Blue Moon Atelier Journal

2012-01-13T18:11:00.000-05:00

Hello, and happy new year! First things first:

Buy one, get one free print sale!

S'right - buy a print, and get a 2nd print free! Just add a print to your cart at www.marylayton.net, then input the title of the free print you'd like as you check out. There's no limit, although if you order an unusually large amount, we might want to know what you're up to. ;) The free print(s) must be of equal or lesser value of the purchased print(s).

There - advertising's out of the way, then. This being a new year, I'm starting to plan a show schedule. Last year was my first year of doing appearances and I really enjoyed meeting people, and was pleased to have made some sales, as well. I'm aiming slightly bigger this year - last year was just local fairs and a small local con, but this year, I'm doing one of the big ones! I have been confirmed as a vendor for FaerieCon East in Baltimore, MD this November! I'm really looking forward to it, as I had a great time just visiting as a punter this past November. I am also planning to do the Greensboro Summer Solstice event in June, which is just all kinds of fun! Other than that, I've nothing else confirmed, although I've got some feelers out for a couple of other local events.

Oh...I promised a FaerieCon 2011 blog didn't I? I'll try to work on that this weekend, but in the meantime, I did post some photos over on the Facebook page (<--clicky for linky). Just scroll down the page a bit - the photos are linked by a pic of Ellen Kushner and Shane Odom.

I'll leave you with a sneak peek at what's on the drawing board (well, technically, in the sketchbook) - I'm hoping to get it done by Valentine's Day, but first I have to attend to the business side of being self-employed - end-of-year bookkeeping and quarterly taxes! Bleurgh! ;)

New Year's Fun Craft

2011-12-31T17:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a little "just for fun" thingy. I'd meant to post this earlier, but thanks to the programme crashing and corrupting the file, I'd had to re-create it, and therefore, I'm late getting this out there. Still, what the heck - there are still a few places with some time left to do this, and if nothing else, it might provide a distraction for the kids while you attend to your own evening preparations! Happy New Year!

DIY 2012 PARTY SPECS!

Download and print file here: DIY party specs

Magick 4 Terri

2011-11-30T12:36:00.001-05:00

Hellay, hellay! I'll have a FaerieCon report up when I get a bit of time, but I wanted to post about this as it's an important thing, and something worthy of our attention:

Most fans of fantasy and mythic tales and art will have heard of Terri Windling. A writer, artist, and editor, she has been an inspiration to a generation of mythic artists and writers, and many of us are coming together to try to help her in a time of need. I have donated my Rackham-inspired watercolour "The Apple Faery" (pictured below), and artists and writers like Charles Vess, Brian Froud, Wendy Froud, Neil Gaiman, Charles de Lint, Ellen Kushner, and George RR Martin (to name but a handful) are donating original works, limited editions, and signed items for an auction at Magick 4 Terri on LiveJournal. In addition, fans are offering their own works, crafts, services, and treasured collectibles. Please stop by and check it out. Many items have low starting bids, and there is also a 'donate' button for whatever your budget might allow. Help us make some Magick 4 Terri!

New Art and FaerieCon!

2011-11-03T13:04:00.000-04:00

I have some new art to share - both of these beauties are available on the web site.

"Companions" is an homage to pet lovers everywhere, and features representations of 3 pets I have known and loved - my childhood companion "Kitty", my recently deceased (well, 2006) cockatiel 'Mo', and "Bronte" a gorgeous Chocolate Lab who was part of the family of my in-laws in Yarm, UK.

"The Witching Hour" is a Samhain-themed painting in the Art Nouveau style with a bit of a Steampunk flavour.

In other news, I'm going to FaerieCon this weekend!! I'm very excited, packed and ready to go (although I can't stop double-checking to make sure I haven't missed anything). I am not exhibiting or vending, I'm only going for the fun of it and to meet up with friends who are vending. I'm looking forward to meeting the Frouds, Charles Vess, and Amy Brown as I'm just a big ol' fangrrl!

My friend Brigid Ashwood, who is a featured artist at FaerieCon, has written a post about the event- if you need some encouragement to come on out ;) GeekMom: FaerieCon - The Sparkly Side of GeekCons

Chocolate: dark, milk, or white?

2011-09-09T12:13:00.001-04:00

Chocolate: dark, milk, or white?

Answer here

Another embloggening? I'm on a roll!

2011-07-13T13:37:00.000-04:00

2 bloggings in one week. Now...do I have anything to say?

