greenbeanbaby art

a mother's life for me

 
actually, i never thought i'd say that so soon after college... hmmm, so soon?! can you believe it's been 5 years since i graduated college? and 4yrs since i married ramel?!  oh, but it was nearly 3yrs ago we had diego, 2yrs ago we got a house, and this year that we had isabella... we took a break in 2006, you see... unless we include the year i began my etsy shop... life has been quite full since my college years... and yet, it seems like only a short time ago...

most people graduate college and begin their career in which they received a degree in... because ramel and i both were illustration majors, we knew starting a career would be a tad more difficult... after all, freelancing is not a piece of cake when you are a newbie in the business... and it requires a bit of funds too- which you don't have right away if you are trying to freelance full time... in fact, it's common since to have a regular full time job and then freelance part time... however, ramel and i decided to go the family route first... we both took jobs unrelating to our degree, working at the same place but during different seasons... we both freelanced here and there... but it was family life that became our main goal...  sometimes i feel like we were the only ones who graduated and chose this route.... out of all our colleagues, we are the only ones with kids (i think)... a few married but most of them took on art relating jobs...

 
do i have regrets?! with two cute kids in my life and a handsome husband, should i? ah, i am utterly pleased with how life has turned out... i only have a few wishes at the current moment and one is concerning a piece of siding that our house needs and ridding the squirrels who find our home just as lovable... after college, even when i knew ramel and i were going to be married, i did not imagine life like now... a nearly three yr old who loves his comic book heroes and loves to wrestle... i didn't think i'd be folding darling li'l newborn girl dresses... geez, i didn't think people from all over would send me wonderful goodies in the mail!!! just the other day, storme sent a fun package of candy, marvel toys, and baby girl clothes for the family!!! (oh, and she sent me a martha stewart glue pen!!!)

micol and her daughter sent something here too! isabella has her very first pair of sunglasses... and diego received some spongebob stickers! my kids are even loved from all around the world! yes, life couldn't be better right now (well, having that siding fixed would be nice... right, ramel?! hehe)... seriously, every time i look at my kids asleep or happy, it makes me feel special... and having a 3 day weekend with plenty of time to spend with family, as well as some alone-n-craftin' time makes me think all the more of how blessed i am :)

*note: the title was influenced by a particular movie and a song... do you know which one?!

a moment's worth of observations

there are times when sleep is needed but the brain just won't shut down... perhaps, it is the lack of sleep that causes one to observe and think of the oddities in the environment.... so, here are a few of my observations...

1. in the 70's show batman, everything is labeled in big black letters... and i mean, everything!!!

2. counting to fall asleep will remind you of the bills you have yet to pay (especially once you go past the number 50... never mind what bills pop up when you get past the hundreds!!!)

3. everybody hates chris is one funny show!!! even though i watched season one before, it is a hoot... i don't care for shows that deal with school much (other than freaks n geeks) but this one is perfect for when a mumma has had a rough day...

4. my husband can fall asleep within a minute of him closing his eyes... in fact, he can fall asleep while playing a video game! i, on the other hand, need a good 20 minutes to make it to sleepyland... some nights, isabella will wake up two minutes after i fell asleep... so my theory is this: it's only fair ramel gets that shift, right? he had 20minutes of sleep already! plus it will take him a minute to go back to sleep and me, another 20... whoever can fall asleep the fastest and longest should take the shift of comforting a baby who has been fed by the mother, right?!

5. although i weigh as much as i did when i first hooked up with ramel, my pants aren't fitting me that well on the hips... hmmmm, so is that why they made elastagirl (mrs. incredible) with such wide hips?!

6. do you know the answer to the riddle; "what weighs six ounces and sits in a tree and is very dangerous?" well, batman's partner, robin knows...

7.  diego has went thru a big communication spurt... he isn't allowed to have soda (the kid is hyper enough without it) so if i am drinking soda, he will start yelling at himself, "no diego! no, you can't have soda! you drink water! no diego, no soda!" he saves me the job, eh?!

8. there are times when i look through my tons of paper and cannot find a single sheet that is perfect for the illustration i am working on... is that possible?!

9. when i was in grade school, i used to wear retro ponchos... since i was the only puerto rican in my class, i already stuck out like a sore thumb... needless to say, when i wore those ponchos, i was called clint eastwood for awhile...

