First week open, and still running!

This has been an exciting week for me! Thanks to all of you for stopping by and visiting my shop. It has been a lot of fun. A bit of a whirl wind…trying to learn the ropes amidst a lot of other things going on, but it has been great. I have made a lot of really great contacts, and met some really great people. It is really exciting to see other parents like my artwork and see that it speaks to them and their own children. That is why I am doing this: I just wish I could see the children when they get their pictures.

This week I took a quick trip to Maryland (where I grew up) to visit my parents and little sister. I love it back east. It is an enchanting place…especially this time of year. It is a little more dry this year than normal, but it doesn’t matter. It beats the desert in October. The mountains are beautiful…don’t get me wrong. But there is nothing like being able to go out into my backyard and be with the deer and the squirrels and the fallen logs on an autumn afternoon. My kids are, needless to say, in heaven.

The first time we went out to the backyard, Addie insisted that she run back and put on her princess dress and get out her “I wonder” basket (Sleeping Beauty sings “I wonder” while holding a basket for berry picking in the dark woods...notice how her "I wonder basket" could also double as a 99 cent hot pink plastic jack-0-lantern bucket from Target). So, Addie is in her dress (and basket in hand) singing “I know you… I walked with you once upon a dream” all because we were in the trees. She LOVES trees, and here we are in the heart of it all. I love it!


My sister Kaile is a horseback rider, and so of course we had to take the kids to see the horses...and the barn cat they discovered. Addie and Ian LOVE animals, and depite the funny pictures, addie is actually very natural with animals.

And with the shop open and successful I have also managed to get my artwork in my first boutiques! It is really exciting. The first is a DARLING place in Northern CA called “Teapot Parties” and the second is in Leesburg, VA called ‘On a Whim’…a very vintage/ chic store with a lot of personality. I am so excited! My stuff will most likely be there by the end of the month.

So, a lot of learning going on here. I really just threw myself into this. I have at least a dozen more pieces I am just DYING to get printed, but that requires me being home. So, I will have to wait till next weekend. I just can’t stop coming up with new stuff. That is the fun of it…there never has to be an end to this! It's all just imagination!

Thanks again for all of your support and compliments. It’s great to think that my elephants and bunnies and little people are on the walls for other little children to enjoy. In some ways, I feel like a Santa…I just want to make children smile :)

Sarah Jane ETSY shop open!



Wow. What a week this has been. I knew it was going to be intense, but I don't think I knew how much. I Have had such a great time getting to know new people as I have made my first sales, and received help from other ETSY artists regarding all the details of starting up.


I am doing my own printing now, and wow! It is wonderful! Having my own printing abilities has opened up a whole new set of possibilities! I can't wait to learn more!

Despite the rush of opening, we were able to enjoy the beautiful Utah autumn colors this weekend as we drove the Alpine Loop. Addie and Ian were so stimulated, that they couldn't fall asleep believe it or not! (Well, Addie that is.) She stayed in her crib singing "I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills.... for 2 hours. It was so cute, but boy she was tired in the morning!

I hope you like the shop! I felt like a first-day kindergardener when I made my very first sale! Butterflies and everything! I couldn't believe it! I am a perfectionist (to an extent) and I just want my artwork to be JUST RIGHT for my buyers. Translation: Up late, up early, Bob the Builder for the kids, stretching left overs as far as they go and Kenneth did a weeks worth of laundry for the first time in years. I am ready to be a real mom again! (well, what is real? the fact that my kids have had the stomach flu and have been letting me hold them for the past two days while working on my shop? I guess that is REAL).

But I am SICK of Bob the Builder!

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latest additions...



Here are more prints to go into the shop. I can't wait to get it open! Be watching next week...that is my goal!

I am finding that my style is a little all over the place. Well, maybe I just like a few different styles. It will be interesting to see which pieces are the most popular...or which style is most popular. I have always been attracted to many different styles, so I guess my art reflects that. I am finishing new pieces every day, but I really need to get things ready for my shop to open. I have a lot of little details to tie up before then. But I am getting excited! Stay tuned...more art is coming everyday!

the elephant is back.

I just have to start drawing this little pair again. It is fun to draw them different each time. It's fun for me to see them change and transform. That is the great magic of being their artist....I get to see it for the first time! This will make a great print for the nursery. Silent and sweet.

October in Polka-dot wellies

I love the fall. I grew up back east, where the autumn air is brisk and full of magic. As a child, I remember walking through the streets of trees, with the wind blowing my hair every which way. I loved it. This weekend has been a magical one with the magic of fall. Here is a piece inspired by my childhood and my love of wellies!

This weekend was Kenneth's Birthday. Kenneth is a 'yellow' and we just decided to have a spontaneous weekend!

* We took the kids out in the rain for puddle jumping

* Kenneth made sourdough bread, home made pasta (twice in a row), chicken fettuccine, broccoli with portobello mushrooms, grilled salmon, and double tiered triple chocolate cake with raspberries for the final BAM!

* We took the kids to the BYU campus for the first time and showed them where we had our first kiss (es).

* Kenneth and I discovered two new favorite dining spots...'Nicolaitalia' and 'Pudding on the Rice'. Made us feel like we were back in Boston again.

* Addie became officially potty-trained and can now go on trips in the car without a diaper. (she calls herself a 'potty train' now....with "choo-choo" side affects and everything.

* Addie and Ian learned how to do somersaults.

* We had friends and family over all weekend, and even managed (kenneth and I) to hang out at one of our fav places...Barnes and Noble.

Happy Autumn everyone!

Bunny Milk.



Here are 3 of what might soon be more. I am trying to find just the right color combinations. I think I will offer a few, but want to find just the right ones. What do you think of these? I am still trying to find the design combinations that I like the best.

Introducing another new character...

I have to honestly say that my children are my biggest inspiration when it comes to the compositions and characters that I am starting to string together. My I truly have a gerber baby boy and a Shirley Temple baby girl. They are just art waiting to happen! I love my little girl characters that are making their way to the front of the stage. Thanks to my daughter, they are full of cuteness. But Don't you just love baby boys??? My son is as gerber as they get, and this picture of him depicts (to me) so much of little boys this age. Full of innocence and open wonder. You will be seeing this character soon with my elephants. I can't wait!