Confessions of a Frogoholic

Poof! Portion of a large painting done in 2006.

You see, I kind of have this thing for frogs. Basically, I believe with all my heart that (besides my children, obviously) frogs are the most wonderful creatures to ever roam the Earth.

I love them. I really do.

I'm not sure when my love for frogs first came about. I have a book about me and the Things I Like, that I wrote in 1st grade, and one of the pictures is of me holding a frog.

In high school, all I ever drew were frogs. In Ceramics, every piece of pottery that I created was painted with a frog, or hand shaped into a frog. In Sculpture, I made an awesome plaster frog mask, and in Speech and Debate, my 11 minute expository speech on amphibians gave me an invitation to join the school Speech and Debate team - which I declined as graciously as I could. Public speaking... *shudder* no thank you.

If you are wondering if I am Weird Frog Girl... well, yeah, I probably am. But seriously, they are so cute. Can you blame me?

A page from my sketchbook when I was 15

A comic I had to draw for my Sophomore art class in high school.

Frog Prince piece. Colored pencil. He is HUGE.
I can't even fit him on an 11 x 14 piece of paper, he is so big.
I have no idea what I'm going to do with him, but he sure is cute, isn't he?

One of my first (and totally my favorite) snobby sketches, done before I even opened my shop.
Why I haven't colored him in yet, I have no idea.

I'm not really sure why I don't have frog illustrations in my shop. Whenever I sit and sketch, frogs are what pop onto the paper. But then the sketches just sit there and I don't get around to coloring them in.

The other day, however, I sketched out two little froggies and I knew I just had to color them in. They are too cute to be ignored, in my humble opinion.

Captain Frederick Frog and Lady Imogen

What is this you see? WATERCOLORS??? Is is true? Is it really true?

Yes, it is. I do watercolors, too. More about that another day.

Lady Imogen is done, but you only get a sneak peek, as I wont reveal her until Captain Frederick is finished as well. And if you are wondering if Captain Frederick might perhaps be named after the dashing and daring Captain Frederick Wentworth from Jane Austen's Persuasion... the answer is yes. I just hope I can do his namesake justice with my painting.

I do expect to add quite a few frogs to my shop in the near future. I hope you love them!

Enjoy
xoxo,

Lets Talk About the Weather

This is a Print of Zoey the Paperdoll (in January)
www.thedreamygiraffe.etsy.com

Baby, its cold outside..

I bundle up in long-sleeves, a scarf, thermal underwear, a sweater and boots

... and then 20 minutes later, there is an insane heatwave and I need to strip down to a tank-top.

The weather in Texas is making me a little crazy. I'm used to California. Nice and predictable, sunny California. I'm from the Bay Area and I know how to handle the weather. On a hot, summer day, I go to Santa Cruz or Capitola beach to cool down. On a cold, winter day, I go to Monterrey or Carmel to warm up (the weather is always perfect in Carmel - it is truly the best place on Earth). I know when to wear shorts, I know when to put on the thermal underwear, and I know when its time to knit myself an awesome collection of colorful cold-weather scarves.

But the weather in Texas... It just doesn't make any sense. The cold weather doesn't start until November, and then overnight, it is COLD. One day you are walking around in a summer dress and then the next day, you are stuck inside because an ice storm has hit. Summer... well, I'm not even going to start complaining about the insane heat -- or the fact that there is no perfect and lovely Carmel By-the-Sea to run away to. Lets just say it isn't very nice.

At the moment, here in West Texas, it is cold. The sun is out, but everything looks dead, and it is COLD. I'm not really enjoying myself. I am ready for SPRING! Can you tell by my newly decorated for Spring blog? It makes me sunny and happy when the weather is cold and miserable.

For everyone else who is ready for some color, and flowers, and baby bunnies and Spring, like I am, here is a little Etsy tribute.

Spring Fabric Flower Brooch by Agnes Garden
www.agnesgarden.etsy.com

Bright and cheerful and oh so cute. I love this flower brooch!

This is a Painting of a Trio of Bunnies (All Wearing Faux Fur)
www.thedreamygiraffe.etsy.com

I am ready for fluffy little bunnies and bright pastel colors and this painting by KJ of The Dreamy Giraffe is perfect!

Little Miss Sunshine Necklace by Janell of Dancing Mooney
www.dancingmooney.etsy.com

Very cute, very sweet, and just the thing for Spring - or for Winter when you are feeling like you are ready for Spring.

Spring Flowers Sticky Coverup by Shams and Coverups
www.shamsandcoverups.etsy.com

Okay, this is just flat out genius. I always love sticky pads, but the dumb things always fall apart and get all grimy on the sticky side. Does that happen to you, too? This adorable sticky pad cover up is PERFECT!

