Sugar Cookies

So apparently just writing about feeling overwhelmed and juggling helps you feel better about things...good enough to make some of those cookies. I've been making these cookies since I was in junior high...just a recipe I found in some church cookbook...and it's been a favorite ever since. These will melt right in your mouth (thanks to all the fat in them)...but sometimes you just need to indulge yourself.

Happy Holidays!

Sugar Cookies

2 cups white sugar

1 cup margarine or butter (pick your poison)

1 cup vegetable oil

3 egg yolks (nope, not the healthy part of the egg)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

4 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

Cream sugar, butter, oil and egg yolks until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and dry ingredients. Roll in balls and place on cookie sheets. Press with a fork or meat hammer. Sprinkle with sugar. (Using a meat hammer will create a lovely pattern and hold the sugar better. Use colored sugar for the holidays) Bake at 35o degrees for 10-12 minutes. Enjoy!

Juggling Christmas and painting

It's been snowing all day. If you don't have to go anywhere it's pretty, I guess, but since I have Christmas shopping still to do...not so much. I managed to get out earlier and get a few more things crossed off my list. When will it ever be done? Um, December 24th this year.

Later I headed to my my studio...my haven. I love walking in that door. For those of you that have never been there, I've posted a few photos. I love that I was able to paint this place whatever colors I wanted. I painted the walls a palette of warm blues, purples, and pinks. I got the paint from a discount paint store where I could only get one gallon of any particular color, which made it more of a creative challenge...and more interesting if you ask me. When I've had the studio open to the public, I've gotten lots of positive comments about the colors. Even on a cold snowy day it feels warm in there.

I worked on finishing some of my christmas ornaments. With work being so busy and exhausting the last few weeks, I haven't been over to the studio in a few weeks. I still had some ornaments to finish. Now I'll finish them up and likely just pack them away till next year. I love these ornaments...I've made them in all sorts of colors. I was hoping I would sell some of them on Etsy, but I guess there is always next year.

It is so hard to find time for the studio while juggling my 9-5 job and the rest of life. It gets that much harder as the holidays get closer. I love the holidays and all the decorating and baking that comes with it. This year I have not managed to do much of it. The tree has been up for weeks, but except for lights, remains undecorated. I hope to remedy that tonight. I have done some baking here and there, but want to do more.

I struggle to accept what I am able to get done. I think it is part of the curse of being a creative person. I have visions of pulling off much more than I am capable of.

Because while I have visions of creating this holiday spectacular at home, I also want to be over at the studio painting like crazy. I have 2 weeks off from work and I want to spend much of it over at the studio, my haven. There are ideas swimming in my head that I need to express on canvas. I have new techniques I want to experiment with. It's that difficult thing...I need to be patient and wait a few days till Christmas is over to really get working on new stuff.

And until then, I'll be baking some awesome cookies!

Giveaway #1

O.k. I'm a little excited...and I hope you will find this as fun as I do!

I've been working more intensely on my art for over a year now. In that time, I've had my studio open for a few art crawls, I sold a painting (!), opened my Etsy shop, and I am now showing some paintings in a coffee shop.

I'm excited about all the possibilities in the coming year.

One of the things I am learning is that it also requires a fair amount of work "to be seen"...and that's part of what I'm hoping to do with this blog...I want to share my artwork with others. In the coming weeks I want to spend more time developing this blog and I hope to attract more followers. I have also been working to draw more attention to my Etsy shop. So, as a fun way to promote both I am offering this giveway.

Here is how it will work:

1) Visit my Etsy shop and my blog;

2) Post a comment on this blog (in this entry)--give me some feedback about my blog and/or my Etsy shop (or at least say hi!);

3) In one week, on Sunday, December 21st, from the list of those leaving feedback, I will draw the name of one lucky person--who will win the necklace pictured above. (You can see a very similar necklace in my shop, in the featured listings).

I hope you will check back often...this may be so fun, I'll do it again!

Sunday

It's gloomy outside today. It seems like it's more like 6 am rather than 9. The house is still quiet...which is nice. I love having time to myself on Sunday morning. Time to catch my breath from the week before and in preparation for the week ahead.

I'm kicking myself for not getting out yesterday. It was a "beautiful" day outside...beautiful being relative. Here in MN, "beautiful" in December means above freezing temperatures and some sun. Not truly beautiful in my book, but I know it was probably the nicest day we'll see for a while.

And it was the sort of bright day I should have taken advantage of by working in the studio. But I am feeling worn out from the 9-5 job and I know this week will be tough as well. Is it ok to just want to do...well, nothing?

I did do something. I created a beautiful Etsy treasury. Spent a lot of time on the computer doing some networking. Finally sat down with my current copy of Artful Blogging and visited some other blogs. I'm planning to pay more attention to this blog when my vacation starts...I think I'm ready to share it more with others. So yesterday I laid some of the groundwork for that.

Oh ya, and I did make some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. My husband would prefer plain chocolate chip, but I prefer to be a little more adventurous at times. Stacy, I think I'll be bringing cookies to work!

So today...probably another lowkey day. My daughter has the day off, so I'll be hanging with her. I'm hoping we will make it to downtown Mpls to check out Dayton's, er Macy's 8th floor display. I love doing that with her.

So, I guess I'll get moving for the day. SLOWLY.

Treasury West

I did it again....snagged a treasury. This morning I almost got a main treasury, missed and since I had everything ready, waited for treasury west to pop up. Got one. Theme this time: brown and teal. Wide variety of items. They say it is possible to hit the front page with a treasury west collection. Help me out and take a peek:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=35911 .

Ooh, I also found out my lizard/gecko necklace got picked as an alternate for a treasury. I'll let you know if I actually make it as a full-fledged pick.

TGIF

Well, it's almost Friday. Just one more long day to get through till the weekend. Thank god.

This is the time of year when being a social worker is very depleting work. It's exhausting. Our agency always tries to do more during the holidays to help our families, which is good, but leaves staff (like myself) feeling like they have less for their own family members at home.

Which means my days have not been filled with much in the way of creative endeavors (except for making some simple necklaces for clients as gifts). I worked 10 hours today. I have been so absorbed with work that I have not even stopped at the coffeeshop to look at my paintings. I've barely even told anyone about it. I keep meaning to do that (both stop at the coffeeshop and promote the thing), but it's too far down on the list of things to do.

I'm hoping to catch my breath this weekend. Maybe spend some time in the studio. Definitely send out some emails telling folks to stop by Tillie's Beans.

And then after next week, I'm off for 2 weeks...my agency closes over the holidays...sort of the consolation prize for working our tails off for the past month. I'm not complaining about the time off. In fact, I'm very aware that that is the reason, or a BIG part of the reason I'm at this job...the fantastic amount of time off...time that I can spend in the studio.

Almost as good as lying on the beach on a deserted island.

Tillie's Beans

Sorry for the long overdue post. Work (meaning that 9-5 job) is in that holiday frenzy mode. And then for my birthday, I got the flu. Thankfully the flu came after the birthday dinner with the family...but it was/is nasty stuff. Me and the hubby are still recovering. But I managed to salvage a lovely few days away at the bed & breakfast we love. It was just where we needed to go to recuperate.

Now back to the grind. But first, a big announcement:

Last week I dropped off four of my paintings to be hung at my favorite morning coffee shop: Tillie's Bean located at 2803 E 38th Street (right near the light rail station). The paintings include the Birch Trees pictured below.

More on this later...I just wanted to get the word out. Stop by to see them. And buy some coffee (I can't recommend the best coffee...I'm not a coffee drinker...but the chai is Wonderful).