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There are blossoms beginning everywhere, I even saw my first poppy this week, followed by 3 more.
I am painting flowers day and night, when I am not busy busy with life's happenings.
I have two spots where I enjoy painting the most.
At the country house it is in this little nook, with a skylight overhead, and the door with windowpanes behind me.
Tucking little treasures here and there and making your space your own can be really helpful in cultivating a space where you feel inspired to create.
The colors and textures you choose can also have a wonderful influence on your mood.
I felt so lucky to be able to pick flowers yesterday and tuck them in amongst my old little bits and bobs.
I am having so much fun painting flowers into the wee hours of the night.
It's bringing me so much joy, and peace of mind and soul.
To just get lost painting pretty little things is so good for me.
I've surrounded myself with things that I have had for 20 years, my favorite cozy studio chair, my old desk, my little tattered curio cabinet.
The things I find comfort in, and that are so familiar to me.
Not to mention the shelf that hung in my studio from the beginning, now repurposed here.
I had taken it down a couple of years ago to change things around and was so happy to put it back up here.
Flower bundles drying...
Some kind of bliss.
Just a cozy little nook for a girl in search of beauty.
I like to find it in the smallest ways, jam jars with blossoms -
Colorful old spools of thread.
A cloche with old tid-bits.
Happy colors and me, cozied up in my little space.
This is where you will find me this afternoon, listening to audiobooks and mystery shows.
Whilst swirling paint together.
Yellow, red, white - the most perfect pink.
The dogs are snoring, the sun is getting warmer and warmer.
I woke up this morning in my country house bed, windows open and birds chirping (with Teddy tucked into my side), and I swooned at all the new leaves on the trees.
It was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.
My familiar view of giant trees in the distance, and my own trees close by.
I was amazed at a tiny tree that has been tiny for 15 years, now a big tree, with arms outstretched.
This was its year to grow up I suppose.
As I get older, nothing is taken for granted.
Every moment, everything I see that is familiar to me.
The sounds, the smells.
My trees, the sound of coffee percolating, the rustle of the huge eucalyptus leaves in the breeze, orange tree blossoms...
The mountains, pink in the afternoon.
My garden paths.
Wisteria and gigantic bumble bees.
Rosemary scented dogs.
Oh, so many good things.
All the little things sewn up together to make up the map of my heart.
How wonderful to be able to appreciate and enjoy them still, on this Easter Weekend.
I feel so lucky to get to experience another season of spring.
They probably will not arrive before the 25th but maybe the day after to help with the after Christmas blues?
<3 <3 <3
I hope I get to see you before Christmas, where has the time gone???!
xoxoxo
Love, V
ps: Remember to look in the left hand sidebar of my shop categories, they'll be under Art Dolls & Elves. Etsy is having a little glitch and they are not showing directly in my shop at the top.
It's been ever so hot, and although I long for a tea party, I simply couldn't find the perfect time.
And plus, I couldn't feel Alice wanting to come out and play.
Normally I get a jolt of inspiration for my tea parties just like I do for my art.
I never know when it's coming, it just appears.
But it's been sooooo hot, too hot for a tea party.
And while I normally host in crazy heat, this year has been more intense temps.
Like 115'F & pure sun.
And so, I wondered if Alice would turn up for our 10th annual tea party?
Slowly, characters started to appear just after that wondering.
I roam antique stores, quietly unknowing, what will speak to me?
And then there they were.
The tea partiers themselves.
And yet, outside, still too crazy hot.
I woke up one morning recently, unable to hit the hills because for some reason the heat is really wiping me out this year. If I don't wake up early enough I have to wait until evening to do anything outside.
So, this one morning I made a cup of tea...
Walked into my cool studio and sketched on the blank canvas.
Then I mixed up paint...
Beautiful thoughts swirled.
Mister Fancy pants sang in the background.
Fresh blossoms hummed.
And in one hour, there she was on a large canvas.
Alice.
And she told me...
It's okay, have your party any time.
Be free, be you, do what makes you happy.
Art does that.
If you make art too, then you understand.
Your art tells you what to do.
Sometimes when I'm really stressed out and confused Art says to me...
Paint 3 paintings.
Then you will know.
Your answer will reveal itself.
And it really does.
You explode in so many emotions when you paint, that when you are done, you have this beautiful clarity.
Maybe not always like that, but some version close enough.
A peace lives within the wave of creativity.
Sweet Alice reminds me of so many good things.
Of a whimsical heart, in the power of believing.
Of fairytales and endless hope.
How time stands still in that creative space.
A portal to a place where everything magical lives.
Your deepest dreams and heart waves meet you for tea any day.
As for our annual tea party, I think we'll wait until it cools down.
Halloween is very near and I'm not going to have parties back to back because you all will be overwhelmed and I'll combust :-)
So, Alice and her friends say to wait until the time is right.
I've gotten so many emails and messages asking about the parties.
Alice is always there, so perhaps we'll wait until spring.
But it doesn't mean we can't wear our fanciest frocks and partake in sweets.
Why no no no.
Not with all those tiny blossoms and pretty pastels fluttering about.
We must always partake in the enchantment.
Ask ourselves, what our heart wants.
Then follow it.
On the theme of change from the last post, I was just thinking...
How hard we are on ourselves.
How we think, if we get older or take a different journey for a while, that we have lost ourselves.
I see so many friends feeling that way, as I have too in the past.
It's a natural thing for sure.
But, we are never lost. We are always there.
We only think we are lost.
I've been shown this soooo many times in my life.
The space where your joy and magic lives is ageless.
Just because you get older or grow up has no bearing on partaking in your youness.
The question is, what do you have to do to get back in if you feel you've lost your way?
If your muse feels lost, if you can't conjure up the frame of mind to create?
