A Three-Print Giveaway!

I don't know why, but lately, I have been WAY, WAY, WAY into free stuff. I love contests and giveaways and parades (oh wait, that's a whole different topic). But I have been wanting to host a giveaway for the absolute longest time on my blog but just haven't had the time to host it. So, when Kelly over at Fabulous K wrote and asked if I wanted her to host one for me, it made my day! All the fun, none of the time consuming stuff- I love it!!! :) In fact, I need more of this in my life :). Anywho, head on over and enter for your chance to win any three prints in my shop. Yup, three. But be warned, her amazingly beautiful blog will suck you in (in an oh-so-good way!). And good luck!

It's a.........

baby!!! Haha.... we had our 20 week appointment today and were sooooo very excited to find out the sex of the baby- only to have the sweet little cherub all curled up and facing the exact wrong way! Arg! Our doctor said, (and I quote), "I do see what maybe looks like boy parts, but don't go painting the nursery or anything." Yeah, doesn't sound so definite, huh? So, we'll try again Jan 7. I'm convinced the baby was all cuddled up trying to stay warm in our 20 degree weather! Can I please say bbbrrrrrrrrr??!?!?! Other than that, the baby is as healthy as can be and mama is almost feeling 100% again- thank you Lord!!!

Everyone loves a sale.....

So I'm having a sale!!! 3 prints for $32... that's like a hundred bucks off..... ok maybe $13 off :). But either way, it's a heck of a good deal! If you're looking for more than 3 prints, contact me and we'll work out something even better! It's a great time to check that special person off your Christmas list!

How-to Videos by Teesha Moore

(This immensely fun artwork is by Teesha Moore)

Ok, I know I mentioned this in my last post, but I am feeling the need to post it again. Teesha Moore is so inspiring in her outlook towards creativity. Her goal is that everyone tap into their creative side. And believe it or not, we all have one... don't you remember loving to color or draw when you were a kid? My personal infatuation was with different types of lettering. I don't know why, but I must have driven my teachers crazy because there was always some doodled writing in the margins of my homework. But, I digress... :), nowadays you don't find too many artists who are willing to share their processes step-by-step. They might give you glimpses, but never divulge everything you need to know. Not so with Teesha Moore! And these videos prove it. I love how open and free she is with her work. And, of course, I just love her work in general :).

JournalFest 2009

A few weekends ago, I had the AMAZING opportunity to go to JournalFest. It is put on by one of my favorite artists, Teesha Moore and the main reason I went was to take a full day class from my absolutely all-time favorite artist, Anahata Katkin.

The weekend was absolutely amazing (did I already use that word???) and exceeded all my expectations for it! First of all, I signed up for it back in July and was totally thinking (hoping... praying... wishing) that my back would be all healed by now. Well.... that's not exactly true (although I am on my way!), so I couldn't make the five hour drive by myself. So, my wonderful mother-in-law drove me! Can you believe that!?! Yeah, I'm pretty blessed when it comes to the in-laws (and my parents too, by the way :)). Anyhow, we had a great drive up (yes, with me laying down in the car, but anyway...) and when we got there, I felt like a kid at Disneyland. I probably had the biggest smile on my face all weekend because it's been a reeeeeeaaaaally long time since I've really been able to do something so enjoyable.

The first of the three day weekend was with Anahata. Oh.... I was in heaven! I got out all my paints and supplies and was thrilled the entire session (6 hours worth!). Here are a few of the pieces I made that day. The third one is unfinished, but I'm working on it :). In the picture of the classroom, I am in the back row on the right in the corner... putting up my hair so that I can get serious :).


The second day I took a workshop with an oh-so-talented artist named Theo Ellsworth. His work is so fanciful and delightful. I can't get enough of it! So, the main focus was doodling. This piece I did was six full hours of doodling (yeah, kind of a back breaker for me, but I made it :)). Although I loved the process of doodling, I also learned that the reason I don't doodle is that I'm not patient enough for it. I need color.... I need messes.... I need more instant gratification :). The fun thing about this class was that my mother-in-law decided to take it with me at the last minute. So fun.


The third day I took a class that focused on making your own journal and assembling all this fun hardware on it. I'm sad to say I don't have much to show for it :(. By the time this class came around, my back was extremely upset with me and I wasn't feeling too hot. But I enjoyed soaking up the creativity in the room and playing (although slowly) with my little project. The first picture is what I actually accomplished. The other pictures are the work of the artist that gave the class, Ingrid Dikers. I thought I better show what the finished product will look since mine is far from being done :)


These last pictures are some in-progress journal pages I've been working on at home after watching some "How-to" videos that the incredible Teesha Moore put together. You really should take a look at the videos- they are so instructive and break everything down into steps. Even if you don't have any desire to be an artist, they are so fun to work on and I think would be great for kids to do too!



Ok, that's it for now! Oh one more picture.... my little baby bump :). Lil' Baby Beitler is still happy and healthy and we can't wait to find out his/her gender in four weeks!!!

Knock, knock, anyone home?

Wow, it has been quite a while since I've been able to post something new... but there's a good reason, I promise! We're pregnant again!!! Woo-hoo!!! I have been so nervous through this pregnancy, just praying this little one will make it, and at every appointment, I am not disappointed! We saw a strong heartbeat early on, then got to see our lil' babe wrigglin' around at our 10 week ultrasound. It blew me away! I am about 13 weeks now and just as giddy as can be! Of course, along with the giddiness is the nausea... the exhaustion... the exhaustion... and the nausea :). I am soooooo praying that everything will subside very, very shortly because I'd love to get back to a normal life (well, as normal as my life gets with my back issues and all). Speaking of my back, since most people ask, I'll try to answer the question, "What will happen with the pregnancy and your back?" I definitely don't know the answer to that. What Aaron and I decided before we got pregnant was that a child (and hopefully children, one day!) will be worth whatever kind of problems I have to deal with during pregnancy. The worst that can happen is pain and bed rest and hey, I've survived a lot of that already! :) But, having said all of that, I am still doing private Pilates lessons 3-4 times a week and I feel so much stronger than when I started 8 months ago. There are days (before the nausea, of course), when my instructor would have me in such crazy positions. When I started, I was in so much pain, I could honestly barely move. But (plug for Pilates here), it's amazing how much Pilates alone has helped. I stopped going to doctors (love doctors, but they weren't helping much for my back) and physical therapy and just do Pilates and I've never felt better (at least since I got injured). I still have periodic issues and still can't sit for very long, but the constant pain has finally gone away- praise the Lord! So, my hope is that all the strength training will help me get through the pregnancy with only a few set backs :). Can't promise I'll be blogging lots in the months to come (with the baby preparations and the new addition to the house being built) , but I'll sure try my best!

Without further adieu, here's our sweet one:

Tell a friend...

or two or three! I'm back in business ladies!!! :)