What's been going on over here

Hello everyone!

I have been busy working on a new series of carvings for my shop - framed animals!  I already had my framed deer in the shop, but I knew when I carved that one that I had a series on my hands!  Over Thanksgiving break, I drew up some sketches for a sweet little bear and a mischievous little raccoon that I thought would make adorable stamps.  I carved them out within a couple of days of each other, taking a break for a little Thanksgiving get-together at my in-laws.  They turned out pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself!  :)

 Little Bear Cub

 Little Raccoon

And in case you are interested, I snapped some photos of the little bear stamp as I carved it!  :)

I started out by carving the outline and the fine detail of the letters.

After the lettering, I moved on to the snout.

Snout complete!

Then I cleaned up the background and the space behind the letters.

I removed the excesses around the stamp before the first ink test. 

Results of the first ink test: need to clean up a few areas!

Cleaned up the problem areas in the first ink test and ready for a second test. 

 Results of second ink test: just a little more work on the nose!

Cleaned up the nose a little, did the third ink test, and I think it is a done deal!

From drawing to carving to print, I think this little guy is a keeper!

And now, the mess!

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Oh, deer!

 Introducing the latest design in the shop, the Framed Deer!

 I don't know about you, but I happen to think that deer are one of the most elegant creatures there is.

A little good holiday news:

Celebrate Black Friday though November 25th in my shop

by using coupon code

TURKEYTIME20

at the checkout to save 20% off your ENTIRE purchase!

Fall Gift Pack Giveaway!

Are you as ready for autumn as I am?  Let me just say that I am REALLY ready, so ready that I am in the mood for a GIVEAWAY!  That's right...freebies to celebrate falling leaves, cooler temperatures, and the return of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" special!

So...let's celebrate autumn with a Fall Gift Pack that includes three of my favorite designs in the shop, the pocket size Campfire Stories, Silver Maple Leaf, and Soaring Owl Moleskine notebooks!

The giveaway ends October 13 so get busy!  Don't forget - you can enter to win daily to increase your chances!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gray - The New Fall Color

Fall is just two weeks away, can you believe it?  I for one am so very happy to see the temperatures drop. We have had a few weeks of temperatures busting the 100s, but today a cold front moved through and lowered it to the 80s.  Pure bliss!

I am also excited about the new gray Moleskines recently released - GRAY!  It is such a gorgeous color that works really well with my hand carved designs.  What a perfect way to welcome Fall by introducing this new color of Moleskines in my shop!

And guess what!  I also have a new hand carved design inspired by the many multitools we have around our house, in my husband's pocket, and in my purse!  Those little guys come in handy, don't they?  And wouldn't this make the perfect gift for that hard-to-shop-for guy in your life? 

Gray Multitool Moleskine Notebook

 I also have another new design on the gray Moleskine - my soaring owl.  I love how this looks against the gray background. 

Gray Soaring Owl Moleskine Notebook

Here's to a new season! 

It's a GIVEAWAY!!! Want to win 3 notebooks?

I am so excited that September is FINALLY here and that Fall is just around the corner!  I can't wait to break out my sweaters, wear my coat, watch the leaves change colors, sip on some warm apple cider - you get the idea.  :)

To celebrate the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall, I think a giveaway is in order!  YAY!  And what am I giving away?  How about a set of three pocket size notebooks?  The winner gets to choose any three pocket size notebooks in my shop! For those of you already in the mood for Christmas shopping, what could be better than a giveaway?

So, get busy folks!  The giveaway runs from September 3rd through September 8th! I will announce the lucky winner on September 9th!

You can increase your chances of winning by coming back to enter your three picks and tweeting it! Pretty cool!

GOOD LUCK!

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Of Flying Birds and Friendship

One of the best things about being an Etsy seller is the relationships you develop with other Etsy sellers.  I have been very fortunate to get to know quite a few very talented and completely nice people through these connections on Etsy.  Many of the improvements in my shop since I started in October 2010 have been developed through feedback from other Etsy sellers.  And there is no way of counting how many of my sales have been a direct result of another seller's hard work in putting together a stellar collection that has graced a front page on Etsy.  I am truly grateful to everyone who has helped my shop along the way!

I recently worked with Danielle of HandyMaiden to develop a couple of custom stamps to be used on her shop's packaging.  To say that I was excited about getting to work with her on this project would be an understatement!  If you are an Etsy regular, it is highly likely that you already recognize Danielle's work as it is truly original and absolutely beautiful.  Her shop was recently selected by Etsy as the Featured Shop, an honor she truly deserved. 

