Three products for lovely ladies caught my eye in 2009. I couldn’t keep them to myself! Enjoy, and please share your own!

Hip-T’s – $15.95+

Layering is in (and has been for awhile). But sometimes, you don’t want the bulk and extra straps from a tank top just to have some fun fabric peeking out under your top shirt. Or, you might have some low-rise jeans or the dreaded “muffin top” issue to address. The solution? Hip-T’s! They are stretchy little bottoms of shirts that hug your hips and make any outfit look better. The makers provide a slew of fabric options, including solids, funky patterns, and ones edged with lace.

Tip: Buy a couple of staples, and at least one with a little fun!

BagMate – $29.95

Question: How do you lose a set of keys, your favorite lipstick, or that receipt you simply must have today?  Answer: put it in a typical woman’s purse!  You know it’s true, and to add insult to injury, how ’bout that anger management class you’ll need to sign up for after several attempts to find something in the “abyss?”  Ever just given up and dumped the entire contents of your bag out onto the floor in a moment of frustration while your husband or boyfriend (who has his neatly organized perfect little wallet, no doubt) is laughing hysterically at you?  Well, those days are over.

I highly recommend the Bag Mate, which allows you to neatly store all of your purse staples for easy retrieval.  Your phone, lipstick, pens, sunglasses, keys, business cards, and loose change can all be easily found, because they are always in the same place!  A huge perk for me is that when you want to switch purses, you just move your Bag Mate to your next purse. Easy cheesy.  It also has retractable handles, so you can use it on its own.  It comes in a variety of colors.  Check it out here.

While I was searching for the perfect purse organizers, I found several that were unique in their own way, but not perfect for my needs. They are my runners up, ad you may prefer one of them!

• The Purseket
• The Pouchee
• The Purse Pleaser
• The Purse Bright Organizer

Go Girl – $9.99

Now some of you will begin reading this and will think I’m crazy or that you’d never use a product like this. I am completely understanding and okay with that.  But, for the rest of us who find going to certain public bathrooms an exercise of our hovering abilities, avoidance tactics, or sheer ability to hold it in until we find a tidier option, this product is for you!

Go Girl allows us ladies to pee standing up.  There, I said it. Why should men be the only ones who can?

I discovered Go Girl from a product review from real women on a popular morning show. I had a camping trip coming up, so I immediately bought a couple.  It’s a hot pink, perfectly shaped funnel that allows you to discreetly relieve yourself in the woods (no one will suspect a thing), avoid dirty convenient store bathrooms, or assist you in keeping your sanity on a mission trip to a developing country. Simply use it, rinse it out, and put it back in its nifty storage container.  Find out more here.

Have you found a new product that has made your life easier or better? Leave a comment and let us know!

Well, hello!  Thank you for stopping by. I am finally stepping away from the work that I’ve been doing for my clients to update my blog with some of my recent projects!

First, I’d love to show you a photographer’s logo that I designed in December that I LOVE.  Photography logos are some of my favorite to design because there is typically a level of class associated with them, but there is also room for a little fun! In this case, the mark incorporates a graceful monogram with some fairly straightforward typography.

Next, I’ll post another fresh, clean design that I’ve created for a fantastic home designer. She has an intensely creative but quiet sense about her, and she wanted a logo and business card to reflect that. Tradition was put on the shelf, and I got to “paint outside of the lines” a little. It was great!

Now all designers have had a situation like this: A client approaches you with a concept that is tricky… say, a logo that must incorporate an eye, a star, and a reference to film. Oh, and not in a creepy way. I brainstormed and sketched, and came up with a classy design that I felt great about. Look closely to see all of the clever details. The client liked it, but didn’t feel that it fit them. (They directed the rest of the design concept, and we’ve come up with something that they are thrilled with but that you’ll never see in my portfolio). *smiling* As always, my end goal is the client’s 100% satisfaction, but I’ll display my favorite concept here:

Now, this last one is a logo, but it was a different scenario. Months ago, I designed a logo for a dance instructor’s blues studio. He loved it, so when his dance class (a tango and blues mix) needed a logo redesign, he came to me. He had some very rough versions of a logo that another designer had worked on, but they needed a… *ahem* face lift. I was up for the challenge! See the before and after logos below:

So there you have it! These projects represent only a fraction of the designs I’ve worked on since my lengthy absence from blogging, but they are some of my favorites. Thank you for reading, and if you’d like to see more of my design work, visit my website!

