A Shift in Thinking

Hi again, well, I'm back from Jamaica and feeling somewhat refreshed. It's funny though how easily all the same things that irritated you before a vacation still irritate you as soon as you come back. I really thought that a week away from the house and kids would renew me, and I'd come back easy-going and carefree, and that toys all over the floor wouldn't bother me a bit....think again! Oh well, if nothing else, it was a really relaxing week while I was there, and I think everyone needs that once in a while!

I haven't had a lot of art time lately, with the trip and various other naptime problems that have arisen since (since naptime is my main source of art time), but I have managed a couple pieces. I don't know if it's been apparent here, but I've been struggling a bit with my art lately. I feel like I'm on the verge of some sort of shift, but I just can't quite figure out what that shift is. My art feels stagnant lately, like I'm not pushing myself and not growing, and that bothers me. I'm very inspired by a couple different artists these days (matirose, betsy walton) for the freeness and "messiness" in their art, and I'd love to somehow move in that direction, while still being true to my own artistic vision.

I think that the first step for me is to change my thinking while I work, which I've tried to begin doing. While I always have tried to "let what happens happen" when I create, I'm going to really push myself in this way, since the artwork I like seems to come from a sort of subconscious level. Even though it sounds somewhat contradictory, I'm going to make a concerted effort to "not think" while I create, and see what comes out.

Since I've made that decision, here is what I've done:

This one sort of evolved into a piece about some of the naptime/bedtime struggles I've been dealing with with the kids. There's something about it that doesn't feel true to my own vision. I think I was trying too hard, which is exactly what I'm not supposed to be doing! But I have a feeling there will be many pieces I'm not happy with during this period of transition...

This one I've very happy with. It came about very naturally, which is what I'm striving for, and I feel like it's still "me".

And this is a spread in Riley's journal that I did this morning. I overthought it a little bit while I was working, but overall, I think I was able to let go fairly well. It's about him giving up his pacifier, which is bittersweet for me. This kid was so tied to his pacifier until about a month ago. Then one day, it developed a crack in it, and that was it! No more pacifier, by his own decision. I was just shocked that he would so easily give it up, but I guess kids work in mysterious ways! It's sort of nice that I won't have that struggle down the road, but it's just another bit of proof that he's growing up....sigh.

It's strange how all three of these have the same color palette, which was not intentional. So, there you have it- the workings of my strange artistic mind. I know that the pieces themselves may not look that different from my other work, but in my mind, I've begun a journey down a new path. We'll see where I end up!

And I wanted to say thank you to all of you who complimented me on my portraits of the boys in my last post. I love realistic painting, but it's stressful, so I just don't do it often. However, I'd love to somehow combine it with my collage at some point. Maybe that will be in the forefront as well...

What I've Been Doing...

Hi all, I just wanted to show some photos of projects I've worked on in the past month since I last posted. I have to say I'm enjoying the lighter computer usage that I've imposed upon myself lately. It's given me a chance to spend more time with the kids, on my art, and also, just relaxing! So, here's what I've been up to...

A spread for Riley:

This is about his most favorite toy, a tricycle/big wheel sort of bike. He is on that thing constantly- a very good $4 Goodwill purchase!

Paintings of the boys:

I've wanted to do this for quite a while. Riley's is 11x14, just for size reference. Portraits are so hard, because you really have to capture that certain "something" that makes the person who they are, and I really struggled with these. But I think I've finally gotten them to a point I'm happy with, and I know I'll treasure them in the future, when those baby faces have grown into young boys!

A birthday gift for Noah:

A fabric house "bag" with soft block-like things that go inside. This has got to qualify for the "most time ever spent on a sewing project because everything that could go wrong did" award! Boy, it was really a labor of love, but in the end it turned out cute. I guess that's what happens when you just make something up as you go along...

A birthday for Noah:

The little guy turned one this week!

A birthday spread for Noah:

The birthday hat on his head is from the card Jason and I gave him, and the strip of paper down the center is a piece of wrapping paper from one of his gifts.

A project for the future:

I picked this up at Goodwill for $20 yesterday. I just love the detail and styling on it. It's pretty dirty right now, but with a nice distressed paint finish, I think it will be gorgeous!

And that's about it! We've got our Jamaica trip coming up, and I can't wait! We are really in need of some rest and relaxation! I just hope I don't miss the kids too much...but I'm sure they won't even realize we're gone, since they've got grandparents to keep them busy!

A New Year, New Outlook

As you may have noticed, I've been frequenting the blog less often lately. I've been struggling with balancing my computer life with my "real" life, as I think many of you can relate to! As the kids are getting older, my free time is dwindling, and many days I have none at all (depending on how they cooperate with their naptimes). When I am able to grab a few minutes, I try to answer emails, update the blog, etc., but even so, I'm often not able to keep up on it as I'd like to... And that's not even considering trying to find time to do artwork!

