greenbeanbaby art

7wks and who caught me....

mr. sleep.... i felt like he beat me down too cuz i have been so tired and worn out, it's not even funny... the bulk of my art projects have been completed but there are a few that lay on the table awaiting a bit more attention.... but the past week or so, i worked hard very hard to get most everything done.... for instance, those 200 invitations? well, those are all completed- 200 flowers glued on 200 envelopes... 200 postcards stuffed in 200 paper folders that were closed with 200 teeny bows... and 200 tiny labels to let 200 people know who did the work... the postcards came last week friday and boy, they look amazing!!! i love professional printing with it's glossy finish and no smudges....

i can't wait to make some thank you postcards now... but when will i do that? hehe... i still have a few more projects to show you by friday... i have joyce's illustration, the paperbag swag illustration, and perhaps another sweetpea swap... a teeny one at that, but my mind isn't made up just yet...

over the weekend, we went to the circus... diego is old enough to enjoy it and i am old enough to feel sorry for the elephants, lions, and tigers.... i took a photo of ramel, diego, and elmo... doesn't elmo look like he got hit with a frying pan? diego didn't mind the lopsided head- he was just fascinated with the fact that elmo was in his presence....

with 7wks left, this baby feels like she is ready to bust outta my belly.... i feel awkward and as said before, tired as can be... but an iron pill a day is the doc's remedy for the fatigue... and as for the awkwardness?! well, we just have to wait a few more weeks.... technically, in 3wks the baby will be baked enough to enter the world but 5wks is what the doctors push for.... and that is fine by me.... i am looking forward to see isabella as well as be able to bend over and plug in my hot glue gun without squishing the belly... but a bit of time left on the ticker...

now, to catch up on flickr and emails and hopefully blogs.... lemme grab my coffee first...

some new products & ones shipped...

introducing card kits in the greenbeanbaby etsy shop!!!! make your own cut paper greeting with the kit i've created... each kit comes with assorted papers (where you can choose your own colors), cardstock, an envelope, a bit of ribbon, directions, and a pattern to make this into greeting card... all you need is glue and scissors to complete your very own cut paper card....

each pack will come with enough paper so that you can have a variety of choices for the clothes, background, etc.... as i said before, i can add colors that you request, so each kit is different from the next....  i made it similar to the cut paper tutorial so hopefully, it will be easy and fun enough for you to try...

this card kit is great for beginners... it's simple, without tiny parts to cut out....

and this card kit is intermediate... there are some smaller details such as the socks and arms but it is still simple enough to give it a shot and make with your own style....

and aside from making the card kits, i have been busy making more notebooks for special orders... these 10 mini notebooks were made for a friend who is also do in april (and she has a son that is diego's age too!) i made them to match the bigger notebooks that she ordered....

and to match the yoga notebook that i did for another special order, i made a mini notebook to match.... yep, i have been super busy making sure that all who has ordered something from me, gets it in time... (click on the notebook image- you can see the details better)...

now, i am trying to make a few stickers with some of my past art designs....

8 weeks left...

yep, time keeps flying by so i best get into that "nesting" stage... it's where the mom goes through a cleaning frenzy before the baby arrives.... and although i clean alot already, i have decided to take it easy in the past month... however, yesterday i managed to put up the rest of the baby pictures in isabella's corner... and i cleaned the hallway- from down the stairs to the top- and then i added a sign "take off your shoes before going up the stairs"... i don't want wet snow or salt being tracked up the stairs because it's hard enough to clean without being pregnant... and yes, i was very very careful with the sweeping and mopping...

and while i am in the process of cleaning, we have ramel and diego being silly... here is a picture taken with ramel's phone of diego after a bath... in the baby bassinet... it is full of baby girl clothes that had to be folded and put away but here is diego happily laying on top of them... such a big boy who likes to be pampered still- who can resist such a handsome fellow?!

