Originally published at Calobee Doodles. You can comment here or there.
Originally published at sixhours.net. You can comment there.
It's contest time, all! I think you're going to like this one. The grand prize....
A 12x18 Alphabet Soup poster print!
This was the doodle that started it all, and easily one of my most popular items. If you don't have kids, consider it a jump-start on your Christmas shopping for your family or friends who do.
If that doesn't motivate you, I'm also giving away some runner-up prizes--4 $10 gift certificates to use in either of my shops. That means there will be not just one but FIVE lucky winners.
There are four ways to enter, which means you can have up to four entries in the contest:
1) Leave a comment on this blog post. Visit either of my shops (sixhours or calobee) and tell me what your favorite item is. Make sure to leave a way for me to contact you, too!
2) Re-tweet the contest on Twitter by copying and pasting this message:
RT @sixhours Please enter me in the Calobee Doodles contest! http://www.sixhours.net/2009/11/23/yay-for-free-stuff/ #calobeedoodles #contest
3) Become a fan of Calobee Doodles on Facebook and leave a comment on the wall naming your favorite Calobee Doodles print.
4) Blog about this contest, making sure to include a link back to this entry - http://www.sixhours.net/2009/11/23/yay-for-free-stuff/
The contest runs until 11:59 p.m. on December 6. On December 7 I will collect all entries in a list and generate a random number for the grand prize winner, then four more random numbers for the gift certificates (one prize per person). This contest is open to U.S. and international participants alike! Gift certificates will be sent via e-mail with a code--you can use this code in the "message to seller" box at checkout and wait to pay until I've sent a revised invoice.
Good luck!
Originally published at sixhours.net. You can comment here or there.
Tim has class on Thursday evenings, so it's just me and the babe tonight. Ellie miraculously fell asleep with no complaints at 6:30, so I have plenty of time to get some things done.
The new layout for Calobee Doodles needs some animation work, but I've almost finished putting the theme together in WordPress. I'm designing a quick Christmas card for mum to send out to folks this year, and hopefully it will include a holiday photo of the baby girl provided she's feeling cooperative this weekend. I've been doodling here and there... nothing concrete, though. The ideas aren't falling into place the way I like. I've also been digging through old photos for potential use in a magazine... hopefully more on that later.
But to be honest, I think I'd rather scrap it all and curl up and go to sleep. It's been one of those weeks! I'm looking forward to a much-needed Thanksgiving break.
Oh! I've been musing, and I think it's about time for a contest. I've yet to determine what I will give away, but stay tuned! I'm thinking big.
Originally published at Calobee Doodles. You can comment here or there.
... and he has a message for you:
Originally published at sixhours.net. You can comment here or there.
Except her finger just kept bleeding and bleeding and bleeding... you'd be amazed how much one tiny finger can bleed. Several tissues, burp cloths, much gauze and three band-aids later, the second floor looked like the scene from a small disaster and I started to lose my calm, can-do front.
Then I imagined the headlines: "Baby bleeds out--death by hangnail."
We decided to go to the doctor just to be safe (thank goodness for weekend hours). They were very nice about our new parent paranoia, even though by the time we got there, Ellie's finger had stopped bleeding and she was obviously fine (if not grumpy with us for making such a fuss). We were sent home with instructions to keep it clean and relax. Ahahaha, I think that last part was a joke.
So the morning was not quite what we'd planned, but thankfully it got better. We chose to brave the rest of the day and make the trek to Ellsworth to the Gifted Hand Show to check out some handmade goodies from fellow Maine artists. I purchased a cute hat for Ellie from Worthy Goods and a surprise Christmas present from Atlantic Art Glass. I ogled the kids' peasant dresses from Anabelfuzz and the intricate glass beads from Fern House Studio. I'm definitely a fan of online shopping, but there's nothing like seeing an artists' work up close and meeting the people behind the Web addresses. Maine is home to some very talented people!
After returning from the show, El and I hung out with our friend Danielle while Tim caught up on homework. Then we all crashed in the living room to eat pizza and watch Supernanny and celebrate our pinky fingers being (mostly) intact.
If tomorrow is as eventful as today was, I'm going to need a second weekend to recover.
Originally published at Calobee Doodles. You can comment here or there.
Originally published at sixhours.net. You can comment here or there.
Here are some of my favorites:
Sexsmith. It's playful. It's fun. If a font could be sexy, this one would be sexy. I use Sexsmith over at Calobee Doodles and it's one of those I keep coming back to... I have to force myself not to over-use it!
Rosewood Std Fill. This font was designed to be used as a (you guessed it) fill for its fancy cousin, Rosewood Std, but I think it stands quite well on its own.
Didot. One of my regular design practices involves combining a simple serif with a simple sans-serif, and this is my simple serif font of choice.
Little Days. Another of my Calobee Doodles favorites. Whimsical and a little loopy, just like me!
