You're Invited to Meet the Makers!

My art and goodness from other local vendors is going to be available for browsing starting next week, and the Salt & Honey Market.

They have a special Meet the Makers Party the evening before the show opens for everyone else, and you're invited:

Discounts, goodies, meeting cool people? Yes, please! I'll be there, too and would love to see you that evening!

Color This Bear Coloring Contest

Guys, around here we have been stricken with the plague. It's been an all-hands-on-deck situation over here, but it's finally under control, we've finally gotten enough sleep, and we're most likely not contagious anymore. All good things. We've had a lot happening in the last little while, and I'm excited to share some of our latest adventures! One of which involves this wild guy:

Right now I'm hosting a coloring contest of the grolar bear illustration I made. If you have caught the grown-up coloring book bug, this will be a fun contest for you, friend! It's running on Instagram, and here are the details:


1. Download the bear coloring page for an amazing introductory rate before it goes up to full price April 15. Secret pricing rewards for friends. That's how I roll.
2. Print it up and color like there's no tomorrow! I have some fun treatments to show you and can't wait to see what you can come up with too.
3. Post your creation all over Instagram using #colorthisbear.
4. You get a bonus entry for each post using the hashtag #colorthisbear and for each person you tag in those posts!
5. A winner will be randomly picked from the entries. Will you be the lucky person?
6. If you win, you get to pick your favorite animal to be turned into a similarly-styled coloring page! How neat is that?

This contest runs through March and into April. A winner will be selected April 15 because coloring takes time, right? I can't wait to see what lovely things you have in store for this little guy!

Wild and Wondrous Series Update

It's birthday season around here, so I've been a busy little bee drawing illustrations for the birthday peeps. This year I asked everyone what their favorite wild beast was and then drew it coloring book style. I've been calling it my Wild & Wondrous illustration series. It's been fun so far and it's been interesting to see what animals are picked! Here are a couple more additions:

There are more in the works, and you can see the entire series here as it gets updated.

I like to shake things up every year and do something a little different to celebrate birthdays. I find it helps keep things interesting and meaningful. In the past I've created art, organized a large family gift, gathered heartfelt notes from everyone in the family, put together a photo album, taken the birthday boy/girl out for a one-on-one lunch, given a meaningful gift, or even given gag gifts (haha, suckers!). You never know what you're going to get with this wild card! (Unless your birthday is later in the year, then hopefully you can figure it out based off of the pattern from previous birthdays.)

What do you like to do to celebrate the birthdays in your family?

Snowflake Series

Last month I worked on a mini illustration series of color snowflakes in honor of the magical magic that is winter:

I may or may not have gotten carried away with some of the crazy colors, and I played around with different styles, but seemed to find my footing near the end. It was a great exercise for me! I am currently working on a Wild and Wondrous animal series and posting them on Instagram. Or, if you'd like to see some of my past series, you can now see them on their own page on my website!

I have such a hard time picking a favorite winter activity, but sledding and snowshoeing are at the top of my list. What about you? What's your favorite snowy activity? (And don't say "staying inside!")

Grolar Bear

Have you ever heard of a grolar bear? It's sometimes called a pizzly bear? I don't know, but it's supposedly a mix between a polar bear and grizzly bear as their habitats increasingly overlap as we overheat our planet by burning fossil fuels. While most animal hybrids don't occur in the wild, these do. So, I drew one:

I've been working on an illustration series this year of these animal illustrations and should have a hefty stack of them come 2017. Due to the illustration style, these little guys can be preeeetty time consuming. Hard? Sure. Worth it? Duh, yes. If you want to follow along this series, I'll be posting them on Instagram and also on my Feather & Fir business website they are completed.

Call for Volunteers!

I am the Art Team Lead for the upcoming All-together Playground that is going to be built in Utah County in just a few short months. It's a playground that has many accessibility features and will a community-build project. How fun is that?

What a great reason to pull together as a community and make something we can all be proud of. If you want to learn more about who it helps, you can do so here.

I am putting together a volunteer team of artists, craftspeople, and designers! Our job is to make the playground beautiful and fun while incorporating historical elements that make our area unique.

If you'd like to be on the Art Team (which I don't know why not because it's going to be awesome), please sign up here, so we can get cracking! There is a lot of work ahead of us, but it will be so much easier with more hands.

Other teams are looking for additional members as well, so if you're interested in helping with the construction, planning, child involvement, special needs, or the many other ways of helping, please sign up here as well. Or, if you are able to help financially, you can find sponsor opportunities here.

And of course, spreading the word about this project is one of the best ways you can help!