and of course, an artist who goes through a nesting stage must also clean their studio thuroughly as well as work on all the art they can before the big moment arrives... good thing my studio is always in tip top shape (i can't work in an otherwise environment... even when i was in college and did some art in the student union, i would clean all the tables and throw out the garbage on the floor before i began)... but i do have a few more orders of illustrations left to do and that is where the energy is going at night and when diego naps (unless i accidentally fall asleep)... this illustration is for joyce of her two kiddos...

while i kept busy yesterday with art and cleaning, the mailman brought another surprise!!!! carolyn sent me some wonderful handmade goodies for both diego and isabella... she knit a green hat for diego- it's so cute!!! and she made a bitty veggie  hat for isabella... and to top it off?! here is a quilt she made too! it has brownish stripes on one side with this wonderful fabric on the opposite... it has lil garden boots all over it- hehe sooo cute!!! i am just so happy and honored to get so many lovely things from everyone! thank you carolyn for taking your time and talent to make my family adorable goodness!!!

and lastly, i wanted to show you what a toddler does in his spare time.... he tries to squeeze into a teeny box and will get frustrated at the fact that he is too big.... but with the help of mami, he was able to fit in it for a short moment and smile at his success... kids can make a person smile, eh?!

despite fatigue...

remember those 200 invitations i am working on??? well, the illustration has been sent to the printers but there is still more work to do.... for instance, each postcard goes inside a paper folder design.... this "folder" is just an elegant way of holding the postcard- nothing more than that... so i had to cut 200 pieces of paper and fold them in half....

and then i tied 200 pieces of ribbon over the folders... so when the person gets this invitation, they will open the envelope and find this pretty goody inside... they can untie the ribbon and find the illustrated postcard with the info on the party in the back.... ah, when it's all complete, i will show you a photo... but i do have all the process work done so all that is left to do, is insert the card inside each one.... and yep, i can do that without untieing the ribbon-hehe...

i called this post "despite fatigue" because i have been very tired... plus, i have to rest to avoid any pregnancy complications.... i keep getting stomach aches too and so eating has been not as frequent.... all good causes for me wanting to cuddle in the bed and stay asleep for  hours on end... but work must be completed such as custom ordered cards, notebooks, and illustrations....

i was able to finish a few more items since valentines day; i lose track of how many cards and notebooks i have done since then... all that has to be completed must be done before the first of march.... why? one is because of ramel's birthday and two because some of these are orders that have to get there by that date... so this week, i may email people less and blog less and flickr, just as little... all my time has to go towards getting everything out in a timely manner....


above, is an order made by li li.... the illustration was purchased in the etsy shop but the other items were things done in the past for others that she wanted remade.... so that is why you are seeing double here- haha...


and this notebook is for another order from a friend.... like i said, this is only a portion of what was on the to-do list... i still have over 12 notebooks to do, 2 illustrations, and a couple cards.... i got time... not much, but i have some time....

i am off to do some of these... sorry if my blogging lately has lacked luster....

sweet gifts with valentine love....

we all like mail, right? especially when there are envelopes sandwiched between the mortgage and the too-high gas/electric bill.... well, the other day, this was one of those goodies that took the bill thoughts away... here is a teeny doll given to me by madeline... this cute doll was made by  oh sew pretty.... isn't it just darling?! and guess what her name is???? ELLIA!!! hehe. too too cute!

thx so much madeline, really!


and then sweet meghan sent me a surprise package in the mail.... lovely and beautiful, wouldn't you say? so much handmade goodness- from a valentine friend....i hung up the pink "lost in paradise" in my studio already, while the card adorns my metal kitchen cabinet...

after a few complications with shipping, both my partner and i received our packages from the crafty valentine sweetpea swap... jennifer sent me so much loveliness, i am grateful it didn't get lost!!! she sent a retro better homes and gardens sewing book- it's in a binder-like form and matches a decorating book of mine!! and there was also a retro kid craft book that has tons of info on paper crafts, including scrapbooking and how to collect paper.... wow, i didn't even know scrapbooking was a thing in the 60's! an there was a spiderman game for diego too!

