My first birdie ornament

I've been working on this design in my head for a few weeks now and it is finally in the real world! Oh, I just love it! Soooo.... cute. I've been playing with exactly how to sculpt, paint, and finally what to use for the hanging loop. I wasn't sure what to put on the bottom, but I really like to little organza pouf of a tassel.

First birdie ornament all finished!

I'd love to know what you all think. I plan to offer this on my ETSY site, so feedback is welcome.

I'm off to Mount Shasta, CA to celebrate the new year with my folks. I hope that your new year's eve is a wonderful celebration!

Blessings

New Year, New Projects... so excited!!!

As each new year approaches, I feel invigorated and excited about the "starting over" that New Year's Day brings. This year I plan to launch an ETSY site and do some craft shows. I love making art and sharing it with others. When I made my first birdies, I made them because they got in my head and I wanted to see them in real life. Then a neighbor fell in love with them, too and I've been making them to order for her and her bird-loving family. So, I plan to offer some on ETSY. I think that doing craft shows allows us to talk with people and get real feedback from people about our work. The combination seems like a good idea (we'll see how it pans out in real life!)

I also do work with stained glass, painting, fabric... Someone once told me I have ART ADD. That may be, but I prefer to see myself as someone who has many interests and likes to explore them all!

Something I've been playing with is the idea of putting a hole through a birdie and running a ribbon through it's body so that it can be an ornament. Here's the first one I'm gonna try before I've painted it.

first birdie ornament before sanding or painting

You can tell by the size of it in my hand that it's pretty tiny. I love the super little ones, this one is sort of medium sized. I can't wait to see how it looks finished. Maybe I'll even give her a tiny nest.

The creative process pulls me along and keeps my sunny side up. I can't imagine living without it.

Art makes me happy. I hope you are having as much fun as I am!

Merry Christmas

I'd like to wish all who visit today a wonderful holiday. Mine has been so fun! All our kids were here (plus one!)
for presents this morning. I'm pretty sure everyone got what they were hoping for along with a few surprises!

As for me, I've been longing for a little ipod to replace one that left my life last summer. :( Jim fooled me by sticking the darn thing in an old shoe of his and putting that in a box before wrapping the whole mess! I was certainly surprised! How fun! We enjoy taking trips and my iphone is always searching for a connection when we're in the country, so an ipod works much better. I'm loading it up already.

I'm so excited to be planning my art projects for 2011. I plan to focus on birdies and make some for craft shows and etsy. Also, I've got a quilt or two to make... Yippeeee!!! Ain't life grand?

Seal Beach book signing

Karen Wall Garrison and Laura

Diana and Jim Liston at Seal Beach book signing

While in Seal Beach to do a book signing, I was blessed to have some wonderful friends come by to celebrate and pick up a copy of the book!

Wonderful book signing events!!

Hello again, blogging friends! We had such a wonderful time at the two book signings in December. I'm pleased to share some pictures with you. The first signing was at Caffe Santoro in Cameron Park, California. Here are a couple of pictures with special friends, Carrie and Mari, from that day.

Hello, Bloggosphere!

I know it's been a while... but here I am! I had a wonderful book signing. It couldn't have been a more wonderful day! So many dear friends stopped by to show their support. My darling, Jim made yummy snacks for everyone... It was really special. Even the weather knew it was an important day for me and took a break from the rain we'd had for days. I hope that you may find yourself in such a love-storm some day. I'm so greatful.

I'm scheduled to do a signing in Seal Beach California if you are in the area , please stop by. It will be at Bogart's Coffee shop right by the warf on the 16th at 7pm. I'd love to meet some new friends in person!

I've gotten a few notes asking about buying the book. I'd love to send you an autographed copy, so just drop me an email at laurapallatin@gmail.com and I'll we can work out the best way for you to get the moolah to me. :) The price per book is $14.95.

Blessings to you all! Hope to see you in Seal Beach!

