greenbeanbaby art

sweetness from singapore, milwaukee and 30 days

check out the wonderful books li li from singapore sent over to chilly wisconsin... there is a children's book with illustrations done in felt and stitching.... it looks similar to way cut paper works so it will be a great inspiration while i work... she also sent some rhyming matching books- very fun! and there is a retro hardy boys book to go with my collection... and a cake book too!!!! it has the coolest cakes in there!!!! one day i will show pix of some of them (if i remember- haha)


ah, but she also sent some candy... yummmmmmers... who can resist candy, and some that taste like coffee too?! there is even cotton candy with pop rocks and some chocolate covered cookies... oh, and there is some berry flavored gummies (that ramel and diego LOVE)... but check this cute item out: a lil stuffed dog that goes by the mouse for the computer! it's to cushion your wrist while you type... and the bottom part of the dog, is extra furry and meant to dust off the keyboard... what a fun product, eh!? thank you so much li li for such sweet gifts!!!!


this is a punch bowl set... made of vintage white glass thats pretty darn heavy... my mom bought it for me and isn't it just lovely?! since we have company over weekly, i plan on making some darn good punch (or shall i try homemade eggnog?) for next week.... i never have 12 people here but i do have up to 7 so there is plenty of cups for everyone... thanks mom, it will be used with care and love!!!!!

lastly, its been 30 days, and a posting on every day... the challenge was met and maybe i will be a random winner!? either way, its actually pretty fun posting often and brushing up on my writing skills... goodness, it needs it... it also helped to bring a bit of diverse topics to the greenbeanbaby  blog... plus it made want to make something worth blogging about, ya know?! more than just "what i ate today" sorta thing (although, i did have the best soup ever! my dad bought some and boy, it was yummy!) anyhow, thank you all for such kind comments and your time! its much appreciated :)

a day without diego...

um, no your vision isn't blurred- it's the photo... out of 8 pictures, every one of them managed to be fuzzy... can you tell i was and still am tired?! hah! this was a day's worth of work for storme's swap... alot of printing too, such as recipe and inspirational cards (not shown)... diego was at daycare from 1pm to 8pm and i was able to enjoy working on art all day... a few cups of coffee (shhh, i know) a slice of pizza, and some nip/tuck episodes, much was achieved...

in fact, i was able to get several orders out and one surprise package... i only hope there is enough money in the bank for all the shipping... two envelopes are going out of the country so it should be well, right?! ah, it's near midnight and i've only finished some of the items on the to-do list.... still have illustrations and sketches to work on, but that will be tomorrow and friday... and part of saturday...

tomorrow will be quite eventful... as diego heads off to daycare again, i will be visiting the doctor.... maybe she will assure me that the baby is still due april 3rd, and not 15th...honestly, i dont feel ONLY 20wks... the weight i'm gaining is coming on fast although i have been eating appropriate portions...i now weigh as much the day ramel and i hooked up... crazy, eh?!

okay, i'm heading for the haystack... wide eyed diego can sing me asleep between the walls, since he is still up...

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the happiest doll... and a sketch too

meet natalie... she is about 16 years old now, i think... she has shoes hidden somewhere in a container in the basement- they are pink with big lace bows to match her dress... isn't she cute with her pot belly and happy expression?! i got her for my birthday one year and i remember the whole scenario... my mom started telling me all about emotions and how important it is to express them and how to tell what exactly you are feeling... the more she talked, the more nervous i got with the gift... i thought maybe it was a training bra (who wants to get one of those in front of your dad and older sister?!) but once they let me open my gift, i was quite relieved and then excited to see such a sweet doll! what a smile she has... and she has beautiful lashes too and shimmery hair... some people find her creepy... i guess i have alot of dolls that weren't mainstream but i loved being different... my mom loved getting me cute stuff- still does... anyhow, this doll has a smile that reminds me of mrs. pilkington's sweet daughter :)


and here we have an illustration similar to the cupcake fairy... hopefully the person will like it and want it :) does it look like she is holding fabric rolls in one hand and fabric patches in another?! anyhow, its just another thing on my to do list... and tomorrow, diego will go to daycare so i can work on all my illustrations and items to make... should be fun, relaxing, and productive... but we will see- as long as i stay away from the computer- hehe...

sorry if this is out of sorts but i am truly tired today... normally i can stay up  until 2am but tonight i think i will fall asleep near midnight... so no stitching, reading, only sleeping to the sounds of x-men cartoons playing... goodnight all!

the kid who wouldn't sleep...

