sarah ahearn bellemare

meadow of delight

2012-01-30T21:26:00.000-05:00

over the weekend, we lost a very special member of our family. kia was my cousin annie's wife, and she fought a courageous battle with cancer this past year. a gifted writer, kia began a blog chronicling her fight with cancer when she became sick last spring (see here). even though, in recent days, as it became clear that she might not win this fight, the news still came as a shock, something that is just so hard to accept. she was only 28 years young and so full of life.

late this past summer, kia and annie were married in a beautiful, touching ceremony in my hometown. as they stood above family and friends in the hayloft of the barn, ada, my one year old, played joyfully on the grass below. as annie and kia exchanged vows and held hands, the little ones ran around and loudly giggled, completely oblivious as to what was taking place.

to see annie and kia on their wedding day, and to witness their love was truly magical. it is something that i will never forget. the wedding was ada's first wedding, and although she didn't really understand what was going on, it was important for me to show her what true love looked like - that it comes in all forms. it's my hope that when she's all grown-up, "gay marriage" will just be marriage, and "no cure for cancer" will be a thing of the past.

early on sunday morning, my husband came across the poem "beannacht" (blessing) by the late Irish poet John O'Donohue. (i posted a quote of his here and first learned about his work through a yoga class with michelle). he wrote this poem for his mother upon the loss of his father, and my husband thought it was a fitting one to share with annie. i think it's just beautiful so i wanted to share it here as well.

i hope you'll take a moment to have a listen and that perhaps it might help you or a loved one through a similar loss.

fuel

2012-01-25T21:18:00.001-05:00

yikes.

i just counted 4 empty coffee cups on my studio table. one is a to-go cup from the cafe earlier in the week (yuck), one mug from yesterday afternoon, and two more mugs from today. today was one morning coffee + one afternoon cup of tea. i have to say, the tea just didn't cut it, so i grabbed a coffee when i had to run out to the post office.

i apparently have a problem.

as you might have guessed, i'm in the middle of a painting marathon. i have 8 paintings in the works, amongst the coffee cups, and thanks the caffeine (!), the pieces are almost finished. AND, since i bet you'd rather see paintings then coffee cups, i promise to show you soon as i get 'em done.

well, there you have it, not a very exciting behind the scenes, but now you are privy to the inner workings of my studio. ha!

behind the scenes shall return next week.

back to work. xo*s

ps: only 3 calendars left!

hello monday

2012-01-23T13:51:00.000-05:00

this morning we made a zoo

nice way to spend a monday gloomy monday morning, don't you think?

* * *

also wanted to remind you that there are just a handful of calendars left! all are on sale from now until they are gone for just $20.12 each! don't miss out!

oh, and over the weekend, i finally made a facebook page. i'll be posting LOTS of goodies there in the near future! (giveaways, sales, workshop info and more!) would you please head on over and "like" it ? thanks!

xo*s

{behind the scenes} no 2.

2012-01-18T20:33:00.003-05:00

today, my bookshelf in the studio.

hey there, happy wednesday!

i'm thilled with the response to this series! i loved your questions. i will get to them after i share with you the {behind the scenes} of my day.

i've had all day to myself in the studio. quiet house since 7:30 am, but it took me a while to get going. still making up for not sleeping over the weekend i guess. i finally started (and almost finished!) some new little paintings that i love, but it seemed to take me all day to there. geesh. sometimes it's just like that. on some days, it comes a lot easier. what i've learned is to just go with the flow. creativity ebbs and flows and ebbs and flows. i used to worry worry worry about this pattern, more specifically the ebb part, but these days it's one of the things i've just learned to just let go of. as we all know, it does happen. lack of creativity happens to everyone. i try to remember that. sometimes, though, looking around the inter-webs on the blogs will have you believe differently, as it's mostly just the shiny pretty stuff that most folks like to share. especially artists. myself included. and it's also one of the reasons i wanted to share these {behind the scenes} stories. the day-to-day stuff. it's not always easy, or glossy or lovely. there are still days that i wonder how things might be easier if i did something else for a living, but those thoughts tend to be fleeting as i know that i would never ever be happy doing anything else. really truly. nope and never. when i was a teenager, i remember telling my mom that i could never be "caged" in a cubicle for work even though i'd never had done it. i also remember saying that "i wasn't gonna let anyone tell me what to do". ha. she laughed, but agreed that it was probably true. i never thought i'd be "self-employed" per se, but that seems to be what happened. on the other hand, there are some days that i wish i had a boss to kick me in the butt and tell me to get going. *sigh* oh, yes, then i remember that's my job too. (note to self: get better about butt kicking).

today was one of those days when it seemed i needed a lot of "warming up" before i could get to the paintings i needed to get done for a deadline. i thought a lot about this blog post as i rearranged my bookshelf (see above!), thought about what i would tell you as cleaned off my desk, made a zillon lists, and washed the chalkboard in my studio. oh, and i did have breakfast, coffee, got dressed, checked email and printed out some recipes. i did the dishes, swept the floor, picked up toys and books, started and folded laundry, checked in with my mom (who is watching ada) only to find out that someone was not, i repeat, not napping. geesh. so i fretted about that for a while and then decided to let it go. but then it was time for lunch. see what happens when you work for yourself at your house? some days are like this. but i know that some days are not. all in all i'm just thankful that i have my work days, to play them out how i'd like, to make them creative, whatever that may mean, and to make them my own. oh, and yes, i did finally make some paintings. they came fast and furious in the late afternoon. and i love them. phew.

so, onto your questions from last week:

i'm going to post the answers all on my new q & a page! (look up, just under the header to see "q & a" page). if i didn't have a disgruntled toddler sitting on my lap as i type this, i'd have 'em tackled by now... but, c'est la vie! so, i'll have them up by the end of the week.

one of the questions:

what books are on your bookshelf? see above photo and then HERE in more detail. a random mix for sure! (more explanation in the q&a soon!)

thanks for the questions, everyone! feel free to ask more on this blog post or on the q&a page.

oh, and PS! over on etsy~

just a few left!

hello monday

2012-01-16T19:30:00.001-05:00

we spent the weekend with my sister at her new house overlooking the harbor. she used to live far across the country, but she's now moved east, close to the sea and close to us. lucky us! i'm pretty sure visiting her is going to become our perfect weekend escape.

here's the view we woke up to on sunday morning, not too shabby, eh?! now we just have to convince the little one to sleep ~~later,~~ er, at all, when we visit. that'd be nice.

hope you had a fun-filled weekend too!

i'll be back on wednesday with a new {behind the scenes} and the answers to your questions!

behind the scenes {no. 1}

2012-01-12T11:27:00.003-05:00

hundertwasser quote. typed out on a french receipt that i found in an antique dictionary

* * *

how'd you get to where you are today?

i've been thinking a lot about this question lately, in fact, ever since the book came out it's one that's come up more and more. so, for behind the scenes {no. 1}, i thought i'd tackle it. i thought it was time to take a quick look back at that path, notice the steps i took, and ones i didn't, what i thought about and what i didn't, and how i can learn from the past to create my path to the future.

confession: up until very recently, i honestly didn't really think too long about things such as plans or goals when it came to my art career. really. i never sat down, wrote out my business plan and checked things off my list. yes, there were times i made important choices, but i usually just followed my intuition and did what i thought was right for me at the time. i probably shouldn't admit to this, but it's the truth, and since this is the first of my whole behind the scenes thing, i thought i'd best start off with the truth.

so, in fact, this is not where i planned to be, because it wasn't planned (!), yet i'm so happy with how i got here. somewhere along the line, i threw out the compass and followed my own path.

my art has always been that thing that i did, that thing i couldn't stop doing, but it was never, until the past year or so, that thing that i analyzed, over-thought, or planned about. yes, i would sell my work and make money, which was sort of the icing on the cake, or the cherry on the sundae, or whatever the saying is, for me, it was just extra. it was the making and the doing that mattered most. i just painted. i applied to shows (with slides!!), day to day, month to month and slowly but surely more and more opportunities would come my way. i didn't do anything "special", i just went to my studio, and painted. when i wasn't painting, i poked around, sought out inspiration, scribbled in my sketchbooks, cut up books, tacked things up on the wall, made messes and made my art. but here's the thing, i did this, and have been doing this, for over 10 years now. without thinking about the all-important what/when/how/who, i would just paint, day after day, for hours on end. hours and hours in the spent in my studio. i'd forget to eat, i'd play joanie mitchell's blue album over and over, i'd work on 6 paintings all at once, and then when i'd get tired, i'd step back and smile at what i'd accomplished. first thing the next day, i'd return to do it all over again. in my studio, i didn't have internet, i didn't even a computer until a few years ago (gasp!), and of course, for more than half of those past 10 years i didn't even know what a blog was. but, i did have my studio. that was the constant. my studio, a rented space outside of my home, was my haven. i had everything i needed to make art, and make a lot of it. at first, i did have a mentor who encouraged me to sell my art. she taught me the business side of being an artist. and let me tell you, when i had my first show back in may of 2000 and sold almost every piece, i knew that there was something to this whole thing of being an Artist. from there, i knew i could do what i loved and make a living at it as some point in the future. there was no turning back. but, as i look back now, i wonder if that's the point when i should have written a plan, the map for how to do it. instead, i was much more interested in cutting up maps, living in the moment, and not worrying about what would come next.
over those years, i had a variety of other jobs to pay the bills. i was part-owner of a couple of different galleries. i helped jury shows for the galleries and learned what other jurors might be looking for in my own work. i worked in a museum, i worked as an art framer. those jobs were extremely helpful when it came to my own work. i nannied and worked in galleries by day and painted by night. i painted by day and waited tables at night.

whatever worked, that's what i did. but i always made room for painting. it was what came first, even if i wasn't making any money from it. that didn't matter to me, i just needed to paint. as i look back now, i think that i probably should have thought more about the how of it all, how i would make a living selling my art, but instead, i took every oppourtunity that came my way and plunged blissfully ahead.

today, it seems that all the pieces of the puzzle ended up fitting together to make a whole, but at the time, there were doubt-filled days when i just didn't know how i was going to make it.

* * *

perhaps that's where i'll stop for today, there's so much more to the story, and that will come on a future wednesday. (yes, it will really be wednesday)

i wonder if you have any more questions for me? if so, leave them in the comments and i'll be sure to respond.

ps: you may have noticed that i'm just running a day behind this week! i'll be back on track next week for sure :)

hello monday

2012-01-10T15:17:00.001-05:00

to add to my new "behind the scenes" wednesday posts, i thought i'd start another new blog series called hello monday. it'll be just a fun little hello to you to, from me, a way to check in and start the week off right.

so, here we go! hello ~~monday~~, ahem, tuesday!? you see, i stayed up much too late on sunday night as i was completely engrossed in downton abbey! you too? with a little one at home, i absolutely need to got to bed early (by 10 at the latest) in order to be fully functional the next day. but, this week, with the whole 2 hour premier of my new obsession, i stayed up too late. but it was well worth it, oh how i love you pbs!

anyway, for this "monday", i just wanted to share a little instagram of what's currently on my table. just a simple wooden bowl of our winter farm share citrus. pretty, isn't it!? we finally ate the pomegranate last night after dinner, and it was delicious! even ada loved it!

to quote henry david thoreau, one of my goals for 2012 is to simplify simplify! so, around the house, i'm really trying to stay neat, clutter-free, and i'm working on getting rid of extra stuff that we really don't need. the simple bowl of fruit reminds me that even the littlest things can be absolutely beautiful.

no need for fancy smancy around here.

how about you? are your goals for the new year off to a good start? if you need some support, check out the double dog dare over on the squam blog. i LOVE it! i have to go join in too, what a great community!

xo *s

what's to come in 2012...