So what do you think? Is this something you'd like to be involved in?

See ya, 2015

So long, 2015. Let's be honest, you were a doozy. Nevertheless, we had some good times too. The Word Of The Year was "DO," and do we did. Here's a little review of the ups and downs of 2015:




The very first day of the year, my brother's roof literally came crashing down from burst water pipes in his ceiling. He and his family stayed at our house for a month or so while his apartment was fixed. We all learned a lot about living with other people, and we enjoyed the company. Plus, I got to cook my first pheasant, compliments of my brother's hunting prowess.

I got to try out my snowshoes, and did some hiking, more hiking, more snowshoeing, and even more hiking!

Taking a leap and turning in a piece of artwork for the LDS International Art Competition was scary! I hadn't focused that hard on a finished piece of artwork in a long time, but it came together with a steady schedule and purpose. That was a lot of work, but I learned a lot about my art process along the way.

I had been really interested in beekeeping and took a class about it. I loved it! Bees are so amazing and I feel like we are kindred spirits. Oh tiny sisters, I love you! Unfortunately, we can't have bees in our current house, so it will need to wait until we have a different home.

I got back into rock climbing! It had been years since I last enjoyed it, but with a trusty friend to show me the ropes again, I took it up again and had some of my best lunch breaks!

For my birthday, we took a trip to Zion National Park with friends and went on some wicked cool hikes. We got to do some light bouldering and also visited the Valley of Fire, which will forever hold a special place in my heart. We stopped by a crazy cool ghost town and of course an old cemetery. We played games and talked without any children interrupting. Yes, it's a thing!

Not too soon after that, Kirk got laid off due to the dip in the oil market. Well, poop. While it was a major bummer, we looked for the silver lining and decided to move forward as a single income family with a stay-at-home parent. What a lucky kid we have! We had to make some major adjustments. It was a palette cleanser and turned out to be the catalyst for many life introspections and realignments in our lifestyle and the direction in which we want our family to go. All good things, but a painful route.

With a clear and free schedule, we were able to attend a wedding in San Diego last minute. The sunshine was just what we needed, the little kid got to go to the beach for the first time, and we got to see family that we hadn't seen in forever. Cousins, guys.

I got up the guts to submit my first piece of art to the Springville Museum of Art's Spring Salon. It was so much work too, but I am proud of the final product and loved the way the piece turned out.

Also, I got up the courage to get my own website up and running. There are a lot of moving parts and every time I would change something, I would discover 10 more things that I needed to do. Gah! So. Much. Work. But also, it's a labor of love that I'm super proud of! And, I got some business cards made, which helped me feel a lot more official. Being a business owner has been so rewarding and I can't believe I waited so long to get started. Once I got through all the worrying in my brain and got things done, it finally came together. I finally found my purpose and style, which was a major win!

I had my first art booth at the Beehive Bazaar last spring! For some reason, it was a super scary step for me to take but I was blown away by all the support from friends and family and was humbled that people liked my art enough to buy it. Thank you, friends! And, I got more comments on my booth than anything else. Kirk made it for me to display my wares. Isn't it amazing?

Our family took part in a fun run.

We were in charge of a large family reunion, and it was full of crazy fun times and crazy fun people. We hiked along a petroglyph ridge, visited our old stomping grounds in Nevada, spent time splashing in the pool, and swapped stories. We also got to spend some time with our little family visiting Zion again, and tricked our daughter into hiking with us there.

Pepper took some swim classes and turned into a little fish and may have proposed to her instructor.

I did some hiking, more hiking, even more hiking, and solo hiking.

Then, there was that one time I had a baby. He arrived a couple hours after one of my favorite woodsy hikes. He just needed a little encouragement but he came with a smile and a sense of humor. We took a couple weeks off of our regular lives while we adjusted and got to learn how we would be as a family of four. We spent those weeks exploring the wilderness, exploring more, and exploring even more.

We planted and cared for and harvested a garden and flower beds this year. We also got some unexpected blessings from our labors and dried, juiced, and froze some of the best food.

Again, we participated in the Beehive Bazaar. Kirk's booth construction was all the rage again, and I added more pieces to the booth. I loved making all the art!

We got to cheer Kirk on in his half marathon through the beautiful fall foliage. He practiced diligently and did a great job!

I submitted my first-ever art piece to the Springville Art Museum's Religious and Spiritual exhibit. Again, it was a ton of work but I love the way the piece turned out. (The post will be up soon!) Plus, I was able to see a vast difference between this piece and my first submission from earlier in the year. Progress, guys!

