Giving Thanks, little tears, and a BOGO sale from my New Studio

So... WOW! What a year! And it's not even over yet!

Perhaps I should explain a bit. Thanksgiving, for me, is:
~~cooking ALL day! Homemade bread, pies, etc... warm, wonderful food with no added stuff you can't pronounce! :D
~~time with FAMILY! We're scattered all over 500-3000 miles at any given time, so family time together is Rare and Precious for us! This holiday was no exception-- we had a lovely visit from my brother and his girlfriend, complete with laughs and stories (some you wish would finally rest)! haha
~~last but *Certainly Not* least, time for gratitude. I don't mean that half-assed, "I'm-grateful-for-the-1st-thing-that-comes-to-mind" routine either. I mean taking some time to examine yourself to really focus on all the wonderful things in your life and really "letting them in deep" and appreciating them... appreciate them to the point of getting a little teary-eyed if you can. You know... big gratitude!! Giving Thanks!


As I thought back on ALL that's happened this year, and all the wonderful people and opportunities in my life, yeah, I'll admit it... I DID get teary-eyed. So... what?! I'm a mush. We've already covered this I think. Anyway, so yeah, I'm very grateful for all the good that's come my way this year... and a little overwhelmed when I think of it all en masse.

And, one of the things I'm most grateful for is YOU! You who care enough to take time out of your lives to read about mine... you who spend your hard earned money on the work I pour my heart into... you who leave encouraging remarks on my blog (even when I get that "Internet Overwhelmed Syndrome" I've been known to come down with, and then go absent for a while)... YOU!!!!! Thank you. Thank you so much.




Because it's apparently the time of year that you're supposed to have a sale, I decided that, if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna make it a BIG one! So... in my ETSY Store I'm holding a "BOGO" Sale (buy one photograph, get another photograph of your choice for FREE)... PLUS... Free Shipping on many of the listings in my shop. Plus... if you happen to be one of the fantastic souls who has already bought my work before, You also get a free fine art photo greeting card added in too! To take advantage of this though, you do have to order before midnight (Pacific Time) on Monday, Nov 30th.

I think nothing says "thank you" like GIVING, so... for your support, I'm giving back. How's that for gratitude? ;)

www.kennafoster.etsy.com

OH! And, many of you asked for photos once I got settled in... Well, I'm not exactly what I'd term "settled in" yet. Lots of boxes from "Garage past" still need sorted, given to thrift store, put away, etc... (new garage isn't quite weather proof-- small trade off for the fantastic home & extra room). And, as you can see, decorating of the new studio is... well... hasn't happened, but those things will take time that I'm not busy getting my submission images ready for the FPOE book... or the Viewpoint Gallery exhibit... or getting holiday orders ready to ship... or... blogging. :) So, for now, here's my new studio, complete with temporary matting/shipping table filled with supplies as I prepare to start matting my work for the upcoming exhibit. :) Maybe one of these days, I'll attach a photo of my old workspace... just so you, too, can truly appreciate the comparison. ;)



And, as I settle into the work before me, melding happily into my new studio... candles aglow and wonderful music dancing gorgeously off the hardwood floors, I find myself, again... very grateful (with just a hint of teary-eye).

Breaking the Rules

Breaking MY OWN rules, that is... I am actually (dare I really DO this??) making a post with NO photos! Eeeep.

Sorry. :(

I am, as I sometimes do, jumping head-long into TOO many exciting things at once! I've been bitten by the "oh, and I have to do THAT TOO, and that, and while I'm at it, THAT too" Bug! It's already 1:30am and it looks like, after being up until 2:30 last night, I'll be going even longer tonight. So be it.

I go in bursts. Good or bad, inconsistent, call it what you will... I get bursts of "chargy energy" when I take on everything and then, after I have done that for a while, I shut down for a bit. I think the "be average/even-keeled/steady" notions of society have influenced me to fight this for a long time, but... honestly, this is just my natural tendency. So... should one fight that?

I think that, while I debate the issue, I'll CHARGE ON for a while longer until I find that brick wall I'm looking for. ;P

Having said all that, I realize that as I take on big conservation campaigns, choose submissions for a wonderful book I'm participating in, asst. contest entries, magazine submissions, preparations for an important gallery showing, and try to "brace for the holidays," (all while still unpacking the boxes strewn about the house, cleaning, fixing, etc...), I have completely neglected my wonderful blog readers. For that, I *am* sorry. I ask you to bear with me and indulge my burst->idle->burst->idle ways. Think of it as a roller-coaster... they're fun! I promise to post photos again soon... maybe the new house & my happy studio that I'm working from now... maybe the latest winery project... maybe the human-nature yoga project... who knows?? Maybe ALL of the aforementioned! ;)

Oh... and if you celebrate it...Happy Thanksgiving. If not, give some thanks anyway, it's just good for ya. ;)



Post-edit note: Wow... did I really forget to mention that I'm caving to the masses (i.e. joining an Etsy-wide holiday sale!) and hosting a big sale this weekend? Yep. I am. Check my Etsy Shop Friday through Monday to get your share of the bargains. It's way better than driving to the mall at 5am and possibly being trampled on the way in. And the gift lasts for 100+ years, so that's cool too. Maybe if I have enough "bursts" it'll even increase in value... never know.


The post, post-edit note: (huh??) So... returning to fix a downed blog-link, I discovered that I had a rather... exposed follower that obviously was looking for photography not related to nature conservation. Nude, fine, but make it artistic. Anyhow, had to block a follower for the first time, after losing two others (due to Blogger-glitch, me, or him... I'll never know). I guess maybe there is a down side to creating posts in the middle of the night afterall. :(

Movin' ...and Shakin!

Moving... yes! Mentioned it previously, but as I'm starting to pack and getting ready to go do the "big clean" I seem to be so fond of doing before moving in... it's all *REAL* now, and this little nook and these windows are calling to me!! (And a bunch more windows in other rooms too)!

This picture is just a little teaser-shot I couldn't help snapping while the former resident was packing up and we were having a look. :) You can bet more pictures will follow once I'm over there for the pre-move cleaning session (yeah... because the cleaning session upon moving out of one place isn't quite enough work, right??)... ok, so maybe I'm overly picky sometimes. Could be worse. ;)

And what about shakin?? Yeah, that too. Shaking myself to make sure I'm really awake and that this isn't all a dream... wonderful old, beautiful home (LOVE old houses) with a big back yard and our OWN workspaces... at an amazingly good deal!

AND, just got the notice today that THREE of my works have been accepted into the juried exhibit "Twelve: The Play of Light" at Viewpoint Gallery in Sacramento. I have to confess, when I first walked into that gallery on 2nd Saturday a while back, a little part of me wondered if it was "out of my league."
These two, along with "Liquid Sunset" are the accepted entries that will be featured in December, along with several other fabulous works from some very talented photographers! :)





And all this after being accepted into the Sacramento Fine Arts Center's November exhibit, as well as a featured artist exhibition at Dragon's Lair Art Gallery (at Creative Connections Art Academy) this month too! Yeah... I'm swamped! BUT, VERY GRATEFUL!

So this time I really mean it... ;) I may (should) not be around for a while, but wanted to leave you knowing I send very warm wishes while I'm away. :)