Thursday, June 26, 2008
Work!

Wheat Fields
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
After a change in my medication I am starting to actually feel better and am back to working. I had these blue and white colors out for my custom order but I printed on some other papers as well including some old book pages I have been collecting over the past months. I have to be really careful when I rip the pages out of the book so as to not tear them badly, a little tearing is fine it adds charm, and then I am good to print.

I still need to write about my trip to Ohio, but that can be saved for another day.

I need to get off my butt and sign up for a monotype workshop at Mass Art in mid July! This is important to me so I shouldn't be dragging on it. Jon also suggested that I take a sewing class so I could maybe make a baby carrier for myself.

Our new sofa comes tomorrow and I need to be up for their four hour delivery window. We sawed our old sofa in half, it was the only way to get that monster out of the apartment. We switched our livingroom and bedroom so now our bedroom is right off the nursery!
Posted By marissa At 7:24 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Enjoy Summer!

walk on
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
Hope everybody is enjoying summer and doing their best to keep cool in this heat.

I am doing my best to enjoy my little vacation. It hasn't been easy to shake the dark cloud that has been following me, but things are getting better. I haven't been able to take a 100% break from art as a custom print order came in and I am working on that. But that is a good thing not a bad thing! It is a fun custom representing the four seasons, I can't wait to see it completed.

my day

We've spent a lot of time outdoors going on walks combined with going to Cedar Point amusement park when in Ohio I have gotten a bit of a tan. I always make sure to use sunscreen with blee and put a hat on her, I even have a UV reflecting and blocking parasol for really sunny days. I'm a touch paranoid about her skin as she is so much fairer than I am. I just hope that even though she seems fair she is like my little sister and tans instead of burns. I hope the tiny bit of Indian blood she has in her protects her.

I'm enjoying babywearing more than ever and continue to lose weight. I'm hoping to fit in a single digit pair of jeans come fall, that is my big goal. Sometimes I get negative comments from strangers but mostly people smile, say something nice or make a silly joke. Just today an older man commented that I seemed to have quite a load on. I just smiled and told him that weight bearing exercise is good for me! Then I kept on with my walk.

Blee is napping and I need to get back to prepping my studio to print tonight. I would like to print now but I don't want to get ink out only to have her wake up crying in the middle of printing. I need a chunk of time and I won't have that until she goes to bed.
Posted By marissa At 10:56 AM • Trackbacks (0)
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Gloom and Doom

determined - SPT
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
Has been following me around mentally. But not today. I'm not going to let my negative thoughts get the best of me today. Today is going to be different. This is the face of somebody determined to make this day different.

I've been sketching daily using the Wacom tablet every day. My goal obsessed brain needs to turn this into some sort of goal to suck out the fun and I am fighting that urge. But I am going to do thirty of them. They don't have to be one a day every day. But I want thirty by the end of June! Some days I will need to double up because I am going to be out of town for five days this month and won't have my tablet with me, nor will I have the time regardless.

I'm trying not to get hung up on the quality of them and just enjoy the time to doodle for fun.

Have to go, the blee awakes from her slumber. Hope you enjoy your day as it has just begun for many of you. I can't believe it is only 10am here... I am trying not to see that as a bad thing and count down the hours but see it as time for me to enjoy life.

This is hard.

bedtime kisses
Posted By marissa At 7:10 AM • Trackbacks (0)
Monday, June 02, 2008
Sketching Spring

June 2nd Sketch
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
Here is a little sketch of a plant I saw during one of our walks today. Since I didn't have my camera or even my phone on me this was done from memory (I try not to pick the flowers no matter how tempting they are). Drawing from memory is a good exercise for me to get back into.

I'm on vacation but am already starting to do things like draw again that it is tempting for me to give myself goals, like do a drawing and post it every day this month. Really very tempting. Is this a bad thing? And what about the days when I am going to be out of town? Drawing is never much of an issue for me as I always have something to draw on and with on me, but photographing and uploading it to. See, this could get ugly and end up being something I feel pressured to do and then feel guilty about when eventually I do break my goal. And then I stop enjoying myself and stop drawing and my vacation is wasted because I am right back to feeling stressed out, burnt out and miserable.

I can't even give myself a break from blogging. But I am enjoying writing this blog post so whatever. If I want to draw then I will do it and maybe I will even try doing a simple sketch like this daily, but I am not going to make some set goal no matter how tempting it may be.

