Resolutions Or Goals? That Is The Question.

We're 6 days into 2013 & instead of resolutions I'm simply calling them goals. Sure I need to lose a few pounds, eat healthy & exercise but I'm going to choose goals that are realistic. Haha.

Here are a few of my intentions (oooh another good one) for the coming year. A photo essay if you will & note there isn't a picture of a scale.

I want to create something each & every day. I also want a reminder to choose joy. 2 goals=CHECK!

 I want to spend more time on collage art, greeting cards, beading & painting. I would like to learn a few new art mediums as well. I've yet to decide what they are. I will be creating more cookies too because who doesn't like cookies?

I have a huge organization project underway & my eyes glazed over when I saw this display at Staples. I swear I heard a harp when I laid eyes on it or was it my Husband trying to lure me away. I can't be 100% sure.

I am taking a photography class in February to learn how to work all of the dials & buttons on my camera. I want to incorporate more of my photography into my artwork.

We have to decide where we will be moving. Considering our house is going on the market next week...we had better get our thinking caps on.

This is in no way shape or form on my goal list. I would chew my way out of the sky with my fear of being more than 12 inches off of the ground. I just like the picture. I like rainbows.

I would like to limit my coffee intake. Bwhahahahaaha now that was funny because it's never going to happen. My Keurig machine OWNS me & quite frankly.....I'm okay with that.

Last but not least I will continue to pay it forward, practice random acts of kindness, fight the good fight & always stand up for what is right.
What are your resolutions or goals for 2013?

You Call That A Blizzard? Pleeeeaaassseeee!

 Greetings from the frigid north. We had a storm come through the other day. The weather peeps said we could get up to 20 inches of snow. I would guess that we got a foot of snow here. I ran to the store that morning to make sure we had everything we needed. I don't know what I was expecting but I did learn something....there was much ado about nothing when compared to how my friends in Lake Tahoe got hit. 3 feet of snow in 1 day & ya know what....life went on as usual there. I read on Facebook that one of my friends' house was shaking from the "avalanche bombs" going off in the mountains. What the hell? Now here in Maine where we are said to get so much snow businesses closed, there were warnings not to drive unless you have to etc.....I'm a little confused as to why everything comes to a grinding halt here but not in Lake Tahoe. Now don't get me wrong I don't advocate driving in the snow when the roads are bad, 4 wheel drive, snow tires or not. There are a lot of people that even though they grew up in the snow, simply can't drive in it. We live on a busy road & I see people skidding & sliding everyday. I personally cannot stand driving in the snow. I like more control than that & I'm definitely not going to trust other drivers to know what they're doing. So in the contest of snow endurance....Lake Tahoe residents win! It should be said that Lake Tahoe is my favorite place on earth so Tahoe will win every contest with me.
It wouldn't be winter though if I didn't profess my love for Dave in the wet cold stuff.

 

I thought I would pay tribute to my love for cake while I was at it.

I tried a new recipe for Jalapeno Popper Dip from Pinterest & it was delicious. I made it Christmas day & I made it again yesterday....it was just that good. I added more jalapenos then the recipe called for because we like spicy food but you can adjust the amount to your taste.

I highly recommend this dish of fabulousness & you can find the recipe here.
Have a fun Saturday. I'm off to play in my art studio.

Happy Merry Day After Christmas

Well did you all survive the big holiday? Dave & I had the flu all week so we had a very low key day. We did give ourselves the best gift ever though.....we're putting our house on the market in the next few weeks instead of this spring. Our thought was that we didn't want to take the chance of the house selling during winter because we don't want to drive cross country with all of our belongings in a truck while it snows. (We're just kind of quirky like that.) Well snow be damned, we're ready to go. We've BEEN ready to go & we don't want to wait another minute. We're listing our house nationwide so we hope it sells quickly. We'll be heading out west & will rent a place when we arrive then investigate where we would like to end up buying a house. We like Arizona, Oregon (by the coast) or Nevada. I overheard Dave talking to my Dad yesterday on the phone & he said "Anywhere there is a Michael's craft store will work for Michele." Ha! That man knows me so well. Now we have to exercise patience....minute by minute & second by second patience. UGH!

