greenbeanbaby art

moving studio today

actually, it's been a process for weeks now... it's amazing when you realize how much stuff you collect, eh?! so many things for inspiration, creation, to give away, to collect for collecting sake, and to drool over... it was overwhelming in the beginning as the new studio will be smaller..... i need to prioritze which goodies go in the forefront and which will be in the closet...

here's what's left of my studio... my giant tower of 12x12 papers, a bin full of organized scraps [organized by color, pattern, etc], a suitcase full of 12x12 paper STACKS, my desk, and a few embellishments....

the computer will be moved today... along with all my papers and the rest of my studio.... all that will be left is what cannot fit into the car [dresser and a couple pieces of furniture] the television and xbox 360 will stay until the moving date too...

i thought artwork could be worked on during the moving process, but it's near impossible... i'm worn out by the end of the night... it's like a full time job- family, cleaning two places, packing, unpacking, etc .... i'm grateful that my mom and pops and ramel are helping!! for fun, i bought a few stacks of paper so that when i start working on art again, there will be new papers for inspiration

and new embellishments... my latest fetish... flowery goodness... last week, there were 2 days that were bitterly cold and dangerous to go outside... that meant, no school for diego, no work for ramel, no shopping for anybody.... what's a person to do but go on ebay and etsy?! hehe...

so in a half hour, i will be packing up what's left of my studio... when ramel gets home, he will move it, then i will head over there to unpack!!! fun stuff!

what have you been up to lately?

a weekend gone swell...

what could make a bitterly cold weekend a SWELL weekend?! tons of mail goodness, that's what!!! [oh, and a bit of gears of war 2... but we shan't rant on my latest addiction right now]... the weekend began with a wonderful swap package from kimberly... scrumptious and beautiful sheets of paper had me droolin' like a fool...

and what about these BEAUTIFUL earrings she MADE?! four perfectly handmade earrings that isabella will NOT steal ;)... every single pair is a different style and each one suitable for any occasion [we'll ignore the fact that 90% of my occasions are trips to target]... miss kimberly is the sweetest, thank you!!!

my dear friend and gamin' buddy, alison sent along a few yummy goodies... roasted peas that are purely addicting... ramel has eaten mostly one bag on his own [she sent 3!!] and diego has even eaten a few... that is the closest he gets to any veggies so we must thank ali for contributing to his good health... it's a snack not to feel guilty over, eh?!

so not only is she a darn good halo partner and yes, a gears buddy too, she is a wonderful cookie cook!! these are mostly organic chocolate chip oatmeal coconut cookies... they were DELICIOUS!!! they didn't even last for 4hrs before the greenbean family devoured them... thank you so much ali!!

another dear friend, andrea [who sent along a package blogged about] sent isabella her very own magnetic drawing board... isabella kept taking diego's diego book so andrea gave isabella her own... wasn't that just sweet?! of course, the girl took a liking to it... and I GOT MORE PAPER.... can we squeal with delight?! more paper to drool at and no complaining that i ran out of red and brown paper for hair- hehe

on top of that, andrea won diego over with the coolest marvel shirt... diego's smile should say it all... the minute i opened it up, he was like "aw wow! that's so cool!! can i wear it now?!" and then he told me about every character minus daredevil... he loves his new shirt!!!  thank you so much sweet andrea for thinking of my family...

and yes, you see MORE goodness!!! sweet amy sent a care package to diego and isabella filled with candy and gummies and creative treats!!! isabella has a handmade felted hair clip which she'll be sportin' this week... and while the book is for her, gossie is a DARLING read for even me... [hey a mom likes having good reads too especially if kids want the same story read to them over and over]

amy and her family also sent diego a ton of creative books and crayons to keep him entertained and his creative juices flowing.... i had to keep isabella abay [that girl goes after ANY of diego's stuff... not like she is lackin' in toys and such]

but what diego loved the  most, was the toys!!!! can you tell?! we get these sort of sets at target often [in various characters]... he has all the iron mans, a couple star wars, a couple other people and now HULK and silver surfer.... these toys are called his "too smalls" and there are some that are just a wee bigger than the rest... like hulk is bigger than the surfer dude... but he is as big as one of the iron mans... so diego makes sure that those two characters play and fight together... he's organized in his toy strategy, eh?! thank you so much amy for such wonderfulness!!

