p.s. studio sneak peek

One last peek at how I spent this Friday... Four glorious, uninterrupted hours in the studio making a huge mess!



I hope to have these new collages finished and posted to my shop very soon... You'll be the first to know!

Cheers,
Stephanie

another p.s. - Don't forget to enter my calendar giveaway. Today's the last day :)

weekend treats : food + thought

My weekend treats for you this week are... my Grandma's Fudge Brownies - find my luscious recipe here



and a fresh interview with very cool London-based illustrator Thereza Rowe!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

A surprise package from Japan + a calendar giveaway!

Yesterday I was thrilled to receive a nice fat package from Japan...



with 2010 calendars featuring my artwork! Hooray!



This 12 page calendar features one of my collages for each month,



and has lots of lovely Japanese characters along with dates/days of the week in English.



The calendar is part of an illustration project I did for a Japanese company, and I'm so happy to finally see the results.

I received a just few samples to share with family and friends, so I'm excited to be able to offer you the chance to win a calendar in my blog giveaway.

To enter, just comment on whatever is making you smile today! I'll keep the comments open through this Saturday at midnight, and we'll pick a winner by drawing on Sunday.

As a celebratory bonus, I've decided to extend my 3 for 2 print sale through Saturday as well! If you are starting to think about holiday shopping, I'd like to invite you to come over and visit my shop for some handmade gift ideas.

Good luck and thanks for your support!
Stephanie

Jack Frost Autumn

I captured a few of the last brilliant autumn leaves a few days ago, some of them gorgeously lined with morning frost.



Their colors are cheering me up today, as rain drizzles outside the window.



















Beauty is everywhere, isn't it?
We just have to remember to stop for a moment, behold, and enjoy.

Hope you are having a beautiful day too :)

xoxo
Stephanie

weekend interview : lisa golightly

I love the soft, poetic quality of Portland artist Lisa's Golightly's work. She inspires with her words and images in her artists who blog interview today, and I agree completely with what she has to say about being an artist and a mom. Have a look and a read here.

The next best thing to a vacation in Greece...

is this Greek salad ;)

If you can't fly off to Greece this weekend (I can't either, unfortunately), then you can at least make this salad and pretend!

Honestly, it's one of my very favorite salads, and the garlic and lemon juice in the recipe are perfect for boosting your immune system at this time of year.

Check out my recipe here and I'll meet you in Athens!

Studio Sneak Peak of an Artist/Nurse/Mother

Yes, behind the scenes I actually have been working in the studio... albeit slowly. I had hoped to have lots of completed new artwork by now, filling up my store in preparation for the holidays, and instead I have a table full of drawings and works in progress waiting for me to finish.



I look at this table and have to laugh at myself, I must be crazy - I actually thought that I would be able to finish all these collages before Christmas!



Which goes to show that I am still an inexperienced and naive mother, who never calculated that I would be spending 2 weeks at the beginning of November doctoring sick babes, sweetly taking turns having fevers and coughs and needing lots of attention.

It hasn't been all bad - we've spent afternoons with homemade playdough, finger paints, dress-up tea parties... but the stack of unfinished artwork on my table grows, and the days left before Christmas fly by.

I don't mean to complain - I have so much to be grateful for and I wouldn't trade my two sick sweeties for anything, but sometimes it is a struggle to spend time with the kids and still have time for making art. Sigh... Has anyone else been having this problem lately?

I hope you are all staying well & being creative and productive out there!

xoxo
Stephanie

3 for 2 Print Sale!

I'm so excited to announce the start of my Big "3 for 2" Print Sale today!

When you purchase 2 prints, you'll get a 3rd one of your choice for free :)

If you like my limited edition prints, this is a great chance to stock up now on holiday gifts long before the rush begins.

This pre-holiday sale only lasts through November 17th, so be sure to go over and have a look in my shop today.

This morning I sent out my November newsletter, and subscribers will be receiving a special bonus surprise with their orders this month. Did you remember to sign up?

Wishing you a happy, healthy Tuesday!



xoxo
Stephanie

5 things that are making me smile this Monday

It was easy find 5 things that make me smile today... I hope you will be smiling after this post too!



1. The most delicious French Toast recipe that I stumbled upon this weekend! (I didn't think that I even liked French Toast - I do now!) My recipe is here.



2. The beautiful red geraniums still blooming in November on my neighbor's windowsill.



3. Seeing my bottles of paint, brushes, and little jars of this and that lined up in my studio window.



4. The hot cup of fruit tea with brown sugar cubes joining me as I write this.



5. No words necessary here, right?

Happy Monday, and be sure to join me tomorrow for some Big Sale News!

weekend interview : jennifer sanchez

I love these paintings by Florida born, New York based artist Jennifer Sanchez. If you are craving bold color and lots of energy, be sure to check out more of her artwork in her artist interview today here.





Aren't these nice? Be inspired and have a good weekend!