Enjoy!
xoxo,

Gracie and Her Very Best "Friends"

Gracie has four very best friends. Their names are Lucy and Susan and Peter and Edmund. No matter where Gracie goes, her best friends are right behind her. Poor Lucy has a hurt foot. Gracie isn't sure how it happened, but it is constantly bleeding. Peter's favorite food is spaghetti, so he is always eating it. Susan is Gracie's very, very best friend because she likes her the best, and Edmund's favorite activity is art.

Her Chronicles of Narnia companions appeared in our lives about three weeks ago. She was following me around one day while I was tidying up the house, cooking lunch, packaging orders... much as she usually does.

"Can you play with me, now, Mom?" I heard on repeat every 35 seconds.

"Go play with your sister, Gracie," I kept saying. She didn't want to, of course. Who can blame her? Annelie doesn't share her toys and is constantly biting and scratching - not much fun as a playmate.

"Why don't you go play with Soren Lorenson?" I asked. (Soren Lorenson is Lola's imaginary friend in the show Charlie and Lola aka The Only Cartoon I Can Tolerate). Well, he is good enough for Lola, so it was worth a shot.

"Soren Lorenson is just make-believe," Gracie sensibly replied.

*sigh* "Just give me 5 more minutes, please." I was begging at this point.

And that was when Lucy and Susan and Edmund and Peter came into our lives. They haven't left. When Gracie eats macaroni and cheese for lunch, she asks, "Where is Peter's bowl?" He has one, Gracie. It's just invisible. "Mom, I need a band-aid. Lucy's foot is bleeding again and she is crying." Here you go, Gracie. An invisible band-aid. Perfect.

Gracie plays with them constantly. She used to spend all of her time treading on my heels as she followed me around. Now, the five of them spend hours playing in her room. I'm not gonna lie... I love it. And not just because I don't have a 3 year old shadow trailing me at all times, but because I'm really seeing her imagination coming out. She knows they are just make-believe. She isn't having delusions, I promise. But she is happily creating a world for herself and her very best "friends" and it is so much fun to watch the adventures they have unfold.

She reminds me a lot of myself as a little girl, actually. I spent hours playing with my fairy friends, as I built them a village of their own on our sideyard. The neighborhood kids were all boys and if it wasn't for my imagination and the "friends" I created for myself, I would have been pretty lonely.

I don't expect Annelie to be a rotten little stinker of a playmate for too much longer. I have high hopes that my daughters will happily play together soon. But in the meantime, I don't mind the new Narnia residents who have come to visit. They certainly make life interesting!

For imaginary friend lovers everywhere, here are a few items from Etsy that you might just love!

This Imaginary Friend Suit coloring book, from Simpson, is absolutely adorable. We have two of them and the girls love coloring in the 24 little imaginary friend suit wearing characters.

And they are so cute!! Certainly frameworthy. Here is one of Gracie's colored in pictures. You can find this coloring book at www.simpson.etsy.com

And here comes Audrey, splashing through the puddles with her troop of imaginary friends. This set of 4 notecards from Ouou, is soooo adorable! You can find them at www.ouou.etsy.com

Zak and the Moustache Yak are probably the cutest imaginary duo I have ever seen. I love them. You'll find all sorts of imaginative illustrations in ErikBergstrom Illustration, at www.ErikBergstrom.etsy.com

This Imaginary Friends print by Danita is so adorable! All of her work is fantastic, but this little red dress wearing bunny rabbit eared girl is my favorite. You can find her work at www.danitashop.etsy.com

Enjoy!
xoxo,

Valentine's Vest Modeling

Gracie got to try her hand at modeling the other day. I was browsing the Etsy forums a few weeks ago and came across a thread by Lora of The Crochet Sisters, who was searching for models for the children's items in her shop so that she can show how they look on young children.

This adorable vest, perfect for Valentine's Day, came in the mail for Annelie to model, but as Annelie had fallen, bitten through her lip and ended up with a nasty set of stitches the same day the vest came in the mail, Gracie got to model instead.

Gracie was thrilled with the idea of the modeling. She loves to get dressed up and help choose a hair bow to finish off her outfit. When it came to the actual photographing... well, her enthusiasm was lacking. I snapped about a hundred and fifty pictures, only two of which were even decent, before my camera batteries died.

*sigh* That's life with a three year old for ya.

Now that Annelie's lip is nearly healed, I'll take her out for a shoot of her own, and hope the pictures are much better!