2012-01-04T12:09:00.001-05:00

without further ado, i want to share with you some of my plans for the coming year. it's big stuff. stuff i never ever dreamed would happen to me sort of stuff. it is the stuff of dreams, and i am incredibly excited to share the news with you here today...
so here it goes... first off, this spring, i'll be doing something i've wanted to do for a long time now...

then, in september i'll be back at squam art workshops in new hampshire, my all-time favorite place to teach.

after teaching in the magical woods of squam in new hampshire, i'll be headed south to the beach to teach at squam by the sea in the outer banks of north carolina. a beautiful place i cannot wait to experience again!

but i may have just saved the best for last... this year, for the first time, squam art workshops will also take place in italy! i am still pinching myself over this one... so yes, this year i'll be teaching in italy!

i have so much to say about all how all of this came to be, but that will be saved next week. i'll be sharing a lot more "behind the scenes" sorts of things with you in a new series of wednesday blog posts i'm calling, wait for it, behind the scenes, brilliant title, i know! ha! ;)

but for today, i just had to blurt it all out!

i SO hope i'll get a chance to see you at one of these workshops! for all the details and to sign up, head on over the beautiful new squam art workshops website... everything you need to know is there, and registration for all sessions opens next week!

* * *

abcdefg...

2012-01-02T21:34:00.001-05:00

hello and happy new year!

the first day of 2012 started out like this in our house:

7:02 am

A B C D E F G H I J K mama! LMNO P mama! mama!

QR Ssss TU V gobble you X Y n Z mama! mama! up!

pretty irresistible!

hope your new year is off to a fun start too!

all the moments...

2011-12-30T15:52:00.000-05:00

well, it was a nice thought. i thought i'd be here this week telling you all about the upcoming goodness for the new year. i thought it'd be a "back to work week", but it wasn't. but you know what? that wasn't such a bad thing after all, apparently i needed it, i needed a not too much to worry about week.

it was a get outside and go for a long, chilly walk week. it was take the day off and bring ada to the barn to meet some horses week. (she loved feeding them carrots!) it was a thankful i am back to feeling healthy week. it was an overdose on christmas cookies week. it was a full day of quiet in the studio week. it was a clean the house and organize junk drawers week. (yup, i love that stuff, really, i do)! it was a make some really crappy paintings before i can get to the good ones week. yes indeed.

i found this quote on the squam blog today, thank you to e for posting it, as it was just what i needed to hear. in fact, i went right up to my studio and wrote it out on my chalkboard to remind myself that all the moments matter. that even though i was having a moment of "i didn't get enough accomplished today", these words remind me that there will be those sorts of days, but they all matter, all the moments matter. as i look back on this year, i feel that there was just so much. it was so full. i sit here this afternoon feeling very thankful, lucky, and quite honestly a bit exhausted, but very happily looking forward to what the new year has waiting in the wings...

* * *

we just have a few things planned to ring in the new year, nothing too big, mostly just staying in and having friends and family over to our house to spend the evening in with nice company. i've always liked the idea of new year's eve, the anticipation of it all, the feeling like we are all about to be given a fresh start. i do love a fresh start.

so here's to you, to all things past and all things to come... i wish you a happy new year and i'll see you here on monday, the first one of 2012! (so yes, it's gonna finally be a back to work week) !

cheers and happy weekend!
xo *s

merriment

2011-12-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

ada's tree on our mantel

having a little one is sure going to make this year a magical one, so i'm signing off, slowing down, focusing on her, twinkling lights, and the friends and family that we'll be gathering with over the next few days. slow slow slow is the plan, savoring and taking it all in. i have a tendency to rush rush rush, making sure all of the things are crossed off the list, and all is in proper order, but this weekend i'm throwing that all out the window.

next week, i'll have lots of superamazingexciting news about what's coming up for the new year, but for now, i'm wishing you all the best for a lovely holiday weekend full of fun, relaxation, family, friends and yummy food!

merry christmas!

thanks for being here

xo *s

just popping in to say...

2011-12-20T19:47:00.003-05:00

* * *

just wanted to let all you last minute shoppers know!

i had a request for this service and am happy to oblige!

head on over to the shop!

* * *

i've been down and out with the flu. the real deal. the real, can't move, hurts to sneeze & lots of other stuff that's no fun to discuss here sort of a flu. it was over a week on the couch, a rough patch for sure. i'm just getting back up to speed on life and work stuff, but will be back ~~tomorrow~~ next week to fill you on what i was up to before the flu hit me. and just a quick side note- if you didn't get your flu shot, my advice would be to run, don't walk, to get it today! i got ada one and as it happens, regrettably, did not get mine soon enough. sigh. i'll be first in line next year, that's for sure.

hope you are happy & healthy wherever you may be!

until tomorrow... xo, *s

all sorts of stories

2011-12-07T10:01:00.000-05:00

he told her all sorts of stories

original available here

* * *

lately, i have been coming up with all sorts of stories too. waking up in the early morning with 17 blog posts in my head... i'm feeling creative & excited about blogging and sharing in this space again... it's a been a long while coming, but the ideas for stories to share in words and in paint are flowing fast. i'm capturing the fleeting visions and inspirations the best i can in my sketchbooks and making lots of lists. going to try to get some of these new pieces started next week, i'll be sure to share the process and outcome with you here!

hope all is well in your little corner of the world. mine's rainy and cozy today which certainly makes me wish i could just snuggle in with a cup of tea and my stack of magazines, but it is a big workday! needing to get ready for my show that opens on friday. ah! i'll share more details tomorrow, but for today, send me good wishes to be productive! it's always hard for me on dreary days (you too?!), not to mention a certain little person in this house thought that 4:30 am seemed like a good wakeup time for today. i tried my best, but couldn't convince her otherwise! oh the fun never ends! ;)

LAST DAY!

2011-12-05T15:52:00.001-05:00

just a reminder that this is the LAST DAY of my red dot etsy sale

today is the LAST DAY to save 20% on my entire shop!

calendars, originals, lots of prints, signed books & more!

hooray! don't delay! today's the LAST DAY!

i'm rhyming here and i didn't even mean to... it's that time of the day when i get a little loopy. must. find. coffee. and get back to packing up orders! so happy the little shop is back in action :) thank you so much for your support of my work! i love packaging up paintings and prints and shipping them off to wonderful new homes. it truly warms my heart to think of loved ones opening my artwork as gifts this holiday season, so thank you thank you thank you. i feel very lucky.

hope you had a nice weekend!

xo *s

ps: don't forget to listen to my interview! i hope you'll like it! i was happy to hear from dana, who said she was listening as she was wrapping up her christmas gifts and feeling inspired. how fun! thanks for telling me, dana! :)

behind the scenes!

2011-11-30T20:55:00.001-05:00

i recently did an online radio interview with a lovely artist named Rebecca Parsons. Rebecca has a great show called Artistically Speaking where she interviews artists & creative people. it was a real joy to talk with her, in fact, i had so much fun chatting, that we talked for over an hour! i went on and on about art, creativity, my background, how i got to be where i am today, my book (& the story of how it came to be), blogs, my studio practice, balancing it all and much more!

it's a lot.

i hope you'll take some time to pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup of tea (or wine!) and listen as you work on something creative. i actually listened to the entire interview today while i worked on packing up prints in the studio. i mostly listened to it to make sure i didn't sound like a nutcase ;) and at one point i found myself nodding in agreement and laughing (at myself, you see, so i may be a nutcase afterall!). you may notice some nerves (a zillion ums & "ya knows") but i'm honestly surprised you didn't hear any calls for mama or ada giggles in the background! phew!

it's not very often that i share so much "behind the scenes" stuff here, mostly because i have so many stories to tell and not enough time to do it in writing these days, but i hope you'll find the interview interesting and entertaining. rebecca says that the whole point of her show is to prove that we're all just "real people" behind our art, books and blogs... you'll hear that for sure i hope!

i'm truly delighted to share it with you! listen on itunes (just search blog talk radio artistically speaking) OR follow this link! big thanks to rebecca too!

i hope you'll enjoy listening!

xo *s

ps: the RED DOT sale is going great! (yay & thank you!) be sure to pop into the shop before it ends on ~~friday~~, monday,12.05! i'm so happy to see new prints and originals heading out to new homes! hooray!

happy cyber monday!

2011-11-28T08:13:00.001-05:00

head on over to my shop today!

just enter code REDDOT20 at checkout!

happy shopping!

xo!

ps: isn't this a fun image? it's an old family photograph that shows my husband's grandmother and her sisters building a snowman. the fun dots & text were added in picnik!

my creative headquarters

2011-11-23T15:25:00.001-05:00

i'm working hard on sprucing up my etsy shop just in time for the holiday season!

above you see my "creative headquarters". this was taken today as i tried to cross things off my giant chalkboard to do list!

below, just one of the new things in the shop!

it's about time i "redid" the shop, the poor little thing suffered for the past year or so as i've had other "projects" to focus on instead! so i'm really thrilled to be able to refill the shelves with lots of goodies for you! please be sure to check it out and let me know if there's anything you'd love to see! i'm happy to take requests!

so here's what's happening in my"creative headquarters" as we speak~

lots of new prints

original paintings coming soon (finally!), the calendar, signed copies of my book and more!

my goal is to get things up over the weekend, so tune in on "cyber monday"!

if you haven't yet signed up for my newsletter, do it now as the first one is going out next week! be sure to get on the list to get some super secret newsletter reader sales and treats! :) (sign up right over there on the sidebar)

also, i've been tweeting! following along if you'd like!
it's sarahearn, see the button below the newsletter widget

(phew, i'm getting my act together, aren't i ?!) ;)

i'll be doing most of my holiday shopping on etsy this year, in addition to making lots our gifts to give. in fact, no mall for this gal on friday! no "doorbusters" or any of that hullabaloo! i'll be squirreled away working away on refurbishing my old dollhouse for ada for christmas. the dollhouse was originally my grandmother's and then it was passed down to me. my mom "redecorated" it when i was little with scraps of our red shag rug from my childhood...oh how i loved laying on the den floor, on that scratchy shag rug, listening to my favorite record album this time of year. (did i just say record?!, lordy, i feel old!) although the dollhouse currently has an interesting vintage vibe, it is certainly time to give it a new look and some fresh paint and rugs! i'm super excited for the project, it's going to be quite and undertaking, so i'll be sure to take some before & after pictures to share! (and shhh! please don't tell her!)

then on saturday, i'll partake in small business satuday & bop around to my favorite local shops for stocking stuffers and little treats.

doing my best to keep it local and simple this year. after having to evacuate our house twice in recent months, flooding with hurricane irene and more recently the halloween snowstorm which knocked out our power, we've quickly realized just what is important... & we certainly don't need anymore things.

and just for the record, that's still my favorite christmas album and i'm dying to see the movie! you too?

* * *

wishing you safe travels

happy thanksgiving everyone!

* * *

thanks to you, as always, for being here!

lots of love! *s

it's CALENDAR day!

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

it's here! i'm so happy to announce that i've made a new clipboard calendar for 2012!

it's especially fun this year as i've pulled together my favorite paintings featuring photo transfers, and i love how doing so has given calendar a vintage & cohesive look!

this is really one of my favorite things to do each year, and i'm so thrilled you like them too!

i've made a limited run of these this time around, so i hope you'll hop on over to my shop and pick one up today!

each calendar comes as a sweet little package! the perfect gift!

* * *

a closer look

2011-11-18T14:37:00.001-05:00

studio bits

2011-11-17T13:19:00.001-05:00

spending a lot of time in the studio lately... more to show soon!

busy bee

2011-11-10T18:43:00.001-05:00

this week, i've been making making making in the studio! it's my busy bee time of year as the twist fair is this weekend! hooray! i'm debuting my new 2012 calendar there, so i'm pretty excited. i'll also have my books, prints and brand new prints mounted on boards! (the last item being my new favorite!) so, if you're in the area, come on by, i'd love to see you!

happy weekend everyone!

i promise to be back in action here next week! (really!)

xo *s

today. one year ago.

