My Life

Sorry for not posting recently, but our camera has gone "Kaput!", so I haven't been able to download any photos of art I've done. However, it's all for the better, because we've ordered a totally cool, super-duper new one that I hope will take great photos, and it's a pretty red color to boot!

But I did remember that I had this photo already downloaded of the limited edition piece of art which was included with the signed copies of my book. I think most people have received theirs, so I can show it to all of you now. I didn't actually title it, but I guess if I did, I would call it "My Life". It says "Oh, how different my life is now. But I wouldn't change a minute of it." and "For my own self I live and for my children." I think the meaning to my own life is probably clear, but I tried to make it universal, too, so that it could apply to lots of people, since it will be going to lots of people.

I do still have a few of the signed copies left, but they're almost gone. A few people have expressed interest, but haven't given me contact information to which to send an invoice (Cindy S-E and Mary Lib-Stine), so if you guys are reading, please email me at appendageassemblage at hotmail dot com so I can send you an invoice!

And a big thank you to those who have written positive reviews for me on Amazon! I love hearing from people directly, but for some reason, having it out there on Amazon for everyone to read somehow seems so official!!

And finally, before I go, the lovely Erika tagged me a while ago, and I'm just getting around to playing. This is the one where you write something about each letter of your middle name. Mine's Marie (isn't everybody's?).

M: Mother- well, this one's obvious!
A: Anal-retentive- I'm completely anal about most things- how I decorate, how I organize, etc.
R: Responsible- You can always count on me-I'm incredibly responsible!
I: Imperfect- Sometimes I still need to remind myself that I'm allowed to be imperfect.
E: Energy-lacking- see "M" above!

They're On Their Way!

Yay! The signed copies of my book are on their way to those who ordered! Thanks to all of you for your patience with my delay in shipping, and I hope the book is worth the wait! And also thanks to everyone who sent condolences on the loss of my grandmother- we are all doing well and are just happy with the many good years we had with her.

(Isn't it kind of funny how all the little "Corey's" are lined up next to each other when the books are stacked together?)

I'm so excited with the feedback I've been getting from the book! I've caught it at #1 in "Papercrafts" and #1 in "Scrapbooking" at various times on Amazon (the rankings are listed every hour)- how cool is that?? But no reviews there yet (I check several times a day- ha ha!- to see my first review!) I've gotten some wonderful emails and blog comments from people who've been inspired to use personal images in their own work, which means so much to me, since that's what my mission was with the book-to inspire artists to do personal artwork, not just art that looks like everyone else's! So, a big thank you to those who have written!

By the way, I do still have a couple signed copies left if anyone missed out! Cindy S-E, if you're reading this, send me an email at appendageassemblage at hotmail dot com-I don't have a way to contact you about a copy! And I finally listed the ephemera packs on Etsy if anyone needs one of those!

Riley had his second birthday last week, amidst a small amount of chaos with the funeral, etc., but we were still able to celebrate. I plan to do a birthday spread for him as soon as I get a chance, but here are a couple cute photos of him on his big day, and a cute one of Noah thrown in for good measure!

Okay, have a great week, everyone!

In Loving Memory...

Peg Dray

May 27, 1919 - October 11, 2007

.

I'm sorry for my absence here lately, but we've had a very sad week. My grandmother died a week ago (yes, this is a different grandmother than the one who passed away three months ago) from complications of congestive heart failure. She was a loving, loving woman who took care of a wonderful family. I have countless fond memories of times with her and my mother's side of the family. She and my grandfather raised eight wonderful children, who have in turn raised many equally wonderful grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

.

We took the trip to Davenport, Iowa for her funeral, and although it was a sad trip, it was such a nice way to remember her- seeing the house I have such fond memories in and the people connected to her as well. We will all miss her greatly, but know that she is looking down upon us and "hugging" us from Heaven.

.

I am now spending a few days at my mother's house, but will be home by next week. I'm greatly sorry for those of you awaiting signed copies of my book (and also a few collage packs that were ordered). Mailing those things out is first on my list when I get back though!

Hurray!

Well, I've started hearing from people that they've received my book from Amazon! Hurray! I totally didn't expect them to be out so soon- the last I heard from the publisher was October 11th. I just wanted to let everyone who's ordered signed copies that they are on their way to me now (for me to sign them), and the limited edition piece of artwork which will be included is being printed as we speak! So hang on just a bit longer- I'm sorry you won't get them before those that ordered from Amazon do, but hopefully the print I'm including will make up for that!

Here are a couple little bits from the print you'll be receiving- I'm really happy with how it came out! Once I've sent out all the copies, I'll post a full photo for you all to see.

