I’m still recovering from The Ick, but … it’s Cyber Monday! And so I had to pop in to let you know that for today only you can get a 15% discount in the june at noon shop with coupon code CYBER15. Or, if you prefer, get free shipping through January 15 with coupon code HAPPYHOLIDAYS. (Mind, if you want things in time for Christmas, you’d best get shopping soon! International deadlines are looming, and US deadlines are not much further out.)

I’ve got lots of goodies waiting for new homes. Perhaps you’d fancy some original artwork?

Or maybe you’d like to collect some prints to share with someone you love?

Of course, you could always stitch something up with tender care.

Or indulge in a few other bits and bobs that you might find, like a lovely set of illustrated note cards.

Oh, yes, Santa’s going to be busy! (Pssst! I won’t actually close down the Cyber Monday sale until Tuesday morning, so if you’re in a different time zone from me, you still have time!)

And now, I’ll leave you with my daily habit photo while I return to Etsy for some more shopping of my own….

habit: 11/28/11

He’s mostly very different from me, but he did inherit from me the singular ability to accidentally shut his own head in a door, and other like things.

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For the month of November I’ll be posting habit-style in participation with their open flickr group. I’ll be adding to the pool as I feel inspired, but also here on my regular Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule. I hope you’ll enjoy the change of pace; back next month with more of the usual!

Still quite under the weather. Trying to make up for lack of creative energy by doing business-y things while I rest.

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AND FOR OTHER NEWS OF NOTE…

All right, holiday shoppers! From now through January 15, you can get free shipping in the june at noon shop with coupon code HAPPYHOLIDAYS. US customers need to purchase prior to December 16 to receive any items wanted in time for Christmas. International shoppers, your best bet is to order before December 2.

And, if you’re looking for some other goodies, my Etsymom Team is having a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. Currently you need to search for “EMBFCS” on Etsy to find participating shops. If a page goes up with links, I’ll add it here.

Happy shopping!

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For the month of November I’ll be posting habit-style in participation with their open flickr group. I’ll be adding to the pool as I feel inspired, but also here on my regular Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule. I hope you’ll enjoy the change of pace; back next month with more of the usual!

It was really cold today. The leaves have turned deep orange, and I barely have a voice.

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For the month of November I’ll be posting habit-style in participation with their open flickr group. I’ll be adding to the pool as I feel inspired, but also here on my regular Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule. I hope you’ll enjoy the change of pace; back next month with more of the usual!

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P.S. There are even more new things in my shop, and I’ll soon be setting up a coupon code for free shipping for the holiday season. Stay tuned!

My, oh my, that rainy weather sure makes me sleepy.

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If you’ve been hanging around here at all in November, you know I’m participating in habit’s open flickr group for the month. But, I also have some new things to share today, so I’ll be doing a lengthier My Creative Space at the same time this week!

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My Creative Space …

has been full and satisfying lately.

I have another Eye Spy bag ready to ship (and the beginnings of a new drawing beneath). I don’t sell Eye Spy bags as part of my regular inventory, but I do take custom orders when asked!

There’s a new print in the shop titled “Bear Boy Balloon.” The original ink drawing is also available.

And I’ve spent some time designing brand new gift certificates to the june at noon shop.

Get ‘em while they’re hot!

Oh, also: That drawing you see on the $10 certificate is called “Things That Fly.” I’m trying to decide whether to add watercolor or leave it as-is. I’m also debating whether it’s the type of thing that will sell in the shop. What do you think?

(Our Creative Spaces)

Do you remember that little artistic dilemma I had? It’s been solved.

I knew I wanted a little more going on in the background, but I needed it to be subtle—and it was hard to get more subtle with the already delicate look of the foreground. I let this one sit on my desk, and every time I walked past it, I looked at it. I didn’t try to figure it out, just looked at it and hoped the ol’ subconscious would solve the problem for me.

And, lo, it did just that! (I’ve been reading too much classic English literature lately, I think.) I suddenly envisioned a muted, blurred background of grass and children at play to sort of “place” the action in the foreground, but in a more dream-like, quiet way than anything more obvious. I put it off for a while because I was afraid of not being able to actually accomplish what I saw in my mind, but I finally took a deep breath and dove in. All in all, I’m quite happy with it.

It doesn’t scan well, so I’m not going to produce prints. Instead, the original will be in the shop as a one-of-a-kind piece.

Elsewhere, I’m still plugging away at some finishing. What about your creative space?

(Our Creative Spaces)

On the following day, when Emmy met Stephen, she was wearing a light yellow dress of embroidered muslin and a ribbon of the same same color round her short bushy hair. She gave him her little tight-lipped smile. “How do I look?”

Chester’s pleasant apartment … opened upon a balcony around a courtyard where a fountain trickled and oleanders flowered in green tubs.

(Excerpt from A Thing of Beauty by A.J. Cronin, printed on the background of “The Yellow Rose,” mixed media, by Gretchen Nesbit. Original as well as prints available in the shop.)

Just a little ACEO drawn with a water-soluble pen and a wet paintbrush. I’m starting to add some of these miniature original pieces in the shop. Have a good weekend!

I’d hoped to have some action shots of, you know, creative activity, but this is yet another whirlwind week in which I can’t quite keep up with everything that’s happening around me. (What is it about Autumn?) So instead, I offer some current finished work that is part of a larger work-in-progress-type collection. I think. Anyway….

On a recent girls’ weekend, I was cozied up in a cabin in the woods with some of my best girlfriends, and while we talked—and talked and talked—I made up a few ACEOs (Art Card, Editions and Originals) featuring some imaginary creatures. (They’re all in the shop waiting for new zookeepers to take them home.)

ACEOs are usually quick, instant gratification pieces for me because they’re so small. It’s a great way to get a little creativity out of my system without a big commitment.

They’re also a nice idea for people who want to collect original artwork without shelling out for a larger piece. And beyond the fact they’re more affordable, you can also fit more of them on a wall!

You could also confound your children by playing Guess the Animal. I haven’t a clue what some of these critters even resemble.

See? They’re great for so many reasons!

(Our Creative Spaces)

“Don’t look round, Miss Potterswell,” he would say when she was working on his dressings, “but I think Clarence may be going to pounce on you this very minute.” Clarence was bigger than Clarissa, and presumed to be the husband lizard.

Miss Potterswell would give a muted squeal and say quaint things like: Such a chaff, you are. She took time off in the afternoons, when it was cooler, for a little walk in the garden, but only in the garden, because Miss Potterswell had heard fearful stories of the lusts of men. The odds were on Miss Potterswell, he thought.

(Excerpt from Harry Black by David Walker, printed on the background of “The Lizard Rose,” mixed media, by Gretchen Nesbit. Original as well as prints available in the shop.)

I started these botanical drawings just to keep myself doing some sort of something while I was in my creative funk a while ago. I love the look of black ink on white paper, and doing drawings that focus on line and texture really satisfies me. I decided to add some simple watercolors to finish them out, and I like them enough to put them in the shop. I never know if something is going to sell, but I had positive feedback about them in the in-progress stage, so time will tell.

Well, now, I’m flitting off to a girls’ weekend away, but I’ll have another finished piece to share on Monday. Have a good weekend!