10. chasing a toddler can be refreshing... only make sure you ask them if they have to pee before you jump out at them and scare them!!!

side notes: you can see the full sized version of the illustration above, right here...

beautiful goodies for isabella...

getting the mail these days, is always a treat... often, there is a package for my dear isabella... and such beautiful goodies inside!! for instance, mimi kirchner sent this beautiful doll... doesn't she look like my girl a bit?! i saw it on mimi's blog before and thought it was the cutest doll around and to my surprise, she sent it to me!!! it has such personality!!! and isabella liked it too, although her face is quite serious in the photo...

mimi also sent me some of her new card designs... again, this lil illustration looks like my girl, don'tcha think?! i don't want to use them at all so i think i may save them for isabella when she gets older... ah, who knows though... you can buy mimi's wonderful goods here...

 
sorry if my writing skills are a tad droll in this post... i've been trying to write it for two days and my creativity in the writing area seems to be amiss... anyhow, my friend from college sent me a surprise package for isabella... a beautiful dress!!! i'm tellin' ya, this girl is gonna be the best dressed every single day!! she has more clothes than i do!! (that fit, at least haha)... oh , and amandajean of crazy mom quilts made some of her famous bibs for isabella too! they are too pretty to use but maybe i will use them when 'bella is eating cheerios (or something not so messy) haha... yes, even though bibs are to protect clothes from getting stains, i don't like getting stains on bibs either... okay, so i have a couple issues, eh?!

 
brina sent me some goodies for both the kiddos too! she sent candy filled bottles (i assumed the candy was for me and the bottles for the baby).... that day, i was fiending for chocolate and her package saved the day! she also sent some spiderman cars for diego, who loved them!!! and he likes his pez machine too! the onesies for 'bella were made by brina!!! like i said, my girl is gonna be the belle of  the ball... the other day, i received yet another package... rosy of rosy's page sent a gorgeous onesie for my girl!!! i can't believe all the love that has been sent this way!!!!

 

emily and irene made 'bella a couple beautiful hats... both are just darling and will fit bella in due time... i am so blessed to get such special and handmade goodies from people around the world... i cant wait until isabella gets older so i can tell her of all the wonderful things people did for her! and much of it will saved for her too so she can hopefully cherish it and pass it onto her kids... (yeah, thinking a bit ahead, eh?!)

 
heather of orange blossom goddess sent isabella some pooh goodness... a darling lil rattle witha  matching onesie... heather also sent diego some books too!!! diego is finally letting me read to him; before he would take the book and run off with it... or he'd try to outread me by yelling his version of the story over my voice... aren't kids a trip?!  kristen also sent me a few books for diego such as "the gas we pass"... it's a very boyish book that breaks down who farts and how many ounces of gas a person can pass... it even describes why farts stink... kinda gross but no different from the "everyone poops" book by the same author (which i also own)...

but look here! dawn made this beautiful quilt for isabella... it's even prettier in person but we all know my photography skills are lacking... anyhow, this is her second handmade quilt made specifically for her! i never  had a handmade quilt that wasn't purchased from a thrift or rummage sale... dawn did such an elegant job creating the perfect blanket for my girl...

last but not least, check out these  retro baby shoes that my mom found for isabella! they are a size zero and they even came in the original box... yet another keepsake to save for isabella when she gets older... of course, she'll wear them but right now, her feet are too tiny for most of the shoes (although, does that stop me from putting them on her?!)

thanks to everyone who has given such wonderful goodies to my family and i! you are all so sweet!

may 15th!!!!

yes, finally, the shop will be re-opened with all new goodies by the 15th (and yes, starting from midnight central time)!!! i've been showing you previews of everything so you can be prepared and hopefully find something you will like... no pressure, of course! still, there is alot of wonderful designs that should suit the crafty world... also, if there is something sold, and you just have to have it, email me! i might be able to make you another one :)

so along with the new fishies in the shop, i also have chickies... they are very happy birds who need a new home... there are four different color packs and they vary in patterns... i've been making these babies during the moments that isabella naps and diego sleeps... yes, i have good reasons to be up in the studio, eh?!

but guess what?? i have elephants made in a similar manner! these are great notecards to suit any occasion... a couple of the elephants are made with paper that says, "happy birthday"... i'd like to make a few more animal shaped cards too but in time, right?! ah, this post is a tad bland thanks to doing a few things at once....

