2024 Holidays & Wrap Up

Happy New Year friends! Hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season.

I had a really special holiday this year. We hosted Christmas and my mother-in-law and her husband came to stay with us!

I am so grateful that we were able to have this chance to spend this day together. My in-laws drove in from New Mexico, my brother-in-law came from Marble Falls and my parents, brothers, sister-in-law and my nieces came over from Houston. There was part of me that worried I wouldn't have planned enough, but turns out there was LOTS of food. After we ate, honestly I was just trying my best to live in the moment and enjoy it. I have to say I had so much help in the kitchen and I'm so grateful for the extra hands! It helped keep me calm and everything turned out great. :)

Of course I had to get my nieces some art supplies! Actually these are MY art supplies 😂 but I had to create some art with my girls! I try to make sure we do something creative whenever we get to hang out if possible.

My mom ❤️ she always made holidays feel so special for us growing up and she inspires me to do the same in my own home now as an adult.

It was so wonderful to have grandparents around in our home. I'm so grateful for them and this chance we got to spend time together.

They took this painting with them (and a smaller one I didn't get a picture of 🤦‍♀️). I'm happy they get to have a piece of my art in their space.

After they left, I got sick and have spent the last few days recovering. I'm truly thankful and grateful to have a job where I have flexibility in my schedule and can do my work from my bed. I meant to post this a few days ago but… 🤧 life happens! Again, I'm so thankful I got to slow down, enjoy the holiday without getting the pressure to rush back into an office. It's one of the biggest blessings of 2024.

Here's some images I shared on my Instagram of some awesome moments with my art! I hit some amazing milestones and made some things done true that still feel like a dream. I did a mural right before the holidays and I'll have to create a separate post with all those details.

Thank you all reading and for supporting me in this journey. I am so excited to see what 2025 holds. ❤️

Yulaween in Killeen

Hi friends! I mentioned Yulaween in Killeen has come and gone and I have pictures to share!

First of all, shout out to Cristal of Sugar Skull Creations, the one who made this event happen! I did a market earlier this year that she also hosted and has a wonderful time there. She’s truly the Chaos Coordinator*! She really believes in the connection and community of makers in our area. She was also so kind to commission me to make her a custom map, where she colored in orders she’s shipped through the country.

These next set of photos are by the lovely Bailey White Photographs.

Photo by Bailey White Photographs.

Photo by Bailey White Photographs.

Photo by Bailey White Photographs.

Photo by Bailey White Photographs.

Photo by Bailey White Photographs.

Photo by Bailey White Photographs.

Now back to regular phone photos!

Another huge shoutout to my sweet husband Kevin for hanging out with me for most of this day and helping me out. I’m so grateful for his support, not just on this day but through our life together. Hashtag blessed, hehe!

The best part of this event was meeting other makers. I ended up just spending all the money I made on other people’s good, which I will not complain about because there were so many, unique and amazing vendors here. I made some really amazing connections and I am SO SO thankful. I’ve put in descriptions and links to the vendors under the photos.

My neighbor at the event was Kate of Cae’s Treats & More! She did freeze dried treats and more. My husband TORE THESE candies up!

I LOVE this mug so much! Made by BBK Ceramics

Hot coco bombs by Melinda’s Bakery. It was such a delicious treat! I LOVE chocolate and this one was chefs kiss

These pickled Okra were SO GOOD. I ate half the jar before I took a pic, oops. Thank you Shelby, I need MORE! I don’t have a link but I’m trying to find her on FB.

This candle is LOVELY!!! By Uncommon Candles

Look at this beauty!! By Horrorween Emporium

This is the viral on Tiktok Dubai Chocolate made by Amy’s Chocolate Heaven

OMg. I don’t even know what it is inside, but I LOVE chocolate and this was so freaking yummy.

A dreamcatcher by Red Bird Creations. There’s a very special story behind these, and she sent these to our troops downrange. She’s also a Veteran and Native and I love that she wove her story of both those identities into these dreamcatchers.

No longer running on fear

I took myself too seriously and got to the point where it wasn't fun again!

That's an old program my life used to run on for too many years.

Part of this journey is to live my life and share with you how the world looks through my lens. Whether that's thru my art or food or videos or this blog. I want it to feel like you're hearing me say these words.

