mousetales

A circus baby

Since I have such a large bear collection I'm always trying to think of new and safe ways to display them and here's what I've come up with for my tiny bears - their own little hanging homes.  Little Baby Babette even evolved complete with a circus theme.  Somehow working with an actual frame made the story behind the bear really come to the forefront.  It's amazing what can trigger the imagination - even something as simple as an old wooden frame.

You can visit Baby Babette here in the shop for more photos and a bit more detailed info about this cutie. 

A blustery day

~*~*~*~*Hoping to have a tiny little Ellie ready for Etsy some time today!*~*~*~*~*~

The morning was warm and sunny so I was planning on a few hours of photography work this afternoon.  Well, that's not going to happen.  I ventured out, camera in hand, only to find leaves swirling and all the animals heading for their barns.  Even the usually rough and ready donkey boys had gone inside to escape the wind. The temperature had dropped twenty degrees and it had become a very blustery day indeed.

Mr. Eeyore made his way to the fence only because he was hoping I had apples in my pockets.  I didn't and he  gave me some very unhappy looks.  Don't feel too bad though... he had plenty of apples only two hours ago!

And I went out without a jacket (thinking it was still warm) and shivering soon ensued making all further photos look like they were taken as I rolled down a hill!  Bluuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

Oh, don't worry so, Eeyore.... I'll bring some apples along with your dinner!

 

Are these not the cutest???

There hasn't been a trick or treat visitor at my door since the nieces were teeny (oh, so long ago!) but how I wish a little group like this would appear this evening!  Aren't they adorable!

Thanks to Miss Emily and her source for the photo!

One or two... coming or going?

Novenber is Picture Book Idea Month!!!!

What better way to inspire and push creativity forward than to gather a group of picturebook writers and illustrators for a month of brainstorming!  Hop on over here join in the fun.  And huge thanks to Tara Lazar for the super job of making PiBoIdMo possible and Bonnie Adamson for the fantastic logo!

Hope to see you there!

Zoe

Here's the newest member of the family, Miss Zoe. She's grown a little since this picture was taken - but not much.  She makes up for her size with her big personality :0)

Hello again! And a little contest to celebrate!

Hello everyone!  It's been a long long time since I last contributed to my little blog hasn't it?  But I'm back and with so many new things to share. 

The newest is my paper doll project which is near and dear to my heart.

You can read all about her in my Etsy shop, Wee Little Pigs.  And to celebrate her launch I'm giving away a complete Wee Winnie set! 

 All you have to do is visit my shop, pick out a favorite item then leave a comment telling me why you like the item along with a link to the item's page (if you are able).  And if you'll be so kind as to repost about the giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter you'll be automatically entered for a second time.  That's twice as many chances to win!  At the end of the month I'll draw a name to receive a free Wee Winnie Dress-up Set!

Here's a secret... you don't have to be a little girl to enjoy this play set.  My nieces and I have our own Winnie on the refrigerator and Winnie seems to change her outfits many times a day :0) 

More news later.  Now, back to work!  I've got a lot to catching up to do :0)

two new bears now on Etsy

See them here.

critique group start-up

Any other children's illustrators searching for a  group to actively support each other's work?  One of my goals for the new year is to finally put together a like-minded group of artists to share the highs and lows of the children's book market.  The details are still coming together but it's time to start the member search...

My hope is to form a cozy group of illustrators - perhaps 6-8 members - that will help each other via constructive critiques, shared promotional events, a shared web presence, professional advice and camaradarie.  Let's combine our resources and talents; we all know how valuable a fresh opinion can be!

If this sounds like something you'd like to be part of and you  can commit some serious time to helping each other please contact me via my website or the comment section of this post.  Please include your reason for wanting to join the group and links to your work if possible.

I'm very excited about getting startednand look forward to hearing from you :0)

 

Included in a lovely treasury... thank you!

Thank you so very much AtomicStitches for including Little Nils in your Etsy treasury page!  He and I are both very excited that he gets to have a beautiful Blue Christmas.  Happy Holidays everyone!