greenbeanbaby art

sweetpea swap#7

are you ready for another round??? it's been awhile and i am happy to introduce to you round 7 of the sweetpea swap: Something old, Something new... this swap is sweet and simple and perfect for us all... it's all about mixing our passions for vintage and/or thrifted items to shopping for new and wonderful goodies... from vintage tea towels or toys of yester year to modern scrapping products or candy... thrifted aprons or new handmade aprons... vintage cards to modern funky (even kawaii) cards and stationery... it's a great swap for mingling the goods we enjoy from all eras... [after all, there are plenty of us who will watch x-files in one hour and i love lucy in the next]

for those of you who enjoy creating, you can make your swap buddy a handmade item...  that is one of the best parts of swapping; something made with love and care! for those of you who love thrifting and shopping, i am sure you can find an array of goodness for your buddy... either way, you can send old and new items to your buddy that suits her interests... be it sewing, crafting, eating sweets, drinking coffee, caring for her pets and/or kids... please make sure to check out your partners likes and dislikes as well as what they enjoy doing in their spare time... if they have animals or kid, sending  something for them is a thoughtful idea... you need only to spend $10- $15 max... keep in mind shipping costs and making sure that all goodies are shipped on time

shipping dates are from October 22nd to October 27th.... this gives you time to meet your swap partner! feel free to email her with any questions or to further introduce yourself.... stop at her blog or flickr page for more info as well... you will have enough time to shop, create, rummage, thrift, and enjoy this swap... it's an easy and open round so there should be no excuses as to why we can't ship out on time... even though we may procrastinate, it's unfair if your swap buddy rushed to send out their package and you decided not to be as prompt...

again, this round is pretty simple and versatile... i try to keep most rounds fairly open to attract a variety of people and their interests... with the help of my mom, we look forward to making this new round a success and a wonderful swap for us all... if you are interested in reading more about the sweetpea swap, in general as well as the past rounds, please go here...

so hurry and fill out the questionairre  below! make sure to  email me with answers and i will set you up with a partner ASAP.... you only have a week to sign up!!!!!

questions: 

1. your name, email, and  mailing address

2. website and/or flickr addy, swapbot profile link

3. what do you do with your time?

4. what do you love lots and lots (collections? hobbies? colors? certain material?)

5. what kind of sweets and candies do you like? and what don't won't you dare ever eat?

6. for crafty purposes, do you have favored colors and/or patterns?! (as in, what's your style?) please also include what you do not like...

7. lastly, are you willing to ship internationally?

*the above icons are free to use solely for linking sites from yours to mine... please download the button first to your computer before adding it to your site... you can use this link, as it will take you to this round directly...

hispanic heritage month- meet margaret

i'm only a week late in posting this... but it's hispanic heritage month... and to celebrate the month, i will be pointing out a few hispanics in the blogging world [that i'm aware of]... the first person i'd like to tell you all about, is miss margaret!

margaret makes beautiful earrings... i mean, beautiful!!! we are doing a swap together and she sent me six pairs of darling jewelry... they are so comfortable (she made me two pairs before in our last sweetpea swap)... margaret's earrings are quite elegant and yet fun enough to wear with all sorts of outfits... they are lightweight too! they are so well crafted and made with love and care... be sure to check out her etsy shop, baby duckles...

and just to gush on how sweet she is, she sent some coffee [ah, who can resist some vanilla cream coffee?!] and there were also biscotti [double the yummers]... after this post is done, the coffee pot will be brewing- and i will be drinking up a storm in my studio [watching season 5 of smallville]...

anyhow, margaret is a wonderful swapper, blogging buddy, and an excellent crafter... i proudly sport her earrings and am so grateful to be an owner... don't forget to check out her blog and etsy shop...

side notes: the first photo is margaret's- she takes way prettier photos of her earrings than i can... also, please excuse my pale face and dark circles...while both were inherited, they are a slight bit exaggerated with the sound of a tired baby in the background

setting up a new goal

i'm a goal-driven person... rather, i need goals in order to feel satisfied... after all, a goal often leads to an accomplishment, right?! of course, that isn't always the case and often i have to-do lists that aren't completed... with my art though, i think it's time to push myself harder and take my art career to a new level...

so my goal is to get published... with contacts, books, links, leads, and such i dont think it's an impossible goal... after all, this is what college prepped me for! somehow, college excluded the fact of freelancing while having a family... i guess they assumed we would all stay single and not have kids until our career was well under way.... ramel and i chose family first and while that was not the easiest decision, it's not regretable...