I manage social media as my job now and that's given me the freedom to a new kind of creativity and schedule. I've actually been having a hard time with it! I am just surprised by how your feels. I don't know your to explain it. It was kind of like when the 2020 Panini happened and a lot of people had to adjust to working from home. It is just different. I sometimes feel paralyzed and can't do anything unless it's productive between business hours and I'm really trying to break through that.

Because I've dreamed, literally dreamed of the schedule and work I'm doing now. Now what's missing is that I forgot how to relax. Fear kicked that old program in again! Fear that if I didn't perform perfectly or answer correctly, then I'd lose it all!

Sometimes I need to stop and say “Girl! You are so qualified for this with and you are good at it and you are valuable and being so much to the table!” And then when I connect with my breath again, I remember that's true. That's the truth I now accept because I am that person. I am no longer running on fear.

Market Prep

Hi friends! I've been busy!

There's been a lot going in the world, and in my world. Lots of changes, but I'm going to do my best to ride the waves.

We have moved to a new location at work and start at the new place tomorrow. Also, I'm transitioning into a role where I'll be part of the social media team which I'm really excited to take on. I get to use my creative in a different way.

I signed up for a market in December and I'm prepping for that. I didn't do these kinds of events too often and each time is learning experience.

One thing I figured out last time was that I needed a better way to display some of my items but I didn't want to just buy something. I ended up making a stand with foam board and hot glue and I'm so pleased with how it turned out. It's super light and sturdy and it is a much nicer way to display my prints!

Diy Art display stand

There are two pieces on the sides holding together the three “shelves”. It's just folding the board in a way that makes steps then glueing it to the two side pieces.

Seriously, what a game changer!! Not bad for under $3.

My cutting isn't perfect and I glued a strip on the edges of the folds so the prints won't slide off.

I also got some pre cut mattes for my prints. I think they look more professional like this.

Ornaments and magnets

I got a few of these wooden slices to paint and a little Christmas tree to display them on.

I also found these round blank paper ornaments and am trying something new. This is quite a challenge, and I definitely had a hard time painting this 3D object verses a flat canvas.

More magnets! These usually do well at the last 2 markets so I'm making more :)

I still have 5 (I think?) blank magnets left. I put to a poll on IG for suggestions on what to paint and it ended up being a draw 😂 sooo that was really helpful!!

Okay that's it for now. Take care my friends!

Oklahoma

Hey friends! Last weekend I took a trip out to Oklahoma for a friend’s wedding. I stayed in an Air BNB that was a 5 minute drive from this beautiful park. After a 6 hour drive, it felt so good to be able to walk around this beautiful area.

The trees were so beautiful. I instantly felt connected to the nature in a way I cannot explain. Living in central Texas, we do not have trees like this and I miss it so much! It reminded me of a park I used to walk to when we lived in South Carolina, with a pond and trees and geese. I could just feel the wisdom and energy of these trees. They were so tall and the different color fall leaves were so pretty. Being next to water is one of my favorite places to be in nature.

I haven’t done my hair and makeup for a formal event in a while, but I think I did a pretty good job. I love this dress! It was so fun to dance in, especially with this sleeves!

I got to see friends I wen tot high school with! It was so good catching up! Feels like we didn’t miss a beat and just picked up where we left off. Haha, except now we all have achey knees and backs.

Congrats Brittney and DJ! Their ceremony had me tearing up from how sweet it was, but also laughing because it was SO silly and that is so on brand for the bride. :)

This trip gave me time to reflect on things…. Maybe it’s something about seeing people I haven’t seen in almost 20 years that will do that. Sort of WILD that much time has gone by and how much has changed. And at the same time, how much hasn’t changed.

I am going to spend more time with people I love and adore. I am making that a commitment and priority. Another thing I reflected on was that I don’t like being away from my husband lol. As much as I love to travel and get away, I really am a creature of habit and I love the comfort of the home we have built together.

I have been thinking about my art…And how I am looking to step up my skills. I do love making for the fun of it, but I also feel like I want to express more and in a bigger, deeper way and I can’t quite get there with the abilities I have now. I don’t know what that will look like exactly but I’m going to share the process, especially if it’s ugly and messy. I want to get better at writing too…I’m a really creative person and I feel like I’ve been holding myself back. And I’m ready to take it all to the next level.