2011-11-03T21:08:00.000-04:00

(see it bigger here)

i found this sketchbook today in the studio. i remember it so clearly, i was feeling like i didn't know how to begin again, post baby, post book... i just sat in the studio wishing that some creative energy would hit me. some days i just waited and waited. some days i decided to nap instead.

but today, on this nov 3, i am typing with paint stained hands and feeling like i am overflowing with ideas and creative energy. remember when i said it was over a year? i guess i should say it's been more like 17 and a half months! well, deadlines always help too! :)

more soon!

for you

2011-10-28T15:30:00.002-04:00

found on my mom's fridge

i wrote out & wanted to share

you may have noticed that i

took a little break for october

i've been busy in the studio!

(& on field trips)

(yay!)

lots to share

miss this space

more soon!

fall is in the air

2011-09-27T16:00:00.002-04:00

although we're currently in the midst of a strange indian summer heat wave, we have had some days recently that have finally felt like fall. the other day it was chilly, so i had ada in her striped cashmere sweater (it was a gift!) and her polka dotted tights and i just couldn't resist capturing it. she's super fast on her feet these days, so i was happy to catch her here, just in time, as she inspected the flowers along our usual path. i never know what's going to make her stop in her tracks and turn, but on this day it was these flowers that needed sniffing and a lost tennis ball. :)

as usual, things have been a little crazy since returning from squam. i'm transitioning from my squam self to my home self, trying to play catch up around the house and studio, all while making sure to balance out the stress with calm. (so hard!)

i've been very thankful for the rare, quiet moments like the one above, that remind me too, to stop and smell the flowers and just be present.

i've been working on that last part a lot lately... it's a tough one for me to come by.

that being said, i'm off to yoga :)

all the parts

2011-09-23T13:44:00.002-04:00

there's a part of me that still feels as if i'm floating away on that sparkling lake, even though my feet are thoroughly planted back home, back in the usual swing of things.

there's a part of me that wishes i could see all of those beautiful squammers more often.

& then there's the part of me that knows that it somehow it wouldn't be as special.

there's a part of me that needs more time to find the words to explain it all.

& there's that part of me that knows that they just might not come to the surface.

sometimes there's a part of me that likes to stay quiet, to simply sit with the all of beauty and be comforted by my blue, blurry memories.

& then there's the part of me that wants to get it all out, to share in this space so i don't forget. & so that you might make your way to the lake someday too.

& right now, that's the part that is whispering loudly in my ear, so loudly in fact, that i may just give in.

so for now, you have these pictures. simple snapshots that captured quiet moments.

the hush of the in between...

words are to come. all in due time.

it was seriously the best squam ever. really & truly.

all of me is incredibly thankful that i got to be a part of it.

xo *s

cover girl :)

2011-09-09T17:09:00.000-04:00

found at my local michael's & captured with my iphone :)

i'm so thrilled to be on the cover of the new issue of somerset apprentice magazine! what a treat! be sure to take a look at it! inside, you'll find my how-to article which takes you step-by-step through one of my favorite paintings. (this painting is featured in my book too!) in addition, my friend and fellow artiste/mama kelly rae is inside with a really fun how-to on painting without a paint brush. totally great, and i just love the piece that she made. it's fun to share the pages of the magazine with her, as well as with all of the other amazing creatives featured! i hadn't picked up the magazine before, but i am certainly going to be looking for the next issue, it's a beautiful publication! thanks to christen & jana of somerset!

happy weekend everyone! xo *s

2011-09-08T10:56:00.001-04:00

one last photograph
(c) sarah ahearn bellemare. sold.

good morning to you! it's still raining. it's been days and days, and our backyard is starting to look like a pond. yikes.

i wanted to share with you my latest pieces that i made for the enormous tiny art show at nahcotta. i worked on this whole set at once a few weeks ago, and it's interesting to look back at them now, as i'm seeing them in a whole new light. sometimes, as i'm painting, i have a favorite, "easy" piece that flows nicely and just seems to come together without much thought. i like when that happens. but, this was not the case with the above painting. i agonized over it and almost scrapped it altogether. but today, i'm pretty happy that i pushed through, because when i see it here now it's definitely moved up the ranks to one of my favorites of the series.

check out all of the new pieces here, you may even recognize one from the book! it's finally out in the world and is up for sale. it feels good to set it free! :)

i'll be sharing ~~about the new paintings here tomorrow~~ fun news! in the meantime, could someone please send some sunshine my way? it'd be much appreciated, thanks.

rain rain go away

2011-09-07T20:34:00.000-04:00

rainy day tea
(c) sarah ahearn bellemare

it's been a rainy rainy start to september here in new england! i don't know about you, but i'd rather have crisp, sunshiny days with blue skies, that's for sure!

i've been working on getting prepped for squam. i can't believe it's in a week! i'll be teaching 3 classes this fall, and i can't tell you how excited i am to teach, meet new folks and reconnect with friends. squam is really the highlight of my year!

i'm looking forward to seeing many of you there!

more soon xo *s

ps: i'm loving the fancy new blogger interface, much more user friendly. yay!

hello september

2011-09-01T16:09:00.013-04:00

am i the only one holding tightly to the last days of summer?

us on the beach.

nauset beach, cape cod, ma

late july

a chilly, impromptu evening escape to the ocean's edge

we saw whales from the shore & ate onion rings for dinner

it was perfect

one of those days...

2011-08-25T20:57:00.000-04:00

today's been one of those days...

15 month olds don't like getting shots at the doctors. then again, who does? also, we're gearing up for a hurricane... first the tornado, then the earthquake (didn't feel a thing) and now this is expected for the weekend. blah. to top off the disappointment, we were going to take ada to a country fair to talk to the sheep, but i think they are going to pretty soggy according to the forecast. blah again.

did i mention it's been one of those days?

oops! i almost forgot! this is one of my new pieces. just finished today along with 7 other new pieces being shipped off to nahcotta for the enormous tiny art show 10! yay! the new paintings have been a bright spot in my otherwise blah inducing day. hope you like it! i'll share more soon...

off adventuring

2011-08-24T14:18:00.000-04:00

we've been off adventuring. can't wait to fill you in. see you here tomorrow!

xo *s (& a)

thursday at the farm

2011-08-04T21:28:00.003-04:00

i planned on sharing some other photos with you today, but i was a little busy cleaning up after being at the farm this evening...

as i was picking tomatoes...

she was discovering mud for the first time!

* * *

after the mud bath, there was a regular bath followed by a delicious dinner with all of our farm share goodies! the yellow watermelon was the perfect dessert!

ps: thanks for your comments on yesterday's post :)

over a year.

2011-08-03T16:18:00.006-04:00

tuesday/wednesday and part of thursday are now my "work days". on these days, i've been spending the majority the time up in my studio & i've been making a point to not go on the computer at all. i find, & i'm sure you can relate, that it can be so hard to NOT get sucked into email and other things online, so my new rule is don't even turn on my laptop until after i've had a full day of other creative work. so, on my 2 + 1/2 days to work, i'm beginning to find myself back in the swing of things in my studio... making messes, trying to organize & feel settled in the "new" space, getting sidetracked by making funny little vignettes on the chalkboard, painting a big canvas (feels so strange to be painting big & on canvas again!), filling up my sketchbooks, and overall, just feeling like i'm getting things back on track. it's been almost 2 years of book/computer work and that whole "ah!, i'm pregnant"/"i just had a baby" thing. oh yes, that. so yup, it's taken over a year post-baby to feel that i can truly be back to work in the studio & fully present on a regular basis without feeling like i'd rather just curl up on the studio floor and take a nap. no more sleep deprivation=lots of creative ideas. yup.

that's the equation to remember.

phew.

well, it's 4:30 in the afternoon, so i'm off to pick up my little gal at grammy's. i miss her when she's not here, but i know how important it is to get my alone/work time in.... lots of new ideas are finally flowin'. & that's always a good thing.

it's still a balancing act, this stay at home & work part time mama thing, but lately it finally feels as if something has clicked. i'm thankful for that.

see you tomorrow with some summery scenes from our recent travel. (another way to jumpstart creativity, that's for sure!)

summer sketchbook O N E

2011-08-02T10:28:00.006-04:00

i'll be posting lots of summer bits this week... i've been busy soaking up the sunny days with ada, but finally have so much to share with you! i promise to make up for the long absence!

more soon, so stay tuned!

ps: summer newsletter going out soon, so don't forget to sign up over on the right ---> !

flower, girl & field

2011-07-07T16:30:00.003-04:00

since it's thursday, i'm off to the fields... just like this girl.

a new, summery print. flower, girl & field. find it in the shop.

where women create magazine

2011-07-06T12:41:00.002-04:00

i'm thrilled to be featured in the current summer issue of

where women create magazine!

my interview is in the new "women create" section of the magazine.

big thanks to christen, amanda and everyone at somerset!

thursday's fields

2011-07-05T21:49:00.002-04:00

so far, the best part of the summer has been thursday farm share pick up. some days i'll bring ada along, but sometimes she stays home and i bring my camera along instead. after meeting my friend with whom we split the share (so much goodness!), i take some time to snap some pictures while i have a few precious minutes to myself.

standing there in the fields reminds me of last summer's farm stand. that same farm stand in the book, the one that caused me to miss deadlines and rewrite an entire chapter. last summer, at that farm stand, i became truly inspired to paint again for the first time in the weeks following ada's birth.

this summer, while standing in the fields on thursdays, i feel the same sense of excitement and wonder. i'm not sure what it is, but there's a shift in me that happens each week... a slight breeze sets off the fragrant rows of sweet cilantro, the bright blooming poppies-all orangey red and droopy with raindrops, the soft soil beneath my muddy, flip-flopped feet... it all comes together to send me to that place. that dreamy space of wanting, no, needing to create.

i never know when or where inspiration may strike, but thankfully, it's all happening now, in the sticky summertime heat, and i plan to show you what comes of it all soon.

hope this finds you well, perhaps bursting with some summertime inspiration too.

see you tomorrow.

xo *s

hello july!

2011-07-01T13:06:00.004-04:00

there are so many posts in my head i don't know where to start... but i wanted to say hello to you, and hello to july, my favorite month of the year! would someone please tell me what happened to may and june?

i'm trying to squeeze in a busy work day before the long forth of july weekend here in the states. we have a few plans- strollering and ice cream eating being the top two on my list. i'm also hoping that ada takes some more steps! she walked as if she's always known how the other night, but now she's acting like she has no idea what we're talking about! stubborn little gal she is. good thing we caught it all on video.

i hope you have a lovely weekend and i'll see you here on tuesday.

xo *s

ps: hello to a brand new blog header too. :)

cupcakes and champagne

2011-06-09T11:57:00.001-04:00

if you are local, come one come all to my book launch party tomorrow night!

there will be cupcakes and champagne!

where}

pinch, downtown northampton, ma

when}

6-9 pm, in conjunction with "arts night out" gallery walk

what}

books for sale or bring your book to get signed

paintings & sketchbooks from the book will be on display

new prints for show and sale

brand new print wall blocks will be available too

HOPE TO SEE YOU THEN!

xo, *s

ps: yes, ada will be there too. i know she's a draw for many of you! ;)

happy friday!

2011-06-03T15:00:00.000-04:00

* * *

my favorite quote.

i made this for the book & i just love it.

a simple message, important to remember.

* * *

happy friday to you... xo, *s

pink sky...

2011-06-02T14:45:00.003-04:00

* * *

pink sky at night, sailors delight, pink sky in morn, sailors take warn.

