horizon

BUBBLE TROUBLE

Ted chewed up his gum,
because he had some.
He blew up a giant sized bubble.

The bubble was hollow,
and managed to swallow
his mother–now Ted’s in big trouble.

This week’s Illstration Friday theme is “horizon” and as you can see Ted and his long suffering mother are not quite seeing things eye to eye and are therefore on different communication horizons. Perhaps with a little effort on both their parts, some common ground can be gained.

Hope everyone enjoyed a lovely holiday. Currently recovering from an absolutely fabulous Christmas myself. Want to wish a very Happy New Year to everyone!

Advertisement

airy fairy

Pretty cutestie stuff, I know. But hey, it’s the last day at work before a long holiday weekend and instead of the usual property management or men’s apparel clients, I was given the task to come up with something for a children’s clothing line. The client wanted a fairy princess with a rainbow coming out of her wand.

So who am I to argue?

An enjoyable project, that felt like playing on the job…and I get paid for it!!

You have to love it!

So, here is the proposed label art, (or at least a first go,) and a vector version, for a possible logo.

Cheers!

and a star will “lean” them

A quick sketch of the Christmas card idea that got away.

Mind you, this whole scene is really no more than a pipe dream, as my two boys Spooky and Joey, would rather box each other than cooperate on anything, let alone help poor little Iggy on a star-topping project. Iggy, however, would more likely be found chasing her tail or hunting down and ruthlessly killing dust bunnies, than ever try to coordinate anything of this nature.

Ah well, one can dream, can’t one?

front side

Tiger wants to apologize for his rude display yesterday. Sure, there was important business to attend to, chasing after some lint fluttering around on the ground, I believe it was, but, well, he just wasn’t being very sensitive to the people behind him. Tail up in the air, kicking up snow, he just wasn’t behaving well at all.

Go ahead Tiger, tell them what you wanted to say.

Um, ok. Prrrrrrrrrrt will have to do for now.

backside

The Illustration Friday theme this week is “Backside.”

Oh…hold on…,

what…?

Oooooooh!

Excuse me, I’ve just been informed that Illustration Friday’s theme this week is actually “Backwards.”

So sorry. Well, I hope you won’t mind a little kitty backside in your face. Those of us who have feline roomates experience this on a regular basis. I think you know what I mean.

Anyway, this kitty’s backside is pulling double duty, as it is also the theme of my holiday greeting card for 2007.

Enjoy.

kitty in pumps

Tom and I put up our tree today, and I’ve been wringing my hands in anticipation of filling it up with our ornaments, collected over the past twenty years, mostly glass blown, and made in Eastern Europe. These things are like heroin to me. I get the DT’s if I don’t get my hands on some of the glittery stuff as soon as the clock strikes midnight on December 1st.

Every year we carefully pick out and purchase one or two more ornaments for our growing collection. However, in addition to these fragile, lovelies, we can never resist picking up a couple two, three goofy ornaments. They range from plaster grizzly bears to glass Yukon Cornelius and Hermey. One year I nabbed the last tiny mobile of Dr. Seuss’s “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” from Hallmark.

So in addition to being addicted the shiney stuff, I am also a sucker for the sillier fare. From the sublime to the ridiculous, I believe the saying goes.

Last year I spent an inordinant amount of cash on a kitty in pumps (pictured above.) So attached to this inanimate object did I become, that it now lives permenantly on my mantle.

This year, while cruising around Green Thumb, (a nursery in town that transforms into a Christmas wonderland every year,) we stumbled upon some cloth ornaments, we just had to have. A Snowman Angel and an….er….umm….aardvark, I believe. Take a look.

Anyway, that’s my round-about way of saying, “nope, didn’t draw anything today!”

unsung hero

During this holiday season, many of us will be rushing from party to party, slugging down eggnog and carelessly ripping apart painstakingly wrapped presents. We’ll, no doubt, be thanking Santa for all the lovely gifts bestowed upon us, giving him all the credit for the momentary glee we experience as we pile up our newly aquired swag.

Well, before you tear into that last box of See’s candy, I invite you to take a moment. Take a moment to think about the folks who worked tirelessly all year long, well into the wee hours of the morning. The people working behind the scenes to make it all possible, the ones really responsible for that silly smile on your face

I’m speaking of course, of the elf.

Elves. The unsung heroes of Christmas. So again, please take a moment. Think of them in their ill fitting, green suits and their pointy little shoes. Think of how their efforts make Mr. Kringle look good. That’s all they really want, is just a moment. A moment of recognition.

A moment of recognition, and maybe an extra cookie set out on the table Christmas Eve night. (They don’t really eat much.)

Thank you, this has been a Public Service Announcement, paid for by E.L.F.S. (Elves Looking for Sympathy.)

little things

POOR MELISSA

Melissa’s life is hard because
she has to wash the dishes.
She has to do her homework then
she has to feed the fishes.

Mom nags at her to clean her room,
until her face turns red,
then makes her eat her broccoli,
before she goes to bed!

Above are the first couple of verses from a much longer rhyme I wrote a couple of years ago. After much pouting and mischief ensues, Melissa has an epiphany that forever changes her life. Quite a compelling story…if you’re seven.

The theme for Illustration Friday is “Little Things”. Melissa is a little thing, and there are many little things getting on her nerves lately.

