The pressure is on...

I've been issued a challenge. The gauntlet has been thrown. You get the drift. I'm not writing here like I should. And so I write now. Even though, technically, I should be working...

Thanksgiving was fantastic, as always, but I ended up with Bronchitis again, and completely lost my voice Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I was pretty worried about not being able to teach my yoga classes, but everything worked out. I sounded like a frog, but they were able to play follow the leader, and it worked out just fine. Now my voice is back, and this is my first full week of classes - I have 4 classes a week now. It's great - and I wouldn't mind picking up one or two more classes. Nothing like being required to be at the gym AND getting paid for it. :)

Brushing up on my aerial/suspension yoga. Planning to start offering private lessons at Melt in January, and group classes shortly there after.

Saturday I photographed the bridge run and had fun as usual. Now back to work - have to help identify all of the runners in the photos!

Aerial Yoga

I went to Charleston a couple of weeks ago to try out Aerial Yoga. It was FABULOUS! The place we tried it was more yoga, less acrobatics, but super fun. I'm wondering if there's another place relatively close by that would have more flips/spins/vomitinducing moves that I could try. But Jordan (our instructor) was great, and very detailed at moving us through each pose. I've found a manual to study the moves, but can't wait to be able to try them out on an actual hammock.

Off to the studio to work on the latest commission. Have a great Sunday everybody!

Junk in my Trunk.

I attended an event last night - it wasn't the most lucrative event ever. (but the band was good!) I took my scarves, and sold a few. But nothing like I am used to seeing this close to the holidays... I wonder if it's still the economy killing the art world. Or maybe it's my pricing. Or maybe it's my scarves. Who knows - maybe it's all of them? Whichever it is, I had fun visiting with friends and hanging out at the Arty Party at the Jepson afterwards. The after party was WAY past my bedtime (10pm-12pm) but I managed to stay awake and have a good time. Saw Ty Pennington there. They are doing an Extreme Home Makeover in the area. His entourage was in the way of me getting to the Doritos bin, so I was a little annoyed. I think it's great that we have stars in Savannah on a fairly regular basis, but I wish people would not torment them (and block the food in the process...)

It's another gorgeous day in Savannah - I have 3 new paintings I want to start working on, and can't decide which one to start with. So I think I'll start all three! Mark is working all weekend, so there's no reason I can't hole up in my back yard and get busy. Gotta go soak up some sunshine before it goes back into hibernation. Have a great day everybody!

Update a.k.a. Rachel is making me look bad.

I keep reading all of Rachel and Kacey's updates and realized, yet again, I've been slacking on the blog. So here goes.

A couple of weeks ago Mark and I went to Tsali - a park in North Carolina. We had finally scoured the general area (3 states!) for a pop-up camper and found an EXCELLENT deal 2 weeks before. Mark had never been riding in Tsali ( a big mountain biking area) and I always love to tag along wherever for any random adventure.

The leaves were right smack in the middle of changing, so it was gorgeous. It was also FREEZING at night. We thought we would have power for the camper since we were staying in a park. Turns out they have everything except electricity...

(My camp version of brick oven pizza)

The following week we went to Pisgah - another park in North Carolina. But we knew it would be cold and primitive, so I packed more bedding! AND on top of it, Mr. Prince discovered that we could, in fact, run the heater off of the camper's battery, so we were warm and toasty while most people were Popsicles each morning. Were we really camping, you ask? With A/C, heat, stove, fridge... Yes. Yes we were. If I have to hike off for a potty break or skip a shower for 3 days - Yes. I am camping. And it was fabulous! I hiked off on my own during each trip. Waterfalls are everywhere in the area, so there's always something just around each bend in the trail.

I think I'll save the other updates for the next post. ;) See you soon, I promise.

Morning Sunshine!

Have been able to leave the windows open all week due to the lower temps here in lovely Savannah, GA. Downside - that sun sure was bright when it hit my french doors this morning... Oh well, up and at 'em!

