Thanks Giving Sale

As the end of the year and Thanks Giving Day approach, I have many things to be thankful. Most of all, my family, our love, health, and the time we can spend together. I am infinitely thankful everyday,  and I pray everyone feels as thankful in their lives.

This year was interesting and I feel blessed: in my family, I accepted that now I am the shortest person in my home (kids... they do grow fast!); I won awesome giveaways (to my delight), made new friends, enjoyed clay babies traveling by my house (Touring babies!); was published in a magazine (Thanks Cindy :o*); Art and Craft wise I reopened my Etsy shop,which I had left on the side (same for ebay) for a long time, while I learned and practised doll making.

And that's where I want to give thanks to everyone that reads my blog.
I am offering a 30% off CODE on everything in
my Etsy Shop: Dolls, Paintings, ACEOs and Custom Portraits.

Take a look and hopefully you will find something you like. Will be going on from today till the end of the month, on Nov. 30th 2010. First come First serve, as I don't make 2 of the same once they are gone, they are gone for good! Read code below picture.

Code: THXGVNAYALA Use it at checkout to get 30% off.
Does not apply to shipping.

Nice Friday and great doll video

Yesterday was a fun day. my husband had a day off. We did a few things around the house fixing things here and there, went out to have lunch, then to the books store, looking for the Doll Collector Magazine where my doll Luna is published (Along with Selene and Victoria!) But seems they still don't have it in town. Oh well.... I got the magazine Art Doll Quarterly with Jane DesRosier dolls. I also saw Cristina Alvarado's work in the article about women studios, I was thrilled, I love her pictures!

Also bought a cool book on acrylics, Oh what a treat! I'm happy!
At night as I was going around online, I bumped into this wonderful video by Yuyi Morales illustrator/doll maker, of how the book "Mi Abuelita"(written by Tony Johnston) is made. Isn't it awesome? I fell in love with that cat!! The pictures were taken over a period of 3 years. This is love you guys, loving an idea and sticking with it until the end. Thanks for sharing Yuyi!



Have a beautiful rest of the weekend!

WIP painting

Here's where the painting is at this moment:

Hair, face and blouse are different - collaged with fiber paper- now she has an earring. I am working too slow on her, but enjoying it. Actually, working too slow in everything!  Days ago I had the great idea of hurting my back, and it has been difficult to do things. I'm a bit better but good grief, we don't ever thing of our back, until we have a pain and can't do a thing. Perfect excuse to skip the cooking :oP

Blank

So after thinking about it off and on for literally months to no end, probably about a year... I decided to go blank. No background. In many monitors my background was not even visible... so some people won't see much change, salve the new banner.
Feels roomier in here! Goes better with my website too.
Good bye old look, you were very nice to me ;o)

Now I have to go around and do the other banners. I already changed my flickr and twitter.
Thanks for visiting!

Featured, Revolution and Recycle day

I am being featured in this beautiful blog: Wymzee Art and Friends Thanks Linda!!!

Happy day of the Revolution to my Mexican friends! Not Independence day... not Cinco de Mayo, but Revolution day. Hope you enjoy the holidays. Many blessings, peace and love for that beautiful land.

Today we also celebrate the Recycling day. I just learn that thanks to WikiHow. I do. Cans, boxes, magazines, plastic, paper... you name it, I recycle!

Over the weekend at the book store, I bought the most beautiful recycled paper art journal.
Which brings me back to the original idea of posting a painting that I am recycling:

I painted it years ago, took it to the County Fair, got a little ribbon for it, listed it online and didn't reach my reserved price. It went to the closet for a while till I decided where to hang it or to list it again.
Well, years later it is still waiting and I don't paint that way anymore. In fact I have not opened my oils in a long time. At this point I could list it again to let it go, or re-work it.

I did a little research, hoping to paint with acrylics on top of it, but everywhere I read it simply doesn't recommend to do it, which makes sense even if I wanted to do acrylics. So.... I will gesso it, repaint and show you the results later on.
Along with that one I have some other tropical paintings that I had forgotten. Out of sight out of mind....?
What do you think?
UPDATE HERE

Music while painting

What music do you play when painting? I love all kinds of music, mostly soft rock, alternative and whistle along all happy.

Well, some days ago I heard an awesome song in the car and couldn't catch the name.. same thing next time... just kind of heard the name of the singer half way... Christina ...something. Agh! I went to look for it online by the lyrics, since I had no idea of the name either. This is the video, and I LOVE the song!!!! Jar of hearts, Christina Perri.



Enjoy!

Work in Progress and a blog Award

 After realizing that I was attacked by a Bipolar Muse, who pushed me in every direction at the same time, I decided to cool my horses (or is it hold my jets?) and go baby steps on one painting only. I will worry about the others later. Here is what I worked on so far, and you can see some WIP

She still needs more work, highlights maybe a flower and earrings...

Now the award: Campbell Jane gave me the Versatile Blog Award icon, which gives me the perfect opportunity to talk about me (Like if I don't ha!) so, here are 7 things about me, that you are dieing to know:

1. My inner child is the one that makes the rules around this house...
2. I can remember almost every sound of any instrument in many songs ranging from many decades... but hardly ever remember the name of the song :oB
3. Can't stand watching sports, I fall asleep unless there's someone I know playing.
4. I like to play marbles and make puzzles.
5. I love movies! I could go to the movies every day... only that not every time they have something good to watch. But I love to see the camera angles, the photography, the acting, the period costumes... or if it is a cartoon, I like to pay attention to the animation, textures, details....
6. I think Rupert Penry-Jones is super cute (Sorry Mr. Darcy)
7. I'm really rotten at giving blog awards... I'll put it on my list to find a blog that doesn't have one, and deliver. I don't want to just go and take it to the next person who got 7 of the same, that week :oP

Hard to restart

BEWARE, whinie post ahead! :oP

I guess I'm not the only one that leaves a project half way done, for one reason or another? This year was the time for me to finish many of them. Some projects were left unfinished because they were not going well. Some were fine, just merely left to dry, but then life got in the way and the poor painting got moved to the side and more stuff piled up around it.

And I am finding that sometimes it is hard to restart! Pick up where I left, and get back that idea I had originally. I really don't do much sketching, so if the initial inspiration is gone... it is really gone.

When I am making a doll, it doesn't matter, because the doll will look the way she wants. I hardly have any saying there. I start with one idea, and end up with something completely different. Unless I have a challenge, where it HAS to be one thing or another. I can leave a doll part (usually heads with no hair) and come back to make a body, etc...

But for paintings, I have to confess, it is taking me a long scary while to retake the canvas I left unfinished! Particularly the biggish size, not ACEO. I just look at it and start sweating an get this horrible feelings of going and wash dishes or iron some shirts! That's how bad it is, I'm telling ya!

I am not, not, not going to leave them unfinished.  The only solution is grab a muse by the ear, and start painting. The right muse, that is. Latelly I have been visited by all kinds of muses, so many ideas! Remember my old post where I was complaining that I lost my mojo? Well, now I want to do everything at the same time, running in every direction. But I don't want to start on more stuff without finishing first.

What do you all do? Run to the tele or fridge? Start something else? Pile stuff in the closet?  Just now I was going to paint, then I ended up coming to the blog because after all.... I had not posted in days. :oP
I have been actually painting new things, but I want to deal with the unfinished ones.

OK I have to go now. There's some funny noises in the pantry... hope to catch a thieve.

Sure enough, it had to be Panzón and not a muse.

Dia de los Muertos

I'm posting this late, but here's a little silly Dia de los Muertos "Panzón Art".

Sugar skull kitty Xo) ... Can you hear him purring?
(Me either LoL)