Planning for a successful book signing

I've been doing so much research on book signings that my mind is buzzing.

I got a table, made the cloth, found a cute wooden bowl for candy; made up business cards and fliers. I even bought an instant camera to make a special bookmark for people who buy the book at the signings!

The to-do list includes getting a poster made up for the table and a new outfit! Gotta love an excuse to buy a new outfit! :)

If you know anything I don't about successful book signings and wanna make suggestions, I'm all ears!

Blessings!

The big box of books arrived today!

The big box of books I ordered for the book signings arrived today! The cover Joe (my ex-hubby) made for the book is just beautiful!

I'm enjoying the creative processes that is going into promoting the book. I made a table cloth yesterday for the table I'll take to book signings. Also, there are so many promotional materials to pull together!

I am so excited about helping people change their lives for the better. That's what the book is all about, making positive life changes. What an honor it is to be a part of such a wonderful transition!

The books are shipped and I've received an order for two more birdies!

Today was a super great day! Wow, what a week for me! I just checked lulu.com and found that my books have shipped and are due to arrive on November 22nd. In plenty of time for the book signing at Caffe Santoro! Also, I delivered the set of Goldfinch birdies that my neighbor commissioned and she ordered two more sets!

Ah, an excuse to make more art, what more could a girl ask for?

Today is a busy day!

Wow! I started the day at the DMV to get my motorcycle license (a life-long dream realized!) Then off to a client's to deliver a commissioned art piece. I have a client scheduled for massage at one office at 2, then an evening at Massage Envy. Christmas is coming and the kids will be toooo sad if there are no presents.

Also, promoting the book signing and everything else!!

My life is great and busy and wonderful!

I hope you're having such a opportunity filled day!

Blessings!

two pairs of goldfinches

I fell in love with the first set of goldfinches that I made for my neighbor, so I had to make a set for myself! The male is the bright yellow color and the female is a more brown. I chose the colors they display in Spring because they are more vibrant than any other time of the year. Each little couple also has a tiny clutch of eggs in their nest.

Walk in Your Own Footsteps is now avaiable for sale!

I can now say that I'm completely finished with all the writing, editing, etc! All that's left is marketing! hee hee As if that's the end! Im so proud of myself to have completed the book. I send it out into the world with the sincere hope that it helps many people define what they want from life and helps them achieve it! Here's the final cover. Thanks so my ex-hubby for making it perfect! While the changes are subtle, they are important. Thank you, Joe!!!

The tedious side of the creative process

Most of the creative process is so fun! The thrill of a new idea… the process of giving birth to a wonderful creation… the joy and satisfaction of sharing your new creating with the world! The task I’m completing today is not so glamorous, however. Today I am reading my book for the kabillionth time looking for anything that’s not perfect. The good news is that I still really love the book. I’m proud of every word and look forward to sharing it when it is printed. It’s just attention intensive to sit and read (mostly aloud) and consider whether or not I should add a comma or change a word to slightly shade the meaning…


Is this my first book or only book? Only time will tell. I felt called to write this one. For now, I don’t have plans to write another, but I didn’t plan to write this one, either.

Tomorrow I will upload the finished project to lulu.com and order a bunch of books so that I can have a big party to celebrate the completion of the book. But, today I will be spent doing a tedious, yet necessary job.

Goldfinches




Here are my little finches in their nest.



I've been working hard on making the book perfect so I NEEDED to break to play. Here are the little cuties I made for my neighbor. I hope she likes them. But, if she doesn't I guess I'll just have to keep 'em! If you scroll down, you'll see them in their just sculpted form. Painting makes such a big difference.



Close up of the happy couple



my first copy arrived today!

Woo-hoo! It's here! My first copy of my book! There's plenty of little changes to make and once they're done (hopefully next week) I will be ordering some copies to sell.

As a creative endeavor, this is a long drawn out one. There are so many ways to create. Writing a book, for me, has been a long and evolving process. It's definitely worth the journey!