* * *

i made it through my first radio show! here's the link to listen to the podcast! just click on the show from june 1st to hear me at the top of the second hour. you can also listen on itunes by downloading the creative mojo podcast. (that way you can fast forward/pause etc. the show goes for two hours, you'll find my bit just at the start of the second hour.)

but here's the thing, i was on the radio, live, from my basement. you see, just as i was about to go on, my mom called to tell me to hurry up and get in the basement. just then, the sky got dark and a huge thunderstorm started rumbling outside. my husband called to say he was watching the radar and that i should stay put. my best friend then sent a text about a tornado possibly touching down in northampton. yup, that's right where i live. so there i was, hunkered down next to the dryer, surrounded by spiders and centipedes. so you might not hear it in my voice, but i was certainly scared to say the least. luckily ada was in the clear at grammy's house, and luckily, the tornado did not hit our little town. but sadly, it did touch down a few miles away and it was serious. very sadly, a few people lost their lives and many people have lost their homes. one of the victims was a mom who saved her daughter by huddling over her in the bathtub as the house crashed down all around them. i just cannot imagine. now i know that this weather pales in comparison to what we've seen in the midwest recently, but let's remember that stuff like this doesn't usually happen in massachusetts! it was quite shocking. still is. there's lots of devastation and i still feel a little shaken up about it. so, yes, i got through the radio show, but as soon as i came upstairs and felt that the coast was clear, i realized that my dad and sister were on their way home from the airport, right where the tornado hit. my mom was just calling them to tell them to stop driving as they watched the tornado pass right in front of them and cross the highway. literally, right in front of them.

so today i'm breathing a sigh of relief and trying to get prepped and focus for a big day tomorrow! i'll be heading to squam to give a talk about my book! a bit more information here and here. i'll be sure to tell ya all about it upon my return!

until then xo *s

hello june!

2011-06-01T10:56:00.004-04:00

my favorite summer sketchbook spread from painted pages

my fun news for today is that at 4:01 est i'll be interviewed on a live podcast! there's a first time for everything, and i'm super excited to chat with mark lipinski on his popular show called creative mojo. i hope you can tune in and listen, but if not, i'll be sure to put up the link tomorrow. mark and i will be chatting about what it was like to make painted pages, and who knows what else! see a little preview of what's on the show today over on his blog. i'm actually listening to past shows right now on itunes as i work, just so i know what i'm in for! mark sounds like such a fun-loving and creative guy, i think it will be fun. wish me luck!

ps: i finally added a "follower" widget over on the right. hope you'll follow along! :)

found!

2011-05-31T21:08:00.003-04:00

that's me trying to remain calm

look what i spotted (finally!) out at barnes & noble the other day! it's the first time that i had seen my book "out in the world", and it was pretty exciting. we walked right in and didn't even touch it, just quickly snapped the picture. i love how it's right there surrounded by books by friends. there's water paper paint, another quarry book, by heather smith jones who is also a contributor to my book. above my book, you'll see mb shaw's book, flavor for mixed media, then, to the right is kari chapin's (who is also a contributor) book the handmade marketplace. painted pages is certainly in good company on the shelf! after i did a little happy dance, i signed the copies they had in stock. to prove i was the author of the book the woman checked the author photo in the back of the book before i signed them. funny. it's certainly all pretty surreal even though i was holding painted pages in my hands!

a great big (virtual) hug and thank you to stephanie levy, a lovely friend, artist and contributor who blogged all about my book today! be sure to check it out! she posted a whole bunch of great sneak peeks and had some really sweet things to say about the book. what a treat it is for me to have her highlighted in my book! check out stephanie's gorgeous collages here.

what a nice way to wrap up this crazy month of may! thanks so much stephanie! i feel so lucky!

hope you had a nice long weekend! i am pretty tuckered out since jesse was away for a few days for work and i was on full time toddler patrol. phew! ada and i had such fun together, lots of swinging and climbing stairs, but we certainly both missed having dada around!

be sure to tune in tomorrow morning... i have some fun news to share! :)

xo *s

book, baby & balloons!

2011-05-27T15:38:00.004-04:00

hello hello!

here are the"civilized" pictures i promised of ada and "her" book

so happy to be here and to announce that we are now on the other side of the flu/fevers/colds that went around our house for the past couple of weeks. ugh! first ada, then mama (that's me) then dada. oh, did i mention that the twist fair was in the midst of all of this!? i survived, but barely. fever does not mix well with art show preparation! you know what else happened? my little baby turned ONE! we had a fun-filled weekend of parties full of cupcakes, new dresses, friends (little and big ones), family gatherings, frog catching, and "boons".... that would be balloons! they are her new favorite things, well, next to climbing up the stairs! i think i may officially have a toddler on my hands!

here's the birthday girl *early* on the morning of her birthday. she seriously would not let go of that balloon! :)

so as you may have guessed from my absence, that we've been quite busy these past few weeks! in addition to all of the fun, (and not so fun sickies!) i've been working like a crazy woman on book promo and event plans. LOTS of that exciting news coming up for you next week...

but, truth be told, i think i might have to call it quits for the day today... it's the long weekend to kick of the start of summer! yay! an iced coffee is calling my name...

i wish you all a happy weekend!

i'll be back here every day next week! what the what?! really, seriously!? yes indeed ;) there's so much to share with you and i've missed you!

see you then! xo *s

twist fair this weekend!

2011-05-06T12:42:00.002-04:00

i've been busy getting ready for the twist fair! if you are local, i hope you can make it!

i'll be selling my book (signed for you!) along with new originals & prints.

twist is today from 6-9pm and tomorrow 10-6.

xo *s

markets of new england

2011-05-03T21:15:00.004-04:00

today is the big day for my friend christine, as her book, Markets of New England, is officially being released out into the world. i couldn't be more thrilled for her, not to mention i totally know how she feels!

last week, when ada and i had our play date with christine and her little man, i got a sneak peek into the adorable (see photo below that she took of our books) little travel guide, and let me tell you, it's just gorgeous!

christine has gone all over new england checking out the best of the best in farmers markets and artisan markets, two of my favorite things! the timing couldn't be better, as this summer, we are planning a trip up to maine, (also known as our staycation!) and i know we'll be using her book as a travel guide and reference. Markets of New England is full of beautiful photographs and fabulous information, a great gift idea for a summertime birthday. i cannot wait to dive in and plan out ideas for future excursions. i feel lucky to live in such a lovely, lively, little corner of the world, and this book is a nice reminder to get out and explore.

get your own copy here!

you want a peek into the book?

look over here.

christine and i have also commiserated on what it's like having a book and a baby all in the same year! (what were we thinking?!)

congratulations christine! we did it! hooray!

xo *s

out & about

2011-04-28T11:57:00.002-04:00

some little studio bits

i've been working hard lately trying to get back into the "swing of things" in the studio. now that the book is out and about (and there's nothing i can do about it!), i am focused back on making some new art! hooray! it's been a long time since i've been able to just be in the studio without worrying about writing or the book or the baby... i now have 2 FULL studio/work days and i am loving our new schedule. ada has been having a blast at grammy's on my work days, but on our days off i just try to focus on her and plan fun things for us to do together. wanna know what we did this week? read all about it right here! i couldn't have said it any better. we had SO much fun!

ok, back to work!

xo *s

ada's reaction to "her" book

2011-04-21T11:40:00.002-04:00

this is seriously what happened when i showed her my book for the first time. i've never seen her act so excited about something. it's just too bad that you can't hear the high pitched screeeeeeching and screaming that went along with these pictures, it was over the top! she certainly speaks her mind, this child of mine... i wonder where she gets it from?! ; ) ha!

i have some more "civilized" pictures of her coming up next. these are just so silly, i had to share!

a first for friday

2011-04-15T20:57:00.002-04:00

this is one of my very first paintings that i made as a "real artist". i had just rented my first studio space and was spending all of my free time there, painting long hours, forgetting to eat or sleep and learning so much!

this was also made during my "blue period" when i used to paint with lots of blues. i also started out working really big, this piece is 3ft x 4ft on canvas! (note to self: might just be time to return to the big pieces again... )

this is also the first painting that i ever sold, in my first show, way back in 2000... seems like ages ago!

the quote is from mary ann radmacher (i wrote her name on the painting), and i think i had a journal with this written on the cover at the time, so i decided it was the perfect way to describe my journey into becoming an artist. the words still ring so true to me today.

the man who bought it gave it as a surprise to his wife who had just quit her job to start her own business. i liked that.

so amazing to take a look back at piece today, just as my first book is releasing to the world! wow. a dream indeed!

thanks for all of your sweet comments from yesterday... i'm so lucky to have such wonderful friends and readers!

happy weekend to you xo *s

the panic sets in...

2011-04-14T14:47:00.001-04:00

alright, it’s been a while.

i'm going to catch you up on things AND, wait for it, announce the giveaway winners! but, you have to listen to me ramble on first...

time to get back to regularly scheduled programming here on le blog.

truth be told, I’ve actually started this blog post about 11 17 different times, and all those drafts are currently just taking up space in my blogger account. i thought it was high time to follow through, fingers crossed i finish before someone wakes up from her nap. (side note: that it did not happen, this is seriously attempt #17.)

recently I was talking about my new “schedule” and feeling as if everything was finally getting easier. by everything, I mean my balancing act of new mamahood and the workathomeparttimeasacreativeartist/businesswoman thing. oh, yeah, that thing. but then, i was knocked right off of my tight rope when the tooth ~~fairy~~, monster came to visit us. this, of course, meant that he kicked the sweet little sleep fairy out of our house, which is too bad because she was such a welcome addition to our nutty little household. she was the reason things seemed to be running somewhat smoothly for a while. and by smoothly i mean the laundry was getting done, i was even able to get into the studio and finally finish it... it's been way too long in a state of recently rearranged disarray. that nice fairy was also to thank for my new found clear mind and ~~lack of~~ less noticeable dark circles under my eyes. (another side note: by clear mind, i just mean a less foggy, certainly not as sharp as it used to be, mind)

don't get me wrong, it's not that things aren't good, in the big scheme of things all is well and i have absolutely nothing that i can really complain about at all. but, on this, probably the 37th day not sleeping through the night, things can start to get fuzzy and negative in my tired mama mind.

on a more positive note, silly excuses and complaining aside, spring is finally showing itself around here in new england. finally! the singing birds, yellow daffodils and warm sunlight on our (much less bundled up) walks are brightening our days lately. what a difference!

and yet, there's more goodness. and i've been totally holding out on you...

drumroll please...

i am holding my book in my hands. yes, the real live book. it feels so good! i absolutely love everything about it. really, truly do. i'm still pinching myself! you can get a peek inside over here. but here's the thing -

i go back and forth between feeling so incredibly thrilled that i pick up ada and we swing around the house doing happy dances, which, of course, she loves. it's been like this for the past couple of weeks. (yes, i know! it's true, i've had a copy that long! see, totally holding out on you!) but then, things shift, like yesterday when i unexpectedly had a few emails from people telling me that they, too, had my book in their hands. a cold sweat came over me and i felt like i was going to throw up! what's wrong with me!? i wrote a book for other people to read, now they are reading it, and better yet telling me nice things about it... how do i respond? i panic!? goodness. something is seriously wrong with me.

just this morning, as i was telling thea about my panic/craziness and i exclaimed -

but, this means people are going to know all about our "secret project! "

she, of course, thought that was completely hilarious and encouraged me to chillax and *know* that it is all going to be okay. (just for the record she didn't use the word "chillax", but that is my assignment for myself)

i think it's just the whole "giving birth" to the book thing, it's been such a long process, one in which i put in so much time, energy and love into those words and pages... i just hope it is going to be received with open arms, that it will inspire its readers and be loved right back. here's hoping...

time to set it free, right?

i have no choice! it is on the way...

* * *

ok, back to business.

the giveaway! thanks so much to all of you who participated and told me about your favorite meals! it was such fun to read all of your comments... such delicious ideas!

without further ado, the randomly selected winners are~

the winner of mb's book is: dawn wilson! yay! mb will be sending you the book!

the winner of my print is: sylvia! congrats to you sylvia! i am SO going to try your avocado/garlic spread this summer... yum! :)

*dawn and sylvia- please be in touch with me via email and send you addresses!

now, if you didn't win, don't dismay, just stay tuned as there will be another upcoming giveaway or two here soon!

* * *

see you tomorrow for some friday fun.

xo *s

ps: i'm going to go chillax now... ;) thanks for listening!

giveaway!

