Illustration Friday: Forward

Something fun for IF this week. For the concept of FORWARD, my first thought was to do lettering or a quote of some kind... Then, "MOVE AHEAD" popped into my mind... and the rest is history!
Hint: The 80's!  (If you are stumped, it can be solved here.)

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Danita Art

Me and My Dog

I do not usually cross-post here with the Picture Book Junkies blog, and I'm not starting to today. :D  But I *do* want to give a shout *here* about today's Friday post *there*, because I am featuring one of my all-time favorite "artists I discovered on the internet", Danita Art.

I have mentioned Danita in passing blurb here and there, but I have never featured her actual work here. So today, I said "enough, already!" and I decided to feature it on PBJ's! Please hop on over to the Picture Book Junkies blog to check out my post on the lovely work of Danita Art.

Have a wonderful Friday (...and is this painting too cute, or what??)

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Guess what I did this weekend?

Oh, how I wish I time-stamped these photos..

Can you believe I finished???

I'm still pinching myself! (and nursing my sore neck, which just comes with the territory of obsessively doing a puzzle, doesn't it?)

I found it interesting that the puzzle was so challenging for me. Even though I haven't done a jigsaw puzzle in forever, I did do the art! So of course, I thought that I *might* have a little bit of an edge. Well, got the answer to THAT... WRONG! NO WAY! NO HOW! 

There are just SO many colors and patterns going on in this thing, it never lets up on your eyes or your brain. No breaks. I was actively engaged the entire time because of this. It was an experience! Definitely an accomplishment after a lot of work, but really, really fun. I have not been so alert and focused on a singular task for such a prolonged period, in a very long time. I'm a big multi-tasker. Concentrating on ONE larger, focused task for an extended period of time is not in my day-to-day. I usually focus on one thing for a few hours, then focus on something else, and so forth. But doing so with this puzzle (and obsessively... I might add)  until the work was complete, is, in hindsight, kind of fascinating—flexing some long-dormant mental muscles. And it felt really good. I feel a little more brainy right now. And even though I need to take a little break from puzzles in the name of time, I am definitely itching to do the Community Bridge puzzle now, too.

I discovered many tips and tricks during the puzzle. I guess this is only natural when you spend 20+ intense hours with something like this. Staring at it... dissecting it... figuring it out. Things to look for, things to look out for, ways to look at things differently in order to find the correct spot for a given piece. But in the end, I can say that just being aware of these tricks do not make accomplishing the puzzle any easier. No matter how you slice it, this puzzle is a BEAST!! I am SO PROUD that I completed it. Hey, I took the "Jive Cats puzzle challenge" and, I won! Woo hoo!! Yaaaay!!!!

I have completely and geekily put myself "out there" and created a Flickr group for everyone and anyone to share their puzzle process pics. (I could not help myself!) So, if you do the puzzle too, please share your process pics on the Jive Cats Puzzle Share Flickr group. I want to see your puzzle pics—your cat standing on the puzzle (or giving you the stink-eye for doing the puzzle instead of petting them), or your dog checking in on your puzzle progress while visibly thinking "Why aren't you doing the dog puzzle instead? In fact, why are you doing a puzzle at all instead of taking me for a walk?" So please, post away. And, if you plan to buy the Jive Cats puzzle from B&N, please make sure to Google "barnes and noble coupon code" first, and save a little cash that way! 

Now, off for a little two-day nap (and maybe some yoga too!) Aaahh!! :D

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Jive Cats Puzzle: process in pictures

Today I would love to show you some of the process of the creation of the Jive Cats puzzle art. Nothing formal, just a few screen grabs. Hope you enjoy the peek!

Add caption

And, of course, I am doing the Jive Cats puzzle myself! I cannot resist the challenge. (And believe me, it's a challenge!) I have not done a puzzle since I was a kid. I enjoyed them then, but I've since completely forgotten that feeling of doing a puzzle... of needing to find that one specific piece, of obsessively continuing to work even though your tummy is grumbling, your back is sore from leaning over, and (true confessions) maybe you even need to pee real bad... but you can't stop!

approximately 2 pm

...Yes, that was my day today.

approximately 8 pm (don't worry, I didn't work straight through!)

If I have piqued your curiosity, give it a try! Relive your childhood (and that weird, puzzle-obsessed feeling while you're at it)! You can purchase your own Jive Cats puzzle at B&N, and if you do, save a little cash with  a fresh coupon code.