once upon a time, there was a happy child who went to bed every night at 10pm... and he would fall asleep without a peep, waking up after 8am to enjoy morning cartoons... but one weekend, he decided not to follow the usual routine.... when his parents awoke from their slumber, they found the child asleep on the couch, with a pillow and a blanket... his parents found it cute at first.... his mother went to fix the child's bed and found a sippy cup in the blankets- a sippy cup that was put in the refrigerator the night before... what is this? she asked the father if he was sneaking the child sips of pediasure in the wee hours of the night.... alas, the father was innocent... could it be that the child was secretly retrieving his cup while his parents slept?!

that night, the child refused to go to sleep... 2am, he came up to the studios where his parents relaxed and worked... he looked as if he hadn't slept a wink and was thrilled to find the father sorting through hundreds of comics... many of them superman related... the child was elated until he found that he was not allowed to touch such treasures... the tears turned to bitter cries when he discovered he could not stay up either.... his parents put him to sleep, several times, and by morning, the mother checked his bed... there lay the sippy cup again... she decided that she could no longer keep the cup in the refrigerator but must empty the contents into the sink at night... this caused the child to be upset when he'd find no sippy cup to retrieve early in the morning....

and so it's been a few days that the child has refused to fall asleep like he once did... while the parents try to squeeze in their own time together, there is sometimes a pitter patter of feet running to or away from their bedroom... occasionally, they hear a thump as the child jumps off the couch and dives for the bed before he can be caught of such actions.... such an unexpected issue the mother has found herself facing... could it be his growing molars? or is that just an excuse she uses for anything that seems to be out of sorts? not to fret though, the child has been using the potty chair well... and has been requesting to wear his batman pajamas all day... perhaps, this is the normal tale of a two year old.... but like any story, this story will have a winner- and that is the mother getting the child back to bed and asleep at 10pm every night without fret or fuss...

ps. this is a pre-ordered card for kiwicuties... i am so happy to be putting to use all the beautiful papers everyone has given me within the year span... thank you all for such support :)

what i made today....

these are more christmas notecards pre-ordered by my dear friend, joann, in canada.... similar to the ones i made yesterday, these are all handmade and ready to be sent off... now, just to get her those butterfingers and the american version of smarties.... as i said before, if you are interested in christmas notecards, feel free to email me (i don't know if i will have time to load any in my etsy store)... they are 5 for $5.25 and you can order up to 2 days (to make) plus shipping time... so in the states, it would be best to order a week before you want them... out of states, a tad more unless you want to pay the extra price for rush shipping... keep in mind, i will be happy to do "thank you for my present" cards too....

and i also made a peanut butter pie.... of course, mine doesn't look nowhere near as pretty as the picture... why?! because i bought too small of a container of cool whip so i had to only use a wee bit on the top... and i was too lazy to add the drizzles... but it tasted good... rich and sweet... probably fattening too... but a good way to get the protein in, eh?! hehe.... yeah, this past week i feel like my belly is popping out like crazy; you should see it here.... eating all that thanksgiving food has made the baby and me gain some pounds for sure! i'm keepin' busy creating and cooking, and a bit of eating...

on a cloudy saturday...

here we have some pre-ordered christmas cards... 5 handmade notecards for $5.25... the photo is not the greatest but i was trying to shoo away sam and logan while photographing.... and right now, i am in the process of finishing 5 more before midnight hits.... if anyone is interested in some like this, email me and i can make you an order... as it looks, i might not be able to get much in the etsy shop before the holidays hit so it might be better to get requests... i  didn't work on art as much as i planned today but it was fun having company and going to check out a particular showing of art...

this is by dawn/dawbis... she does beautiful cut paper/collage art... and her work was actually showing here in town at paper boat boutique... i got to see a few of her polaroid illustrations as well as several more pieces... and you thought i could work small, eh?! it was marvelous seeing her art and characters in person; such fine detail in the hands and hair... the mix of paper and wet mediums.... each character flows with a story and i can always here a poem in the back of my mind, although the words don't ever come out... dawn's work reminds me of poetry- she heard me say that several times- hehe.... but really, couldn't you hear a children's story or some sort being told in a sing-song voice while looking at these cute people by dawn?! i am fascinated with dawn's work and was happy to finally see it in person...

and lastly, this is what happens to a toddler who refuses to nap and throws a fit while everyone ignores him... he falls asleep in between the living room and the dark bedroom... and yep, i left him there til he woke up- after all, what mother really wants to wake up her toddler in the middle of a nap?!

after thanksgiving...

