Happy New Year!

I'm signing off soon to celebrate the coming of the New Year. I hope you all have a joyous and safe celebration and a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2010!

As 2009 draws to a close I'm enjoying the snow falling outside and relishing the summery joy of the new plants I purchased at Logee's yesterday. (If you're in Southern New England, you must stop at this greenhouse on a cold day in winter. It's like heaven. The website does not show you how the inside is full to bursting with growing things, warm and humid, with fig trees growing out of the packed earth floor and creepers covering the walls.)

A little snapshot of my day, after filling our little Wardian Case with some Ficus specimens and a dwarf Begonia...

Outside:


Inside:




Sometimes I think I should have been born during the Natural History boom of the Victorian Era. But I am glad to live now, and be able to connect with so many people all over the world.

All the best to you and yours this last day of 2009!

What the New Year Will Bring

How's everyone doing on this lovely Tuesday? I'm enjoying my little break and getting a lot of things done around the house. Today I sat down to review what's coming up for me in 2010. I've so many goals and plans and dreams to pursue!



Perhaps my most exciting project for early 2010 is the Basic Product Photography course I'll be teaching via Intarsia Concept. We've been busy at work behind the scenes for many months now. The course is geared towards artisans who'd like to sell their products online and who want to learn how to take great product photographs. We live in a very visual world and savvy creative entrepreneurs know they need eye-catching images if they're to be noticed. We plan to kick off the course in February, though the exact start date has not been decided. If you're interested and would like to be informed when registration opens, sign up for the mailing list here.

Most of my other goals aren't as fully fleshed out, but they've been simmering away in the back of my brain...

- Step up my marketing efforts & decide if paid advertising will work for me
- Build relationships with interior designers and shelter magazines
- Streamline my accounting, possibly hiring a bookkeeper to set up software
- Continue work on my Natural History series
- Sell more online, do fewer art shows, spend the time taking new photos
- Meet my ambitious but achievable profit goal

What are some of your aspirations for 2010?

Hump Day Happiness - Holiday Edition

Welcome! Won't you join me in sharing some of the things you're grateful for this holiday season? As a big thank you to my readers, I would like to make each of my "gratitudes" a little gift for you. I hope you enjoy!

Today, I'm grateful for:

1) Vibrant Holiday Music


2) Rich Food & Warm Drinks
Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Spread
Coffee Toffee Pecan Pie
Mulled Wine
Wassail

3) Packing up Pretty Gifts

(Gift tag download here)

4) Simplicity
How to make a Matchbox Pinhole Camera
Simple Living Manifesto

5) And, last but not least. I am grateful to have more than enough and to be able to give.
Heifer International
Alternative Gifts International
Kiva

Happy Holidays everyone!!

Holiday Joy

Can you tell I've been taking it easy this holiday season, now that shows are over? In January I plan to be back up and running with more regular blog posts. For now, I hope you enjoy the bits and pieces I've been putting out there!

Today I am busy finishing gift wrapping, taking a trip to the post office, and straightening up and decorating the the house. I thought I'd post a round-up of some of the wonderful freebies, projects, and recipes that I've been using or been inspired by. Some are from this year, some from years past. I hope you enjoy them all!



From Santa


via Creature Comforts:
printable holiday deer tags
Renee Garner printable tags
origami box ornaments (which I think would be lovely to wrap small gifts in)

via Mae:
gorgeous printable gift wrap

via Design Sponge:
paper garland DIY projects - I especially like the 2nd one
something I'm trying to be aware of this year... alternative gift wrapping

via Design Evolution
this stunning, free, printable 2010 planner

via Sparkling Ink
a savory bread pudding that is to die for

There are so many more wonderful freebies out there, I could spend all day on the topic. But I will wrap things up now and get back to my wrapping (bad pun, I know). Happy Holidays everyone!

Aaaaahh - So Long Holiday Art Show Season '09

It's official. I'm finished with art shows for the season, since the Arts in RI holiday show at Waterplace in Providence finished up last night. It's been a wild ride. Of course, Craftland will be open until December 31, but there'll be no more setting up and breaking down of booth displays. No more careful unpacking and repacking. No more wrestling with gridwalls and 6-foot tables...

Waterplace Show


It has been such fun spending time with my fellow artists and getting to meet art lovers from all over Rhode Island and beyond. It was actually a bit of a shock to my system today when I went back to my day job after taking two weeks off to do art shows and fulfill holiday orders. Where did that creative milieu go?? But, I am glad the frenzy is finished. I'm enjoying spending some quiet time recovering. I've been positively channeling The Weepies all day. Just soaking in their soothing melodies and soul-satisfying lyrics.

The song that just won't get out of my head today is "Simple Life". So, I'm going to share it with you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have today!