HOW A YEAR OF BLOGGING SAVED MY CREATIVE LIFE

Hello dear friends,

Tomorrow is my one year blog anniversary and I wanted to tell you all how grateful I am to have all of you as friends and followers of my blog. It is because of you that I have been here for one year.

The other day I was in Michaels and found a new journal (my new obsession!) This one will be my new gratitude journal. It reads, "wake and be thankful...See the good in every day" which is exactly how I feel every day I come to my blog.

As I look back on the last year of blogging here I am reminded of all of my creative highs and not so highs! :) But because I have had the support of my friends here on a daily basis, I am here on the eve of my first year of blogging.

The creative support and friendship I have found thru my blog, the opportunities that have come to me and the new direction I have found to take my art in has been immeasurable to me as an artist. I swore to myself I will "never give up" on my art until I have reached my idea of success. Some days my dreams are bigger than others, but still they are my creative dreams!

In the last year I have recieved opportunities to write articles for online magazines, have my artwork licensed, and design work that I love. I have also found a new life for my art and creativity designing rubber stamps and I know the next year will be even better for me and of course for all of you who have been with me thru it all.

I cant even begin to tell you how special you make me feel with your beautiful comments every time I post. It has given me motivation and strength that is priceless to any artist. You have given me even more reason to be grateful that I am an artist.

Thank you all for being such lovely friends. I appreciate all of you so much. You have all helped save my creative life!

Love,

Michelle :)

THE FOUR SEASONS DIGITAL STAMPS NOW AVAILABLE!

I just posted "The Four Seasons" Digital Stamp set (Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter) at my Etsy shop. These are one of the first designs I created when I started my line in 2004. I always envisioned "Summer" as a rubber stamp design and now here she is, I am just so excited about it!

I am so thrilled about my new adventures as a rubber stamp designer. I have been drawing all week after I finish with my dog walks.

My favorite channel on Sirius satellite is The Bridge ( I love Spa, too). My creative bliss has been bubbling over this week, listing to my music and sketching stamp designs. I am designing some Christmas designs for the same company in Florida who is currently producing some of my fairy designs into rubber. Will let you know when they are available on her site.

Since I started my line in 2004 I have always said that I am going to create what I want, and not what someone else wants. Being the stubborn little Irish girl that I am, I vowed never to even create any trendy type of artwork, but to keep creating what makes me happy.

Well, I may have changed that way of thinking a bit over the last year, creating a few new holiday designs. I LOVE holidays and I LOVE creating holiday designs and I am even loving sketching cupcakes in my little sketchbook, too! It makes me happy, truly blissful, so I will keep doing what I'm doing it for now!

I think its a heathly thing to try new avenues and change a bit. Its called evolving or growing as an artist, I think, even though I have been fighting it for almost a year now! It feels so good, I am busting with joy and cant wait to get my pencil out and start sketching more of my little friends!

Have you had any blissful creative moments this week? I would LOVE to hear, your comments are always so beautiful to me. Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Michelle :)

ON THE WAY TO A DREAM

Shopping for journals has become one of my new favorite things lately. I now have a creative success journal, an affirmation journal and an abundance journal.

I was in Staples about a month and saw this one on the shelf and it begged me to take it home! I had to have it but really wasnt sure why until a few days ago.

I am so connected to the meaning of this quote now and have been for a year but never knew why.

For the last year or so, I have been having the same conversation with my creative soulmate, Jamie, about going in another creative direction. But I have always felt that I would be abandoning my little fairy and mermaid friends that I have so lovingly spent so much love and time with for the last 5 years marketing and creating my line. I felt I would be giving up on my original dream of selling my prints and cards with these images on them.

Jamie assured me that I can do both but it hasnt really sunk in until now. I am grateful for hearing her voice and for believing that its okay for me to do other creative things, in fact, it's healthy. Change is good!

So I will still be working on my old and very beloved line of fairies but will ALSO be pursuing a career in rubber stamp designing. I have always wanted to design rubber stamps and so now I will be! Never have been a fan of drawing backgrounds either, so this is perfect for me!

I am so excited to be sharing this with all of you. You are the reason I have never given up on my first dream. I almost have a few times but because of your lovely warmth and support everyday for my work, I cant ever fail. Just one beautiful comment and I know I was meant to do what I am doing right now, to be an artist.

Thank you all, I appreciate every one of you!

Love,

Michelle :)

RUBBER STAMP DESIGNS

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July and saw some great fireworks last night.

I have been drawing and inking some new designs that will hopefully become rubber stamps. I am working with a company that has shown interest in my work so hopefully they will like my little "Wishing Star" Fairy and my new little happy sun!

What have you been creating lately?

Michelle :)