And happy monthday to blee, she turns nine months old at 7:14pm tonight, June 2nd. She's growing up so fast with her sitting up and trying so hard to talk and learning to stand, she is going to be a year in no time at all. Being pregnant seems like a lifetime ago and I am good with that feeling far away because it was one of the most miserable times in my life. And being a mom is the best! This period is the best so far as she is really quite easy to care for. We go on walks and enjoy them and sometimes she naps during them and sometimes she looks around and babbles. Sometimes I go to a park and sit with her on a blanket in the grass and watch her play with the grass. You really see the world in a totally different way as a parent by being around this creature where everything is a new experience.
Posted By marissa At 2:41 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Hello June!

Mysterious Stranger
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
And goodbye. I'm going on a much needed vacation.

But don't be sad I will still be around but I just need to give myself some more time off the computer and away from the constant creative pressure that I put myself under. It can be quite overwhelming. And since we are going away to Ohio for a funeral in two weeks anyhow I figured I might as well take the whole month off.

I will try to blog once a week, keep my shop up to date and even continue to sketch. But mostly this month is about enjoying nature with my daughter, sitting down and reading (and finishing) a book for the first time since becoming a mother and playing some silly video games like Mario Kart for the Wii.

I'll be a quiet presence while I take this month to regroup and hopefully re-cooperate from a bunch of emotional setbacks. Mmmmm I can smell the flowers already.

Saturday at the Boston Public Gardens
Posted By marissa At 6:10 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Friday, May 23, 2008
New Prints Coming!

switching gears
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
I don't have much time to post as I am meeting somebody for a walk around the pond in 40 minutes and it takes me 15 to walk down there.

Recently I got some new papers given to me to add to my beautiful stash and was cutting them up but haven't really been feeling the collage love these days. Don't worry it will come back! Then I felt the urge to carve so mid gear I stopped and switched. I usually finish what I am doing and clean up before I switch but I just had to carve. I was up early this morning and blee was being good so I finished up my carving. Now I just have some serious cleaning up to do before I can print.

Maybe today. I don't think I will have time this weekend to print as my brother in law and his girlfriend will be visiting from Ohio.

Do you know what that means?

Free babysitting? Jon and I could go see a movie or go have an adult dinner out. We haven't gone out just the two of us since blee was under a month old and his parents watched her for a couple of hours.

Man we need this BAD

Hope you have a great weekend and I hope I have a great weekend. Have some cute waves bye bye.
Posted By marissa At 6:26 AM • Trackbacks (0)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Nature Walk - Inspired

flower behind fence
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
I don't take what I would call exciting photos during my nature walks. I take snapshots of things that catch my eye, usually with the camera from my phone as it is a decent camera and is simple to use while wearing a baby!

I take in the images and then go through them later looking at the colors, shapes and general ideas for work. Here are some of my quick snapshots from today. I didn't have a lot of time to stop and gaze at the flowers because we were on our way to see the pediatrician for blee's nine month visit but I caught a handful of interesting images.

I like how this flower is growing in a tiny yard behind a fence so almost nobody can enjoy it unless they look for it like I did. I like seeing the dug up lawn with what looks like a Maple tree sapling springing out of the ground. And then there are the gorgeous colors all around.

I love Boston in the spring! Sadly rain is expected on Thursday, but I am hoping for a long walk around the pond with a friend on Friday morning.

maple?

flowers
Posted By marissa At 5:42 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Inspire Me Tuesday!
I'm not sure where my inspiration always comes from other than just looking at the world with open eyes. Taking in the shapes and the colors and being constantly and sometimes overwhelmingly inspired by what I see around me.

Lately, and by that I mean the past few days since maybe my last printing session last Thursday, I haven't been feeling it much. And I really need to. I received some beautiful Japanese Chirogami washi papers in the mail and I have barely touched them. I feel distracted and not just because of my teething daughter.

I think it is about time for me to go out for a nature walk and take some inspiration pictures. Since it is really difficult to sit down and sketch outside with a baby strapped to me I take pictures and then use them (hopefully) later.

I need this. I need to open my eyes again and take in some beauty. I will feel better and my art will be better. But in the meantime I do have some pieces from last week and the week prior that I am really proud of. This one in particular because I haven't done a larger print in awhile.

Time to get ready to go out, baby on my back and camera in hand. I hope everybody has a wonderful day.
Posted By marissa At 11:36 AM • Trackbacks (0)
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A Beautiful Weekend in Boston

Butterfly in Greenery
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
It was green and lush with just a sprinkling of rain late in the day on Sunday.

I hope everybody had a great weekend, ours went pretty well over all.

Jon's birthday was this weekend, and it was a good one I think despite Saturday being pretty hard on him. Sunday made up for it.

