everyday: BEAUTIFUL (& UNNECESSARY) APOLOGY

It has been a rough couple of weeks.  Nothing horrible - just yucky (for lack of a better word).  Everyone has those days where everything and everyone seems to be difficult.  I just happen to have a string of 14 or so of them.  I declare them over.  Seriously...over...thats enough already.  In the very middle of these yucky days, these arrived:

They were sent as an apology.  I am not really one that thinks apologies should be purchased but hell, these were GORGEOUS.  Oh, and the biggie...an apology wasnt even needed from this person.  So I decided to just take them as a thoughtful and sweet gesture which was exactly what I needed.  Thank you, my friend!  Oh, and thank you G for taking the pic for me!

I hope everyone has a great weekend and I wish everyone a better week next week.  I have a friend taking her first trip to New Orleans, a friend taking her first trip to Florida, a friend expecting a baby, the snow is rapidly melting, I got my tax return so I can pay some bills (and maybe a little goodie or two).....how can it not be better?!

sketchbooks: FLEXI-SKETCH

Another new category in my blog is going to be sketchbooks. I admit it right now that I am addicted to GOOD sketchbooks. I am always on the search for that perfect sketchbook...not too big or too small...the perfect weight of paper....bright white pages....aesthetically pleasing...I could go on and on. I carry one every where I go. I have one at work, one (or two) in my bag, one on the writing desk in my livingroom, one open in my studio, etc. I think everyone should. Even if you dont consider yourself an artist, think how handy it would be. To doodle in while on the phone, or to make lists in while waiting to pick up the kids after practice, or to sketch in while eating lunch at your desk. Ok, ok, I will also admit I am a bit of an art geek and I know this may be of no interest to many so feel free to skip over this section if it bores you. I wont be hurt ;)

But for those that might be interested...I introduce the Flex-Sketch by Carnet de Croquis:

I wanted to try one of these for over a year. But they werent available locally and I am too cheap to pay the shipping when the postage cost is more than the item itself especially when I havent first gotten to handle the book or feel the paper. But then one day I was in Middlebury with my Mom on a little shopping trip. I ran in the cute bookstore on my way to put more money in the meter and there it was. They come in several sizes but there it was, the exact one I wanted. The 6" x 12" Flexi-Sketch with the light blue cover. Not a bad price but it was plastic wrapped and I couldnt feel or see the paper so I hesitated. When I went back to the store later, my Mom just picked it up and bought it and called it an early xmas gift. She is good. Very very good. Anyway, I got home later that day and opened it. I found the covers to be thin but very durable and the thickness of the book itself gave a stable base for use without a table or desk. The paper was a gorgeous smooth bright white and a very respectable 75 lb weight. As advertised, they open pretty flat and the binding holds up very well (so far). These compact sketchbooks have a ton of paper. Yup, I loved it! So when I was scouring through Borders one day this past winter, I was shocked and very very happy to see the orange 6" x 6" and the gold 8" x 8" Flexi-Sketch. The other two sizes I wanted. Why were they there!?!? I still have no idea but it gets better. THEY WERE IN THE CLEARANCE SECTION! Yup, red labeled. The orange one was $3.99 and the gold one was $5.99! WTF?! I scooped up what they had and lugged my strained basket of goodies down the stairs. At the register I hefted that haul onto the counter and whipped out my borders card and coupon. I couldnt understand why bells and whistles werent going off and why balloons werent falling from the ceiling. I thought that happened every time someone won the lottery ;) Currently I am loving the orange 6" x 6". It fits in the smallest purse and really stands up to being thrown around and jostled. The paper takes both pencil and pen wonderfully.I went back to Borders again a few weeks later to find more. My name is Pamela Harris and I am a sketchbookaholic. A sketchbookaholic that found Flexi-Sketch at less than half price!! I can not wait to fill every one of these! Well, everyone but maybe one or two that I might give away. Who doesnt love an online giveaway?! :) After I get my blog and facebook synced I will be doing some online giveaways. Keep an eye out. These lil' guys are worth it :) Above you see the first Flexi that I stumbled upon in Middlebury. I found the green 6" x 9" Flexi at a new art store in the area. On my second trip to Inspirations in Essex I saw it proudly sitting there on a special display table. They had other sizes but I have a thing for the long landscape sketchbooks and I couldnt rationalize purchasing any more. They were priced a bit more than any where else but I didnt have to pay shipping and I kind of expect the higher prices at smaller stores. So I got to support a local business AND affirm my multiple purchases at Borders by realizing I paid less for THREE of the orange Flexis than I did for this green one. I know, it is sickness. What is not pictured is the 9" x 12" Flexi I found at Borders the second visit. I got just one because I had enough free Borders Bucks to cover it. It was $9.99; a great deal but come on, I had to show a glimmer of restraint. Plus, it is a bit bigger than I usually like to use; I prefer my larger sketchbooks to have spiral binding for easier use.