Here's a look at the stamps I carved for Danielle.  I love that one of the first things that people will see when they purchase one of Danielle's beautiful necklaces is a stamp of an image I carved for her shop.  It is truly flattering to be asked to be a part of Danielle's shop in this way.  Thank you Danielle! 

All packaged up and ready to send to HandyMaiden!

Golden Heart Dove in Flight Necklace

 

Kingfisher Necklace

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on coupon codes and sales!

You can also find me on Instagram at @subtleacts where I post entirely

too many photos of my fabulously unintelligent dogs!  ;)

A couple of newbies in the shop

In the time that I have been away from my blog, I have come up with a couple more designs to add to my shop. I have a few more ideas up my sleeve and hope to add a few more designs in the coming weeks as the back to school shopping gets underway. For now, I have these newbies to show off. 

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 Southwestern Escape Journal

Southwestern Escape Card Set

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Second Brain Journal

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From now until July 31, 2012 use coupon code XMASJULY15 to save 15% off your entire purchase in my shop.  YAY!

O starry night!

My husband and I live out in the country, far from any street lights, in an area where we are more likely to hear goats, horses, coyotes, crickets, and owls than a car.  Occasionally we can hear the sounds of passing train 5 miles away, but those events are rare.

One of the many advantages of living in the middle of nowhere is the ability to see all of the stars in the night sky.  On clear evenings, we can see the sprinkling of the Milky Way stretching out across the sky.  We will often times just lay out on the grass and take it all in, the immensity of it all, the sheer size of the universe.  It is an awing experience to be reminded of how fortunate each and everyone of us are to be here.

And then the mosquitoes roll in and ruin it all.  The universe would be a better place without those bloodsuckers! :)

So, after running away from the mosquitoes, I decided that a worthy addition to my shop would be a little telescope searching the sky.  I hope that you like it! 

::FOUND::

My husband came across this coyote skull while off exploring in the woods.  Judging by the way the bone of the lower jaw has grown over spots where teeth should be, this particular coyote may have lived a long life.  What a beautiful specimen of a gorgeous creature!

Welcome Saturday!

Beginning each Monday, I am in countdown mode to Saturday.  I am sure that I am not the only one who does this, at least I hope that I am not the only one.  Even if I have no plans whatsoever (which is the case most Saturdays), this day of the week is like a wonderful dream come Monday morning.  Sleeping in, staying in pajamas until the evening time when we make a run to the store, just sitting on the sofa with a couple of snoring dogs and a great husband by my side...this is what I look forward to.

This Saturday found me snapping some new photos of a few of my journals and cards, with some family photos from the 1940s on loan from our friends Cody and Katie as props to add a little something special.  Aren't the photos of Katie's grandmother and twin sister gorgeous?

 Dive Journal

 Hunting Dog Journal

Virginia Woolf Card Set

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This photo features a couple of seed pods collected by my husband.  The red seed pod is coral bean (Erythrina herbacea) and the other seed pod is rattlebox (Sesbania drummondii).  If you shake the rattlebox seed pod, it makes a rattling sound so the name is very fitting.

Red Loblolly Pine Journal

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And since I was taking photos anyway, I decided that I would also snap a photo of a grackle feather that I found last week.  Isn't the iridescence gorgeous?  I decided that it would make a perfect cover photo for my Facebook page.

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Step Outside

Okay...so it is April 1 today and I can already tell that this summer is going to be H O T in my part of Texas.  A scorcher.  It is 84°F right now, and this is just the beginning of Spring. EEK.  Already time to break out the sunscreen and shorts!

While I did some work inside the house...okay...while I watched the pilot episode of Twin Peaks (I had never seen it and was curious about the cult following it has...I am still not sold on it yet), my husband worked outside in the yard, making it pretty.  To be fair, I did make blueberry pancakes and eggs this morning so I was not COMPLETELY lazy.  After he mowed the yard, I ventured outside and snapped some photos of the flowers and woods around our house.

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Sweet little roses in a flower garden by our house.

View from the edge of the woods.

Tree canopy on the edge of our woods.

This pine tree looks to be a victim of last year's drought.

A grove of mayapples.

This anole thought he could not be seen...

but I could see him! :)