Book-In-A-Week

Not sure if you all remember, but I vowed to join a club that pushed me to write-- I am a demon of gettin' things done when I'm under the gun!
Well, I did it.
It's a group called Book-In-A-Week and they have a vast community of people that support the cause of busting it out, no excuses. My time starts on the 4th of April where I will set my goal and report my progress to my fellow BIWers. Neat huh?
So another dream begins...how cool is that?
Keep you posted!

And the adventure begins...

Night, again

Night with more stars

Or we can add a few more stars. What about this one?

Night and Day

Soon to be on Etsy...Night and Day.

Night

Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Like the Brady Bunch aspect of these two, but am a little distracted

by the drippies on Night. Looked nice live, but seeing it printed hmmm? What do you think?

Chaelen Designs: The Truth About Snow White

Chaelen Designs: The Truth About Snow White: "This is the first of a series of fairy tales, fancifully retold and illustrated with some of the best things I've found on Etsy recently. Ea..."


This is a fellow 'Etsyan' who wanted to use my illustration 'The Grotto' for her story on her blog. Needless to say, I was very honored and appreciative. The story is lovely and the items she has found on Etsy illustrate her story beautifully! Thanks again Chaelen

The Grotto

Weigh In--Booyah!

Alright! Down 2.2lbs means I got the little star sticker with a '5' emblazoned on it! Five pounds gone from the gut! It also means I have cut out 17,500 calories out of my diet. Incredible. I don't feel deprived? Well, that is a small lie. Sometimes I feel quite deprived and annoyed through this journey. The pity parties are also pretty epic-- I think I will make hats for the next one.
But I'm happy and a little proud.

Daily Scribble #5-See the Drama!

Daily Scribble #5 is finally finished%
The outcome possibly inspired by the drama of the cough that I am sporting right now. It sounds like I will die soon, and in a Nyquil induced dream I just had, I am living in 'Little House on the Prairie' times, and Doc Baker has the only medicine that will cure me but he is stuck in Mankado(sp) delivering triplets that are all breach. Like I said, Drama.

Before

Enjoy!

The Drama

A wee bit sick

The last daily scribble will be delayed until I get over the muck that is coursing through the ol' bod.
Happy it's a Sunday and gray outside-somehow that gives my mind permission to turn into a slug and get well. See you tomorrow:) and please avoid the muck if you can.

Ian Axel - This Is the New Year

Daily Scribble #5

Thank you to my nephew Ryan, for the scribble. Let's see if I can dazzle you with my artistry;)

Let's doodle this!

The Daily Scribble #4-Finally!

Alright folks, here it is! The Daily Scribble #4, actually the Scribble(s) my fella obliged me a few days back. I separated them so we could view them a little easier.
#1

Before

 

After--'First Parachute Drop'

#2

Before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After-Go Team Go!

 

 

 

 

 

Before

Fashion Week

Thank you!

Thank you all for your great suggestions! It really helped me a lot. Much, much appreciated:)

New Magical and Mysterious listings to buy on Etsy!

If you feel so inclined, please check out the shop on Etsy. Two new pieces up for grabs and I would love you to have them:)

Blanche Sees a Spell

Agatha Moonhouse, DetectivE

An Arty Taste Test

Need your opinion lovelies.
Starting a series with pictures of strange small children that live in a haunted mansion together. Each one has a gift and a personality very unique to them and will be named accordingly. Might turn this series into dark alphabet illustrations, but we'll see what you all think first.
This first set of pictures is a about a boy named Monroe, who likes everything just so.
Just So Monroe. 
Which do you like best? Comment please, feel free.

#1

Add caption

#2























THANK YOU!

The Daily Scribble #4

I asked for one scribble and I got 4! Thanks Barrett for the inspiration!
Okay folks, let's doodle this!

Will this be the Opus of all scribbles?

Quack, moo and BOOOOOOO!

This day needs to be folded up tight, packed inside a musty old trunk, and thrown overboard while on fire. The end.
I actually feel better now.
Thank you friends and a goodnight <3 princess

The little princess is off to bed now because she is being a wee brat.

The Daily Scribble III--Boogie gets the Christmas spirit

When holidays collide!
Boogie gets the Christmas spirit and steals a tree for his own haunted mansion. He doesn't seem too guilty about it either.
I think this scribble says more about me than Boogie. Don't judge too harshly;)
Thanks Janel for the scribble:)

Boogie the ghost gets the Christmas spirit

Daily Scribble III

Thank you Ms. Janel for sending in this darling doodle!
Let's see what mysterious scenario I can create with it by tomorrow.
Let's doodle this!