And yes, I do still have a couple more copies before I hit my 25 limit, so hurry, hurry if you don't want to miss out! Or if you don't need a signed copy, there's an Amazon link right over to the left there to order it from there!

One for Noah, One for Riley

Hi Guys, thanks for all the studio love! I really love it myself as well. It's just nice because it's the one spot in the house where I can have free reign to hang what I like, etc. While I do have most of the influence in the rest of the house, there are just some things that Jason would never allow me to put out there (dolls, doll furniture, anything pink!)...

A few of you expressed amazement at how organized everything is in the studio, but in reality, it's not that difficult for me to maintain that. For most of my artwork, I use very limited supplies. Some papers out of a file cabinet, some paint, and glue. That's it! So I don't make much of a mess when I work, thus making it pretty easy to clean up! But, at the same time, those of you who know me will attest to the fact that I'm pretty anal, so that helps as well....!

I've done a couple spreads in the boys' books this past week. I try to alternate with them, doing one in Riley's book, then one in Noah's. Riley's spread is about those rare, wonderful moments when he surprises me by coming up and giving me a hug. Those hugs immediately erase all of the "terrible two" moments that are coming more and more frequently these days!

You may notice that I don't have a photo of him actually hugging me. As I said, he always does it when I'm least expecting it, so I've never been lucky enough to get a shot of him! So I figured just a sweet photo expressed the sentiment just as well...
Then, Noah's spread is about a trip we took to the fire station a couple weeks ago. My sister is a graphic designer who is doing some work for the fire department's community day. So we packed up the kids (she's got two, and I've got two) and headed over to shoot some cute photos for a poster.

Not really as easy as it sounds, since Riley's going through a stage where he's terrified of strangers, and her little boy isn't that much better! Lots of crying and clinging to Mama was involved, but she did get some cute shots of her daughter and of Noah. One of the shots of Noah is going to appear on the poster, which will be fun.

Strangely enough, a few days after this trip, I was looking on ebay and came across these little fireman valentine images. They could not have been more perfect! They look just like Noah in his little hat!

That's it for now! There are still a few signed copies of my book left, as well as the ephemera packs.... let me know if anyone's interested!

A Gazillion Pictures of My Studio

****These are pics of my old studio.  To see pics of my new studio, take a look at this post!****

Hi Guys! I know that several times I've mentioned working on my studio and have promised photos. Well, finally I've taken the time to actually shoot them! As you can see, there are lots! I went a little crazy, but I know that I'm always interested to see the littlest details when I see others' workspaces, so I figure others share that sentiment as well.

But before I begin the tour, I just want to mention that there are still a few signed copies of my book available (see my last post for details). Thanks for all the orders thus far, but you've still got a chance if you are interested and thought you'd missed out! And on the same note, I've also still got several grab bag ephemera packs available. Still haven't taken the time to list them on Etsy, but again, you can order them directly through me if you'd like.

Okay, enough business, on with the tour!

So my studio is located in a bonus room we have above our garage. It's a really large room with its own bathroom and large closet- a perfect setup! We have potential future plans to also use this room as a playroom for the kids, but since they're so young, it really is mostly mine for now. And you can definitely tell that from the decorating!

Here is a view from the far wall with a large window on it. The doorway you see leads downstairs. That corner with the desk is my main work area. We have a sectional sofa for when the kids start coming up there a bit more, because it sort of separates the room into "my area" and the "kid area":

Here's a better view from the opposite side of the sectional, etc.:

And again from the window wall. There's the stairwell, and the door into the bathroom. The only part of the room that isn't really done is those large cubbies on the wall. They're great for storage, but they're real ugly. I think we may put doors on them or something...:

The window and again, those ugly cubbies...:

Here's a closer shot of my desk. You may remember this desk that Jason built from my last house. I've repainted the base...:

And an even closer shot of the bookcase portion:

Even closer. The head vases were my grandmother's:

Here's my workspace. It's pretty cramped, but that keeps me less cluttered, because I have no room to make a mess!

Here's a little table on the side. There are boxes of scrap fabric, ribbons, etc., and my CD player there. Above the table are all my cotton fabrics and my CD's. Again, another ugly cubby up there- that one we will probably cover over, because it's really too high to be very useful:

Miscellaneous stuff:

Detail of miscellaneous stuff:

More of the same!:

Under the table is this old doll bed which I just found at Goodwill for $3! Right now it's holding all those ephemera packs that I still have- see, I told you there were lots left! You know you want one...!

