greenbeanbaby art

after paper comes art...

even though the holidays are nearly gone, i still have much to do before the new year hits... with a couple swaps in need of completing, as well, as stocking up my store with new items, there is quite the to-do list... and somehow, everything seems to be coming along slower than i thought.... while diego refuses to sleep, and the baby wiggles in my tummy, i stay up until nearly 3am working... at least, i am trying to....

there are days when i get caught up on cleaning and organizing my studio... perhaps its a form of procrastination, yet, it's the only way i can really work.... i dislike having scraps of paper or dust on the floor... i really dislike having diego's forgotten toys or comics left in my studio, while he is somewhere else playing with a different toy... he has his own room, i am entitled to mine, right?! i need my workspace to be clean and uncluttered in order to work efficiently... so sometimes that is where the time goes- cleaning, organizing, and going through my papers to find out which ones will work best for upcoming projects.... picking out colors and papers beforehand, makes illustrating move along faster too... like these two....
 
 
here is how they look full size... both are 8x10" and already taken... ah, i barely have time to make illustrations for the shop, but no complaints because most people are ordering custom designs.... with all my new papers that my hubby purchased for me, i have too many ideas floating in my head... at least i never run short of that... or paper... just the time and energy part.... but to be expected, i suppose...

anyhow, this weekend i will finish the swaps and relax a tad more... by next week, i will begin adding new stock to the store and working on a few more illustrations on order....

have a wonderful weekend!

what mami got for christmas

as i stated in the previous post, diego received a red fragglerock plushy from our dear friends eric and karen.... hehe, isn't she too cute!? just hadda show ya!!!! it came with a dvd containing two of the episodes- so far, diego hasn't watched them yet since he is now stuck on toy story and lilo & stitch... but in time, he will learn what fragglerock is all about... he does like to feed the toy pretzels though... i keep having to remove crumbs from the mouth- and i can hear diego going "oh noooo!" because the toy won't swallow the pretzels.... (i guess maybe that is because he isn't eating much so perhaps he is mimicking me?! but i don't shove stuff in his mouth!!!)

next to miss red, is the first season of everybody hates chris... a sorta bio of chris rock... ramel bought this for me for christmas and we both enjoyed every minute of it... there is one episode where the sister refuses to eat sausage- ah, the memories it brought back!!! only in my case, it was any type of meat.... yes, i know diego got his pickiness from his mama... and while i thought it would be a piece of cake to raise a kid who didn't like many types of food, including meat, somehow it still is frustrating... for now, with him chuggin' pediasure, i won't fret much- the kid is growing... but i veered off the point- the first season of this show is hilarious!!!!!

   
remember when i said that ramel gave me an early christmas gift!? it was a stack of papers- drool... well, low and behold, he bought me even MORE paper!!! yes, i hinted that i wanted alot of paper even though i have plenty... still, it's so much fun getting new sheets of paper, ya know?! anyhow, by the time i finished opening all my gifts, ramel had bought me over 400 sheets!!!! that nearly doubles my 12x12" pile!!!! now, when he gave me the first stack, it took me 2 hours to organize my papers just properly... striped with striped, blue with blue, and so forth... and the newest sheets go in a completely separate pile- while any  duplicates go with the rest.... after received the rest of my christmas papers, i spent another hour reorganizing it all to perfection... it makes creating art so much easier if it's done properly... hehe.... plus it gives me a chance to memorize patterns and drool over all the wonderful papers...

 
and ramel has made it almost a tradition to get me holiday socks or some slippers.. this year he bought me toe socks and penguin socks- cute, eh ?! and since i have been complaining that my hair is dry and that i don't have enough smell goods to keep me feeling young and pretty, his christmas presents were just that... there is vanilla body mist, cucumber lotion, assorted rose lotions and shower gels, and even a huge bottle of pantene pro-v shampoo and conditioner! so long, suave!!!!

my man done did me good :) and thank goodness he liked his goodies too!

a very super christmas...

diego's first real christmas came along with much excitement for us all... on christmas eve, diego and i went to my mom's house so we could all decorate ornaments with my sister and niece... (the guys stayed at my sister's house to play video games)... the ornament making was a lil tough with diego and ananda (and all the talking- haha) but we still had a good time... my dad made some yummy puerto rican rice and beans, however, diego settled for pita chips and water... and he liked the elegant cups too!

that night, we let him open up a few of his gifts-the goodies from my sister and her family, the goodies from my mom and dad, and a couple from us... as you see, he received superman pajamas and that night he happily wore them (oh, how soft they are!)... here he is opening up the giant superman ramel and i bought for him.... diego tried to carry it to the attic but it's almost his size, so he didn't make it very far... hehe... this superman is hard plastic but he still wants him in the bed...

