100 POSTS!!!! High time for a giveaway!

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Can you believe it? 100 posts!

I know it might not seem like much of an accomplishment, but for equilibrium's sake I think we ought to celebrate the small stuff (since we sweat it, anyway).

If I weren't so opposed to superfluous cleaning I might throw confetti in the air or something.

Maybe a little happy dance would be more appropriate.

Can anyone see me? No? Good- let the jig commence!

I want you to be happy too, so in order to encourage the sentiment I'm giving away this little bound book I just made.

Peter mentioned needing a blank book, so I made one for him.

This is kind of a mini version.

It measures 4.5X5 inches and contains 30 pages. And, yes, that IS part of a New York City map.

If you want to win it, simply leave me a comment (here on this blog post) before midnight on Sunday April 5. Say anything, anything at all, like perhaps which post is your favorite. (Not mandatory, but encouraged).

The winner will be chosen at random.

Summary: Speak up, leave me a comment, get picked at random, I'll e-mail ya to let you know you won (I'll probably post about the winner too on the blog Sunday). Reply with your address, and a handmade book will be zipping to you at the speed of the United States Postal Service!

an ambiguous ocean

"I sell furniture imported from France, Italy, and Spain. Could you design a scenic mural that could be any of those places? I want to be able to change the furniture around a lot without it clashing so it needs to be pretty neutral."

Want to see what I came up with?

BAM!

If there's one thing I like more than a client is an extremely happy client!

Shakin's Friday Feature

I'm inspired by Nienie in so many ways. The least of which is to be a better blogger. So... in as much of a Nie-esque way as possible, I bring you...

Sha-kin's Friday Feature (as promised in the post New In Oh-Nine.)

Did you know that I am a member of a very large and very active team of Etsy artists and crafters called The {newnew} York Team? Well, I am... and so is the lady that is my first Friday Feature:

Simone Tan Simone has an Etsy shop chock full of handmade goodness, including some verrry cute bags.

Shakins: Hi Simone! How long have you been crafting?

Simone: I would say all my life. Everyone in my family is always making stuff. My Dad is a physician, but learned how to repair watches when he was a kid. so he was always working on something in his show. When I was eight, my grandmother from Indonesia came to visit and taught me how to crochet. My mother taught me how to sew, and we both learned how to knit together sometime in the seventies. Interesting because she's left-handed and I'm right-handed. You can't really help one another out when everything is reversed.

Shakins: You're so well traveled! Would you name all the places you've lived:

Simone: Hamburg Germany, Oberlin OH, Nanjing China, Taipei Taiwan, Hong Kong, San Francisco CA, Brooklyn

Shakins: Education?

Simone: Another person who couldn't figure out what she wanted to do with her life and went to law school.

Shakins: You have Kids, right?

Simone: One amazing daughter.

Shakins: How does she inspire you?

Simone: My daughter has a wonderful perspective on life (well, all kids do, but I'm proud) and this incredible ability to get it down on paper without any hesitation. These are some sketches she made when we were at the Natural History Museum

Shakins: Soooo... the world wants to know; what's your favorite ice-cream flavor?

Simone: Haagen Dazs Vanilla Bean

Shakins: What's your greatest accomplishment?

Simone: Having a happy family, (sounds so totally corny, but in the end I think that's what life's about)

Shakins: Absolutely! What's on your mind lately? Simone: Why isn't anybody buying the pac-man bag? Do I really want my phone to tweet me all the time? What's up with Plurk? And why is the CPSIA such a mess? Can you believe that pilot?

Shakins: Wow. That's a lot to think about. Phone tweeting has it's advantages I guess. Anyhoo- I was wondering: What's your favorite item in your shop?

Simone: My pac-man bowling bag .

Shakins: You have so many great bags- why is that particular one your favorite?

Simone: It looks like a very normal purse, but you take a closer look at it and there's the monster looking right at you. The zipper color matches the tiny little bits of purple in the sweater and the inside lining is soooo soft. I covered and handstitched the inner seams with black flannel tape. In short, I just love that thing. I know, I should just keep it. Shakins: Oh that's cute! You're so creative! O.K. I have to ask- What's your favorite item of mine?

Simone:Night Owl-I love the texture, the colors and that tiny unobtrusive owl. There are plenty of ways to do it wrong-It's just fun to look at. I like the message. Ballerina's I like the expression on the faces of the Ballerinas, you can read all kinds of stories into that painting.

Shakins: Aww... I'm blushing. I wasn't expecting you to name 3 favorites! I like the Ballerina painting too. I never thought I'd still enjoy simple art like that as an adult. What surprises you the most about your adult life?

Simone: How it's not so different from high school. Similar insecurities, cliques, etc. I still feel like a kid, but then I look in the mirror and wonder who that middle-aged woman is.

Shakins: I hear that! You're stuff is so colorful and cheery. What's your favorite color?

Simone: I think pink, at least for now.

Shakins: If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be?

new in oh-nine

Here's what's coming your way from the old blogaroo in the new year-

a weekly (ok, probably bi-weekly) featurette about artists I love (newnew ladies this means you!)

"Broke In The Big Apple" - I was going to start a new blog for this idea, but decided I'd rather incorporate all my cash saving creativity into my trusty rusty old blog here!

"Things I Love About..." will be brought back in oh-nine, with a VENGEANCE

'cause there are lots of things I love.

and of course you can expect continued exercises in my unabashed narcissism which automatically tells me you'd be interested to know what I did over the weekend, what I cooked for supper, what hilarious thing someone I know said, and of course, lots of pics of my paintings.

That is all.