Happy Friday to all you lovelies out there!  Here in the rolling hills of Tuscany, the weather has been scary with high winds making everything creak and fly around madly outside.  It was sunny for two minutes then a massive downpour started with majorly strong winds. I’m already a homebody, but these days make me stay in my PJs even longer, hiding out until the weather clears. I’m working in Illustrator on kitchen prints anyway, so it’s not like I have to go out anyway. I don’t know why, but these weather conditions always make me a bit nervous and I revert back to 5 year-old behavior of getting freaked out by every little noise. Thank goodness for the internet, right?  It’s so nice to be able to connect to folks no matter where you are or how horrible the weather is outside. You can blast some online music videos to change the mood or chat with folks to keep it all together. Some kind of support is always reachable in some respect and I’m sure many folks in the snowy areas are glad for internet when you are stuck indoors!

When blogging I feel like I’m talking to friends and even that is comforting (whether folks are reading or not, I guess that’s not the point…tee hee!) I should say thank you to my lovely blog readers though, because this place has been one of learning and growth for me. I so appreciate the time folks take to comment and share their thoughts, providing encouragement and asking nothing in return.  *shucks* You guys and gals are just super and it’s another place where I can get support.

I got to thinking about how important it is to have a wide network of support.  This goes for everyone, not just artists or creative types that seem to go through more ups and downs in work life.  I read somewhere that knowing what to do is one thing, but knowing how to apply it to yourself is another.  Such a true statement and that’s why we need our family and friends to support us and get us through good and bad times. It’s funny how it’s easier to give advice and help others at times, than to help yourself. We are social animals after all, something about interaction just makes it all go more smoothly.  It’s motivation and accountability at times and I realize how important the community really is for me to have a balanced life. Digital friends are great, but real life ones are essential too…we can never replace those in person talks that help us get through difficult or doubtful times.  So this Friday I just want to encourage you to appreciate your network of support.  Give your loved ones an extra hug and feel happy and cozy in all that goodness.  Life is beautiful and there are caring people there, you just have to open your eyes and embrace. Ciao ciao!

Posted on February 26, 2010 at 6:23 pm | thoughts + discussion | 10 comments

I work a lot on the computer designing layouts and illustrating graphic art prints, so my creative workspace can usually be described as a messy computer desktop.  I decided to share a snapshot today of my desktop while working…

The design you see is one of the kitchen prints I’m working on and adding to my tortagialla big cartel shop – a totally new experiment.  I am not sure where or how to sell my art work, but I’m all for trying out new ways and seeing what happens. I already have an Etsy shop, but wanted to try big cartel because there is a totally free, but limited option. I signed up in less than 5 minutes and just uploaded some kitchen prints.  We’ll see how it goes.  I do like the fact that they do not charge any commission per product, it’s a flat monthly rate if you want more features.  I wish they would add digital product delivery though…maybe one day…anyhoo.  Hope you enjoyed taking a peek into my digital-ish world today.  Ciao ciao!

Posted on February 25, 2010 at 9:53 pm | store, work in progress | 4 comments

Hello lovelies – Happy Wednesday!  Thank you so much to everyone who entered my journal giveaway, I am so surprised and honored by the volume of responses.  I hope the winners will enjoy using their new journal sketchbooks…

Congratulations to Emily and Jen C.! You’ll each get one of the journals at random (more suspense!) Please email me your mailing addresses so I can ship them off – linda [at] tortagialla [dot] com.  For those of you who didn’t win, no worries.  Art journaling is really fun or just doodling, whatever you feel like creating and really it’s as simple as stapling a bunch of papers together.  If you don’t want to make your own though, I do have exciting news. I just listed my first journal for sale onto Etsy – my very special silver leather covered art journal!

Although I am still a beginner in bookbinding and have seen many masterpieces that are so refined here in Italy, I am still happy to create these little handmade journals myself.  Totally handmade in every sense, every single one different and special in its own way.  I also love thinking how wonderful it is to create something for someone else to create inside of!  The multitude of ideas and thoughts that will go in these journals…that’s pretty darn awesome.