I taught my first Intro Yoga on Thursday, and loved it completely. There were random, weird things happening throughout - such as late (35 minutes late...) arrival, hammering and sawing from the furniture store next door, a phone that forgot it was supposed to be on vibrate, etc. Just added to the relaxed, informal atmosphere in my opinion - and caused a few giggles. :) I'll be teaching every Tuesday and Thursday at 10am - so come on in and enjoy. It's an intro class that focuses on correct form and relaxation - but I definitely sneak a good work out in there as well.

I am anxious to start my 200 hr certification, and then go on to get an aerial yoga instructor's certificate as well. But I suppose that will have to wait a bit. Let me find a link to the aerial yoga - because this is some crazy-fun that I can't wait to experience - and hopefully teach!

Feels like Sunday, but it's only Saturday, so I'm off to get cleaned up and enjoy this lovely "bonus" day. Maybe I'll even squeeze in a couple of hours for the Top Secret painting I'm working on for Mark's bday in November...

Until next time - make it a fabulous day! namaste ;)

Where's September?

Just posted a small blip about Bixbe - and realized I posted NOTHING in September. Good grief. Can I just say - it was a super busy month! How about a run down of the past 6 weeks? Ok, here goes:

August 27th - odd test results at Dr. Had to change diet dramatically and added meds/supplements out the whazzooo.

August 28th - took my written and practical Group Exercise Certification exams

Labor Day - did something. Can't remember now. It's been a month. And my brain randomly shorts out. (on the list of things for the dr. to fix...)

Hmmm. Maybe I should work backwards. Yes, that's a better idea!

This past weekend - Saturday did my normal routine of TRX training downtown, then met the road bike clan at the coffee shop after their ride. Enjoyed the gorgeous Savannah weather, then went down to Jax to shop for a new(er)/bigger car for Mark. Spent all afternoon haggling over $1500 with various car lots. We knew how much the Elements should cost, but they, of course, wanted more. I feel like we won. And Mark has a lovely, newer, much more spacious vehicle. (2005 Ford Focus now available for purchase!)

We spent the night at a friend's house (and cat sat, as they were out of town) and then headed to Hanna Park in the morning to meet the mountain biking group. I plopped on the beach with a book and my SUP. The day was beautiful - the waves plentiful. And much MUCH larger than Tybee waves... I got the crap beat out of me, and had a blast doing it. But only made one trip in the water before I was wiped out (technically, getting that big ass board back up the beach is what wore me out, and strained my back. *whine*) So I lounged with Wendy, one of the other non-riding wives, and had a great time chatting about our random, weird medical conditions.

September 11- attended the AFAA Yoga Instructor's Training workshop - which comes in very handy, as I start teaching Intro Yoga TOMORROW at Melt! Can't wait. So now I'll be taking 2 classes a week and teaching 2 classes a week. Not counting my TRX classes... So happy to have the energy to be back in the gym 5 days a week. Most of September was reduced to 1 or 2 visits, and sometimes not even that many. I was dragging and tired and achy.

At the end of September we headed up to Dahlonega for 6 Gap - giant, mountainous road ride that several friends were participating in. First camping trip of the Fall. I ♥ Camping.

Now we're getting ready for two more long weekends of camping over the next few weeks, and planning our December holiday/anniversary trip. Were planning to head to Jamaica, but people are backing out, and we are cheap. And now that we have the bigger, cozier Element, we may just make it a road trip/tour of the Keyes. How much fun would that be?! A lot. That's how much.

I suppose I will do an art update one of these days... I have been listing more scarves on Etsy, so grab one while you can. It's the perfect time to pair a scarf with a T - mmmm, silky, cozy goodness. :)

Make it a great day everybody, and thanks for reading!

Nixbe on the Bixbe.

Hmm, well turns out Bixbe shut down. Completely. Guess that's a good sign that I shouldn't use them... Too bad I had already done a good bit of adjustment (behind the scenes) on my website in order to implement their program. Oh well. Back to the drawing board! Or easel. :)

OK, I'll admit it.

I admit, I am doing a horrendous job of keeping this blog up to date. But I'm doing alright over at Facebook, if I do say so myself. I have started documenting my paintings as I go, so you can see the progress. Not only is it kind of cool to watch a painting morph into something, but it helps me tremendously to see the photographs daily. I just see so much more in the photographs than I can in the studio. Sounds backwards, but I think it's because it gives me an over all view, as opposed to focusing in on whatever area I happen to be working on while painting. Anyway. How about some actual news?