There’s quite a few moving pieces right now but..I just know it’s all going to work out. :)

that’s all for now.

Of course I had to get a picture with Bucee!

Yulaween in Killeen

I’m super excited to be vending at this event!

Ali Cali Designs x Pengems Halloween Collaboration

Hey friends! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen that I did a collaboration with Pengems!

Click on the pic below to see the blog post.

In April, I was asked to design the 2024 Halloween Collection. I was so stoked to even be considered, and came up with 3 designs that ended up being used on the barrels of the pens and were also made into cute enamel pins and magnets. They released Friday October 4th. Some pieces have already sold out but there are still individual pens, pins and magnets you can get!

Use code ALICALI10 to get 10% off your order!

First off, I want to say how grateful I am that I was considered to do this collection. Not gonna lie, I was a bit nervous because I have never designed anything that was to be made on this scale or on these type of products before.. There’s a lot of moving pieces involved, such as the communication between the manufacturers and Pengems. Mock ups and physical samples get sent back and forth to make sure the products and packaging turn out right. Not going to lie, I teared up when I saw the sample pens for the first time and even the enamel pins and magnets were SO stinking cute. 🥹 I just could not believe that my little drawings could be turned into such beautiful products!

I was so caught up in everything, that I didn’t even get to share more about it on my own blog haha. It’s been a whirlwind of things happening, but I wanted to take a moment today to make mention of this because it’s a really big deal for me to have been part of this collaboration. I want to celebrate this moment and know this is just the first of many more other really awesome opportunities for my art.

Thanks for reading!

Spooky Szn Coloring Sheets are here!

Hi friends! I don’t know about you but I am SO excited that spooky season is approaching and in honor of this magical time of year, I’ve released a digital download version of Spooky SZiNe that you can print off at home and color in!

There are 18 different images included in this digital download. There are a few different kitty cats, which are a favorite subject of mine to draw.

You KNOW I had to incorporate roller skates in here somehow!

Last year I released Spooky SZiNe as a small coloring zine. It was a 8.5” x 11” printout, folded in half. So the images had to fit in about 5.5 x 8.5”, which is on the smaller side depending on the kinds of coloring supplies you use. Another downside with the original zine is the they were double sides images, which meant if you colored in using markers, it would bleed through to the other side.

I wanted to give these drawings another chance to really shine, so that is why I decided to release the downloadable version that you can print at home! There’s some fun details you now that you can definitely see on a full size sheet of paper (like the tattoos on the skate witch!).

I know there are so many wonderful benefits to coloring. To me, it feels so therapeutic. Sometimes I don’t know WHAT to draw, but I still feel like putting down something onto paper and coloring allows me to do that. I enjoy taking the time to fill in areas and go back in and layer colors. It also just brings me comfort and reminds me of coloring as a kid. I hope that if you download these sheets and color them, you can connect with your inner child and feel that comfort too.

Coloring is so therapeutic. As I was coloring this, it actually made me think of my little Loki as I colored in this stripes on the cat. NGL I cried a little…Just made me think about the bond between witches and cats in a deeper way too.

Zombabe! I wanted to capture glamour and horror with the drawing. I colored her with pale green skin and it was just fun to add the bright pops of pink to contrast. This was so fun to color!

You can download the Spooky Szn Coloring Sheets here. These will be available for FREE until October 11.

Cheers to 37 years!

My birthday was yesterday and I just have to say I’m so grateful for the growth I have made in the last year.

The biggest shift has been in my mindset. I have been on a journey to living a life I love and I know this is just the beginning! I’m excited to create from my heart and fulfill my soul’s purpose. I'm making art, I'm working out, eating good, feeling cute and being silly .I have been alcohol free for 125 days, which is the longest I've gone since turning 21. I'm grateful!

Slowing down....Being present is the gift.

Hey friends!

I’ll be honest, I have been feeling pretty blocked lately. So what does that mean when I get blocked? I feel disconnected from myself, my soul, my purpose and I feel like I am just going through the motions of the day to day. I’m not feeling particularly negative, but I just know I’m not feeling all there, if that makes sense.