now, to get off the topic and talk of kiddos... bella has been up so much today... more than normal... and she wants to be held all the time... who can resist holding a newborn? and if the arms get too tired and the baby is put down, who can listen to the wild wails of a baby? i mean, she turns purple and cries as if i abandoned her for good... then i feel horrible and then diego starts crying too and it becomes quite a moment... i'm not complaining, but i did forget that babies cry and it takes a bit to figure out what they want...

back to shop issues- now there are embellishment packs in the shop too!!! i will be making more very soon with all the new buttons my mom gave me... but in the meantime, these flowers will do... there is tape on the back so you can use them in all sorts of projects... i didn't get a chance to add any paper packs yet, but i will be doing so by next week...

lastly, i made two more cat notebooks for people... i have  a total of 3 li'l ones and one big one in the shop... i hope you find it fun to browse even! thank you so much everyone for your support and kind words!!! i am sorry for the choppy post... in less than 2hrs i will be adding all the new items to the shop so i have one busy night ahead of me... if isabella keeps staying up, it might be one adventurous night as well...

a very happy mothers day! (and yet another addition)

happy mother's day to all of you who are moms!!! while the work is hard, the rewards are cherishing, eh?! can you imagine life without the kids around to make you laugh and cry?! i received my very first mother's day gift from diego, handmade!  a lil potted flower with his hands traced onto paper for the tags... beautiful, eh?! and a sweet illustration of his artwork framed! according to the daycare instructor, diego didn't really want to sit down and color... hehe, that sounds just like him too... such a sweet and wonderful gift!!! i really feel like a mom this year!!!


and my husband and diego took sweet photos for me too! see the m&m's in ramel's hands? that was purchased for diego just so he could sit down for the photo shoot... diego enjoys running around, that is for sure! never a kid who likes confinement! but it was so cute to get his  handmade gift and these photos...


this year, ramel went all out for me for mother's day! in fact, i recieved most of my goodies the day i came home with isabella from the hospital... after seeing me in labor, he wanted to celebrate mom's day right away :) so he bought me a brand new cell phone to replace my broken one that was held together with newspaper... and x-files season 9!!! that means, i have EVERY SINGLE SEASON OF X-FILES NOW!! he bought me one of the cards from target that i was drooling over too (yes, i love the stationery section of target)

but that wasn't all! he also bought me a 20" flat tube digital tv and a dvd player to go with!!! ah, just perfect for watching my x-files! however, he finds it also perfect for playing his ps2 on it as well... my studio is decked out to the max, and you wonder how i managed to create all this art lately?! oh, who wouldn't want to be up there!!


ah, but another sweet surprise! see that shelf next to my table? there are nine drawers and they are all for my 12x12" papers! now i can organize them by color! while that may not fascinate you much, organization is key to my creative process... and having my square papers in these drawers makes it simple and easy to grab... clutter free! (now, just think: i still have several other shelves of paper of other sizes, along with a suitcase full of more 12x12" papers and still BIGGER sheets of paper in giant folders) how fun my studio has become!


lastly, this is a story you must read!!!! at about 11:30pm (while i began this post!!!) the doorbell rang and i looked outside and saw two people running away... i yelled out the window to stop playing because i figured it was drunk teenagers messing around... ramel went outside to check it out and came upstairs with THIS BIG TOY!!!! i jumped so high!! (x-files has me a bit unnerved) this is shadow the hedgehog and he has to be about 5ft tall!!!! there  was a letter saying that they heard a boy named diego lived here and this is an abandoned toy that needs a home... well, after a bit of investigating, ramel guessed it was our buddies, dan and rebecca... hahaha, so sweet of them and fun too! the cats are a bit frazzled and diego was scared of it at first, but now, sonic has become the new addition to the family...

have a wonderful mother's day!!

life with kids...

 
how do you console a baby that cries on and off for over hour straight? and at that, right when you are about to take a nap? well, you skip the nap entirely, chug a huge cup of coffee, and try everything in the book to keep her calm... after the diaper change and the feeding, the change of clothes and the burping, she may still cry... so then you bounce her around until your legs and arms get too weak... a solid hour passes and she is finally asleep but the caffeine has now kicked in so you attempt to work on art... and the result? new designs for the shop!!!!


