I have a new personal creative pursuit to share with you today to celebrate Friday! Over the extended holiday the kids and I took for Christmas, I was thinking through some of my goals for 2013. I kept coming back to wanting to draw and make things. I’ve always been a “maker.” Tinkering with this and that to make little treasures, whether jewelry or hand-made books or gift wrapping. During the first two years of Small Pond Graphics, I’ve focused more on digital work in getting my business off the ground. I’ve spent a lot of time in front of a computer or ipad screen! But, with the loss of my husband, Mike, this last year and dealing with the changes in our lives, I realized that sometimes tangible things can be comforting. And inspiring. There’s a joy and discipline in creating something with your hands that helps us move forward. Maybe.

SO, I’ve been getting back into “making”, experimenting with block printing again and enjoying a little watercolor painting. The ideas are new and sometimes half-baked, but I’ve enjoyed letting my kids watch and hearing their sweet “Mommy, I think you’re doing a good job with your artwork.” I love how there is never any “high” art with them. It’s all equivalent to pulling out the washable Crayola markers, and I like that.

The product of this renewed “making” adventure I’d like to share is a new Etsy shop! I’ve named it The Frog Kisser, and I’m slowly adding hand-painted and block printed notecards, gift tags and small prints. Here are a couple of the first designs, and I hope you’ll stop into the shop and let me know what you think! I’m always happy to hear what might make these designs more “kissable”. Happy Friday!