I haven’t posted on my blog in eons!  I have been busy with working (yay!), lots of fun school things (incl. a blog for them), a backdrop for a play, and a little baking (Kev’s been doing a lot of the cooking and baking lately)!  I just wanted to stop in and say “hi” and thanks to everyone who have been asking where the heck my blog has been!  I will post more art too!!  Finally…

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Lovely Ms. Kathy Weller was so tremendous as to give me a Kreativ Blogger award, thank you so much!  I’m now going to list seven things I LOVE (perfect for the upcoming holiday, and one of my absolute faves) and then nominate five more wonderful creatives (but I can’t count, I’ll tell you right now) whom I admire!

1. My Sons  They are a never-ending source of inspiration, entertainment, and education.  Seriously, I learn so much from them!

2. My Husband We have been up and down and ’round and ’round, good times, unpleasant times, but through everything we’ve always encouraged each other to pursue what makes us happy, and for both of us that’s creating…something, anything…

3. My Parents In the beginning, they didn’t think I could do it, freelancing, so I pushed myself a lot harder to succeed.  Now they don’t think there’s anything I can’t do, that keeps me going…

4. My Friends…All of them… From my bestest friends down to acquaintances I’ve not met in person, they’ve all made their marks on me, and really helped me to become a better illustrator, and better person!

5. My Reference Library I love all the little baubles, papers, notes, stickers, buttons, ribbons, fabric and treasure trinkets I use for inspiration!  I just love collections of things, bits and pieces of life.  How much you can decipher about a person’s personality by what they collect and are inspired by!

6. My KitchenAid I bake, a LOT, and this is something I would bring to the ends of the earth (along with my other loves in this meme)!  ; )

7. My Sewing Machine  I love to sew.  I love the thinking process, the strategy of putting my boys costumes together, and even how hemming my son’s corduroys takes them from being sloppy  to smart in a few stitches…

I love my laptop too, but not as much as these things!

I am passing the lovely award to some lovely artists, who I am going to be much better about visiting as well:

Diana Evans 

Deb Meyer

Angela Matteson

Holly DeWolf

Valerie Walsh

Vittoria Faruffini

Kate O’Leary

Look at the swag Anne is giving away on her blog!  So cute, go visit and enter!!

I decided to take Overnightprints.com up on their offer of 100 free postcards, and I’m using them as holiday gift tags for all the goodies I’ll be makin’!  Just had to pay the shipping, what a deal!  I hope they make that offer again!

©andi butler 2008

Maybe in twenty years! Here’s Owen’s first comic!…He worked on this in an entire afternoon. Looking forward to his second issue!

©Owen Butler

You’ve already changed things…We’re proud to call you our President!

I just love Halloween!

While I still have gloves to make or find, Owen’s and Liam’s costumes are done!  I had to take liberties with the gold placement, so for any of you Iron Man fans out there, don’t split hairs with me, I know it’s not exactly like the movie!  ; )  I think Liam’s Mario Batali (Iron Chef) is pretty darn close!

©andi butler

And some peeps wonder why I have a camera wherever I go…

Liam and I walked out to wait for the bus the other day, and look what was waiting for us!  This is why nature sooo blows my mind, this leaf, not only the shape, but how it’s a different color than the whole rest of the plant…It’s like it needed to do something to get noticed, because stellar purple leaves aren’t enough!

©andi butler

Here’s my piece that’s being used for the Illinois Arts Council Artist Showcase postcard, posters and whatnot! It’s been fun working on this, if you can’t tell!!

©andi butler

And lots of ‘em…I love taking pictures of them, doesn’t matter what they look like, how different they are, we still recognize eight legs, eyes, and maybe some “teeth?” I’d rather take pix of them OUTDOORS…We get some “meaty” ones ’round our house…

©andi butler

Grass Spider

Orchard Spider (it was a bit dark when I took this, sorry for the graininess)!

Orchard Spider

Yellow and Black Garden Spider (yes, she is as huge as she appears, about 2″ from tip to tip)!

Where the web kind of zig zags is the stabilimentum, and supposedly inspired E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web!

Maybe a Running Crab Spider? And yes, this missy is also large, about 1.5″ tip to tip

Running Crab Spider?

Spiny-Bellied Orb Weaver (these are all orb weavers actually, except the Grass Spider, the webs went from tree to gazebo, so I had to keep the boys on their toes!