Well, yes, actually. I've just this morning had an email from Indigo Art Services with the preview images of the mousepads that are in production. They are gorgeous, and I can't wait to get my hands (or...mouse) on them. I showed the image of the one with my Hummingbirds on Lantana art to himself (my husband) and he's planning to purchase one as soon as it's on sale. Jen at IAS tells me mousepads will be featured on the website and on offer at $9 each (regularly $10.95) til the end of August. I'll post again when they're available.

Also this morning, I finished "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins; the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy. What a great series that was. Now, I'm looking forward to the film treatment and hoping they do the story justice. Now, what shall I read next? Any suggestions?

I've just rented "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" from Netflix. I did see it in the cinema when it was released, but I wanted to watch it again so the story would be fresh in my mind when I go see Part 2. I'm a bit sad that it's all ending, but looking forward to it anyway. I know JK's got Pottermore in the works, but I really am keen to see what she does next writing-wise. Surely she's got some more stories to tell, other characters to pull us into their lives....

I've been asked when I'll be painting live again. I'm not sure, really. Maybe next week? I'll post at twitter and facebook when I do, and if I can organize myself enough, maybe schedule a time and give you a day's notice or so. Ha - an organized artist?! That'd be a first! ;)

O Hai!

2011-07-08T14:31:00.001-04:00

Good grief! Has it really been over a year since I've posted anything?! That just goes to show that I am really pants at updating this blog. To be fair, since I've gone over to the dark side that is Facebook, I find it just so easy to do quick updates there. So, I'd love for anyone interested in what I'm up to to join me there: www.facebook.com/MaryLaytonArt. I'll try to do better about keeping a regular blog, too - but, at least you'll be able to keep up with me a bit better there. I'm also on twitter (www.twitter.com/Rhiamon), so feel free to follow.

I've most recently been playing around with my web site design, updating the look a bit. And, fixing some formatting issues that I'd let go for too long. This meant a 4 day fight with coding to suit the demands of IE. If you want something done simply, and you want it to show up properly on IE...fuggedaboutit. Simple coding commands that work on nearly every other browser will look hideous in IE, I've found. In any event, I seem to have managed to work around the issues, and my site now look presentable in IE, while still looking nice in other browsers. To celebrate, I decided to have a bit of a sale, and if you subscribe to my newsletter, you'll already be aware of it. The sale lasts until the end of the month and gets you 25% off your order at www.marylayton.net - including clearance items. Use code SUMMER25 at checkout. Speaking of clearance items....

Acrylic-cab cameos are on offer, as I am discontinuing them. The reason I am doing this is that I have recently signed a licensing contract with Indigo Art Services for gorgeous porcelain cameos. I've received my artists samples and they are really lovely! They are larger than the acrylic cameos and therefore show off the artwork much better. IAS are also doing mugs with wrap-around designs - these are generously sized at 15 oz. Both the cameos and mugs are available on the site, and if you are a retailer, you can order them wholesale to carry in your shops from IAS. Also, if you enter code 110502 at checkout at IAS, you get a free gift with an opening order of $75.

I have been doing some art shows lately, which is a bit new for me. I am often asked when I'll be at Faeriecon or other big shows, but I haven't done many shows at all so far, and am a bit terrified of the big ones! I need some experience, you see. So, in March I entered the art show at Stellarcon and had a great time! Met some neat people, made some sales, and lost a bit of my fear. Since then, I've done 2 other local events, Parisian Promenade and Greensboro Summer Solstice Celebration, and I am really enjoying it. I will be appearing in August at the August Art Oasis on Davie Street in Greensboro NC and am looking forward to it. I still don't know if I'm ready for Faeriecon yet, but maybe next year.

I'll leave you with some eye-candy - one of the porcelain cameos, one of the mugs, and my current work-in-progress:

Who's the most famous person you've met?

2010-06-04T23:46:00.001-04:00

Kenneth Branagh - he's extremely nice, and very appreciative of his fans.

Ask, as askingly as you can, an ask:

Raven's Key - Original Art Auction - 100% of proceeds to NFINC

2010-05-22T13:48:00.003-04:00

"Raven's Key" Detail

Hello everyone! The newest artwork is an original watercolour that I am auctioning via eBay called "Raven's Key" 100% of the proceeds of the sale of this artwork will benefit NF, Inc. an organization dedicated to providing support to individuals and families affected by Neurofibromatasis. This auction is inspired by NF Inc.'s Doodle Day.

The painting is 6" x 4" on Arches Hot Press Watercolour Paper and is signed on the back (initialed on front) and the Raven was inspired by the character "Matthew" in Neil Gaiman's Sandman.