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A Family Affair in Las Vegas

 A month ago (12/11),  my sisters Julie, Nancy and I along with our hubbies all took a trip out to Las Vegas. My dad was the featured artist at a large-scale five-day convention event which was part of the National Finals Rodeo week, an annual event held in Las Vegas every year.

Dad's art was on display everywhere! There were standing promo boards in the main hotel area, the large inviting display banner above the artist section,  table top cards, and more.


(pretty cool..)



My dad is not only an artist, he is also a cowboy who does a sport called cutting horses. He and my step-mom Cha Cha live on a big ranch in Utah with horses and buffalo and dogs and cats. (They are also renowned for their illustration and design work, but that is definitely another story for another day.)



The booth looked great!
(Just ask Matt!)

~~~~~

So, what else did I see at the show?

Lots of cool cowboy boots...

Classic western shirts with fab appliques and stitching, with those cool mother-of-pearl-like snaps..

 (real cowboys wear Wranglers, dont'cha know!)



Clothing with lovely retro tags inside the collar (like this Rockmount shirt).
Hey, maybe this is not even retro—maybe this is just the original classic tag design!
I bet that's the case here.



Some Cowgirl BLING! Ooh la la!



Some beautiful saddles, and some with bling of their own (top saddle: inlaid purple rhinestones) ...



... and, last but not least, we saw a little action in the ring!(Ride 'em cowboy!)



One night, we had dinner with the folks and we went to see Circue De Soleil's KA!
~~~~
Other time was spent just enjoying the sights, and catching up with old friends...



...like the Bellagio Penguins!




(I'm SO HAPPY they came back this year... JUST FOR ME!!)

And...

I also ESCAPED from IMMINENT danger!!
Flower polar bears can cause suffocation from fragrant hugs! TRUE!




We like seeing what is new, since our last visit
(such as this completely ridiculous and marvelous ladies' room entrance at the Cosmopolitan).


We visited a favorite restaurant, and had so much fun!
(We love Border Grill!)

We even got a chance to visit the Peppermill Fireside Lounge, a long-time favorite.
(Dear, sweet Peppermill, please, please, PLEASE, NEVER get torn
down like most everything else in LV.)
~~~~
And on our second and last night, we hit Fremont Street. Say what you will but I believe that Fremont Street is an essential ingredient to any truly authentic, well-rounded Las Vegas experience.
(You don't have to go every time you visit. But you gotta go at least once.)

We got caught in a mob scene of a Fremont Street Facebook Santa Meet-Up.  (Not kidding.)



No surprise that our good friend Miss Hello Kitty is right around the corner... Always!

More lovely novelty swag. What can I say? I cannot resist the bright and shiny.
~~~~~

Matt and I only had a whirlwind 48 hours for this trip, so we made every minute count! Can't say we got any real "down time", but we had so much fun family time, it was SO worth it! I'm so glad we were able to play "jet-setters" (ha ha) and make the trip.

Hope you enjoyed seeing the play-by-play!