so far, this is the routine.... everyone's timing is a bit off right now in the house... as i am feeding 'bella, diego has to use the potty chair (and he is still too short to stand alone so i hold him over the toilet... i am pretty sure he finds the ordeal uncomfortable)...or as i am about to lay down with diego, 'bella begins to cry... as i start to cook, both kids are crying... diego is upset that he can't eat cookies (i don't even have any around!) and bella is itching to be held... eventually, everyone is happy at some point, and we are all adjusting gradually...


diego is a wonderful helper and big brother.. he likes "holding" her (see 2nd last photo) and often isabella will stop crying and stare at him... he is very good at letting me know that she is crying too! i can't let the girl cry for a minute without diego telling me over and over.... maybe he doesn't think i can hear her loud wails! nonetheless, diego is a charming big brother who will even sometimes wake her up purposely (but for reasons unknown to me)... one day, 'bella will get him back

 
but onto artwork issues... my mom is wonderful at thrifting and often finds good retro wrapping paper... she will give me a few sheets and this is how i will use them- notecards and tags!!! a few people have given me retro wrapping paper as well and i use it in the same manner (like the baby ones below)... although it's not cut paper illustration, it is nice to have a variety of goodies in my shop...

 
so while i have been making stationery sets for the shop, i've been conjuring up ideas for new designs for journals and greeting cards... as stated before, there are so many ideas in my head but not enough time to execute them all... but there isn't a major need to rush, right?!
 
ramel has been buying me papers and goodies for my studio (you should see what he got me for mother's day!!! i will post later on it all)... some papers are just too pretty to use solely as a background or a piece of clothing... so i'll make items with using the paper as the main design aspect... like these two sets above... i absolutely love that green paper (of course)... and i really love making simple items that are affordable for everyone... tsk, tsk, this is rambling though...
 
i rarely get a photo of diego because he is so fast... like flash gordon... often, pictures of him are of a blurred image or perhaps an empty couch... bella is usually easier to photograph since she is in her "jabba the hutt" stage (you know, star wars)... but i was able to take a good image of diego happily holding isabella... and the LAST PHOTO WAS TAKEN BY DIEGO HIMSELF... just  had to show off his  handiwork :)

* all these items will be available on the 15th...

notebooks galore...

 
yes, greenbeanbaby has been very busy, especially on the weekends... while ramel takes both the kids, i try to muster up all the energy and creativity to work on more goodies for the shop... on occasion, isabella is in the studio sleeping in her swing until she decides it's more comfy to be held... diego loves his daddy time (hmmm, he doesn't seem to want mommy time though)... i've been able to bust out plenty of notebooks (with more to come) as well as notecards that i've yet to show you, here in blogland.... these are my giant notebooks and they are 8x8"

 
oh, we have more miniature notebooks though! these are 3x5" and will be selling for $5.00 each... i've worked on pricing my items a bit higher... not too high, but just enough to keep this lady in business... after all, i do put time and effort into these babies and they are made with love and care... (with a bit of baby cries and toddler whines in between)

 
i also have a couple large sized journals that measure out 5x7"... you may have seen these designs before... the first one is my famous pregnant mama journal... and the second one is a yoga lady... well, she is TRYING to do yoga to burn off all that excess baby fat leftover over from the pregnancy... hah, could this be my story as well?! hehe...

 
this is a new size notebook available soon! these are 4x6" and so far, my favorite (including the sewing one below)... diego inspired the superboy one and he really wants the notebook too! but he has enough notebooks and comics and dvd inserts for his collection... and you thought i was a collector?! this kid will even save his boxes from his toys because he likes the graphics... maybe we have a package designer/artist on our hands....


so while i have been making all of these, i have also been trying to maintain a clean house and enjoy the weather over here... a few walks with the kids, a few lattes for the headache, and a few moments of leisure with the hardworking husband... now that summer is nearly here, i hope to enjoy the parks with the family and a few outings too... we need it to keep sane, don't you think? besides, staying at home only reminds you of one more thing that could be cleaned or organized... and i don't need that, eh!?

 
ah, we no longer can sleep this way as adults (like isabella in the second picture) without having some major ache later on... she scrunched herself in such a way that her foot and her hand aren't even in the sleeves right.... everytime i'd adjust her, she'd get back into this position.... my sweet li'l girl slept a long time while i was able to work on writing all those belated thank you cards... in the first photo, she is dressed up a  little doll with a very frilly dress and a handmade bonnet.... my darling girl sleeps sweetly during the day and will have wide eyes at night... yep, just like her mama...

