FOREST FAIRY FEATURED IN ETSY TREASURY

Happy Saturday, everyone! I have missed posting this week, but am so grateful for all of my new and old friends here and all of your lovely comments. Thank you! I will be posting more this week, I promise!

I was lucky enough to be chosen for a spot in an Etsy treasury called "Fantasy" and my little Forest Fairy was chosen! Please visit this page and soak up all of the other amazing fantasy artists and their beautiful work:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=41183

I was chosen by June at ISEWCUTE. Please visit her shop as well :

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5776012

Thank you, June! :)

2 LULU's TOGETHER

I got the loveliest email this morning from an etsy customer and a fellow etsy seller. Her name is Sharyne and she bought my "Lulu" print for her daughter, also named Lulu, for her 5th birthday.

She emailed me a picture of the 2 Lulu's together and posted it on her blog. Please visit Sharyne's blog (the Lulu's are about halfway down the page)

http://www.artsharyne.blogspot.com/

Thank you for sharing your Lulu pictures Sharyne, I really appreciate that!

Michelle :)

TREASURES FOUND

I recently found alot of old sketchbooks and watercolor Pet Portraits that I used to do in ink and watercolor and found "Cleo", the first portrait I did with my then new found style while I was in art school at Cal State Fullerton.

I loved working on her because it was just for me and I could render her anyway I wanted to. It was a real treasure to find tucked away and brought back so many nice memories.

Its funny how looking thru old sketchbooks I know exactly where I was and what time it was in my life. I spent an hour just flipping thru the pages of sketches, notes and writings from the past. How fun was that?!? Lots of fun! :)

I am going to mail this portrait to my friend Diana. She lost Cleo in December, I think she was 16. So I"m sure she will enjoy getting this.

What treasures have you found lately?

Michelle :)

LOVE IS IN MY SKETCHBOOK!

Love is in the air....well, at least in my sketchbook! I have been drawing kissing couples, brides and grooms and love letters all over the pages of my sketchbook lately and have just about filled it up!

I also have been having fun with calligraphy and lettering again. (I won a penmanship award in 4th grade!) I have always loved calligraphy and writing so I want to incorporate more of my own handwriting into my art, like the word Love I posted here.

What have you been up to in YOUR sketchbook these days? Would love to hear all about your adventures there! :)

LOVING YOURSELF THE WAY YOU ARE

I wanted to add some more thoughts on my post from 2 days ago, "30 days of gratitude", because I have more thoughts to post!

I was watching "Rudy" last night on AMC and there was a line in the movie about the secret to being happy is to be grateful for the life you have now and for who you are now . (not in those exact words but you know what I mean)

I posted my piece, "Air" (from the 4 elements series) today because she is giving herself a hug and is truly happy because she believes in herself and she is happy with who she is inside and out. I think one of the most things to be grateful for is for how WE are now. I have been trying to love myself just the way I am everyday and be grateful that I get to have a strong body for doing all the dogwalks that I do everyday and to have the strength to go to the gym afterwards.

As I am writing my 5 pages of gratitude every morning I try and be grateful for as much as I can think of that has to do with my body and my self love. It takes alot of effort but it definately pays off!

Have a wonderful and creative day!

Michelle

To purchase "Air" greeting cards, and for more inspiration please visit my shop:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11374521&ref=em

A LIFE IN HARMONY

"A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing."

I love this quote from Maya Angelou. I have this posted next to my desk to remind me how important it is to have harmony in my life.

My poor little harmony was awfully out of whack over the holidays, but thankfully, over the last few weeks I feel like I have brought myself back to my center, to a life in harmony.

I am going to the gym on a regular basis, finding a happy medium between social activities, family, work and my absolute favorite time, my art, meditation and my journaling time. And now my morning 5 pages of gratitude time!

I really do not do well when I am not taking care of myself. I have been striving to live in harmony, and making that a priority for a long time now and of course it cant always be perfect, but I try to keep some type of peace in my life everyday.

I was inspired by Maya Angelou's poem, above, when I created "The Harmony Angel" and I hope you enjoy her! Have a wonderful day!

Michelle :)

To purchase the "Harmony Angel" print please visit my enchanted shop:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12205097

30 DAYS OF GRATITUDE

For the last 4 or 5 months I have been writing everyday what I am grateful for and keep a record of my daily abundance as well. I have noticed that lately I am feeling the benefits of this.

Yesterday, as I was visiting my friend, Lexi, the 14 year old golden retriever, I felt so much joy and so much love for her and connected with her like I have never felt with her. I sat on the rug with her and was kissing her head and told her that I loved her and she kissed me on the chin. She has never done that before and it was just so sweet.

I am reading a book that has a chapter on gratitude that says the more you are grateful for your life as it is you will recieve moments of bliss, joy and love because of it. She also went on to say that for 30 days she wrote 5 pages of gratitude every morning and after the 30th day her life was filled with an abundance of bliss because of it.

I started my 30 days this morning and it was easy to fill the 5 pages. I cant think of a better way to wake up! I am looking forward to more blissful moments with my doggie AND people friends!

Would love to hear what you are grateful for today! I am absolutely grateful everyday for being able to connect with all of you and for your lovely comments. Thank you!


To purchase "Water" print, please visit my enchanted shop:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16278015

KISSING COUPLE UPSIDE DOWN!

I scanned my little kissing couple sketch upside down but I still wanted to share them with you!

I have had love, love, love on the brain lately!

Thank you all for your lovely comments about living your own enchanted lives!

Have a wonderful day!

Michelle :)

LIVE AN ENCHANTED LIFE

As I was dogwalking early this morning with my little friend, Pepper, a cute little Schnauzer, I started thinking about how I could live an enchanted life everyday. You know how somedays you just wake up and there is magic in the air from the moment you get out of bed? How would I bottle that feeling so I could feel that magic anytime or anywhere?

I started to hear really pretty birds singing as we walked and saw a little hummingbird check out Pepper. We had a lovely visit from a very handsome black lab who came over to us in the park to say hello.

I realized that all of those little moments were enchanted moments. They were daily mundane little moments but if I looked at them as enchanted and magical moments, I saw my life as being FULL of enchantment all day long!

So everyday I will be looking for the little pixies of enchantment to tickle me and make me giggle and to make me feel the wonder of a child as I did many moons ago! :) What was your enchanted moment today?

To purchase "Emerald Enchantment" cards please visit:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11475497

LOVE IS IN MY SKETCHBOOK

I am so in the "Love" mode lately! Which is always a good thing, right? I have been drawing love fairies, kissing couples and wedding cakes and toppers in my sketchbook, on napkins and in notebooks everywhere!

I have been wanting to do a Happily Ever After "peace" and some cute couples for valentines day.

I better stop writing and get crackin! I hope you enjoy my little sketches and thank you all again for inspiring me! You all feed my soul with inspiration and love and friendship every day! I dont know what I would do without you!

Have a wonderful day!