Prints and cards will be available once the auction is completed and my web site updated!

Auction Link: "Raven's Key" Charity auction on eBay

Luna Grove Designs / Blue Moon Atelier Status Update

2010-04-21T05:28:00.000-04:00

As you may be aware, Luna Grove Designs and Blue Moon Atelier were meant to be on Spring Break between the 7th of April and today, the 21st of April, however, we are having to extend our closing time due to the Icelandic volcano ash cloud covering most of Europe and shutting down airspace. We are currently still stuck in the UK and the earliest available flight back to the States is next Tuesday, the 27th, which means shipping of orders will be delayed until late next week at the earliest. We are very sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding. Any further updates will be posted to this site.

Second Life Store update

2010-01-29T11:41:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd post a little update about the new Second Life shop. I've finished the shop at Caledon Cape Wrath and loaded it up with goodies (including a table of cool freebies). Here's a look at the front and back of the shop:

And, this is the most recent creation - Valentine's Day themed (if a little 'goth' tinged), "Bleeding Hearts" Tiara and Earrings (the tiara is L$150, the earrings are free!):

Do come visit! http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Cape%20Wrath/73/119/25/?title=Blue%20Moon%20Atelier/Ashbourne%20Jewellers

Wow...blog posts 2 days in a row. Who am I and what have I done with myself?! :P

Captain Jack, we hardly knew ye...

2010-01-28T12:58:00.002-05:00

If you've not already seen Torchwood "Children of Earth" and are planning to, and don't want to be spoiled, you may want to skip this post. I'll try to keep the spoilage to a minimum, and give notice when I'm about to spill one, but you have been warned! Yes, I'm come a bit late to the table - we don't have BBC America and had to wait for the DVD.

My husband and I started watching "Children of Earth" thinking that it wasn't quite a new series of the show, but expecting it to be a special 'in-between' sort of thing - something to keep us all hooked until the next proper series. At the end of it, the impression we were left with was that the producers really wanted to end the whole show, and since they can't kill off the lead character, they decided to make him as unappealing as possible, so that no one would really mind if they never saw him again. I mean, there's 'warts and all' and then there's Terminally Fatal Character Flaw. The producers of Torchwood crossed that line with the treatment of Captain Jack Harkness in the finale of "Children of Earth".

We're used to finding out unsavoury things about Captain Jack's past. Let's face it, Jack wasn't a 'nice guy'. But, after all his adventures with The Doctor, and given his tenure with Torchwood, by the time Gwen Cooper joins the team, our Jack seems to be growing a soul. He's not perfect - he never was, and never will be - but he seems to have acquired a properly functioning moral compass for the most part. He's learned he can get what he wants without resorting to some of the habits of his past, and that approaching things with this new attitude often has more rewards than would have been gained had he fallen back on old tricks. During the previous two seasons, he's been tested and tempted plenty, but still managed to resist returning to full-on scoundrel ways. And, we've loved him for it. We want him to be the hero, and we expect there will be a price to pay. We expect he's still going to have to make some hard decisions and hurt those he loves (and who love him) along the way, but we expect that all this is done with the greater good in mind, and we expect there are certain lines that will not be crossed, or he will turn out to be no better than those he's charged with protecting us against.

"Children of Earth" unfolds over 5 episodes, or 'days', but I won't do synopses of each day here. As I said to my husband after we'd finished watching: 'It started so strongly, but ended so wrongly'. A quick look at IMDb shows that John Fay wrote episodes 2 and 4, James Moran penned episode 3, and series creator Russell T Davies wrote episodes 1 and 5. Now, to be honest, most of my least-favourite Dr Who episodes were penned by Davies. However, I have enjoyed his writing for the most part on Torchwood. Episode 1 of "Children of Earth" was exemplary, the middle three - wonderful. Episode 5 - not so much. As the story of Day 5 progressed it seemed to get even more and more far-fetched in places, characterizations were all over the place, and it just didn't seem to have the flow of the previous episodes in the tale. And then, there was the denouement - the moment when our hero, Captain Jack - the only man who CAN save the world, steps up and, yes, saves the world. Only, the way he did it meant that we could likely never find a redeeming characteristic in him no matter how much we wanted to.

