This party was a labor of love with lots of folks involved. I went with an owl them partly because when I was in labor with Annabelle, I kept seeing little owls in my head. I knew that owls represent wisdom in Greece (Andrew's father is Greek) and that Sophia means wisdom. And I just knew that should be her middle name!

I asked my best friend and partner in crafty crime, Judean, to help me out with the party because she is amazingly creative. I sent her a drawing of an idea I had for the invitation and she brought it to life in paper, with moving wings. So awesome! And then our friend Lis at Butterqueencakes.com took the invitation design and created a stunning cake and cupcakes that simply blew me away (and tasted delicious!!)

Judean also created the beautiful owl art above the timeline and the tissue paper one on the front door.

I also created owl lanterns, decorated branches with little owls, hung a "Happy Birthday Annabelle" owl banner, and created a clothesline style timeline with pictures of Annabelle in the same chair from 2 weeks through 11 months.

I made sweet little owl stuffies as favors for the kiddos. They were my first attempt at stuffies and they were a little wonky, but very cute.

Annabelle had a great time and was a real trooper with all the attention. She looked so sweet in her little dress, I could have just eaten her up.

I think she wanted to take pictures too.

She wasn't quite sure what to think of the cake, her first sweet! She's a bit of a picky eater and likes to play with her food, so at first she just made faces as she squished it around in her fingers. Then she tasted it, made quite a face, and dug in for more! Mm, butter cream frosting!

She also had fun playing with the other kiddos and telling one little friend about her favorite toy, Ernie. She actually shouted "Ernie!" so loud at her, which cracked me up.

Here's our happy little family. We made it through our first year together, which was one of the fastest and slowest years of my life. I feel so lucky to be Annabelle's mom. She's a beautiful, bright shining light that makes the world a better place! Happy Birthday, Annabelle!

Another fun way to explore language in your art is through telling stories. I was on the Subway a few years back, when I had an idea. I was watching the people in passing Subway cars thinking how each person I saw had their own story, how each person had a dialogue running through their heads. And all these simultaneous stories were just whooshing by each other at fast speeds all day long. I wanted to capture that in art and so the Subway Stories series was born.

In the background, I'd collage subway maps and train station times along with bits of phone book pages. Over that I would paint a subway scene. And then in each figure I would write a bit of their story through the dialogue I imagined was running through their heads.

How do you tell stories through your art?

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Art above is Green Line, Park Street, and St. Mary's, all named after Boston T stops.
 

Do you have a favorite poem? Have you created work based on a line of poetry or a whole poem? Tell me about it!

I'm thrilled to share that I have 5 pieces, including Lady Fall (seen in the invite above). in the upcoming show, Through Rose Colored Glasses, at The Gallery 9 in Culver City, California! The show opens on April 14th and runs through May 29th, so if you're in the area, do check it out!

Snuck in some art during yesterday and today's nap times and came up with this creation, "Dark Night." Going with the mixed-media theme, I used acrylic paints on watercolor paper to start, and later went into it with white and black inks. I had intended to do something different, but as often happens, once I get started, I see some shape in the paint and have to go with it!

i get asked a lot about what tools I use to create my mixed media work, so I figured with the theme this month, now was a good time to share!

For paper, I turn to my collections of paper and also use scraps from my own work. The paper I've collected has cropped up over time. I've used old book pages, maps, architectural drawings, old photos, handmade papers, stamps, dress patterns, and other bits and pieces. I've picked up things from friends, from thrift shops, and flea markets. Something like a big architectural plan of a house can last a long time if I'm just using little bits of it at at a time! Rice paper or other handmade paper that I've drawn, written, stamped or printed on is also a great collage medium.

For the base, I've experimented with lots of different surfaces and right now, my favorite things to collage on are thick watercolor paper or wooden panels.

For glue, I like to use golden gel medium. I usually apply it with a plastic painting knife, which helps me to spread the glue out and then flatten the paper as I work. I also end up using my fingers to spread and smooth quite a bit.

For paint, I tend to use a lot of Golden fluid paints because they're a little thinner and allow the collage bits to show through (if I want them too!)
I love working with ink on top of collage as well (make sure the paint is very dry!) I tend to use micron pens or uniball signo white gel pens.

So tell me, what are your favorite mixed-media tools?

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Pieces above are: Dreaming of the Seven Sisters, Memory Cycles, and Silver Line.

One of my favorite ways to work in mixed-media lately is with paint and ink. I think it's partly the immediacy of it. Acrylic paint and ink dry fairly quickly and the ink part is not messy, too things that have become more important to me with a baby at home.

Speaking of making art with a baby at home, I recently did a guest post about how I fit in time to make art during my first year as a mom, which you can read here. It's part of a series about motherhood and creativity, with lots of great posts, so check it out!

I'm still knee deep in grief here. But I've found some comfort in art, which is nice. I don't always feel like drawing and painting when I've experienced loss in the past, so I'm glad it can be a good way to let things out now.

The piece above was completely spontaneous and a lovely surprise. I had a pad of tracing paper in front of me on my art table, left out after making a playful Valentine's Day card for Andrew from Annabelle. I picked up some brush pens and started to draw on the top sheet. It felt a bit other-worldly. I then had the idea to turn to the next page to draw another layer, with a tree and roots. And then one last layer with a cat and roots.

Sometimes, when there are no words, thank goodness for art to be able to get out what's running through my mind.

Thank you to everyone who has left kind words for me after Sadie's passing. I really appreciate it!

This weekend, I had to say good bye to my dear friend of 14.5 years, Sadie. Gosh, I miss her so much already. She was such an amazing cat, more person than cat sometimes. Andrew and I were able to be with her in her final moments as she passed peacefully into the great kitty beyond.

I will miss her monster purr, her insistent snuggle, the way she wedged herself between Andrew and I in bed, with her head on the pillow and her body under the covers. I will miss her feisty personality, the way she loved up the other kitties, her passion for food, and the way she dropped Space Ghost at my feet every day, as if she had just caught and killed some prey.

She really was a special animal. I feel so lucky to have been her cat mommy. My heart hurts so badly right now, but I know the pain I feel just shows how much I loved her.

I painted a little piece of her sleeping today. It made me smile. And cry a bit too.

Sadie, we will all miss your beautiful presence. You were a special cat. Thank you.

For the night theme, get inspired by this interactive, animated version of one of my favorite paintings, Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. Here's more details on the animation. Beautiful!