Maybe I can describe it more as like I am dissociating a bit. I think in the past I would have fallen into a bit of a depressive episode and I have to say I am really proud of myself for sticking with my routines of self care. I start off my mornings with a 10 minute meditation, followed by stretching or yoga, then some writing. Usually by this time, I’m making coffee and try to get a walk in too. During the days I work, I make sure to get in steps during my lunch break (most of my days at work have me sitting down at a desk, doing meticulous and repetitive tasks), then when I get home, I get in a workout (I have been adding weights back into my routine a few times a week) then start to either make dinner or other tasks around the house. After dinner, when the kitchen is cleaned up, that’s when I have time to breathe and create.

While all these things (morning routine, regular walks, cooking at home, creating regularly) are usually really great and absolutely contribute to my wellbeing, I’ve sort of fallen into the trap of a strict routine, which then makes these things that I normally enjoy into a chore. I haven’t had as much flexibility in my schedule as I need in order to feel as grounded. Typing this out has made me realize, it’s soccer season for my kiddo so we’re doing practice or games 3x a week and realistically, that’s roughly 2 hours each day we have that going on so NO WONDER I have been feeling so tired! I have been trying to do too much, trying to be there for everyone else, and overthinking things.

I guess I’m just at the point in my life now where I realize I NEED much more down time than I used to and I genuinely enjoy and appreciate having slow mornings and going at my own pace. While it’s still hot as heck here in central Texas, the days are shorter. I enjoy going for walks in the morning and watching the sun rise. I enjoy laying on my trampoline in the evening and watching the sun set. I also love the parts of my life like going to support my kiddo at practice or school functions, cooking meals and cleaning up when I know my husband had a long day, keeping my home feeling comfortable and clean so we can accommodate for sleepovers for the kids. I love that I have a beautiful commute to work and I get to make a lovely product that I believe in, and I work with wonderful people. I love that when I slow down, I can really, really appreciate all the wonderful things in life.

I guess I just needed to get that off my chest and honestly I do feel better. There’s lots of things going on in the world that distract me from focusing on the good sometimes and I just want to always make sure I come back around and remember how important it is for me to be present in my body and move through the world that way….Present.

I am going to write blogs more regularly. I am going to move with the flow of things instead of overthinking. I am going to create, create, create because it is what I am here to do.

A real look at my desk

I recently recorded footage for a YouTube video… I couldn't figure out what it was that I didn't like about this video. What stopped me from editing that video then uploading it?

Fear. Of judgement, of failure, of success, of being seen.

I've decided these programs no longer exist in my reality.

I decide this gets to be easy. The more authentic I am, the more magnetic I am.

Part of being authentic is sharing parts of me I've been judging myself for.

I'm a bit messy and chaotic. I have 2 sketchbooks I'm going back and forth between (with a third one closed under a box of 💅) . I have alcohol markers in the shoebox and a black and gray set. I'm also using regular markers.

Nail file and cotton ball from me doing my nails, and more markers.Oh and then you see my ipad is set up for when I want to switch over to digital. Haha I need a better system for my art creating to flow better. The easier I make it sit and create, the more I will do it. So that's my goal. :)

Do you have any insights or thoughts? I will share what kind of organization I've come up with in a future post. :)

Fall in love with your sketchbook

Howdy friends! I wanted to write about sketchbooks today.

I have acquired MANY sketchbooks over the years and I have decided to make it a goal to complete (as in draw/write/ create on as many pages as possible) them within the same year. I have found through trial and error a few things help me complete my sketchbooks.

These are the sketchbooks I have. My oldest sketchbook I believe is from around 2000, one from 2008 ish, and some recent ones. I have 6 or so that are complete. These vary in size from 11 x 14 “ to 7 x 7”

SIZE matters

From the picture above, you can see I have a variety of sizes of sketchbooks that I work in. I have come to find that for me personally, I am more likely to reach for a smaller sized sketchbook. I find 10 x 10 is the perfect size for me because it’s easy to work on a small, crowded surface (which is how my desk normally is LOL) and it’s small enough that I can throw into my purse. Plus I feel WAY less pressure when I am working on a smaller page for some reason.