Ok, I have put enough people to sleep. Time to go put some pen to paper to justify these purchases.

haul: BORDERS & BOUTILLIERS PURCHASES

One of my new blog categories is going to be labeled as 'haul'. This is basically where I show you what I bought recently and where I bought it; focusing on art supplies, pet related items and just really great deals you might be interested in. Having said that...

I admit it, I love Borders. I love the smaller local bookstores too and try to hit them as often as possible. However, Borders is the perfect place for some items not available anywhere else. Like Paperchase goodies. Dont get me started on Paperchase. LOVE THEM. Anyway, last week I headed to Borders with just my borders card and coupon. Look what I got for only $6.20!Each of the books above were less than a$1! I had to do some scouring but I found some great gems. A paper play family kit for my niece from MoMA as well as a doodle book I had wanted to get her. The other two books are for me :) And because I had a coupon and a borders membership card, I got the Paperchase watercolor set I had been eyeing. The brush that comes with it is crap but for just over $2, I could not pass up the gorgeous colors.

I also had a rare coupon to Boutilliers Art Center (thanks, Mom!) and since I was already on Church Street, I picked up a portable watercolor pad. So the fun little pairing you see below only cost me a little over $8 and will provide me with hours of lunch time distraction at the day job as well as (possibly) 12 pieces of artwork!

late nights and full tables

This is usually a slower time of year for me. Not so this year! I am very thankful and extremely happy. I am crazy busy and my tables are full of completed pieces. WOOHOO!! I am so excited. The last couple weeks have been full of very late nights. Regular, but unexpected, life things pop up and take time but I have spent hours lately finally putting brush to canvas and oil pencil to paper. I have been taking lots of (poor quality-sorry) pictures and I look forward to sharing but for now, hopefully a pic of sweet BrownDog (aka Gracie) will do. Most of the new items on my tables will be sent off to their new homes this weekened and early next week. By Sunday I will be able to post some pictures without ruining any surprises.

Also, I am doing some early Spring cleaning in my little home studios. I have lots of art and craft items as well as paper products and books. I have been posting them on Craigslist but if anyone is in need or if anyone is interested please just drop me an email. I can share the details of what I have before I place it on CL. My next post is all art books, sketchbooks and paper.

Now as promised, Miss Gracie! Sleeping on her (very own) love seat. Gracie is my parents dog and the sweetest most gentle giant you will ever meet. Dont let the teeth fool! You can not tell from these pics but she has the most gorgeous green eyes.
Nighty night for now.

VALENTINES DAY SALE!

I have a lot to post but I wanted to start by sharing a little love. I have lots of new YellowDog cards and stickers and even a handful of new little moleskines. In celebration of the upcoming holiday I both love and hate..heehee.....I am offering a sale on all of my YellowDog paper goods. And hell, lets put the last painting I have in my possession (that is not spoken for) on sale as well!!

So for this week the following sales (!!) apply:

STICKERS = 4/$14!! Below you see my newest stickers but the sale applies for all of them.

CARDS = 3/$14! Same as the stickers...below you will see some of my newest cards but the sale applies to all cards (not just the Valentiney ones).

DREAMING = $75!

This is the only painting I have that is not spoken for. It was originally $125. It is acrylic on a 12" x 48" gallery wrapped canvas. It is ready to hang! It doesnt really work for any of the projects I have coming up so I thought I would put it up here on sale in case I can spread some more holiday love. If it doesnt sell, I love the size and colors so much I have a place on my own wall that it might be calling home soon....

I also have new moleskines, notebooks, note boxes, chalkboards and containers. More pictures to come soon but for now here is a peak at the slightly seasonal moleskines (I might have trouble parting with these!):

So lets hope this takes the sting out of all that shoveling (who am I kidding?!?!?). Drop me an email if you would like to check out any of the new items or sale items. I try to give as much as I can to the Chittenden County Humane Society but this weeks proceeds are actually going to sweet Missy! Missy is my own little four legged house wrecker. She will be visiting Dr. Millie Armstrong very soon. But shhh....lets not tell her just yet...Im afraid I will wake up with a mouse head in my bed ;)

CHANGES ARE A COMIN'!

I am going to be changing a couple things on my blog in the near future. Nothing huge. I am happy with my blog over all. And lets be real, my blog changing skills are limited. The changes will mostly be the way I post. Some days I want to post ten times while other times I dont post for weeks. I thought that categorizing my posts would help. For example I would have a post strictly about a work in progress (WIP) or a post solely about a favorite or new art supply or the occasional post about a show or sale. This will make quick posts easy and multiple posts less overwhelming and jumbled. It will also help me (and others that dare) search for certain things among previous posts. So, if you could care less about anything other than where a show will be at, you wont have to sift through all my babble! Like this paragraph! Anyway, in the next day or so that will take place.

