November is not over yet

Here are a few little thoughts... to keep gratitude in our hearts and kindness on our lips.

Have a grateful heart! 

Harvest Blessings! 

Cheers!
judifer

Getting my holiday groove on....

The weather is getting chilly.... (ok.... COLD- but chilly sounds nicer...)  and the Christmas music is on the radio..... (yes they skipped over Thanksgiving- but how many Thanksgiving songs are there for the radio????  Just sayin')   So, each night I have been sitting with my pens and doodling my Christmas mood.....  

I love the seasons and ... am fairly tingling with excitement for this one.... No... not the gifts and stuff.... just the feeling.... that hot cocoa and peppermint feeling.... That frosty breath in the morning and snuggling under blankets in the evening feeling....

When I was a stay at home mom I loved each detail of each holiday and season.... Now that my "at home" time is measured in "how many Saturdays until....... ", I have to focus on just a few.  So... Christmas it is.....

(YES- I DID do LOTS of thankful thoughts......  LOADS of them...... look on my previous posts this month.... )  

But I have officially turned the corner- winter is on it's way...

Well.... it is .....   

Get your Jolly on!!  

Get your Happy Holidays on! 

Cheers!
judifer

It is Friday.  Just a happy Friday.  Just the Friday after the week of Halloween, sugar highs, and red ribbon week at school.  It is the Friday after having a banging headache for 4 solid days... meetings before and after school.... yesterday I had THREE of them.... LONG.... LONG..... LONG day! 

But.... today is FRIDAY.... and it is the best sort of Friday.... the kind with NO obligations..... the anticipation of sleeping in tomorrow!  

AND.... the clocks turn back this weekend also..... hurray.... ONE MORE HOUR!!!!!  

oh! the utter exhaustion and the total bliss..... 

That will follow as soon as someone takes me out to eat.... which I am sure will happen soon..... before I start gnawing on the furniture.....   

In the meantime... I have a grateful heart.... and a lovely weekend to look forward to..... 

cheers! 

judifer 

gratitude 

peace! 

Sunday thoughts

I bring pens with me wherever I go. I doodle constantly. Today at church we were talking about lighting up the world with acts of service. I love to jot things down... to remind me.... so I doodled a page or two.... when I came home I looked at others I had done on previous Sundays.... (because this is my Sunday doodling pad.... ).   I loved reviewing some of my thoughts from the last few months,,,,

How will we be of service?  How will we share the light?  

Little sketch 

Cleaned it up a bit

Some thoughts

And other thoughts that come to my mind....

I love lettering... here are a few:

just a sketch... 

Have a cup of happy! 

pumpkins on my mind 

Cheers!!!
judifer

Time to step out of my comfort zone

Time to move forward... .time to branch out.... time to explore .

I am going to open an Etsy shop.... Next WEEKEND is my plan....

It is HARD to step out of the comfort zone.... Hard to put myself out there.   I love doodle-i-dooing.... but does anyone else love my doodles???  Enough to buy them???  I guess we shall see.....

Haha!

Time to head into new places 

You might fly!  

Cheers!!!
judifer

Wistful Wednesday

I am up early... as usual.... but I love the quiet of the early morning.  I create during the solitude.

The cold, crisp air is refreshing.... to some it might be numbing.... but for me..... happy thoughts.... wistful thoughts....  

I love the soft hint of mystery on this one.  

Today, this is what is on my mind....

This one makes me feel the tingle of excitement.   

  Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Cheers!
judifer

Is it time yet????

I am getting my Halloween groove on.  I am excited to get started on making costumes... in the meantime......  I am having a bit of doodling fun.

Cheers!!!
judifer

Must Be Monday

Up and at 'em .... at 5 a.m.   What !  yes... every day.... but now that school doesn't start until 9:15-  it means I have hours to enjoy... and I do enjoy them.

I love the quiet of the mornings alone.  I love the cool of the October weather.   This is going to be a nice day.

Lovely, lovely!  

Cheers!
judifer
SaveSave

Glorious October!

It's here!  It is finally here!

So glad it has finally arrived!  

Love me some October!!!

Cheers!

judifer

Thursday musings

Today I realized that I should share my classroom fun times.  I love to doodle on the board when we are exploring a topic.

This year we went straight from the oven (85 degrees in our UN AIR CONDITIONED classrooms) to.... FALL!  So... with it.... I leaped straight from BACK TO SCHOOL thoughts of procedures and expectations.... to.... PUMPKINS!

Yes... I totally hopped, skipped, and JUMPED right over the standard "apples" and "bees" that I usually begin with...

Finally, that fresh cool breeze blew in and made me think it was fall.... at least for the moment.... in a blink... Old Man Winter will blow in and we will be talking about the deep freeze that will blanket our every waking breathing thought...... but for now.... for a moment...  