Easy access to Materials

I always have pens and markers out on my desk so those are the supplies I use regularly. I love playing around with lineart, and line weight, so these items work for me. Keep whatever items you like to use most close by and easy to get to to help your art process flow smoothly.

make time to create every day

I know most people who wish they could create more art think that they don’t have the time. You have to MAKE the time for the things that matter to you. Even just 5 to 10 minutes of doodling in your sketchbook right before you go to bed, you’ll see improvements in your art and mood if you can commit to creative practice. I know that when I flip through my old sketchbooks and see even the messiest little sketches, I instantly remember where I was that day and what I was feeling in that moment.

Draw things that make you happy

I believe in making the art you like to see in the world. I love Drag Queens! I love the artistry, the makeup, the expressions, the personalities! So they make fun subjects to draw IMO. You will also see lots of cats and Sailor Moon drawings in any of my sketchbooks, hehe.

Have fun

Seriously, don’t get too caught up in making the most perfect pieces in your sketchbook. This is a space for you to create and get things our of your head! I sometimes switch up my materials, because I do love playing around with mixing media. I also write a lot in my sketchbooks now. I used to try to keep a journal separate, but sometimes things will hit me that I have to write down.

Some pages I only have notes written, sometimes I will just draw around the words.

Sometimes I can turn those words into fun designs.

Try new things

I like to draw, but I also like playing with colors. I pick mixed media sketchbooks so that I can pull out some other art supplies to work with like water color and paint. Since I’ve learned to have FUN, I have no problem just throwing paint on the pages to see what happens. Watercolor is nice because I can always draw on top with pen or marker.

I doodled this to get some feelings out. I made it into a story and you can watch it on youtube.

Those are just some of my tips for falling in love with your sketchbook. You get to make it a space for you. If you want to create beautiful aesthetic spreads, go for it! If you just use your sketchbook to dump out the contents of your brain and it won’t make sense to anyone, do that! There are no rules, except that it’s yours and you create in it.

That’s all for now. Happy sketching!

Beach vacation ⛱️

Howdy friends! I spent last weekend on the Bolivar peninsula (next to Galveston) and had a blast with my boys!

This was our first overnight trip with Jake and he did so great!! He had a lot of firsts with us in this trip. He LOVED the water and I had to pull him away because he kept biting the waves! 😂

We stayed at an Airbnb that was so cute. I loved our views upstairs and downstairs had a screened in porch, which was great because the mosquitoes are us upppp!

The first night I saw something flying against the screen and I thought it was a small bird until it finally landed and I saw it was this big moth! What a beauty!

We went to dinner then to this place called”the big store” that was a grocery store, souvenir shop, and also sold hardware and appliances 😆. There were these statues at the entrance.

I wish I could have got better pictures of the birds that were out there. They would have been so fun to draw.

I just absolutely loved the views of the sunset 😻

There were some pretty plants and flowers too.

We discovered there was another room in the second day.. This shower is amazing. It reminded us of the one we had in our home in El Paso. My hubby even had some space between him and the shower head! Haha, I'm short so I don't have these kinds of problems.

I've been learning about astrology and human design type stuff the last couple months. This book isn't directly about those things but it does help me see human nature a little differently.

Haven't worn a bikini in many years and I feel good all my myself!

These people were down the beach from us and I watched them pull this huge redfish in!

We took the ferry a couple times. There were dolphins!!

I sat at this table quite a bit during this trip. I doodled, I read and wrote.

If you follow me on Instagram, I posted clips while I was there. It was such a wonderful trip. I'm so grateful. :)

Market

Howdy friends! This past weekend was the market and I’m so grateful for the experience. Another opportunity to put myself out there and get to meet new people. My favorite part was connecting with the other artists and makers in this market. I want to sign up for another one (I missed out on next month’s deadline, but hopefully I can make September!) and I am just so glad to be part of a little local event like this.

Working with what I got. I would like to invest in some shelves or something I can stack on the table to display things at different heights. :)

Okay, so I was trying to go with a red, white and blue theme. I got this dress many moons ago and don’t wear it enough. I thrifted a cropped jean jacket (cut off the sleeves) and these white sneakers. And put my hair up in little buns. :D

I don’t do my makeup as much as I used to, but I though this graphic blue liner and a red lip was cute!

My neices came to see me! They got some goodies too.

Snagged this from my mom’s fb page.

Iced coffee!!

I feel so fortunate that my husband helped me setup. My mom, little brother and neices came out from Houston to support me. I sold a few pieces of art. :) I’m grateful.