ALL (ok, 95% at this point) of my available paintings are hanging at Melt BodyMind Studio downtown (Savannah, that is.) Very cool. They are also selling. So if you see something you like, especially in a smaller size/price range, better grab it while you can.

I am painting daily now. I love it. I try to have a few going at once, unless I'm doing a really large one. Then I have enough canvas to keep me busy while wet areas dry.

I had some crazy test results come back last week - apparently I am a 70 yr old post-menopausal woman. Let's just say I'm on one boring diet while we rule out a variety of possible causes and treat known issues. Good thing I love me some veggies!

I've recently started using Bixbe. It's interesting. I haven't sold anything with it yet, as I've only used it a couple of times. But it certainly seems to have some potential. I'll post my latest listing in this blog so you can give me your opinion on the site.

Sunset Original Oil Painting

$145.00

I guess that's enough for now. I promise I will try to be a better blogger - but when you miss me, just go over to the Facebook page!

New Beach Cover Ups!

So I'm in the midst of listing 5 new beach cover ups/belly dance hip scarves. These are bright, light colors that will be great for the summer. Gotta say I'm tempted to wear one to the beach today... But I'll be good and keep them for my customers. ;)

Have a great day everybody! Get out there and enjoy that sunshine.

First International Sale!

I've recently started listing hand dyed cotton in my Etsy store. In fact, the first pieces went up about a week ago. I woke up this morning to find that one of my coral pieces had not only made it into a Treasury, but that gorgeous Peachy Treasury had made it to the front page of Etsy! On top of THAT, someone in Barcelona, Spain purchased my item. So, I've made the front page twice now, AND had my first International sale. Yay! Here's the Treasury I was in:

I think Fairyfolk did a fantastic job on the Treasury. (And so did the folks at Etsy, it would seem!) So, many thanks to her!

Off to work on an organizational project that I'm right smack in the middle of... I am surrounded by silk scarves and really need to have it straightened out so that I can think clearly again.

Have a great day everybody! This has been a great start to the week! :)

(Don't Get) Crazy Punch Recipe!

Ok, so we had a little shindig this weekend, and I wanted some punch. Much was discussed regarding forthcoming punch - mostly me: "ew, I don't like that one, or that one, or that one..." etc, etc. So I made it up. Purely based on my tastes, and to heck with the rest of the party-goers. And it was a hit! So here goes:

(Don't Get) Crazy Punch

2 cans Frozen Lemonade, thawed

2 cans water

2/3 bottle Cranberry Juice

2liter Ginger Ale

1 bottle vodka (or whatever your limit is to keep you from getting too crazy.)

2 large sprigs mint

This tastes best if you let it sit for a while with the mint, and add the ginger ale just prior to serving.

And for all those people who did not know what the heck we were quoting - be sure to click the (Don't Get) Crazy link above!

ENJOY!

Time for another quick update!

I was just tweaking the layout on the blog and decided to make a quick post while I'm here.

I was browsing some blogs and ran across one of my friends from Zumba. She has some pretty nifty crafting ideas going on. I love bleach pens...

I had a booth on River Street this past Saturday. I'll pop in a few pics here. Sold some - but more importantly got picked up by another boutique! I'll now be carried in Savannah Rose Boutique at 126 Bay Street - right smack in the middle of the tourist area of downtown Savannah. Next door to the fabulous River Street Inn. I am looking forward to doing business with the fantastic owner, Lisa. She carries a wide array of gift items - and tries to focus on local artists. I, of course, always appreciate this!

I've opened a new shop on Etsy. I'm working on a variety of bike related art items: oil paintings, photography, ceramic sculptures. You name it. I'm working on it. This gives me a chance to combine my love of creating with my husband's love of all things cycling...

Speaking of the bike art, I'm going camping this weekend with a big bicycle group, and plan to take advantage of the opportunity to get tons of mountain biking photos! I will also be getting more practice with my fancy new dslr camera. Can't wait!

Guess I better load some photos really quickly and get back to work. Huge to-do list today! Enjoy your gorgeous April everyone! (oh - and special Shout Out to birthday girl Rachel! May this be your most fabulous year thus far!!)

