Goods things for a new year

Well, it's been quite the uneventful holiday break. Every day went something like this: wake up, thought about posting something, and then pulled the covers back over my head with a groan. Just five more minutes. I had a bummer of a Christmas break, consumed by the World's Worst Cold. But now I'm on the mend and ready for action. And that, my friends, is a good thing. Speaking of good things...

Jamie came for a short visit from Seattle, and brought with her the world's best Christmas present: handmade lino-block prints. I love love love them. I promptly purchased a frame, and now they are gracing my walls, reminding me of her incredible talent and delicate way of looking at the world. Thank you, Jamie. This means the world to me.



I've been doing quite a bit of rearranging and decluttering. I should have done this over a year ago when we first moved into this place. But laziness and lack of funds and inspiration prevented it, and my art/computer room had been suffering under heaps of boxes and plastic target bags for months. Not anymore. Thanks to an ingenious, inexpensive shelving system from Ikea (which I was going to link to, but apparently it's so new that it doesn't exist online), I am well on my way to getting organized.

As I rummaged through my piles of stuff, deciding what to toss and what to keep, I stumbled upon this little gem created for me by a certain someone mentioned above. Hmm...not sure why she made this for me, but it's pretty special.



Mmm-hmm. I'm hanging on to that one. Everything else has been sorted, tossed, recycled, pondered over, or stashed in a shiny new box for safe keeping. As soon as my congested head clears a bit more, I'm tackling phase two.

So that's two good things: new art from a friend, and an organized work space. Other good things? New supplies. Cork. Linoleum blocks. Fresh paper. Inspiring fabric. Old books. Handmade paper.

Oh...and two more good things: my muses.



My loves, you make me feel full.