Moments in Time magnets
Originally uploaded by m.Lee New in my shop are a new collection of totally different magnets and buttons/ badges to collect. These go well on their own or paired with my earlier woodblock print sets. They can all be found here along with my Gocco printed sketchbook journals.

Things are okay. My friends surgery went alright. No miracles but no disasters either. Honestly I am still in shock by it all as it unfolds I can't believe it is happening.

We had decent weather and it is looking like good weather for the rest of the week and I am going to focus on that.

Delicate
Originally uploaded by m.Lee Good night and good morning. I am off to bed as soon as I post this. Blogging before bed seems to be the best time for me.

In case you missed it yesterday I am running a Studio Sale in my Etsy Shop in honor of spring cleaning. Clean up my studio and clean up my shop to make room for new pieces like this one and of course plenty of collages and other fresh goodies. Nothing is over $50 so if you have been coveting a piece for awhile it is worth checking out.

theme for the day - Day 1
Originally uploaded by m.Lee I've started doing these from cards that I wrote and put in an empty drawer. At night I shuffle them up and pick two. Then when I sit down to do some art I keep them in mind. We'll see how it goes. I didn't have much time for art yesterday so all I ended up from these suggestions was this simple sketch, but it was good to get back to my daily sketching.

Today I have:
Change Tools
Read a Page from the Closest Book (that would be Eat, Shoots and Leaves

Peacock
Originally uploaded by m.Lee Is new around here. Little blee is still pretty sick and needing to be held/ carried constantly. This is wear my baby carriers are coming in extra handy. Especially two shouldered. I wouldn't have anything done if it wasn't for them.

I'm feeling a total creative block at a very bad time. I really want to make some new pieces for my show but I am just not feeling it. I did manage to list this piece and this one
from last month in my Etsy shop

Poppies at Nightfall - ACEO
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Pfau
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Woodblock prints are back, my first of the year actually! Not that I am anywhere near done with collaging and gocco. In fact I made a collage that I am quite proud of just last night. But I had a chunk of time and was in the mood so I made about ten prints. Not a lot for me but it was what I was feeling. The peacock is my favorite.

Cultivating the eclectic
Originally uploaded by foftychel I was feeling pretty stressed out and awful yesterday, then I saw this and I smiled and then laughed for the first time in awhile.

Check out the statue next to it. Squirrel headed bride! Just another reason for me to love BirdNerd! Not only is she a talented artist, a sweet person but she is cute and funny. And of course she has great taste as well.

Thank you my dear!

ACEOs
Originally uploaded by m.Lee Back to my roots, well one of my roots. The ACEO! (or art cards in general as I do love trading for these little gems) These have been one of my favorite methods of experimentation. My first mixed-media woodblock print collages were ACEOs and there is no reason for me to stop now that I have moved on to larger pieces. They are still fun to make and still the best for experimenting. The two I made on Tuesday night are no exception. Enjoy!

Duality
Originally uploaded by m.Lee After being sick feeling well feels incredible. Things were pretty good yesterday, I had some time while blee napped in the Pack n Play (a big deal) to tinker with my shop so tinker I did. If you mosey on over and have a looksie you may notice two distinct changes. The first one is that the size categorizing has been replaced with categories based on subject. I think this will make searching easier, and to help even further I have added dimensions to all my titles. Other than ACEOs, I think the ACEO label is enough for now.

Mermaids - #18 Collage
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Etching from college
Originally uploaded by m.Lee Good morning! Hope you had a great weekend.

Saturday was great with wonderful weather, we picked up my new carrier and went for a long walk.

It all started simply with me finding a place for the baby carrier that a woman I know here in Boston made with some fabric I bought on Etsy. Then I decided that my silk ring sling from Bronwenhandcrafted had no business being stuffed in a back so I steamed out the wrinkles and hung it off the side of the bins.

Bitter Pills - ACEO
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com I can't sleep so here I am making a hopefully quick blog post after dusting off the Wacom tablet and doing a little sketching. A sketch that I added to my sketch collection on Flickr.

Both blee and I are still a bit sick so I am going to try and get back to sleep and take it easy today. Getting back into the swing of things slowly.

Done this week:

1) Made this new ACEO/ ATC
2) Finished carving
3) Hung art at cafe
3) Cleaned studio
4) Sketched with Wacom tablet

Things to do:

1) List ACEO/ ATC
2) Print
3) Finish hanging art

don't tip over!

Quiet Playground
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.comThe new street team for Etsy Printsy is up and running with me doing the first artist interview. Check it out over at the Printsy blog. Printsy Interview : Fustian

Last Thursday and Friday I was finally able to get some printing done, first time since March I believe. It felt very good to be printing again and even better having new prints like these. I was able to use my latest block, but only with this one for now but I know I will be bringing it out again in the future. All of my latest creations will be making their way into my shop in the next week or two. With new pieces in the works this week my shop will stay current for a good long time hopefully. Check it out!

