Snowbound in North Carolina

Here in the Piedmont of North Carolina, we don't get snow very often... but when we do, the whole city comes to a standstill. This week, I've been snowbound in our little house on the hill with two inches of snow on the ground, all covered by a thick coating of ice. I've decided that walking our dog Winnie is hazardous to my health, since I've fallen & bonked myself twice so far. So as much as I love the IDEA of snow, with all it's beauty & quietness... this girl is choosing to enjoy the snow through the windows of my cozy warm house while sipping hot coffee & tea! Afterall... snow days make perfect art days!

I'm not usually a 'joiner' but...

...one of my online art friends recently let me know about a fun art challenge, and I've decided to jump in! It's called Doodle-a-Day (thanks to Etsy seller, Ello Lovey!). Every month, a new list of prompts is published for each day of the week. I thought this challenge went along well with my own personal mini-challenge. Kinda nice to have a prompt to get the old creative juices flowing!

Now obviously (what with life & all!)... I'm not going to be able to create a finished doodle each day of the month! But I decided to pick a few words from the list that jump out at me, doodle my little heart out, & post the finished doodle on my PholkartStudio facebook page. Knowing me, I probably won't be able to resist making these more than doodles. It's sort of like reading a good book... I want to know how it's going to come out in the end!

So, here's February's list if you'd like to play along too!...

My very first doodle was for Feb. 8th... ROBOT. I decided to stick with the size & the border I've been using for my own challenge... and this is what I came up with. Kinda reminds me of when I made a robot Halloween costume for my son... except his involved a whole lot of aluminum foil!

 

This little cutie was doodled on smooth #300 Bristol paper & inked with a Micron pen, Copics, Prismacolor markers & Prisma colored pencils.

Welcome Home Winnie!

Four years ago this month, Winnie, a gentle black lab, came to live at our house... The moment I saw her, I totally fell in love.  :)

My husband Joe & I don't know much about Winnie's story... If only she could tell us! She came to us through the Lab Rescue of North Carolina, found by a caring stranger somewhere near a beach in eastern Carolina. She had recently had a litter of puppies, though we have no idea what happened to them. All we know is that Winnie was very sick with heartworm disease when she was found and she needed lots of love & care.

The kind folks at the Lab Rescue named her Winnie... and my husband decided she'd been through enough... she shouldn't have to get used to a brand new name too. So 'Winnie' it was.

When we first adopted Winnie, the lab rescue guessed she was somewhere between two and three years old. But after our family vet needed to x-ray her, we discovered that our young dog was actually a whole lot older (which helped explain her very laid back personality).

Winnie's the first dog we've adopted since my sons have grown up... and she's been the perfect companion for me. Nothing makes her happier than a walk around the neighborhood, her chewy 'Kong' & her favorite toy duck (now looking a lot worse for wear!). She follows the sun around our house & is content just to 'be' with me... my super sweet studio buddy!  :)  Without a doubt, Winnie helps make our house a home!

The doodle above was drawn on a 4x6 index card, just for fun, using a black Micron pen, Copic markers, Prismacolor markers & Prismacolor pencils.  :)

Time for a Blog Makeover

I really don't know how this happened... but somehow, long ago, this chubby mermaid became the star of my blog header...

She's a character from one of the first art cards I made years ago... Yes, she looks gigantic here, but she really only measures a teeny-tiny 2.5" x 3.5". Still, she's very sensitive about her weight (*wink*).

I think I just related to her, with her flowing auburn hair (the color my hair used to be). She's all dressed in a cheerful shade of purple & swimming happily in the sea. Cute little mermaid... she's perfectly imperfect, and I liked that about her. Somewhere along the way, we became fast friends, and she's followed me all over the web.

Fast forward a bunch of years and many colored pencils & markers later... this sweet silly doodle showed up in my sketchbook. And once again, I just knew I could relate to her. She's growing older, but she continues to smile at the future. She's comfy 'just being herself'. She loves God and is blessed to encourage others along the way. She still believes in the magic of art & creativity, and it brings her so much joy! She's a little bit 'creakier' these days... and you can see the laugh lines around her eyes.