2011-04-06T10:24:00.011-04:00

hi ya!

before i fill you in on what i've been up to, i wanted to treat you to a little exciting giveaway! hip hip hooray! giveaways are always fun : )

a while back i was asked by the very nice and oh so talented mb shaw to contribute to her new book Flavor for Mixed Media. how could i say no to a book about food and art? two of my favorite things! not to mention, i jumped at the chance to be featured alongside the likes of artists such as dolan geiman and judy wise, who are just two of the many other wonderful artists featured on the pages of mb's book.

i first met mb at squam in 2009, when we were teaching our classes side by side. it's kinda a funny story...

here i am in my local barnes and noble, with my trusty iphone in hand, i got so excited when i spied her book on the shelf...

the book is full of great, new-to-me ideas and techniques along with recipes, art, stories and inspiration. i really loved looking through the pages, i can only describe it as a fun art "cookbook", it will be sure to inspire you to get cooking both in the studio and in the kitchen!

oh, and that giveaway? it's to win a copy of her book! yay! i also thought i'd be nice and throw in a print of my piece featured in her book as well. (see above picture)

so there will be two winners, one to win the book and the other to win my print of "you are so much sunshine".

how do i win you say?

the rules:

- comment here on this post. in your comment, tell us your favorite meal. i'd love to hear about your tasty, inspiring dishes.

-you'll have one week to enter the contest, be sure to enter by noon (eastern standard time) on wednesday, april 13th.

-make sure there is a link to get in touch with you, but you'll also need check back here next thursday 4/14 to see if you've won. i'll announce the winners here on my blog. mb will send the winner the book and i'll send the other winner the print.

happy giveaway and good luck!

thanks to you for playing and for mb for asking me to be a part of the fun!

{8 things}

2011-03-22T10:15:00.006-04:00

the stressful morning edition

8 am

lovely way to greet the day: mysterious charges on my paypal account. no, i tell the nice woman on the phone, i did not spend $100 last night at 1 am on itunes. she was very nice and super helpful. i do love a good help line. problem solved.

8:44 am

create new super long password i may never remember as an added security measure.

9am

i spy coffee. ah.

9:02 am

coffee moment interrupted by baby crawling around the living room. must focus on this little trickster. boy is she fast. phone cords? yes, please, i'll try to pull that out of the wall. dirt on the floor? yum, that was tasty. (note to self~ time to vacuum)

9:30 am

time to get that little teether down for her nap. she was really tired and went down easily.

9:45 am

for some crazy reason, i decide to try on some dresses in my closet in an effort to get a jump-start on spring cleaning. why oh why did i do this to myself? i should have known that there was no way that i'd be able to zip 'em up, not with this new nursing mama body, but of course i try. and fail, miserably. cute dresses into consignment shop pile. try not to feel too bad. blah.

10 am

finally find the coffee and actually drink it.

10:15 am

spontaneously write the post that you are reading.

more soon. xo *s

a quick hello!

2011-03-16T15:04:00.004-04:00

my ode to spring. it's really coming... hooray!

just wanted to pop in and say hello!

it's a crazy week! i've got a teething babe in the house, need i say more?!

in addition to the above, i am working on taxes, a couple of interviews, as well as making plans for book promo stuff. phew! so much to do!

as i type this, there's a nutty baby in the other room screeching in delight while jumping in her bouncer. when she's not bouncing/scooting/crawling, she's pulling herself up on everything. yikes. (don't worry, grammy is on the case!)

i'm trying to focus on work by blasting my ipod and drinking way too much coffee.

i think it might be working. :)

one day in may

2011-03-10T15:19:00.004-05:00

i've got the month of MAY on my mind today, this dreary day in march.

here's a piece i did last month for nahcotta. i imagined these friends out on a fun, springtime adventure... see those two cars in the background? i just love this photograph.

do you have any springtime adventures planned?

may for me means book release, twist fair and ada's first birthday!

{8 things}

2011-03-08T10:15:00.001-05:00

one} i've decided to bring back the {8 things}. it'll be on tuesdays. just like the first one. (be sure to read the list today, i've saved the best for last!)

today. the sun is shining and it's supposed to be 40 degrees. snow is melting, sidewalks are clear. this is big, people. spring is seriously on the way!

today. thinking about how much i love what christine said. such a real post. i also LOVE her new blog design. so pretty!

four} lately, i've been living vicariously through these two sisters who have moved to france. perhaps you know these blogs, but just in case you don't, i thought i'd share. one sister has moved to paris with her two little boys, and the other has moved to normandy with her six (!) enfants. i'm really enjoying their posts. thought you might too.

five} speaking of french things~ my sister, my husband and i went into boston this weekend and saw these two guys. so fun! it was great evening!

six} speaking of foodie related things, on a blizzardy day in early february i preserved some meyer lemons. idea and recipe here. so easy and delicious! the lemons were finally ready to eat last week, and it was worth the wait! so far i've layered them on baguette with olive oil (a good, fancy one) and topped with halloumi cheese and then grilled as an open face sandwich. so so good!

today} we're getting out of the house finally! no rain, no snow, just sunshine! hooray!

eight} my editor wrote to me yesterday to say the advance copies of my book are IN (!!!) and that i should be receiving mine this week! i did a big happy dance and then proceeded to hyperventilate. just thinking about it now is making me get butterflies in my stomach... SO excited to see it and hold it in my hands. (they will be shaking most likely!)

march fourth/forth

2011-03-04T13:20:00.001-05:00

just a little corner of our house.

mayday studio calendar displayed with my paintings and ada's dinosaur.

today is "the only day that is a command" as my dad likes to say! so i will march forth and share my exciting news as promised. : )

i'm so thrilled to tell you that thea and i are featured in the current issue of somerset studios magazine! look for us in the march/april issue that just hit the shelves! the article is a conversation of sorts between us where you'll get to read some behind-the-scenes stories from the book process, alongside some beautiful new photographs by thea that are not in the book. we had a great day together this fall just "playing" without the pressure of the book on us. i just love her eye, and i'm so lucky to call her not only my collaborator, but also my dear friend.

i hope you'll get a chance to read the article!

here's a sneak peek :

thanks for your comments about yesterday's post. i really appreciate it. and you wanna know another truth? it took me all day to write that post yesterday... i started during ada's morning nap, fueled by coffee and flowing thoughts, then i had to put it away and was able to wrap up as soon as my husband came home to entertain the peanut. whatever it takes! after i wrote it, i saw this, and it made me smile, then i discovered this post by ali edwards. so good! i'll try to map out my day like this sometime, such a good idea, i just loved reading about her day.

see you here on monday. happy weekend!

xo *s

juggling it all

2011-03-03T17:24:00.000-05:00

sometimes my plans to be be here, on email and online don't alway line up as i imagine they would now that i'm a mama to a 9 month old. instead of continuing to feel guilty about not being on top of everything or doing all the things that i had planned, i've decided to let that go and simply tell you the truth.

so here it is:

sometimes, in the midst of trying to juggle it all, these things happen. things that are important fall by the wayside, and they have to wait their turn. i learn have to make these choices as i learn how to be a stay-at-home/work-from-home mom. i have to learn that sometimes, i am only able to focus on one thing at a time. it's a hard lesson, especially because i used to be a good juggler, but these past few weeks i found myself needing to take a break from the crazy balancing act i was trying to perform, and just direct my focus on one thing. one thing at a time. you see, this is the "thing" that's been most important lately, so i've had to step away from my work for a little while. no running to email or work as soon as she falls asleep, no worrying about what i wasn't getting done, no guilt. just focus on that one cute little thing.

i truly believe that all creative endeavors, blogging included, as for me, it's a creative outlet, should be done NOT out of guilt, but out of a place of creative need and want. so that's how i am trying to look at it all. i'm happy to see that i'm not the only one feeling this way sometimes. these two smart ladies couldn't have said it much better.

i have to remember too, that creativity always ebbs and flows. always.

my new truth and good news is that i am now over that need for a break. the new and refreshed me is so ready to dive back into to my work which includes writing to you here, posting new things here & even here, preparing for a big sale (!) and tons of new stuff here. even working on this which will debut (finally!) within the next couple of months.

i had given myself the month of february as a little "maternity leave" to do all the little things i didn't get to do around our house since we've moved in. i didn't cross everything off my to do list, but here's what i did accomplish. let's focus on that, shall we? : )

i did rearrange, clean and organize the studio, it desperately needed it! (photos coming soon)

i did finally sort through all of ada's clothes that she has grown out of with the help of my super duper mom. she's already in 12 month clothes! ah!

i did work on decorating her room. lots more of that to come.

in addition, these past couple of weeks allowed me to:

take some days off when i didn't even *think* about work. desperately needed that too.

spend as much time as we could outside even if it meant being totally bundled up.

but, most importantly, i did take a much needed break from my work and allowed myself some space to step back and let the creative juices start flowing again.

and guess what?! it worked! i'm happy to report that i can barely keep up with all the ideas i have swirling around in my head! lots of plans for future are being set into place now. i'm thinking ahead and getting so excited.

i've made lots of lists on my big old chalkboard to keep track of them all.

i've also made myself a new day-to-day schedule that i'm trying to stick to as much as i can. it's really simple, but it's helping me feel like i am getting things done. on the list for thursdays is blogging and laundry. : )

the truth is, it's always a struggle to balance it all, and as i go through each day, i'm learning new ways of making it all work. some days are easier than others for sure, but all in all it's falling into place... slowly but surely.

i'm so lucky to have grammy (my mom) here two full days a week so i can work, but i am also happy that this month of focus has helped us to set up wonderful routine that is working out beautifully on the days when it's just ada and me. (more on that sometime soon too.)

and you wanna hear the best new yet??? little miss ada slept through the night last night! all the way through, none of this 5-6 hour stuff, but truly slept from 7:30-6:30 am! not a peep out of her! i ran into her room this morning at 6:15 am and she was just starting to stir.... whoa. this is big. i feel like a new woman today. i'm hoping it's the start of a new routine, but we'll just have to wait and see. but oh how lovely it would be.

how i wrote a book with a new baby i'll never know.

thanks for being here & listening.

i'll be back tomorrow with some exciting news!

for reals. ; )

xo *s

{in the studio}

2011-02-18T09:23:00.009-05:00

* * *

hi there & happy friday!

well, it's been a wee bit quiet over here due to some unexpected travel (more on that later), the stomach flu (me), and pink eye (ada). we're home, and both feeling better thank goodness, but man-oh-man did that flu knock me down for days. ada was really fine, just looking a little funny in one eye : ) who knew that pink eye isn't really pink, it's just a cold in the eye. hmm, learning something everyday as a new mom! here's hoping that flu stays away from our house (and yours!) for a very long time. today is the first day in a while that i'm up (and dressed!), actually functioning and, best of all, having lots of energy and ideas flowing! yay! sketchbooks and chalkboards are being filled.

i've recently torn apart the studio, re-designed and organized it, so i'm excited to say i'll finally have pictures to show you! i realize that for the past year (!) or so i've had to keep quiet with pictures here on the blog because so much of what i was working on was for the book, and it's nice to finally have the freedom to take lots of pictures to show you! i miss sharing my studio shots! of course, my little snapshots are no where near as nice as the ones you'll find by thea in the book, but here are a few snapshots of recent studio activity. in these photos, i was in the midst of my new series that i made for the eta 9. for these pieces, i working on them all at once, putting one down then picking one up... the process was a bit different for me, but i really love how they all came out. i hope you like this little peek behind the scenes! (a couple more here)

i've really missed being here, it's great to be back with fresh ideas and energy.

i'll have lots more to share with you next week!

have a great weekend,

xo *s

ps: do you like the new header and tabs? : ) i'm pretty happy with them, change is good and it was about time. stay tuned, more things to come.

new originals!