Blue Pines - ACEO
Originally uploaded by m.Lee I found a stash of finished and partially finished ACEOs while I was searching for one that was purchased from my shop. I never did find the card, one that I had a special love for, and was starting to panic when I realized that I had shipped it late last week. My brain just isn't all here today. But at least it got me back in the mood to focus on these little bits of affordable art for awhile, something I have been meaning to do for some time now. So keep an eye out for more this week and next.

mmmm smells like milk
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

flower behind fence
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.comI don't take what I would call exciting photos during my nature walks. I take snapshots of things that catch my eye, usually with the camera from my phone as it is a decent camera and is simple to use while wearing a baby!

I take in the images and then go through them later looking at the colors, shapes and general ideas for work. Here are some of my quick snapshots from today. I didn't have a lot of time to stop and gaze at the flowers because we were on our way to see the pediatrician for blee's nine month visit but I caught a handful of interesting images.

I like how this flower is growing in a tiny yard behind a fence so almost nobody can enjoy it unless they look for it like I did. I like seeing the dug up lawn with what looks like a Maple tree sapling springing out of the ground. And then there are the gorgeous colors all around.

Peaceful Butterfly
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Purple Locks
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

The Smell of Pine - ACEO
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

now this is my kind of bouquet!
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.comHope the mother's reading this blog had a great day and that the sons, daughters and partners were able to appreciate the mother's in their lives.

This was my first mother's day, even though last year while I was pregnant I did get a mother's day blessing from a gas station clerk while driving back from Brooklyn.

It started on Thursday when Jon surprised me with this incredible bouquet of fruit flowers. He told me later that he basically could have had the whole thing dipped in chocolate for an additional fee if he had clicked a button but I am glad that he didn't. There were more than enough chocolate dipped strawberries to keep me happy for days. Yum!

determined - SPT
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.comHas been following me around mentally. But not today. I'm not going to let my negative thoughts get the best of me today. Today is going to be different. This is the face of somebody that is determined to feel better!

I've been sketching daily using the Wacom tablet every day. My goal obsessed brain needs to turn this into some sort of goal to suck out the fun and I am fighting that urge. But I am going to do thirty of them. They don't have to be one a day every day. But I want thirty by the end of June! Some days I will need to double up because I am going to be out of town for five days this month and won't have my tablet with me, nor will I have the time regardless.

I'm trying not to get hung up on the quality of them and just enjoy the time to doodle for fun.

duckie shows what the mirror can do
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Where?
Originally uploaded by m.Lee I know I am going to make sure that I do! And I hope that you do too. This day only happens every four years. Any of you having a birthday? Also, February being over is a thing to celebrate at the very least.

Looking at these beautiful purchases and gifts that I received tonight makes me realize just how lucky I am. I'm lucky enough to have baby bibs that are so nice they will be passed down instead of tossed aside. Want your own? Check out her shop at Une Petite Etoile. She chooses such beautiful, soft and lush fabrics for little ones that I almost wish I was the baby and not the mom!

No moping. No dwelling. No time wasting, yet allowing myself to relax is important, a tricky balance for sure. No being overly emotional and sensitive. No being angry.

washiwashiwashiwashi!
Originally uploaded by m.Lee I won the paper fetishist lotto tonight.

This incredible gift of washi and other beautiful papers that I recieved tonight has pulled me out of my hole to blog a bit. It is just spectacular and I haven't even gone through it yet. I need to find a good place to store all these pretties. I have some pretty wonderful, thoughtful and generous friends.

Speaking of friends, we took a little drive down to RI to see HeatherJeany, meet her husband and her precious new baby boy. Packed up all our gender neutral clothing along with the much loved but sadly outwiggled Moby Wrap and we took to the road Saturday morning after a sudden warmup after a bad storm. We had a great time. She's the best, her husband is very sweet and her baby is adorable and so tiny!

Night Falls on Two Trees
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.comMy normal Wednesday plans have been canceled and I am going to try and made the best of it.

Things aren't so good. My friend's illness is not getting better and my cat seems to have a problem with his eyes and I need to call the vet today. I might end up putting him in the carrier and pushing him in the stroller while I where blee down to the vet today. Good times. I also need to call a woman about pet sitting next month while we go to a funeral in Ohio.

But if I have some time I will use it to print and not jerk around and waste time. I still have a bunch of paper printed in various stages of completion. And while I have a fair amount of work from last week I would like to have more, in different colors.

Winter Light Shines on Ginkgo Leaves

View from my relaxing chair
Originally uploaded by m.Lee No Valentine's Day chocolate for me please, but feel free to send hugs and kisses to miss blee.

I started feeling bad with a sore throat on Tuesday night, but I pushed on and ignored it because I had a new desk to set up and a studio to re-organize.

And I do have a wonderful and well organized work station. I also have a runny nose, headache, muscle ache, sore throat and a fever. I caught it from Jon who caught it from his dad when we saw them in New Haven. Thankfully the only hint of it in blee has been a slight cough. She's behind me right now in her bouncy chair inspecting one of her toys.

This reminds me a lot of last years three month illness, but thankfully without the throwing up.