A nest with eggs

I've been having so much fun making these little nests, I thought I should stash some eggs under the birdies. Having put this together, though... I think they look pretty cute with just the eggs, too!

my first birdie commission

Hand sculpted birdies before being painted

When I finished the last set of birdies, I thought they needed a proper home. Living in a Western Sierra Foothill suburb, I am blessed to still have little pockets of forest left alone by the developers. Trug in hand I headed down to the woods to collect natural materials to create a nest. I was in my own little world, mentally putting together the nests, when a neighbor called to me from her gardening and asked me what I was planning to collect in the woods. Once I explained the project, my neighbor asked me to bring it by when I was finished. Also a bird lover, my neighbor asked me to make her a set of birdies that are finches. Here's a look at the finches, sculpted but not painted.

It is published

Wow! After about nine years of writing (on and off) I can finally say, "I've written a book" instead of "I'm writing a book." Doesn't sound like a big distiction, but you'd be suprised how much different it feels. Now, whatever I may do with the rest of my life, I will have accomplished this one thing.

I was motivated by the hope that this book will bring comfort and help uplift people who are struggling to put their lives together. This continues to be my deapest hope.

We'll see....

The book's almost ready!

I've completed all the edits and converted the .doc file to a pdf using lulu.com's system. Everything is ready accept... The cover. I made one but it won't work because the resolution is too low. Enter my ex-hubby and knight in shining armor! He's gonna re-do the whole thing for me and make it work. I can't wait to hold a copy in my hand! I'm not sure how long it's supposed to take, hopefully not too long!

Anyway, here's a pic of the cover that I made. It looks funny because it will wrap around the book, so the back is in the front. I hope all your creative projects are flowing nicely for you.

Our Camper Mural

Hawk viewed as if flying overhead

Monarchs

Jim and I have been working on our little camper to get it ready for the wild out doors! Ok, the truth is, mostly Jim's been working on it. :) But, when he told me that he had to replace the large piece of wood that extends out over the cab of the truck, I had a vision! Jim set the wooden panels up for me on saw horses so that I could paint a mural on them. Since our camper is called the "Hawk" and we had a hawk in residence last summer, I decided to paint a hawk from the perspective of looking up in the air at him. So, here's a pic of the hawk up in the sky.

We also enjoy going to Santa Cruz to see the butterflies, so I figured, we needed some of those, too.

The Scrub Jay lovebirds in a tree

I thought it would be fun to photograph my new creations in a more natural setting. This Japanese Maple is so beautiful this time of year!

getting back to creating art

Well, I've been working hard on the book. If you've never tried it, let me tell you, doing everything yourself is really hard!!! My wonderful mother did a lot of the editing, other than that, it's been me. Writing, formatting, laying out the cover! Yikes! So, to give myself something fun for a break I created these litte birdies and made them a home. I hope you enjoy them, too. Here's a pic of them on a tea saucer, just to give you an idea of their size.

Walk In Your Own Footsteps is steps away from puclication!

On Wednesday, I met with the gentleman who is writing the forward for the book. Well, I must say, I was blown away! Dr. John Schroeder wrote lovely things about the book like, "Her book provides a transformational tool that works with one's conscious and subconscious mind. Walk In Your Own Footsteps provides multidimensional recipes for healing and self growth." When John delivers his final version of the foreword, the book will be ready to print and distribute as an ebook!

The creative process is so exciting. I tend to think that I'm limited by my desire to see the end of a project quickly. I can honestly tell you that spending 9 years on a project (intermittedly) can be just as rewarding when you finally see the light at the end of the tunnel (NO, it's not a train! I hope)

In many ways I know that this is not the end of the book experience, it is just the closing of the first part. Soon, I'll be working on promoting it! :)

Faerie houses by Sally J. Smith

I was at Borders today, looking at the new calendars, and found the most wonderful artist! Her name is Sally J. Smith. She's absolutely wonderful! She creates these darling little houses in the woods near her home, then photographs them. I have had a spot in my own garden that I was going to put a little gnome home.. But I'm so inspired!! Maybe not faeries, but perhaps a home in my garden for a Hobbit. I've always loved the idea of them. If you havent seen her work, google her and enjoy! If you're an old fan, you're lucky!