2011-02-08T15:44:00.005-05:00

we stayed just along the shore

acrylic/mixed media on board

one of my brand new originals, currently for sale at nahcotta!

the enormous tiny art show opened over the weekend at nahcotta, but i was so busy painting for class that i forgot to mention it to you! i worked on this new series just for the show and really love how they came out. see them all here! can you tell that i was channeling spring with these pieces???

lesson one

2011-02-06T19:42:00.006-05:00

see it over here too

i'm so happy that i decided last week, at the very last minute, to sign up for mati and lisa's "get your paint on" class! i recently realized that it had been far too long since i just painted for me, for fun, without worrying about the buyer, the gallery the show deadline etc. i declared that february would be MY time to spend in the studio just painting, enjoying the process and getting back to a place of relaxation and inspiration. no more stress or deadlines, a little break, just for me, to refill, to play, to just be... just for the month. i thought that this class was the perfect way to kick start my month and force me to follow through. i'm happy to report that so far, it's working!

today's painting was based on the quilts of gee's bend. i used this book for reference, as i've had it on my studio shelf for a couple of years, meaning to make a painting like this, but never finding the chance. finally, today was the day. it was refreshing to work in a new-to-me way... i studied the quilts in the book, sketched and mapped out my ideas before i began and then spent a couple of hours painting in the studio early this morning while ada napped. fueled by coffee and bright winter sunlight, i felt renewed and inspired. i needed that for sure.

this is the first assignment of the 5-week class. i'll be sure to share with you my other projects.

after spending the better part of this last year writing about how to paint and teaching techniques, it certainly is a welcome change to be a student instead! i love learning, exploring new ideas and challenging myself. it feels good for sure.

a poem for today

2011-02-02T19:37:00.002-05:00

snow day

by billy collins

Today we woke up to a revolution of snow,
its white flag waving over everything,
the landscape vanished,
not a single mouse to punctuate the blankness,
and beyond these windows

the government buildings smothered,
schools and libraries buried, the post office lost
under the noiseless drift,
the paths of trains softly blocked,
the world fallen under this falling.

In a while, I will put on some boots
and step out like someone walking in water,
and the dog will porpoise through the drifts,
and I will shake a laden branch
sending a cold shower down on us both.

But for now I am a willing prisoner in this house,
a sympathizer with the anarchic cause of snow.
I will make a pot of tea
and listen to the plastic radio on the counter,
as glad as anyone to hear the news

that the Kiddie Corner School is closed,
the Ding-Dong School, closed.
the All Aboard Children’s School, closed,
the Hi-Ho Nursery School, closed,
along with—some will be delighted to hear—

the Toadstool School, the Little School,
Little Sparrows Nursery School,
Little Stars Pre-School, Peas-and-Carrots Day School
the Tom Thumb Child Center, all closed,
and—clap your hands—the Peanuts Play School.

So this is where the children hide all day,
These are the nests where they letter and draw,
where they put on their bright miniature jackets,
all darting and climbing and sliding,
all but the few girls whispering by the fence.

And now I am listening hard
in the grandiose silence of the snow,
trying to hear what those three girls are plotting,
what riot is afoot,
which small queen is about to be brought down.

from sailing around the room: new and selected poems

winter fun

2011-01-19T20:16:00.003-05:00

hello!

we've been on a little winter escape

(that white stuff is not snow!)

we are home now, welcomed back with 20+ inches of snow!

(the scene just outside our window)

it's a popular place, our local sledding spot, and all day long it's filled with laughter, yelps, "weeees" and shouts of joy. it's certainly a lot of fun to listen to and watch!

lucky us!

coming home to winter hasn't been so bad after all!

hope you are enjoying yours... more soon! xo *s

2011-01-01T19:42:00.003-05:00

* * *

happy new year!

xo *s

half the sky

2010-12-31T09:03:00.001-05:00

photo by lisa hoffman

click on over to see my friend lisa's *beautiful* video! please VOTE today! it's an amazing story...sure to melt your heart. Watch video and vote here.

she's hoping to support the half the sky foundation. read more about this project on her blog.

thank you for this video lisa, & good luck! xo

old+new=final

2010-12-23T11:52:00.004-05:00

my editor, designer and publisher all took into account your comments (130+!) and decided to combine the old and new covers to create this final one! thank you again for all of your creative suggestions and valuable input!

there's much more to fill you in on about the process, discussions and decisions that went into this cover, but for now i'm just happy to be able to say it's DONE and i LOVE it! : ) phew!

so i'll be back with all the "behind the scenes" book details, lots of links and more after the little holiday break.... so much to tell you!

i don't know about you, but there are still errands to be run, gifts to be wrapped, popcorn to be strung and houses to be cleaned... ah! twas the day before the day before christmas, and we're running around as always! i do love the hectic excitement surrounding these days... sparkling lights in trees, fluffy white flakes and family close by to visit with make it all feel magical and cozy.

wishing you all things merry and bright... xo *s

happy winter! & update

2010-12-22T08:48:00.002-05:00

i'm still in shock, as of today there are over 134 comments on my book cover! what the what!? i'm thrilled that you voted took the time to share all of your ideas/thoughts/opinions and suggestions! i feel so lucky and even more excited than ever about this book!

***

T H A N K Y O U T O

E V E R Y O N E !

i'm happy to report that we've taken your feedback and finalized the cover! yay! i'll have an update on that tomorrow morning, along with an sneak peek of the new and improved book cover. but for now, we are headed out as a family on a little christmasy adventure. this is the first day off for us to just relax together in, oh, about 7 months! i'm actually declaring that my "maternity leave" is starting today! (just means more relaxing on my part!) we'll be picking up some last minute pressies and enjoying our time without worrying about grading, students (my husband) or writing, editing, or art shows (moi).

it's pretty chilly here in new england now, no snow yet, but as you can see, ada is ready! she and nigel are looking forward to sledding and making snow angels soon... ; )

ada turned 7 months on the full moon solstice (yesterday)

see you here tomorrow

xo *s

please vote on my book cover!

2010-12-10T09:41:00.002-05:00

* * *

my book company, Quarry Books, and i are wondering which cover for Painted Pages you like the best? this week, the design team came up with the *new* cover (top image), and now we've been having second thoughts on which to go with ...

what do YOU think? we'd LOVE to hear your feedback and get your vote!

do you vote for the *new* or the "old"?

*new* is top cover shown here with photos

"old" is bottom image with painted background

if you have a sec, please leave a comment with your vote!

if you have two secs, please tell us why you like the one you've picked!

the choice for the cover is one of the last steps in this long process, and then the book goes off to print early next week! hip hip hooray!

it's so exciting to see things wrapping up with this book, and i just love the idea that my readers and friends can have a vote in this whole process!

so go ahead and have your say! i would really appreciate your feedback!

many thanks!!! *s

it's here!

2010-11-29T11:03:00.003-05:00

ohmygoshididit.
phew.

made it, photographed it and posted it.

here it it! my 2 0 1 1 fun little clipboard calendar! hooray!

what got in the way? oh, a baby that decided she wasn't really that good at sleeping through the night after all, a missing camera cord, and last but not least, an almost all of massachusetts wide internet outage last night (thanks comcast, just what i needed on cyber monday eve ) !!!

okay, i'm done complaining, but this sure was a labor of love now that i have a 6-month-old. i'm pretty proud of this cute little thing... i hope you like it too.

available in my etsy shop!

xo *s

ps: i'm of course pretty proud of this cute little thing too! : ) she's not for sale.

this weekend!

2010-11-11T17:08:00.002-05:00

here's where i'll be...

if you are near, you should come too.

it's super fun & i'd love to see you!

i'll be debuting my 2011 calendar and lots of new prints...

yay!

last time twist came around i was a very pregnant shopper in nesting mode.... now i'll be the vendor with the 5-month old... my how time flies. (you think she'll boost sales since she's so cute?! ) we shall see...

xo *s

those are lyrics from the song you are here by the band, wait for it, lunch money. that's right, we're now loading up the ipod with kid songs! this served as the soundtrack for our road trip to and from north carolina. we played it over and over and over again. ada loves the music now, and luckily, so do we. i even caught my husband playing the cd in the car when he ran out to do an errand, alone, as in, no baby to hear the baby music! it's that good.

i've finally loaded the first half of my squam by the sea pictures up on flickr. and, of course in the 7 minutes i had to blog on friday, blogger was down. argh! so that's why there was a delay. i've also been working hard to have computer free weekends and focus on other things like continuing to unpack and set up our house. it's long overdue, we've been a wee bit busy, but i'm so happy to finally be getting the time to do things such as hang a curtain in our bedroom and a coat rack in the entryway. yup, those were the two "big accomplishments" around our house over the weekend.

we also had some dear friends visit on saturday with their little 3-year-old boy. it's been a couple of years since we've seen them, and it was just such a wonderful thing to pretty much to pick up where we had left off... albeit this time with a 3-year-old and a 5-month old thrown into the mix, but it was nice to catch up as we all strolled around town, went out to lunch and showed them around our neck of the woods.

many more pictures from our time at the sea over on flickr

it's a cold and rainy monday here in new england. some places nearby even got snow! i'm trying to stay inside and cozy while i work on my calendar. i love how 2011 is coming together so far, i think you will too.

xo *s

and...

2010-11-04T09:07:00.001-04:00

we're back.

it took about 16 hours of driving with a lot of traffic, but we all made it home in one piece from the sea. ada did amazingly well in the car. rarely a peep out of her. really. she's a keeper. ; )

squam-by-the-sea was, just like you may have already heard, a m a z i n g...

really was.

you'll see what i mean when i show you my pictures. (tomorrow)

so. much. goodness.

we have been very busy since getting back home, and today, instead of writing out my "oh so very long list of stuff i want to remember to share with you that i have in my head but have yet to find the time to actually sit down and write it all out in a nice way" blog post, you'll have this one, a visual "bits and bobbles/miss (or is it mish or misc?) mash of what i have been up to in the past couple of weeks" post. phew. that was a mouthful.

mostly 'cause it's been a long, but good, day. so there. truth be told.

here it goes.... ( i think you'll like it this way better anyway)

fun at jen's studio.

see more shots here

everything was all yellow,

then it was pink and gray.

and this is what i see on the way back from yoga.

om.

captured with my iphone.

lovely sights like this made it easier to come home from the sea.

and lastly, for now, just dreaming about

this space and teaching a workshop there.

or some space like it.

maybe, just maybe.

this winter.

what do you think?

some peeks as promised!

2010-10-19T14:34:00.003-04:00

i'm rushing out the door (literally!) to squam by the sea... but i had to share these peeks into the book with you! i went through the entire book (laser copies) with my editor yesterday, page by page, and it was so fun to see it all on paper! she then gave me the go-ahead to share some bits of the pages with you! yay!

see you after we return from the sea... i think it's just what i need after these busy past few months! xo *s

the BIG news!

2010-10-15T16:37:00.006-04:00

* * * * *

{ta-da!}

* * * * *

i wrote a book.

and i'm so happy to finally be able to share the exciting news with you here!

i. wrote. a. book.

i have to keep repeating this, as i don't quite believe it myself! so, you see, in between having a baby and moving, i was working away on this. painted pages will be released in may of 2011 and is being published by quarry books. it's actually already on amazon, available for pre-order. how exciting!

remember when i said thea was coming over? well, we were working on shooting the book throughout this spring and summer, and i'm over the moon that she was my photographer! how lucky am i!? we have had a blast together and are even scheming our next project...

so that's it, that's the BIG news! i can't wait to hear what you all think!

i'll have more behind the scenes news to share about the process and even a wee little peek inside...

i'm sitting here now with my first laser copies of the whole book, it just arrived via fed-ex. wow. so thrilling to see it on paper!

more soon, xo *s

just a few things for today.