in 2003, i met a famous pastor named jill briscoe... she has written many books including children's books... she published "jonah and the worm" and "harrow sparrow" in the early 80's... a couple decades later, she wanted the illustrations revamped and hired me to do so [what an awesome oppurtunity!!!!!]... i did the illustrations digitally and the books were published and printed out... some days i wish i would have pushed myself harder for these books and stuck with my first style [cut paper]... however, i am quite grateful for such an oppurtunity!!!

 
so since this job, i have had diego, bought a house, started a blog, got an etsy shop going, and had isabella... all these [important] events helped me refine my style... my illustrations have evolved and i've got a ton more paper.... i've also met so many wonderful people who are talented, encouraging, and inspiring... i mean, all i have to do now is actually get a portfolio revised and send it out.... of course,  it isn't as easy as that but with the resources and help of my husband, i hope this goal will be accomplished in 2008 sometime...

what is your goal for 2008??????? we can cheer each other on :)

like a day out of a book

where everything is perfect, including the kids... where the sun shines through clean window panes and the floor is glistening with brilliance.... it's a day where no child cries and no baby poops... it's a day where no cat leaks hair and all laundry is done and folded up and put away in big, beautiful closets... it's where dinner is made and turns out elegantly and people eat their dinners without a fuss... its a day where all toys are put in their place and no bills arrive in the mail.... and it's where squirrels run towards you and beg to play...

yep, i had one of those days.... only the sun isn't shining thru clean window panes- i don't even know how to begin cleaning these 4 decades old windows.... floor is not glistening and to prevent feeling any crumb (because you know how much that urks me) slippers are worn... the cats leak hair all the time and keep jumping in the crib so the sheets are changed all too often.... and  while laundry hasn't  been completed yet, there are NO closets in this house TO put the clothes in.... [yeah, you read that right!!!!] dinner hasn't been made just yet, but it  looks like pasta (yet again) with veggies- i only hope diego won't fuss... toys WERE put in place but don't i always do that?! and i haven't a clue if the postman brought us bills because i refuse to check the mail....

but it's true, the kids ARE perfect.... although isabella is teething and drooly and snotty, she is crawling all over the place and getting a hold of ramel's video controllers... and she doesnt mind the cats in the crib and will try to grab a fistful of sam fat.... do you think sam minds?! nah, he curls over and begins to purr- what a trooper! my sweet isabella, so full of spirit and energy and character already!!!

sadly, the squirrels do not run to us to play... i took diego to his bus stop and put him on the bus... when i walked back to the house, there was a little squirrel laying by my doorstep, curled in a ball... it was breathing but not moving.... we called the humane society... while i waited for them to come, i decided to take pictures of the squirrel resting... and in the middle of our photo shoot session, the squirrel totters off to hide near our siding (that has fallen off from our house).... the humane society did retrieve the sedated-looking animal and couldn't tell me why it was the way it was...

so while my days aren't like those from a book, my family is... things may not always be bright and cheery... i have my days where only the mess is seen... but at the end of the day, i see my kids sleeping... and i think, "it's all worth it..."

over 40 items....

from vintage items to new, the goodies will be up in the shop the minute it turns september 17th (central time).... it only took a good 5 hours to get it all ready... even now, another pot of coffee brews while i wait 1.5 hrs...


isabella had a cold on top of her teething issues... diego refused to nap... and i got sick too... but ramel helped out a ton over the weekend... from cooking lunch and dinner, to doing laundry, to keeping the kids happy and clean, he was my super hubby!!!

since i was working on art all weekend, ramel surprised me with yet ANOTHER season of smallville...  i finished up 1-3 in less than a month... he even got me season five too so i wont be left hanging but sadly will have to wait for the 6th one [although it comes out this week]... yeah, call the hill family a geek :) we are all into superman stuff!!!

you know, this was supposed to be about the etsy goods but i just HAVE to throw this out! has anyone heard anything about season four of lost? or when season 3 will come out on dvd?! we don't have cable here so we buy all our favorite shows on dvds... just like i collect paper, ramel collects movies and such... [and to think, he has slowed down in the past year!!!!]

okay but enough of dvd and season drama... i hope you all enjoy the goodies in the shop!!! and to ALL THE PEOPLE i owe emails to, please forgive me!!!!!! i will email you very very soon :)

twas four days before...

twas four days before i added new goods in my shop
not a creature was sleeping except for my spouse

the kids refused to nap in sync with the other
while one went to school, one stayed up with her mother

as i try desperately to work on some art
i have baby laughing and farting about

i sit at the computer emailing some friends
trying to keep this baby from grabbing my pens

when out of her mouth, there arose such a shriek
as she shoves her fingers in the nook of her cheek

away to the freezer i flew like a bee
tore open the door and grabbed a teething ring

a few drops of medicine to soothe her pain
and two pills for me and the headache i gained

when what to my wonder, i look on the floor
and see a hairball my cat puked up- the horror!

