Illustration Friday - Emergency

this is a medic alert bracelet i designed a couple of years ago. the store bought are usually so ugly! why shouldn't emergency gear be pretty?

View Through the Studio

it is looking so amazing. we started to go up the stairs last night and the view of the mural through the studio windows was fantastic. the photo didn't do it justice but i'll post it anyway.

well here are a few more pix of the developing mural....

Mural

my good friend adrienne came for a visit and is painting this amazing mural in the window well outside my studio. check back over the next few days to see the progression. here are wips from yesterday, its already looking amazing!

We Will Miss You

Glen Bradley Schroeder

1970-2007

My Greatest Creations

well.....maybe not the horse.

Tears

i am overwhelmed with sadness this morning. found out that a dear friend, my sister's brother-in-law, died suddenly last night in a farming accident. he was my age, and the loss is profound. i wish i could scoop up his wife and 3 children and make the hurt go away. the pain is so raw, i cannot even begin to imagine what they are going through.

Keep a green tree in your heart and a singing bird will come. -Chinese proverb

Illustration Friday - Moon

finally got this clear coated and drilled and attached to a chain.

posted onto etsy tonight. cheers!

New On Etsy

just listed these earrings on etsy. have been experimenting with some steel bits i came across...think they are involved in plumbing somehow? not sure, but they are fun. made a bracelet and necklace to go with them, so check back!

Old, Made New Again

i found these in my portfolio from I don't know how many years ago! but they were fun and I may revisit the colored inks. these will eventually make it to my etsy store. cheers!

Live Long and Prosper

okay, how geeky are we? on a recent trip to the town of Vulcan, here in sunny Alberta, we just couldn't resist a photo op with the Enterprise :) that's me and my 7 year old trying to hold up the vulcan greeting!

More New Work

these bracelets are a take off of my original recycled credit card bracelets. slightly different shape to the gift card charms and added swarovski crystals for a bit of bling.

Dabblings

the kids were painting birdhouses for the yard the other day and i decided to jump in and dabble a bit. these are some wood pendants that i finished that night. they haven't been drilled or clear-coated yet. its not even a decent photo since i just scanned them, but here they are.

Illustration Friday - Discovery

Canadian Heatwave

when i mention that i live in canada, people usually comment on the frozen north, extreme cold, snow etc. no one thinks that it really gets hot here...wrong! today is 26C and tomorrow will be 30 and saturday will be 34. which translates to about 80F, 86, and 93! this may not seem all that hot to some of you, but think 93 and no air conditioning!!! or rather, canadian air conditioning which is actually a crappy little ocsillating fan that doesn't ocsillate anymore. we are melting! here's hoping for milder weather soon!

As Usual

well as usual, i start off with the best of intentions to keep up with my blog and then promptly forget about it. business is booming and life is incredibly busy. and sadly my blog keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the long list of things to do. since moving into our lovely new home, it has been a steady stream of visitors and we are having a great time! currently, it is time for the calgary stampede here and we are loving watching the fireworks every night from our rooftop deck. had my spring show in june and it was my best show ever! blew the fall show out of the water, which was gratifying, especially since it was without holiday sales. here are a few of the new pieces that showcased there and will hopefully migrate (miraculously) to the website! once again, signing off and hoping to get here more regularly. cheers!

Moving Day

well moving day was february 15th! yeah! finally we're in our new house :) and after 6 weeks of frantic unpacking and organizing we are settled. gee, that didn't take long! we even sold the old house and the new owners took possession on march 1st. we still have the occassional subcontractor roommate, but all is going well and we are really enjoying the new place.i was lucky enough to participate in the triangle gallery's artist home and studio tour this weekend. the tour was a great success with over 330 people coming through and sold tons of jewelry! now i have to get started on the spring show :) it never ends, does it? will post some pictures of new designs soon. happy spring everyone!