there was also candy in the box, more than the photo shows but i was getting hungry waiting for the batteries to recharge.... jennifer sent a sweet handmade cardholder in the shape of a heart as well as some slippers (that i am wearing now and hopefully will accompany me to the hospital in april)... there was also a sweet white and lavender baby blanket.... ah, precious!


lastly, there was pretty retro stationary and a ton of beautiful ribbon and trim.... what goodness from my swap buddy, eh?! thanks so much jennifer for everything, including your patience throughout the shipping dilemma....


gotta show ya a rare photo of diego awake :) here he is checking out his game, still in the box but now carried all over the house....

a happy valentine's day

so what will you do today????

me? while the boys are at work- yep, diego went to daycare today- i will be working on more art projects... so much to finish, so much to do.... i am in the process of making 200 invitations for a graduation party (did i mention that before?) so these babies are going off to a printer today... i went through this company several times and am pleased with their work, however, minimum order is 250.... so today, i will be doing some assembly work while i wait for these postcards to be shipped her, probably next week...

 
last night, rather this morning, i stayed up until 4:30am working... i watched the dvd that i gave ramel for valentine's day, hellboy: the sword of storms.... and a tidbit of x-files (ramel bought me season 7 for valentines day but he gave it to me last week so i started from season 1 again since i finished 7....) i finished this 5x8" notebook for a custom order... originally, it was going to be a yoga theme but the legs were too long for the width of the notebook... so i decided to just make it a workout theme....

and this is the piece i finished  yesterday too... after so long of working on it, i am pleased to say its completed and ready to be shipped off.... if you click on the image, you can see more details like the nail polish brush and the teddy bear.... i still need to expand my background themes but for now, my composition and style is progressing... thankfully :)

and lastly, i made two more notebooks for an order... this is a mini notebook that took me longer to make than the exercise one... why? i was so stumped on color- go figure.... ever have that happen to you? i also made a bigger notebook of this lady....  i am selling the pair of notebooks (medium size and small) for $12.00 so if you are interested in a custom order, its best to email me.... right now, i won't have much time to stock up the etsy shop, but am still taking orders...

okay, time to make a cup of coffee and head to the studio.... happy valentine's day!!!!

9 weeks left...

welll, i am 31wks pregnant, meaning i have 9 weeks left, if that.... time is so flying and while my belly looks small in this photo, its much bigger in real life... hehe... i swear! isabella is forever moving and groovin' in my belly and she seems quite content... did you ever hear of how babies "kick the mom in the ribs?" that is NOT  a lie! i felt it a few times and it's a weird feeling... and now, the baby moves around soooooo much, that sometimes it literally hurts... i got kicked on the side earlier today and well, it's not as bad as a contraction but my goodness, a real live karate kick to the side ain't no joke!!!! but soon isabella will be out and we will see how active she is then.... for now, i still have to chew a ton of tums for all the heartburn... check out this illustration i did....

and once isabella gets here, i can make a baby book for her.... sweet jessica sent me this lovely handmade paper book along with one of leslie's postcards.... i am so thankful for such wonderful bloggers who share their love.... her package made my weekend all the more exciting and it's getting me revved to do a book for both isabella and diego... (currently, diego's items are in one big memory box.... i am bad, eh?)

so now, i will show weekly photos of the growing belly... and next week i will show you  the baby's room (if i remember to, that is)....

it's all about paper

first off, i have to say that my etsy shop sale was quite the success! i sold plenty of items and still have some left in the shop... most everything has been shipped off already and now, i am working on more paper packs along with some other tidbits of goodies.... by mid-march i will have more to show for, so please bare with me....

i decided to join dawn's paper quilt project and was able to work on it over the weekend... she sends each participant a small stash of paper and we can only use that paper to make a piece of artwork... it's supposed to be a day in our life and it will become a section of a real paper quilt.... you can see what others are doing here... it's such a wonderful idea.... well, here is the photo of the papers i received...


