Work in progress.

Art and life are both works in progress. i enjoy taking the journey, even with the bumps in the road.

Reorganize, rearrange, remember.

Mixed Media Canvas, made for a swap.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to stop by my blog during the A-Z Challenge; i really appreciate it!

i have been so busy lately reorganizing my studio in preparation of opening an etsy shop. i've needed to do it anyway, but the prospect of opening a shop gave me that final push to just make it happen. i'm nearing the end, though later i may still need to tweak things a little, but my space will be much better utilized now, that's for sure. As i sort through boxes and piles of supplies, i am reminded again just how much one can accumulate after nearly 2 decades of being an artist/crafter. It's a bit overwhelming, but i'm not complaining one bit. Having these supplies makes me feel very grateful, and excited to create future projects.

i'll be back to posting a bit more often soon, but for now, it's back to the studio to get this job completed.

Reflections on the A-Z Blogging Challenge

i saw tonight (it being May 1 as of this writing) that Arlee Bird over at Tossing It Out has asked that participants of the A-Z Challenge do a reflections post, so i thought i'd play along.


i didn't really have any expectations of the challenge. i first heard about it through my dear friend Barb over at her blog, Black Ink Pad, and thinking that i really ought to write more and keep my blog up to date, i just jumped in without thinking it over much. i told myself i had to stick with it, and i did. i sort of cheated on O and X, but i'm not about to beat myself up over it.


i didn't give much thought to gaining followers, but i'm happy to say i did. i don't strive to have a huge number to display, but it's awesome to know people would want to hear what i have to say. i talk to myself, a lot, so blogging can sometimes feel a bit like that without knowing there's someone on the other side, listening.


Another positive outcome was feeling the old writer in me awaken. That feels very, very good. (i wonder if i'd talk less the more i wrote...hmm. My family might appreciate that.) i originally began this blog as a way to mainly showcase my art projects, but i've enjoyed its evolution. While art is still my main focus here, its also satisfying to delve a little deeper. i hope my readers have enjoyed the journey thus far, and are interested enough to stay to see what's around the corner.


My only disappointment in the challenge is not taking more time to read more of the blogs of other participants, but i plan to try and search out my fellow players more as time allows this week. Many thanks to all who took the time to stop here and read, and to those who chose to follow after doing so.

Will i do it again next year? If i have the time, i just might. But that doesn't mean X will be any easier. Of course, i've got a year to come up with something.

New look...

i have been meaning to do a bit of remodeling here for a very long time. i'd say it was way overdue. i had a basic idea of what i wanted my blog to look like, but getting there was a bit of a struggle. As i write this, i have just finished tweaking the last bits, and the changes you see took me hours to accomplish. But, with the help of Gimp and my very patient better half, i managed to come up with something i'm pretty happy with. i may change the background and header to match the seasons, or just on a whim, and i think i could improve on this, but it's a good start, and certainly better than the previous (bland) layout.

And now, i'm off for some well deserved sleep.