Doodle #3

3:30am and blossomed

Dreams! Whoa!
On a stage covered in soil, in a park with long, I'm talking LONG knitted socks on my feet that climbed up to me knees.They were of many colors, like Joseph's coat, and the toes were planted in the ground like tulips.
I couldn't move.
 I had a following of folks who thought I was fairly interesting because I had rainbow socks planted in the ground. One girl had gone as far as to plant her own socks in the ground. She had been my neighbor for a year and I still wasn't sure why she had planted her booties in the ground, but I was happy for the companionship. Then one day a man came up to me and my planted companion and said,
"Move. You've blossomed."
My friend and I looked at each other and she shook her head no. She shook it so slowly that it looked like she was trying to screw it off her neck.
I looked at the man and he nodded. I shifted my feet back and forth and the ground started to crack underneath me. I looked down and the soil parted revealing a wooden stage. My socks were punctured through the stage taking on the shape of old tree roots that tear up sidewalks. I shifted again and the stage splintered and broke open. Underneath were a crowd of people holding on to my socks. When they saw me they screamed with so much rage I thought my ears would burst. I pulled up with my feet--hard and desperate now trying to get free. They yanked and clawed, and I pulled and pulled, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't get free.
Then my planted companion leaned over to me and said,
"just take off the socks."
The idea seemed impossible to me.
But I grabbed the top of one sock and pulled down. The edge was sticky and felt like rubber cement. Residue and dirt stuck to my leg as I pulled off the sock, my legs stained with color from the dye of the wool, but then, I was free. Simple.
Then I woke up...dang! I don't know who the man was or my planted companion, but I am ever so grateful to them for pulling me out of the ground.

The Daily Scribble II--ALIEN CAPTURE!

Here is the finished product of yesterday's daily scribble--ALIEN CAPTURE!
Poor fellow. Just wanted to take a look around Earth and say 'hi' and this is what happens to him. Not to worry, he gets even in the end.

The Daily Scribble II

My boyfriend Barrett, obliged me with this wonderful scribble this morning--thank you love.
Dig it!

Come back tomorrow and see what hatched out of my brain

Tiny Stories

Hello!
This is an introduction to another page called 'Tiny Stories,' ( Find stories under fat cat picture).
This is the journey of me losing 40lbs of yummy food that has somehow stuck to my frame!?  The medium I will be using as a guide is Weight Watchers--going to meetings and tracking online and struggling with the old voices that can't seem to find its way out of the ole noodle.
I would love anyone to join in the discussions and the mystery that is the human brain and why we do some of the things we do.
It began a few weeks ago for me Down 6lbs, up 2, and down another.5. The rollercoaster ride to change! I can't do it alone. Let's do this!

Naughty and Nice

Okay, so my bff, Kaefer, suggested I do a series of diptychs to sell on Etsy. I love this idea because it has a theme and a structure, and sounds like something I would like to hang up on my condo walls.
Side note: Even though I am an artsy fartsy type, I function better with a smidge of structure.  When I'm free-wheelin' I'm a nut and get absolutely nothing done.
I have begun the process of sketching different themes. First will be Naughty and Nice. Pretty obvious, I know, but it's turning the brain in a good, creative direction.
Here are the very first rough sketches....

Nice and Naughty

 Let's see what happens next...A mystery oooooh ahhhhhhhhhh;)

The Daily Scribble in color

So here is the finished product of yesterday's scribble. It was inspired by my best friend Kaefer who just basically rocks in every way! Here is before.....

and after

The Daily Scribble

As a illustrator, I tend to get a little blocked when it comes to ideas on what to draw or paint. The brain gets stuck in the mud and keeps spinnin' its wheels.
But there is a solution!
THE DAILY SCRIBBLE!
My sister came up with this idea for me many moons ago, and it works beautifully.
It's simple. You take a scribble that you doodled, or your friend doodled, your boyfriend doodled, your girlfriend doodled, or your kid doodled..., doodled is a great word!

and create a quick masterpiece by the end of the day. Do this daily and the ideas won't ever dry up. Well, in theory.
Would love to see your masterpieces!

ETSY!!!!!!

Hooray!
Sold seven prints today and feeling high! It's incredible to think I can be happy when I work. I totally get the seven dwarves right now...."whistle while I work...da,da,da,da,da,da,daaaaaa!"
How does one write a whistling sound? Hmm?

Etsy is up!

My Etsy store is up and running! Hooray!
I sell prints of my illustrations, so if you enjoy the art please check it out.

And....

I will also be taking on the task of writing a book in a month. Using a book called, what do you know,
Book in a Month by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, Ph.D.
Very excited about this endeavor because the speed of the exercises in this book will push through the swampland of doubt and insecurity and hopefully create a beginning, middle, and end kind of story.
Now, be warned, the writing may possibly stink, but I will have a fully fleshed story by April 7th, 2011. The date of this challenge begins: March 7, 2011.
Anyone with me?

Oh, hello!

Welcome to the very first blog of my entire life!
Wait, I just lied to you, not a great way to start. Apologies.
I had one blog and wrote exactly three entries for it, so it was only a white lie, dear reader.

 What will I be writing about you wonder? Probably not thinking that at all, but I'm indulging myself.
I will be writing about mysterious happenings around my neighborhood--
Formula:
a quiet suburb ='s  possible menacing and strange goings on.

or

a quiet neighborhood ='s absolutely nothing is happening.

I prefer the former, but only if the 'menacing' part is the cozy kind of menacing--like an Agatha Christie novel. This is my neighborhood.