Here are some more pictures of some of the inventory I had.

Prints!

More prints! I don’t think I ever shared these digital images anywhere.

My witchy stickers featuring some crystals. Hehe.

Some of my magnets.

Okay this is just a drawing in my sketchbook but I just discover Chappell Roan and I LOVE. I love her music, her style and makeup is so freaking cool. I really want to draw a ton of fan art. hehe.

On another note, yesterday Hurricane Beryl hit Houston. My parents and quite a few of my friends are still without power at the time of me posting this. Send some good vibes their way. Summer is brutal in Texas, and it’s especially humid in Houston. But I am grateful it wasn’t worse and that everyone is fine.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. :)

Trip to Houston

Howdy friends! Hope ya’ll are staying cool now that summer is in full swing. Whew, it is HOT in Texas for sure, but I am still finding ways to have fun. :)

Last weekend I took a quick trip to visit friends and family in the Houston area. It recharged my battery and my heart feels so full!

I love being Aunty!! I got to make some art with my nieces!

Taking Gibbs for a walk. He’s a good boy.

I took a little video of this deer bone. There is a little tiny spider on it.

After staying visiting family, I made it out to see my bestie Nicole! She’s currently on crutches and healing but we are not letting that stop us from finding fun adventures!

My bestie Nicole!!

My friend Rebel just opened up a store location. Check out Rocktopus Art & Jewelry in Montgomery, Tx!

I had to get a pair of earrings from Rebel. HOW CUTE ARE THESE TAROT EARRINGS?!

Cute mural on the side of Flower Child.

Delicious lunch with my bae!

After lunch we went to Old Town Spring. The main mission was to find some new crystals to add to our collections, hehe! The first two places we found were okay, but we then saw signs for The Spirit Quest Center that was having a psychic fair that day! This place had an amazing selection of crystals.

We also both ended up also getting tarot readings from Jess, who had such amazing energy. We sat through each other’s readings and were both just in awe of how clear and accurate these readings were. It’s been 2 days and tbh I am still processing it haha.

I use the mantra “the universe has my back” ALL the time. And have I been working on my dreams so much this year.

After our readings Jess was kind enough to walk with us a bit and give up a tour of some other places close by.

We went to an Elixer bar and tried Kava for the first time. It’s an herb that grows in the Pacific Islands and is used in ceremonies in Polynesian cultures. It is very bitter, a bit spicy, and very relaxing.

I had such a good time. I am so grateful and feel SO SO blessed I had the chance to spend time with loved ones. I’m so happy that I live much closer to my friends and family now. That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!

Prepping for market & Fun in the sun

Howdy friends! Summer is in full swing and I am loving the sunny days. I just feel like I have more energy. I’ve been working out really consistently and nourishing my body with good food. Right now, raw veggies and hummus are my favorite snack and protein smoothies are really hitting the spot.

I got accepted to be a vendor at this market next month and I’m making art and prepping for this event!

I’m still in the process of getting some new stickers made and I’m going to making some prints this time too.

16 x 20” Acrylic on canvas

details

sketchbook doodle

I love drawing mushrooms!

I did this sketch and thought it would make a neat print or sticker.

Inspired by Billie Eilish of course.

Going to make these into stickers and prints too!

I’m always trying to balance work with fun. :)

I stop for turtles. Helped this one cross the road safely on my way home from work one day.

We went to a watering hole!

Kinda heart shaped rock

Enjoying some sun and water!

I hope you all are enjoying your summer (if that’s the season in your part of the world) and also making sure you get some FUN in. Thanks for reading! :)

Rolling with the unexpected

Howdy friends! I had quite the week with some unexpected things popping up but sometimes that turns out to be a lot more interesting!

This is a color combination I don’t normally lean towards…But, I have to say, I actually quiet like this! Unexpected color choices made for an interesting little doodle.

An unexpected visitor in my bathroom. Don’t worry, we safely relocated this little scorpion outside.

Unexpected photo of my doggy Jake, which makes me smile. I love it, he looks so silly!

guests from out of the country

Last week my 10 y.o. stepson had a soccer camp that he was attending. The weekend before the camp started, the person in charge asked the parents if anyone would be willing to host the coaches to give them a more interesting, international experience. My husband Kevin asked if we could host since we have room, and this would give our kiddo a fun opportunity to get to know them a little more. I agreed, not knowing exactly what to expect, but being excited about a chance to meet some new people from another country. My husband and I both have both traveled to different parts of the world, so we could understand what it’s like to visit some place new and also culture shock.