and just today, in the middle of me blogging our friends came to visit [and lend us battlestar gallactica season 2].... karen handed me a HUGE pile of BEAUTIFUL wall paper 8x8" squares... oh, so many to drool at and use!!! so many silvers and whites and browns and golds- all perfect for some greenbeanbaby illustratin'... miss karen is a sweetie!!

now that was a long post... the greenbean family had a swell weekend for sure... we are all so grateful... and just to end the post, here is a photo of isabella in her new outfit ;)

tuesday and wednesday's post

tuesday's post [the one forgotten about until it was midnight]
i bought more paper... is that a surprise?! this pack was purchased at target last week... it looks like we spend a ton of money, eh?! don't worry, we are saving as there is a new move on the way... but it's been so long since i've felt free enough to spend cash without worrying about this bill [and that bill]... the last time i splurged, diego was brewin' in the belly... and my main craving was turtle sundaes made with frozen custard, einstein bagels, and oodles of crafty supplies... i had a job then too...

but then there were complications with the pregnancy so i quit the job... and diego was born... and we bought a house... and then isabella was born... four years, i saved... four years, i penny pinched.... four years i drank the cheapest coffee... and now, we made  a few decisions and i'm not worried... and i deserve a treat... so lookout coffee and paper, ellia has the debit card ;) although, this pack was picked out and purchased by ramel... he's good, eh?!

wednesday's post [written twice over after my browser crashed]
since more paper is in the studio, there was a need for more storage space... of course, diego and i went to our store and found some more shelves... now, they stack up to about 4 feet tall... and each shelf holds a specific color/theme... greens, reds, pinks, purples/blacks, oranges/peaches, yellows, browns, blues, turquoise, spring and spring holiday themed, thanksgiving/autumn themed, christmas themed, school themed, striped, and polka dotted... my k&co papers sit neatly on the floor beside my desk... the studio doesn't look tremendously tidy but its as organized as a person can get with a ton of stuff.. i mean, its clean and orderly... i could use more shelves everywhere though...

isabella likes it... if you see in the background, flight of the conchords is on... check out this funny song... you have to listen to all the lyrics but this show is such a hoot... hehehe...

have a swell wednesday!!!!

sunday's post...

it's been awhile- or so it seems...  last week was jampacked with greenbeanbaby family goodness and now there's a good week's worth to post about... so everyday this week, you'll have your fill of paper, ramblings, and greenbeanbaby happiness... and what better way to begin, than by showing you the wonderful goodies sent by sweet sweet andrea....

wait! maybe i should give you an intro of how i met andrea... it began with ramel, actually... he started going on halobabies.net since it's halo AND art related... he met a talented artist named kalel [NOT his real name ;)]... the two began an internet connection and one day, kalel's wife named andrea emailed me and began commenting on my blog... her and kalel are a wonderful couple, and i wish this post could express it better...in between all this, ramel is getting his site hooked up by mr. kalel himself... they even did an interiew together.... and me and andrea continue to chat, email, and maintain a wonderful long distance friendship ;)

so, last week, we received a wonderful and beautiful package from andrea... she had gifts for both kids!! of course, the drawing book and tablet was for diego... he LOVES it but dislikes hearing isabella crying... and she cries if she can't draw on this... so diego shares his wonderful gift with isabella and to admit, it's cute to see them both enjoying artwork... a chip off the ol' blocks ;)

andrea [who is a dancer] sent isabella her very first leotard... oh boy, i cannot wait to get photos of baby girl wearing it... as andrea and i chatted and emailed, she spoke of how she began ballet classes at a very young age... and that got me sooooooo excited and inspired for isabella... i mean, baby girl LOVES to dance!! and she loves to be on her tippy toes... and she loves music... and she loves girly things... would it be so far fetched to think she may happen to like ballet?? funny, when i showed her the leotard, she got all smiley, regardless of just waking up seconds ago...

