I envy my husband as he soundly sleeps while I am wide awake. Since starting my new job, I have logged 52 hours in the first week and have not been able to get my normal 8 hours of sleep. That along with my mind which just won't shut off, thinking about my new job and all I have to do, and you get insomnia. Thankfully, my husband doesn't snore. Counting sheep doesn't help either!

This illustration isn't quite finished but I wanted to post what I have in the event I don't have time to finish it before Thursday.

A short note for the moment...

Just two days into my new job facing many new challenges. I think this is going to be a win/win situation and I am very excited! The hours are longer so my posts here will not be as frequent for a time until I adjust. I will miss posting this week's Illustration Friday "aquatic" theme, but hope to participate in the coming week's themes once I have my new work routine down pat. I will continue to sketch and illustrate as I have opportunities and will post them here as well. Thank you for you well wishes and continued support, I really do appreciate it!

As you can see, I need my daily Starbuck's to keep me on track. People watching is always so interesting. My husband and I often sit sipping a Starbuck's in various places and try to figure out what kind of life a person(s) has and where they might be going at that very moment.

This day, it was a new employee on the job who was quite friendly and polite. The basket is one of my favorites, I am still trying to find out where Starbuck's bought them so I can buy one for my foyer. They come in 3 sizes, I do know that. If anyone knows where I can purchase one of these baskets with the stand, please let me know.

It has been a pretty busy week since I accepted the position for my new job. So much to take care of and catch up on before I start on Monday. For one, I still have to get my gardens in (hopefully tomorrow). It is 89 degrees here today in the midwest (weehoo!) almost like California weather! And, my in-laws are coming next weekend so that means I need to get the guest room freshened up and my home in order. So much to do, so little time.

Taking daily breaks at Starbuck's affords me the time to relax and do some quick sketches. My husband and I love to sit and talk for what seems like hours and people watch. Often, I hear conversations (not meaning to, but most Starbuck's are very small places), and sometimes I can't hear myself think because someone is being RATHER loud.

On this particular day, three teenage girls stopped in to have a coffee and chat. Or so we thought. At first the conversation they had was quite normal. Then the girl that sat facing directly towards me made herself quite known to everyone in Starbuck's. Her laugh was so loud and obnoxious and continuous that my husband slowly ducked his behind the newspaper and shot me the "oh brother" look and I grumbled that I could not even think to sketch. We looked around to see what would make this young girl want to be the center of attention and there behind the counter were two male employees. One of the male employees came out from behind the counter and gave one of the girls (a quieter blonde) a quick hug, a kiss on the cheek, said his hellos to everyone, then went back behind the counter. Aaah, we said knowingly to each other, "a little competition amongst the girls. That answers everything." Our other thought was, what guy would be attracted to someone so loud and obnoxious? She certainly couldn't have been scoring any points that day. Hopefully, this is just a passing phase in this young girl's life.



On the positive side of this, we remembered that our own four children (2 teens and 2 adults) have all gone through their own growing pains of various sorts and thankfully have grown into mature, delightful, and caring individuals to be around and we are so very proud of them.

On Monday, I was offered a wonderful job opportunity and I accepted the position with great anticipation. It is an executive position (similar to my previous position) with a great opportunity for challenge and growth. It has come at the perfect time in my life!

Does this mean I will give up freelance work? Absolutely not! In the big picture of things, this will fit in perfect with my goals and plans for the future. To that end, I needed to do some wardrobe shopping. The position offers a more business casual dress code so I am able to get away from my more conservative wardrobe and have a little fun with this. I have been journaling on a regular basis so though I would show you how I am putting some of my wardrobe together.

Yikes! I forgot the trousers-but have no fear, I have plenty of them too!

PLease click on illustration to view larger version and stages.

One of my greatest ambition's in life is to encourage our children to get the best possible education they can, in hopes of offering them a better chance at a job they love and happy and successful lives.

This week's Illustration Friday theme "nourishment" brought several ideas to mind. One being a food pyramid concept which has actually been a project on my drawing board that I have been planning to get to, just haven't had the time. Two people have already chosen to illustrate that theme so I will postpone finishing that concept for another day.

Here is an illustrated mural I painted in a client's home.

I made a gift for my mother-in-law's birthday. She really wanted a bird house so I put it together with some green, burgundy and mauve foliage which are colors in her home. She was tickled and I was happy with the way it turned out. The butterfly is my favorite. I wanted to make one for myself but of course they didn't have any more of the exact same birdhouse. Didn' t I say I stopped giving gifts away without first making one for myself?

Do you ever wonder about where an illustrator's creativity comes from? I love to visit someone's website or blog and read their bio's and find out what they are all about. Why then, can I not give you more information about who I am and what makes me tick as an illustrator?