and here is a day in my life.... eating tums as if they are candy... yes, tums seem to do the trick (after about 8 a day)... originally, i was going to do an image of my belly with a baby inside but julie made such a beautiful version for the same project that i didn't want to look like a copycat... plus, hers is just too beautiful to compete :) so, as usual, i went the more comedic route and chose another aspect of pregnancy and motherhood.... tums- they give ya quite the relief after that cup of coffee that suddenly turned into bitter acid rising in your throat.... heh, so whatcha think??


and while i have had still more projects in the works, here is another piece not finished... just an overall color swatch.... the lil girl is missing an arm and her chair... and there is still more details to add but i hope it turns out well for vicki...


and lastly, here is the start of a project due very soon... it's for a lady named gina who is graduating from medical school... i am making her 200 invitations for her party.... i will be getting the illustration professionally printed but there will be still alot of handmade work involved... and this is due before the end of march, before the baby... there still has to be type, a martini glass in one hand, and a ground to add in the illustration but for the most part, the "gina paperdoll" is complete...

told ya, i had a lot to do :)

oNe DaY SaLe....

all day today- friday, february 9th, 2007, there will be a sale in my shop... every item has been marked down by up to 50% off... this is a one day deal only, so get these items on sale while you can... because, come saturday, prices go back to normal.... there are a few new items in the store too so be sure to check it all out.... oh yes,  there are still some valentine goodies available too, perfect for next week!!!!

so enjoy browsing, shopping, and your friday! thanks so much for coming by :)

a birthday ode to my mom...

not to brag, but i have the best mom ever... haha... and today she turns 47- a young mom, and a young grandma who has 10x more toys than diego and i put together.... she has more collections than i can count and thus it makes it easy for anyone to give her something... my mom is an appreciative person, with a big heart but never allowing people to take advantage of her kindness.... she is quite the strong willed person and she likes being herself.... that means, she doesn't follow tradition for the sake of tradition.... for being puerto rican, we didn't eat that much rice and beans as a kid.... (now, my grandma?! she made the dish everyday).... however, we did eat alot of chicken and even though she is a great cook, i was never fond of chicken legs... haha.... i heard she can cook some mean fried chicken too but i personally like her fries and endless stash of candy and coffee....

my mom is very organized and clean.... there is a debate that i am more particular with cleaning than she is... but i swear, she gets the award... from her linen closets to how she organizes her cupboards- she wins... haha... over the years, her views have changed a tad.... for instance, we had a brand new couch and no one was allowed to sit on it, especially after coming home from school (because we "smelled like school") eventually, we got to eat on it, which was a big ordeal!! and then she had a coffee table that if you touched it and left fingerprints on it, she would rub it clean... one holiday she set it up so we could eat on that too!!!! i know this sounds different but really, it was something that wasn't that odd for me to have such a clean mom... i'd rather have that than worry if a roach is crawling up my leg.... and considering my bug phobia, i am SO GLAD she was/is this way... now, if only i could clean that swell in my basement- haha...

she is a fun person too! with her endless collections of dolls, mcdonald's toys, crafty items, and retro appliances, her house even looks fun... yep, her house is sooooo full and yet she is still sooooo clean.... and she has two cats and two dogs now! haha, lemme get off the cleaning topic.... anyhow, its hard to explain what exactly  makes her fun... but she has a way with words.... when i go through stuff, especially marriage issues, the mood can go from anger to cracking jokes thus lightening the mood.... oh, and she never dogs ramel even if we are having such topics- she isn't two faced in the least!!!!! she has plenty of wisdom concerning marriage- after all, she has been with my dad for 29 years!!!!! so talking to her helps- she understands... oh, and she loves watching movies, especially old ones... however, over the years, it gets hard to watch a movie when i visit her since we often pause it a billion times and talk in between it all... haha...

yep, i got the perfect mom.... a wonderful role model in motherhood and marriage and friendship and ethics... she has wonderful advice that can range from life to cleaning to thrifting to collecting to parenting.... such an array, but isn't life full of different issues anyhow? i love my moms and am happy she is around for my family and i.... :)

happy birthday mom!