Art & Sleep

I can't believe March was the last time I posted! Time certainly flies, doesn't it? I've been busy making art, and developing a seriously wonky sleep cycle. It's amazing how completely backwards it's getting. 

Here's a little catchup on my Mad Shiny creations, in case you're interested...

Otter Pendant Necklace! This little guy, and his pet rock, is my favorite. If I wasn't allergic to metal, I would so wear this necklace every single day.

Ogling Owl & Friendly Fish pendant necklaces!

Custom Critter Cake Toppers! You can have puffins, or practically anything you can imagine.

Plush Felt Fox Brooches!

Prints of this watercolor, and many others, are available. This original belongs to my husband. 

There are a plethora of shrinkable plastic illustrated brooches available, too.

This watercolor illustration isn't listed in my shop, but I do custom caricatures. Just ask below in comments, or convo me on etsy. This is the lovely Ari from The Happy Cactus. *bats eyelashes*

If something you see here isn't listed in my shop, and you're interested in purchasing it, just let me know! I'm illustrating a kids' book right now, but I'll be making new work in October.

Book Biters vs Munching Monsters

Here I go getting behind on posting again! Working from home lends itself to a wealth of distraction, folks. It's awesome, but has it's challenges. No complaints here, though.

What have I been up to lately? Bookmarks, bookmarks and more bookmarks! They can be magnets, too, if requested.

I've obviously got a thing for kitties, otters, bunnies and snails. 

(I got a snail tattooed on my right ankle when I was sixteen.)

And owls. I've definitely got a thing for owls. And moths. And chickens.

I came up with some book monsters while doodling, too. I don't know what to call them, though. What do you think of Book Biters or Munching Monsters? Any ideas? I'm a sucker for some good alliteration.

Any bookmarks/magnets you'd like to see made? And how much is too much for you? It takes me quite a while to sketch them in pencil, line them in ink, watercolor or color pencil them, then re-ink, laminate and cut them out.

I plan on taking photos on the next sunny afternoon, so I can get them listed in my shop.

Plush Crush

I've listed some more of my handmade plush creatures in the old etsy shop, so I thought I'd share. You know, in case you might want to buy any of them to cuddle. 

Bleu Blue Bear

Miles Hoppington

Ludwig

And I'm currently making a little blue-eyed panda bear. I'm planning on listing her/him in the near future, but I don't know. I might be falling in love...

Commission!

Have I mentioned how much I love commissions? Not just because they mean I'm getting paid to do what I love, but because they're like getting assignments. I never thought I'd say I miss getting a lesson plan, but things can get a little stagnant if you're the only one dictating what you do. Maybe it's just me. 

Even if I'm working with the same medium a lot, it's nice to get photos of a subject that I haven't spent much time looking at before. Without the help of commissions, I'd be painting my animals all the time. I love them and all, but I've already painted them. Not that I couldn't make a challenge out of that, but whatever; I'm rambling.

These are a couple of sweethearts that I painted for a mother to give her two daughters for Christmas. Her grand-cat and grand-dog, Murphy and Hugo. 

I'm not sure if I've blogged about my reaction to getting a commission before. It's very Fiddler on the Roof. If you haven't seen that gloriousness, you simply must. It's only the most wonderful musical of all time. Anyhow, I break into my own little version of "Tradition." Commissiooooooon! Commissioooon! Commission!

I'll stop being weird via blog now.

Alive & Painting

Well, hello there! It's been a while, and I feel the shame of neglecting my blog once again. Vicious cycle. Bad habit. I'm not sure what to call it, but I've definitely been productive in the time I've spent offline. That's always good, right?

In an effort to get back into blogging again, I've decided to try to keep up with sharing my newest creations. I've been doing a lot of painting, drawing, sewing and sculpting, so that ought to keep me posting for a while. 

Woodland Tea Party!

These three pieces were a commission from Cody, whom I am ever so happy to have discovered here on the interwebs. She's a pastry-makin', Harry Potter lovin', breakfast food enthusiast with two kitties. What's not to love, right? Well, she requested three 5x5 woodland tea party illustrations for her kitchen, and this is what she got.

As soon as the sun shows it's face around these parts again, I plan on taking photos, so I can list prints of these on my etsy shop.

So...uh...I'll see you around.

Imagination

I've been thinking a lot about the things I imagined as a little kid. First off, look how cute I was.

This is a photo OF a photo that my mother refuses to part with long enough for me to scan it.

I loved that kitty. Her name was Inky, and took her everywhere with me. She was super sweet, and never scratched me, even though I often carried her around the house cradled inside of my gold sequined Cindy Lauper shirt. I would have scratched me, even if I was awesome.

It seems like most of my favorite memories are of being on the road with my mom. I adored being in the car together, listening to the Beatles. We were together, and her big oaf of a boyfriend wasn't there. It was perfect. We'd go spend the day on the beach, or just ride around together, singing.

When we weren't singing "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" at the top of our lungs, I would keep myself busy by pretending I had a nature man that had to run alongside of our car. He couldn't touch anything man made, or he would die. He was kind of like a gnome, I guess. He was small, dressed in all brown and green and had a bushy white beard. Thankfully, he could jump incredibly far, because there wasn't a lot of green in some places on I-65 in Kentucky and Indiana, and we did a lot of driving there.

When it rained, I imagined that the little water droplets on the windows were alive. My passenger side window was like a giant petri dish swimming with life. I made up little voices in my head for some of the squiggly drops, and they were very interesting.