I'm not sure yet what her name will be... maybe something old fashioned, like Clara or Felicity or Grace. But I am sure that she's the perfect companion for me as I continue on my arty journey!

Still Doodling...

I'm still doodling over here... and thought I'd share a few of my favorites from my January 'Draw Everyday' Challenge (which has turned out to be the 'Draw As Often As You Can & Have Fun Doing It' Challenge!). I abandoned the idea of numbering each card I drew... but I've kept the same freehand border & stay in it only when I want to. That's what happens when you make up the rules as you go along!

So, while the crockpot is simmering & the dryer is humming & the coffee is hot, here I go sharing a few designs that I like... in no particular order.

'Love One Another'

'Whimsical Flowers'

'Rainy Day'

(Hmmm!... I think I'm noticing a weather theme here.)

...and because I love drawing children, a couple more 'kid-themed' designs doodled their way out of my pencil too.

'Future Engineer'

'Amanda Loves Books'

I have to say, I really have enjoyed doodling these little challenge cards... they've been just the jump-start my creativity has needed.

So, maybe I'll keep on doodling some more...

Rainy Days and Mondays...

So... It's been one of 'those' days. Foggy, drizzly & cold outside... and I've been at home trying to find my cleaning enthusiasm while conquering our mountain of dirty laundry. (Really!... where does all that dirty laundry come from anyway??). Folding the (now) clean mountain of laundry, then walking the dog in my yellow raincoat... I wonder what we're having for dinner tonight. Aside from the yucky weather, it's been a pretty normal Monday at our house.

Most Mondays I eventually get my 'engine' revved up. I make a big pot of coffee, treat myself to a piece of dark chocolate, & turn some 'coffee house' music on Pandora... or maybe some Amy Grant or James Taylor. Happy music... Comfort music... 'Music to get things done by'. But today, the 'blahs' have followed me around the house all the day long... 'Blah, blah, blah blah blah!'

And then it hits me!... What better way to chase away my 'meh' feeling than to give it a face... and maybe a cozy pair of pink bunny slippers & a nice cup of hot coffee in an 'I Love You' mug.

And so I did!  :)

This is #5 in my Doodle mini-challenge... just something quick & fun I'm doing to help me get my drawing 'mojo' back. I think it just might be working.  :) 

The 'Draw Everyday' Mini-Challenge

I'm blessed to be a member of a little online art group. It's a 'safe' place where we can share the many ups & downs of being creative and marketing artwork.

During the month of January, some of us are doing a mini-challenge to encourage us to draw or be creative every day. Sounds simple, right?... Well, that's what I thought too!

So, I decided to doodle a tiny card each day... sorta my version of the illustrated calendars I've admired online. I wanted the whole process to be straightforward, portable & simple... so I cut some 4x6" cards in half & decided each card would have the numbered date & be done in my favorite Prismacolor markers & colored pencils. I envisioned each doodle taking less than 10 minutes (ha!).

The little 'Man In The Moon' above was the first to doodle its' way off my pencil. Believe me, he took LOTS more time to create than I'd thought he would! (...This is supposed to be quick & easy, right?).

Day Two found me out of town & staring at the blank card from my ziplock 'travel bag' without a clue about what to draw. Thinking "winter", after a long while I finally came up with this chilly penguin. Two down, 29 itty-bitty cards to go...

By the time Day Three was over & not one pencil scribble to show for it, I knew it was time to switch over to 'Plan B'... 'Draw as often as you can & don't worry about it. Just Keep Drawing!!' ...So that's my game plan & I'm sticking with it!

The opinionated perfectionist who lives in my head has already been ranting about the 'cuteness' & originality of my little cards. Not only that, but she's completely outraged by the scan quality of these little pieces of art. No worries though... I have banished her from my studio for the duration of this challenge. I can still hear her knocking... but I'm not letting her back in!