European Cross Spider having lunch…

She was quite irritated with me…

I had to add these lil’ guys, aphids, under our tomato, that we didn’t plant…We get something for free, so I’ll give them a meal for free…Enjoy your breakfast guys!

I got an iPhone the other day…for once in my life, I really don’t know what to say! And guess what else? Target has one of my favorite lil’ Japanese characters all over its store for Halloween, I’m not sure how I feel about it yet..

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Liam had his first day on Monday, great on the bus, great at school, great off the bus!  In fact, he’s been super all week (knock on wood) and so has Owen (knocking on wood, again!) I’m baking cookies this weekend!  They surely deserve them!  Me too!  ; )

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©andi butler

Hey, I’m on Skull-A-Day! Hip Hip Hooray!  What can I say? It made my day : )

Owen started school on Thursday. I had already planned NOT to take him, that he would ride the bus, and my friend said “oh, go, take pictures, it’s his first day, you don’t want to miss it!”  and I didn’t, but I was never so glad I’d made a decision than that day, it was pouring, and this little man was so confident getting on the bus, I couldn’t take that away from him. I’d heard the school lot was more than chaotic anyway!  He’s getting around alright, and settling in. We’re so proud of him!…Even had his first “talking to” by the homebound bus driver, someone wouldn’t stay in his seat!  …Sorry Mr. Larry…

©andi butler

Happy Labor Day and Happy September 1st!! I got up at my “new” time today, to get ready for the new school year.  I was able to go through my emails peacefully, and read the new Prairie Wind (that’s our SCBWI chapter’s newsletter). I read a lovely article by Kate Rietz, about what we can do as illustrators in our down time in order to be more productive, even when we’re not working on an assignment. While the idea of not having work can be daunting, she suggests using it as a time for renewal, sending out new promotions or trying a new technique, things we long to do when we’re inundated with work! September has always been that time of year for me.  Autumn is when I really “get moving” with my life, and I feel a sense of purpose, as I gear up for busy days ahead. The autumn days always have been, even before children! The daylight is shorter, but also it seems like such a short season. Christmas seems to start even before Halloween now, so I try to “draw” fall out just a little longer. I think we will have an early autumn here in the midwest, the tops of the trees are already “ripening” with their brighter colors, and I haven’t seen a robin for days! It’s supposed to be 90 here today, but I’m going to put on an imaginary sweatshirt and jeans, and clean out my closets, pull some weeds, and we’re going to get some burning bushes for the backyard (my friend Aimee, behind us, has them along the front of her deck, she can’t see them from her kitchen window, but when I look out from mine, I get to enjoy their bright splendor, so Aimee, we’re returning the favor)! I have cleaned up my laptop of old emails and files, and emptied my “trash” which had like a thousand items in it…I’m also going to cut out costumes today!  

Announcing Owen will be Iron Man, and Liam will be Iron Chef (Mario Batali, that is)…I told you the ideas were “ironed” out, didn’t I?  ; )

Last but not least, pumpkins. Decorating ‘em, and eating ‘em, or rather, drinking ‘em!  Every year at this time I treat myself to a manicure (I’m not high maintenance, honest, but this I just have to do), a pumpkin one!  It’s really wonderful, and if somewhere near you offers it girls, go for it, It’s worth it!  I’ve also got the first issues, hot off the presses, of the Halloween ‘zines (the magazine lady at the B&N is always helping me out) with all sorts of ideas and inspirations, and actually passed them over to Kev so he can decide what to build!  >; )  And then I got this via email today, while I don’t frequent here much anymore (as I go to our local, like to keep our $$ in town when I can) I just got inspired, and a coupon sure doesn’t hurt!  

So enjoy your Labor Day, I hope it’s a good and safe one!  And come on Fall, we’re waiting!!