In other news...I was actually on the news. I was interviewed by our local news station about my art & my card making it onto the pages of Glamour. It was a fun experience. You can watch it here. The interview was held in my craft room/art studio so I had to spiffy it up. I'm posting pictures because it is rarely neat & tidy in there.

It's organized chaos, but it's my chaos & I love it. I thought it would be a fun idea if my art studio could be in the master bedroom of our new house & we could inhabit one of the smaller bedrooms....Dave wasn't as impressed with my idea as I was. Actually the weather will be a lot nicer wherever we're going so I could have a little outside casita type studio. That would be swell.
Well TTFN. Between the flu & the holidays I'm trying to play catch up. I wish you all a wonderful day. Cheers!

Go Away Insomnia....I'm Too Busy For Your Shenanigans

This message is brought to you by undaunted sleep deprivation. For the past 6 weeks or so I've been averaging about 3 to 4 hours of sleep every night. I can fall asleep but I'm awake at 2:00 am. If I sleep until 4:00 am I act like I've won the lottery. I refuse to take a nap during the day because I think that will only make it worse. The bottom line is....I'm exhausted but there is work to be done so I must keep on keepin' on. Why this happens during the busiest time of the year I'll never know. I've tried to change my attitude about it since that's 90% of handling any situation, but lack of sleep isn't always conducive to a "I got this" attitude. It will all straighten itself out....in time. Insomnia has been an issue for me all my life so you think after 46 years that I would be used to it by now.

 Okay enough kvetching.....onto other news. My holiday card line is a huge kick ass success. Orders are coming in everyday & I receive such sweet notes from my fantastic customers about my work. Another shining ray of light is the support of my family. I love them so much!

My Son Daniel's facebook share.

My Daughter Marissa's facebook share.

And my sweet Husband Dave's facebook share.

 It's an all around fabulous experience & I'm so happy about it all!

This was taken last night. I thought maybe an adult beverage would help me sleep....I thought wrong.

I've grown out of my art studio & our guest room is now my office/packaging area. I enjoy having 2 rooms to work out of.

Francesca thinks it's her duty to keep me focused & on track with snide looks & a clipboard. Silly cat.
So all in all life is pretty amazing. I may be sleepy but I sure am grateful!

Cyber Monday Sale In My Etsy Shop Today

****UPDATE I've extended the coupon code for my Cyber Monday Sale...Save 25% off of your entire order in my Etsy shop (does not include shipping) by entering the coupon code cybermonday at checkout. The code will expire 11/28/12 at 12:01 am PST.****

Greetings & Salutations,
Today only....save 25% in my Etsy shop on your entire order (shipping is not included.) Just enter the coupon code cybermonday at checkout to save. You could get a bunch of shopping done & save some sweet moola. If you aren't sure what to give to someone who is a bit "difficult" to buy for...I have gift cards in any amount you choose to be used in my shop. Let them decide for themselves this year. I have everything from original artwork, assemblage art, greeting cards,(yep, holiday cards too) jewelry, magnets, key chains....well you get the idea. Pop in, take a look around & save 25%. Click to view my Etsy shop. Have fun shopping & if you have any questions feel free to contact me.

I'm Finally Home From The French Riviera

My apologies for the fib that is the title of this blog entry. I just thought it sounded a lot better than "I'm a slacker." There has been so much going on while I've been on my blogging "vacay."

One of my designs is on page 99 of the fabulous book Fundamentally Female written by the very talented Renee Rongen. I LOVE that the word "Audacious" is written on the page featuring my artwork. It's a beautiful book & I'm very proud to be a part of it.

One of my holiday cards is in the December 2012 issue of Glamour magazine.

I'm taking orders for this card which will be available for shipping by the end of November. You can find it here in my Etsy shop.

 I've added new cards to my holiday inventory. If you would like to order some of my sassy offerings head over here to see my entire collection. These are just a few of them.

 I have a few new non holiday cards in my inventory as well.

So that's all for now. My to do list is holding me captive so I must get busy. TTFN!

Happy Birthday To Marissa

My baby is 29 years old today. I couldn't ask for a better Daughter. She is an amazing young lady & I'm so proud of her.