etsy shop update!!!!

as promised, i've updated my etsy shop with several notecard packs!!! please check them out and let me know your thoughts, my dear bloggy friends! i've started working on files and photos for prints and hope to have some into the shop tomorrow!!

bill and i are off to indiana to visit my folks. dad got home from the nursing home on thursday and i plan to do some house cleaning, cooking and whatever else i can do to help them out.

stay warm wherever you are. it was 1.1 degrees farenheit when i got up at 8:00 this morning. yikes!!

warm winter get-away (cyber-style!!)

in response to my post of snow pictures yesterday, auburn kat commented "makes me want to take a walk on the beach". it made me laugh out loud but then i thought maybe what we all need is a cyber walk on a gorgeous beach. so here goes, my friends . . . more photos from my october florida vacation. sit back, relax and let the sunshine take you away. imagine your feet nestled in the warm sand, your eyes drinking in the shimmery surf and your ears exhilarating in the gentle sways and soft wings flapping. are you there with me?












all photos (c) 2008 julie king

i went for a walk on a winter's day

"winter came down to our home one night
quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
and we, were children once again"
--bill morgan, jr.

all photos (c) 2009 julie king

funny wag and time to brag

funny wag -- bill was in the living room watching the news (with the sound off) and i was on the mac (as usual) when we both said practically in unison "what's that noise??" there was this funny rather loud swishing sound. just as i was about to get up and investigate presley came into view down the hallway looking most unhappy. he had stepped into a piece of tissue paper on the floor of my messy artroom and it was trailing behind him as he walked. with each step he would shake his back right leg to try to get the paper off his foot. it was so precious. i snapped this quick photo and then rescued him from the pesky piece of paper! what would i do without this furry ray of sunshine in my life?

hey you!! don't forget me!!! the silver portion of my mac screen is covered with little posties reminding me to do something. for some time now i've been eyeing the one reminding me to give recognition to some blog and etsy artists that i love. so, today, a 1/2 snow day from work, i'm going to take this one off the list.


vintage sweetness!!! i purchased this delightful pendant from alisa at pretty litle pendant recently and i just love, love, love it!!! the sentiment (embrace one's inner child) is just perfect for me! check out her etsy shop here.



quirky color!! i was the winner of a recent give-away on debbie egizio's blog! she sent me the above print and notecards. i was thrilled as i love her art. doesn't the print look like it was created specifically for my apple green art room? did i mention i adore quirky??!!



cute curlicues!!!!! white pottery bowls are a total weakness of mine so i was so happy to stumble into farmer julie's blog and etsy shop. these little bowls are so cute for holding candy, tiny ornaments and flowers. they are some of my fave things!

sneak peak!! here's just a tweak of a peak at some of the cards i'll soon be selling in my etsy shop. have i mentioned lately how lucky i am? how very blessed to be traveling a bright and breezy creative path full of color and poetry and imaginative images? my cup runneth over, my friends, my cup runneth over!

cafe mocha

what a good night to snuggle up in pajamas with a good book, a warm blanket and a cup of mocha!! i have zero ambition tonight. i was home with a flu bug yesterday and going to work today wore me out. over the weekend i finished the above piece -- a commission for a co-worker to give to his wife for her birthday. she has her kitchen decorated in french country and i think this will fit right in there.

i'm working on my etsy shop update -- lots of notecards and prints. i'm hoping to get it into the shop by this weekend. stay tuned!

my pajamas and a cup of tea are calling my name so i'll sign off with a "keep warm and happy dreams!"

name 5 things

wise and wonderful nana trish tagged me to name 5 things so here goes!!


5 things in my purse: – trident peppermint gum (minty), aveeno intense relief lip balm (lip-smackin'), neutrogena comforting butter hand cream (decadent!), Tupperware pill box (at least 40 years old), julie king art business cards (must-haves)


5 things in my art room: vast collection of papers, pastels, pencils, paints and pictures; finished art work; inspiration; music system and presley




5 things I’ve always wanted to do: travel the oregon trail in a conestoga wagon, collect petoskey stones in michigan, find beach glass on an ocean shore, be published, visit the aztec ruins of tenochtitlan



5 things i’m interested in: character study as in what drives people to say or do certain things; the play of light and shadow; living a simpler life; photography and exploring nature

5 blogs i'm tagging: brenda, stephanie, suzanne, karine and jenalee!!

omg, it's here, it's here + 3 awards and updates!!

after months of talk and promises and not allowing myself to buy it, i finally broke down and ordered the epson r1900 photo printer i've been yearning for. the friendly guy in the brown clothes and brown truck dropped it off at my house on wednesday and i'm sure he heard my squeals of delight as he drove away. hee hee

now i can sell prints of all my original art, make greetings cards, magnets, pendants, cute little shadow boxes, etc. the sky's the limit and i'm so energized to get going. we're headed to the cincinatti ikea tomorrow morning to check out the work tables as the printer is much larger than i expected. nothing like an art room reorganization to get my creative juices flowing. did i mention i'm excited???

a quick update on my dad. he was moved to a nursing home on tuesday for some extensive physical therapy to get his strength back and improve his ability to get around. he is working hard and improving every day. we hope to get him home by the end of next week. thanks to all of you who left supportive comments, sent me e-mails and hugs via bloggy cyber space. it all meant so much to me to have your thoughts and prayers.