*spoiler alert*

I think my husband put it best when he said, ' I'm not a writer, but - you don't have your hero kill his own grandson'. Oh, sure, it was an act of desperation to save an otherwise doomed planet, but it seemed to come a bit too easily. Had all other options REALLY been exhausted? Oh for the days of old, when Owen would have quickly whipped out a syringe, sucked some adolescent DNA into it, made some alterations in the make-shift lab, and injected the DNA into Jack so that he could stand in as the conduit to the 456 to carry the sonic wave that would destroy them. What was the point in discovering that bit of creative, temporary DNA swapping in a previous episode if you weren't going to use it when it was really necessary? Even Jack's initial protest of the prospect of using (and killing) his own grandson was about as convincing as Willy Wonka's 'Stop - Don't - Come back' admonitions to the naughty kids in the Chocolate Factory.

*end spoiler alert*

I give kudos to the wonderful John Barrowman for making the most of the material he was given, and I lay the fault of the ending at the writer's feet. Honestly, is that the only way it could have gone down? I think perhaps there was too much focus on other business within the story and way too little on the ending. It actually COULD have worked, had it been better written. We weren't given sufficient evidence that absolutely no other solution was possible, and there was not enough of a sense that Jack was even interested in trying anything else. The fact that he gave in too easily robbed the character of all the appeal he'd gained over the previous episodes of Torchwood and Dr Who. *This* is the Face of Boe? Angels and ministers of grace defend us!

Second Life

2010-01-19T10:37:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd post a quick Second Life update. I've been only on sporadically over the last several months, but will be back to hanging out and building more now that the holiday rush is over!

Currently, I'm working on building a new shop in a new location, as the landlady of my current shop has announced that the area will be closing soon. I've enjoyed my stay there, and the area was beautifully developed and a nice fit for my art and builds, but I am also excited to be moving now to a Caledon sim - Cape Wrath, specifically. I've managed to snag a parcel on the water, and it will become the main location for my Second Life presence "Blue Moon Grove". Here is a progress shot of the shop I am building:

That little blip inside is my SL alter ego. ;) The textures are a combination of SL-provided basic textures, textures I've created, and textures I've purchased from other in-world builders. Specifically, the brass-framed windows across the front are favourites of mine - they were created by a skilled builder, and great real-life artist, my friend Brigid Ashwood, who is known as Brigid Yoshikawa in-world and who collaborates with another skilled builder, Dagny Mannonen (who prefers to remain anonymous in real-life).

I have some new ideas for additions to our Second Life jewellery line (Ashbourne & Co. Ltd), and am getting together with my design partner, Gryffyn Ashbourne, this week to plan.

Don't worry - I'm still working on some real life art!

Blue Moon Atelier December News

2009-12-15T16:09:00.001-05:00

15 December 2009

Greetings!

Here's the latest news from Blue Moon Atelier:

Holiday Shipping:
This Friday, 18 December, is the last day to order to ensure shipping in time to arrive before Christmas (continental US only - we cannot guarantee Christmas delivery outside the US)!

New Artwork:

New art is now available in the Fantasy Gallery - new Yule-themed paintings entitled "Yule Masque" and "Bringing Yuletide Magic", and the highly anticipated "Mistress of the Key". This is one of Mary's most popular artworks to date, and heeding feedback received after the earlier releases at DeviantArt and the Blue Moon Atelier Facebook page, "Mistress of the Key" is available in the original graphite version, as well as the enhanced sepia-toned version.

Also available is "Christmas Cardinals", which can be found in the Miscellaneous Gallery. The Yule-themed paintings, and the sepia-toned "Mistress of the Key" are also available as Single Cards and Card Sets.

New Digital Stickers:
5 New Winter Holiday Tubes are available at FantasyScraps.com

Photographic Art:
Thanks to all who came out for Mary's nature-themed photo art debut at Wild Birds Unlimited in High Point on the 21st of November! Photographic art prints are now available on the web site in the Photo Art Gallery

SPECIAL OFFER:
Newsletter subscribers got a special discount code! Want to subscribe? Go here: http://www.marylayton.net/newsletter.php.

"Bask in the moonlight,
commune with the animals,
and dance with the faeries!"

Blue Moon Atelier - The artwork of Mary Layton
http://www.marylayton.net

Remember, remember...

2009-11-05T13:57:00.002-05:00

Today is the 5th of November, and for those in the UK (and for our household here in the States) it is Guy Fawkes Day, or "Bonfire Night". It is also the anniversary of my Mother's death. As you can imagine, that means this day is a mix of happy and sad. Happy memories of spending Bonfire Nights with family in the UK, and sad memories of losing my Mother.