Blessed Beyond Words!

'Joyful Mail'

The mailman has been delivering Christmas cards to our house this week... friends from near & far! It amazes me that, over the course of our marriage, Joe and I have been loved by so many special people, far too many to count!

Often these Christmas cards contain personal letters, updating us on the highs & lows of the past year for each family. I loved the JOY in one of the first cards to arrive in our mailbox... a photo card of a grandma, surrounded by her ten 'grands' at the beach. While her year had held many ups & downs... this grandma's perspective was that she'd been 'Blessed Beyond Words'... and so it is for our family!

Lord, thank you for your kindness & generosity to us. This past year was filled with love and joy, courage and fears, disappointment and challenges. And in it all, we are so grateful that you've been right here with us through all of it... We have indeed been blessed beyond words!

Keepin' Warm & Being Creative

Today's the first day I really needed to bundle-up while walking our lab, Winnie... 28 degrees is way past chilly for this Carolina girl! Post-walk, my favorite mug is filled with piping hot coffee, I'm wearing two pair of socks, and I'm covered up with a warm fleece blanket while typing this. Hot chocolate would be an extra good tummy-warmer this morning too!

This is a sketch I did a couple of years ago when I was attempting to create my 'Daily Doodles.' Just wanted to encourage myself to do a quickie sketch each day without really planning it out. This one made me smile, so I decided it was a 'keeper!' ...Hope it makes you smile today too!

Materials I used for this Daily Doodle: One 3x5 card from Office Depot, a mechanical pencil & good eraser, a #3 Micron pen, Prismacolor markers, Prismacolor pencils & a dash of humor!

Simply Cozy In Carolina

Photo Credit: Big Stock

Much to my surprise... I opened a second Etsy shop this fall. After much debate, I decided to call it SimplyCozyInCarolina. Somehow, the name just seemed to fit.

Now, I've been an Etsy fan & seller for many years. My original shop is PholkartStudio... my little 'home' for the silly drawings I love to create.

But over this past summer, I caught the Crochet Bug. I became interested in creating kids' hats for World Vision's Knit For Kids program which "unites thousands of volunteer knitters to fight poverty with our knitting needles." (or in my case, a crochet hook!). I love their mission to care for children in need, and I wanted to be part of it in some small way.

After inventing a basic hat pattern, I headed to my favorite local craft store and bought lots and lots of brightly colored acrylic yarn. In the evenings, I crocheted away... and in no time at all, my studio was overflowing with colorful hand-crocheted kids' hats in all different sizes... Yes, it was time to send off my very first box of hats.

Pretty soon, I received a thank you email from Knit For Kids... all the goodies that they'd received in October were headed to children in Uganda, Romania, Costa Rica, and Rwanda. I hope some cute little heads & ears will be warmer this winter.

In between hats, I started to make coffee cup cozies with the leftover yarn from my creative stash. I'd admired some cozies with felt applique designs on Etsy, and I thought they looked like fun little projects to make. One thing led to another... and pretty soon I'd crocheted a rainbow of cozies, just waiting like little canvases for me to add my own designs. This was a lot like illustrating with a needle and thread!... and I fell in love with my new-found hobby.

And, that's how SimplyCozyInCarolina was 'born'... totally spontaneously one Saturday morning. Just for the fun of it... I wonder where this latest creative venture will take me next.  :)


May 15th, 2015... A follow up to this post...

I wrote this post last December... and about 6 months later, I've decided that creating appliqued 'cozies' is lots of fun, but not my creative 'calling.' I suspect this is because I have such a short attention span! *wink!* Much as I love the colors & textures of applique & crochet... my creative 'heart' really belongs to illustration. Put simply... I found I missed my Prismacolor pencils & markers and those itty-bitty doodles on Bristol paper that magically become little pieces of art!

So... I've closed my SimplyCozyInCarolina shop & returned to my 'first love'... creating tiny illustrations for my (now reopened) shop, PholkartStudio. I hope you love my silly doodles as much as I love creating the!  :)