spring, sea glass, teal and leaf. How fancy! (I was going to post a little picture of the color chart, only I just tried and it doesn't look very accurate, so you'll have to wait til I have it printed. It'll be better that way anyway!)
