My 2014 Life List

Per the usual, I don't make resolutions I write life lists. After all, a life is never too long to get things done! This year has been updated to reflect many of the changes that happened as of the middle of 2013 that at first seemed like the end of the world yet seemed to have turned out to be the beginning.... In no particular order:

1) Get passport (I know, I know, this one has been on the to-do list too long!)

2) meet more of my Joy sisters in real life

3) deepen my yoga practice

4) Visit New York

5) restart my jewelry business the way I want to
6) Get back to N'Awlins 

7) get a new bicycle
8) Visit chocolate museum in Spain
9) Learn wing chun
10) visit Alaska, make preserves and fairy magic with Laura and Heather
11) Move to a new apartment
12) Catch up on classes!

13) Sell more art

14) Eat dessert at Pierre Herme
15) Attend a tea class at Heaven's Tea School and Mariage Frere
16) learn more about herbs
17) get out of debt
18) Visit a tea plantation
19) Eat at Mystic Pizza
20) Get deeper into painting and art

21) Learn to crochet clothes

22) finish writing my novel
23)  Own my own tea and dessert shop
24) Travel to Greece
25) Eat street food in Barcelona and Madrid
26) Eat and drink in France
27) fall in love again
28) get better at selling myself as the awesome person I am
29) Learn (better) French
30) take up archery
31) be a world traveler
32) Eat lobster rolls on the East Coast
33) Eat my way through Portland (actually, working on this now!)

34) Remember to surrender

35) Revisit Seattle and actually go where I want
36) See the tulips in Amsterdam
37) Visit Santa Fe
38) Visit the Caribbean
39) Become proficient in Hungarian pastry
40) visit Vancouver!
41) See the Pyramids
42) Visit the Hermitage
43) Make my own liqueur/Make my own bitters
44) Learn to play piano
45) Record an album of my music
46) Publish a cookbook (or two. Or three)
47) Learn to swim well

48) Take a train trip
49) Create a clothing line for women

50) Host my own TV show "Lost Desserts of the World"
58) sword fighting/knife throwing
51) Be a lounge singer
52) Eat at August
53) Eat at Herbfarm
54) Learn to make Thai Food

55) Start a shoe line for women with longer feet.
56) Visit Savannah and eat fried shrimp (Thank you, Patricia!)
57) cook my way through my favorite books

Here It Comes Again

I know why it had to be this way
If you asked me for a label
I would graciously resist

"Here It Comes Again" -Please 

Empire Records Soundtrack

It's that time of year again. Hot weather coming hot on the heels of my birthday. Which was amazing this year!  I got treated to the cocktail spirits carnival and spent a wonderful day with my friends, then I was treated to fabulous ramen with even better company and I got art supplies like you would not believe!

cocktails....

ramen...

art supplies...and a cookbook!

 So the good part is that I have a great life with wonderfully amazing friends. The bad part is that it seems that this is also the time of year when my electronics commit hara-kiri. Okay, so I'm being a tiny bit overdramtic here, but last year at this same time that same laptop died. The motherboard. Again. I do have a laptop that is, well, workable is a word. One could use. In this instance. I guess.

Trying to do homework has been a challenge. Remember how slow your dial up computer was back in the day? Yeah, I know it's a first world problem, but honey there isn't even room to put Word on this thing, let alone Photoshop or a music program. So, in an effort to get myself a new laptop (new new, not used new. That has not worked out for me in, oh, ever) I will be posting my art for sale. At this point I figure, why not? I love to make it, it seems like people love to look at it, so they want to own some of it maybe?

Not to mention that it creates space and the ability for me to create more art & offerings for you! I have a few ecourse ideas noodling around in my brain and hope to have the first one launch by August.

Thanks in advance for your support on this, your cheerleading is always appreciated. Also, if there is something you've seen me post that you don't see listed, drop me a line!

Etsy

Redbubble 
Facebook

<3 Luna

art supplies, baby!

Blackberry: A magazine and a Giveaway!

For the past six months I have been wanting to write more. For the past three months I have been writing more. One of my goals was to submit to Blackberry: A Magazine, the lit magazine by my FB friend Alicia Sommer.

One of the reasons I have been wanting to submit is that I like what I see. More than any other magazine aimed at Black females I feel like this one gets me. Gets that I am not wanting to see a zillion ads for skin lightening cream or hair straightener. One that recognizes I am both reader and writer. One that has flesh, bone and blood.

So in January when I was able to pull together some pieces that would work with the theme I got so excited about submitting that when I was accepted there wasn't a lot of room left to get all crazy. Until Wednesday night when I got this message on FB: Hey S Luna Raven, look who made the cover. :)

Are you kidding me?!

So, I have two poems in this issue and I made the cover. I made the cover. I made the cover. Okay, I think it is safe to say that I am really, really excited!

Now the good for you part: if you buy a copy of the magazine, let me know in the comments so you can be entered to win a signed 5x7 copy of this photo. You can buy either the digital or print version of the mag, you just need to let me know in the comments that you did. That's it! It's so worth it, not only to support me (which I thank you for) but all the other ladies and the fabulous Alicia, who works so hard to make this so great!

The giveaway ends March 8th at Midnight. Don't be shy, tell all your friends!

<3

Luna

Wordless Wednesday: In The Meantime

This lovely painting needs a good home. Give a shout if interested.

In progress....

also in progress.....

Crochet, shading, art!

This past two weeks or so I have been drawing & painting as well as doing crochet. I'm shifting in several ways and trying to find the balance of being really busy and still getting everything done!

Red crochet brooch

I frogged this scarf and redid it with great results!

Still working on colored pencil shading. I love her so far!

I have also been getting back my waning kitchen mojo and made perfect chocolate chip cookies the other night! And this weekend is the Chocolate Salon, so I will let you know what new goodies I find.

How are you getting back your mojo or balance? What's striking a cord in you right now?

Life in the Details

Lately when I have been reading the Scoutie Girl blog I feel as though each post is speaking directly to me. Like this one Well Fed Artists and this one today Are you leaving enough space for your life in your work?

I am looking at my calender for the next few weeks and things are starting to pick up again. And truthfully, the past two weeks, my balance has been off. Way off. Since I love being busy, I need to be much more aware and keep myself check: no matter how much I have to do I need to make sure I am eating right and stopping when my body says stop.

Scarf action with ArtFibers fabulous Kanji, tussah silk and bamboo

Luckily every week before my coaching call, I have to journal about what I have done in the last week. This has been one of the most powerful tools anyone has ever shared with me. In my mind I am a slacker. In my journal it would appear that I do so much I can't even remember half of it! If you haven't tried this you might find it a really helpful trick.

I have been busy crocheting, too, but not too busy to get in some art....

Are you listening to yourself to make sure that your life is in line with your busy? What tricks do you use to make things easier?