*hugs*

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Even though it’s a holiday weekend, I’m never “not” working! We just got the bus schedules today, Liam has to be waiting at 7am!  This is why I have to get up at 4 now! So I’m adjusting schedules and going through their dressers to make sure all the clothes are ready to go (Owen starts next week, Liam the week after), and I made a week’s worth of pancakes so all I have to do is nuke ‘em for a bit with some canadian bacon, and their breakfast is ready! I’ve also been working on this piece for the Illinois Arts Council, I don’t want to give it away yet, but here’s a very little snippet of it! That’s our state bird, the cardinal!  ; )

©andi butler

As promised…I made Owen his Star Wars birthday cupcakes, vanilla, with cheesecake flavored filling and icing…But for grown ups I made banana with cream cheese icing and pecans…Ta da!  They were tremendously yum…

©andi butler

Humidity, not good for chocolate…

Lotsa peeps ask about my chocolate process, I have to say, this isn’t the best time of year to be making little chocolate tops for cuppies.  The humidity and moisture makes the chocolate difficult to work with, and I get a lot of air bubbles.  I can’t heat the chocolate too much, but it has to be hot enough to flow from the bag. I can’t use a tip because the metal will cause the chocolate to harden…I’m so glad these are for kiddies, they get so excited and don’t notice mistakes : )

© andi butler

First, the outline, on parchment placed over the line art

filling in, making sure to get every nook and cranny!

let it set it up for several hours, then flip it (carefully)!  There aren’t supposed to be air bubbles tho’! ; )

When you’re done with that, make s’more! 

More tomorrow, it’s Owen’s 6th Birthday Party, and these are for cuppies for him and his peeps…Will have many more snaps for sure!  Stay tuned!

*hugs*

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I love Thursdays.  Actually, as far back as I can remember, it’s always been my favorite day. When I get those “getting to know your friends” surveys, I always put down Thursday as the fave day… It’s a build up to the weekend, when you’re having fun, not working, or just relaxing.  You can stay up late Thursday night, because you know you’re not really going to work that hard on Friday.  When I used to watch TV regularly, before kids, and “reality tv” there was Friends and Seinfeld and ER, the best night on television!  Well, today being Thursday, I knew I would have a good day, but I didn’t know it was going to be a great day! First (and I got the email yesterday), I received an email from MOO, I’ve been invited to design some things!  So Cool! Second, I got an email that someone had accepted my LinkedIn network invitation, my best friend from high school, like from 20 years ago!  That was tremendous! 3, my faboo friend Jan send box tops for school for my little peanut men, Thank you Jan, you’re a gem!!  Signed Owen up for Hockey too, he was quite excited about that (we take summers off), got my test results in the mail too!  Test results?  Oh yes!  I took a class by the Illinois Dept. of Public Health, for food management safety, to prevent food borne illness!  I didn’t want to say anything until I knew that I passed my exam, I did, 95%, not too shabby! No bacteria filled food coming out of my kitchen (my boys and friends will be happy about that)! And last, but certainly not least, my Liam ate his first ice cream cone today!  He didn’t like the “coldness” of it for a long time, but with his receptive language maturing, and of course the hero worship he has for big brother Owen, who loves ice cream, he felt it was time to try it.  We went to our fave local coffeehouse, and they happen to sell awesome ice cream from Wisconsin…He ate it, old fashioned vanilla, cone and all, hardly any mess!  Good job little man!!  Oh, and I got my friend’s banana cake recipe..Deelightfully scrumptious…Check out my Foolish Morsel blog tomorrow for that lovely!!  Thursday, still my very favorite day  : )

©andi butler

Here is our first ripening cherry tomato…We have tons of these tomatoes, on one single plant, and that plant is like little shop of horrors, believe me! The amazing part is, we didn’t plant it!  It either was a tomato eaten there by some chipmunk last year, or via “air mail” (I’m hoping I don’t have to explain that). Regardless of how it happened, we’ll be making a lot of salsa or sauce!  

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©andi butler

But the labels are off!  Thanks so much to Ryan Loghry for sending us these labels and, hey, who’s this guy? He’s uber cute!  Thanks again Ryan!  *hugs*

©ryan loghry

The costumes that is!  And the supplies have been purchased, and the details have been ironed out….Stay Tuned!!

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Finally finished my first set of ATCs, I’ve only ever traded one, seriously…one..anyhoo, here they are!  One’s already traded, the turtle doves, thanks for the kudos JC!  And Jannie, you have first dibs on the French Hens! They’re all acrylic, pen and colored pencil on cardstock…Toodles!

©andi butler

Look what came for me today from Shawn Wallace! Too faboo-lis!! Thank you soo soo much, I’m making a little business card holder out of it, it’s so adorable!  I will drawya something nice!!