and if a person doesn't already know, i love me some paper, right?! well, do you think andrea dismissed this fetish of mine?! of course not!! she sent oodles of embellishments and papers for me to google at and use... glittery, felt, embossed, and floral patterned products had me gushing like a kid given candy... aren't they all just lovely?! [squeals with delight] thank you so much andrea for such a wonderful and beautiful package of love and goodness!

now, i am off to rest... i cleaned my studio today to accomodate the pretty new papers given to me [and purchased over the weekend, which is another post].... i think i'm catching a cold so its best i take some tylonel and watch eureka til my sniffles have me falling asleep ;)

happy new week everyone!!!

shots, starbucks, and a chance to win...

is this picture blurry?? perhaps, it was due to a bit of tylenol p.m. medicine kicking in, as i used the camera... and the only reason i took the tylenol was because i got a tetnis shot that day... sure, i promised the doctor to stay away from rusty needles and rusted x-acto blades... and i tried to get out of the office before the nurse came in with the needle, but i wasn't fast like the flash.... the needle itself didn't hurt, but a few hours later, the pain kicked in... and i was left with a sore arm for the entire weekend...

still, it didn't prevent me from working on art or buying paper [yes, i bought two stacks of paper in ode to my courage in getting a shot... wait until i get another tattoo, i am gonna have a shopping spree- hehe] the first girl [with the hat and coat] only took one hour to create, from sketch to finale... the above illustration took four hours tops with all the interruptions and complications with paper choosing...

the other day, i needed some time away from the kids... yes, they are wonderful and loving [and loud and bouncy] but every person needs to get away from the confines of their home and see the world... or just go to a coffee shop... i grabbed a big stack of paper, my mini glue glun, an x-acto blade, and my cutting mat and headed to the starbuck's only two blocks away... you know, sometimes i wonder if people freak out with me using a blade in public and plugging in a hot glue gun... would that freak you out???

anyhow, i made all those lil ladies right there at starbucks... i still have two more styles to make plus get them onto a background.... that is the hard part- picking a background from all these stacks of paper... i mean, within the last month, i managed to buy over 500 sheets of paper [12 by 12 inches]... don't worry, a tree won't go to waste here!!!! still, that is an awful lot of paper... it gives me plenty of choices to pick from but it also makes it more time consuming as i have SO MUCH to choose from [i am NOT complaining]

but this whole paper obsession makes me wonder, how much 12x12" paper DO i have???? it's all about guesstimating and rounding and using some sort of formula involving volume versus height and width... maybe... you've seen my stacks, right??? you want to guess??

if you can guess how much paper i have [according to my rough guesstimate as i don't plan on counting EACH sheet, mind you!!], you could win this lil scrapbook... you have until friday, OCTOBER 10 to come up with an integer... the person who guesses most accurately will be contacted via email... so be sure to leave your email addy along with a comment and a guess of your number....

happy guessing!!!!

10 reasons for a 2wk break

1. diego is starting school this week- my big boy!! [this was a photo of him a week before starting school]

2. as diego goes to school, isabella and i will have mother/daughter time [yes, this calls for less computer time during the day] so i will be taking diego's place in this pic- hehe

3. ramel and i are in need of toghether time... between heros, and firefly and flight of the conchords, and a couple games, we are having a swell time...

4. i'm getting packages to send off to publishers, including new illustrations

5. i have yet to finish mimi's swag, poppy's illustration and angie's illustration

6. i am overwhelmed with emails... at least i will have time to catch up with no excuses

7. i've yet to send off rosa's package and amy's package which was to include the star wars original

8. i got MORE NEW PAPER- yes, about 300 MORE sheets! so that means i have to reorganize my current stash to make room

9. there is cool art over here to vote for over here....