*side note: here is a cute photo of diego...

we have more goodies (and a winner too!)

 
as you can see, here are some more goodies for the etsy shop... all of these are mini notebooks (3x5") and of course, made with paper and a few embellishments... some of these were done BEFORE isabella was born... it was that week i felt big and full and awkward and uncomfortable and curious... it was no wonder; the girl was 21" long and trying to stretch in my li'l belly!!! at least i don't feel full and awkward or curious, just uncomfortable with the fact that i am too big for my pre-pregnancy clothes but too small for maternity...

 
but lemme not digress from the real topics at hand... all these mini notebooks will be available beginning may 15th (are you sick of me saying that, yet?) now, do you want to know the winner of the guessing game? lemme tell you, it wasn't easy to figure out... absolutely no one got the date right (hah, even i didn't anticipate going past the duedate) but a few people came pretty close... i did the best i could to figure out who was closest in 2 out of the 3 categories... and we have a tie!!!!! drum roll, please.... and the winners are---------

robyn of that silly girl and erin of crafty cupboard.... congradulations!!!! you both win a handmade 5x7" notebook (design of your choice) with a couple goodies on the side... a big thanks to everyone who participated :) we had over 25 people join in on the fun....

 
and i can't end a post without sharing photos of my sweet kiddos... you can see more here.... oh yes, speaking of kids and art, i still have the thank you cards/announcements to complete and send the printer... they will be sent out before mid june though :) (not that late, right? haha)
 

new products soon

since my "make your own cut paper greeting cards" were such a hit, i decided to make some new designs... keep in mind, they won't be available until may 15th in the shop... this image is of "baby, oh, baby"card kit.


each kit comes with assorted paper (not necessarily what is in the first photo), cardstock, an envelope, directions, and a pattern to make this into greeting card. (this kit is called "a bird for nina")


this particular kit will come with pre-punched flowers so you don't have to worry about cutting them out by hand (i don't even do that!!!) plus this kit will come with corrugated silver paper for the bottom of the cupcake... sweet!

lastly, i must add that each kit has a level... there is beginners, intermediate, and advanced... this will let you know the level of difficulty so you won't buy something that will perhaps frustrate you... i hope these kits are fun enough for people to do and if these sell well, i will make new designs by summer :)

and a photo for the road:
 
same outfit... same bassinet.... two different babies... diego is on the left and he is about 2mos there.... isabella is on the right, and less than 2wks... see the similarities?! my cute babies...

back for good... and some news...

okay, so i know i havent been around much... understandable, right?!  i feel horrible for not emailing or  flickring or blogging as frequently as i should, however, i am back... and for good... slowly, i am getting organized so as to be able to juggle all the past duties, plus the new and present ones... it's all about setting a flexible schedule while leaving room for rest and relaxation... is that all possible?! (we shall see, eh?!) with isabella's nightly schedule,  i think i will at least be able to do all my computer stuff during that time... squeezing in art while the entire family sleeps and on weekends, i will be able to complete the custom orders and make items for my shop... but i won't bore you with tedious details...

now, for a bit of news...

1. i will announce the winner of the baby guessing contest  this week... stay tuned to see who was the closest

2. the sweetpea swap? look for more info on that by the end of may/ early june... (don't wanna overload myself, ya know)

3. on may 15th, i am having a grand re-opening of greenbeanbaby's etsy shop....

4. and to get ready for this re-opening, i will be showing my new products on my blog EARLY... meaning, from this week until mid-may, you will get to see what WILL be available  in the shop! you DON'T wanna miss them since i have a ton of new designs.... however, keep in mind, none of them will be in the shop until may 15th, and there is NO reserving anything! (in all fairness)

5. if you want to see more photos of isabella, go to my flickr page :)

and to show you how fun my son can be, here is a classic photo:

the super batman/ninja turtle boy!!!

so, by wednesday (before the new episode of  lost) there will be a new post and more pictures on flickr... meaning, i am back- and back for good.... (oh wait, i said that already, huh?!)