new prints coming soon

These new prints will make their way into the shop later this week:

For now, I'm off on the first of two trips. 

xo

nessa dee

Hello, Monday!

Today...

:: I have had to brush up on my sketching skills because I am currently without camera. You see, I went to a class to learn how to use my new camera and figure out what I had done to make my autofocus act so fidgety. It turns out it wasn't me [yay!] but the old lens we were using [boo.] Our efforts to save a little dough by using lens from our old Nikon were thwarted. So, my camera is off with Jonathan getting fitted with a brand new shiny lens. I'm sure my camera will feel just peachy once he's in working order. And if I can remember what I learned from my class, hopefully Mr. Camera won't be too disappointed with this amateur photographer.

:: I finally broke down and bought a pair of maternity shorts with just a month left in this pregnancy. I had been holding out for quite some time, relying on one pair of pre-pregnancy shorts that still fit and some sundresses to get me to the end. But, it turns out that wearing the same pair of shorts almost everyday for a month isn't exactly fashion forward, or sanitary, so I gave in. The results:

ONE VERY HAPPY MAMA.

:: For the last few days I've been sharing bath time with a spider. I'm not sure why I didn't squish, I mean, gently pick her up with some toilet paper and release her into the wild blue yonder when I first saw her. [probably laziness] But now since it's been a few days, I feel we've bonded, and flushing, I mean releasing her just feels wrong. Sure she's gross and creepy, and her legs need a good waxing, but we have a lot to talk about.  I'll be having a baby in a month, and she'll probably have a million babies in month. We can swap motherly advice while I lather and rinse.

[In actuality, I don't have a clawfoot tub, and Mrs. Charlotte is the size of a large freckle.]

:: We are packing up to make a couple of trips this week to visit family; One last adventure before I'm sworn off of traveling.  My only fear is that this baby will decide to make an appearance when I'm in the Middle of Nowhere, TX...well, that, and the fact that my family might up and strap the grumpy pregnant lady to the top of the car.

Let's hope neither of these come to fruition.

:: And finally, my quick sketches for this post turned into a long an arduous process. I really should look at a car a little more before I attempt to scribble it on paper.

Happy Monday!

xo

nessa dee

[c]Rafty Friday: Kandinsky Circles

I had every intention of posting our craft this morning, but we had a birthday party to attend, and I ran out of time before we had to go. We spent the majority of our day out at a local lake swimming and rafting with Audrie's friends. The kids had a blast. I mostly sat and watched and sweated, but I had a good time, too. 

Before we left for the party, though, I tried to cram in a quickie craft. I had a vision. I've always loved the bright fun circles painted by Wassily Kandinsky, and wanted the kids to create their own Kandinsky paintings like this:

I then could frame them and hang them on a particular blank wall in my house. However, the kids had their own ideas. I guess that's what I get for letting them have creative freedom. When I first presented the idea to Finn, he wanted nothing to do with it, until he saw this painting:

which he thought looked like the Death Star. So, he decided he wanted to draw the Death Star, and he did. I finally convinced him to at least cut out different sized circles and glue them on the paper. This is what he came up with:

He added a few paint splatters for flair.

Audrie started her Kandinsky just how I imagined, by folding her paper to create a grid. Instead of paint, she decided to use oil pastels, and began drawing her circles. 

It wasn't long before circle drawing got boring, and she strayed from the plan.

She eventually ended up with a couple of circle horses and a cleverly designed, two-part painting.

Since neither of my kids decided to follow the agenda, I took five minutes to play with a little paint. 

Five minutes wasn't long enough. 

We might give this craft another try when we're not so rushed. Maybe then my kids can stick to the plan. I can't really blame them, though. In college, I went against my professor's advice and combined paint with my collage project. That was the birth of the mixed media art I now love and create. Besides, my kids' ideas usually turn out better than the original plan.

Happy crafting!

xo

nessa dee

In the shop

These little guys made their way into my shop.

xo

nessa dee

Sail Away

Here's a little something I was working on just for fun. It's one of my favorite subjects to paint, a little boy and his dog.

These two little guys have been a prominent part of my illustration work since I introduced them into Finn's first bedroom:

This was Finn and his dog Odyssey travelling all over the world. [Odyssey was our imaginary dog before we got Trixie.] 

This was probably the hardest thing to leave when we moved. I almost had to paint over it, but thankfully, the new owner's daughter liked it enough for me to leave it there.

Ever since I did this mural, Finn and Odyssey have made their way into my illustrations. Maybe one day I'll write a book about their adventures, but until then, I can look at these old pictures.

xo

nessa dee

I'll be listing a few new paintings in my shop tonight, so be on the lookout.

Hello, Monday!

Is it Monday already? Is 5:00 on a Monday already? I don't know where the day went. Ok, I don't know where the week/month/year/my sanity went. We had a few activities that took up the better part of our day today, and these days, a few activities can send me into an afternoon coma that takes me a few good hours to recover from. But I'm now awake enough to type. Whether or not I'm coherent, that's another story.

Today...

:: This is what our afternoon looked like...

And while I couldn't take a picture of myself, I'm pretty sure this is what I looked like.

:: We started the day with tennis camp for Finn. I didn't get any pictures because it didn't actually go smoothly. Finn's my reluctant child when it comes to starting new things, and he was quite nervous. He eventually warmed up to the idea of tennis towards the end of class, so I hope I'll be able to get a few pictures of my future Roddick [or maybe McEnroe] tomorrow.

:: The kids found their marble set during one of my comatose states. They've been building contraptions everyday since.

:: I finally took the kids to find new tennis shoes. My children hit growth spurts recently, and poor Finn had been squeezing his feet into too small tennis, while Audrie had been wearing dressy flip flops to do such activities as riding a bike and climbing trees. Now that they have new shoes, Finn has a new found love for going on runs in the heat of the afternoon. He's been begging me all afternoon to run around the neighborhood. He doesn't understand that pregnancy + Texas heat = A very large Grumpy McGrumpkins.

:: And finally, here's what my lap looks like as of late.

 I'm actually wearing shorts, but my belly is hiding them along with what I'm pretty sure is a small family of squirrels who have taken refuge from the heat under my massive orb. I'm still being told that my belly is big. I think it's because my due date is off. Even though the doctors refuse to humor me and move it up, I'm preparing myself for an early arrival... just in case.

Not much for exciting, but it is what it is.

Happy what's left of Monday!

xo

nessa dee

Crafty Friday: Sponge Prints

Several days ago I was trying to plan ahead for our Crafty Fridays, so I asked the kids their opinion on a few ideas.

"What about a mobile? We can make a cool mobile with old gears and mechanical parts and hang it in brother's room!" 

No answer.

"How about 3-D junk art? We could make robots out of cans and old mechanical parts and put it in brother's room!" 

Nothing.  

I think they started to figure out that I was using Crafty Friday to finish stuff for the baby's room. 

"Okay, what if we cut shapes out of sponges, dip them in paint, and print them onto paper."

"Oh, let's do that!"

  So, sponge prints it is.

All you need are some sponges, scissors, paper, paint, and an idea. I don't have to explain this one...it's easy peasy. My only advice is to pick a simple, graphic shape without too much detail. Finn's first idea, to cut out the shape of Mr. Thom [a friend] with his curly hair, wouldn't have worked so well. His second choice, a rocketship, worked out much better. Audrie chose to make a parrot.

As for the paintings I promised to list in my shop, well take heart! The day's not over. I will be listing these two soon after I publish this post.

I have quite a few more to list, but they'll have to wait until tomorrow. My body's rebelling right now.

Happy Crafting!

xo

nessa dee