Happy 2007!

happy new year everyone! didn't get back to it nearly as much as i had hoped. lots of visitors over the last couple of weeks! my sister, brother-in-law and their 3 kids came to visit which was loads of fun, but incredibly busy. think 5 kids all under the age of 7 and 4 adults, plus 2 large dogs in a house designed for about half that :) definately kept the holidays hopping!

the house completion has been changed...again! we're now looking at january 31st. so in the meantime the studio and about half the house have been packed in anticipation of the 10th (the most recent previous move date). i can't tell you how many times i've said, where is such and such? oh crap, its packed! oh well, there are worse things to endure i suppose.

hope everyone's holidays were wonderful and cheers to a fabulous 2007!

Finally Back

oh man, has it really been over 2 months since i wrote anything?! where did the time go? we have been building our dream home for over a year and are nearing the end. but of course the closer you get to the end, the more decisions there seem to be. our move in date has changed about 4 times. the last one was december 18th, but that has changed to january 10th now and hopefully this one will be final! its a bit frustrating of course, but will mean less frantic-ness over the holidays...well at least no more than usual!

have also been working alot the last couple of months. exclusively on jewelry, lots of holiday orders. and very soon the studio will be packed up, leaving more time for relaxing with the kids, reading and visiting friends. hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and see you with some new work in the new year! cheers, stacey

Match Game

this card was originally in black and white for illustration friday's subject "match". i gave it a bit of technicolor and here ya go. the new and improved "match game". currently available on ebay. cheers!

E is for....

here is letter E! that makes A-F done. keep an eye for new letters over the next few weeks. this one is available on ebay at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=007&item=170027834723&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

have a great day!

Illustration Friday - Farm

i couldn't decide which one to post so here are two. these are aceos from last year actually. sorry they're not current, working on a deadline at the moment! cheers everyone!

Illustration Friday - Safe

Are we ever really safe?

Illustration Friday - Run

well, i knew for a fact i wouldn't have time to do the drawing i wanted so here is a photo of the world's laziest dog! (sorry, i know this is a lame illo friday!) this is, in fact, my dog, shiraz. he has been an old man since he turned 8 months old! we like to play a little game with him to test his intelligence and agility. it goes a little like this:

"Shiraz, sit!" (no response)
"Raz, RUN!" (no response)
"Come on Raz, RUN!" (no response)
"Lie down!" ......"Good dog!"

from his expression, he's probably saying "You've got to be kidding!" which is his general attitude toward any type of movement. unless there is food involved of course! hope everyone has a great week!

Sun Up

thanks everyone for your wonderful comments on my most recent illustration friday drawing! seems people like black and white. i'll return to that again, probably for friday's new theme! for now this is a simple one available on ebay. thanks so much for visiting!

Illustration Friday - Match

for whatever reason, when i got this week's theme for IF, i immediately thought of the impromptu game of pick up sticks we had while camping a gazillion years ago. bored out of our skulls, pick up sticks using matches seemed a great solution! i was also reminded of the card matching game my kids play quite a bit. i wanted to add color to this, but burnt the s**t out of my finger whilst changing a lightbulb and can't hold a crayon. maybe later. have a great week!

Illustration Friday - Capture

Illustration Friday - Clean

usually when i get the illo friday assignment, i don't do it. this isn't because i don't find it interesting, but because i don't feel like i have enough time to do a 'full piece'. for me a full piece usually involves lots of colors, prismas, shading and in the end selling it on ebay or some such. this week i decided to take a note from willie baronet, whose work i find extremely inspiring, and just do a quick sketch. i only gave myself 5 minutes to do it and this is what i came up with! i used to doodle these cascading alphabets all the time. it might make it to a 'full piece' one day, you never know. i don't know what made me think of it, but this has been a great creative exercise for me! so thank you willie and thank you IF! have a great week!

King Crab

a new aceo on ebay, titled King Crab. took a little break from the alphabet to return to the crustaceans :) have a great day!