with screaming baby chewing on her cold toy
i clean up the gross mess, yelling "naughty boy"

the clock ticks away, more things should be done
like vacuuming, mopping, and sweeping a ton

the baby still whines so i hold her and rock
while i push the vacuum cleaner and pick up a sock

my life requires doing more than one thing
multi tasking is not as easy as you think

the baby finally falls asleep- so sound
i puck up the random toys left all around

i rush to the attic, cup of coffee in hand
(although it doesn't taste good- it's a cheap brand)

i turn on the TV and put a smallville disk in
grab a pencil and paper as i scratch my chin

what should i illustrate today for the shop?
a boy playing baseball? a girl dancing about?

goodies are made, paper tidbits on the floor
in hopes that the baby would sleep a li'l more

handmade envelopes with notecards and tags too
along with notebooks in colors pink and blue

pretty stationery perfect for any occasion
a keychain made with turquoise paper that's asian

as i look at the clock, its already four
time to pick up diego- i rush to the door

the red school bus stop in the front and i hear:
"hey mami! how's it going? is 'bella here?

i tell him she's sleeping and ask about school
he said he had fun and drawing's really cool

we walk up the stairs and he lays down to sleep
he is so tired- school wears him out a heap

the baby rustles awake to my dismay
i was hoping to take a short nap today

we play a bit. oh how she makes me laugh
i enjoy our time but tonight i'll have to craft

soon it will be time to make dinner for four
and i will head to the attic to work some more

so now i'll exclaim to you all on this site
happy crafting to all and to all a goodnight!

ps. my rendition of the famous christmas poem.... you can see more of my new goodies here

what's goin' on....

we have a very happy kid who loves pre-school: yep, diego had his first week at school and just loves it!!! he seems to adjust well to big changes.... however, today he was talking like the hulk (its a monster sounding talk) and i said to him "diego hill has to go to school, not hulk hill"... he didn't like that so he started crying, " hulk hill wants to go!!! noooo, hulk hill!"  i said "no, your teacher wants diego!!!" he was mad and we drove to his school...  by the time i turned the car off, he began talking normal again...

"hi mummy! i am diego hill... diego is going to school now"

and isabella? well, she is so mobile these days... she does the army crawl, already but often gets mad if she can't reach the cat fast enough... she squeals up a storm whenever diego, sam, or logan are within view... her squeals are of  happiness but eventually turn into screams of frustration.... and you'd think she'd take a nap when diego was in school.... but noooooo, this girl wants to be held every second and will throw a fit otherwise... ah, considering this is our last baby in the house, i try to hold her as much as possible... cherish the smiles and cooes and milestones...

and me?! i am suffering from insomnia... don't know why... the coffee pot has been turned off earlier than usual so you'd think that'd help out... but it seemed to trigger the insomnia...  and while i am utterly too tired to work on art, email, or blog, i lay awake and feeling guilty... not to mention, there has been little energy to clean this house.... so i bought a huge cup of coffee the other day and began cleaning the rooms and living room... the next day, i rearranged my living room a tad and the kitchen... i mopped the floor two times (darn humidity)

i have a few custom orders to complete... well, really one... in 2004, i made an illustration [see here] for a sweet boy, jamir (who is the same age as diego)... jamir now has a beautiful little sister, who is a couple weeks older than isabella... i am making a matching illustration for her... it's already sketched out and won't take too long to complete... the paper is finally all purchased as well as more glue... my goal is to get it halfway completed by this weekend... it's a reasonable goal considering that ramel will have the kids [gosh, i am married to a great man!]

by the 17th of september, new items will be in the shop... here are a few previews, with much more on the way... from mini notecards to invites to scrap packs and of course notebooks... my mom gave me oodles and oodles of vintage wrapping paper... i am trying to use some of it in my works right away... however, the urge to buy more paper never goes away... while there isn't a need for more, nor is there room in the shelves for more, a stack of paper magically fell into my shopping cart (just like the car magically steered its way toward joann fabric's)... another 180 sheets of wonderful 12"x12" paper... can you blame me when they costed only $9.99?! and its a fall pack too!!!