I hope you find inspiration that is as exciting as this one is for me!

Guided Visualization CD

Hi, all! I've added a link to this blog for everyone that is interested in my guided visualization cd. I recorded it for anyone that struggles with body self-image or would like to improve their present moment awareness. It  starts with a progressive relaxation and takes you to a "happy place" where you can help yourself with these trying issues. This CD is safe for people of all spiritual practices and is a lovely way to learn to meditate if you haven't before.

Drop me a note if you have any questions at all!

butterfly picture

I took this picture for a project I was working on a while back. Hopefully, it will someday grace the cover of a guided visualization cd. Until then, we can enjoy it here. :)

The website for the book is up!

My biggest creative adventure to date has got to be my book, Walk In Your Own Footsteps which will be released in the fall of this year. To help promote it, I've created a website! My first... So, if you notice anything wrong, please let me know. Also, sign the guest book. I'd love to know my artistic friends made the time to visit.
So, here goes: http://www.wiyof.com/

Thanks for your support, this has been a fun, exciting advanture!

New Picture for Pendants

Taking inspiration from the painting I titled, "Happy, Joyous, and Free" the illustrations in my book all have the same, free form. Here I've pained one that just looks so happy! I'm going to scan it and shrink down and make it into a pendant. I love the way it seems to be dancing with the flower.

New Pendants to Come

Using stained glass, I've been making little pendants... (gotta put some pics up!) So, today I'm going to start doing little color illustrations to go along with my book "Walk In Your Own Footsteps" I love the happy painting featured to the right of my blog and the illustrations from the book are versions of that image in different poses and situations.

I'll post some pics when they're ready. Thank heaven we've had some nice days so I can get out to my stained glass studio, no a/c!

My first contact from one of my heros!

Since I am excited about sharing my book with as many people as I can, I contacted a few of my writing heros in hopes that I may get comments and feedback from those who have gone before me and been helpful to so many.

So, today, I heard from don Miguel Ruiz's staff. He has written many books and "The four agreements" really helped to shape my ability to love people just as they are. Well, I was told in a lovely email that don Miguel will read my manuscript and I am so pleased!

Just wanted to share this bit of joy!

Hope you're day was joyful, too!

Major progress on the book!!

This has been an amazing week for my forthcoming book, "Walk in your own footsteps." My good friend, and councellor, Dr. John Schroeder, has agreed to write a foreword. Artist, Karen Wall Garrison, is working on the logo. And, graphic artist Aaron Roseli is going to do the cover lay-out. Of course, Marty Wofford is working on the final edits right now!

It's really coming together and I'm so excited!!! Depending on everyone's schedules, I could be looking at weeks till publish at this point!

Here's the picture I'm gonna use for the cover. It's special because I took it on an outing with Jim. We always have so much fun on our trips!

The One

I call this painting "The One" I love the bright colors and movement.

Kitty Cat Guardian Angel

This painting reminds me of my darling Jamie even though it was painted before she became such an important part of my life. :)

Full sized picture of Baby's Guardian Angel

My Angel series

I've done a few of thees angels and really enjoy them. It's so fun to see how they reveal themselves to me. The baby's guardian angel is set in a tin cealing tile. The painting is only three by four inches tall. She's so cute!!

Big Flower Painting

I was inspired to paint this flower by a bouquet of gerber daisies I picked up at the market. They were on my work table and I wanted to keep one forever! Now I can. :)

Just one more for today.

I am inspired by the Day of the Dead art from Mexico. I did this "altared" book last October and it continues to be a favorite. The book is a thrift store find, the crochet is also rescued from a local thrift store. The tiny birds are from a sand dollar that I found cracked so I opened it to let the little birdies out. I hand sculped and painted the sculls and offerings of food and flowers. The pictures are from a 1800's dictionary set and I liberated them so that they can me honored for all time.