10. and lastly, i am just tired- overall- tired... i need a wee rest but i will be back in two weeks!! pls come back so see you soon :)

updates plus mail love...

diego is doing much better despite the fact that he's lost 4 pounds and is skinny enough to dodge raindrops... on tuesday and wednesday, he didn't eat a single thing, not even popsicles... we offered him water and juice but he preferred the water... on wednesday, he was sick to his stomach and vomiting all night [on and off]... as he wasn't dehydrated, we waited until the following morning to take him to the emergency room... they gave him anti-nauseous medicine and sent him on his way home a couple hours later...

that same day, he stopped vomiting and mustered up enough strength to do a dance when ramel mentioned getting a new batman toy for him... we headed to target and diego was quite happy to get another toy... even today, he is doing much better and walking around alot... he is quietly playing with his toys and also wanting to cuddle a whole lot with his mother... he's such a sweetie but it's kind of rough to see him so darn skinny and unable to talk... he just mumbles and smiles but no doubt, he will be a chatterbox in a couple of days...

aside from these happenings at the hill household, i've been receiving so much mail goodness... ms. judy hartman sent me a beautiful paper illustrated greeting card...  judy makes the most beautiful portraits in paper- her attention to detail in the eyes and hair is to be admired... thank you so much judy for giving me one of your wonderful creations!!!

a while ago, i won a "de-stash my stash" raffle hosted by andria... the other day, she sent me an envelope jam-packed with goodness... oodles and oodles of stickers plus swag, retro snippets, and collage pieces... it was so much that i just HAD to reorganize all my stickers by genre and size... [yes, i have this wee obsession with organizing things]... you can see another shot here... thank you so much andria for all the loveliness you sent this way!!!

and miss pattycakes sent me more kawaii stationery love... ah, more goodness to inspire my future creations for the etsy shop and illustrations... the last time she sent me some goodness, i ended up making some sweet magnet friends... i just can't wait to actually make some illustrations in this style.... it's nice to do more than just my usual big eyed, big headed characters,  ya know?! anyhow, she sent me a ton of envelopes, memos, and stationery sheets :) thank you so much, patty!!!

and lastly, i ended up buying myself more paper and another paper punch... i've come to the realization that it's retro flower paper punches and paper packs are an obsession... it's not a light fetish or a natural desire for crafty goodness... but it's an obsession that makes a greenbeanbaby all giddy with delight... it makes her stay up until 3am re-organzing her studio and paper stash... it makes her inspired despite the incredible heat that zaps away her energy... in time, you will see all the goodness put to use and made available in some creative form to you... 

in the meantime, there is a 4yr old birthday party to prepare for, a kid to care for, and a baby girl who is madly missing her wild playtime with her brother... and for now, the night time is spent relaxing to the sounds of "gained the lead" in halo instead of working on art after working so hard that day... but like i said, its time to get cracking on a few things:)

have a wonderful weekend!

sweetness all around

summer is nearly here and i am so darn excited about it... this summer is completely different from all the previous ones as now, i have a nearly four year old boy who finds jumping off high places to be fun... he's more vocal and about 10x more energetic than before...  i have a one year old girl who loves her dresses and loves chasing her brother... i have two kids who enjoy each other's company and find that regardless of swarming wasps, the outside world is a place where you can holler as loud as your lungs mom allows....

and this summer, ramel will be home more often... he just began a new job this week and it allows him to only have to work the normal 8 hrs a day... this is a BIG deal in the hill household as prior to this week, the man was doing about 13hrs daily... he'd come home to bathe and play with the kids.... he'd have less than 2hrs before both were put to bed... he'd go to work before they woke up... we'd squeeze our time in aside from fatigue, my artwork, etc. and somehow, our time always seemed interrupted... ramel has had absolutely minimal time to work on art... something he missed.... so, with this new job [and a promotion at that], he will get to enjoy the summer with us all... he'll be home while the sun still shines... we can go to the parks together and perhaps sneak in a movie... ah yes, it's going to be a treat!