I read some books.

Pepper's preschool ended, and she said goodbye to her friends there and hello to a full-time life with a great stay-at-home dad. She started a dance class, though, and fell in love with performing on stage!

My brother got married! In a whirlwind of familial excitement we spent loads of time planning, prepping, doling out unsolicited advice, and participating in general merriment. I took photos of our family with all the new additions before we all went our separate ways and started our own roots.

I got in some delicious autumn hiking, more hiking, and even tried mountain yoga hiking!

We partook in some of our favorite holiday traditions during the fall and Christmas seasons. The last quarter of the year is always one of our favorites! We also started new traditions to make our family life more intentional and to encourage one-on-one time and great family times too.

We cheered Kirk on in another race and got to share in the sugary spoils.

I tried a new thing on Instagram where I posted a different art series every month. I did an alphabet bird series, an autumn leaf watercolor series, and a series of requested wildlife sketches. I love being able to share my art with others!




2015 was indeed a doozy. While we are still trying to figure things out, we are managing to make the best of it and enjoy our precious family time while we can. 2015 was a good lesson in reevaluating constantly, making purposeful decisions, and getting up the courage to do things (because waiting through all the thinking is oftentimes more painful and difficult than actually getting things done!) So, there you have a few of our highlights from last year.

After talking with a friend about how I didn't think 2015 was a really good year, and that I felt I hadn't accomplished much, I was encouraged to write about it. Once I started writing, it opened my eyes to the many positive things we experienced last year, even amid the challenges. It was a great exercise in positivity and looking back I was surprised at what we were able to accomplish during crazy times and despite a definite funk.

So, if you've made it this far, first, you're a dedicated soul (thank you!) and second, I'm passing the advice forward. You don't need to post it publicly, but I encourage you to reflect on your past year if you haven't done so already and write down some of the major events. Looking back on your photos and social media accounts might help you out. So what do you say?

Around Here

Around here we've been getting into our new year grove, eating lots of comforting soups, going on icy hikes, fighting off various wintertime illnesses, and putting the kids to bed early. (I love that it gets dark around 5:30 because then the kids fall asleep easier. It's much better than the 9:00 pm sundown we get to deal with in the summertime.)

This month, we are a playful family (one of our monthly family values, which you can read more about here), so we've been doing fun things together as a family every evening. We play games or make a treat together. We've already gone swimming twice this week. Brrr.

And as per usual, we've been doing lots of art and projects around the house. Here's a look at all the animal sketches I did for my December days of Wildlife illustration series:

By request, I turned the baby giraffe into a printable:

It is available for free in my shop if you'd like to have your very own version. Consider it a little thank you for coming by for a visit!

What are you doing these days? I'm loving the cozy and quiet evenings, and of course the snow!

Word of the Year 2016

There is a tradition I have taken part of for the last several years which has brought depth and meaning into my life throughout the whole year. I pick a word to focus on for an entire year and make it a part of myself. Some people call it their One Little Word or their 2016 Word, but I've been calling it my Word Of The Year (WOTY).

If you want to see how I came to this word or what I'm hoping to glean from it this year, you can read more in-depth here.

It's amazing to see how this practice works for many different people. If you're looking for word ideas or additional thoughts on how this practice could work for you too, some other people who I know enjoy this practice are:
Jen Schow
Ali Edwards
Elise Blaha-Cripe

Is this something you do too? Tell me and I'll add your link to the post!

Is this something you'd like to do but don't know how to start? Ask me your questions and I'll answer them!

Painted Paper Snowflakes How-To

We tried a new family craft together as a celebration of winter. Making paper snowflakes is something my mama taught me when I was little, and we used to add glitter details to make them shimmer. Making paper snowflakes is now something we do as a family but with a couple of watercolor aficionados in the house, we added paint. Here's how to do this easy craft with your kids:

Paint white paper with blue and teal and purple watercolors (you know, all those great icy colors!) in whatever patterns you want:

Once it's dry, fold and cut up snowflakes as per usual:

We like to hang ours from the ceiling or tape them to the windows. Do you like to make paper snowflakes too? What do you do with yours?

Nature-Inspired Art

One thing I love doing is sharing my art and love of nature with others. For Feather and Fir, my fun and time-consuming side-hustle, I like to focus on nature-inspired art.

I have found that every person I ask has a moment of wonder with nature that is unforgettable. There has been something or someplace that has touched them deeply, and they will never forget the feeling or magnificence of that moment. I love to focus on those meaningful moments and express those feelings through my artwork.