LET THERE BE PUMPKINS!!!!!

My students are so excited about this... I have been tiptoeing in with a pumpkin a day and we have been reading fiction and non-fiction books about the topic.... and.... as I am prone to do.... I could not even HELP myself ..... I sketched a little on the board.....

Thought I would share....

Breathing happy FALL THOUGHTS!

Cheers!
judifer

Lost in the Back to School Craziness

I have a love/hate relationship with "Back to School".....

I do LOVE the children- very, very quickly we bond and they become part of my heart forever.  

That being said, the GRIND of beginnning a new year is TOUGH.  Every waking, sleeping, breathing moment is taken over by SCHOOL STUFF......

and I sort of fall off the planet..........

The parts of me that are SO ME..... get left of the shelf.... or under the bed.... I am not sure... but .... gone.... as if they never existed.  

Yesterday I was determined to find my marbles.... scattered though they were.... and see if I could recapture a little bit of what makes me tick....

I got up early (at 5 a.m. on a Saturday!!!) and made my newest grandbaby a tiny little outfit.   It will look darling on her.....

It really is quite tiny.  The photo makes it look big..... haha!  This is 0 - 3 months size.  

Then, I made some pumpking bread.... Oh YES I did.... I need to feel something ..... something dreamy and FALL-like...... And pumpkin bread made my house smell heavenly.... heavenly!!!  

And then in the evening, I got out a handful of pens and sat on the couch with a clipboard to draw/sketch/write a while...... It is soothing to me.... They were doodles and jotted notes.... NOT completed projects.... but the DOING is what makes me feel good..... the BEING who I am inside.   

 I am hoping/wishing happy FALL thoughts on us all!  

Cheers!  

judifer

Happy Friday... Happy Every Day!!!

I am just loving life.  I am feeling all creative and getting to do my thing!  (Nothing like an artist filled with creative ideas... and no TIME to even try to begin!  Right???)  I am loving have the TIME .... T.... I....M... E !!!!!!

I have been posting my drawings and words on instagram and on Facebook for a long time...
NOT to sell.... just to ... SHARE.  The feedback has been very positive.   It gives me the warm fuzzies....
But.... today a sweet friend of mine asked me.... "WHY DON'T YOU SIGN THESE????!!!" and "WHY DON'T YOU WATERMARK THEM!!!"

Here is why......

****** I just never had the confidence in myself to sign them.... I never even gave a thought to it.... not much... (only when people ask me 'why'.... haha)......

And.... I did them for sheer enjoyment... nothing more....

************
But today got me thinking.... maybe, just MAYBE.... I should do a little something with them.  I am an artist... (whew!  That is ME talking about ME?)  but I am .... and I make things.... lots of things.... because I enjoy it....

I really don't have all the background knowledge to SELL my items.... (It is the digital stuff..... how to do this... I don't know.....) What format do they have to be in??? What programs do I need to make it happen??? How do I WATERMARK???? (haha!)

************** and how do I go about selling my stuff??? How does one PRICE these things????

(no clue here.... none..... well..... almost none.....)

I don't want to sit at "craft shows" and hawk my wares..... I see the hunger in the eyes of vendors.... the pain when people just walk on by.... not interested.....

So- that leaves the internet....

And then I only see joy.... joy in the form of affirmation of my work as people buy things....

*************


I sell on TpT- under "just judifer"-  teacher stuff...... but after bouncing around like crazy for the last 2 years, I had to sort of put that on the back burner.... (2nd grade, 5th grade, 6th grade...... now.... back to 3rd......PING PONG BALL!!!! haha)..... but the teacher stuff is teacher stuff..... lesson plans, cool projects and other.....

NOT the straight up artwork that I like to do....(nothing wrong with teacher stuff.... NO NO NO!..... It's just not the same thing...)

**********
Anyway...... here is my thought for today..... LOVE my friends!  Near and far!

Cheers!
judifer

Be the good....

Let's be a little more kind..... more patient.... more grateful......   Let's be the good in the world.  

cheers!  
judifer

It's a new day!

It is the first week of summer break from school.  I must admit it is splendid!  I have been absolutely ITCHING to get my hands busy making things.... creating......

So I began.....
Of course.... IN THE GARDEN!

We still have NO yard .... I cannot control THAT.... but I can control what is in my tiny porch garden.... and now it is LUSH and beautiful.... and the beginnings of more....

Then I moved on to painting little wooden pegs for my grand-daughter.... She will love them.... They are simple but time consuming!!!! So... that is GOOD!  I put my hands into autopilot and then let my mind drift happily along as my hands worked.   My eyes are getting bad so I had to focus now and then to make sure all was well... but... my hands are well trained... and happy to be occupied.... and they do what they should do ..... create....

