Seven Random Facts

Thank you, Nina Crittenden for tagging my blog with this shiny Versatile Blogger Award. Not so sure how versatile my blog is, but don't-look-a-gift-horse-in-the-mouth, so they say. Here are the directions, I need to:

1. Thank the person who bestowed the award on you
2. List seven random facts about yourself — seven... eegads!
3. Spread the love by passing along the award to five other bloggers – and let them know

Thanks again, Nina! Best wishes for 2012! *hugs* Nina is a great friend and an awesome blogger.

Ok, Seven Random Facts about me...

1. I love to garden. Not the plant your pansies in a pot kind of gardening, I like to get down and dirty: build rock gardens; dig holes; move plants and haul dirt in my trusty-wheel barrow.  I spend all winter scheming which patch of grass will succumb to my next hostile take-over. wa-ha-ha!

2. I love to cross country ski. I spend Minnesota's other season, "Not-Winter" getting in shape so I don't hurt myself. -wish me luck, I'll need it. 

P.S. Send snow. So far this Winter season has been dry. I am probably the only Minnesotan sad about this!

3. I have a pencil sharpener that is shaped like a nose. To sharpen, insert pencil up the nostril and turn.

4. I have lived in Scotland and Germany.

5. Ich spreche fließend Deutsch, aber Pig-Latin kapiere ich überhaupt nicht.

6. I have a photographic memory, but I am terrible at remembering names.
7. Phew.. here we are at seven. Do you really want me to keep going? -Because I'm having a hard time coming up with these. Oh, and I'm late for lunch... and I won't be eating bread. (oops, that was eight random facts). Enjoy!

And now to pass on this award to five fabulous bloggers who need another "shout-out": 

Nina Crittenden, Anne Adix Fabie, Barb Björnson, Sara Weingartner, and Sharon Wagner.

Congrats to Yvette Piette Herrera, the winner of the SCBWI Tomie dePaola contest: http://www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/2012-Winners , and to all those who placed! Good job! 


Thank you, Diandra Mae for creating the blog which features our Tomie dePaola Facebook group submissions: http://www.scbwicontest.blogspot.com/ Click here to see more than 200 out of the total 300 submissions.


I can't wait to try again next year.

Chicken Licken finds a Turkey in the Straw

I DID IT! I entered the SCBWI's Tomie dePaola Illustration Contest. The challenge was open to SCBWI members to illustrate a text taken from the story of Chicken Licken (Chicken Little).

Goosey Loosey, Ducky Daddles, Cocky Locky, Henny Penny and Chicken Licken find Turkey Lurkey and tell him that the sky is falling and that they are going to tell the King. They convince Turkey Lurkey of the urgency of the matter and joins them on their quest.

It may be only funny to me (and maybe some bluegrass fans), but I thought - how funny it would be if they found the Turkey in the Straw? This is the title of an old fiddling tune.

There you have it, now go tell the King.

thirty

I have gotten some nice compliments on the piece of art I am using to advertise my show.  It is a piece I did a couple of years ago, but am still very fond of.  So I have been wracking my brain to come up with a complimentary idea.

Sometimes the ideas come in a wink of an eye and other times I have to excavate down deep in my brain to find it. Like a prospector spending hours panning through material to find one tiny fleck of gold.

I haven't yet decided if the animal in the middle is a pig or a bear.  Above is a floppy-eared bunny and the duck is putting the star on the tree.

Today is DAY 30 of my 30-day-challenge. I am not sure if I proved anything other than that I can't count! -just kidding... I missed a few days so there are a few posts missing.  On the bright side is has gotten me to draw and write almost everyday.  No harm in that! Check out the other challengers' blogs: Sara Weingartner, Barb Björnson and Nina Crittenden.

twentynine

Last night I snuggled on the couch with my honey-bunny as we watched a show about Alaska on public television.  But it got to be a bit late and she nearly fell asleep on me.  Time for bed.

Art Show Press

Facebook also has some buzz about Alicia Schwab's art show on the CBIG Group page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/177586705615067/

Art Show Press

My friends at CBIG were kind enough to feature an article about my upcoming show. http://www.book-illustrators.blogspot.com/