Funny, when I started this journal (blog) it was not meant to be about me personally, but was meant to showcase some of my weekly illustrations and to collaborate with other illustrators. But, I just feel like something is missing here. So often I want to write about something more personable but reframe for fear that what I journal might be taken the wrong way and that this might somehow tarnish my illustrative career. Silly, I know. I return to other's journals sometimes just because they have let me into their world a little. (See paragraph above). So, here goes...

My Inner Gizmo Workings

1. Starbuck's Latte's are a given.
2. I can never have enough books and as a child read 5-6 books a week. The first priority was to read the thickest books I could find.
3. I have been know to spend up 6 1/2 hours in Barnes and Noble with my husband.
4. I love and adore my children, they are the center of my world. They are wonderfully unique, funny and very loving. They are intelligent and teach me to look at things differently and I learn from them too.
5. Polka dots and stripes inspire me. Roses make me nostalgic, Jasmine makes me melt.
6. I eat spinach because Popeye is da bomb!
7. I am passionate for anything antique.
8. I use to golf with a retiree's group and they think of me as one of the gang.
9. At Christmas I often give gifts I would love to have but never give or make one for myself.
10. I stopped doing that; now I give myself the same gift too! :)
11. Favorite dogs are doberman's and labs. I have had both and now have a black lab.
12. Sometimes I have been known to eat chocolate pudding with granola ever day for a week.
13. Being outdoors and in the mountains is like no other place on earth.
14. I can't live without water near me.
15. My husband and I do everything together. I love to hunt with him.
16. I am a clothes horse, without the horse of course!
18. I once wanted to be a fashion designer. I once wanted to be a cartoonist.
19. If I could ski all year-round I would.
20. Red is my favorite color, then blue and green.
21. I wore contacts for 25 years.
22. I look at my cup as half full.
23. Gardening is a passion that inspires my creativity.
24. I have a weakness for Sheridan's Frozen Custard Bucakroo's.
25. A woman can never have enough shoes.
26. Lived in Canada and 5 US states.
27. Color I wear most often is black.
28. I am told I am an amazing cook.
29. Please don't ever call me Peggy.
30. My best friend is my husband.
31. I am drawn to the elderly and those who are in need.
32. Hockey is my favorite sport to watch.
33. I once wanted to be a candy striper but got nauseated at the sight of blood.
34. Staying healthy is a priority. I work out at least 3 times a week.
35. Primary colors are my favorite. Bright colors inspire and infuse me with energy, soft shades soothe me.
36. I am very sentimental.
38. What matters most: who you are inside.
39. Favorite food: my Mom's homemade tacos.
40. My kids quote me: "Charmed I'm sure".

From time to time I will post URL's to interesting websites under "How Cool Is That" over in the left hand border of this journal. Tonight, I found this fun site from the Flying Pig.

Want to try your hand at it? Enter the 2005 Competition if you would like to give your paper animations a whirl. One of my favorites is the Mexican Peck and the Impatient Outpatient. This site provides shopping online in the UK and in the USA.

Lots of helpful tools and technique tips, ePostcards and where to buy.

Click on the illustration for a close up view of a work in progress.

I needed a lot of ambition this week to finish my illustration for IF. Not feeling well really puts a kai-bosh on the creative juices. I am posting a quick sketch of a work in progress.

One of my greatest ambition's in life is to encourage our children to get the best possible education they can, in hopes of offering them a better chance at a job they love and happy and successful lives.



Stay tuned for the finished illo!

Yesterday I received such a wonderful surprise! The UPS woman came by yesterday and rang the doorbell. I hadn't ordered anything. I heard my husband come in and then go back out to work on a project he was building in the garage. I thought it strange, but just went to out get the package. It was a package addressed to my husband. I showed him and he said it wasn't for him, but to open it. Hmmm, what could he have bought me I said to myself? Well, just to give you a bit of an idea why I was wondering this...K is into anything electronical and often is purchasing some neat electronic thing for our new home. The last thing he bought was new speaker headphones for the computer. So, naturally I thought he had just bought me a set too.

I was so shocked my mouth dropped, then I squealed in delight! Do you remember back on February, 12th when mentioned I had lost my good ESQ dress watch? My husband and I retraced our stops that day all over town, but never found it. I was so upset as I had it for many years. He never forgot and had been secretly planning this moment. The fact that he was so thoughtful and took so much time picking out the one he thought would be perfect for me means so much to me. To be surprised in this was is even more precious than the gift itself! He is such a wonderful man and I am so blessed!!! The face is mother of pearl and surrounded by 12 diamonds. ESQ Swiss watches are fabulous and long wearing. They are gold plated and wear wonderfully for years and years and are water resistant. This new watch has a invisible double locking clasp so I won't lose it again!



It couldn't have come at a better time as this past week has been a tough one for me. I think mostly because we just recently moved and had to start our lives in a new city and state all over again (for the 3rd time in 6 1/2 years). K wanted it to arrive before Mother's Day and had been secretly tracking it. This has definitely improved MY week!