D is for...

finally got letter D done!! yeah! i've been swamped with jewelry work and neglecting my drawings. this one is currently for sale on ebay. happy creating!

Yeehaw!

well its that time of year again...for the calgary stampede! the entire city goes cowboy crazy! your accountant is suddenly decked out in full regalia, right down to the spurs on his boots. calgary really gets into it, with free pancake breakfasts all over the city, every day and every window downtown decorated with bucking broncos and bullriders. not to mention the excitement of the chuckwagon races! we live a short distance from the grounds and are able to watch the fireworks from our window every night. of course, if you're trying to go to bed early it can be a little annoying :) all in all, i LOVE stampede! the entire city becomes one big welcome mat and people from all over the world come to enjoy. check it out and maybe come for a visit to beautiful alberta: http://calgarystampede.com/

Bzzzzzzzzzzz!

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, its a.......MOSQUITO!!!! cripes, they really are out in force here! i have a bite on my leg that, i kid you not, is as big as a jam jar! itches like the devil. tried to take the kids to the park. the playground is surrounded by grass, which i knew contained hundreds of the buggers. we had our bug spray on though and i thought for sure once we reached the safe oasis of the slides, the swarm would disperse. we ran full-tilt across the field and arrived completely surrounded! and the swarm didn't disperse! we turned tail and ran like something out of an indiana jones movie. back across the field yelling, "run for the car!" and waving at my husband to get the doors unlocked and ready to get the kids in! once we had killed all the strays and were safely in the car, we laughed, but before that....not so much :)

F is for....

new one on ebay. letter F this time. just had to buck the system and go out of order! have a great week!

Illustration Friday - Rain

this is an older piece, but so perfect for this week's theme, i had to post it :) titled "Stormy Night".

Illustration Friday - Dance

C is For....

yea, got C done!! heavens i'm slow these days! this one is currently available on ebay.

Dad's Day

Happy Father's Day! to all you dads :) it has been an incredibly busy week! last weekend was my spring show. it was a fantastic success and i am already looking forward to my fall show! i showcased this pendant made out of pmc clay and african turquoise beads. i hope to get some more drawings up soon too. can't seem to get the letter C finished! hope everyone is having a great week! cheers, stacey

B is for...

just listed 'B' on ebay. i'm having such fun with this letter theme! if you'd like to see a particular letter, just let me know! cheers :)

A is For...

well, i 've been more than a little slow getting new work, or even a note, posted here! sorry about that :( things have been crazy busy with visitors and getting ready for my spring show on june 10th. the kids factor in there somewhere too!

at any rate, this is a new series of aceo's that i've been developing for a while now. each one is comprised of 5 or more little 2unds (that is drawings smaller than 2 inches). i started with A (an obvious choice you might say) and will continue with letters as fancy strikes. hope you enjoy them! this one is available on ebay until tuesday.

cheers and have a great weekend!

Seasonal Colors

i adore the changing of the seasons! sadly, here in calgary, we don't get the full 4 every year. it's mostly winter and a couple months of summer. but right now it is definately spring and it is glorious! happy spring everyone!

Illustration Friday - Fat

thought i'd stick with this whole ocean theme i've got going on. seemed only fitting to do a puffer fish, showing being fat can really come in handy! this is another mini too, 1" x 1", which will be up for sale on ebay on monday the 8th.

Illustration Friday Part 2 - Under the Sea

ever wonder what really goes on under the sea? crab theatre of course! this one is titled Crab Act and will be available on ebay on monday. cheers!

Illustration Friday - Under the Sea

well this month's theme for the lounge link, mermaid, was particularly challenging for me, i just don't do people very well. and so i opted to do the absolute smallest person i could! this little mermaid is only 1"x1" and is currently available on ebay. coincidentally it also fit perfectly with the illo friday theme, under the sea!

Hermit Crab

i've been feeling crabby lately, can you tell?

Lone Crab

just posted this little 1x1 on ebay...