Oh no! I almost forgot to add the oh-so-fun visit from my Aunt Boozie this week and her friend Emmy! They came and hung out with me at the booth - then we followed it up with a Savannah ghost tour in a topless hearse. It was so much fun!

photo from ghost tour

Emmy in a hearse...

Boozie cheesing for the camera. Something tells me she doesn't like having her picture made.

Booth on River Street.

Booth pic 2

March 29, 2010 Quick Update

It's been crazy around here! St. Patrick's Day on River Street followed by a funeral in Louisiana this past week means my March has really kept me hopping! Speaking of hopping, I can't believe it's almost Easter. This Saturday is 1st Saturday on River Street again, so I'll be taking the scarves down to the river. If you're in the area, I'll be in the same spot - just down from Olympia Cafe. My aunt is coming in for the weekend to hang out with me while I work. The weather is gorgeous. The garden is growing (minus those squash plants that something decided to eat while we were out of town!). I've been doing lots of hand painted scarves lately and plan to list the ones that are left next week. No point in listing them before the show this Saturday. I seem to be on some sort of self-annihilation mission - I went to Zumba this morning, then stayed for a Strength and Tone class immediately after... Can't really move my legs fully. Boy tomorrow should be interesting! Working on some fringed scarves. I got several requests for them at the March show, so I'm throwing them out there this month. Can't wait to list all the new items after the show this weekend. I love listing the new things and seeing what sort of responses I get. Feel free to make your own requests. You know, they say that turquoise, yellow and orange are all going to be big this season. I'm dyeing some this week, so keep an eye out! Why buy a whole new outfit when you can just add those trendy colors with a scarf?

Out of ramblings for now. Check back soon for more info. I'll try to post some of the pics from last week's trip to Louisiana in the next day or two...

Etsy featured item!

I made it to the front page of Etsy this weekend. That's never happened to me before, so I really wasn't sure what it meant to be featured. Basically it means that the "views" on that scarf went from 35 to 201 in about 1/2 an hour. Not too shabby as far as exposure goes! Here's a screen shot:

I think the curator of this Treasury did a great job on all the items, but of course am partial to my own item... ;)

Enjoy your St. Pat's week everyone! I have 66 more scarves to iron today for Wednesday's booth on Riverstreet, so I better get back to work!

Random Ramblings...

So I don't really have a goal for today's blog - other than to ramble on about what's going on here.

It's a quiet rainy day - and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I love the quiet.

I'm waiting on an order of silk scarves and realize I am in the calm before the storm. Dyeing 150 green scarves for St. Patrick's Day on Riverstreet is not daunting in the least. IRONING 150 green silk scarves, however, is a bit disturbing. I'm choosing to block that unavoidable mess for now.

I had a great day on Riverstreet this past Saturday. In Savannah we have an arts and crafts festival on the 1st Saturday of every month. I haven't taken my scarves to one in a few years, and was not sure what to expect. Thank goodness the economy is picking up and sales were great! The event coordinators came by and asked me to participate in the St. Pat's Day festival. And for some reason I agreed... We all know why, of course. Cash! Plus it will be fun. And the weather is promising to be nice - so who wouldn't want to sit by the river and enjoy the festivities - and call it work?

I'm painting an alligator. I've painted it once before, but wanted to tackle it again. It's been 4 years, and I hope to improve on the first one. Here's the photo I'm painting from:
I took the photo one night after a long day of wakeboarding on the Savannah River (in the wild life refuge, specifically). I love the image and it's so much fun to paint. It's going pretty quickly - for me, anyway. I'm quite the slow, meticulous painter... but I think it will be done in a couple of days - I'm definitely going to be taking a break for a week to finish/sell green scarves though...

If you're in Savannah for St. Patrick's Day come on down to my tent. I'll be right along the river somewhere amongst the drunks. Should be a pretty entertaining day of observations from the safety of my tent.

Off to read while I wait for the UPS man and the FedEx man. Lot's of packages coming today. And lunch with a friend. Such a great Thursday! Enjoy, everyone.

Scarves debuting in Red Clover...