Now I cant bore you with a paragraph like that last one without leaving you with some cuteness:
My Mom gave me this sweet little felted bird for Christmas. She picked it up on our little trip to Middlebury this past October at a store called Sweet Cecily which is jam packed with adorable gifts and utilitarian goodies. If you need a special birthday gift or if you want to find a gift for everyone on your holiday shopping list, I suggest checking them out. Or hell, even if you just want something unique and adorable for yourself! The picture does not do the bird justice so trust me when I say it is cute as all hell! Thanks Mom!

Where did Friday and Saturday go?!

Laundry is spinning around in my washer and my dishes are getting a nice hot steamy bath so Im grabbing a minute to type up this post. Later I hope to put on the painting clothes and relax but for now I am cleaning up after a hellish week at work and trying to prepare for another hellish work week ahead. Im sure you know about THOSE weeks. But on to the fun things....

Look what arrived on my doorstep one very snowy evening:
I had been waiting for this package from Paypaya for a couple weeks. My friend Georgia gifted me the most amazing Sabrina Ward Harrison art journal from Paypaya for Christmas. I had wanted one of those journals for almost a year but it didnt give detail on the type of paper and I just couldnt bring myself to indulge in one for myself. Georgia and I both love Sabrina's books and she ordered one up for me. Not only was the cover gorgeous but the paper is crazy thick and the journal is super thick but opens nicely. I knew right away that I would stress about using that gorgeous journal unless I got another one. I know, it is a sickness but at least I know myself. Confident that I love them, I dared to order one and I lucked out with free shipping! Ofcourse even the label is beautiful but then I opened the hefty box to see this:I am a sucker for gorgeous packaging! My picture taking skills do not do the tissue or glossy label justice. I strongly suggest hopping over to Papaya right now and ordering yourself up some of these:

Stunning artwork in beautiful art journal form. I will warn you that regular shipping seems very very slow (even if you pay for it) from here but it is very much worth the wait.

I found some chipboard ornaments while holiday shopping. I did not get a chance to tackle them until after the holiday season but who says they have to be 'holiday' ornaments? I made them winter themed instead. One is going to my mother or she will kill me but the other is up for sale. I am only posting it here on my blog and maybe facebook. Otherwise this little guy gets put away until late in the art show season next year!

I did not think to take a picture sooner but above you see they are about 2/3 of the way done. Smaller work can be very time consuming but lately the small projects have been the easiest to varnish and complete due to the Vermont weather. What do you other Vermont artists do in the cold snowy months when it is time to varnish a piece?

The final stage before varnishing:

A close up after two coats of varnish:

And on the other side you have YellowDog's cousin BrownDog!

I did a ton of cleaning in my small upstairs studio. I am not done but life is so much easier with space to move around and clean work surfaces to work on. So I am flying back and forth between my computer and my painting table lately and it disturbs my studio helped immensely. She would prefer I stay in one spot and in arms length of her. Below you will see the look I am getting a lot lately. Notice she has her own basket. She loves boxes and baskets so by designating this basket as hers (and filling it with her favorite crinkly paper), I keep her out of projects in progress with wet paint and glue. For the most part anyway!

Stay warm!

Oi! So much to catch up on!

So much is going on and so much is coming up. How about a quick catch up before I start in on the upcoming news? I may not have kept up with my blogging but I did take lots of pictures!

My last show/sale of 2010 was the Home Fur the Holidays event at Play Dog Play in December. It was an amazing show for me. I lowered prices on a large number of items and gave lots of surprise bargains to shoppers and it lead to lots of my pieces finding new homes, shoppers getting affordable gifts and the HSCC getting three times the donation from my table compared to last year! It was win-win-win!! I feel so much better about my donation this year. Check out some of the items below. Most were completed just in time for the show.

This is my first YellowDog bank. I was so exctied when I saw this blank wood banks. Surprisingly it took me forever to decide what to actually paint on them. This is the only bank I completed! I did way too much thinking and way too little painting. But I love how it came out. This Citron Green by FolkArt takes four coats to look good but then it looks soooo good. There is a BrownDog with bone on the other side of the bank. Book ends coming soon!

My new favorites! These little 5" x 7" pieces are so much fun to make and I just love the look of them. So simple but the colors are great and the new version of YellowDog has such a sweet little face. Two have found new homes and one is on its way to a new home. I have already started some new ones. I might even keep one myself. A first for me!

Here is a shot of some of my brand new holiday/winter cards. These were fun to make and keep an eye out for some new Valentine's Day cards. They are recycled kraft stock with ink, graphite and oil pencil.

Meet Lous! Isnt he adorable. He had surgery not long before this photo and you cant even tell. Look at that face! He (and his wonderful owners Kim and Chad!) came all the way from NY to visit. I looked forward to their visit for a couple weeks!

The show at PDP was wonderful but tiring. Very very tiring. I treated myself to a red velvet cupcake from Nibble or Nosh. I waited all day to eat that cupcake.

Ok, enough for tonight but I have more pics and news to share so til' tomorrow....

nighty night!