Beef ribs!

Our guests were Gabby and Finley, from the UK and they were lovely! Gabby traveled around and she’s been in Texas before, and this was Finley’s first time here. Honestly it was so wholesome to see someone experience Texas things for the first time. Kevin made sure to introduce Finley to good ole’ fashioned Texas BBQ, including brisket and beef ribs (which he loved!).

We went out to shoot some pool and play darts. This was so much fun!

We had so many good conversations. It was really wonderful to connect with people who also felt similar about the state of their country (and the world) and what we do and how we live our lives. We also laughed a lot too, and learned about slang and other sayings each of us have. I know we’ve made lifelong friends with these two. :)

We liked this bar so much we came back to play darts and pool another night.

I am so grateful! Gabby and Fin brought out a lot of FUN out of us. At the house, we even busted out Just Dance, which I haven’t played in years. We ate lots of good food and had some very deep conversations.

Austin

I love how there are so many fun things to look at in parts of Austin just walking down the street. The buildings are all different, lots of murals and art and funky decor. Even looking down at the ground, you find things you woulnd’t expect!

We took a quick trip to Austin on Saturday. While the guys went to try out some BBQ, Gabby and I walked down the street to Bouldin Creek Cafe.

There was so much art to look at here! I should have taken more photos!

Art by https://www.instagram.com/ripleylarue/

Art by https://www.instagram.com/ripleylarue/

Being in this space, felt so comfortable. It was something else I didn’t expect. I’m a queer woman in a happy marriage with my husband, but also is no longer part of her own community and feel like that part of my identity misses being seen. Being in roller derby for over 10 years gave me a community full of so many amazing people from all sorts of walks of life. It allowed me to be me in a way I am not anywhere else. I don’t know if that makes sense. Ah, I have to make a blog post about this topic sometime. ANYways, back to Austin.

This picture doesn’t do this meal any justice. I had a stirfry, she got a vegan burger and we had a chipotle pecan dip that was sooooo good, and I am dying to figure out how to recreate it myself. There’s so many yummy vegan and gluten free options here. I really loved the decor and overall vibe. I'd be here ALL The time if I lived closer.

I’m not sure if this place is open but I had to snap a pic of the mural.

I couldn’t find this artist

this rad mural by Mr. Doodle that he did during SXSW this year . https://www.instagram.com/mrdoodle/

I finally got to try Voodoo Donut! I got a voodoo doll donut to-go, which did not look as cute after being wrapped in paper lol. But this place was so cute too.

I love the whole idea of Space Cowboys.

Such a beautiful mural!

Gabby sent me this on her way out of town but I wanted to include it here!

So that was a little recap of my week. Sometimes the universe throws things your way and you just go with it and things go way better than expected. I’ve written this down as more proof that the universe has my back and everything is always working out for me. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

Thanks for reading!

School's out for summer! Travel, spending time with friends and family, and Art!

Howdy friends! I feel like I blinked and it was suddenly June! There’s been a lot of things we’ve been celebrating at the end of the school year for the kiddos.

Last weekend we took a trip to New Mexico because my oldest stepson graduated! 🥹🥳

Congrats M! We’re so proud of you!

On the drive there, we saw a turtle trying to cross the road so we stopped to help it across safely. :)

I was soaking up the sun in New Mexico in the back yard of the Air Bnb we stayed at. I doodled a little bit. It was nice getting to spend time with my in-laws too!

This last Friday I met up with one of my best friends from high school before he moves to Washington state. He’s one of those friends that even when we don’t see each other for YEARS, we just pick up where we left off. It really made my heart so happy to see him and spend time together.

We took this in Georgetown in front of a cute store called Cozy Cannabis.

some Art/business things!

I’ve been super fortunate to have the connections I do thanks to the ~10 years I spent in roller derby. The last two weeks I’ve been having coaching calls with Chris (click his name to check out his blog and read his story) and it’s been really great for me. I appreciate that he’s taking the time to offer these coaching. It helps keep me moving forward onto the path where I want to be, which is with a sustainable art business that will allow me to live a more meaningful life. I’ve shared with him a lot of the things I struggled with and just with these conversations, I’ve cleared up a lot of space in my brain and energy and it has allowed me to forward on things I haven’t been able to for many months.