while i've been away from my blog, busy with work and family, i was blessed with three very gracious awards. the "your blog is fabulous" award and the "my blog is pop-tastic" awards were given to me by fannie. i'm so honored to get these awards from fannie as i greatly admire her art, journals, handstitched fabric art and of course her blog!



sweet, sweet brenda gave me the proximity award which "is given to blogs that believe and invest in PROXIMITY -- nearness in space, time and relationships! these blogs are exceedingly charming. these kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. they are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. please give more attention to these writers!" oh, brenda, you made my week. thanks so much! check out brenda's blog where she gives blogging tips and shares her fun perspective on getting wiser by the wrinkle.

i'm up late (is it really 12:34 am??) finishing up the custom piece for a co-worker. i'll have photos tomorrow. take care all!!

quick update

just a quick note to my bloggy friends. my dad fell on thursday and broke his hip. he had surgery and then spent a couple of days in intensive care due to some heart problems. he is off the icu floor and in a regular room as of today. we're hoping that his physical therapy will progress well over the next few days so he can go home. after several long, long days at the hospital i'm home with a cup of tea and ready to watch you've got mail. i just need a few hours of major down time before i return to work tomorrow.

i've received a few awards and also have some other news to share with you all soon. as for now, tom and meg are calling my name and frankly, i just can't resist!

take care all and enjoy the rest of your sunday!

btw, the butterflies are a bit of free vintage clip art i found at the vintage moth. delightful, don't you think??!!

snowy, snowy night

snowy, snowy night
camera in tow
out in the street
i happily go

look to the heavens
see it fall down
icy cold splendor
without a sound

click of the camera
street lamp glow
a glorious way
to experience snow

photos and poem (C) 2009 julie king

interview

a couple of days ago steviewren posted an interview about herself; it's the current rage in bloggyland. willow orchestrated the questions. it seemed like fun so i said "interview me" to steviewren. see below for all the details if you'd like to play along. so here's the questions stevie asked me and my answers.




1. I learned from your blog that you were a single mother raising 2 daughters alone for years. I think I read that you remarried about 12 years ago. Do you think your remarriage and new direction in life has aided your journey towards a more creative self or is it just that you have more time now that your children are adults?

You are correct that I was a single mother, raising a son and a daughter alone for 18 years. And, yes I met my husband 11 years ago and we’ve been married for almost 8 years. There were many factors which spurred my creative journey. I certainly poured a great deal of creativity and self-worth into raising my kids and I found myself in a bit of a void when they were raised and gone.



My move to Ohio and the wonderful experience I had as part of Antioch publishing’s creative department certainly helped to awaken my creative spirit. I had worked with art and artists for years but the caliber of creative ability and thinking was very contagious at Antioch. I had good friends there who were overwhelmingly supportive and nurturing to a wanna-be artist.



The announcement in April 2007 that the bookmark division of Antioch was up for sale was the wind beneath my wings in many ways, not only forcing me to examine where I as at in my life, but also lighting a fire in me to become the creative person I was longing to be.



And, finally, I get huge, huge support from my husband Bill in all my creative efforts. He is right there sawing wood, sanding, building my art table, carting canvasses and giving me wonderful support!



2. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go, what would you see and why?


I am longing to travel the United States, especially the northwest. I would love to travel in an RV to all the national parks, to experience the grandeur, hear the whistling wind and see the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. It would be a long, relaxing amble from place to place with lots of time to take photos, sketch and drink in the scenery, sounds and wildlife.



3. I know you read a great deal. What is your favorite genre of books and who is your favorite author?

My favorite author is Stephen King, not especially because I’m a huge fan of horror but more because I love his writing style. The way that all the separate threads of his stories eventually come together in the story is very compelling to me. I tend to prefer stories with odd or interesting characters as written by John Irving. For me, the odder the better. And, I like for a book to be so engaging that I think about it when I’m away from it or long after I finish it. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is an excellent example. It’s not a pretty story, but definitely one that still haunts my thoughts a bit today (2 years later). John Grisham and Jodi Picout both attract me as their fiction tends to have a moral dilemma. Both the Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean Auel and the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon took me back in time for a rousing historical romp.



And then there’s Harry Potter. You’ve gotta love a character like Harry who defeats evil despite all odds and entertains on every single page of every one of the seven books. Pardon the pun, but these books are magical!!




4. What types of people are you attracted to and inversely, what types are you repelled by and why?

Open-minded, free spirits who take life lightly and can laugh at themselves are very attractive to me. Rigid, controlling people, not so much.




Life is too short to live any other way than to laugh and let it roll!



5. Who was the biggest influence on your life, your mother or father? In what ways did he or she shape you life?

My mother has been the bigger influence in my life. I’ve spent much more time with her over the years; she is much more social than my dad. Mom taught me how to laugh over spilled milk, how to pick my battles in life and how to cope during less-than-perfect situations. My mom is hands-down the best person I've ever known -- kind-hearted, gracious, generous and quick to offer support. She is the rock that holds our family together.

Like many men from the WWII era, my dad is reticent to show his emotions, putting up a macho front that is at times hard to push aside. As I've aged it has been much easier to understand and love the man behind the mask, a man who adores his family, is proud almost to a fault and has been the most influential person in my life in teaching me about the joys of hard work and dedication.


Here are the instructions if you'd like to play long. Just leave me a comment saying "interview me" and I'll send you 5 questions.

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the

questions).

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview

someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask
them five questions.