The Evolution of a Print

So here's the finished product. Below you'll see how this little mouse came to be. He's available now at my Etsy shop on greeting cards and as fine art prints!

Whenever I'm feeling stuck, frustrated, or doubtful about my work, I sit down in front of a blank sheet of paper and invite my heart to speak. This is what came out yesterday, and I can't imagine a more perfect metaphor.

The initial sketch: Just a little mouse with a big flower. 

Inked up the block to pull a quick proof and get a better idea of how it's coming along.

The final proof. Happy with how he turned out, I'm calling this print done. 

This piece isn't grand or earth-shattering, but it feels so dear to my heart. And though I didn't consciously plan it, the imagery represents so much to me.

It takes a tremendous amount of heart and courage to carry a big dream. Especially when you're just a small mouse.

Or a small fox.

Solar Power

Meep eep eep.

Thumpatta thumpatta thumpatta.

  Mouse said I think too much.

Rabbit called me skittish.

"Perhaps a moment of stillness?" they suggest.

Face in the sun,

Feet in the grass,

A tree behind my back.

 I find solar-powered peace.

Slow and Steady

Turtle friend in watercolor. 

Help me to walk slowly, breathe deeply, and speak softly. 

Ahhhh...

In Good Hands

One spring day a few years ago, my dad found a small frog in the pond out back.  I snapped a photo, and set to work recreating it in color pastels.  

I think the experiment was a success.  

arf-arf

Linocut block print of Miss Maddie.

Child's Play

As a little girl, I was very close to my stuffed animal toys.  Each one felt completely alive.  As an adult, I still feel comforted by the companionship of certain fluffy friends.  Perhaps this is why I decided to immortalize a few of these unique characters in colored pencil drawings. 

 I found this little cat while visiting the coastal town of Puerto Escondido in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico.  Walking through the city streets, I was immediately drawn to the brightly colored, hand-sewn animals that were strewn atop the Mexican blanket along the side of the road.  The women who sold them had warm smiles.  I was low on pesos that night, but they happily accepted US dollars.

I liked the lime green color of this guy in particular.  Maybe that is a magic scarf he's wearing?
  

This trio of bunnies I came across while at a vendor fair in Bangkok, Thailand.  I loved that they came tucked snugly in a zip-up cloth carrot.  It reminded me of a miniature rabbit hutch my great grandmother Hazel gave to me as a child.  It even came with a tiny food dish, and a little latch door to hold two hand-painted wooden rabbits, each no bigger than a grape.
 

This fella also originated in Thailand, and was given to me as a gift.  At first I thought he was a llama, but the chin scruff could also indicate a billy goat.  I like his shape.

These are the sorts of things that keep my inner 3-year-old happy.

Feathered Friends

I have recently undertaken the task of digitally compiling the many pieces of art I have created over the years.  

Here are some pen and ink favorites from 2009.

Sweet little Bluebird.

Cheeky Bluejay.

This nest is one of my all-time favorite drawings.  So peaceful and safe. 

More art, coming soon!

Who is Small Fox?

In my heart lives the soul of a child who is perpetually 3-years-old.

She prefers to spend her days climbing trees, rolling in grass, and wading through streams.

Now and then she takes time to sit in the shade.  To tell a story with a drawing, or paint a picture in words.   

She is endlessly inspired.  The forest nourishes her, and she has many friends there.  Rabbit, deer, and squirrel often come out to play.  They speak to her, as do the mushrooms, mosses, rivers and rocks.

But these friends also ask to speak through her.    

To the big, loud, and busy world, which has long forgotten how to listen to the critters and the bugs and the trees.

They ask that she help spread awareness among the people, that they might remember the ever-present magic which exists inside and all around us.

To help open the collective human heart, illuminate its unfathomable depths, and unleash its infinite capacity to experience joy, love, and compassion. 

To heal the suffering of Humankind.

To heal our blessed Mother Earth.

That we would become conscious co-creators of this miraculous World.

...So here we are.

My name is Lia.  I am Small Fox.

Adventures in Sewing

Yesterday, for the first time in 5 years, I was inspired to get behind a sewing machine.

As I seem to recall, my last experience with one back in 2006 was not particularly encouraging.  I had been working with a garbage bag full of 20-year-old fabric scraps, little know-how, and a temperamental old machine.  It didn't take long before I decided that there were other, far less frustrating outlets for my creativity.

Sure, I've long had fantasies about becoming savvy enough to make my own stylish, well-tailored clothes.  But in reality, the last thing I successfully sewed on a machine was an elastic hair scrunchie at age 9.

Sewing by hand, however, I have found to be most enjoyable.  I discovered this last winter while making an embroidered felt pouch for a new cell phone.   

 
It's just a single piece of felt, folded over itself and stitched at the sides with a long flap on the front.  On the back, I sewed a little bluebird.  It's shape I traced from a cookie cutter (they are handy for SO many things), then added my own embellishments.

That winter ended up being tough - I had just moved back to my hometown, was living with my parents, and was unemployed.  But in the weeks that followed my humble little crafting project, this tweety guy really did help to brighten those dark days.

In the end, it's the small, simple things that make all the difference.  Which is great really, because everyone can do small, simple things.  And we can each put so much love into whatever we create.

Another thing that gets me through trying times (besides lovingly handmade bundles of cute) is journaling.  I'm not typical an evangelist, but because I have experienced it to be so infinitely helpful in my own life, I am constantly encouraging others to take time to write and reflect. 

So in my latest sewing project, I have decided to combine two very powerful support systems in one: the lovingly handmade journal, bursting with cuteness. 

Basically I created a sleeve for a pocket notebook to slip into - not much more complicated than covering a text book, really.

Needless to say, the first few came out a little rough around the edges.  But I think I've actually got the hang of it now.  Even the idea of sewing my own clothes is starting to sound pretty achievable.  

You can find these and more fun gifts for sale on my Etsy site!  

Drop by and check it out  :)

Thanks for visiting!  Love and lightness to you <3

Woodland Critter Shortbread Cookies

Flaky, crumbly, delicate shortbread - quite possibly my favorite sweet indulgence.  Also quite possibly the finest culinary contribution to have emerged from Scotland to date (sorry, haggis).  

If you have yet to experience for yourself the magic of shortbread, imagine savoring a thick, sweet piece of pure pie crust, only vastly more delicious and, in this case, adorable.  

My inner 3-year old did a cartwheel the moment I first laid eyes on Ikea's Woodland Critter Cookie Cutters.  What's the only thing better than a batch of scrumptious cookies?  Scrumptious cookies in the shapes of snails, squirrels, and hedgehogs.

 

I made these little guys following the recipe for shortbread from Joy of Baking.  The ingredients are very simple: nothing but flour, butter, and powdered sugar with a bit of salt and vanilla extract thrown in.  On top of that, I added a couple shakes of ground cloves and allspice to give mine a little fall flavor.

Personally, I tend to prefer my shortbread simple and unadorned. But for the sake of experimentation, I dipped these in melted Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.  On the hedgehogs I also ground a bit of sea salt, and the squirrels received a coating of toasted pecan pieces.

Like what you see?  Try whipping up a batch for yourself!