However, this is also an opportunity to remember the happy times while my Mother was still alive. The silly things, the infuriating things, and such memories that come with a lifetime of someone in your life who raised you, taught you, whom you depended upon, and who depended upon you. I've recently been reading a book called "The Meme Machine", and it occurred to me that I have acquired a few "Mom Memes". Mainly phrases that she used that have now become a part of our vocabulary, because of their amusing nature (sometimes intended, sometimes unintended). There are many, but here are a few of our favourites:

"Helleuwwww" - this is a bit of an exaggeration. Mom, being a southerner, had a bit of a southern drawl, and in particular, this seemed to have really come out in the form of a drawn out 'Hello' when answering the phone. My husband first mentioned it, as it was particularly noticeable to him, having come from England and having a 'different' dialect himself.

"Whadjaget?" - This phrase accompanied the arrival of mail for me...especially if it was a package. Graham once suggested sending me a "naughty" gift in the mail - I begged him not to, or to at least send it by way of a friend so I wouldn't have to do the show and tell. This phrase has haunted me since childhood - any time I was the recipient of a gift, whether Mom knew what it was or not, I was confronted with "whadjaget?" On Christmas mornings, as I was crawling under the tree to see what Father Christmas had left, I was serenaded with "whadjaget?" When it was time to look in the stocking (which, no matter how many times I told Santa that I didn't like walnuts ALWAYS contained a handful of unshelled walnuts), its being handed to me was accompanied by "whadjaget?"

"Floor it!" and "Goooooooo!" - Whenever Mom was a passenger in the car, and the light changed, one of those two phrases inevitably passed her lips. Less frequently, but no less passionately, "blow 'em off the road" was uttered if we found ourselves driving behind someone moving slower than Mom thought they should be.

Those are our favourites, and we say them to each other often when the situation permits, in fond remembrance of my Mother. So, although she's in my thoughts especially today, she always comes to mind when an occasion arises to use one of her 'Nancyisms'.

Tonight, we shall pour a glass of wine and say a toast to her in remembrance. We haven't any fireworks for celebrating Bonfire Night, but maybe we'll pop off a few of our favourite "Nancyisms" and allow them to spark the memories.

Steampunk Goodness!

2009-09-16T13:24:00.003-04:00

Great Steampunky things are to be had this week. I shall tell you of some of them.

Firstly, Daniel Proulx, maker of outstanding jewellery, has created a video to tell the story of his work. It's lovely, and spooky, much like his jewellery (which can be purchased on Etsy)

Nextly, friend Brigid has updated her progress on the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Diptych - do swing by and have a look!

Lastly - if you are a fan of Steampunk, why haven't you ordered your I <3 Steampunk shirt yet?! Whatever are you waiting for?

Pardon? Oh, me? What am I up to? Well, I'm currently working on a Samhain/Hallowe'en painting (preview below), and have ideas for another (which I hope to find time to actually create before next month). Yes, the full colour Mistress of the Key is coming soon, and since you asked so nicely, yes, I will be offering the sepia-toned version as prints, too. There is an inked version available to license for tattoos at Enchanted Tattoo, and if you have it inked on you - I wanna see! :)

3vznq6isgr

Outer Alliance Pride Day

2009-09-01T10:58:00.005-04:00

As a member of the Outer Alliance, I advocate for queer speculative fiction and those who create, publish and support it, whatever their sexual orientation and gender identity. I make sure this is reflected in my actions and my work.

This is an artwork in progress in support of The Outer Alliance on its inaugural Pride Day, and in support of Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender rights in general:

I haz a tattoo

2009-06-22T17:48:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was the Solstice and since my friend Wendy was appearing at the Greensboro Solstice Celebration I toddled along and got myself a tattoo. A henna one, that is. Wendy made me a lovely fae creature to wear for a couple of weeks and glittered it up for me:

When I scraped the paste off, it was a very light pumpkin orange, almost too light to make out, but henna darkens over time. Here is how it looked this morning:

I have been working on the Mistress of the Key some more - how about another progress shot? The blobs at the top are my palette for her hair colour:

I have since begun working on the flowers in her hair, so will hopefully finish her this week. Yes, I know a web site update is due - I'm on it! :P

Tiling and Art!

2009-06-14T01:49:00.005-04:00

Just a quickie (oo-er!)

