"Tucker" one of the many dogs visiting my studio lately, with so many holiday shoppers out and about. We so appreciate all the neighbors who try to keep it local with their shopping!

I've been in overdrive since the day after Thanksgiving, juggling the storefront hours, many Holiday Pet Portrait Commission Orders and deadlines, special events like Winterfest Weekend in Roscoe Village and this past weekend's event with Young At Heart Pet Rescue. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to be so busy...but know when it's time to take it down a notch. I've been taking double doses of Airborne (I swear, it works) and vowed on Friday that Monday morning had to be a sleep in day. It made a big difference, I feel good and ready to tackle these next 10 days leading up to Christmas and have decided to let go of all the 'should of/could of demands on myself. For example should of done a better job of decorating my storefront windows, there was simply not enough time!

Wanted to share a recent Custom Baby Announcement Plaque... Here is one of the new designs now available in the 8x8 Float Back Print or 12x12 Box Frame Print format. Holiday Cards that I designed for the residents of Roscoe Village: Holiday Cards also available for residents of Evanston, I recommend ordering the matte finish after seeing some a customer had purchased on-line, they looked great!

Lastly, these are some porcelain ornaments I made at Lill Street from a mold I created back in the 90's! the color seemed way off but that seems to be the story with me and glaze. Just ordered some DAS Clay that I can experiment with in my studio and paint with after seeing the gorgeous ornaments that Michelle Allen made with it, she is so inspiring!

Art, Wine & Winterfest in Roscoe Village...this weekend!

Hope you can drop by my studio this weekend for a cup of cheer if you are in the Chicago area, we would love to see you! We'll also be here Sunday from Noon-5pm....Ring a ling....

When the party's over...

I'm so grateful for the wonderful turn out we had for my Studio Grand Opening last Friday night! I battled with myself all summer as to when I should have said party...but with juggling all the art fairs and the stress of figuring out this new space I decided to take the good advice of my wise friend Anna Millea and wait until fall when all my outdoor shows were over for the season.

I am glad I did...it was perfect and great fun seeing many of my collectors from over the years and friends and making many new ones. I had amazing help from Amanda Shell of Whirly Girl Designs and jewelry artist, Michelle Rubin. I received lovely surprises: gorgeous flowers from my Mother and my Brother, a wonderful gift of appetizers from Mike Green of the Village Tap (across the street), and treats from Rudy of Rudy's Bakery next door to my shop. The Chamber and other businesses on the street have made me feel so welcome here in Roscoe Village. Here are some photos from the evening...

 

 

Since signing the lease I have learned so much and it has not been
without a lot of growing pains...last spring I referred to the back room
as the Crying Room! I am happy to report that I have not used it for
that since July...things really seem to be turning around. I am so
grateful to have quite a long list of commission orders to fill, so time to get to work! Hope you enjoyed the photos, you can see several more on my Flickr page....and many thanks to Natalie Samp who took them!