A New Year!

I can't believe I haven't blogged in such a long LONG time! I just updated my website....I'm not sure yet if I "really" like it but it's better than it was. It's so hard to design anything for myself as I tend to get really critical. See the new site here: http://www.candicedillhoff.com/

This time I decided to just re-design it and leave it alone for a while.

I can't believe that picture of my husband with red hair (below). I had forgotten about it....Fortunately for me his hair is all grown back in and he looks normal again. Actually he's probably had four or five haircuts since I've blogged. Sheesh - I'm horrible!

Big Art News for me!!! I'm excited to have large and small stickers created of my art by Chartwell Studios. I can't wait to see the actual stickers! I'll post them when they arrive. Unfortunately it will be a couple of months.

I actually had a very good reason for not blogging. I started a job, it was suppose to be part time though - and ended up being FULL time but I actually really enjoyed it. I'm finally back to part time and playing catch up with my life. So I'm back again....for a little bit of web blogging - although I must admit I'm not sure anyone really reads my little scribbles! GRIN!

Soccer Head

Two days ago my normal English teacher husband went from looking normal - to looking like a rooster. Can you say Foghorn Leghorn? GRIN!!!
He's the Assistant Boys Soccer coach and they had an awesome season. They won Districts, and Regionals.... to help motivate them my wonderful husband told them they could do "anything" they wanted to his head. Well except for a permanent tattoo that is. So in front of the entire school (and his poor teenage daughter) they shaved his head in to this beautiful style and dyed it bright (really bright - Brighter than Ronald McDonalds hair) red. It's a shocker. Anyway, all I can really say is Go Kodiaks! You had better win state!

Illustration Friday - Citrus bear #2

I had to try the same image and use my regular old watercolors. I like this version better than the computer illustrated one I did yesturday.

Illustration Friday - Citrus

I really don't think this turned out well but I'm sharing it anyway.... I think my facination for bento lunches gave me this idea....Kind of a citrus bear with an orange face and lemon/lime arms. The thumbnail below looks so much better than this final image. I missed the boat!

I think this small thumbnail looks much better than the finished illustration.

Another couple of ideas I had.

Bento Boxes are da bomb!

Oh my gosh, last week I found images of Bento boxes on Flickr. I'm not sure how this came about I was searching for something entirely different and I found an image of a bento box. They are so cool. I have already ordered one off Ebay for my daughters 16th birthday. He's very much into Japanese culture right now so it will be a fun gift for her. I can't wait to make a lunch for her - maybe I'll just make her a special bento birthday lunch using the box on her birthday. I try to pack a healthy lunch for my husband and daughter everyday as school lunches are all prewrapped now days.

I think bento lunch boxes are such a wonderful idea - I WANT MORE.... even though the first one I've ordered hasn't arrived yet!

Oh how I wish there was an Asian grocery stores near by. The closest one would be 2 1/2 hours away or more .... so if you are an area that has an asian grocery with bento boxes I would happily trade a bento box or two for art. GRIN! Maybe the headline of this post should read "Begging for Bentos".

Oh What a View - Spring is in the air

Spring has arrived and I thought I would share photos of the view at my parents home. I live right next door but I don't have the same view. Mine is mostly of trees as their house is up on a hill and ours is lower down in a field. I get to visit on a daily basis so it's almost as good. See my little black and white dog in the lower left corner. She's very cute!

A closer view of those snow capped spring mountains.

Snow capped mountains framed with pear tree blossoms.

Yet another snow capped mountain. Out of focus because my digital camera didn't know if it should focus on the mountain or the trees. Plus I'm not sure it can focus on both. Anyway, you get the picture.

Pear blossom branches from below. Looks very oriental to me. Lovely.

Another view of pear blossom branches. Who knew they would look this cool. I've lived near this orchard for 13 years and I've never taken a photo of the branches like this. Kind of fun. Who knew!

Happy Spring!

Illustration Friday(s) Neighbor and Remember Together

Can you see my little "neighbor" bird in the painting. It's the orange wedged shaped image on the lower branch. This is a multi-media painting. It's been created with old Life magazine pages (the leaves) along with other recycled papers, metalic paint, of things plus glitter (many sizes and colors - it actually looks really cool in the painting). Bits and peices of paper and paper towels I have used in the studio. This one sold this past weekend at an outdoor art show I was in. I really loved the look and feel of this painting and have already started three more. I think I could have sold this painting 20 times over the weekend. Too bad I hadn't created any others. I've never had such a wonderful responce from a painting as I had with this one. Funny, how some pieces of art just work out well.

This images was for last week. Remember was the IF theme last week. Since elephants never forget I thought it would be cute to put a reminder string around his trunk. I can remember my older sister always tied a string around her finger to remember something. I'm not sure where this practice comes from but it's an interesting one.

Illustration Friday - Polar

Quick and easy watercolor. I think 1 out of 2 blogs I've looked at for illustration friday this week have polar bears. I'm not very original am I. Actually I painted this last friday but didn't get it scanned in until today (thursday) sheesh!

Anyway, at least I'm posting again for IF! Now if I can keep that up for two weeks in a row I'll be happy. GRIN.