Each piece of art I create has a back story and a moment of wonder connected with it. If there is someone you love who has such a moment and is lucky enough to get a gift from you this holiday season, consider sending them a little token of that memory.

There are several nature-inspired artworks up in my shop that would love to find a happy new home to beautify! Take a look around! Or, if you have a specific moment or wonder you are hoping to commemorate, I am also open to commissions. Or, if you have any questions or just want to geek out with me about how neat nature is, then shoot me a message. Nothing would make me happier than digging deep into a grand discussion with you!

Right now these autumn leaf watercolor sets are at a special early-bird buyer rate:

If you follow me on Instagram, you might recognize these from my November art series. Right now, they are only $75 per set of 6, which is an awesome deal for original watercolors. On December 21st, though, they will go up to full price permanently for $90. I don't offer any prints, only original artwork, which is unique these days with all the free printables available. I love to make art that speaks to people's souls.

So what kind of art speaks to you?

Do you have a moment of wonder you would like to see made into one of my future art projects? I'm open to any suggestions, especially for my current December series: Days of Wildlife.

All Over the Place

This is a super fun space I use to share the goings-on and general hubbub of the Baxter clan, but I have a professional side, too, with my art business. If you like some of the content on this blog, then you might want to check me out elsewhere too. I'm all over the place, guys!

If you enjoy reading some of the deeper or introspective things, the Feather and Fir blog might be a good fit. It's not as irreverent or goofy as it is here, but it's still me! It's a place where I share my weekly thoughts on nature, explanations of my nature-inspired art, art how-tos, and art case studies. And, if you ever want to geek out together about nature, or if you have questions about my art or processes, you can always send me a line. I'd love it if you joined me as we explore and discover new moments of wonder together.

I'm also on Instagram. I share daily posts about nature experiences I've had, as well as the current fine art projects I'm working on. I've done a couple of monthly art series lately that have been super enjoyable. I'm a busy little bee over there. If you are interested in getting posts in your feed on the daily with nature art, behind-the-scenes and in-progress shots, nature facts and ponderings, as well as some of my adventures in the wild, then I'd love it if you joined! I get giddy seeing the comments and discussions on that platform! The nicest people ever hang out there. For reals.

And, if you like to see and save visual inspiration, you can find me on Pinterest too. It's an awesome spot to see some of my favorite nature photos and my artwork all in one spot. Gotta love the giant bowl of digital eye-candy. Pinterest is always a go-to for me when I'm looking for visual inspiration or building a moodboard. Is it for you too?

And then finally, there is the Feather & Fir shop. Did you know I have a shop? I totally do! It's only been running for a few months but I'm super proud and crazy about it! It's been a lot of work to put all of it together, but I hope that it shows the stories behind the artwork and encourages people to pause and really take in those amazing moments that nature is waiting to teach us. All of the artworks in my shop are originals. There aren't any prints or copies. Say what? Yep, it's true! Like I said, it's been so much work. I have personally created and crafted each piece with love and care. I'm continually putting new things up in the shop, and prices start at $6, which is a pretty great starting point for original art. I like to keep a variety of prices and items in there, from small happy reminders to bigger conversational pieces, for a variety of budgets and tastes.

Right now, my watercolor leaf series are at a great price for only $75 for a set of 6 original paintings. That's a sweet deal! I don't ever discount my art, but I do like to reward the loyal people who act fast. Tomorrow, the prices on these newest sets will go up to the full value of $90, so check them out while they are still around at the introductory price.

So yeah, I'm a regular on those other platforms, as well as twice-a-week posts on this ole' blog. Each platform has its pros and cons, you know? I thought I'd let you know, just in case you weren't already aware. Mostly, though, I appreciate all the kind words and support from you. Thanks for sharing some of your precious time here, with me. I really do appreciate it, it's so encouraging.

P.S. I've been thinking about joining Periscope soon. Have you tried it? What are your thoughts?

Quick Thank-yous

Here's an idea for a quick and small thank-you card:

In two hours' time, make a thousand million 3" x 2" card bases, apply a watercolor wash to each base, and stamp the sentiment over the dry paint. (You can use any sentiment you like, but considering the season and all the things we have to be grateful for these days, I turned these into thank-you cards.)

I made a ton in every color of the rainbow and have already gone through most of them. They're easy to add to a plate of cookies or to tuck under a pillow or leave on someone's keyboard. I make sure to always have a substantial stash of thank-you cards on hand so that I can respond courteously and in a timely fashion.