I’ve come to the realization that I need to think bigger, in many ways, and that is including the actual size of the art that I make. So I pulled out some old pieces of art I haven’t touched in a while and decided, I gotta get the reps in somehow! I love the little magnets I’ve been working on, but they come with some limitations and I larger canvas allows for me to create differently.

I originally wanted to fix just the face on this but then decided to change it completely.

I flipped over the canvas and changed the composition a bit.

It took a couple of days but slowly she started to appear! I want to add more stars in back but I’m happy with this!

We’ve been having a lot of stormy days here in central Texas, so when the sun is out I take advantage of the light! Makes for cute pics too hehe.

Here’s another old piece I started last year of Qveen Herby (She was my top artist on Spofiy last year and will probably be this year too haha). I put down old pages from a French poetry book that was falling apart then painted on top.

This is where I stopped originally. I do like certain aspects of this but I wanted to flesh it out a bit more.

I love that you can still see the words peeking through the paint here.

I really love the texture of this piece. I think I captured her likeness a bit better in this version.

Another big thing I’m trying to work towards is my Youtube channel. I have mentioned before I am a recovering perfectionist… I actually have recorded a few times in the last two weeks but didn’t feel it was “good enough” to post. So yesterday morning, I took a little time to record and edit and POST A VIDEO!!! Check it out here!

I have some other things in the works, and I am trying my best to make it all happen! This week is going to be a bit different for me because we’re hosting some guests who are coming in from out of the country. But I am excited and it feels really good to be making the progress I have been and I am catching that wave of momentum.

Thanks for reading!

2nd launch was a success!

Howdy! Friday I did a shop update and I am so happy that I sold 5 of my magnets!

i am so grateful to have such amazing, supportive friends and family. I’ve had people who’d believed in me long before i believed in myself.

I have to say that this launch felt so different. This isn’t the first launch I’ve done, or second, or third. I made my first sale on this website in 2020 and I can definitely say I have learned so much since then, about myself, my thoughts and beliefs about money and being an artist. Because for a long time, I really felt like my art wasn’t good enough or that I wasn’t worthy of this. Even when I was making sales, I still felt like I could do more, that I could do better. I’d feel good about it all for a bit but then noticed I would feel discouraged and drained when some of the items I had wouldn’t sell. I kept chasing after “success” but I didn’t even know what that meant and I turned in all the negativity inward.

What is success anyway?

Success to me, in the context of this shop launch, means having a calm, nervous system that isn’t fried from stress and anxiety. It means being able to FEEL comfortable selling my art to people. It means feeling at ease, knowing that my art means something to someone.

I have sold my art in so many ways over the years, and I have to say this launch I felt the most confident. I look back at all the different experiences I had, and realize I was so hard on myself when really I was just learning. Each opportunity was a chance to grow and expand, but I didn’t understand that and pushed and pushed myself until I was burnt out and I didn’t want to or couldn’t make art which really hurts my soul. I would go long periods without creating it is an ache I don’t know how to properly describe. I’m not fully myself when I am not creating.

So another priority, is that I get to have fun. And I don’t have to take it all so seriously. I’m better at giving myself some space to just explore and get messy and make ugly art. This is why I love spending time in sketchbook. Some of it I don’t share, and that’s okay too. Because it allows me to bring out fun pieces like these magnets with joy!

There are a few still available!

Thanks for reading and being part of my art journey. :)

I've been painting more magnets 🧲

Hi friends! I have had a really energetically expansive weekend. I had some conversations that are taking me into a new direction that I'm really to excited because of means growth in a really, really big way.

I felt so inspired and painted a little bit this weekend.

This is a 6x6” magnet. I'm obsessed with moons! I love painting them. I got a new tube of pink and white so this was me playing with those colors.

I wanted to do a citrus slice. I used the same color palette as the moon.

These colorful landscapes always turn out so nice.

How cute is this donut?? I impressed myself with this one haha, it makes me smile everything I see it in my fridge.

Size comparison.

I'll put these to on my website this week! :)

Thank for reading.