XXOOXOXOX

I couldn't handle splitting this little book duo up, so I listed them in my shop as a set. How darling for you and your valentine to each have one! They started out as paintings, black gesso on BFK rives with watercolors, gouache, and colored pencils. Being the book person that I am, they ended up torn into squares and affixed to book board. You never quite know what you're going to end up with sometimes. I just love them as a set, the icy blue on the left and the fiery one on the right. That's all the commentary on that, no need to go into depth since I was working more from my gut than brain so I don't really know that they mean anything. That's the fun of art, I guess.

We do have some plans for the weekend, nothing too romantic. Out for a little shopping trip tomorrow sans child, and a dinner and movie double date on Saturday...we're opting for the mexican food + margaritas and beers over a more romantic steaks + wine. Since the double date is with my sister and bro-in-law, romance just feels, well, creepy.

As for gifts, I need to make a trip to St. Paul's best food destination, The Golden Fig. I bought some of their aged balsamic with dill for Peter for Christmas and we quickly drained it. They have quite an assortment of balsamics, decadent chocolates, artisanal local cheeses and meats, and such splendors that I do not have the time to list. It's worth a stop. We're not big on gift giving since we're near broke, but it seems ok to spend a little extra on good food now and then, plus, it's local and all that good stuff.

I guess the other item on the agenda is making valentines with fgh. I think holidays are still a little over his head, being 23.5 months old, but we'll try to do something pink and heart-shaped.

Maybe heart-shape pancakes with strawberries???

Tea Party

We attended a darling tea party for cousin Madi's 2nd. It was just darling. Little tea cups, teapot cookies, tasty crumpets (or the like), and lots of running about. And hats.

Creativity and Motivational Dorkiness

I've always liked to think of myself as a creative type, and I think I am, but as I sit down to work day after day on creative sorts of things I've been learning about my own personal creative process. I feel like it usually takes me about 20 minutes of fooling around with the mouse (well, laptop touch pad actually), pencil, paints, cooking ingredients, etc. to really start making things that even remotely look good. Maybe my brain power is switching from the left to the right. It's hard to believe that it takes that long, I'm actually probably always switching back and forth. Maybe that's why I'm so indecisive, it's like the whole devil and angel on the shoulder thing.

Here's a fun online quiz that I took that tells me I am 54% right brained. So, that's pretty much 1/2 and 1/2 with a little leaning towards the creative side.

But really, aren't these quizzes just a load of bull? I feel like the real trick to creative breakthrough is persistence, just like anything else. When most people start a project, it looks like total poo right away, right? At least in my studio, to me, the creative process is less divine genius (capital A Artist) and more vigorous problem solving (little a artist). The key is not to get frustrated and give up. It is FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT! (in toddler voice). Plus, artists go to school to learn color theory, etc. So it's learned right? Oh such topics, dare I mention them to philosopher husband? That would be a door opened for the night, no doubt.

That brings me to the second part of the title for this entry, motivational dorkiness. It helps. I just bought a lousy made-in-china mug with "Wish it, Dream it, Do it" on the front. How embarassingly cheesy. Yet, I like it and it gives me the power to keep fixing.

If I hang a big poster with an eagle on it in my studio, I've become desperate. The mug IS slightly cool.

I'm spending more of my creative time (which has shrunk to about and hour/day lately) on the new business endeavor, so not many books are making there way into the finished pile. However, this new endeavor is farming related, so I'm super pleased.

Switch back to left brain, time to go make supper...or is that right brained? No recipe=right?

Humor in the Day

Ugh, the doldrums of winter. Everyone I talk to seems a little depressed. Peter has started his yearly rants of,

"Why do we live here, we're moving to ______," after which he goes and researches real estate in Hawaii or Nepal or somewhere less arctic.

I feel like I'm constantly drinking coffee or eating to stay energized. The coffee is now being weaned away, but that made the snacking worse. Argh!

Busy is somewhat slow compared to November and December so my drive to make books is down.

My "new business venture" has me excited but that too is a warm weather affair.

Out on a walk today I decided all these doldrums were telling me to refocus on the present and the amusing things that happen each day. Do you ever just find yourself in a situation where you think,

"How the hell did I get to be doing this?"

Well, that happens to me pretty often. I remember once feeling so strongly of that emotion when we were sharecropping at Food Farm in Wrenshall, MN. We were in an old van, about 5 of us, out finding smallish birch trees to cut down to be used for tomato trellising. We were cutting them down, throwing them in the van, then hanging on for dear life while the van tore around the countryside. I was hanging on to the back of the van, the back doors were off or open and I was standing on the back bumper. All of a sudden I couldn't stop laughing at my predicament. Oh, the joy of laughing at one's self.