The weekend went a lot better than expected and we owe it all to little blee and her perfect behavior on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday daddy had to go into work at 4am and was there until two in the afternoon so it was just us girls. She was pretty easy going already and I had just mastered back carries in our new Mei Tai so we went on what turned out to be a two hour nap. She slept the entire time.

Then daddy came home and he took a nap while I fed and watched her. Which wasn't hard because as I said she was perfect baby this weekend. This same easy to please behavior continued into Sunday when we decided it was time to let the daycare service at church watch her for an hour for the first time. We decided it was time last week after her many happy but loud outbursts during the sermon. Very cute but distracting. And this Sunday's service was a very somber one about getting through grief in life given by the parents of our friend in the hospital.

She did very well so we took her to this special toystore in Inman Square and got her a new friend named Max, he's from Germany and he is an awesome little guy.

Sunday before church

hanging out, blocking traffic

Work is going well. I still have a bunch of new prints to put up but I am currently back into cutting paper for new collage works thanks to a special package I received from Connecticut bringing me back into the washi love groove. My exacto will be at work a lot this week.

Have a great week! Hope to see more of you. I'm up too late so goodnight.
Posted By marissa At 7:51 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Being Thankful

Thank you!
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
Feeling overwhelmed and needing to take a step back. This is about all I have energy to blog about right now. But I wanted to do this and to thank my readers, my customers and my friends for being there. I try to do the same.

What are you thankful for this Thursday? It is Wednesday night here and I am thankful that I got done some of the more mundane tasks that I have been putting off today.

Now here is my list for the week.

Things done:
1) packed and shipped orders
2) took cat to vet
3) spent $200 at vet on treatment and meds
4) dragged 14lb overweight cat back home in carrier while wearing 20lb blee
5) rescheduled dental appointment
6) called about getting a pet sitter in June (expensive!)
7) walks
8) house cleaning
9) got meds refilled ($60 ouch)

Things to do:
1) tidy studio
2) print
3) sketch (whoops)
4) sleep better
5) relax
6) fast (no meat until June)
7) waste less time
8) treat cat with meds until he gets better
Posted By marissa At 8:00 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Positive
My normal Wednesday plans have been canceled and I am going to try and made the best of it.

Things aren't so good. My friend's illness is not getting better and my cat seems to have a problem with his eyes and I need to call the vet today. I might end up putting him in the carrier and pushing him in the stroller while I where blee down to the vet today. Good times.

But if I have some time I will use it to print and not jerk around and waste time. I still have a bunch of paper printed in various stages of completion. And while I have a fair amount of work from last week I would like to have more, in different colors.

print pile

Wish me luck. Prayers for my friend and his family and my angry little kitty.
Posted By marissa At 4:58 AM • Trackbacks (0)
Monday, May 12, 2008
New Work for May

Quiet Playground
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
Last Thursday and Friday I was finally able to get some printing done, first time since March I believe. It felt very good to be printing again and even better having new prints like these. I was able to use my latest block, but only with this one for now but I know I will be bringing it out again in the future. All of my latest creations will be making their way into my shop in the next week or two. With new pieces in the works this week my shop will stay current for a good long time hopefully. Check it out!

Autumn Leaves

In the meantime I will be serving the little one as she goes through cutting three teeth at the same time. Ouch! She's handling it a lot better than I would handle sharp objects breaking through my gums! We finally got her a proper highchair, though it is a space saving one that attaches to one of our regular chairs. Boy am I feeling like an idiot for not getting this sooner because it makes feeding her so much easier. I have been stalking Craigslist looking for a used one for months and this weekend we finally gave up and bought a new one. It wasn't super expensive but we always try to go used first.

terrible service
Posted By marissa At 7:11 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Sunday, May 11, 2008
My First Mother's Day
Hope the mother's reading this blog had a great day and that the sons, daughters and partners were able to appreciate the mother's in their lives.

This was my first mother's day, even though last year while I was pregnant I did get a mother's day blessing from a gas station clerk while driving back from Brooklyn.

It started on Thursday when Jon surprised me with this incredible bouquet of fruit flowers. He told me later that he basically could have had the whole thing dipped in chocolate for an additional fee if he had clicked a button but I am glad that he didn't. There were more than enough chocolate dipped strawberries to keep me happy for days. Yum!

After church we spent Mother's Day at the Arboretum in JP having our first picnic and it was just wonderful. We picked up sandwiches from Ula and walked around looking for friends who we never did find. But that is okay because we had a lot of fun watching blee try to eat grass. This was really her first time exploring nature and it won't be the last. She was so much fun and being so cute. We are loving that she can sit up now!