50's Fashionista - Mop Girl

Yes, home-owning is an endless round of chores, but nowadays it's a lot easier to mop a floor without wearing high heels! This illustration is available as a card - come visit my Etsy Shop!

50's Fashionista - Jello Girl

There's always room for JELL-O. Some things never change...

This illustration is available as a card - come visit my Etsy Shop!

50's Fashionista - Dusting Girl

Joan Rivers once said, "I hate housework. You make the beds, you do the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again." This Fashionista looks like she is thinking the same thing!

This illustration is available as a card - come visit my Etsy Shop!

50's Fashionista - Pie Girl

I've been expanding my Fashionista line, thinking these retro ladies would look great on cards as well as prints. Here is Miss Pie Lover, the first of my new creations. I'll be listing them soon in my Etsy Shop.

TAKE ME HOME!

Alfie


Sidney

I met an angel at a dinner party last week, and she was trying to pretend she was just a normal human being. But I could tell she was special, especially when she got to the part in her story about the seven dogs sleeping on her bed at home while we were having this lively dinner conversation. It turns out that St. Cheryl is a volunteer for Second Chance, an animal rescue organization here in Minneapolis. Second Chance was recognized by City Pages Magazine as the Best 2010 Charity (you can read the article here). Cheryl, like other foster moms, provides a home for dogs who have been abandoned or rescued until they find their "forever home" through the organization.

This is a special cause for me, since I am an animal lover, and now that the economy has forced so many people into tight situations, their pets are suffering, too, being abandoned or put up for adoption. The equally sad situation is that due to budget cuts, many shelters are closing their doors, and the need for private home foster care is so desperately needed.

Alfie and Sidney, above, need a home. You need a dog or cat. Who can't benefit from a little unconditional love and a nice warm hairy greeting committee when you walk in the door? So check out the list of adorable little creatures who need homes on SECOND CHANCE's website.

The next adoption date is March 12th - go for a visit and take your friends! - It will be the Petco in Roseville between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. For more information, see the website.

I adopted my Suzi years ago and you can see what a difference a little TLC can make with the following photos - her face went from worry lines to snotty confidence. Her TLC made a big difference in my face too, but that's another story:



DAY 1


Several months later

Ice Skater

Ice skating always looks like so much fun, until I get on the ice and realize that my brain and my feet have lost communication! This is another illustration for Pretty Girl Designs.

Night Fall with Snow Fall

This is my front porch at 10:00 o'clock last night. I had to push the door open against the snow piled in front of it to take this photo. (I forgot to adjust the camera, the night and the snow were not this yellow!) Somewhere there are steps winding down to the street. Maybe by spring I will find them. The snow is almost to the top of the porch railing!

I would complain, but aside from the hassle factor, it is a beautiful sight.

CULINARY CUTIE - Baker Babe

50's Fashionista - Laundry

Today is laundry day. But I am not going to do my laundry, I'm going to my studio to paint. Who needs clean clothes to paint?
P.S. This glamor girl, along with more just like her, is available as a print in my Etsy shop, so if you have a moment, check it out! www.graphitegirl.etsy.com

Illustration Friday - "Surrender"

DETAIL

Sometimes it's best to just surrender to love. From my Modern Aphrodite series....

Back from Vacation

It's a new year, and I'm running to catch up already! It's great to take a vacation as I just did, but coming back to reality is a challenge.

Happy Holidays

Gift Wrap Angel

Sometimes wrapping the present is more fun than purchasing it.

Here Come the Holidays

Time to start baking shopping writing cards buying travel tickets cleaning - WHOAAAAAA! I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Let's just have a few homemade cookies first.

Bunny Skater

This talented bunny was part of a fabric design I illustrated for cozy flannel pajamas.

Illustration Friday - "Savour"

A moment to savour - the luxury of an outdoor lunch while reading a book and having the waiter bring me a piece of chocolate cake for dessert - YES!

Winter Arrives

Our beautiful Indian Summer is SO OVER! These photos are from last weekend, when we had eleven inches of snow dumped on us. Yesterday was the coldest Thanksgiving Day in 25 years, with the day starting out at a nippy 2 degrees. Let me remind you, that is 30 degrees below the point of freezing. Time to dust off the skis and brew up some hot chocolate!

Art Attack!

Yes, another year has passed, and once again it is Fall. This means that "Art Attack" is about to begin in the historic Northrup King Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, home of my studio, as well as the studios of nearly 175 other artists. Our doors are open, are creations are displayed, c'mon down!

The hours are:

Friday, November 5th - 5 pm to 10 pm
Saturday, November 6th - Noon to 8 pm
Sunday, November 7th - Noon to 5 pm

For more information about the event, check out the building's website.

Hope to see you!

Rompers for Cuties

One of the fun projects I participated in years ago was illustrating rompers for little tykes. Cuuuuuute!

Skipping Stones

This little vignette is from my designing-for-Sleepyheads days. This illustration was one of about ten retro scenes that made up an overall scatter design that was printed on fabric and then made into pajamas. There were a variety of themes - puppies, the fair, camping, and in this instance, vacation time. It was so much fun to wear my art! Although the company was sold and I am no longer designing for them (boohoo), you can still see lots of great pajamas and lounging accessories at Sleepyheads.com.