Respect the font, people. What are your favorites?
Originally published at sixhours.net. You can comment here or there.
I'm feeling a little nostalgic. Last year at this time I was eagerly counting down the days until the arrival of Miss Elspeth and wondering what the future had in store. Well, the future is now, as they say. Here's a snapshot:
Babies come with luggage, not baggage...
Then: Our living room had a fairly straightforward arrangement. Chairs, a TV, a lamp, a bookshelf or two--simple, functional, nothing fancy.
Now: It looks like a Toys R Us exploded. There's a sippy cup in the middle of the floor, and I'm pretty sure it's been there for three days. There's this behemoth of a thing we call the Pack n' Play sitting in one corner, although the name is misleading... it implies that baby might play in it. It should actually be called Baby's Favorite Torture Device, because that's what you'd think we were doing when we put her in it.
Handling someone else's excrement is...
Then: Not happening.
Now: Any diaper that doesn't require a new outfit or a bath on the part of either changee or changer is a good diaper, no matter how stinky.
The soft spot is...
Then: Eurghh. *shudder*
Now: I admit, I'm still squicked out by the soft spot. If you're not familiar, it's that part of the baby's skull that hasn't yet fused, leaving an opening covered by skin. If you happen to press on it (I wish you wouldn't) it's like pressing into warm Silly Putty... if that Silly Putty were made of your baby's brains.
On the pacifier...
Then: Hadn't said the word "binky" more than a handful of times in my life. Probably didn't know what "binky" meant. Didn't care.
Now: I say it a handful of times each day, usually preceded by "Where is the damn..." or "What the hell happened to the...." Binkies, like cat toys, have this nasty habit of disappearing to hold secret binky meetings under the furniture.
Laundry--I'm...
Then: Always drowning in it, but there's hope!
Now: Always drowning in it, and there's no hope in sight. Considering nudism.
On sleep (or a lack thereof)...
Then: 6 a.m. is an ungodly hour. No self-respecting lover of sleep should be subjected to it.
Now: "It's 6:15 a.m.? She let us sleep in! Wait, is she alive? Yes? WOOHOO!"
Alarm clocks are...
Then: A necessity if I want to get to work before 8.
Now: Still necessary, but we got a new one. This particular model totally ignores all user programming, is loud, insistent, and I've yet to find the snooze button.
When someone tells you that having a kid will change your life... take heed. Listen to them and listen well. Now, where is that damn binky...
Originally published at sixhours.net. You can comment here or there.
The colors aren't quite right, and I want to add a lot more detail, but here's what I've been working on for Calobee Doodles. My initial thought was to have this be an animated Web layout... when a user rolls over one of the houses (presumably they'd each be a link), something happens. Maybe a kitty pokes his head around the corner, the chimney smoke moves, or a curtain is pushed to the side to reveal a little boy staring out.
But then I'm not sure I want to get so involved... I have a tendency to lose interest when a project takes too long to complete. I may scrap this as a Web layout altogether and just make it into a print for the shop. Or maybe I'll do both! Either way, it's fun thinking up all the little bits and pieces that bring the doodle together (I'm particularly enamored with the mini clothesline for some reason) and watching each house grow into its unique personality.
(Click for a larger version!)
Originally published at sixhours.net. You can comment here or there.
I had fun designing this one, if you couldn't tell. It gave me a chance to flex my (rapidly deteriorating) Photoshop muscles and better familiarize myself with the WordPress Theme structure. A huge part of this redesign is not only design, but a re-branding of sorts. I decided to treat Sixhours.net less like a photography portfolio and more like a personal Web site... and so the design is a little more me and a little less Serious Business (tm). Speaking of which, it's been eight years (!) since I first bought this little nook of the Web. I think this is the domain-equivalent of a birthday at the spa.
I'll be the first to admit I've been in a rut, and I know it's because I've defined my creative life by my photography, but photography isn't doing it for me lately (there's also that pesky new-baby-itis problem, but I'm recovering). When I allowed myself to apply my creative energy to other tasks, I found I had a lot of ideas and more motivation to work on them.
So now I have a list of projects that should keep me busy for a while. I'm already working on a new look for Calobee Doodles which will hopefully be up soon. Another thing I've been meaning to do for a few months is doodle a desktop calendar/wallpaper for each month... and now is the perfect time to start those for the new year. In the same vein, I may open a new "downloads" section on Calobee Doodles. The problem is I'm always working on someone else's projects and I don't make enough time for my own (tsk tsk!)
I'm also working on a "bucket list," a la Mighty Girl, and that has me thinking about the big picture--the things I'd like to do that might seem too big or too scary to accomplish at first glance. One thing I'd love to do is write and illustrate (and maybe publish?) a children's book. I've been thinking about that since Elspeth was born. Even if no one else ever read it, I'd love to make something for her to enjoy when she's older.