Anyway, all this to say that you may be seeing a little less of me, as I'm going to cut back on a lot of the computer work for a while, and try to concentrate a little more on spending time with the kids and doing artwork. I will still post photos of new work on my Flickr site for sure, and I'll try to squeeze in a blog entry every so often as well. So, please be patient with me! I promise I won't drop completely out of view, I just may be a little harder to see!

But before I go for now, I'll share a couple projects I've been working on. The first is pretty self-explanatory- a journal spread for Noah. The little guy is learning to walk! It's so fun to witness this process- we can literally see him improving every day. I can't say I'm 100% pleased with these pages, but they're good enough...

The other project is something that's been brewing in my head for a while, and yesterday I decided to go ahead with it. I've been wanting to take some nude self-portraits. I'm not sure how I'll use them, but it just felt like something that needed to be done. So, while Noah was taking a nap and Riley was playing in his room, I set up the camera and went for it! I'm really happy with the way they turned out. I didn't want to post them here, since this is too easy a place for just anyone to copy them, but if you'd like to see some of them, you can go to my Picturetrail site. At the bottom of the page is an album that is password-protected. The password is "blog".

One series is on our family room floor. I decided to leave everything as it was- kid's toys, etc., since that's what my life consists of these days! And the other series was taken in an arched niche in our dining room-turns out it's the perfect size for a human!

I used some of the neat editing tools in my camera to blur and darken areas, which I think creates a really nice effect. Plus it doesn't hurt to soften up those stretch marks either! The shots on my other site are larger than these. I cropped in on these so as not too show too much, but I rather like the cropped images, too! I'll have to play around with some cropping on the others.

Thank you, everyone, for bearing with me while I try and re-prioritize my life. I hope you all are having a wonderful new year!

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Just a quick post to say "Happy Holidays!" to all of you! These are photos from my second bathroom-this is where I put all my pretty, sparkly decorations, since they didn't really fit with the traditional red and green in the rest of the house.

Thanks to all of you who wrote me empathizing with my last post. My kids are getting over their colds, and we now have lots of family around to divert them as well, so this is all a welcome break for Mommy! I guess mothers just need to take those breaks as they come and refresh ourselves for the next round!

I hope all of you have a great week, and a blessed holiday season!

Grouchy Mom

Well, it has definitely been one of those weeks. One of those weeks where you can hardly remember the days before kids, when you were able to talk in a normal voice instead of yelling, when you were able to go more than five minutes before hearing someone crying or whining, and when you were actually able to do something for yourself without feeling guilty about it.

Sometimes I look at myself and wonder where this grouchy, irritable, mean person came from. How can a two-year-old and a ten-month-old do this to me? Granted, both of them have been sick this week, so things have been more difficult than normal, but lately, I just find myself yelling all day long! And then feeling guilty for yelling, because how awful is it to yell at a poor child who doesn't feel well!

And so, I felt the need to do a piece of art about this. I don't like myself when I'm so grouchy, and I really need to work on it! I'm sure that this week will get better since the kids won't be sick, and then comes Christmas and Grandma and Grandpa, so that will provide some nice relief. And then, in a couple months, my husband and I are going to Jamaica sans kids, which will be a wonderful break..., when we aren't missing the kids, of course! Oh, who knew motherhood would be such an emotional roller coaster, right? I guess I've always heard it, but until you live it, it just doesn't sink in...

No Explanation Necessary...

Lightning McQueen and Jelly Giraffe

So, as much as I swore up and down (before becoming a parent) that my child would never own any mass-marketed, commercialized, licensed character merchandise, I have given in....to Lightning McQueen! For those of you without children, Lightning is the main character in the "Cars" movie, and Riley is currently obsessed with him. I don't think he even understands the story of the movie, but show him something with Lightning on it, and he wants it, NOW! And this kid has got eyes like a hawk for Lightning merchandise. I can be walking in any store, and all of the sudden hear Riley whining for something. Sure enough, there will be some random product with the "Cars" characters on it- toys, diapers, even soup! Boy, do those marketers know what they're doing or what?

I try to restrain myself, and have only bought a few small Lightning items for him, including one of his favorite possessions, a Lightning pillow. But dang, it can really be hard to resist a two-year-old sometimes! His little eyes light up, and he gets so excited that occasionally I give in. Anyway, obviously, this is the theme for the most current spread in his book...

Then, Noah's latest spread is about his own favorite toy. He has officially chosen his "lovey", a cuddly giraffe that I've named Jelly. Learning from experience with Riley, we've gone ahead and purchased two spares so that we don't run into any disasters when it inevitably gets lost (Riley has three puppy blankies for the same reason!).

For some reason, the more I look at Noah's pages, the more I like them. I really like how the patterns of the underneath papers are coming through. (If you can't see real well here, you can always look at the photos on my Flickr page for larger images.) I'll have to experiment a little more with this....

Hope everyone's having a great week!

Cover #3

Like with Noah's book a couple weeks ago, one of Riley's books (his third) has been without a cover for quite a while. It was at the Somerset offices for several months for an article (which is in this month's Somerset Memories issue), and I finally received it back a little while ago. So, even though I really should be catching up and working in the boys' books, I wanted to go ahead and finish it, just so that I could feel a sense of completion, you know?


