Just stay little.

We are shoe shopping again and Ian's pants are too small, and I find myself groaning not for the lack of funds to clothe my children (well that too), but for my babies that aren't going to be babies forever.

I have a funny feeling that in 10 years, Ian won't want to hold my hand. Or kiss my lips. Or lay his heavy head into my neck. Or brush my hair.

Addie isn't going to ask my permission to use nail polish. She won't be kissing my owies. Her bum won't fit into my hand. And she won't be wrapping her body around my torseau and clinging to me when she is scared of loud noises.

I hope she still says "Mom, we're the girls" and "You're my best friend" like she does now. And that Ian will still tell everyone he meets that I am his mom...with that proud inflection in his voice.

Oh--Ache my heart for little feet, little hands, little voices, little noses, little kisses, little laughs and little shoes.

Just stay little.

End of March SALES and an early APRIL print

OK....so April is almost here and March is on its way out! And I want to celebrate by offering all of YOU another free print. Yep...another Buy 2 get one FREE! Again, I am only offering this to my blog readers (if you are reading this, that means YOU!). I have really loved hearing from you and getting great feedback, and it is time to return the favor...again!

SO: Buy TWO products and receive a 3rd one (of equal or lesser value) for FREE! All you need to do is purchase TWO items, and at checkout, tell me the third one you want in the "message to seller" box. You will only be charged for shipping on your two items, so you save on shipping as well! But it is just this week, ending on March 31st.

Today is actually a beautiful day. Not a sign of rain at all. But I finished my "APRIL" print, and loved it so much, I wanted to offer it as "non-calendar" print with more standard sizing. For some reason, I am really drawn to this print. I can't say that I really "LOVE" all my art work. It is the artist in me. Never really satisfied...always needing to create something new. But this (to me) really captures that pensive feeling I get sometimes on a rainy day.

Have fun, and enjoy the last week of March. I sure will. Rain or Shine.

Happy Easter Everyone!

He has the carrot, she has the bunny. They make a good pair. Well, sometimes. Oh, I just have to repost last year's Easter picture for laughs:

Seriously, this was the best shot we got last year. Right before church in their Sunday Best. Come one now...isn't this what most Easter pictures are really like? Trying to get them to sit down next to each other while they are still fresh and clean in their new clothes. Ya right.

This year, we just bagged the whole "Come on! Sit together!" picture, and snapped some of them by themselves. Well, I must admit, we tried to get them to sit together, but this is what we got instead.

Hopping Easter bunnies. At least they were in character:) Happy Easter Everyone!

Waiting.

Well, every artist is entitled to do a little something for herself....and this print is just that. I often am creating images from my own childhood, or my children's experiences. Today, I post a print that reflects what I am feeling right now. I can't put it into words, and so I had to draw it. I guess that makes me an artist...not a writer. I can't even say that I am waiting for anything...but the title just seemed to fit. You can make of it what you will, but for me, in this moment, maybe it's the stillness in this image I am drawn to. No wind. No noise. No distractions. Just a calmness.

Happy Easter everyone. Not bunnies today...but revived dancing french elephants to say..."Dance a little. It's SPRING!"

Happy Site Friday.

Click on the image above to enlarge for wonderful eye candy.

Today I bring you spring colors, fresh inspiration and clean space all from a magazine that I can't order cause I live in America. I have TRIED to order Ariadne at Home, but lo, I cannot. But if I lived in the Netherlands....

Thankfully they have a website, where you can find little snippets of the latest issue. And oh am I glad. Fresh. Simple. deliberate. Colorful. Just what I need for a splash of inspiration on a very brown day.

Pink. Sea spray blue. White. White. More white. Yellow. Grey. and even purple. (I am not yet a purple fan...but if I lived in snow laden Holland, I just might be).

I have never lived in the Netherlands, but I have visited Amsterdam (close enough?) and I have also been in the Swiss alps in the summer where I learned that Winter people REALLY know how to bust out color in the spring and summer. And Ariadne at Home takes that Scandinavian Country flair for fresh and colorful and created a lovely place.

Oh, and did I mention it gets better? They have a kids magazine as well??? (I drooling right now!)

So, if you live in the Netherlands, or have access to this magazine, do you want to be my friend now, and mail the monthly issues? That would just make my day.

Best of both worlds.

Well, Here they are...in all their springtime glory. I really took to heart all your comments, and I think that I have mixed all the good elements from all four and put them into one. I love simple...like you are seeing an image right after it's been sketched on a paper, but I also love a grounding illustrated background. So I think that this is just the right mix. Thank you all for your great honest feedback. It's nice to know I can bounce off ideas here. My brain gets kinda full sometimes...needs outside input.

And for your enjoyment...we have bookplates and postcards coming soon with her at school, so stay tuned!

EDIT: Here are the postcards! I am just in love with spring color right now! These cards are hanging in my studio for just the right splash of color! I love it!

I love you DeGeega.

We have a word specialist in our house. Addie. She makes up words. She learns words really fast too. Like, museum, stethescope, delectible, exhausted. She says these words in context, and pronounces them perfectly. She has always been our word girl.

Have you ever said "I love you" and recieved the response "I love you more?" Well, we say it all the time in our house, and it turned into a game really....

"I love you more."
"I love you MORE"
"I love YOU more"
"I LOVE you more."

It never ends, and no one can really win, can they? Addie figured it out.

She finally blurted out..."I love you DA GEEGA" (da-gee-ga).
"What does Da Geega mean?"
"It means lots and lots and lots."

She won. She wins every time. So now, when she says "I love you Mama and Dad," and we resond, "We love you more!" she will always reply, "I love you Da Geega." Can't top that, can you? But then really, no one can top anything she is. She is just the most fun I have ever had. I love you, Addie. (More than 'Degeega', but I won't tell her that:)

PS: thank you so much for all your wonderful input below! I just love hearing what you have had to say, and it is really helpful for me! I am still deciding, but I have decided to make the chalkboard print into some darling bookplates. Still deciding on the rest, but I have a pretty good idea! Thank you guys! You are the best!

Opinions Please.

Hello visitors, welcome to Open Studio! It's been a fun night here drawing and painting. The work is finished, and it's time for comments and critiques. Sit back, relax and have a look.

Now that you are visitors today, I am opening up the art studio for comments. I want to know which one you like the best. Or which one you would hang in your daughter's room (or yours, or your sisters...) I am really interested, cause I just don't know myself! All opinions welcome.

1) Blue

2) Chalkboard

3) artist paper color

4) green grass

Ok. Maybe you don't like any of them, but this is open studio time, so if you don't like any, tell me, but be nice. I want to make a few more prints to match, so which ever background you like will help me to draw up more little lammies. And please...even if I have never seen you around before...pipe up! All opinions welcome.

Thanks!