Photos and no words

This will be a photo report, since I hardly have time to write properly. So here it goes. This is our life as it is today and a few new pieces listed on Etsy.

1 month

Time truly flies these days for me.It's been almost a month since I posted last. The month was full of burping, changing, feeding and teaching with some occasional sleeping and very very occasional painting. I did manage to squeeze in a few hours of painting and as a result a few new pieces have been added to my shop.

Here are a few glimpses into our life . Sorry for being so brief, but the little man seems to be needing me almost all the time. I need to grow an extra pair of hands .

The excellent photo is by a friend Nataja Katsaga, who did a wonderful photo session in our living room. She needed a baby model and we were happy to help out. In return we got these wonderful photos.

All the best in the New Year

Happy New Year my dear ones!

I am sorry I have disappeared for so long....The past month my brain was elsewhere and my body was not doing so great.

I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! For those of you who celebrate Christmas--I wish you a wonderful Christmas or Rozhdestvo which is the case for us.

My big news is that my third born --Ilya Alexander is here. He was born on Jan. 5, after a very short but intense labor. My first natural delivery (which I am extremely proud of). I thought I would die, and I never knew I could scream like that. But--it is all over and the little guy is here. He seems to be doing well, eating, sleeping and doing the rest of the important things babies his age are supposed to do.

I am reopening my Etsy shop today, and will be happy to see any of you there!

Another week has started

Weeks fly by. They truly do. I still have 5 more weeks before the baby is due, and am trying to make the most out of it. My newly discovered passion--painting with glass paint is developing into an obsession. Last night I was baking an oven full of cups:) Good thing they have places to go, otherwise my house would be filled with painted cups rather soon.

Anna and Andrei are keeping themselves busy and happy (and I am very thankful for that). Even the cats are at peace with life and each other. Here are a few glimpses into our Monday morning .

Good News

I got very good news several days ago. I will be working on a book project with one of the UK publishers! This is going to be my first BIG project in 5 years or so. I am super excited! It will be a book about Holidays around the world. So now I am living in the world of Chinese dragons, Leprichons and Mardi Gra parades. And it is fun, I have to admit. The only this is that the baby is due in less than 2 months, and I am getting a bit anxious since there are still plenty of things to be done. But ....still....I think it is absolutely wonderful to be doing such an interesting book. The project seems perfect for me.

Here are a few glimpes into our Autumn life. And the trial watercolor that (I think) got me the job:) In the first photo Andrei is "helping" me to cook dinner. I think this photo is so him!

5 years ago...

5 years ago after a long and stressful labor I had a baby girl. To tell you the truth at first she did not look that pretty. My husband used to joke that she looks like a baby goblin. I did not think that, but still. She did get a lot cuter :)

My baby is 5 today. She is cheerful, and friendly and very girly, and very artistic. She makes me smile every day. I know it all sounds very cheesy...Yet I will indulge myself today. Many years to you my dearest!

Another year, a bigger number

This year I am no longer fretting about the 3 in the beginning of the number. 31--sounds good.

I got lots of presents, a wonderful handmade card from Andrei, a sculpted dog from Anna and some lovely books from Arkadi (Fra Angelico's art book was my favorite, as well as a leather bound sketchbook). My Mom was visiting as well and it was very nice to see her on my Birthday, does not happen very often now. We are also getting ready for Easter and I am having a great time making pysanki , highly recommend to anyone who has not tried! (here is a link to a simple kit)

Keeping Busy

I am busy working on a couple of custom orders , felting here and there and homeschooling. This winter has been very productive so far, since we do not spend too much time outside (it's soooo cold there!) The kids are busy building their own little worlds for the toy animals. The Moomins with their ship are a big hit and it started a whole new cycle of games. I am happy to observe them building, cooking and sowing. The games are lasting days at a time and I feel very glad that I ordered this Moomin ship all the way from Finland.

Happy Holidays!

Just a quick peek to wish you all who celebrate Christmas on the 25 --Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In our household we have another celebration today--Andrei has turned 7. According to our faith he has passed from being an "infant" to being a "youth". A very important development in his life, since now he is considered old enough to answer for his own deeds. He is very proud to be a "youth" :) As a gift he received a much wanted Swiss Army Knife with a bunch of instructions of "what to do" and "what NOT to ever ever ever do" with it:) So far all the pencils in the house have been sharpened and that is good.

2010 has been a difficult year for us and I am glad it is almost over. I wanted to thank all of you for visiting my blog, supporting my Etsy shop and most importantly inspiring me and keeping me motivated to make more Art. Thank you! And I wish you all a blessed, peaceful, happy year!

San Diego through my eyes

No words today, just pictures. I don't like analyzing a thing while it is still happening:) But there are amazing colors here, I can assure you.

Dirty hands and feet

It was a good summer.

We lost 2 teeth, tried riding a horse, learned to swim, taught a Art class in camp, had a first sleepover, started making toys, watched some good movies and spent some nights near a bonfire.

Not very productive workwise, but good. We are ready to start another homeschooling year, and looking forward to it. This year I do not have any doubts about the choice to homeschool (unlike last years sleepless nights--I am positive it is working well for us and I see good results)
I am hoping for many new ideas and new pieces this fall, hoping to finally start contacting publishers and looking for illustration projects.

Catching memories

I have not been blogging and working as much as usual this summer. We have been spending a lot of time out of the city with some dear friends of ours. Throughout my life here in US, and espesially in the city I always dreamed that my kids would be able to experience the kind of childhood that I had--filled with greens, butterflies, frogs, berries, good friends, campfires, ladybugs, dogs etc. I was never able to give it to them, or to show it to them until this summer. We are soaking in all the wonders of being outside in the field, in the wood with many other kids. It is hard to explain how grateful I am for this chance. The kids love it , and I am reliving my memories and sketching little sketches that once autumn will come I hope to turn into bigger pieces. Collecting memories is a very important part of the job:) And collecting them with a "bug catching net" from the local dollar store is even more important. :) Cheers to all of you!

Our Trip

We came back from a two week family trip to San Diego, CA last night. What can I say? It was AMAZING! The family we stayed with, the weather, the beaches, the colors, the Trader Joe's (those of you in the US will understand) I really needed this time away from the greyness of NYC. The colors of the flowers are absolutely unbelievable. You can be riding down the highway and see a splash of pure purple, as if some pigment was spilled. Or a splash of bright red and yellow. California is all about color, and I tried to soak in as much as possible.