I decided to go the "easy" route, and used a pre-existing cover from a vintage cloth book for the large portion of the cover, and then just added some small embellishments to that. The little boy pictured actually looks a bit like Riley, with his messy hair and blue eyes. The picture above is of the shelf in his room where I have all his journals displayed, although soon the shelf may be too small, as I'm getting close to finishing his fourth book. Oh well, guess we may just need to buy a bigger shelf!

And I'd like to again send out a big "thank you" to all of you who have written me to let me know how you like the book. It means so much to me to know that I've inspired you and possibly given you a boost to make your own art more personal. It helps make up for a particularly nasty review the book got on Amazon (Wow! Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed or what? I mean, I know the book doesn't appeal to everyone, but jeez!) Anyway, I'm very grateful for the very nice comments many of you have sent me! Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week!

Cute Art, Cute Kitchen

I haven't had the chance to do a lot of art recently, other than a commission I've been working on, thus the lack of posts lately. However, now the commission is finished, and I've got a little more time.

Even though I'm falling behind a bit on the boys' books, I really needed some fun art time, so I decided to do a piece in my "Self" Journal. I didn't try and convey any special meaning, or illustrate any particular event; I simply did art for the fun of it, which was wonderfully freeing! I need to do more art like that- the problem is just lack of time!

As you can see, some of the text on the piece reads "you receive this small gift from me". This represents the fact that I was giving myself a gift by allowing myself to do this piece without any obligation or expectation. And I quite like the result, if I do say so myself!

I also wanted to show you the adorably cute doll-sized kitchen set I found on Ebay. Isn't it wonderful? The colors are just perfect in my studio- I absolutely love it! What's funny, though, is that I've collected a few different vintage doll stoves, etc., and I really don't even cook myself! I'm one of those lucky girls whose husband does most of the cooking, so I'm not quite sure where my fondness for miniature appliances comes from! I guess maybe it's the "miniature" aspect of it- I'm always a sucker for anything that is miniaturized...

Anyway, hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! I've got an extra little turkey cooking in my little oven here, if anyone wants to come join me!

Creeping and Standing

Just a quick post to show Noah's latest journal spread. This past month, he's learned to "creep"- not quite crawl, because he doesn't lift his stomach off the floor, but he certainly gets around regardless! And he's also begun pulling himself up to a stand, on just about any piece of furniture he can reach.

It's kind of an odd color combination, but I somehow had to work in the purpley-brown of the photo with the reds, blues, and oranges of the little boy illustration- a tough group of colors! It was difficult to blend them all in, but in the end I'm happy with the result.

The next set of pages I need to do for both boys are Halloween pages. I'd better hurry up though, because before I know it, it will be time to do Christmas pages! It's just so easy to fall behind on these books- kids grow up too fast!!

Cowardly Lion, Some Art, and My Last Name

This is a little late to be showing Halloween photos, but I've been waiting to get the files from my sister, since we were having camera issues that night. (You know those strange times when everything you own starts breaking on you? Here's what's broken for us in the past 2 weeks- digital camera, DVD player, refrigerator, cell phone- I can't wait to see what's next!)

Anyway, here are the kids in their costumes. Riley was a lion, and Noah was a puppy dog. Both were easy costumes that I just made from hooded sweatshirts. Noah was a champ-no complaining at all; he was too busy looking cute! Riley was a different story. This was actually his first Halloween dressing up, and as I expected, he was a little wary. At first he cried when I put on the costume, then he tried to cover his face with the hood, and halfway through the evening, he decided "no hood at all". He wouldn't actually do any trick-or-treating because he was too shy, so I ended up holding the bag for him at each house. So, I guess I've got myself a cowardly lion! What's funny is that I dressed as a lion for one of my first Halloweens, and I was incredibly shy as well. I wish I could find a photo to compare...

Then, here is the spread from Riley's book for his second birthday. While I was visiting my parents a few weeks ago, I came across an old scrapbook of my dad's that included bunches of vintage birthday and Valentine's cards- score! He couldn't care less about them (they're from when he was like 5 or 6, so he doesn't even remember any of the kids who gave them to him), so I snatched them up for my art! You can see I used a couple pieces in this spread.

And this is the cover of Noah's first baby book, which includes his pregnancy-related artwork as well. When I finished this book a few months ago, I had to send it immediately to Somerset for an article I'd written (I think it should be in next month's issue), so I never had time to do a cover. Funny that it's in such similar colors to Riley's spread!

And finally, Beth left me a comment with a funny question the other day. She wants to know how to pronounce my last name! I know, it's a hard one! When I met my husband I wanted to know the same thing! So here goes: "Moort" rhymes with "fort" and "gat" rhymes with "cat". Hope that helps- I've heard it pronounces some crazy ways, so now maybe you guys can spread the word!

Have a great week!

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

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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.

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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.

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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!