I got a screenshot of 'Mistress of the Key', currently in painting progress in Painter X:

And we've been working at tiling the en suite:

Yes, that is a bog roll in the upper left corner - we've been using it to wipe up mortar spillage. Hubby says I should have a new toilet by Labour Day! W00t, innit! :P

Finished drawing and other rambles

2009-06-05T17:07:00.010-04:00

In case you hadn't noticed, Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer are dating. I first went 'hmmmmmmmmm' when I noticed them sharing a glass of wine during last autumn's Party on the Internet at Neil's place, but was in no doubt after seeing this photo by Kyle Freaking Cassidy last week on Neil's blog:

I mean, really. LOOK at that face - it's all right there! One of my favourite authors dating one of my favourite singer/songwriters. Good things will (and some have already) come of this.

I finished the pencil art I was working on. This is "Mistress of the Key", unless someone suggests a better name for her:

I am currently playing around painting her in Painter, so there will be this original graphite version as well as a colour version. Another sketch is in progress and will probably be rendered in watercolour:

No name for her yet, although I have some ideas.

I currently have no toilet. In my en suite, that is. Luckily, our house has 2 1/2 baths, so I'm not completely without recourse to toilet facilities. We discovered, a few days before going on holiday (photos of that event will be forthcoming), that we had a leak. About 6" of drywall above the floor had to be removed and replaced, and the linoleum was pretty shot as well. So, my husband removed the bog, tore up the lino, sanded the floor, and we are about to re-do that bathroom. I kinda wanted real tile anyway, so now's our chance.

I had to catch up all my season-ender shows online since we were in the UK when they aired, and watching very little telly. Of Lost, I have this to say: Dude! WTF?!!!!1111oneoneoneone!!!eleventyaarkvark

Back and working

2009-05-24T22:30:00.006-04:00

Back from the UK and had a lovely time visiting with family. We took lots of photos, and I shall post some next week sometime - I've still got to download and sort them.

In the meanwhilst, I posted a sketch of the new work in progress in my last entry, and I've been working more on it this week, so I'm posting an update of the work:

First, this is further progress after a chat session with some stellar artist acquaintances where the ladies shared some critique and ideas for making it a better piece.

Here is the piece in it's current state. I think all that's left is to finish the border, and do some touch-ups if needed.

Prints will be available, and there may be a coloured version as well at some point.

Went to see the new Star Trek film on Friday and quite liked it. VERY action-packed, though - almost too much so. Hubby and I have decided that we may need to see it a second time. :P

Happy Memorial Day - don't forget to take some time out to think of those in the armed forces who gave their lives in battle, and send out some positive vibes to those who are still in harm's way.

Working for the weekend

2009-04-28T11:50:00.005-04:00

I've got a new work in progress. I had such fun with the Amanda Palmer portrait, working in graphite, that I'm doing another pencil piece. Here is the current work in progress:

No title yet. I'll have to think of one. Maybe I'll do a contest or something. I've got another sketch started, but it's not far enough along to be of interest yet.

6 more sleeps until my UK holiday! This weekend, we're going over to Yorkshire to visit with family. I'll be taking the sketchbook, but will be without computer for 2 weeks. Well, technically I'll have access to a computer, but I'm going to try to stay away from it!

I've been playing around with shoe designs in the Zazzle shop:

Nouveau Bellydancer Sneakers by BlueMoonAtelier
Create Keds canvas shoes online at Zazzle.com
Browse other Painting Keds Shoes

Friend Selina is having a buy one get one free sale because she's moving house and wants to find happy homes for stock instead of packing it and moving it - she ships worldwide and is known to throw in neat freebies with orders:

This week, I are been mostly blogging sketches

2009-04-21T14:06:00.005-04:00

I thought it might be fun to post some sketches. These are a few pages from one of my sketchbooks. Click to embiggen!

There's not been a lot of arting this week, as I've been working on the Blue Moon Atelier web site. It is to be a portal for all sites related to my art, and will include links to the retail site, a wholesale site, and a portfolio that just showcases stuff I've done. Currently, the link to the retail site and the link to the portfolio are up and active. The wholesale site will be up by the end of the month - coding skillz permitting! You can check it out here: Blue Moon Atelier. Critiques are welcome!

Random thoughts and a recipe

2009-04-01T12:18:00.001-04:00

But first, this is quite possibly the funniest thing I've read since 9am:

Fiction World Rocked as Woman Claims No Sexual Attraction to Neil Gaiman http://short.to/3d0u

Just thought I'd share some random thoughts that occurred to me whilst browsing a freelance site:

Dude - you're only offering $5 for several hours of someone's time and you wonder why no one's bidding?

What are you people thinking - bidding on "clone PayPal/Western Union/etc. site" jobs? Are things so desperate for you that you'll accept payment for helping rob others of money/identity?