Some more of my art... just for fun. :)

I took my camera out back and took some pictures to share. When my sweetie built a shed last summer, he told me he wanted me to paint it and have fun.  hee hee... I did!!

Sharing some art with you

I just love these cute little birdies that I sculpted from paper clay then painted. The inspiration is my cuddly relationship with my partner, Jim. I added the baby because I thought they seemed like they should have a family. I hope you enjoy them, too.

The book is coming along

With only 10 questions left to write and edits to work through, I feel the book's completion is close at hand. I'm so excited and uplifted by the positive feedback I've received about it so far. I am hopeful that the book will help many people! Woo hoo! Life is good.

Writing, painting, sewing, oh my!

I've been putting all my creative energy into finishing my book, "Walk in your own footsteps." Any spare time I have has been either creating the illustrations, or writing. I'm so excited because the finish line is in sight.

And, wouldn't you know it, I'm feeling the pull to paint and sew. I think I'll start collecting little girls dresses made of cotton fabric to make a soft cuddly quilt. Doesn't that sound nice? A sweet quilt from well-loved dresses? I can't wait.

Oh and there's the painting that's been simmering on the back burner of my mind. We took a trip to the coast and I saw the most beautiful field of flowers with a lighthouse at the far end perched on a perfect cliff. I took pictures and am going to do a painting to hang up in our bedroom. I also plan to do a series of flowers for the wall leading up the stairs.

Let's not forget the art pieces I've been doing using stained glass and vintage post cards. And... the pendants, jewelry, sculptures... Oh, and we're looking for a travel trailer to take trips and I'm so excited about decorating that, too.

So, it's wonderful to be blessed with a creative spirit, but having crafty ADD can make it so hard to complete anything.

Tomorrow, I swear, I'll work on the book. And, maybe, swing by the thrift shop to check out the little girl dresses. Fall will come and I'll be glad to have a quilt to work on. :)

On the road again....

Just as my youngest son returns from his epic trip (actually a cruise) to Alaska, Jim and I are off to the coast for a restful weekend! As always, I'll be on the hunt for wonderful things to add to my ever-growing collections of creations. Just how much stock should I have before I launch my ETSY store? Hmmm... I guess more than I have because I don't feel ready yet.

The best part is I keep getting new ideas and the thrill of creative energy is amazing!

Just back from a successful trip to the coast

My sweetie and I ventured to the Northern California coast to collect photographs for the pendants we make together this week. We found many lovely flowers to capture in a flower test garden in Gilroy, CA. Then we drove up the coast where we took some gorgeous photos of the ocean. One picture of a lighthouse I'm planning to paint for our room. As photographed, the lighthouse is just beyond a feild of yellow flowers. Many wildflowers are in bloom right now adding a colorful accent to the already rich colors of the beaches and cliffs. And, of course, a little romance adds to the fun of everything! I'll get some photos on my facebook page soon.

made a major artistic purchase today!

I scored a wonderful set of tools and supplies for making stained glass! Thankfully, a gentleman in El Dorado decided to let go of his stained glass supplies and quite a bit of glass, too. Soon I'll have specialty charms and peices to offer in my ETSY store. With a 2 year goal in mind, I hope to be making half my income from my art. Art has long been my love, passion, and fun! I look forward ot sharing that sense of whimsy.

a good day of balance

I started with massage work this morning and had a wonderful lunch with my buddy Jim C. Then, my sweetie Jim and I went shopping for cool goodies. I've got two new canvases to start painting with and supplies for making jewelry, too! What a wonderful day. Ah, balance.

March 9, 2010

I'm so excited about my wonderful life. I am also excited about begining to share the events of my life with others. In the days to come, I'll post my successes with work, artistic ventures, as well as pictures from my life and travels. I hope you enjoy following along!