There are a lot of inventive, genius products and services out there, and I enjoyed my fair share of them in 2009! I want to share them with you.

Mint.com – Free

I’ve always been really good at keeping up with where my money goes. It started with Excel spreadsheets and watching bank statements closely. At the end of each month, I’d meticulously categorize spending in areas like food, gas, business expenses, mortgage, etc. Mint.com has simplified this month-end process. Now? I simply log in and look at pie charts and already categorized spending and take it all in. It’s beautiful! You can create your own categories or use existing ones. Compare your spending to national averages, track bank transfers, payments, and basically stay on budget! Add all of your accounts to monitor them on one site: bank accounts, mortgage loans, car loans, mutual funds, other stocks, and credit cards if you use them. I’m still amazed that this service 100% secure and free!

Practical application: Fantastic for helping you start a realistic budget without a lot of fuss. Just track your spending for a couple of months and see the areas that could be improved.

iPhone – $99+

When these first came out, I thought, “That’s ridiculous. I’m not paying more than $400 for a phone! I was using a Blackberry and it seemed to do everything I needed. Fast forward a couple of years. iPhones are now really affordable (especially refurbished), and my monthly plan is actually less than it was on my Blackberry because GPS capabilities are built in and free. I had been paying $10/month for Blackberry’s GPS service. So, now I have access to the world at my fingertips. Not only do I get style points (which are important for an artist), but the iPhone really increases my productivity. I have apps that allow me to update my clients’ Wordpress sites on the fly, check the weather, measure things, track finances, listen to my favorite music, show off my portable portfolio, read the Bible, supply white noise while on vacaction, and even help me learn chords on the piano. There’s simply no substitute (yet)

Favorite apps: WordPress, TweetDeck, Facebook, Pandora, YouTube, Mint.com

1 Password – $39.95

If you’ve been on the net for any period of time, you’re well aware that everything requires a login and password. And, unless you’re way smarter and more organized than the general population, you’ve forgotten said logins and passwords for a website. Chances are, you’ve nearly pulled your hair out trying to guess the right one, sometimes unsuccessfully. That’s where 1Password comes in. This is another of those applications that my husband couldn’t convince me was worth it. He finally just bought it for me and installed it and I love it more every day. It securely stores all of your logins and passwords for all of your sites and accounts. There is virtually no setup. Currently, it is only available for the Mac.

Unexpected perks?

• The option to change your passwords to randomly generated, uber secure ones.
• Create wallet items like debit or credit cards that you can use to automatically fill in billing and shipping info on checkout pages.
• 1Password button is built right into your browser so you can visit and login to your favorite sites automatically.

iMac - $1100+

This was actually a gift from my husband! I will shamefully admit that before I went Mac, I was trying to keep up with my workload on a sad little 17″ *gasp* laptop PC. If you’re on the fence about switching to a Mac, please, let me push you over. Seriously, you won’t look back!

Worried about the differences? My photographer friend Chris Scott breaks them down for us here:

1. You’ll close windows on the opposite side of the screen.
2. Things will work.

Practical application: I have a 24″ iMac, and another 24″ monitor as well. I keep Firefox open on one monitor, and MacMail and my design programs in the other. I honestly don’t know how I got anything done without them.

BumpTop – Free

There are people out there who let their desktops become a dumping ground for any file they don’t want to commit to saving in a more logical place.  I am one of “those people,” and I was tired of feeling the weight of my guilt as the icons multiplied across my 24 inches of real estate, not to mention having a hard time finding anything!  Enter BumpTop.  I love this application.  It’s actually more of a functional backdrop.  It allows you to pile files by type (no need to make folders unless you just want to) and it can be fully customized to look like a room in your home!  See the screen shot of my personal Bump Top.  You can write yourself sticky notes, hang art on the walls, the sky is the limit. There’s so much functionality, but it’s more fun to play with it yourself or watch the video on their website.  Not on a Mac? There’s a BumpTop for Windows, too. Enjoy!