When you say you need a 'Simple static web site' in your posting title, and then say you want "Flash start page/e-commerce cart/database/full backend" - you do realize you're contradicting yourself, don't you?

There. Snark over.

It occurs to me that I once indicated that I'd post recipes on the blog occasionally - when I make something up and it seems to work, or when I find something everyone should know about, sort of thing. Well, I sort of made this one up - based on something my husband sort of made up. He usually baked his version, whilst I like my chicken pan-fried (but - not, you know, clog-yer-arteries-at-a-glance deep-frying, like). So, here's my lime-garlic chicken recipe:

Zesty Lime-Garlic Chicken
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Juice of 1 medium lime
Garlic Powder
Sea Salt to taste
Ground Pepper to taste
Red Pepper (Cayenne) to taste

This can be marinated ahead of cooking, or just pop the spices on right before plunking it in a pan.

1. Place chicken breasts on a plate, or shallow dish. Squeeze lime juice over pieces. Add a pinch (or more to taste) of sea salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper powder. Turn breasts and repeat.

2. Heat extra-virgin olive oil to medium heat in a non-stick pan, using just enough to coat the surface of the pan (sometimes I use part olive oil, part butter for extra flavour and enhanced searing).

3. Place chicken (what would be) skin-side down in pan. Cook chicken breasts for about 8-10 minutes per side (depending on thickness), reducing heat to medium-low after the first 3-4 minutes of searing (the lime juice caramelizes a bit making for a nice browning).

It's very tasty, and relatively low-fat providing you don't go crazy with the olive oil or oil/butter blend.

I'll be updating the web site over the next several days - watch this space for news!

2009-03-27T15:19:00.001-04:00

One more original artwork added to Etsy-that's it for today! I promise! http://ping.fm/PmrAS

2009-03-27T14:37:00.001-04:00

I've added an original ACEO to my Etsy shop: http://ping.fm/D6zJy

Neil Gaiman's 100K Twitter Contest

2009-03-27T12:03:00.004-04:00

Since TwitPic seems to be broken, I'm posting my entry in Neil Gaiman's 100K Twitter Contest here. Details about the comp can be found on Neil himself's blog here: The 100K Contest

Here's my entry, in which I borrow from a childhood movie favourite to blend with some Gaiman goodness:

Original Art for sale on Etsy

2009-03-25T14:21:00.006-04:00

Framed original art work just added to my Etsy shop! http://ping.fm/wYYDn

"Queen Rose":

and "Faery Bride" & "Faery Groom" (actually two art works, framed together, but could be re-framed individually)":

Recession? We don't need no stinking recession!

2009-03-16T18:35:00.003-04:00

We're not participating in the recession, and we don't think you should either!

Instead, we're having a 50% off sale! Just enter the coupon code SPRINGCLEAN09 into the discount coupon field of your shopping cart and click 'recalculate'. Discount does not apply to PSP tube sets or other off-site products.

Sale lasts til the end of the month!

www.marylayton.net

Help me fundraise for Red Nose Day!

2009-03-07T01:05:00.002-05:00

Art for charity! I've created a Red Nose Day fund-raising page, and anyone who donates (no matter how small the amount) will get art from me - either an original sketch, inked or full-colour artwork, jewellery, or hand-embellished print. I'll surprise you - but it will either be created from scratch (artwork or jewellery), or a hand-embellished print.

To visit my Red Nose Day Giving page and sponsor me, click on the link below:

http://www.myrednoseday.com/maryart?SID=62098

For more information about Red Nose Day visit www.rednoseday.com.

Thanks for your support!

Tubes 'n' Tags, and becoming a better blogger

2009-03-06T21:28:00.002-05:00

Tubes 'n' Tags

I am thrilled to be plugging FantasyScraps.com. I'm licensed there, and it is the only official source for images of mine to be used in PSP tubes and tags. Fantasy Scraps also features artwork by LA Williams, Brigid Ashwood, Jane Starr Weils, Ash Evans, Ruth Thompson, and Bill Plank. There will also be extensive digital scrapbooking collections to come! If you are a tuber, spread the word about this fantastic new site!

Becoming a better blogger
Yeah...like that's really going to happen. Well, maybe it will. See, it's about Ping.fm. Ping.fm allows me to update several social networks at once. Which means, I can blog, and have it on my personal blog (more on this to follow), LiveJournal, and MySpace in one step, instead of typing up a blog in one place and copy/pasting it to up to three other places. I'll still have to copy into Enchanted Folk and Deviant Art, if I want my blogs there, though - as Ping.fm doesn't update those services. I've got my LiveJournal posting into my Facebook page, so that one's covered, at least.