after a couple weeks of putting this illustration to the side, it has finally been completed... i don't even know why i took so long, seeing as to how its quite a simple piece... but it is the first pregnant illustration i ever did! hopefully, the person who is buying this will be pleased with the outcome... today, i also finished 10 notecards for a friend, plus 5 of the 10 christmas ones she ordered as well... and yeah, i really outta make some christmas cards for the etsy shop, eh?! but in the meantime, it's not as if i am being lazy here... there are alot more requests for custom illustrations, which is wonderful!!! there is so much to do and not many days left before santa claus does his rounds...

aside from art, thanksgiving was well over at the hills family household... we stopped by ramel's grandma's, my sister's and her family, and finally my mom's (to drop off a sweet potato pie)... we have enough leftovers to last the weekend despite the fact that i've been trying to eat a ton of it (a weekend one-time only splurge)... perhaps, this is why i have a stomach ache?! anyhow, we all know ramel is black and well, his grandma makes some darn good "ethnic" thanksgiving food... you know, the dressing and potato salad and sweet potato pie?!  oh, and greens minus the meat?! and dare i say, mac and cheese!? (although, it is ramel's mom that makes this)... the food they make, bring back memories... my late aunt used to make the best of this food since she was married to a black guy too... she also made "our" kind of food... puerto rican rice and beans... and that, i haven't had in ages because since she passed, our extended family don't have gatherings anymore... *sigh* i miss her, and not for her food...

but i veered off the point... we were discussing thanksgiving.... we had some wonderful food at my sister's too... honestly, i think i could eat a whole sweet potato pie right now... boy, this kid is gonna love eating from the squash family! and diego did well too- going to the bathroom when necessary, listening, having fun, being respectable... even today, on black friday, he came shopping with us at target for his christmas presents... he only saw one or two but he will forget about them until christmas time... and ramel went to walmart at 5am to get this huge 30" superman for diego... the perfect gift for a kid who only wants to wear his superhero pajamas ALL DAY.... ah, i am looking forward to this christmas....

(now, wasn't this an all over the place post?! we can credit that to being in the attic all day and listening to rest of lost, season one... and maybe all that potato salad and dressing)

happy thanksgiving

hope you all have a wonderful day, eat lots of yummies, and spend quality time with family and cherished friends...

all the way from israel...

   
ilil sent such wonderful stuff! above is a photo of her  talent in making clay people... aren't these just the cutest?! they should look wonderful in my studio, eh?! they have so much detail in them and i am thrilled that ilil sent these lovely creations for me (and diego) to enjoy...

   
she also sent more handmade goodness... the first photo has a vintage illustration, only its a magnet!!! and there is a groovy lady pin and a hand ornament.... beautiful!!! oh, and she does a bit of cut paper too! the little girl with the pink dress is another magnet! oh, and she sent me chocolates from israel too!!! i can't wait to try them!!!(yeah, i actually waited so i could take photos first)... ilil sent diego some chocolate coins too :) he is gonna be happy once he eats some real food (which he hasn't thanks to another molar popping out!)


and lastly, ilil sent some pretty pretty papers... ah, more lovely paper for an addict, eh?! there is even some israelic paper with the writing too... the writing alone is just beautiful! nothing like our letters! i am grateful to have been able to swap with such a sweet person as ilil...  thank you so much for everything :D

and tonight we have company coming over... our friends over at snorting dauggers....

the other studio...

   
as i told you all before, ramel and i switched studios... and i did most of the work on saturday, a bit on sunday... ramel moved the heavy things like the tv and the computer and the table... but i was the one who did the rearranging, cleaning, and organizing... his studio is much smaller than before but it still has a cozy quality to it... a few pictures for the wall and a nice lamp will do the atmosphere well... but he has a ton of art books (4x more than i do) and a ton of art supplies like paints and brushes.... oh, and can you see the shelf of SOME of his xbox games?! he is quite the avid collector

   
he has a simple workspace, room for him to read, sketch, paint, or ink... none of which he has had the chance to do after 13 hours of working and 2 hours of playing with diego.... (hmmm, we didn't even talk of the sleep hours or the me and him hours)... but even so, an artist needs a place for when the creativity hits them and there is a need to let loose.... ramel will work on art soon enough- and i am sure his workspace will give him the oomph to the energy....

oh, those are his cow collection... funny  things, eh!? there is the moomalade... scarecow... ar-cow-tecture and sa-moo-rai... and the bumble bee cow... there are a ton more in the set but he only has 5.... they give ya a chuckle, eh?! ah, you can tell we are from wisconsin!