Thanks Lora for allowing us to model for you! The vest is adorable and both of my girls love it.

You can find this vest, as well as other handmade, and beautifully crocheted items at www.crochetrus.etsy.com

Enjoy!
xoxo,

Happy Birthday 2 Year Old!

Today, my newborn baby is two. That just blows my mind. Little Annelie Cecelia is no longer a teeny tiny baby.... I shouldn't feel so surprised, but somehow I am.

After having the quietest pregnancy, she came into the world even quieter. Nothing made her happier than a cuddle, and she pretty much slept for the first four months straight.

But she isn't quiet anymore. She woke up one day, and woke up with a vengeance, and has been keeping us on our toes ever since. Last months black eye - from nosediving off the back of the couch - and last weekends lip stitches - from using a tricycle as a stepping stool - shows me that Annelie is fearless, always ready for adventure, and that I'll probably expect... a few more adventures that will leave us all in the emergency room.

And though I've been saying that she's had the 'terrible twos' for months now, as biting and scratching and shouting the word "NO!" after every question she is asked and every cuddle or term of endearment she is given, has been the story of her life, it doesn't make it any less shocking when I go to the store to pick out her presents and realize that I'm not shopping for generic baby toys any longer. I'm actually picking out toys because I know she'll like them.

She has a strong personality, full of passionate loves and powerful dislikes. She LOVES Barney, farms, Barney on the Farm, bubble baths, and baby dolls. She dislikes green beans, wearing socks, cuddling unless it is on her terms only, and not being allowed to color on the walls.

And though I spend the majority of our time together saying "No, Annelie!" and "Stop, Annelie!" and "Say you're sorry, Annelie!" and "Pulling hair is NOT NICE, Annelie!".... it still makes me happy that she is growing up into an adorable little girl with a fiery personality.

As she turns two, and enters a new stage of life with plenty of discovery and more than enough 'no's,' 'dont's' and 'stop's' being called to her - I can't help thinking of the Shel Silverstein poem,

"Listen to the mustn'ts, child
Listen to the don'ts.
Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts.
Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me...
Anything can happen, child.
Anything can be."

Life is an adventure with Annelie, and I can't wait to see where her journeys take her and what kind of girl she will grow up to be.

Happy birthday, baby! And many, many more!

xoxo,

Strawberries and Cream Cupcake... Mmmmm....

Cupcake #2 from my contest for a cupcake is now finished and sitting in my shop, alongside the Orange Dreamsicle Cupcake. As wonderful as all my entries were - and it was so hard for me to choose the winners - I'm glad I ended up choosing 3 fruity winners, as I am so in love with the fruity cupcakes I've done so far.

Thanks you, Lorissa (aka LJDesignPhoto) for your wonderful entry of the Strawberries and Cream Cupcake. I absolutely love the girly pinkness of it, and that strawberry looks pretty cute tucked in amongst the flowers, don't you think? Hopefully Lorissa loves it too, as she gets an 8 x 8 print as well as a set of 8 gift tags.

As much as I love drawing all these cupcakes... I wish I was baking them as well. They make me hungry. Mmmmmmm.....

I think the cupcakes look pretty sweet together, don't you?

Enjoy!

xoxo,

CPSIA Blog-In: Save Handmade! Save Children's Books! Save Antique Toys!

hmmm... something looks very wrong with this picture...

As parents and/or concerned citizens, I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys?

The answer: They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA?

No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.
Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:
Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:
Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.

Have you sent your comments regarding component testing to the CPSC yet? The American Apparel and Footwear Association has made it easy for you to submit this important information with pre-written text that can be sent directly to the CPSC with the click of a button. You can of course edit the text if you have the time. Visit this page today, before it's too late. http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/issues/alert/?alertid=12525486 Your comments could make a huge difference, saving the livelihood of many thousands of Americans. Pass it on!

Here are a few handmade items from fantastic sellers of quality children's items. Please help get awareness out about the CPSIA, so that quality businesses and handmade items like these can continue to be made for generations to come! Help save handmade!

1.) Fancy Gal Custom Boutique Tutu: http://chamberrycherry.etsy.com

2.) Handpainted Zen Buddha Tank Top: http://winklepots.etsy.com

3.) Coming Up Roses Boutique Hair Bow Holder: http://koriclarkdesigns.etsy.com

4.) Plushie Beach Ball: http://newenglandquilter.etsy.com

*** A special thank you to Holly of Winklepots and Gretchen of Chichibouli, for organizing this blog in and putting together the above information for all to read and share with the world!

Please EVERYONE! Help get the word out! We all can make a difference in getting this law amended!