So why do I think it’s so special?  Besides the fact that I made it…tee hee… all of the pages are individually sewn together, instead of the common signatures (bunches of paper folded). This one has 30 spreads, so the binding is sort of loosey goosey. See the difference when you push it around from the photo above and below?

However, I bind all the pages individually so they can all lie flat for ease of use as well as for the space it creates between each page.  See below how the journal looks like an empty photo album from top view?  You know what happens when you put photos into the album?  It lines up perfectly and doesn’t poof up…so that’s another cool thing.  The spine height gives you room to collage, add ephemera and use layers of medium with everything still fitting inside nicely.

I also put some elements in the inside front and back covers.  I always liked how composition books had a place to write your name or journals that have little encouragement quotes inside. Remember to create fearlessly!

I’m happy with the results of using leather in this way for the covers, but I still have some more experiments to perform and lots of leather to go through.  I just got a sample of a pinkish coralish colored leather today, sooooo cute! It’s funny that companies here have to throw away their leather pieces that are inconsistent or too small to make purses, shoes, etc.  Those scraps are actually precious to me because they are unique…and really we shouldn’t waste leather…or anything!

Posted on February 24, 2010 at 5:45 pm | free goodies, store | 5 comments

Hi folks!  Today is the last day to enter my journal sketchbook giveaway, so just wanted to post this reminder. Just leave a comment on that post and tomorrow I will be closing comments and randomly choosing winners to announce.  Good luck to all!

I wanted to share a little crazy little photo I took, during the night on a long roadtrip when I amuse myself with the camera.  I was reminded of this photo because I can’t believe it’s already Tuesday and I’m a bit behind on everything again.  It just seems as if life is whizzing by me at times, so many things for me to do and I’m missing out and not picking up the ball, so to speak. I really don’t like the feeling of constant anxiety from to do’s both for work and personal creative projects. I guess it doesn’t help that I usually take on too much and like to be ahead.  There’s an obvious motivation clash also between regular work and personal creative work.  Although I do enjoy both, it’s still a different experience altogether – I’m sure many of you can relate!

Also, working from home causes many others to think I must have all the time in the world. When in fact, it creates a somewhat more hectic life, as I tend to work at odd hours if needed.  I suppose that might always apply in the technical field, but I dislike it when odd hours cause a disruption with family time. I don’t want to have to work when they are finally home from work and want to spend time with me. Erf…just gotta tough it out and be more disciplined with work hours and studio hours. I’m excited for so many things, I think I might burst at the seams soon…

Posted on February 23, 2010 at 10:08 am | thoughts + discussion | 10 comments

Yay! I am participating in sfgirlbybay’s blog it forward and it’s my turn to share a bit about what inspires my art, craft and musings.  Thank you to tiny-ass apartment for passing the torch to me.

I am originally from Los Angeles, a total SoCal valley girl for the first 20+ years of my life. Long story short, I was ultimately driven by love to quit my soul-draining corporate job and pursue my dreams in a new land.  I moved to the Tuscan hills of Italy, got married to my love and now living my dream.  I design, craft and create art…and really loving my new life! Yup, I know it sounds a bit like those mushy love abroad, cliché life changing movie plots, but it’s really my life and through this blog I share it with all of you!

My experiences in this foreign environment inspires me every single day.  I am constantly learning new things about the history and culture of Italian life. It’s amazingly uplifting to be presented with a different way of thinking and living. Some ideas are refreshing, others can be annoying but overall it’s an eye-opening way of living.  In the end, I choose how I want to live, meshing my new learnings with my existing culture. Everything inspires me… or perhaps I should say, anything can inspire me, because it’s how I decide to interpret what I see and experience.  From the landscape, to cool bikes to crafting with my 4-year old niece to random textures and patterns to the details of nature… all of it…

You can check out my Flickr stream for more random photos. I hope you enjoyed a little look into my dolce vita! Thanks for stopping by and I now pass the torch onward to two brunettes who will post tomorrow.  Enjoy and be inspired – by anything!

Posted on February 22, 2010 at 9:23 am | inspiration | 38 comments