like right here.... see how happy diego is?! poor spiderman got bumped outta the scene, but only for a short while... after all, spiderman is softer so eventually diego preferred to hug that one over the hard plastic... hehe... this is diego BEFORE bedtime.... he was wide eyed until 1am... in fact, throughout the weekend, he managed to fight his bedtime until past 6am!!!!! and we put him down at 10pm! wow!

you can see the bedding and the pillowcase much better in this picture... he just loves all his superman goodies!!! my mom and dad got him the bedding and the lil computerized book is from my sister.... eventually we have to switch bedrooms since mine is twice as big as his... with the new baby on the way, they will share a room and we have enough superman paraphernalia to keep this kid (and the next one) happy with all the bright blues and yellows and reds... i figure, if i have a girl, i will put up supergirl or wonder woman stuff so that dc comic theme can suit them both...

he received a few more superman related items from us too... like this bop bag! you punch and kick it and it stands back up... he really likes this one and carries it to every room.... he even tried to carry it up to the attic but only made it half way.... diego also received a superman bath set, justice league action figures (superman, batman, wonder woman, etc), a diego toy car, and a fragglerock toy!! (i gotta show you photos!) diego also received the tmx elmo, clothes, a keyboard, candy, and a superman backpack that is being shipped here soon.... yes, i think he was blessed!

and can you believe that even though i said superman a lot in this post, diego talks about the guy about 50x more !?! ah, he definitely had  a swell christmas!!!! thanks to all the family members and friends who made his christmas even more special...

ps. later i will show you what ramel bought for me :)

merry christmas

merry christmas to all my fellow blogging buddies... thank you for all your support and encouragement... your kind words have fueled my creativity many times and so many of you are such an inspiration.... i hope you and your family will enjoy the holiday season as we all try to rest after the hub bub... i am sorry that i haven't been able to personally email or comment on your blog but thank you all who have made it this way... this past week has caused me to rest more than i should have but it feels good to have the husband home, the family together, and the sleep that i've yearned for... anyhow, i can't wait to see what the new year brings us all!

may you all have a wonderful season!

the holiday weekend...

despite the lack of energy described in the past post- thank you ALL for the kind words- i was able to complete some projects... above are some invitations to an after christmas christmas party i am hosting... yep, a very small one but it will be fun... these are the front of the cards; on the back is where all the info is written... i used the computer to write out the names and such- my handwriting is too small otherwise.... these are to have a delicate, elegant, yet fun look.... hopefully, the goal was achieved...


and this card is on reserve up in my etsy shop, however, i will be making more for the public... if you are interested in one, feel free to email me... the rose petals are 3d-ish as well as the leaves... this card is actually a revamp of one i made in college... it is technically called the "Ray Rose Card" in memory of a friend who passed away in college... he had ordered 2 of these from me because he liked them that much... this is also the card, i gave to his family... so it holds alot of memory and meaning- it deserves to be made again...

and a few orders and swaps went out this weekend- with more to do but i am also trying to spend time with the family... ramel gets a few days off so we are squeezing in as much family and dating moments as we possibly can... ah, but the weekend goes too fast  it seems!

well, i will be sure to post once more before christmas comes... but just in case you don't see it in time, merry christmas to all my fellow sweet blogging friends! 2006 was the best year on here, meeting so many lovely people! thanks so much for the encouragement and support!

stuck in the house...

the past few days, i haven't been in the mood to blog... or flickr... or email.... or clean.... or work on art... pretty much, i haven't been in the mood to do much of anything... diego seems to be extra clingy; wanting to sit on my lap every 5 minutes while watching tv or playing with a toy... he wants to be by me constantly.... and perhaps, thanks to hormones, i feel a little claustrophobic... even the cats want to be near! i want space and yet, i feel a tad alone... i mean, the only adult i see daily is ramel... and of the few hours i see him, only 3 are of him awake... and of those 3 hours, diego is asking most for his attention, even when the kid should be in bed.... i haven't been to the mall in ages- i mean, i haven't been to any other store besides target in forever.... haven't gone downtown to see the lights, or to a nice coffee shop.... you know, i haven't been out of the house in days....

so it gets tiresome and even more tiresome to talk about... it makes me less creative with more of a desire to sleep... and all the while, i think diego is bored of me- bored of being at home... however, he isn't bored of monsters, inc. or the 70's batman movie...

but today was better... we went up to my studio, put monsters, inc. again... bust out the kid table and a chair... he grabbed the crayons and i gave him paper... and voila! we had a happy, coloring kid watching tv while i caught up on my art to-do list... for over an hour, he was content... in fact, we managed to start the movie over again, then head downstairs for a potty break... i decided a nap was in order and he happily fell asleep in less than 15minutes.... i went back upstairs, although, i don't think i worked on much at all... it doesn't feel like enough.... ah, but i suppose there is time... right?!

all the coloring he did will be put to use too... i cut them up and am mounting them onto cardstock... they will become christmas cards for the family, including ramel... won't that be fun?!