Today it happened on that walk I mentioned. It was a balmy 20 and partly sunny, so I wanted to get outside. It took a good 40 minutes to get ready. His snowpants and boots were in the car, the sled was buried in a snowdrift (now ice) which was hard to find and harder to defrost, etc. etc. etc. Finally, I loaded fredrik into the backpack since the sled was just not suitable, I put a pair of my mittens on him since in the time it took me to find and then abandon the sled he had wet two pairs of mittens. So there we were, booking it down the sidewalks, snowflakes fluttering, sun shining, dog on his bright red leash, mukluks kicking the powdery snow, fgh nodding off, my rhythm was good, it even felt like exercise. Then, whoops, I almost fell, not on ice but on my mukluks, one of the leather ties had come undone and somehow whipped around and tied to the other mukluk's lace. Crazy! I bent down to untie them, fgh's mitten fell off, I tried to put it back on while he was on my back and asleep, that didn't work so I had to take him off not realizing to do this I dropped the leash. So there I am, messed up shoes, boy trying to sleep in the snowy sidewalk, dog running into the street. Thankfully our dog is well over the hill and not up for any crazy adventures. He just waited for me to suit up and we were on our way.

I like this picture because it sums up our house. Plastic pig, red socks, crooked picture, random tool in hand.

Weddings

The frigid weather and lack of light and endorphins of this season has been met with vigorous wedding album construction around my studio. Nothing brightens the mood like spring colors, googling wedding color trends (more flower photos) and dealing with the young-and-in-love. Well, an occasional bridezilla is always something to be feared, but luckily the etsy crowd seems to be filled mostly with happy people.

I have revamped my wedding album from last fall to focus on colors. All the books will have similar features, book cloth covers, long stitch binding through the spine, complimentary wedding colors on the inside of each cover which are the same lotka paper as the damask cut-out on the front and back. The text block will remain the same. I would like to limit the amount of hours I spend at Kinkos/FedEx. It is not pleasant there. I would very much like to go in, print 30 text blocks, and never go back.

That said about making everything the same, I'll start the photos off with a variation I just did for our great etsy customer. They are having a red and black "steampunk" wedding on Valentine's Day. I designed the patterned paper to look steampunked (think gears, industry, etc). The same paper is in a damask shape on the front with a vintage mirror bead and their stamped initials. I also had this one printed with their names (obviously) which looks great, but again, kinkos, hard to deal with. I need to find a different printer.

Rearrangements

I am one to rearrange often. It's exciting to make a space look and feel like new. Thanks Mom, for saving all those episodes of Design on a Dime on Tivo! That show is (was?) awesome. My favorite part was the last section of the show where a designer rearranges a room to look totally awesome without buying anything new. True, she usually steals the furniture and decor from the other rooms of the house, but as long as one room looks good, who cares.

I've had my studio in the living space since we moved here. Yesterday we moved it up to FGH's room and moved his "room" into our room. He sleeps in our room every night anyhow. Now his mattress is next to our bed (used for playing so far). The living space is opened up for more running-about room. He loves it. I love it. When Peter is playing with FGH I can go upstairs, shut the door, and have full use of my brain, which will be necessary now as I'm embarking on a new business venture with a friend alongside my books and prints. Details to follow later on that!

Here's my new studio space. It's not decorated or completely set up, but it's good enough. I've already cranked out some wedding books since last night.

And now, FGH has more room to act like this:
We hope to feel more relaxed in our living space, too. Having my studio in the living room felt like there was always an aura of work in the air.

Garden

This time of year was always so exciting on the farm, lists to make, seeds arriving in the mail, prepping the seed starting area for the onions that would soon be planted into trays...

This year FGH and I are going to have a garden in the backyard. I've been not so excited about it, since it's really quite a bit smaller than 40 acres, but now that I'm about to put the seed order in the mail I'm getting excited. We're renting here, so I don't want to add any more tilled area besides the 8'x8' garden spot that already exists. So, I'm planning on some major container gardening. I've never done this and I'm a little nervous. I will continue to have a CSA box every week from our old farm (now loon organics) as a back up.

My list so far:

For containers:

Tomatoes (of course)

Bell Peppers

Peas (trellised in a pot)

Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Oregano for sure)

Salad Mix

Precious Garden Plot Area:

Green Beans

Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Oregano for sure)

Kale (a lot of bang for your buck space-wise)

Heads of Lettuce

Zucchini (trellised)

Cuke (trellised)

Spinach

Radish

Things I'm NOT growing:

brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, caul, bok choy...)

potatoes

winter squash

corn-I have always thought it so funny when home gardeners plant 6 stalks of corn!

everything else

I really like fresh eggplant, but it takes up some footage....might try it in a pot...we'll see.

If anyone has some container growing advice send it this way. I'll do some googling about it. I'm going to need a lot of pots, too. Hmmmm. I'm guessing water will be the biggest factor. I will have a toddler helping me, and he will probably REALLY like the hose next summer so TOO much water is probably the actual problem with those pots.

Here's a gardening journal that will find it's way into my shop soon. It's a journal made from a variety of papers from the "Veggie Line." I may have to keep it for my own gardening notes come to think of it.