10 day blog backlog!

I've been awfully quiet lately.

Sometimes I want to blog my fingers off and other times I put it on my to-do list and then avoid writing for a whole week. I'm sorry to be so inconsistent but I'm a bit of a hedonist with little self-discipline. I just can't seem to force myself to do anything I'm not in the mood to do.

Well, I truly appreciate your patience. Lets catch up!

I had another round of vending at Design Hive. The crowds were better and I had the pleasure of chatting all afternoon with fellow Etsy addict Erin of Walker Silverworks and meeting Laurie May Coyle. I also made the most wonderful trade with Jisun who makes the most perfect ceramics with tiny zebras and giraffes perched on the edge. She got one of my swamp lovers prints and I got this magnificent happy giraffe! Most notably, I am very proud of myself for getting from Salem to Boston by train, foot and subway while carrying my entire craft fair display! I have decided that this feat earns me craft fair warrior status even though many kind strangers helped me with my precarious bundles.

I got sick and had to visit the doctor due to a crazy bump/bite I got on my arm that made me feverish for a couple of days. I'm better now though.

I took 250 photos of Hodge and Yoshimi because they are adorable. I had the decency to only post a few on Flickr.

I made a new friend! Theresa of Simple Moth is a photographer whos work I'd admired before I realized she was my neighbor in Salem. For real!

I totally destroyed the peaceful order in my home. Justin and I (in an effort to become even more cliche) decided to forsake creature comforts for art. We have a very tiny apartment and I'm needing a studio so badly that we have crammed some living room furniture into our kitchen/dining area and now the only sizeable room in our home has been swallowed by a massive argyle whale. I'm kind of excited about the opportunities that this space holds but a little sad that there is no room for any guests at all. Looks like we will start taking long walks with our friends instead of inviting them over for tea.

Also, Happy Easter for those who celebrate it! Personally, I celebrate bunnies. Today is also our 4yr anniversary of having Yoshimi. She was dropped off at our apartment by someone who no longer wanted her and had to have her out before they left for Easter. Imagine! Who gets rid of a bunny on Easter? Well, It's certainly been our luck that they did.

Wait! Theres more! Molly of Blackberry Crafts has given this blog a Lemonade Award for positive attitude. That makes me feel nice. Thanks Molly! If I may toot my horn a bit, I also got a little Etsy front page action, a bunnyy-ful feature on M on the side and a mention on Design is Mine. Holy woah what a week!

Thanks for your long attention spans!

Oh wait! One more thing... I saw a fox!

Two new prints to share!

I've been surprisingly efficient these past two days despite having a really miserable cold. I rarely moved from the couch but since drawing and printing are not very strenuous tasks, I created two new things!

The first print I made is surely the simplest design I've ever created but It's also my new favorite. This print is my illustration of a bunny's nose and mouth but it also looks like it could be a symbol of some sort. I'm trying to be more mysterious. This print will be available in my shop later this evening (unless I fall asleep on the couch instead).

The next little print is of a snail on a log and these will be used as my thank you notes included with orders. I like that they match my snail mailers.

Well, I'm still not feeling better so I expect I'll have some new designs to share tomorrow. Funny how I'm more productive when I should be resting.

Oh, I also gave myself a new hairdo. Here is the before and after.

Sick Day

My day today will vary between sitting like a blob on the couch and sitting like a blob in front of the computer. I rarely get sick, but when I do I am wholly incapacitated and probably miserable to tend to. I'm going to drink copious amounts of tea and honey, catch up on blogs and write some letters. It would be a pretty great day if I didn't feel so bad.

My malaise (and a few other factors) thwarted my plans to go to the Fact and Fancy gallery opening in Brooklyn yesterday to see my work and hob nob with famous Etsians. I'm feeling almost as bad about that as the time I got chicken pox on the day of my dance recital!

There are a few things that I need to bring me out of this funk:

-bunny snuggling
-the movie "True Romance"
-a heavenly matcha latte
-a few more people to enter my Gocco giveaway of a Journal, a surprise print and a patch! The links submitted so far have been pure delight!

Hills and valleys

My big pile of snail mail

Sadie feels sick

Today has been a day of giddy highs and somber lows.

I spent most of the day basking in a feeling of mini-fame due to the press power of Boing boing! and the Storque. I stayed in my pajamas packing up orders and then trekked to the post office with Justin in the freezing cold to send out the biggest pile of orders we've ever had. We spent a little while at a local cafe and toasted with our special drinks. I celebrated with a spicy Thai latte made with soymilk and Justin had a cup of coffee with a big slice of peanut butter pie. We came home and played a few games of Dr. Mario and filled our small apartment with curses and cries of triumph. We get very competitive when we play games.

The bad part of the day came after I got off the phone with my mom a little while ago. My parent's dog Sadie has been feeling sick this past week and now she is in the pet hospital. The vet has put her through many tests with inconclusive results but her condition is very serious and looks like it could be cancer. The whole situation makes me feel sad and guilty. I wish I could be there for my parents and go visit them right away but I can't make it happen right now. Aaaah. It is so incredibly hard to see my parents sad and worried. My Dad had even more bad news. He visited the eye doctor today and his macular degeneration has worsened significantly. He will be having treatments soon that involve NEEDLES IN THE EYE! Scary. He is losing his vision. He is experiencing one of my worst fears. When I talked to him today, he reminded me to "enjoy what I have while I have it". So, I'm going to try and have a nice evening being thankful for my horrible but not hopeless vision and for my two healthy albeit curmudgeonly bunnies.