Wacom Tablet – $200+

In addition to the fine art aspect of my work, I’m also a graphic designer who loves using Illustrator. For those Adobe lovers out there, you know the power of the almighty pen tool, but wouldn’t it be nice sometimes to have a more freehand option to vector artwork? Wouldn’t it be great to be able to draw a line with varying pressure, but retain the crispness and edit ability of a line drawn with the pen tool? Enter Wacom. They’ve been the leaders in the tablet world for years now, but I’ve just jumped on the train. An illustrative logo that might have taken four hours now takes half of one. It brings a freshness to my work, and much more flexibility to what I’m able to offer my clients.

Purchase tip: I purchased the Wacom Intuos 4 Large tablet, which I love. However, if I were to do it over, I would choose the Medium, as there is plenty of space on it and it takes up less room on my desk or in my lap.

Inbox Zero – Free

Inbox Zero is a concept perfected and delivered by Merlin Mann. It’s basically a system for keeping your crazy inbox under control. (Anyone else have this problem?) I send 40-60 business related emails in a typical workday, and I receive that many or more. It can easily get out of hand! Inbox Zero is a system to keep you (and your inbox) sane and organized.

Backpack – Free

Backpack is one of many great applications from 37signals. Simply put, it’s a To-Do List on crack, and it streamlines communication and productivity. I keep a Monday-Saturday list set up and I put important deadlines and reminders into it. I get great satisfaction from marking things off of the lists! Nate and I have separate pages on the same account, so I can put things on his list (YES!) and vice versa. This feature came in very handy for planning our wedding. You can also make notes with important links, contact information, and even Word or Excel documents. These features make it great for office projects and the like.

*Practical Application: I go through my emails quickly in the morning. I put things that need my attention on the list wherever they belong so that tasks don’t get lost or overlooked.

Twitter – Free

If you haven’t heard about Twitter by now, you might be living under a rock. It’s okay if you call it Tweeter – that’s kind of cute, especially if you have kids in their thirties! Laugh at it, don’t embrace it, call it crazy, but don’t call it a waste of time. I did all of these things when I first heard about it (Who in the world cares what I’m doing at any given moment in time?), but my trusty husband convinced me to give it a try. My end-of-the-year figures say that 48% of my graphic design business came from connections that I made on Twitter! I won’t be specific, but this equated to tens of thousands of dollars for this lil’ artist, and gave me the highest income year I’ve had to date (and in a recession). This is not to mention the new friends and increased connection with my existing ones. Coupled with Facebook, Twitter has allowed me to both share my recent fine art and graphic work as well as connect to people who need my specific services. Now you know. Would you like to follow me?

Tip: Use a free service like TweetDeck or Seesmic to approach Twitter in a more organized and fun way.

What are your favorite products or services? I would love to hear about them!

Next post: My favorite products for ladies! Don’t miss it.

It’s not uncommon for me to have repeat portrait customers.  But only a handful have returned to me more than five times to add artwork to their collections!

Meet the Nichol’s girls: Amber and Lynn Aaron. For the last six years, I’ve drawn them (and watched them grow up) and their parents have used the image on a Christmas card design that goes out to all of their friends, family, and clients. I’ve really enjoyed it, and wanted to share the progression with you.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Last night, my husband and I had a much-needed “Veg Fest.” If you know us well, you know we work hard and play hard, but rarely just veg! So we caught some of a new TV series called “Three Rivers.” It’s on CBS, and it focuses on a medical team that harvests organs from gracious donors who have passed, and find “homes” for them in very sick and needy patients, some of whom have been waiting for a long time. I enjoyed it, and it sparked some discussion between Nate and I.

I’ve had the organ donor box checked on my driver’s license since I was 16, and I’ve always thought I wanted everything possible to be donated except for my skin and eyes. Many people don’t even know that these can be donated, and I’ve kind of thought of it as “icky.” However, donating these organs would make a world of difference in the lives of a blind person or burn victim, so I’ve given it some more thought. Now, if you’re on top of things, you’re realizing that this extensive donation could make for an unsightly open casket. Enter my next preference: cremation.