You could probably see in the far-away shots that I have this wire strung along the long wall, holding all kinds of bits and bobs. I love it! Easy display of whatever strikes my fancy at the moment! It's from Ikea, if you are inspired to do the same...:

Here's some display on the other long wall above the couch. I used to collect teddy bears and dolls when I was younger, so you see some remnants of that here. This is the only place in the house where I can put this stuff! Oh, I so need to have a little girl someday...:

Here was a great Ebay find. Two paper dolls who look just like my two boys! Blond/blue and brown/brown! I'm sure you'll be seeing these images in my artwork:

On the right side of the window. My mom thinks it's weird that I have children's book illustrations hanging with the nude painting. When I hung them, I honestly didn't even think about it- they were all just things I love in colors I love. That's an artist for you, I guess...:

The left side of the window. You may recognize the doll from the sneak photos of my book!:

Here's what I did with the vintage highchair back from Jamie. A perfect little shelf for these bunnies!:

Some more dolls, etc. from the couch wall:
More:


Here's the doorway into the bathroom:
Here's the bathroom. I found this really pretty shower curtain from Target. I don't know how well you can see it, but there are birds on it:

Bathroom, obviously:
And again:
And I think that's it! I will list these photos on Flickr, so you'll be able to blow them up and see larger versions. But that will have to wait a bit. Right now, I've got a baby whining from his crib at me, so I'd better run! Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Signed Copies of My Book, and Sleepy Noah

I've decided to go ahead and sell signed copies of my book that include a limited edition print (one that nobody has seen before-not even me, as I haven't even made it yet!), as I spoke about a couple posts ago. It's going to be a very limited run, of twenty-five books/prints. I'm not sure of a better way to go about doing it, so here's how it will go. If you want a copy, please email me directly at appendageassemblage at hotmail dot com. Once I get your email, I will send you a Paypal invoice for $30 (the cost of the book, including shipping), and as soon as I receive the books, I'll mail them out!

The current date that the book is scheduled to be released is October 11th. However, I'm not exactly sure when I will get my copies, so I can't absolutely promise that by ordering it through me, you'll get it earlier than through Amazon-sorry... Soooo, order away!

Beyond that, I had time the other day to do a spread in Noah's book. I've had this crib "diecut" from the scrapbooking section forever, and figured I should use it before he outgrows his crib! So I compiled a group of photos of him asleep and talked about how much I like to look in on him while he's sleeping. Babies are just the sweetest when they're asleep, aren't they? Even if they're driving you crazy throughout the day, they always look like they're so good when they're asleep....

That's all for today! Let me know if you'd like a book- first come, first served- when they're gone, they're gone!

Grabbag Winner & Babies in Pockets

And the winner is.... Kari from ArtsyMama! Congratulations, Kari! I hope you like your collage pack! Kari's favorite word was "bliss". It was really fun reading everyone's favorite words- so many interesting choices! I realized that I never told you what my favorite word is-it's "cloister". I love the sound of it and the meaning- "a secluded, quiet place; a sanctuary". (On a side note, my sister lives on Sanctuary Way- isn't that a wonderful address?)

For those that didn't win, I do still have several collage packs left if you were waiting to hear whether you won or not. I haven't had time to get them up on Etsy yet, but I can sell them to you directly if you don't want to wait. Just email me at appendageassemblage at hotmail dot com.

So, in artsy business, I've been working on a couple different things-some stuffed owls for birthday presents and a page in my "Me" journal. We've got three birthdays in our family within a couple weeks- a niece who will be four, a nephew who will be two, and Riley who will be two (my husband's birthday is also in there, but he doesn't count!), so I decided to make some stuffed animals for the kids. I also made one for Noah, so that he isn't left out! I came up with a design by looking at several different stuffed owls on the internet, taking a bit from this one, a bit from that one, etc. to make my pattern.

Knowing that a simple stuffed animal probably won't be enough to hold their interest for long, I wanted to think of a way to make them at least a little more interactive. So I came up with the idea of making babies that would go into pockets on the mothers' bellies. I think they came out pretty cute. We'll see if they pass the toddler test for interestingness though!

So I also did a page in my "Me" journal. I didn't have a lot in mind when I started the page, but I found these two cardboard little boys I bought a few weeks ago that I wanted to use. One is blond and one is dark-haired, just like my boys. I decided to use an image of myself looking down at the boys, and went from there. While working, I never actually attached the figures because I still wasn't sure where I was going to use them- in the birdcages? in my arms?

Finally, I got the idea of making little pockets for them so that they could go either place! Obviously, I must have been influenced by the owls I made! But I'm pleased with the results, and while I was working, I came up with the idea of making an entire book for these little guys, with pockets on every page so that they can go on different adventures! Wouldn't that be cute? I've got to think a little more about it, and see if I want to take another project on...

Okay, guys, have a great weekend! Let me know if anyone wants some collage packs!