2010-10-12T21:01:00.005-04:00

finally, my squam photos are now off of my broken camera and on my computer. hip hip hooray! more to see over here.

there were 664 pictures on my memory card. guess i didn't download much over the summer!

we had a fantastic extra-long weekend. hope you did too. certainly feels like fall around here.

jess & i went to see ingrid on sunday night. she rocks.

heading out for a quick trip tomorrow. off to the ocean with ada.

will be back on friday with my BIG news. promise.

see you then! xo *s

rain rain go away

2010-10-08T10:36:00.005-04:00

finally! the rain has cleared and so has my head! we've been getting out for strolls and collecting leaves in the sunshine. yesterday i walked into town and ada slept and slept, for almost 3 hours, so i kept on walking... it was a perfect fall afternoon, a hot cafe vanilla in hand and some phone calls with friends. then, as luck would have it, we ran into jen, right in front of the bakery. i had just 4 dollars with me and the loaves of (amazing) bread are 5 (and worth every penny i assure you!) so she spotted me the buck and we both left with loaves of bread and a soft homemade pretzel in hand to share. another hour or so of walking and chatting the afternoon away was just perfect. so nice to run into a friend.

we celebrated j's birthday last week with a trip one of our favorite spots for books, dinner and cupcakes. ada cooperated and we had all had a great time, it even felt a little bit like life before baby when we were "free" to poke around book shops and have leisurely meals next to waterfalls... this time, dinner involved me sitting awkwardly so that she didn't get peanut noodles dripped in her ear. (hard to eat with a sleeping baby strapped to your chest!) but we are lucky that she's a happy camper and that she goes with the flow, so evenings out are getting easier and easier.

it was a perfect afternoon, so we even took a little family portrait to mark the occasion.

i've also started a yoga class again which is wonderful. it is conveniently located right across the street from our house, and is one hour, 3x a week. just escaping to the mat alone for 3 hours a week leaves me feeling like a new woman.

i'm not one to share too many other things that i find on the interwebs here, well, just because there is SO much and i tend to get overwhelmed, but here's one spot that i've discovered and think is absolutely lovely. i can so relate to everything she has to say... the day to day with a new one can be so unbelievably challenging! we're incredibly lucky to have lots of support and chances to escape, but man oh man, i can totally relate.

speaking of challenging, you may have guessed that i haven't gotten my squam pictures out of the camera yet, and you would be right about that. umph. (see above comment about the day to day life with a newborn) my camera is officially broken and i've been snapping shots with my iphone lately. not bad though! see some more here.

we're off to a fall festival this weekend!

hooray for fall and the first columbus day weekend in years that i haven't been trapped in my art show booth instead! so excited to get out and explore...

i'll be back next week with my BIG announcement. can't wait to finally spill the beans!!!

xo *s

good

2010-09-29T20:27:00.003-04:00

don't have the words yet,

but i do have this one picture to share...

saturday morning. on the dock. sunshine. bare feet.

sketchbooks.

ten of us. one pack of film.

one shot per person.

better make it good.

this one is good.

can't say it much better than this.

see you tomorrow.

xo *s

{8 things}

2010-09-28T11:07:00.000-04:00

okay, so i seem to avoid blogging when i have too much to say. does that make sense?! probably not, but it's what i did last week. i returned from squam with SO much to say that i just felt overwhelmed and didn't say anything at all. silly me.

i'll get there this week, i promise, but let's just say for today that it was a fantastic time. having ada in tow with my mom made it really great, only a wee bit tricky here and there. grammy sally and ada b made lots of new friends as they strollered around while i was teaching, and i believe that ada was the second most photographed thing after the lake. so we coined a new term: babyrazzi. * to any of the people who were taking pictures~ i'd love it if you would like to share a picture or two that you captured of ada at squam! thanks! : )

{8 t h i n g s}

i did instead of blogging

last week:

monday:

brought ada to her 4-month check-up. (shots. yuck.) then, i did a lot of squam laundry. everything smelled like wood smoke from our fireplace. we had a smokey fire the first night which turned into a big old smoke fest with alarms and all. we ended up having to open the doors instead of getting warm. thank goodness for space heaters. well, i should really say space heater, because when they gave us another we blew a fuse. adventures.

tuesday:

vacuumed my house. this was WAY overdue. ada slept durning the whole thing. it's true you can vacuum around a sleeping baby. what a fun fact! and yes, it took most of my day.

wednesday:

gave ada a bath in her tub. yes, she's had a bath before, but this day marked the first bath where she didn't scream through the entire thing. no arching out or giving me the evil eye either. oh, and neither of us were in tears this time by the end of it all. we even had fun! she smiled and chatted and played... although not evident from this shot, it's true. hooray!

thursday:

my sister came from colorado to met ada for the first time. we've been having lots of fun with auntie heather! my sister is going through some big and brave life changes and we are so proud of her! she recently quit her job, is moving back east, and just today, started an MBA program in boston. exciting things are afoot. yay for my sister!

friday:

heather, jesse and i went to see one of our most favorite guys... it was so fun to see him in person! i love him even more. our bets that he would be wearing jeans, cowboy boots and an untucked white button down shirt were spot on. i'll upload a pic when i can to prove it.

also,

* ada and i went for lots of long stroller walks each day

*i dropped my camera and broke it. yup. (hence, no pictures from squam to share yet, but i'm working on getting them off of the memory card... )

*on those walks i came up with about 62 blog posts in my head that i never had the time to sit down and write.

as i promised my squam students, i will be a better blogger. so with that, i'll see you tomorrow!

xo *s

ps: i wrote this on monday afternoon, got ready to post, and then was sidetracked... so here it is on tuesday am! ah! more soon...

feels like fall

2010-09-14T21:14:00.003-04:00

we're heading up to squam tomorrow morning! i will say it's a tad trickier than usual getting ready to go now that there's a TON of baby gear that needs to be brought along... i'm packing for ada, for me, for my classes (all supplies, paints etc.) AND for the art fair. lordy. that's a full car for sure. my mom is coming with me to hang with ada while i teach and i'm so thankful for that! little ada is going to love squam!

well, it's squam eve and ada is nestled all snug in her bed... ok, back to getting ready to go!

see you next week!

xo *s

next week at this time...

2010-09-10T19:27:00.005-04:00

ada and i will be here!

the magical squam is next week! i just cannot believe it! i'm so looking forward to meeting some of you there... i'll be teaching 3 classes this time 'round, currently prepping for those and for the art fair! getting so excited!

{seven & eight}

2010-09-10T10:11:00.005-04:00

so i thought that losing my camera and camera cord was my biggest problem... but no... our internet went out which left me high and dry for a couple of days... that explains my absence! anyway, the cable guy was here for 2 hours yesterday (ada squawking at him the whole time) and i think we've finally fixed the issue. yay!

i'm catching up on lots of emails and work today, but i wanted to be sure to share my {seventh and eight good thing about summer} as promised! i'll even be back later this afternoon with a preview of what's to come next week...

{ s e v e n }

late summer sweetness

my husband with two surprise bouquets for me... these babies were 5 bucks each from this same farm stand. look how huge these are! we had flowers all over our new house in august!

{ e i g h t }

the eight best thing about summer?

hanging out around the house with the peanut!

shown here in our new moby wrap

(she's so serious when i try to take her picture!)

you say...

2010-09-07T14:19:00.003-04:00

{ s i x }

at my favorite farm stand

my sixth good thing about this summer has been the tomatoes. we've been eating lots of 'em as it seems that the weather has been just right this year for these guys (hot and dry) to flourish. we've been having simple dinners of big juicy tomato slices, fresh mozzarella, garden picked basil and ripe avocado all topped with sea salt, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. a baguette for dipping and soaking up juices is optional, but highly recommended as an accompaniment.

hope you had a nice long weekend...

we ate dinner with friends, visited great-grandmothers, went for a few strolls into town and tried to relax a bit. if i could find my camera cord and my camera i'd share some more pictures! (oh how lack of sleep seems to be making me lose things!)

one more bit from the weekend:

on our way to dinner at our friend's house saturday night, we stopped on the way to pick up a bottle of wine to bring with us. i'm slowly learning to accept the fact that there's no more meandering through the wine shop looking for just the right bottle, so as jesse waited in the car (with it running!) to keep ada sleeping, i ran in, sans baby, and grabbed a bottle of chilled white. as i approached the counter to pay, i realized that i still had a burp cloth on my shoulder. a wet one in fact. funny part was, even though i felt like a frumpy, old, spit-up covered mom, the guy behind the counter proceeded to ID me... my face red with embarrassment, i was quite happy to oblige!

see you for 7 & 8 tomorrow!

xo *s

{four & five} late summer happenings

2010-09-03T14:03:00.008-04:00

+++

the enormous art show opens tonight at nahcotta! we just were up in portsmouth for our mini "staycation" and to hand in my paintings for the show, so we won't be making it to the opening this time 'round. (remember what happened last september?!) but if you are in the area, it's a show not to be missed! see it online here!

+ + +

this last week of summer was super exciting one for my pal jen... the book that she had been working on for over a year now came out on tuesday! hooray! jen and i were backyard neighbors (until last month when i moved just down the street) and we spent this winter drinking tea and talking books and art. it's so great to have another artist friend in town... i just got goosebumps when i saw this shot on her blog... how thrilling!

you have to check this book out! it's just beautifully designed with amazing ideas and techniques for designing your own t-shirts and more. i feel lucky, as jen gifted me with an advance copy for my birthday, and i've been drooling over it ever since. i just can't wait to dive in and do a couple of the projects soon... i told myself that i have to tackle my house unpacking project first though. (boo)

jen also gave ada her very own one-of-a-kind raeburn ink onsie and let me tell you, it sure beats the "i love daddy" ones you find out there... (no offense to daddies... ) ada is gonna be one cool 6-month old when she dons it this winter! (i'll be sure to share a pic!)

speaking of ada... she's right here, rolling around (well, attempting to) and chatting away on her fancy new play mat... i steered clear of too much baby stuff, but i've given in to this one, and boy am i happy i did as she sure does love her new farm animal friends. in fact, we were up at 5:15 am this morning and she was wide awake just ooing and cooing at them as i was simultaneously drinking coffee and falling back to sleep while sitting up. it's actually amazing i'm typing legibly to you now.... !

i'll sign off for now, as we are heading out to a little mama baby get-together... don't tell the babies, but since it's friday evening, and since we're all hard working new mamas... i'm bringing wine.

happy labor day weekend to those in the states!

xo *s

figure three

2010-09-02T22:39:00.002-04:00

{three}

is it really september?!

2010-08-24T11:49:00.009-04:00

when did this happen?

geeze. summer has certainly been a blur...

as you may have noticed, i had to take a little august bloggy break. wasn't the plan, but man oh man, moving with a wee one was a challenge! happy to say we are finally on the other side of the hardest part, and we are beginning to feel like this is really our home. and amazingly, some unpacking & putting away of things has actually been accomplished.

between our adorable 3-month old and heavy work load, it's been hard to take the days off needed to unpack boxes and put things where we want them. slowly but surely it will happen,k and i'm doing my best to remain zen-like as i meander around boxes in every room! i know the unpacking will get done sooner or later, but it's so hard to not have the time to get it all done at once! you see, i have always been a nester, a real "everything must have a place" type of gal, so you can imagine that it's totally making me crazy to live amongst boxes... but i must remember this too shall pass, right?!

this sure has been one busy summer. last summer, when i was laid up after knee surgery, i promised myself that next summer would feel more like a real summer. ( real summer= a nice vacation or two to the seashore. sandy toes & clam shacks a must. ) alas, since this summer has looked something more like this: baby + work + baby + work + baby + MOVE + work + baby + unpack+ work! which, added all together and packed into a couple of months = no vacation. all work and not enough play does not a happy sarah.

oh well.

okay. that's it.

i'm done complaining about what has not happened this summer and i'm ready to move on and show you a few things that have happened that have really been great. i'll be here every day in this first week of september sharing with you some of my favorite bits from the past few months... a mix of art, life and baby stuff. i hope you'll like the posts, and quite possibly just might forgive me for not being here so much over the summer. preparing these posts for you is making me feel happy for what has been really lovely about this one crazy summer, and, at the same time, it's getting me very but at the excited for what's to come durning the calmer, cooler fall....

how are you feeling about the summer coming to an end? it's always a mix of emotions for me, but the fall temperatures will be perfect for long walks in the stroller with ada. i'm looking forward to one of those every evening. what are you looking forward to this fall?

okay, now

onto my summertime list

for you:

{ one }

let's pretend we went to a late summer carnival and ate cotton candy together, shall we?!

this is a brand new painting debuting this week at the enormous tiny art show at nahcotta! the show officially opens on friday, but the pieces are up on the website today. click on over to see this one for sale, alongside my other new pieces made just for the show. what a great bunch of artists, i'm so thrilled to be included in the lineup once again!