Then.... this morning.... (yes.... Wednesday of the first week of SUMMER!!).....
I cracked open my newest box from Amazon..... they love me there... I am there very BEST customer.... and they bring me gifts (that I buy for myself)...... and this morning the gift was MOST wonderful!!!! Seriously!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!! (feeling the love???)
OH this pen obsession.... I thought it couldn't be any better.... but these are positively delicious!
The bristles are delicately fine and the ink flows like none other.... I got RIGHT back onto Amazon and ORDERED MORE.... MORE.... MORE!!!!!  Yes I did...... The pack that came has 12 colors.... should be enough for live entertainment... but now I have a pack of 48 coming soon to join the party! I cannot wait!  (Gotta love Amazon Prime 2 day shipping!!! )

So..... as if THAT wasn't enough wonderfulness (yes I think that is a word.... if not.... it is now...)  .... I also, on a whim.... had ordered pencils..... EXPENSIVE pencils..... that were in my treasure box this morning.... I thought I would give them a go..... (WHO spends $22 on a box of 12 pencils??????)....... (apparently I do.... )   and..... unfortunately ..... I LOVE THEM too......... (sigh... I might have to order some MORE.... later... later..... must pace myself.... and my budget..... seriously!)

So... today is, indeed..... a GREAT day for a good day.......

cheers!
judifer

learning new stuff!

Hurray!  Major breakthrough today!!!

I have been doing hand lettering for well over 30 years.... I love it!  I dream about it!  I research ideas for what to "say".....

But now, in today's digital world I am trying to update what I do to be able to be utilized online and for digital purposes.

So... I paid for the be big fat subscription to have the Adobe products to use.... yes... I had to swallow hard and then breathe when I took that step.... or.... LEAP of FAITH..... because I didn't know how to use any of it whatsoever.

Yesterday, I finally clicked on the right... I don't know what..... "button"  ????  or tab or whatever they are called.... and then somehow, somehow..... it just worked.... and I was able to, not only import one of my quickly sketched words... but then "clean it up" in illustrator.... and, VOILA',  make a jpg and and a png and a PDF.... (What the heck do these things even mean???? I don't know... but I do know that I needed all of them.) So.... with more than a little humility.... I am going to share this one simple word with you all....

AND I want to say.... DON'T GIVE UP!

  Cheers!!
judifer

Super Saturday! Hurray!

I am soooo needing this... a day to just breathe!  A day to catch up with myself.

The weather is a bit warmer... hinting that someday soon we might be comfortable with the idea that we can assume that spring is here to stay....

I am going to draw a little.... paint a little..... work on the garage.... well..... maybe.... maybe....

but in any case... I am going to just enjoy this day!

Couldn't decide if I liked this one ... so I did another....  What do you think?

Well, either which way... have a lovely day! 

cheers!
judifer

alphabet doodles

I have been playing around with lettering styles.  I have done this for years and years...... and years....
but rarely to do I snap a pic of them because they are just practice sheets... just imperfect- trial and errors.... but I realized that it might be of interest to others who need to know that it is okay to practice... okay to try something new... a new style or technique ....

and those practice pages can be a work of art, in and of themselves..

Wishing you the best sketch day ever!
Cheers!
judifer

Sunday musings

It is a lovely day today!  The house is warm and quiet.  The roast is already in the crock pot... the animals are curled up, already having a mid-morning nap.  Life is good.

Last night we celebrated the revealing of what our next grand baby will be... after 6 girls and 6 boys... it will be a tie breaker..... I love my little people!

Have the most lovely day!!!
Cheers!
judifer

A Good Day

I had all kinds of errands to do...  and I had a Saturday to do them..... I got up at the crack of 5... Yes, I did- seeing as how the cat jumped on me and purred loudly that she missed me and wanted me to go put food in her dish...
and then I went and crashed on the couch for a little while longer....

I still thought that I would go for a nice jaunt into town and peruse the antique shops for some little something... or another....   AFTER I did a quick lettering project... It was early... only 7... plenty of time.....

I pulled the curtains back to enjoy a bit of winter light.... I sat down and ... began.....  

I love how I go into auto pilot when I just let it flow.   It is almost effortless at these times... I love it...

When I looked up again, it had started snowing... gently at first... and then a bit more ...

I decided to wait until it 'let up' a bit... (hahahahaha!)

At the point I realized that this was a "sip hot cocoa and keep your slippers on" sort of day, I decided to flirt with danger, try a new uncomfortable challenge..... to make a little video of my 'work'.  

GULP!

Well, the first challenge was how to get the camera in a position to film more or less what I was doing... and then how to make it into a video to share after.....

HAHAHA!  It took me a total of 10 minutes to sketch my little bit of art..... and it took me in the realm of 6 hours to convert it into a usable video....

SOOOO not perfect... but I sure did learn a lot!

Please be kind!
cheers!