Viva Las Vegas!
~~~~~~~

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Submit and commit

If you don't submit, you can't gripe about it later if your work doesn't get picked.

If you don't submit, you will never know if your work would have gotten picked.

You have trouble justifying the $35 entry fee, yet you'll think nothing of spending the same $35 on an impulse buy (for narrative purposes let's just pretend it's this).

If your gut is nagging you to submit a particular piece, just submit it. In the end, your work might get picked, it might not. But at least you know that gave it your best shot, and you can feel good about following through with it. (And that is worth more than the entry fee.)

You can't succeed if you don't try!

You just never know.

Just Do It!!!

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A puzzling mystery...

Hey everyone! It's been a crazy week in the vortex, and I actually feel guilty that I have not been able to post some very special news yet to my dear beloved blog.

It's been a whole DAY! One day since I've been at liberty to share the news. And here I am, feeling downright remorseful that I was not able to share the big news with you FIRST, dear reader...



But, you know that I like to put on a good show for you. And truthfully, yesterday I simply didn't have the time to give this special news the proper respect it deserves here, on my blog.

 

..So, I did the right thing and I waited 'til now to post about it.
I knew you'd understand. (You always do.)






Oh, wait!
(...Did I not tell you the news yet?)





The news is...




We've got puzzles!



I'm so happy to announce my partnership with Andrews & Blaine! Two 1,000 piece puzzles are now exclusively for sale at Barnes and Noble. They are currently available online, and should be in the stores fairly shortly. Yes, that's right. My Jive Cats™ and Town Tails™ characters are now the stars of their very own puzzles. That's pretty cool!

> Community Bridge (Town Tails)
> Jive Cats

You may remember "Community Bridge" from last year (the blue box above). This illustration started out as one of my Sketchbook Project 2010 spreads which I shared with you here and here. And now, almost a year and a half later, it's a big, colorful, fun puzzle for everyone to enjoy!

If you visit here with any regularity, you are fairly well-versed (and at least familiar) with my love for  the Jive Cats. They are my well-dressed and charming, sometimes smarty-pants, sometimes geekathon, but always barrel-of-cuteness kitty cats. and now, all this crazy cute-kitty-cat joy can be shared with you in this awesome pop-art puzzle.

I can only describe Jive Cats puzzle as, well, challenging. Maybe even very challenging. Okay, the words that really comes to mind is madness. Truth—this one is lying out on my dining room table...  and to be honest, it is a bit intimidating... So by now, you are either running scared, or, you're running straight to Barnes and Noble.com to order one! If that is YOU—you enjoy a fulfilling, heavy-duty (and yes, very entertaining!) puzzle challenge—please do dig this Jive!

If you would like to buy one or both of my puzzles, please take advantage of the Barnes and Noble coupon codes in my most recent newsletter here and save a little dough!

Also, there is Facebook "Like" button on both puzzle product pages. If you LIKE my art and LIKE these puzzles, please do press that little LIKE button on the product pages! Every little LIKE click helps to get the word out about my puzzles and my work. And, completely seriously, I could not be more grateful for your support and your enthusiasm for my work. It means the world to me. I am grateful for each and every LIKE. :) ...and every Tweet, and every +1.. but I digress.
You know what I am saying!

Here's to one great big puzzling mystery —solved! :D

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KEEP AT IT 2012 Giveaway -- Winners Announced!

Thanks to everyone who joined in my Keep At It 2102 Giveaway this past week. I hope you are all motivated to make your own magic happen in the new year! (I know I am!)

I assigned every entry a number (if you commented only, you received one number. If you commented and then also tweeted or facebooked, you received two numbers. If you did all three—commented, tweeted and facebooked, you received three numbers!). I used a random number picker to choose four winners.

And the winners are...

Shirley (commenter #2)

Andi B. (commenter #14)

Kerrie Jones (commenter #18)

Jennifer Meyer (commenter #21)

Congratulations, Winners! Please email or Tweet (Direct Message) me your mailing address!

twitter: @wellerwishes
email: kathy(at)wellerwishes(dot)com

Thanks for joining in the fun everybody! Let's have an AWESOME 2012!!!

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KEEP AT IT in 2012... a Giveaway!

Historically speaking, I've never been one to make extremely specific goals for the new year. It's because there are just so many variables in life that take the best-laid plans out at the knees without warning. And, I don't like to make promises I can't keep.

But... the truth is that life is all about having faith in what lies just around the corner, and totally working toward this—the things which you cannot see (yet) but still pour your everything into, anyway. This year has taught me a lot on the subject. If you believe in the possibility, you do the work, you are iron-clad committed, there is magic in that and it is possible to make your dreams happen. And to top it off, if all those boxes are checked, you really cannot ever lose faith or stop trying, either—it's just simply impossible to.

Lately this has been on my mind, and it's been the focus of a body of work I've just created. Movers & Shakers™ speaks directly to this mentality-shift. The art depicts some pretty cute, independence-minded characters who are earnestly working on their own goals, a peaceful palette created for calm focus, and inspirational sayings (written by me).

As a big "Thank You" to YOU for continually popping in and sticking around on my blog here as I continue on my own journey, I want to share some happiness and thanks with you to help ring in 2012! I'm giving away four packages of "Movers&Shakers: sunny side-up sentiments" art print postcards (four different prints per pack).

To enter ONCE...
just comment here (below).

To enter TWICE...tweet this post, then comment here letting me know you also tweeted it (please include your twitter handle in your comment).

To enter THREE times...
Share this post on Facebook + do the once and twice instructions (To do this, you can simply hit the Facebook "like" button at the very top of this post. Please mention in your blog comment that you FB "liked" this post).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Please leave your comment by Sunday, January 1 at midnight.
I will announce the winner here on Monday, January 2!
Thank you and good luck!! :D

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