For my "official" journal - linked to my web site, I'd been using Movable Type, but customizing was a nightmare. I'd had a Blogger account for about 4 years, but had signed up only to comment on my friends blogs. Recently, I decided to play around with it and see if I could make it look like it belonged to me, sort of thing. I wound up customizing it and liking the look, so I started thinking of having it be the "official" blog, since I wouldn't (hopefully) have to re-design the bloody layout after every software update. Unfortunately, I can't incorporate it into my site as designed on the blogger site as it's considered an 'upgraded' template. I know folks have personalized blogger-driven blogs on their own web sites, without needing to dedicate a whole domain to it (Neil Gaiman and his PA Fabulous Lorraine, for example), but I'm not sure how they managed it, and without a nice step-by-step tutorial on doing that (which I've yet to find), I'm leaving the blog on the blogger (or, blogspot, more accurately) site and linking to it from my personal web site. At least the blog now looks like part of my web site! I'm keeping my LiveJournal as well - thanks to Ping.fm, I can update it at the same time with posts to my personal blog as well, and still keep super-personal posts at LJ for friends-only. I've also got a feedburner account, which means one can subscribe to receive my bloggings via email, if they like. So, official blog is now at http://ping.fm/NkaHS LJ for super-personal friends-only stuff, and the MySpace blog will just mirror the 'official' posts (when it works - it's a bit hit and miss for ping.fm to manage a MySpace blog posting for some reason).

Snowy photies!

2009-03-02T17:39:00.004-05:00

It's become a rare occurrence, but once in a while, we get a nice snowfall in NC. Last night, around 7pm, the snow began after a day of mostly rain, and freezing rain, occasionally mixed with sleet. I'm one of those folks who like the snow, so first thing this morning, I grabbed the camera and took some shots (clickening for embiggening where permitted):

A Yellow-rumped Warbler came to visit

Me, posing with the pretty snowy tree (a Bradford Pear)

A nice shot of the pretty snowy tree.

What's this on my roof? Could it be.....

a footprint?!

A lovely, picturesque line of trees out back.

Damn, bugger, and blast

2009-02-25T15:07:00.001-05:00

Also: arse, and poo, and shagging wanksticks! It would seem that I can't have my shiny new Blogger blog (http://ping.fm/j9d0y) on my own personal web site unless I purchase a whole domain for it, or unless I use their screamingly boring bog-standard "classic" template, wherein I would be able to use the ftp thingummy option. Damn it Marjorie!!!!

Ooooh, pretty Blogger!

2009-02-24T21:48:00.003-05:00

I've prettied up my Blogger and found it far more easily customizable than the Movable Type I'm using currently on my web site. If I work out how to import the feed onto my web site's journal page, I think I might like it better. I do know there's a way to publish it under your own domain name, but that involves changing dns records and such if I'm reading the info correctly, and I just want it to occupy one page - not take up the entire domain. I'll keep reading and pester some of my friends who use blogger to see if I can make it work somehow.

Blog? What Blog?

2005-06-10T23:02:00.000-04:00

Greetings!

My 'blog' is actually located at http://www.marylayton.net/journal/ - I've only got a blogger account to facilitate posting to my blogger-blogging friends.

Blue Moon Atelier Journal

New Year's Fun Craft

Magick 4 Terri

New Art and FaerieCon!

Chocolate: dark, milk, or white?

Recommended reading

Another embloggening? I'm on a roll!

O Hai!

Who's the most famous person you've met?

Raven's Key - Original Art Auction - 100% of proceeds to NFINC

Luna Grove Designs / Blue Moon Atelier Status Update

Second Life Store update

Captain Jack, we hardly knew ye...

Second Life

Blue Moon Atelier December News

Newsletter

15 December 2009

Remember, remember...

Steampunk Goodness!

Outer Alliance Pride Day

I haz a tattoo

Tiling and Art!

Finished drawing and other rambles

Back and working

Working for the weekend

This week, I are been mostly blogging sketches

Random thoughts and a recipe

Neil Gaiman's 100K Twitter Contest

Original Art for sale on Etsy

Recession? We don't need no stinking recession!

Help me fundraise for Red Nose Day!

Tubes 'n' Tags, and becoming a better blogger

Snowy photies!

Damn, bugger, and blast

Ooooh, pretty Blogger!

Blog? What Blog?