A selection of my scarves can now be found at Red Clover - a fabulous boutique in down town Savannah that specializes in reasonably priced fashion. Check them out when you're in the area! Nothing like touching the silk in person. And grab an outfit to go with your new scarf while you're at it!

Don't worry if you're not in Savannah - you can still find a wide range of scarves in my shop! New designs weekly. And you can always contact me for custom dyed items as well. You belly dancers are keeping me up to my ears in silk veils! And I LOVE it!

The gloves are off...

One of the pesky side effects of dyeing silk is that, when I'm too lazy to dig out the long dish gloves, the water/dye mixture seeps over the top of the latex gloves. Sooo when I spend a day and a half dyeing purple and green veils and scarves, apparently I end up with purple and green fingers. So tonight it looks like I'm off to the gallery opening with green fingernails. Maybe I need to dig out the dark colored nail polish...

Updates!

So very busy lately! It's fantastic. I love being swamped with art work. So here are the basics:

Tomorrow night -

Friday, February 26 5:30pm - 7pm

Armstrong Atlantic State University (4th item down)

Invitational Alumni Show

I have 6 of my larger paintings in the show. Very cool!

March 6 9am-6pm

First Saturday on the River

I'll have my booth set up, just down from Olympia Cafe (guess where I'm having lunch!)

So come on down and check it out, if you're in the area.

I'll even have a special basket of St. Patrick's Day scarves for $20 - What a bargain!

Needless to say, I'm swimming in silk at the moment! I love it. This weekend I'll be taking a break to go to a bachelorette party in Atlanta. A girls gotta have a little fun now and then... ;)

Crawling out of the dye vat to type an update...

I've been sucked in. The silk whispers my name - always. I pretend to do other things, like clean the house, watch Days of Our Lives - you know, priority things. But, no. My mind is really developing color schemes and new ways of binding the fabric to get the best merging of colors. To fuel this returning obsession, I bought a book at Barnes and Noble. I should really have stock in that company. Shibori Designs and Techniques. My new favorite book. And that's saying a lot, as I go through at least one book a week... I am 90% of the way through the book already. I am determined to read it from cover to cover before attempting any of the designs - I don't want to miss any important details, and sometimes I just like to torture myself by testing my self control. I will certainly be starting some of these fabulous advanced techniques on the next batch of silk.

On Tuesday I applied for 1st Saturday on Riverstreet. I am returning to selling silk at the art fair. It doesn't take up too much room, compared to say, the 50 ceramic bowls I have sitting in my 3rd bedroom. But I need to sell them to feed the PayPal account, and in return pay my silk supplier. Gotta get my fix. My shopping cart is already full - just waiting on the acceptance letter for 1st Saturday, so that I can click the Complete Purchase button...

I also started an Interior Design I course on Tuesday. Just once a week for 5 weeks, but it is heavenly to not only be back in a classroom, but learning about something I truly enjoy. I already know I'll be signing up for ID II and ID III. That reminds me, I have to delve into the 3rd bedroom in search of graph paper for my homework... Those of you that have seen the room know to send out a search party if you don't hear from me after about a week.

On a happy note -wait, everything above is happy. To cap off the happiness above, my lovely friend Rachel (Wine and Cheese, Please...) game me and my blog(s) an award yesterday. I have received the coveted "When Life Hands You Lemons" award. As a recipient of this amazing award, I must share 5 things about myself, as well as link to 5 other blogs. I'm not sure if I have 5 other blogs to link to, but I'm sure I follow close to that many -and I'll post them below.

So here goes:

5 Facts About Me (that you may or may not know)

1. I love to travel - but I can't stand cheesy tourist traps. I've been to NYC twice and have refused to see the Statue of Liberty, etc both times. Mostly just because I don't like it when people tell me I "have" to do something. I know, I know - it's spiteful and only hurting myself. Yet somehow I live through it. I much prefer to roam around aimlessly and see how the "real people" live.

2. I don't like for people to tell me what to do. I will go out of my way to do the opposite, in fact. It's childish, I realize. I am ok with that.

3. I have 5 siblings, and while they were the bane of my existence growing up, they are some of my favorite people in the world now.