with this extra time of his, we both will have a chance to work on art and feel like our degrees aren't left collecting dust... while i've had my time to work on stuff, it's a completely different feeling when you have two people working on art early in the morning... or late at night... it gives you an extra oomph to create... the atmosphere is filled with creativity and inspiration.... it's a bit hard to explain but seeing my husband have a chance to do something he loves [sketching, painting, etc] is such a good feeling... it's attractive too :)... it reminds me of when we were first dating... we'd sit at coffee shops working on a project... we'd talk about what we wanted to accomplish.... somehow, back then we had a lot of conversations which is something i've missed lately... sure, discussing the children can be a good topic but the parents are important too, ya know?!

so that is the good news... fun summer with the family... more time with the family... and now, more paper too!! yes, indeed!!! the other day, lisa said she had some paper for me... when i received the box, i was literally squealing at the OODLES of paper she included... isabella was to be my model for the photo of this wonderful package but she was too busy running off.... lisa musta sent me over 400 sheets!!!! sweetness, eh?! i spent all last morning and night trying to re-organize my papers but that will be saved for another post at another time... [brace yourself- hehe]

sweet patty also sent me some wonderful and beautiful papers that made me giddy with delight! kawaii stationery that is just to drool for!!! there are so many cute illustrations that it was hard to take photos that would do such a gift justice... if this doesn't jar a gal's inspiration and creativity, then what else will? i've been wanting to experiment with some new greenbeanbaby styles that are kawaii-influenced.... i don't wanna be a copycat but it'd be nice to something besides my usual gals with big eyes and a big head smiling away [although, kawaii art is that way too so what am i talking about?!]...

you can see more wonderful photos here... patty was just a doll to send so much beautiful goodness... and lisa too... i am grateful for all the love that has been sent to the hill household and hope that this summer our joy will radiate to your homes :) after all, we are all here to inspire, encourage, and motivate each other, right?!

we cannot forget one of the bestest days in the world is on sunday.... so until then have a happily splendid weekend!

everybody needs a treat...

we're not a rich family... like most adults, we have our share of bills and a mortgage that is higher than necessary... and i'm not an expensive wife... give  me a good cup of coffee and a few bucks for paper, i'm straight... give ramel a few bucks to buy a used video game and a jug of gatorade, he's straight... diego and isabella are quite content with a new toy to suit their current enjoyment... and we don't ask of these luxuries daily...

so frivolous spending is not in our budget... it's not to say we don't have those conversations of "what would you do with a million dollars?" we have SERIOUS conversations despite the fact we never discuss WHERE this money came from... as we chat, i have already paid off the house and our credit cards as well as bought a new car that is safe, fully insured, and can seat two car seats perfectly... the house has been painted and all holes in the wall are fixed professionally... new gutters have been installed and a pretty fence replaces our rotting one... a  new garage sits where the old one leaned sadly to the right... we have a new bedroom set with furniture that isn't falling apart from the child who jumped off everything...a new couch and a bigger television sit in a refinished living room where the 70's wooden panels have been ripped off... all windows have been replaced and pretty curtains hang on curtain rods that don't fall off... a new stove that works and new chairs that don't make your bum hurt sit in our kitchen... there are closets for us to hang our clothes and there are places to store our shoes perfectly... yep, all that has been taken care of [including paying someone to refinish our basement and guarantee it bug-free forever]

so far, we haven't received a million dollars so most of this remains to be done... [like the painting and fixing the holes]... i haven't had my own paycheck since i was pregnant with diego.... being a stay-at-home mom is wonderful but it's been far too long since i requested a few extra bucks to spend on myself... it's been even longer since i've shopped without a twinge of guilt that this money should go towards one bill or another... after some odd years, the time finally came when there was extra money... and guess who got to spend it?! >grinning wildly< BOY, DID IT FEEL WHOPPIN' WONDERFUL!!!

