Green Girl.

Lou texted me at work today to let me know our "outside cat" is gone. Our next door neighbor's daughter's dog (or cat? I'm not entirely sure. Some pet of some sort..) died and he took the outside cat to give to her. She was really happy. This outside cat is the epitome of loving friendly lapcat. So I'm glad he could find a good home. But I'm also a little sad because I didn't get to say goodbye! Either way, I'm incredibly relieved that I don't have to drive an hour to the only shelter in Delaware that was actually accepting strays still. I really wish people would be more educated about their animals. Cats (and dogs, and every other pet) aren't toys. You have to educate yourself about their care. And when you're bored with them, you can't just dump them outside.

On the brightside, the flea situation in the apartment is subsiding and now with the "outside cat" gone, things will really start to clear up. The cats aren't acting like the rug is hot lava anymore. But the bad part is with the two of them continuously scratching and licking themselves, they've been throwing up hairballs all over the place. The most terrible one being this morning. The back of my bed has a little ledge where the cats like to walk and we usually put cups of water. Lou woke himself up abruptly this morning by reaching back for the water but instead landing his hand in a nice squishy pile. He claims it was on his pillow too. I think it's kind of funny. But I'm going to assume that's just because it didn't happen to me.

I'm trying my hardest to draw everyday. Usually I'll do it on my break at work because I'm not doing anything else really. Once I gather up the energy (and CA$H!)to buy some more art paper, now that I've decided out of the many samples I tried out, which one I like the best...then hopefully I can get some prints made! I also have to find a good, affordable place to buy some mailers for when they actually sell. Oh, and more business cards (I'm running low...I'll probably print my own now that I have a good printer). And of course an assortment of more promotional buttons and stickers. Okay, there's a lot of steps involved, but I'll get to everything eventually.

But now the question is which is better?

With black outlines...?



Or without...?



I like both. I'm so indecisive.

I'm never good at titles.

Well as you may have guessed by now, I've been busy. But instead of alerting the internet world that I have seven Easter related Plinis still available in my shop, I thought I'd take the time to reflect on other happenings in my life.

For starters, Comic Con was this last weekend! I went on Saturday with Lou and our friends Yesenia and Neil. It was an adventure to say the least. We took the train in to NY where it was taking place and got some great "swag" and photos. I think perhaps the best part was the kitty ears I made for Yesenia and I to wear. Besides at the convention, we wore them to the train, on the train, and from the train. People's faces were priceless. I concluded that I should wear cat ears all the time. I haven't really lived up to that statement yet. Perhaps on Monday.

Lou took pictures of Yesenia playing the sometime to be released GTA game for Nintendo DS, but he wasn't allowed to take photos of the actual game. Also, one of the guys in charge of the station had a heart attack when he saw Yesenia and I playing. "Whoa...whoa!!! Are you guys 18?!?". I can't understand why he thought we looked like we were 12. Couldn't be the kitty ears, could it? Yesenia's response was even more priceless... "Yeah I'm 26! That's my husband over there."





Some of my "swag". I also bought a Munny doll which I'm VERY excited about! For those not in the know...it's a vinyl doll that you can paint and decorate yourself. It's all the rage...teehee.



And finally...being at a comic book convention, one would think that there'd be comic book purchasing of some sort involved. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time...and/or I didn't speak up when we were trudging through the huge crowds past the aisles upon aisles of comic book artists. Either way, it inspired me to complete my collection of the comic book I've been reading/collecting for a while now - Kabuki: The Alchemy. I bought the final 3 issues of the series online and they came today (right in time for the weekend) to my excitement!
It's a really beautifully illustrated comic by David Mack (also the Daredevil artist).

Did you add tomato paste?

Perhaps I don't give Lou enough credit for paying attention to the things I do. Tonight for dinner I made some pasta and tweaked the rest of a jar sauce we had, adding tomato paste, some diced tomatoes, fresh garlic and other various spices. While eating, out of nowhere he says to me "Did you add tomato paste?". To which my response was a stunned look on my face, followed by a "How do you know what tomato paste is??". I'm not entirely sure where he acquired this food knowledge, but it was surprising nonetheless.