4. I'm almost 37 and I have not only no plans to have biological children, I really don't like the little suckers. I will play with them, and enjoy them, but then I will always give them back. I adore my step daughter, and that is more than enough for me. Feel free to keep asking me when I'm having them and why I don't want them, and then trying to break apart my subconcious in an attempt to understand the horrible things that must've happened to me to cause this dislike of the heathens. Nothing happened. I just have others plans for my life.

5. Speaking of my life - I love it. Would I be happier if I were selling more art? Absolutely. But sales are picking up, along with the economy. So I have complete and utter faith in the fact that sales will continue to increase, and I will be able to afford my silk addiction. Would I like to see friends and family more? Sure. But we do pretty well keeping in touch via internet. So my life is pretty rosy. Fabulous husband, great family and friends, starting to find my niche in the art world. All is good.

So, 5 blogs that deserve the passing on of the 'When Life Hands You Lemons' award.

1. Exploring Bulgaria... and Beyond : yes, I'm biased on this one. It's my sister. But it is fabulous to follow her adventures. And absolutely deserving of the award. She is taking what is otherwise a potentially horrendous event in her life, and making it an adventure for her and her family - and her followers. It might be a private blog though, as it is about her kids and has photos, etc. AND she hasn't updated since APRIL of 2009... Yeah, Big B, that's a not so subtle hint.

2. Wine and Cheese, Please... : Of course, I have to return it to Rachel. She is so entertaining, and keeps me laughing when I read. And her encouragement is always so appreciated!

3. Sagittarius Gallery : Ok, this is an art blog that I try to follow. It's just fun to read about the ups and downs of a painter - and know I'm not the only one going through the craziness involved. Oh, and her work is gorgeous as well!

4. Hatched : This one is new to me. I just started following it yesterday, thanks to Rachel's links! And it is cracking me up. Go check it out. I love anything that makes me giggle. :)

Well, that was close. I got 4 out of 5. When I come up with a 5th, I'll be sure to pass on the love. I know I have another one in my list of followed blogs, I just need to go do some digging.

So congrats to all of the great bloggers out there! Keep up the good work. What else would I do on such a rainy, icky day if I didn't have you to keep me entertained? Oh, yeah. The silk. It is beckoning... I. Must. Dye.

Have a great week everybody!

It's Baaa-aaaack. aka: An update.

Ok, so I've been quiet for the holidays - but the new year is bringing a new drive, and a new direction! Thanks to my sister's upcoming 30th birthday - combined with her return to belly dance, I've been inspired! (Happy Birthday Beth and Marie! -yep, 2 sisters with the same birthday...) Over the holidays I began thinking I should do something for her 30th - and when Michael's sold out of those light up ballerina Christmas hippo yard ornaments, I had to rethink the gift... I discovered that my supplier had recently started selling belly dance veils and hip scarfs. Fortunately, I've delved into the world of belly dance a wee bit, and was able to pick out a few things I thought she would really use. Then I hounded her doggedly in order to get her costume colors, etc. I dyed the scarf and veil (uh, Note to self: fringe tangles horribly in the washing machine - hand wash from now on!) and waited anxiously for the snail mail delivery. Hopefully she will send me some pics of her in her full costume so I can post them here! (hint, hint)

Anyway, once I brave a trip into the abyss that is my supply room and began rummaging through the dye supplies, I got hooked. I pulled out my previously dyed scarves, posted a couple that were good, then began to dye the remaining scarves. Now I'm out of silk and anxiously waiting (again) on the mail man to deliver my next order! I have posted 3 scarves, 4 are sitting in my kitchen floor "setting" and I have one veil and hip scarf to photograph and post in the store. I can't wait to do a few more scarves to try some techniques I've been scheming on - then I'm going to work on a couple of silk paintings. I think some of the oil painting work I've been doing will actually translate to silk pretty well. I love being excited about a project!

Speaking of customer photos (which I sort of did above, but admit that was a cheesy segway) I have a few below from one of my customers! Thanks, Connie, for creating that awesome wall of art in your home! And of course for sending me the pics.

Here's one of my standard scarves - good for the neck, hair, or waist. They're approximately 11" x 58", so can be used for a lot of different things.

And here's a Belly Dance Veil that I made while making Beth's set! Very cool peacock color scheme. Could keep this one for myself...