A bit of a stretch? Perhaps. It’s the holidays, I’m tryin’ over here.

happy birthday

On the way to work this morning, I found myself thinking about my dad. Tom and I were listening to Tamara Jenkins, writer and director of the new film “The Savages” being interviewed on “Fresh Air” with Terri Gross. She was sharing an insightful, poignant, witty, and very real account of the relationship between her and her father during his last days. Although it was an enjoyable interview, it brought up some very powerful emotions regarding my own similar experiences.

As Tom and I barreled down the the 118, heading for our respective offices, the mood was one of wistful introspection. Then a lightening bold hit me.

out on a limb

No, I’m not speaking of Shirley MacLaine’s New Age novel from the 80’s. Nope, not talking about risk taking. In fact, I believe “hanging by a thread” might be a more appropriate term, (if you’ll allow me to be a bit melodramatic.) To put it in more realistic and simple terms, I’ve been procrastinating and am now scrambling with throngs of others, to achieve all my Christmas goals.

It’s tradition!

It always seems to come together nicely in the end, with little or no injury and sanity intact. In fact, I seem to do my best under pressure of looming deadlines. So really, no complaints, just a little kitty hanging on a limb, bearing an expression that mimics mine at the moment.

I’m going to resist telling you that I’m “hanging in there”, but really, we’ll both be fine. Like all felines, he’ll land on his feet, and I’m pretty sure I will as well.

a tail of well-read bunnies

A well-read bunny,
is sitting on his tail.
He’d rather read a book,
than open up his mail.

It’s really quite astounding,
will wonders never cease,
although he is a bunny,
he’s reading “War and Peace.”

———————————–
This is dedicated to the scholarly rabbit in all of us.

have yourself a…

…Merry Little Chrismahannakwanza!

Whatever holiday you celebrate or choose not to celebrate this winter, I hope it’s the happiest ever!!

Christmas is the holiday Tom and I both grew up with and still enjoy with gusto, although I’d never turn down an invitation or opportunity to participate in a Hannukah, Kwanza or any other holiday celebration. The more opportunities to hang out with friends, eat (food you would never dream of eating the rest of the year due to sheer terror of heart failure,) or light candles, the better!

For us Christmassy types, many towns in the U.S. have what they call Candy Cane Lane, or a Candy Cane Lane-like street, where every blade of grass on every lawn of every house is blinking, strobing or sparkling with copious amounts of holiday lights and decorations. However, in Valencia, CA the entire town is pretty much a Candy Cane Lane.

Yes folks, Christmas threw up on our town.

What we lack in the beauty and wonder of snowfall, we more than make up with a king’s ransom of an and electric bill and Home Depot receipt.

Tom and I bring up the rear with a token strand of red lights tacked lovingly across the front of our house. We tell ourselves we’re trying to be green, but really, we’re just too lazy busy. Why, we’ve got “Daily Show” reruns to watch.

But you know, as excessive as all the lights, giant blow up snowglobes, and creepy animated santas are, there’s nothing Tom and I like better than taking a detour on the way home from work to gawk at the handiwork of our zealous neighbors.

It’s the closest thing to tradition we have in our suburban town, and we’ve grown to love it.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Above is a an image I drew in Photoshop for my 2002 Christmas card. Thought I’d try to get a little more mileage out of it.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

cat’s pajamas

Clearly these are not Pumpkin’s pajamas. However, you can tell by the look on his furry little face, that he was very anxious to demonstrate today’s animal idiom for you. “The Cat’s Pajama’s

The term “Cat’s Pajamas” got it’s start in the 1920’s, or roaring twenties, when pajamas (or pyjamas, if you’re from the U.K.) were a bit of a novelty. The term was coined by the sports writer and cartoonist at the time, Thomas A. Dorgan and along with “Bees Knees”, “Cat’s Meow” and “Cat’s Whiskers” meant “the height of excellence.” Similar phrases used in the 20’s but didn’t quite catch on were:

“the eel’s ankle”, “the elephant’s instep”, “the snake’s hip”, “the capybara’s spats”, “the flea’s eyebrows” and “canary’s tusks,” (hee heeeee, canary tusks!)

Along with these terms, Dorgan is generally credited with either creating or popularizing such words and expressions as:

dumbbell (a stupid person)

for crying out loud (an exclamation of astonishment)

cheaters (eyeglasses)

skimmer (a hat)

hard-boiled (a tough person)

drugstore cowboy (loafers or ladies’ men)

nickel-nurser (a miser)

as busy as a one-armed paperhanger (overworked)

Dumb Dora (uh, dumb)

Benny (for hat) and dogs (for shoes)

Sources: Wikipedia and Phrase Finder

Oh, Pumpkin also wanted me to point out that there were three cat related terms for “height of excellence.”

Thank you, Pumpkin, now get out of my pajamas.

excess!

BUNNIES FOR BEN

For a small sum of money
Ben bought a pet bunny,
then figured he’d buy
just one more.

Ben felt some regrets,
because his two pets
soon became
four hundred and four!

Excess is the theme for Illustration Friday this week. So I once again dusted off a page of the children’s book I’ve been working on, (it’s been coming in pretty handy.)

I wrote this silly little rhyme and drew Ben and his bunnies about a year ago. It seemed fairly apropo for the theme.

I love it when things come together like that.

meinies in bikinis

After whining about excessive coffee consumption and the resulting headaches in my last post, the very wise Helena of Little Sketches suggested I drink more water, especially upon waking. I know this to be good advice, and thanks to her reminder went right to work hydrating.

Here is proof positive my efforts are panning out.

Thanks Helena.