{ two }

this song really sums up how it's been going here these days as we attempt to settle into our new little home.... i love so much about this video: the trumpets, the whistling, the high quirk factor... a great song for my late summer playlist.

those are my two things for today. i'll be back tomorrow with more...

so nice to be back, i've missed you!

xo *s

on the move

2010-07-24T07:42:00.003-04:00

we're moving!

luckily, it's just down the road, but it's still a mighty big project to deal with now that there's another little person in tow! we're setting up shop (this weekend!) in our new, 3 bedroom, adorable little house. it will be so MUCH better than the current situation of 3 floors up to a small apartment. the move also means no more carrying the stroller (or attempting to) and groceries and baby up and down 3 flights of stairs! hooooray!

okay, it's nap time, let the packing begin...

wish us luck!

birthday cake for us!

2010-07-21T07:41:00.002-04:00

stephanie and i share a birthday... and it's today!

happy birthday stephanie!

i thought we should have some cake to celebrate!

i'm working in the studio for most of the day, ( a good thing ) then it's off to a new brick oven pizza place for a birthday dinner sans baby! (a treat!) but don't tell ada about all of this celebrating... today is also her 2 month birthday and she can't have cake OR pizza yet!

enjoy the day! xo *s

yesterday

2010-07-09T13:08:00.003-04:00

we celebrated four years

our baby found her smile.

two good things for sure

all good things to you

{8 favorite things about summer}

2010-07-05T13:38:00.004-04:00

(see bigger here & here)

we've been staying close to home with the peanut lately, but i wanted to celebrate summertime with you here by sharing some of my favorite photos... these really capture what i love about this special time of year. i'm hoping to get out and about to take some more polaroids like this soon...

thanks so much for the baby congrats! we feel very lucky to have such wonderful friends out there! thanks for your sweetness...

a lot happening around here, keeping busy with baby and a very big art related project! (will spill the beans as soon as possible... ) spending most of my free time in the studio, thank goodness for baby swings and my super helpful mom and husband! please forgive the light posting, i'll do my best to pop to share some more summer inspirations very soon.

xo & happy july!

just popping in...

2010-06-14T09:42:00.002-04:00

ada says hello & happy monday!

she's just turned 3 weeks old and seems to be growing so fast! i've learned to do a lot with one hand and less sleep. she's really a very good baby and we are having lots of fun together. this past week we even took a road trip to the cape cod! we brought her down to our beach where we stuck her toes in the salt water.... she managed to sleep through the whole thing!

heading into week 4 of motherhood, and i feel like i'm finally coming into some kind of new (sort of back to "normal") routine this week. i'm now hoping someone will stay sleeping for a while so that i can get some work done... wish me luck!

we'll be back soon.

xo *s & little a

ada's debut!

2010-06-02T10:14:00.004-04:00

introducing...

ada maeve bellemare

born may 21, 8:14am

6.6 lbs & 19.5"

we are over the moon!

all went really well! it took me longer than i thought it would to get these quick iphone pics up for you to see, but between nursing, sleeping and lack of sleeping, it's hard to get much done! here we are on day 12 of her life and things are really going well, we pretty much just spend our days staring at her in awe. at this point, we have finally managed to get settled into a little routine here at home and are feeling really good. we just can't imagine our lives without her... she's a keeper.

thanks so much for all of your well wishes and messages!

more soon

xoxo

*s, j & little a

{today}

2010-05-21T04:54:00.002-04:00

iphone photo of her little corner... getting ready. see here.

it's just before 5 am on friday may 21st...

today is ada's birthday! we're heading off to the hospital & we'll see you soon!

xo! *s

{8 things, a pregnancy edition}

2010-05-07T10:42:00.006-04:00

thank you so much for all of your congratulations and good wishes! what a treat! i feel very lucky to have such wonderful blessings from everyone! i loved hearing from you!!!

i thought i'd do a special pregnancy related {8 things} to fill you in a bit and get you up to date...

here is goes...

1} remember my "quiet october"? well, now you know why! i was lucky that i didn't have a horrible first trimester sickness wise, but i did feel extremely tired and out of sorts. it felt like 99% of my brain turned from "work/normal sarah mode" to preggo mush brain. i found that it was very hard to function, especially in the evenings, so i was thankful for the cable tv we had just gotten for the first time in over 10 years! ( i must have overdone it on the tv though, because i told my husband that we had to get rid of the cable right after christmas. so we did. )

2} i had a very busy fall/winter~ teaching at squam, participating in paradise city & twist, then the mannequin show in LA, followed by my first bazarre bizzare in boston, then the verbatim show & eta 7 and finally my "word for word" show at pinch. some days, it took all of my energy to get ready for these things... but i was lucky to make it through such a busy first two trimesters!

3} in january, we found out we were having a girl and we were so excited! it was then that the pregnancy started to seem "real" to me finally too. we decided to name her ada, after my great-grandmother. we never had a list of names, it was just our deal that if it was a girl she'd be ada and if it was a boy we would name him after jesse's great grandfather. easy peasy. glad she's an ada!

4} i started pre-natal yoga class in january and it's been the best thing i've done by far! i loved getting back to the studio and meeting other moms-to-be. we're still the same group for the most part, getting together every week since early january. it's getting much harder to move though! i'm just thrilled that i can still do my favorite pigeon pose with this giant belly!

5} i really didn't like being pregnant until i was about 7 months along. weird, but true! my mom kept telling me it's "magic", but all could think about was how my organs were being mushed and my cartilage was softening. maybe it's because i'm married to a scientist, or maybe i just know a lot more about what's going on in there compared to when my mom was pregnant with me, either way, yes, mom, i do (sort of) see the "magic" in this process, but for the most part it completely kind of freaked me out early on.

6} i'm very happy with my choice of midwives for the pregnancy and birth. it's been a great experience with them so far.

7} i was given a relaxed and fun baby shower with friends a couple of weeks ago, and then was thrown another bigger shower this past weekend with family... let me just say this baby is going to have PLENTY of clothes! people really like buying clothes for a baby girl! (i'll share some of my faves soon... ) she's one lucky little gal! she's going to be very stylish, that's for sure!

8} i'm taking my mom to this for mother's day over the weekend... i can't wait to see it!

that's all for now, i'll fill you in with more soon...

happy weekend to everyone! xo *s

the BIG news!

2010-04-28T09:37:00.003-04:00

finally! the BIG news!

some of you have had your suspicions, and some of you flat out guessed after my last post, but it's finally time to officially let you know! (drumroll please... ) my BIG news is... we're having a baby! just pretend that the plastic woodpecker is a stork! ada maeve is due at the end of may and we couldn't be more thrilled!

see the proof here!

i'll be back with my {8 things} to fill you in with details of the journey so far... can't wait for little ada maeve bellemare to join us soon! (ah! just a few weeks to go!)

xo *s

flowers for you

2010-04-27T16:59:00.002-04:00

okaayyy.... it's taken me longer than expected to get back up to speed here! ack! it's been a busy week, important deadlines and projects that i had to attend to. meet me here tomorrow and i'll finally share my BIG news! promise. see you then. xo *s

{on the table}

2010-04-20T12:25:00.003-04:00

a pineapple soda started off the perfect lunch the other day at my favorite spot....

to end, it just doesn't get much better than chocolate cake, coffee and sugar cubes. fresh whipped cream to boot.

i love going out to lunch!

(i confess that this was supposed to be friday's official {on the table} post, sorry for the delay! i finally found my camera cord to download the pictures! argh. )

{8 things to follow... }

{8 things}

2010-04-13T21:14:00.000-04:00

a list of {8 things } that have made me happy today

1} bright green buds bursting out on the trees (this morning)

2} fresh cut daffodils from the garden (at breakfast)

3} getting back into a routine here after being so busy elsewhere

4} our long, but exhilarating day of studio photo shooting today

5} cupcakes and iced coffees (afternoon treat)

6} freshly picked wild leeks for dinner (my husband found them this afternoon for us)

7} full pink magnolia blossoms (this evening)

8} mint chocolate chip gelato and this show (as soon as i finish typing... !)

today is monday

2010-04-12T18:37:00.003-04:00

* * *

and i've been spending the day tidying up the studio. i'm getting ready for a little photo shoot with thea tomorrow! we had such fun together the last time, we're doing it again! hooray! can't wait.

* thanks so much for all of your sweet "welcome back" comments and understanding! it was so nice to return to such kindness when we got in late last night from our weekend away. made me very happy to be back, so thanks!

xoxo *s

i'll see you tomorrow for tuesday's {8 things}

well look who's here!

2010-04-09T15:19:00.002-04:00

yes! i'm back!

first my apologies... i never intended to be gone for so long from this space! (proof is the fact that the last post said "see you next week"!) i hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me... i won't let it happen again! i've missed you!

i had to step away for a little while in the midst of other bits of my life taking over these past few weeks ... all good things, just LOTS of those things going on... march certainly was challenging trying to keep up.

anyway, it's always been my goal to be true and real in this space, so when i realized i had to take a little break from being online to focus on other parts of life, well, i just had to allow myself to take that little break. sorry not to pop in, but i promise that the sporadic posts will now come to an end and i'll be here much more regularly! i'm even going to start up my {8 things} and some other fun regular posts to set more of a routine.... in addition, i have BIG news coming that i think will finally be fun to share with you...

but, before that, i'm going to attempt to catch you up on my whereabouts these past few weeks... i've been busy offline and here's a little taste of one of the highlights!

we were off in nyc where i~

met up with a special friend

made a new friend

spent a lovely day up on the roof

and in the park

more to share next week to catch you up! as for now, we're rushing off to ithaca for the weekend... a quick trip to visit with friends who we really miss!

happy weekend to you and i'll see you here on monday. for real.

xoxo *s

ps: this is my {on the table for today} it is friday after all!

on the table

2010-03-12T09:12:00.002-05:00

good morning! it's a quiet friday morning here... a welcome bit of calm at the end of a very hectic and busy week... i awoke early & took some time to read a bit in bed with my coffee... a little luxury that i'm allowing myself on friday mornings lately. ( it is even more luxurious because my husband delivers the coffee to me before he heads out the door for work so i don't even have to get out of bed! i'm a lucky girl, i know! )

here's the second installment of my "on the table" for this quiet friday morning. i love the little pops of green that emerge in this messy scene from the studio table... those little bits of green remind me that spring is on it's way for sure!

today }

some loose ends to wrap up before another bigger project begins in full force over the weekend

(ugh) taxes will be tackled & organized... (ugh again)

a quick walk to the bakery between the raindrops for wood fired soft pretzels, a fresh loaf of bread and perhaps a giant cookie (sustenance for the taxes!)

later tonight, out on the town for a birthday celebration for our good friend

happy friday to you friends and thanks for being here!

see you next week! xo *s

salty sea air

2010-03-10T09:05:00.005-05:00

was just what i needed!

i know! it's wednesday, not tuesday... forgive me, the sunshine and salt air got to my head. my mom and i had a great few days away on the cape. perfect warm weather, morning walks on the beach, bright early spring sunshine, visits with family (one very late night staying up all together watching the oscars) & and some shopping! (fun, fun!) do you remember what the beach looked like the last time we were down?!

the ocean break was just what i needed, but now i've returned to another busy work week...

see you on friday morning...

xo *s