yeah, so buying more paper required more organizing... on top of this quest to find the perfect spot for them, i made custom recipe cards... i was working many nights in the studio, busting these out... however, the past couple days [the insomnia days] the studio was abandoned... the guilt looms over me but heck, sometimes holding isabella is too much work! every person needs rest, right?! i have so many things that i want to do, and have to do, and need to do.... there isn't enough hours in the day to get all completed... the hallway is left with dirt in the crooks and crannies of the stairs... the dishes are completed a thousand times a day but not all put away... the house vaccumed constantly but the spots on the carpet glare at me like an episode of outer limits... the papers in the studio sit around quietly demanded to be put to use... the important things are completed true, but sometimes, more should be finished... ah, well many of us feel that way!!!

my weekends are split up between working on art, spending quality time with ramel, ignoring heavy duty cleaning, and taking much needed naps... so by monday, there will be new stuff to sneak peek for the shop.... in the meantime, have a great weekend everyone!

whatcha wanna know?!

and we have another tag!!!! although i didnt finish the other ones, i thought to at least get to one of them... so this tag is from stephanie...

ACCENT-  i don't know... maybe a midwestern one? i am told us midwesterners have a nasally voice- and that i do... i wish i had a spanish accent like my mom but well, i don't...

I DON'T DRINK--alcohol... but i do drink enough coffee to taint my blood!

CHORE I HATE--aren't all chores deplorable?! i don't like doing dishes because a few minutes later, there is another dish... i dont like sweeping when a few seconds later, i step on crumbs... and mopping? its so horrible to do when the same day... not to mention, the humidity makes for a sticky floor...

PETS-- sam and logan, my two cats... technically, logan is diego's...

ESSENTIAL ELECTRONICS--computer [with dsl], digital camera, dvd player [that plays cds too] and tv....

PERFUME--vanilla of any kind...

GOLD OR SILVER--silver silver silver

INSOMNIA-- i tend to get it when i have too many creative ideas in my head... or if the house isn't clean enough (oh wait, i get grumpy)... or if i am watching a good movie/show... then i tend to stay awake in bed although my eyes hurt from being so tired... and wouldn't you know that the minute i fall asleep, miss isabella wants to eat?!

JOB TITLE--a craftin' cleanin' illustratin' mom

MOST ADMIRED TRAIT--i'd guess my energy... which gives me the umph to do all that i have to do including maintaining a relationship... and it gives me the strength to pursue what i need to get a job done...

KIDS-- you all know my two lil greenbean babies... diego, who is 3yrs old and going to school THIS WEEK :) and isabella who is 4 months old...

PHOBIA-- bugs... in fact, i stepped in our garage only once because of this fear... my husband does the bulk of the laundry because of my fear of basement bugs... and i don't like going to the bathroom late at night in case i find a creepy crawly...

SIBLINGS-- one.. my sweet sister who is 5yrs older than me... she is the mother of my niece, nana...

TIME I WAKE UP: ohhh, i'm bad... on a normal day, it's after 9am.... [keep in mind, i go to sleep at 2am]

UNUSUAL TALENT/SKILL--i used to think it was cut paper illustration but i am meeting more people who love paper crafting too.... hmmm, how about i can live off of NOT eating foods most people enjoy... things like meat, the majority of raw veggies, fruit, yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding, jello, and canned noodles...

VEGETABLE-- i love me some cooked steamed broccoli...and potatoes... and tomatoes, although tomatoes give me canker sores!

WORST HABIT-- i drink too much coffee...

X-RAYS-- only had x-rays of  my teeth...

MY FAVORITE MEAL-- coffee... with a big slice of chocolate cake... okay, realistically, i love a good veggie sandwich [yeah, i will eat the veggies and end up with a bad allergy reaction but hey, it was worth it!!!] with cheese and a side of potato salad and a cup of water

Okay, now for the facts about me starting with the letters of my middle name.

A-- a scissors frenzy: i cannot have a pair of scissors in my hand while being in the bathroom... say, i need to cut a tag off my shirt... somehow, that tag gets cut off but so does my hair... before i left the house today, i chopped off a good several inches of curls from my noggin... now my hair is chin length short again...

N-- nothing right: in high school, i had to read mary shelley's frankenstein... i skipped it and based my report off the boris karloff movie version... and in case you never read the book and only saw the movie, they are FAR from similar... the robert deniro version is as close to the book as possible... yeah, i was a tad shocked...

A-- a bit out of the loop: i never watched these classic movies in full (and i was born in the 80's): E.T., poltergeist, who's framing roger rabbit, feris beuler's day off, [and i finally saw ghostbusters this year!]

and i am to tag other people, but i am just going to tag whomever wants to do it... if you do though, can you let me know?! i would love to read some fun facts about you..

since i haven't been blogging as much lately, please stop by my flickr page for a sneak peek of what is going in the shop beginning september 17th... and have a wonderfully new week... enjoy!