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Clearing out the clutter
Whew! The sun has come out around Bellingham lately and luckily I'm feeling a bit more in rhythm than since my last post. I'm still hectic getting my house and studio back together and the movers...
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Balancing goals with serendipity
How do we remain open to serendipity while still aiming at concrete goals? It's a pull back and forth, like a yoga pose, I suppose.The day my husband came home from work 2 and a half years ago and said...
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Juggling act
As May is winding down, I realize I have been a bit neglectful of my happy little blog. Well, that's not exactly the truth. The truth is, I've been getting my life back in order after our move across...
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Weavers in Laos
In our last months living in Malaysia, my family and I squeezed in every second of travel we could possibly squeeze in. It all went by so fast and everything was so busy that sometimes I'd visit some...
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Wish granted: the story of a small curve-ball deadline and a custom order
Regular readers of my blog may remember a wish I asked of the universe a few weeks ago on my blog: "Someone throw a curve-ball deadline at me, will you?"Well, one of my husband and I's longest-time...
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Wish Granted: Working like a maniac to meet a deadline
Just as my studio started to resemble a happy working space last week (finally!) I got my wish for a crazy deadline. HOORAY! The deadline is for the illustrator intensive I'm participating in for the...
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Still Juggling
Juggling, juggling, juggling... FIRST BALL UP IN THE AIR:Quiz: What's the biggest and most significant difference between these two pictures. If you answered that one cast is on the left wrist and the...
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Bookshelves bookshelves bookshelves
Show and tell time.These are my family's new bookshelves:Ahhhhhhh. I LOVE them. Please note all the picture book shelves. And the face-out picture book rack on the wall to the left of the shelves. I am...
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Some Nursery Rhyme Illustrations
Here are some new nursery rhyme illustrations (black and white!) I finished this last week just in time for the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators conference in Los Angeles this...
View ArticleEnd of the summer greetings
Greetings from upstate New York, where I'm currently visiting family and taking some much needed R&R after months of moving and transition stress and a couple of weekends of exciting adventures in...
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Diving in
As I contemplate how exactly to tackle the month since my last post there's a bumper car ride of inner thoughts banging around in my head...INNER THOUGHTS: Is it too late to post about the SCBWI...
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Adventures, not even in Asia
My blog has been a bit quiet the past few months as I'm (still) settling into home after living in Asia for two years, shaving my dear old studio down (from using two rooms to using just one),...
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Can't wait for PiBoIdMo
The last few Novembers I've participated in Tara Lazar's fantastic picture book writers' event: PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month). And Yep, I signed up again.What is it? It's the picture book writers'...
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Fishy sketches
I've been a little unplugged this fall (there's something gloriously refreshing about breaks from status updates and constant digital input). But it's high time I check in to my trusty old blog and say...
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Pat on the Back for me
Picture Book Idea Month (an idea a day for a month) really feeds my muse. Last year by the end of November I was rolling with a new mid-grade fiction novel and had ideas swarming me that led to some of...
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Tom Sawyer
When I was in second grade (or so) my mom read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain to my sister and me. I remember thinking, "Wow! This has to be the funniest book ever written!" I LOVED...
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Workshop with Nikki McClure
I've followed Nikki McClure's art since the early 2000's when I stumbled upon her paper-cut work on BuyOlympia.com (one of my favorite early indie craft web sites). Paper-cuts always catch my eye, but...
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She's Nurturing A Dream
I made this collage using some of the paper-cutting techniques I've been experimenting with since attending the Nikki McClure workshop a few weeks ago. She's Nurturing a DreamI made it as a celebration...
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Happy Heart Day!
Happy Valentine's Day! I love heart photos. The above picture I took in Chang Mai, Thailand. The below picture I took here in Bellingham, Washington when I was home visiting while living abroad. And...
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Necessary things
"Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to...
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