I am sending my baby off to school.

Or at least that is what it feels like. Ironic, that my last Monthly print is finishing in September, just in time for school to start. Is she really done? Has she really been with me a year? So much has happened this year, and it is all coming to this dramatic finish for me. Well...I'm not finished, but this set is, and I am not really sure how I feel about it.

I have to be honest with you. My October in Polka-dot wellies was never intended to be more than just that. People just liked her so much, I got email after email saying "Are you going to make a whole Calendar set?" I am really honest when I tell you that I had no intention of making one! I just really love the month of October, and that just happened to be the month that I opened my shop. So, I answered back to all those emails saying, "Sure!" And I have loved the journey.

This series is so revealing of my journey as an artist this year as well. You will notice, that these girls aren't exactly the same in each monthly print. Some have said that they don't think they are all the same girl...and some say they are. I will leave that up to you. In some prints she seems taller, or her hair seems straighter, etc. But really, it is even more revealing of my favored technique at the time. There is a consistency, but there are a lot of inconsistencies as well, which I hope you find a bit endearing. I do.

So here we have "Month by Month" for girls. And because I am so sentimental over this parting, I will also announce, that I am making the very same set for BOYS!! Starting in October, of course. I am really excited, and I have a feeling there will be some really fun moments with this one as well.

So, now the entire year is up for sale in the shop. I have deliberated over the price for a while...I really believe in making all my work affordable. SO, it may seem like a lot to offer the whole set at $200, but it ends up being a savings of $88 total. And, for those of you who have been buying the monthly prints as they come (you know who you are!) I am reminding you that August and September's prints are on me! (as well as a few extras:) If you haven't contacted me about that, please send me off an email with your ETSY name and email, so I can look up your orders and address and I will send your prints on their way!!

And, coming soon...in a few days/weeks (or what ever my children allow) will be some really great stationery featuring this year's set as well as a calendar!

And again, thanks to all of you for all your support! I will be writing more about my journey over the past year...this post isn't intended for that. But I can't place this last print up for sale without saying THANK YOU! Really...here is a e-hug from moi!

Mantra's from a dreamer.

I am a dreamer. I have always been a dreamer. But I find that as I am getting older, reality sets in, and I find myself more bound by time, money, and physical limitations. There is something that happens between childhood and adulthood that keeps us from thinking we can do anything. Well, I catch myself in these dull boring moments of reality (cause that is what they are...dull and boring!) and I have to remember, that life is meant to be lived to the fullest...not for settling into what we can't do. Last night, my husband very profoundly stated:

Anything great ever done in this world, happened because somebody was dreaming.

Isn't that so true? James Madison dreamt of a new government. The Wright brothers dreamt of a flying machine. Edison dreamt of an electric light. We all have so many dreams, and I think that as adults, we have to try even harder to keep those dreams alive! Real life has a way of telling us we can't do things, and I am sick of listening to that stream of thinking sometimes. My children have the biggest imaginations, and I am constantly being reminded that my daughter is a mermaid and my son is a tiger. So, in the spirit of the Olympics this week, keep dreaming. Keep thinking you can. That is my determination this week...to live the visions I have inside. The only person who can stop us from doing what we REALLY want to do is ourselves. Think about that.

And so, to end my post and to start my week, I leave you with the words of one of my favorite dreamers:

If you can dream it, you can do it.~ Walt Disney

That is so true. I am a singer and spent most of my highschool and college years in voice lessons. One my favorite teachers of all time said, "If you can squeak it, you can sing it." Meaning, if you have it in you to even just squeak that high note, you have it in you (with a whole lot of practice and hard work) to sing it beautifully some day. If there is a glimpse of it, keep working at it and the dream will become reality.

Can you tell what is on my mind today? I am determined to overcome this pesty habit of letting reality dampen my curiosities and dreams. So, with that, happy dreaming everyone!

xoxo

sarah jane