An End to 2021

Oh my Gods I can't believe it's already December! Time is so weird. It'll feel like time is going by so slowly and then all of a sudden you're wondering where the month went. Or where the year went.

November was an interesting month. I didn't have as many events which was both a blessing and a curse. It was nice to be able to relax a bit and focus more on creating new works of art, however, it gave my body and mind the chance to sync up and let me know that I am downright exhausted. I've been going, going, going like the damn Energizer bunny for months and now my batteries need a recharge. My mind and body started to go into off season mode when events aren't even done which has made the last few weeks really weird and a bit difficult.

The few events I did have were absolutely amazing. I did my first event in the Milwaukee area which was a lot of fun. Watch out Milwaukee! I'll be coming for even more events next year. Then there was the Night Market which was freezing. There was the Black Friday Maker's Market that was absolutely insane. In a good way of course. It was so busy I can't even remember some of the details. It was so much fun! :D

Thanksgiving was pretty quiet this year. We had wanted to go visit my family but my mom and brother were both sick so scrapped those plans. The hubby went to visit his family over lunch and I stayed home and cooked and cleaned the whole house. It was definitely worth it because the food was delicious. Having celiac disease and being lactose intolerant makes all cooking and baking a bit more complicated but I managed like a champ. I made a garlic/olive oil and parmesan focaccia, green bean casserole, alfredo with broccoli, carrots and cauliflower, and of course cranberries. For dessert I made caramel brownies and apple pizza. We had a lot of leftovers but that worked out good for me. I got to eat a slice of apple pizza every morning for breakfast and for dessert at night for a few days.

Over the month I got to work on a few custom pieces which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately most of them are presents for people for the holidays so I can't show any of them until after the holidays, but I did get to work on a few personal projects over the month too. Those ones I can show you.

The one custom piece I can show is a logo I made for an environmental group working to preserve land around Lake Mendota. They are trying to preserve 30 acres of marshland that others want to clear for low-income housing. The land is home to various native plants and animals such as milkweed, sandhill cranes, bald eagles, cattails, garter snakes and more. The land also has historical significance as it used to belong to the Native Americans. I was very honored to create the logo for this group and I hope that they will succeed in saving the beautiful land.

I was also able to finally finish my Dapper Bastards series. The very last piece I made was a fox wearing a sweater vest. He looks like the animal version of Mr.Rogers.

I also started the Classy Bitches series. This is the first one of the series and I am already in love. I've been doing a bit more research for this series than the last series to make sure that the accessories and clothing I use for each animal are all from the same time period. I figured out that I unknowingly used all 1910's clothing and accessories for the Dapper Bastards series so I am trying to stick with the 1910's again. You want to know what women's fashion is famous for in the 1910's? Big freaking hats. That's about it. It'll be interesting to see how I'm able to change up each piece so not every animal is just wearing a big hat. This series will require a lot more work and planning but I'm up for the challenge.

After putting it off for so long I started back up on the Three Billy Goats Gruff. I have all of the pages drawn out and outlined, I just need to add color. I finished 3 more pages for the children's story and I only have 2 or 3 left. It's super exciting because that means soon I'll be able to actually start looking for an agent and hopefully start getting more book illustration gigs.

The last month of the year I intend to spend a lot of time creating new work for next year and catching up on some older projects. The Three Billy Goats Gruff and the Classy Bitches are at the top of the list. While I have most of my holiday shopping done there are still a few people that I need to make presents for yet so I'll have some random projects to do. Between projects, I'm hoping to organize things to make everything easier for me next year. I keep trying new ways to keep stock of items better and etc but it never works out too well so I'm hoping that with the spare time I can actually come up with a good system.

I'm also in the market for a van, a honda odyssey to be more specific. I'm at the point where I can't expand on my business and create any new products (more art prints, tote bags, and other fun items) until I have a bigger vehicle. My current vehicle I literally can't fit anything else into so when it comes to events I wouldn't be able to bring some of my products. Thankfully I have a little time now before events start up again to find one but oofda, it's getting rough. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can find one soon. Who knows, maybe Santa will bring me one, or at least help me to find one.

Until next year, I hope you all have happy holidays and a happy new year! Here's to a good 2022!