Now, before you start thinking this will be a morbid blog post, be assured that you’re probably going to laugh very soon .

Cremation… the alternative to slowly becoming worm food over the course of many years. I’m rather fond of it. But, what do your loved ones DO with your remains? There’s the sprinkling into the ocean, off of a mountainside, and resting in the somewhat typical urn on the mantle which could be creepy for your home’s visitors or housekeeper.

I want something different. I am an artist. When I die and become ashes, I’d like to become art. (What?)

I think I'd feel eternally comfy in any of these shapes.

You heard me! I want my ashes to be given to a skilled and open-minded potter who will then mix me into clay and form a number of beautiful pieces of pottery for each of my loved ones to cherish for a lifetime. I fancy them choosing the design or have something inscribed on their work of art.

I LOVE IT. I have made my wishes known to Nate, and in the event of our simultaneous demise, we’d like to both be incorporated into a separate vase. There you have it!

How do you want to spend your “after years?” Please comment! I want to know. Oh, and please check your donor box if you haven’t already. It’s your final chance to save lives.

For my Dad’s hilarious run-down of his post-demise options, click here! He’s a trip.

The response to my last video was incredible, and we’ve been working to produce another one for your enjoyment. Nate has learned some new tricks in our video editing software, and we think you’ll like the results.

Many of you have offered to put this on your own blog. Thank you! I welcome that, and it’s also a great way to earn Referral Love Cash! For details, click here.

I have drawn a prominent celebrity, and I hope to be featured on the said celebrity’s TV show. More details to follow, so if you want to be in the loop, make sure you’re subscribed to my blog, YouTube channel, or are a VIP on my site!

Thank you for your continued interest in my work. I really appreciate it!

For years, people have asked me things like, “Did you really draw that?”, “Do you trace?”, and “How do you do it?”

Now, you have the answers, all wrapped up in a nice, neat 2-minute video! Enjoy, and take a little dance break if you feel the urge.

There will be many more of these to come, so I’d love for you to spread the love and share this on your own blog or Facebook page! Even Tweet it – you know you want to… *smile*

In the fall of 2008, while I was planning my wedding, a strong, courageous friend of mine was fighting for his life.

At age 34, Daniel Smith was vibrant, healthy, and full of promise. He was finishing medical school and running more marathons than I could count. He seemed to have his whole life ahead of him. On October 22, Daniel lost his 6-month long battle against squamous cell oral cancer.

I heard the news after coming back from my honeymoon. I know I cannot adequately describe how this news affected me, but I will try:

I experienced deep sadness, sympathy for his family and the painful sting of loss, all of which is to be expected. What I did not expect was to be confronted with the fear that Nate could be taken from me in a similar way.

Life was now fragile and unpredictable….fleeting. Of course, it always has been, but now I had this new person in my life that I wanted to hold on to so tightly.

For days, I considered the possibility of losing Nate. How would I be able to go on without this amazing man in my life? But this couldn’t really happen, could it? After all, God had given him to me; wasn’t that a guarantee that my next 50 years would be wonderful?

As naïve as that sounds, it really is how I felt. The evening I heard about Daniel’s passing, I was struggling to balance loving fiercely with a willingness to let go. Then something happened that I can only attribute to God’s leading.

I saw my next painting in my mind, as clearly as you are seeing it now on your screen. It was an image of a girl playing in the field with her father. He had just let go of her hand, and she was running away, but smiling back at him. I knew I was supposed to get it on canvas.

“Mine For a Moment” is my answer to the struggle. It’s my reminder that we must not love less in order to avoid the pain of potential loss. The people in our lives, our children, spouses, friends and family members, are here with us now, and “now” is really all we can hold on to.

Nate is “mine for a moment,” and in this moment I will love him completely, knowing that his life is not in my hands, but in the hands of his Creator, who has seen each of his days before even one of them began.

I hope you will share this painting with someone who may need to see it. It is dedicated to Daniel Smith and to little Sadie Isabella Stout, whose life ended just 9 days after it began. My heart goes out to the families and friends of those whose moments here on earth seemed too few.

Let me know if you’d like to be contacted when prints are available of this painting.

