Today was feeling a bit down with the gloomy rainy weather.  I’m ready for Springtime, but apparently there’s still a lot of cold weather to come.  I decided to make myself a new desktop wallpaper, something cheery. I ended up with this design – sort of calming cheery and I thought I would share it as a graphic postcard.  Looks nicer in this smaller size I think.  Print a postcard, tack it on your inspiration board or make a bookmark out of it. Feel free to use it for your personal musings…ciao ciao!

Posted on March 3, 2010 at 8:25 pm | designs, free goodies | No comments

Happy Tuesday to you!  Today I am spending time doing some Spring cleaning from a digital standpoint. I tend to always have so much going on, things can get a bit messy on my computer.  I am also wondering how I can organize things better and reduce the cost of listing items on Etsy…even though it doesn’t seem much at first, over time it really adds up.

My first experiment was setting up my big cartel shop with the cute kitchen prints you see above.  I can only list 5 products with a free account, so I suppose it’s not a long term solution.  However, I did want to try it and it is certainly very simple to add products and set up shop.  Creating these graphic art prints sort of replaced last weeks notes to myself art print, but I did get to illustrating one this week – Smile!

Again, due to listing costs I won’t be listing these prints into my Etsy shop anymore…will have to figure out a way to share them somewhere.  Although it’s nice to be part of the Etsy community, there are so many shops it doesn’t seem like listing there helps you to be seen really…you have to get people there no matter what.  In which case, isn’t it better to just list items in your website and have a Paypal button?  I wonder…

In other musings, I also created a new digital stamp set of owls and gave them funny names like big mister, chubby and wiseguy… I liked them so much, I had to use them for a repeating pattern.  Here’s a little peek of the pattern as I play around, but not done yet. What do you think?

Posted on March 2, 2010 at 10:25 am | designs, patterns, store | 14 comments

Even if you don’t recognize the name Mary Engelbreit, you would probably instantly recognize her work upon seeing it. She has been in the art industry for a long time and her work is all over. I have loved her illustrations since childhood, ever since receiving one of her lovely illustrated greeting cards. Her work is not only cute and sweet looking, but also always carries a great message.  Wise words of wisdom or a life lesson type of saying and subject. I’ve always been inspired and in awe of every little thing that was Mary Engelbreit. She started out like most artists – a child who just loved to draw. Now she is a famous and successful illustrator with her artwork in books, calendars, greeting cards, home accents and much more. People refer to her as a trailblazer and pioneer in art licensing, an industry in which I am excited about and working towards joining.

All artwork copyright Mary Engelbreit

I hope her work can inspire you as it always does me…her artwork is especially happy inducing this gloomy Monday. By the way, if you would like to ask Mary a question regarding art licensing you can submit one here for a teleseminar happening March 17th.

Posted on March 1, 2010 at 9:53 am | inspiration | 14 comments

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