Speaking of surprises..a few days ago one of my necklaces made it to the front page of Etsy! If it wasn't for my friend Yesenia, I never would have seen it either. She emailed me a screenshot of it while I was at work. What amazing timing she has, to have happened to be on the front page of Etsy and noticed a piece of my jewelry. The front page changes every half hour or so, so if that's not awesome timing on her part, then I don't know what is. And double yay, the necklace sold before the front page changed!

You can see it on the bottom right. The one with the mushroom and lil deer.

400

In case you haven't heard the fantabulous (my favorite word by the way..) I've reached 400 sales on etsy! In all cliche fashion.."I never thought this day would come!"




I also listed 10 brand new Lil Dumplins in my shop. Although, only seven are left now. That's a lot still. I'm really happy with the progression of the craftsmanship of the Lil Dumplins as well as my picture taking abilities of them. Looking back at the first few, they were great, but I think they're even greater now. I really try to make every aspect about the Lil Dumplins perfect. I want people to receive them in the mail and say "wow, this is even better than I'd expected! I need more of them!" I want every customer to be totally happy with their purchase.

Lou has been trying to network and spread the word of Lil Dumplins and my jewelry at his job. It's great. Networking and word of mouth are definately key, I think. One of his co-workers made an EXCELLENT suggestion for a set of themed Lil Dumplins and I'm so giddy at the thought of this idea I can't wait to start working on it. He told Lou jokingly "if this is a hit, I want 1%". hah! I say you got it dude. This idea is dumplin gold. Dying to know aren't you.

In other news...actually..not really other news at all, same subject different topic. I'm planning on re-naming the Lil Dumplins. I haven't decided on a name yet, as I'm still brainstorming and hoping the perfect title falls in my lap randomly. The reasoning behind the change is pretty simple actually. Do a google search of Lil Dumplins and everything from baby clothing, to dolls, to toys pops up. Basically I'd like my Lil Dumplins to have a name for themselves. Something totally different to have them stand out on their own. I'm thinking something that isn't even a real word. I've been considering holding a contest "name that Lil Dumplin"...but I'll see what I come up with on my own first.

dumplin production.

Keep on the lookout in my shop (probably by Monday) for five new Lil Dumplins I've been working on allllll weekend. Ever since I picked up this new "9 to 5" job I haven't had much time to work on the fun things. My Dumplin collection has been dwindling down. I think I have two listed..? Plus a custom reserved one. Something like that. Wait...six..I'll actually have six done. I have them scattered all over my desk in different stages of completion. Eh, I'm an artist, not a math teacher. hehe.
I've also been trying to work on my new "series" of dumplins. They're slightly bigger in size than the original Lil Dumplin. There's some other creative aspects that make them special, but I'll leave that for later. It's tough because I want to get the original dumplins made and listed, but I also want to develop the new dumplins. There's never enough time!
And on top of that I have Lou looking whiny and attention-deprived all the time because I'm cooped up in my craft corner for days. I keep assuring him that when I'm a millionaire (hah..) he'll be thanking me for my lack of hanging out with him 24/7.
But is it so much to ask for him to put his dirty dishes in the dishwasher? I can't do everything around here.

we have a winner!

Lou is so picky when it comes to anything I cook. I call him a ham and cheese/peanut butter and jelly boy. Anything even slightly "exotic" and he doesn't like it. Who doesn't like onions? Or mushrooms?? He doesn't even like homemade pasta sauce...he PREFERS prego. Are you kidding me?
Anyways, I was ready to serve him just a handful of ground beef on a plate, seeing as all he ever wants is meat. But I decided against it and instead added the ground beef to a few other things. Elbow macaroni, chopped onion, 2 cans of diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, garlic, crushed red pepper and a generous pour of jar spaghetti sauce. I eyeballed everything. Pretty simple. But tasty. Oh, and parm cheese and fresh basil on top.