happy new year!  i hope this post finds you happy and hopeful in this first week of the first month of 2014.

i wanted to share the first creative thing i’ve made this year.  i’m part of a Facebook group of artists, The Studio, and the artist who created the group – April Cole – challenged us to create an art badge as a way of celebrating our one year anniversary as a group.  i hadn’t participated in any of the challenges or activities so far and i signed up for this.  who cared that i’d never created an art badge in my life!  we were to post it on our Facebook group page on january 1st.

this is what i came up with.  i covered a chipboard heart shape with a gelli print, and went at it…

…and i love it!

i chose the phrase “create every day” for my badge.  i plan to place this somewhere in my work space where i can see it daily, to remind myself to really create EVERY day.  even if all i can manage is a drawing in my sketchbook late at night, into the early morning hours.

CREATE. EVERY. DAY.

i’m grateful for this challenge.  it made me think about what i want this year to be: creative, colorful, and full of art.

***

so, have i been creating every day?  we’re three days into january, and so far, yes.  if you guessed it’s late night/early morning drawings in my sketchbook – you’d be right.  my days are busy right now with personal issues, but i make it a point to stay up late, pull out my Sharpies, and draw.

i have lots of plans for this year. yesterday (due to the personal issues) i decided to temporarily close both my Etsy shops.  my husband (a.k.a. my shipping department!) and i need some time to focus and regroup.  and just breathe!  but it’s only for a short time.  i have my work table going with new projects, lots of ideas jotted down in notebooks – on the first of the year i even signed up for an online course with artist Jeanne Oliver.  i have lots to share and i can’t wait to get new items into the shops!  (if you’d like to see what i’m up to late at night, follow me on Instagram.)

again, happy new year!  and if you have a favorite word or phrase of your own, please share in the comment section!

til next time…