Unless a gift comes from a very close friend or is super meaningful, I find it difficult to fill up an entire thank-you card. And call me crazy, but with larger card sizes I feel obligated to fill up all the space. Enter smaller card sizes. They can be just as genuine and kind but without all the extra fluff I find myself adding to larger cards.

Waddaya say? You wanna try these? Or do you have another thing that works well for you?

Around Here

Around here we're enjoying the fruits of our labors:

We're putting more things in the shop each week:

We're gearing up for one of the best holidays ever invented:

We're arting our little hearts out:

We're learning new things:

And we're generally making ourselves cozy. Fall is the best, don't you agree?

Piles and Piles

Around here, we've been arting our buns off like crazy kooks! It seems like that spindly-legged kid of ours has caught our project passion and creating habit, which is good and bad. Good because making things is awesome! Bad because...what a mess! Her project piles gather on our couches, counters, piano benches, desks, fireplace, and floors, especially in high-traffic walkways:

We can't blame her for all the messes, though, because she most likely picked up on the busy project-making buzz surrounding our grownup shenanigans. We've been leaving our own piles of our creations everywhere, too.

While we do enjoy simple and somewhat tidy spaces, we also strive to foster creativity and imagination around these parts.  For us, that usually involves experimentation and not being attached to materials used to carry out our wild schemes. Also, it gives us a lot to think about when it comes to tradeoffs and sacrificing a clean home for the greater good.

What are some ways you embrace imagination and other good things that are messy?

Family Art Classes

That crazy kid and I spend a lot of time in the art studio, and I mean a lot of time every day. We draw and paint while we jam to our favorite records and discuss anything that comes to mind. Lately I've been introducing her to new ways of expressing herself and we've been playing around with different media and techniques. (It usually blows her little mind in the best ways! Love it!) I look forward to our daily art classes together!

Because I've been so busy getting things ready for the Beehive Bazaar, we've been spending even more time together in the studio than usual, and we both have the stacks of artwork to prove it. You can see more of my artwork on my business blog or on my Instagram account, if you'd like.

Arting together is some of my most treasured moments with my daughter, which have been even better than I imagined they could be when I was picturing motherhood before she was born. I love seeing how her imaginative little mind works and it makes me proud to watch her skills develop. It's nice to have an art buddy to get feedback from, too (even though it makes no sense most of the time...she is only three, after all).

What kinds of things did you most enjoy doing with your parents when you were younger, or what do you like to do now with your kiddos?

Happy Elephant Family

Here's a cute little painting I made of a cute little elephant family for a cute little nephew:

Cute isn't really my forte, but I needed to make it work for him, so I painted with watercolor then outlined the shapes in black ink to give it more of a childlike appeal. I think it worked.

Christmas Oranges

Around the holidays, we become inundated with ridiculous amounts of sugar from generous-hearted friends and neighbors. We like to share the love, too, but to combat the pure fructose with a little fiber, we decided to hand out silly oranges to our neighbors instead:

 

This is a great way to include the little peeps in your family. We colored oranges until there were no more within reach to decorate. All we did was hand Pepper a Sharpie, and she unleashed her artistic greatness on each precious fruit. Then, I turned her delightful scribbles into happy and silly faces. We enjoyed sharing and spreading the smiles this Christmas. I'm pretty sure we won't do this every year, but it worked out well for us this time around and will be a go-to activity in the future with little ones.

Employee Crafting

As I've mentioned before, the company I work for hosts quarterly make-and-takes to keep the employees familiar with the products we carry...plus it's dang fun, and we rarely need an excuse to get together for some delightful times:

I have a tendency to disregard the instructions and do my own thing, so I changed up a few pieces from the original art. I also made sure all my cards were thank-you cards because we use those pretty regularly.

Huzzah for adding to the card stash!

Kirk's Coat of Arms

So, I've been on a symbolism kick lately and I also made Kirk his own coat of arms:

 

The symbolism for his coat of arms is:

Skull- mortality

Broom plant- humility

Hourglass- flight of time and mortality

Chameleon- adaptability

Columns- fortitude and constancy

Vines- strong and lasting friendship

Serpent- wisdom and defiance

Tree- regrowth, rebirth (uprooted- disinherited)

Ass- patience, humility, fulfilling Christian duty

Badger- bravery, perseverance, protection, fierceness, home defence

Cock- sun, courage, perseverance, resurrection

Pheasant- resourcefulness

And the colors mean:

 

Black- constancy

Blue- truth and loyalty

Gold- generosity and elevated mind

Green- hope, joy, loyalty in love

I love that the colors mean things too. If you had to pick your favorite color based solely on its meaning instead of the lovely hue, what color would it be? Do tell.