Have a dream? A goal? A path to follow? Go for it! … one foot in front of the other, one task at a time (or several; which we all do, although I sometimes think multi-tasking is highly overrated!) And if you falter, know it’s not failure but a sidestep, just a lesson.
Stay positive. Stand firm. Pursue. Persist. Persevere. Saddle up and keep on keepin’ on!
Just when I thought I couldn’t be more thrilled, the news got better!
The holiday season was very kind to my books (A Book of Fairies and The Book of Mermaids), and I hope everyone who received them as gifts is finding much enjoyment within the pages.
Naturally, post-holiday sales have slowed, so I was both surprised and truly thrilled to see that as of today A Book of Fairies has reached the #1 listing on Amazon’s 3,429 “books about fairies”!
Earlier today I’d been wowed to see that it held the #8 spot on Amazon’s entire listing of 60,556 fairy books! Holy fairy wings! That’s a lot of books about fairies. I feel very honored to be so high among them.
And … I’m feeling immense appreciation for the many good people who have helped make my book flutter towards the top.
from "A Book of Fairies"
Maybe I should ask my numerology friends… but whatever they’d say, I’m thinking #’s 1 and 8 are pretty good numbers for me today. : )
Sorry to post this again, but it must be done!
I wasn’t satisfied with the sound quality on my Magnetic Mermaid Toy video. The music itself was excellent, the problem came with the translation inside the video editing software.
Thanks to the collaboration with musician and master whistler (& fellow perfectionist!) David Santucci, a new track was prepared that worked MUCH better in the editing process. Our ears are much more pleased ~ and we think yours will be too. Please enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx7BY6EwKs4
Can it be last-minute holiday gift idea time already? Hmmm. I just might have some ideas. How about the gift of reading and imagination..? A Book of Fairies, and The Book of Mermaids are great for school-age kids! The Magnetic Mermaid Dress-up is ideal for 3 and up. All are available at Amazon.
Then there’s a whole bunch of cool stuff over at my *boutique* at CafePress. Totebags, mugs, coasters, mousepads, journals and magnets, grouped by my signature pieces of “peace”, “pencil points”, fairies” and “mermaids”. Lots to choose from. Fun, unique, and practical!
Happy holidays ~ and may peace, magic and creativity fill your hearts!
A fantastic talk from TED Talks: In a series of witty punchlines, Patrick Chappatte makes a poignant case for the power of the humble cartoon. His projects in Lebanon, West Africa and Gaza show how, in the right hands, the pencil can illuminate serious issues and bring the most unlikely people together.
If you recall the “sneak peeks” I posted a while back, your wait is over. Here’s a special something I’ve been conjuring up for the holidays!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ0fB0wJ1U4
For those interested, this video was created with hand-drawings, animated in PowerPoint. I wanted to push the boundaries of what most people think PowerPoint can and can’t do. In that sense alone, I feel a mission was accomplished. But I also wanted to have some fun with it…. which I did!
The vision for the video came to me after it was clear that no one wanted their children to be filmed in a piece that would be shown on YouTube. That was disappointing, since kids really engage with this game and it would have been great to capture their enthusiasm. But, as someone, somewhere, once said, “inside every cloud is a silver lining”. This one came in the form of a happy idea.
And so, this is what happened when an idea + illustrations + PowerPoint + some good music became a video!
Special thanks to composer/musician David Santucci for lending his remarkable talent to this piece. A gifted artist and overall nice guy whose work will soon be available in high-def quality on iTunes; it was a delightful collaboration.
Now I hope you’ll go on over to Amazon and buy the Magnetic Mermaid Dress-Up toy and make some kids very happy this holiday! : )
In the name of brazen self-promotion, I’d like to start spreading the word that some terrific canvas tote bags are now available, adorned with designs from my “52 Weeks of Peace” series. One bag shows all 52 weeks, others are created with individual designs.
For the time-being these are available online only, through my shop at CafePress. But I have to tell you, I personally love their canvas bags. They’re sturdy and earthy and hold a lot of stuff.
They really make a great gift – practical AND fun (oh, and yes, with a message…!) . And by the way, requests are being taken. If you have a favorite “week” you’d like to see on a bag, let me know!
My muse is hard at work, sliding with a vengeance into all available slivers of time. (When is a girl to sleep, I ask?) This time it’s something kind of new for me … and it’s making me smile, despite a crazy schedule, some sleep deprivation and probably too much tea and chocolate. (Wait ~ there can’t be too much tea or chocolate. What was I thinking?)
But I will say no more (because, after all, it’s a secret) and just cut to the sneak peek. Hope it makes you smile too. : )
Literally.
Appreciation is always a lovely thing. But how can one not be thrilled by one that’s hand-drawn?!
I was raised by a writer and learned early on to write out my thank-you’s. Friends may even think of me as a bit of thank-you note nut. Just the same, there’s an art to it, and over my lifetime I’ve seen the dwindling of that art. First there was the phone call, then the email note. Add to that the inundated-with-to-do’s, fast pace of people’s lives that doesn’t allow much room for proper thank you’s ~ especially challenging for people who don’t have a natural affinity for writing ~ and the way of thank you note gets lost.
But of course it’s important to realize that appreciation takes many forms. Not everyone draws a picture, or writes a beautiful note. Sometimes they say just the right words, or do something marvelously selfless and generous. People are good at heart; they show it in different ways.
Still … there’s nothing quite like a real thank-you! So I’d like to show a little appreciation for a very special one, by sharing it with you. It’s a card I received from a young girl I’ve never met, who’d received my books and toy as a gift. Hopefully the exuberant art will brighten your day, as it did mine!
(I especially enjoyed the serious, unassuming cover opening to a delightful surprise inside.)
Inspired by an email from an Iranian photographer reaching out for worldwide artistic support to raise awareness for Iran’s Green Movement following the 2009 Iranian elections, the School of Visual Arts has put together an incredible collection of posters, designed by some of the greatest names in graphic design, including R. O. Blechman, Cathie Bleck, Seymour Chwast, Ivan Chermayeff, Milton Glaser, Robert Grossman, Anita Kunz, Yossi Lemel, Jennifer Morla, István Orosz, Woody Pirtle, Andrea Rauch, Ralph Steadman, Gary Taxali, James Victore and Massimo Vignelli, among others.
This display is “design as a social tool” on a grand scale and at its most impressive.
Below are just a few of the 150 potent pieces. You can see them all Social Designzine, as well as watch the video below of author, design historian and SVA MFA Design Dept. Co-Chair Steven Heller discussing an interesting, in-depth look at the show’s meaning.
Copyright, Cathie Bleck
Copyright, James Victore
Copyright, Massimo Vignelli
Copyright, Milton Glaser
Copyright, Yossi Lemel
The exhibition runs through September 25 at The School of Visual Arts, Visual Arts Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY. For more information, call 212-592-2145 or visit SVA’s exhibit site.