I loved to play library in my room, too, which was pretty normal, I guess. I'd pretend my stuffed animals were customers, my piggy bank was for late fees, and I had a little pink piggy-faced stamp that I would stamp the inside of all my books with, like I was checking them in and out. Oh, and I'd eat smarties and pretend I had a headache from working.

Anyhow, I was just thinking about the strange little things I'd make up as a kid. I have a big sister. She's nine years older than me, though, so she was only interested in my extermination at the time. I guess I was sort of like an only child in a lot of ways, so I was pretty used to keeping myself entertained. 

What weird little things did you pretend when you were a munchkin?

A Snoodle's Tale

I don't know how many of you are Veggie Tales fans. I fell in love with them when I was in college. My best friend's little sisters watched them A LOT, and I had never heard of them. I figured they'd be corny, since they were for munchkins, but quickly went head over heals.

That being said, this is my absolute favorite Veggie Tale animation ever. It's a special Dr. Seuss episode about being special just the way you are, and dealing with others' judgement.

It's only thirteen minutes long, and totally worth the time. Grab a tissue. Even if you aren't a Christian, this is such a good message for all of us, and I think you're going to tear up.

You can thank me later. <3

Staying Positive

Staying positive is normally not something I have any issue with, but this past year has been pretty trying. I know that I've got it good. Truly, I do. None of the things that I've been faced with have been seriously dangerous. I may have dealt with depression, poison ivy, steroid psychosis and Bell's palsy within a relatively short period of time, and they're not the most awesome things to experience, but they're also not the end of the world.

I'm going to keep praising God, being thankful for all that I have, and hope that this is over soon. Any prayers would be very much appreciated. <3

Quasimodo

I'm telling you what, folks. I just can't seem to get a break! I don't mean to sound whiny, as I know I've got it pretty darn good, but sheesh!

I woke up today to find the right side of my face unresponsive. I was scrunching my mess of curls, and singing "This Little Light of Mine" when I noticed I looked a bit like Elvis. The left side of my lip was kind of snarled up compared to the right. Then I tried to smile, and it was pitiful. Upon examination, the right side of my tongue and face were/are almost completely numb, and accompanied by a sharp pain in my jaw/temple.

After Sticking my tongue out at my husband, and reciting "She sells seashells by the seashore" a couple times, my husband and I were almost convinced that I hadn't suffered a stroke. I thought it was probably a pinched nerve in my already degenerating spine. Then my husband called my mother. She's an RN, and not one to allow her children off easy. She demanded we go to the ER to have things checked out.

A short while later, I was lead down a sterile hallway to room 21. The nurse in bright green scrubs told me that I was lucky not to be "drooling yet."I then waited with my husband for a nurse to come take my vitals. My face felt hot as I wondered, worrying what was wrong, and if/when I would start drooling.

The wonderfully kind doctor came in after a few visitors, did a quick checkup, and told me I had textbook Bell's palsy. For some reason, possibly a dormant virus, there's swelling around the nerve that controls the right side of my face, causing limited mobility. There's no proven cause. There's no proven cure. Catching it within the first three days of symptoms, and taking corticosteroids and antivirals, are thought to hurry it along. Swelling needs to go down, before there's any hope of normal muscle function returning.

Alas, I feel like Quasimodo. I can't blink my right eye, smile, whistle, make kissy noises at critters or curl my tongue. Nothing too vital, I guess. At least it isn't anything too painful. The jaw pain isn't so bad; more annoying than anything. Chances are, if this goes away, it will do so within a few weeks to months. I'm being positive, and willing it to go away quickly, as I would like my smile back soon.

It just seems like one thing after another sometimes, doesn't it? I can just picture the devil camping out on my doorstep, waiting to get me. Praying my way through trials and tribulations must really tick him off, which makes me kind of happy, but oy. No matter what I go through, I trust that God sees me through, making things as painless as possible. I am supremely thankful for that. <3

I'm Only Sleeping

Sloth- original watercolor illustration available at Mad Shiny Shoppe!

Understandably so, I think I've lost my faithful few. You guys, I promise I'm going to keep the posts coming this time. I quit my depressing job, and am making art every single day. I'm over my poison ivy plague, as well as the horrid steroid psychosis. I think it's safe to say that I'm stable...as I ever was.

This is a new beginning for me. I know I've mentioned that a lot lately, and it sounds all hokey, but it's true, I tell you! Art commissions are rolling in, thanks be to God, and I'm working on establishing actual work hours. I have a tendency to sleep in, as I can be eerily similar to a sloth. Then I'm up until 3AM sewing, painting or writing. Not the best sleeping pattern, I know, so I'm trying to change that.

With all this work to do, and the support of my magnificent, marvelous Mr. T., I'm pretty darn content. I just hope art commissions keep a'coming, and my procrastination remains manageable. I'm participating in a craft show next month, and I've got to get to making some more wee wonderful things!

Just in case you're new here, and even if you're not, please feel free to check out my etsy shop! I create all manner of funky cuddly things, personalized cake toppers/keepsakes, pin back buttons, greeting cards, watercolor portraits, and YOU. JUST. NAME. IT.

Commissions!

I've been pretty busy during my little blogging hiatus, so I figured I'd share a few of the projects I've been working on. I absolutely adore commissions, because they always turn out to be such a challenge. I find myself missing the assignments I received in art school, so I always welcome a custom order.

This custom plush is a Harry Potter inspired Totoro for a friend's little girl's birthday.

This was supposed to be a guinea pig for a friend's baby shower. She's calling him Bear Pig. :)

Professor Lettuce here is a custom plush for an old friend performing in a peep show.

And these two lovely ladies are my oldest friend's two little sisters. Their mother commissioned me to paint them for her.

So, what have you been up to, folks?