What do you do?
You go to your canvas.
To whatever it is that you love to do and makes you feel like you.
And even if you can't create, you take yourself to that space and you allow yourself to feel whatever feelings come to you.
If you feel sad and frustrated, you feel it.
Cry, have a fit.
Purge.
Sometimes you have to purge and release to get back to the place.
Even taking yourself there is part of the journey to getting back.
Maybe you won't paint/create that day at all.
It's okay, you still broke a barrier.
Even though you might not know it.
The other thing is to create anything if you can.
It doesn't have to be good.
That's the key.
Creating is an exercise in sanity.
It grounds you, you practice mindfulness and so many other things.
Whether it be flinging paint, crocheting, dancing, sculpting, baking, cooking.
Sometimes it's fun to be creative in a different medium, just to get the creative juices flowing.
It's your creating that keeps you ageless and sane.
And will always get you back to you...
All you have to do is plunge.
xoxo
Love, V
A wonderful song form Tori Amos' new album...
.
ps:
This is a filter free unaltered image below.
The sky did this the other night.
And then I just knew, it was time to go for it!
This hallloweeen, this is halloweeeeen!
I know it's too soon for some of you, but fellow Halloween lovers, you get it, right?
Halloween for me is a time filled with so many wonderful memories.
Making candy, dressing up.
All of our family would get involved.
It reminds me of fairs with cotton candy and kettle corn.
Sparkles and autumn crispness and laughter.
Bobbing for apples and filling bowls with candy corn.
The company (BPlusPrintworks) that I worked with on my ballerina giftware line asked me to do something fun this summer. They asked if I would consider illustrating characters inspired by The Nutcracker ballet. The illustrations would be used on some fun products for the ballet industry.
I agreed and set off to watch The Nutcracker endless times.
It became Christmas all summer.
I just let The Nutcracker repeat in the background as I drew for months.
I submitted my drawings, worked on edits and pretty soon things started to take shape.
Clara and the Nutcracker grew very near and dear to my heart.
As visions of sugar plum fairies really did dance through my head.
Over and over and over.
Pretty soon I had 60 or more drawings to choose from.
Then I spent another couple weeks adding color to all the drawings.
After that I waited to see how they would be brought to life.
Or what kind of products would be made.
And then, I received some super sweet pieces.
These are boxed notecards featuring some of my illustrations.
I love the box they are in so much.
There are also coffee/tea cups.
I was so overjoyed and just smitten with these little delights.
Then I was inspired to create a poster using all of the characters.
So, I created this Nutcracker Sweet Poster for BPlus Printworks.
(they sell to retail establishments and do gift shows etc)
They have sold out on the poster a couple of times, however I got my hands on a dozen which I popped into my shop.
The price point is pretty amazing, but it's a vendor promo price that may not last, so do take a peek if you'd like one for yourself.
Here's a better peek below at what the boxed notecards look like.
They are great quality fold open cards.
This is what the back of the box looks like.
My camera was being finicky, sorry about the pic.
There are also collectible pins as you can see below.
And some super adorable 3" mirrors.
These make such great gifts.
I've bundled them into little gift sets in my shop.
They turned out so crisp and clear.
I'm so excited about how sweet the pieces turned out.
I really couldn't be happier after a long drawing summer.
So, if it seems like I've been missing here and there...
Now you know why.
I've had a bunch of things going on and been quite busy.
I'm also trying to finish some sculptures and paintings while working on other projects.
If you've been wondering what the heck I have been up to lately?
Here is part of the tale...
The last couple years I've been working on some product licensing with the most wonderful folks over at B Plus Printworks. We have so many fun goodies coming to fruition.
They've made some beautiful little treats with my ballerinas.
Things like cosmetic bags, mini journals, glass magnet sets & playing cards.
You can purchase them in my shop here beginning this morning.
Hooray!
I am sooo in love with these little journals.
Being a book lover, I just can't get enough of them.
They are the perfect size to toss in your handbag and boy would they make wonderful stocking stuffers.
4 of my ballerina pieces have been used to create this line of products.
The cosmetic bags are oil cloth on the outside & have a dreamy water color quality.
Each bag has a beaded zipper pull.
The cosmetic bags come in small and large sizes.
There are also beautiful glass magnets that are packaged in lovely little boxes.
The little journals include an elastic band and a satin ribbon bookmark.
Inside they have 80 lined sheets of cream paper.
And, my favorite part, a hidden pocket in the back for small keepsakes.
Aren't they so charming?
They make me so so happy.
It's a lovely combination of art and function I think.
There are 4 styles, as you can see here.
I love the silk bookmark and elastic band.
The cosmetic bags are oil cloth on the outside and a red dotted fabric on the inside.
You can see extended details of each product in my shop.
Available in 4 ballerina styles as well.
Oh and, must not forget the playing cards.
These are soooo much fun and have the Theater of Dreams piece on them.
Crystal clear in person.
The little box is cute too.
I'm so pleased that I entrusted my art to a company that made such darling little treats and treasures.
The sizes of all the items are so great for gifts and stocking stuffers.
I hope you like them too!
So that's some of what I've been up to.
Finally getting to share is soooo exciting!!
Hope you're doing great.
Love, Vanessa
ps: If you'd like to shop for these you can pop into my shop here to purchase.
However, if you are a retailer and would like to carry these items feel free to contact B Plus Printworks. They specialize in ballet giftware. Their products are sold worldwide and they are wonderful to work with ♥
Hello, my name is Vanessa Valencia and I am an artist living in a lovely part of Arizona. I make all kinds of art, from painting to clay sculpting. I love tending my gardens and cuddling my dogs. This blog is about art, lifestyle, gardening, cooking, crafting & every single little magical thing in between ♥