She is here. I have been waiting to get her done for a while now...and she couldn't wait any longer. No more rain! Horray for spring! I do have to say, she is a bit more "girly" than my other prints, but Spring does that to a girl, doesn't it? She even reminds me a bit of Bottecelli's Birth of Venus (but with a gingham dress). OK...so it's a stretch. But how appropos. She will be in the shop this afternoon!
I can't believe it. My sales just hit 1000. Sarah Jane Studios opened October 4th, 2007. That was 6 1/2 months ago, and boy has it gone by fast!
I really have to just say thanks to all of you. Really and truly, this has been an amazing journey (with it's fair share of downs as well...I am my worst critic!) Truth be told, I love it. I love creating (I can't stop!) and I have really loved meeting really great and talented people along the way. Thank you, Thank you! I have been so lucky to feel supported all along the way!
I wish I could just personally thank all of my wonderful customers and readers individually. I take great care in packaging to make sure that they know how appreciative I am. But I have to add an extra thanks this week to really celebrate!!
I will be adding ONE FREE "I would really like to" notepad to the next 30 orders. But you have to mention it to me in your purchase in the "message to seller box." Just say " Blog Reader" or something like that:)
Thanks so much to all of you! Support is everything to a mom, a woman and especially and artist, and I have had just the best time on this little journey! I am excited for another 6 months ahead!
Gotta go outside now and plant something...it's Earth Day! (How appropriate!)
These past few 'vacation' days have flown by! I have loved this time to create more, and wishing that I could just work faster. It sometimes feels like my brain is so full of images that I have to get them out on paper or I am just going to burst. I keep a sketch book with me at all times, but sometimes taking real "art time" is necessary. I have been working on a few other projects that I can't really post about right now...hopefully soon. But these new prints are enough to keep me happy!
All this is available in the shop now. I have more coming, as always, but now I must get back to shipping and packing!
I am also going to be making my "I love my mom" cards available as singles in honor of Mother's day coming up. Don't miss out on these elephants!
And speaking of Mamas and Boys, check out my forever crush. He loves hanging out with me. He is my little side kick. I just can't get enough of his short stubby, squishy legs. Oh!! I love him!
Thanks for all your lovely comments about the chairs by the way! Have a great weekend and see you back for "happy site friday!"
Thanks all of you who participated in the Special this last week. Hope you had fun. And for those of you who want to play more, there is a giveaway this week over at Bloggy Giveaways. A gift certificate to my ETSY shop will be given out on April 4th to two lucky winners. Go play! Maybe you will be luckier than I am...I never win any of those kinds of things. Oh Well!
**And to answer your questions in the post below, yes, Kenneth made all that in a 3 day period. Let's just say that he had a particularly stressful week finishing up a huge project, and well...needed extra therapy. I hate to see my husband stressed, but I sure support his method of recovery:)
Art for children's rooms. One of my favorite topics of discussion. I have such strong feelings about this (really?) and have come across a GREAT article on the REAL SIMPLE website. Holly (from Decor 8) talks about 1) the love of great nursery decor and 2) the increasing opportunities to buy inexpensive art for your kids. I was FLOORED when I saw one of my images up in her pick of 60 or so prints that she likes. I really had no idea. I was reading my first favorite children's artist blog and she mentioned this article and so I checked it out...and voila!
See that little teaparty action happening on the left there? geesh! About give me a heart attack. Real Simple is a favorite place for me, so that was extra special. Thanks Holly!
But I bring this up, because there is just a lot more out there than there used to be. When I was first pregnant I was trying to figure out what *style* I wanted to incorporate in my children's playroom and nursery. There is so much to consider when deciding! Color, theme, style, gender, baby or big kid, etc. I truly believe that you have to know your child and decorate with their personality in mind. For instance, I spent my entire pregnancy collecting fabric for Addie's crib bedding and after Addie was 6 months old, I abandoned it because it just wasn't "her".
Here are some of my favorite art prints for kids as well as some pointers to consider when purchasing art for your child:
1) Have your child test it. Circumstances won't always allow your children to see the art before you purchase it, but my children are my BEST testers. I print off a copy of all my new prints, and let them hold it. If I find them looking at it for a long time, or carrying it around with them, I know I have a winner. Addie has been known to sleep with a few.
2) Timelessness. You will most likely redo your child's room by the time they are 8. But will the art work for 6-8 years? Will it be too babyish in 3 years? Maybe it doesn't matter to you...but it sure is something to consider.
3) Does it have an easy color scheme? I am not "matchy matchy". I really don't like everything to be just perfect. But I do consider that in the next couple months, Addie will need a new bed and new bedding. Can I easily find bedding that will "go" with the decor she already has?