i finally bought new clothes without thinking "do i really need this shirt?" and sticking it back onto the rack... i still bought from the clearanced section but there was no guilt... and makeup!!!! now, i rarely wear more than mascara and light lipstick... but it was time to get some new colors and a wee bit of blush [not trying to look like mimi in the drew carey show].... the last time i bought the stuff was back in high school so this moment of splurging was long overdue... add new jammies, slippers, shoes, and a couple other girlie goodies and this momma was happy! it felt good to shop without the kids and it felt even better to stick more than just toothpaste into the shopping cart...

i even got a haircut!!! do you know when i last went to the salon to get it cut??!! 1998, right before the first year of college... after that, i chopped it all off myself.... TEN YEARS!!! i waited TEN YEARS to sit in a salon chair and have a young gal ask me "what sort of style do you like?" i waited TEN YEARS to tell her "short-ish, layered and IN STYLE!" hehe... i got to walk out of that place smelling like expensive hair products and feeling like i was the best looking gal in town...

and after the haircut, i went PAPER SHOPPING!!!! yeah, greenbeanbaby doesn't need more paper but what is a treat to her if she can't splurge on some?! it just so happened to be the same day as a whopping sale... 6 sheets of paper for 96¢.... so i got about $10 worth :)... and paper pad stacks?! those were all half off so guess who walked out of that store with 3 packs?!! yep, this grinning mama with her hair cut and her new lipstick in her purse!!!

>breathes a sigh of relief< i'm telling ya- it felt good!!! less than 2 months worth of our phone bill was spent [and it didn't come out of the phone bill]... so while i managed to splurge freely and guiltlessly, the piggy bank didn't break... it was well deserved...   i mean, every mom deserves a treat right?! sure, it's wonderful to receive gifts and it's awesome to see the bills paid... it's beautiful to have the chance to stay at home with the kids and it's nice to own this home... but with our snowstorms keeping us indoors and children getting sick, a mother needs a chance to LEAVE her home... grocery shopping, not included... well, i finally had my chance :)

now, to put these papers to use for the march 28th grand re-RE-reopening of the etsy shop

the first packages of 2008

meet simone's paper people... aren't they just the cutest lil ladies?! they are tags that are too pretty to use so they will be hung up for all to see... simone and i have done swaps previously and its always a treat to share with her... this is the first time i got a peek at  her paper works... they are so well crafted and clean cut and assembled with perfection... and they make a gal wanna smile :)

she also sent more paper that are shades of black, white, and grays... those colors are not ones i buy often and yet am always diggin' in my stash to find some... she sent so many pretty patterns that will fill the need of such shades... simone also sent diego a mr. cool book... when diego saw it, he goes "oh wow! coooool!" he carries it around telling me that he likes the blue triangle guy :) the chocolates are yummy and the stickers will come in handy... isabella received a book too but it didn't make it into the photo...

look at these pretty papers!!! the purple stack is full of handmade papers ranging with glittery designs and sewn patterns... i have the perfect project for these babies and am looking forward to using them [and working on that project]... the inspirations pack is darling and will also be used... simone sent such a wonderful package and i am truly grateful for her patience, sweetness, and kindness!!!

colin johnson is a wonderful artist, i met via flickr... his paintings are surreal and his collages are an amazing site... well, he was selling a bit of his goodies on ebay, including these original 1979 flash gordon action figures... not only are they collectibles, but they were owned by colin himself... so when he gets to be a millionaire, these will be priceles :) these are mine in hopes that one day, when diego gets MUCH older and has his own collection to save, i can pass these to him [for display and not to play]... in the meantime, they stand in my shelf in the living room.... colin also sent me a slew of other goodies and toys for diego... a swell guy!!

lastly, just a bit more proof that miss isabella is on the go... she is walking better and better every day... my li'l munieca...