See the painting on my website.

Below is an excerpt from Daniel’s blog. He wrote this less than a month after his diagnosis:

Sunday, May 11, 2008
Moments

Time isn’t grouped in days anymore. I am much more aware of moments. Some of those moments find me in high places warmly blanketed by the prayers of faithful family and friends. Other moments find me in sad disbelief as the majority of my body disagrees with the test results. Some moments find me thankful for evidence of God’s movement before the most dramatic challenges have even begun. Other moments find me terrified of the unknown.

But, if I truly believe Him, I can’t wallow in fear of the unknown. All of my unknowns have been known by Him since long before I was even born. He has not been caught off guard. He is ready, and He is more than able. A friend shared this verse earlier today: “Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9

Indeed, He is … and forevermore will be.

So… this blog is about creating, right? There’s more to me than fine art and graphic design, and this was a recipe I couldn’t pass up sharing.

Saturday night, Nate and I decided to try a coveted recipe that he had begged and pleaded to obtain: Lemon Soufflé Pancakes. They were the signature breakfast dish at a lovely bed and breakfast on the East Coast, and the chef was kind enough to share. Now, I don’t use “delightful” to describe many things, but these really deserve the compliment.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think, and be on the lookout for a brand new blog devoted to recipes we love and our other creative experiences as Nate and I journey through married life.

(Not our photo - we were too hungry!) Thanks to a Flikr user named "aprevite" for this one.

Pancake Ingredients:

6 eggs, separated
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup melted butter
4 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
zest of two lemons
1 T. fresh lemon juice

Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. In another bowl, stir together the egg yolks, flour, ricotta, butter, sugar, salt, and lemon zest until well mixed. With a large spatula, fold the egg whites into the mixture. Gently stir. There should still be small amounts of egg white showing.

Heat skillet over medium heat. Grease lightly and spoon out about 2 big spoonfuls of batter for each pancake. Cook slowly for about 1 1/2 minutes (or until they can be flipped without making a big mess), then turn and cook for another 30 seconds or so. These will be lighter and fluffier than your typical pancake. Keep the pancakes warm in 250º oven until ready to serve. Top with berry syrup (recipe below) and whipped cream! Makes about 12  4 inch pancakes (we had no trouble eating them all between the two of us).

Berry Syrup Recipe

1 cup fresh or frozen berries (we used a mixture of raspberries and blueberries and it was perfect!)
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 T. butter

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine 2 tablespoons butter, syrup, and blueberries. Heat, stirring occasionally, until butter melts, about 3 minutes. This complements the pancakes wonderfully!

Many of you may not know this, but I’m a vegetarian! I have been since February of 2007, and I’ve never regretted it. (It’s not as hard as you might think!) I was thinking I should blog about it. So, here’s my tongue-in-cheek list of compelling reasons for “going veggie.” And, please know that while this is my personal decision, I don’t love you carnivores any less.

Makes that bacon a little harder to eat, doesn't it?

1. It might be the only thing you’ll ever have in common with Paul McCartney, Vanessa Williams, Elle MacPherson, Carrie Underwood, and Noah Wylie.

2. You find another vegetarian at a party? Instant friend!

3. You can drive past a truck filled with animals and feel no personal guilt.

4. Clearer skin, less cellulite, better health, weight loss, longer life… but who really cares about all of that?

5. Now you can wear the t-shirt you’ve always wanted that says, “I was a vegetarian before it was cool.” (that might just be me)

6. Swine flu, e.Coli, and salmonella no longer seem so scary.

7. Yes, God did say we could eat meat, but they killed animals humanely back then.

8. You can save moolah by not eating things that moo.

9. Protein is overrated. (More info)

10. People feed you more at cookouts! You know.. to make up for all of the nutrients you must be missing by skipping on the hamburger.

11. You’ll discover a host of new ways to confuse and astound your waiter at dinner.

12. You can come up with your own clever remarks to the constant question, “So , then, what do you EAT?”

13. You always wanted to be “different.”

14. The looks on your friends and families faces when you break the news are PRICELESS.

15. You eat, then you poop. Not much waiting.

For some more serious, scientific, and useful reasons to not eat meat, please go here.