4) What is it teaching? Not every piece of art will tell a story, or teach something. In fact, most won't. But good art will stay in your child's mind for years to come. Do you remember what was in your room in your early years? I do. I had a picture of Jesus with the children, an embroidered "one, two buckle my shoe" piece and a print of the Goose Girl. I remember falling asleep staring at these images. They are a part of my first memories as a child. I can't say that they "taught" me anything, but there was a feeling of safety and comfort in them. What kind of comfort do you want to offer your child?
You will notice that the art above is different than my own style, but that is what I love about art for kids...why do "Matchy Matchy?" Let your children imagine a reason it all goes together. As an artist and mom, these thoughts are running through my head as I continually adjust my kids' room, but also as I create the art itself.
For more ETSY artists, check out this link: 100 ETSY artists. Some really great finds! Stay tuned for more...I could chat about this subject for hours!
Isn't he just so darling? Yes, but oh so clever!
So Ian wakes up from his nap today with a great big YELP! and then quietly seems to rest back to sleep...or so I thought. I was in the middle of you know...all those things that Mommies do during nap time, and hoping for a little more time, accepted the fact that he was just having a dream. Well, optimism wore off when I walked in to see Ian IN HIS CRIB but with our room looking like this.
Yes, he had climbed out of his crib, rolled around in the bed, went searching for bears in the trees outside our window and became so excited that not only did the covers get scrambled but the blinds broke too. I wonder if he found any bears. (I did!!) So what he did isn't really that earth-shattering...I mean really, there isn't anything else to do in our room. What makes him the CLEVER boy, is that after making all this mess, he must have remembered that he wasn't allowed to climb out of his crib, so he crawled back inside which is where I found him after I heard him say...oh so politely..."AWAKE!"
And then Darling-dainty-ready-for-the-runway-Addie has the habit of ROCKING (no I mean really rocking...like she WHIPS her body back and forth as though I were still bouncing her up and down the hallway from her severe colicky days) and so her hair becomes this wild tangled seaweed every time she takes a long time to fall asleep (which has been every night now that Addie and Ian are sleeping in the same room now). Wow. Sorry grammer freaks. Run-on sentence. But really, you can't tell from this picture...but Little Miss has DREADLOCKS underneath those loose curls that (I have timed it) take 25 minutes to get out in the bath after only one night of tossing around.
But with my mischief making son, and my wild haired daughter we still manage to get things done here in the studio. Like starting wholesale! I have two online shops with my artwork ready to order...and not just any online shops. These are GREAT! I encourage you to look around (if you haven't seen these stores already). All incredibly great for kids and all very unique. Warm Biscuit has been a favorite of mine ever since my nursing days when I would nurse and read catalogs...theirs being a favorite. Simply a boy is new to me, but oh so great! With all the GIRL stuff out there, it's about time there was a place just for those boys! And there are more coming soon!
I love the children's industry! I love that I get to be a kid and a grown up all at the same time. Best of both worlds. Hey...I never even have to make my bed! (Ian does it for me:)
I am so excited! Bowie over at Print and Pattern posted my stationary today on her site! If any of you haven't seen her blog/website yet, you really need too. She posts products and photos of products that she finds all over London...all with some element of vintage/modern pattern and color. GREAT site for the design minded. I just wish I had more design experience! My dream is to figure out how to make more pattern elements in my artwork...but maybe I just need to take classes...or just read enough of Bowie's Blog??
Well, I am just really flattered. Bowie is a dear person with a great eye. Thanks!
I can't send you to the post exactly...only her site, so scroll down a bit...it's there:)
Wow. This is just really cool for me to announce that I have my very first magazine publication! I have been itching to show you these new drawings for a while now! But I swore to secrecy until the Spring edition of SMALL MAGAZINE came out. And, well....it just came out!
I was asked to do some drawings based on clothing and teasets that editor Olivia gave me, and oh I just felt like a kid again! You know...setting up the clothes for your dolls, finding the "right" location for your picnic and getting the favorite tea set out.
Thanks Olivia for letting me take a stroll down memory lane. I hope you like them! And the best part of all, is I get to share these prints with you and keep them in my ETSY shop!
These prints will be available Monday morning.
Each one is great individually, but you will notice that some of them are good as a set, or match very well other prints that are in my shop right now. You might even recognize the bunny that keeps reappearing!
So, thank you Olivia for being so great to work with! I can't wait to go play tea now with my kids. Ian actually likes to play as well. (He got a play sushi kit for Christmas and likes to have pertend miso soup and herb tea:) Oh how I love children!