sweetness from meghan

meghan and i had a swap  this month and well, she sent me so much pretty things!!!! first off, look at her sock monkey!!!! ohhhh, isn't he too cute for words?! i never owned a sock monkey and so i am thrilled to have such a well handcrafted one by meghan!!!! even ramel thought it was incredible!!!! i love that he has mittens and a scarf and winter hat too...

 
she also sent a bunch of christmas loveliness.... a chalkboard to count down the days 'til christmas... a sweet snowelf ornament... a personalized family ornament... a li'l notepad... wintry soap.... and oh, such pretty gingerbread measuring cups!!!!! meghan also sent candy galore, that i've been chowing on more than i should... (just because i am pregnant, doesn't mean i need to be a pig, eh?! well, for the rest of this week, i will eat good- haha)... she even sent some lindt chocolate and cherry hershey kisses... yummers!!!!

 
meghan had her mom make some wonderful banana nut bread that was eaten by diego and i... sooooo very good!!!!! and as you can see, diego received a couple goodies too... like these cars that he had to play with while i was trying to take photos... he climbed on the table just to get in the mix... in fact, even the cats kept getting in the way... everyone wanted to see what meghan sent- hehe....

and lastly, she sent diego a superman toy.... the quickest way to this kid's heart, eh?! its a superman slingshot doll that has a real long cape... you whip it around and it is supposed to fly... however, i must have did it poorly and it went crashing into my bradley dolls... good thing diego hasn't figured it out... he is quite fascinated with putting back in the package... and taking it out... and putting it in the package again.... silly boy.... but he loves it!!!! he sleeps with it, along with his other action figures (at least this one is soft!!!)

thanks so much meghan for your care and thoughtfulness and sweetness!! the goodies were perfect and lovely and much appreciated!!!!

christmas card sale

save 25% ... these cards are now only $3.75 in my shop...

save over 30% off on these lovelies.... $4.25 for a pack of 6 cards... too cute to pass up!

and save 50% here! this pretty 6 pack is now only $2.50

thought to have a small sale before the holidays for all those who still need to buy those cards for their loved ones...

happy holidays to you, my readers!

5 things about me and art....

so here we have the finished illustration for madeline.... i completed it on saturday morning, while chuggin on a big cup of coffee to keep me up- after all, i only went to bed at 2am after beating the justice league xbox game with ramel... anyhow, i am happy with the turnout especially the handcut letters... those were fun to do, despite the tediousness...

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i forgot to write the intro to this part of the post!!! two days later, i discovered this mistake...  sweet diane tagged me and here are five things about me that you may not know.... maybe you do but i narrowed it down to things about my art and process... enjoy!

1. my studio must be thoroughly cleaned before i can work on art... even when i am in the middle of a project, i will take the time to clean up the mess... this includes sweeping the floor or fixing the closet cubby hole...

2. once a month,  i go through my papers and scraps (separate days, though) and will organize them by color and pattern... each time i vary this process... for instance, with my papers, i have my blues and purples and pinks, etc. each with their plain and patterned sections... but  may take out all the striped papers and put them in a separate pile where they are organized by color... that way, if i want striped socks for my paper person, i can go thru this pile... (when i had a job outside of the home, they loved when i'd  go thru these mad organizing phases)... did that make sense?! let's just say, i get pretty particular... but ramel is that way with his comics so we each have our own thing, eh?!

3. i watch A LOT of television when i work on art.... i have my moods too... like right now, i finished watching nip/tuck... but before then i was watching the office, season two... next on the list is the sopranos and back to twilight zones.... i finished season one and season two of nip/tuck in one week- so that means i watch a lot of tv but i am doing equivalent amounts of art...

4. most days, i try to work on something while diego naps... however, some days i may venture into the arts while he is up...  he follows me to my studio as the 70's batman movie, over and over... and over.... he sits on my lap half the time until he falls asleep... then i plop him onto the lounging chair and work on art frantically until he awakens...  he really loves my studio...

5. i wish i could do more in a day.... i really do...

now, what are five things about you???????

3d and more WIP

i haven't done any 3d paper art in awhile... mainly because it's harder to frame and more delicate than flat pieces... however, while diego was at daycare, i made this piece... it's a revised version of this one... it was always a favorite piece of mine and i am glad to have divvyed it up...


here's the detail of her lashes and the leaves.... so much work can be done when your child is laughing away at daycare...

this is a commissioned piece i am working on for madeline.... it's of her two kiddos, mario and sadie.... the colors are dulled in the photo but well, like i said before, i am not talented with the camera.... i worked on this all day yesterday too along with most of the night... it took me awhile to find the pretty dress for sadie but i hope this one will make madeline happy... still have to glue down and assemble, add text, and ship off.... ah, this mama has been very busy!

and here are mario and sadie's toys... made right before i went to bed, they are quite tiny for sleepy eyes... however, today i will be assembling the entire piece so  we will see how well it all looks....