Happy 2021 everyone! At the turn of 2020 to 2021 a kind of longing returned to me. The last handful of years have been somewhat difficult ones for me in terms of mental health. Depression, I discovered, manifests as withdrawal and disconnection from the very things that bring me a sense of vitality and connection. While I recognize that 2020 was a difficult year for many(and in its own ways it was for me as well), for me it was also one of intense personal growth. I came to terms with the duration, shape of, and severity of my depression and began to build bridges towards a life paved with more joy and desire to connect.

One of the things I miss a lot, I realized, is this place on the internet. With social media becoming increasingly toxic, I found myself withdrawing more and more away from having an online presence. But FA was always one of those communities I felt welcomed in and a part of. I look forward to making a return and getting to know you all again..and gosh..sharing more art.

I have quite a backlog of art to share that I will be working through uploading slowly. I have experimented a great deal in the last few years of online absence so a lot of my new work diverges quite a bit from what you all may recognize from me. I hope you can enjoy it as I look forward to sharing it with you all!

Thank you for being such a lovely warm community!!!

My incredibly talented partner in all things Bagheera is currently holding a rare ADULT YCH collab auction with the intensely inspiring mab on his FA. This is a pretty rare opportunity since he hasn’t offered much in the way of commissions in the past few years and that beside the character he is featuring in the YCH is incredibly personal.

If nothing else, I hope you guys will give it a gander and appreciate the beautiful artwork that has already been created! I know both  mab and  Bagheera would both appreciate that tremendously!!!

The auction ends Monday November 1st, 10:30PM PST (GMT -7).

LINK TO AUCTION
LINK TO AUCTION
LINK TO AUCTION

Thank you all as always for being the incredibly supportive fandom that you are! Stay awesome!

I guess this is the newest digs? I signed up as https://beta.furrynetwork.com/balaa/

I have no clue how anything works y'all! But shout out, tell me how to find you all there and what you all think of the site so far!

What has continued to astonish me about this fandom, beyond the sense of community and open mindedness of its members, is the staggering amount of varied talent that exists among us! We have among our ranks not only talented graphic artists but photographers, filmographers, costume designers, musical composers, performance artists, actors, engineers, scientists, and many many MANY more talents I fail to list here. It is never surprising to me then to discover that an artist I already admire for their talent as a painter is actually talented in many more ways than one! And yet I always walk away feeling enriched and inspired even more by their endeavors!

One such artist is  Aaros, a phenomenally talented 2-d artist, and apparently also as capable a photographer(and budding composer??!!). He happened to drop me a very sweet and humble email that introduced me to a project he hopes to bring to life with the help of our wonderful community. I’d already known of and been a fan of his art but seeing his name in my inbox was still a pleasant surprise!! He saw the surprising success our Expanding Horizons project met with and wanted to, in part, ask how we did it! Well I answered honestly; that it was almost entirely thanks to the fandom that we not only met our initial funding goal but went nearly 10 times over it. This enabled us to make not just a short neat booklet about our trip but an entire 124 page proper BOOK! The experience was humbling, terrifically inspiring, and our trip made more special knowing so many people cheered us on and wanted to be a part of it in some way. This is what makes our sense of community so unique. Not only do we have this seemingly endless bloom of talent but the community thrives on supporting and encouraging its endless evolution!

Aaros is working on a different kind of project. If you, like myself, are a huge fan of timelapse photography featuring pristine wild locals, complete with views of unspoiled skyscapes, please check out his “Northwest Timelape Project”. The project will feature some of the most startlingly beautiful places in the Pacific Northwest. I am lucky enough to live in the Pacific Northwest and so have the incredible privilege to see its beauty everyday but even so, my day job keeps me from experiencing many of the more remote areas that require some planning and driving AND hiking. What I love about timelapse photography is that it captures the sense of grandeur in motion and brings it within everyone’s reach. So even if you cannot yourself pick up a hiking pack and trek into the hearts of these wild places, you can still experience and be inspired by the extraordinary beauty of the natural world right from the comfort of your own home.
So while this is a project that doesn’t necessarily feature the kind of art we are used to seeing on this site, it is nonetheless an incredibly ambitious creative project by an artist whose work contributes and celebrates the diversity of this fandom. I hope all of you who are fans of the wild outdoors and/or timelapse photography consider giving [linkAaros]’s project a gander, a share and maybe even your support.

Northwest Timelapse Project on Kickstarter
Northwest Timelapse Project on Kickstarter
Northwest Timelapse Project on Kickstarter

You guys are amazing! Thank you for making this fandom such an amazing community to be a part of!

THANK YOU to all of you that pledged and spread the word and cheered us on and cheered for us. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and more than a few warm fuzzy feelings. This Kickstarter is going a long way to helping me not only pay for this trip but feel incredibly buoyed about working on Savuti. I feel like while our group is small, just 11 folks, in a big way, you all will be there with us and fuel our collective creative passions to incredible new highs!!!

Thank you to the 415 folks out there, many of whom are right here (shout out if you are!), for making this project an incredible success!!!'

Now to get to work!!!

In less than 30 minutes to be exact!

I have run out of ways to express my gratitude, my humility and my awe before you all!!! WOWWOWOW thank you so much for making this Kickstarter a chirping, roaring, stampeding, trumpeting success. Be are all blessed to be surrounded by such kind supportive folks!!!!

Soon we will be getting to the business of making this book and I can't wait!!!

Thank you again all!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....ca/description

First and foremost, I wanted to thank every person that has purchased something from my store over the holidays and for the kind words of encouragement many of you left me with! Every one of you that bought something took me one step closer to my dream of visiting Africa in April.

This dream, while a sentimental one, also has very practical roots as the safari will serve as a research trip for writing my illustrated novel Savuti. I have felt, for a very long time, that the story has not yet found it's heartbeat , or defining core as it were, and that I could only every truly know the protagonist if I were to know, firsthand, the place that made her who she was to become. This Safari trip actually goes into the wildlife reserve after which Savuti is aptly named, so you can imagine, from my perspective, this trip can almost say to have been fated! That said, I am still far from reaching the needed funds to go and not come back broke(I would do it even if I did come out broke and pennyless!) but every sale still got me a great deal closer than I was from the outset!

I will also be attending Further Confusion next week! For everyone going, I hope to see you all there! I will have a dealers table and will have prints, some originals, the last of the Werewolf Calendars and some other assorted products at my table! As many of you know I don't usually take commissions at conventions. Reaching this decision was a long arduous battle with myself but the short of the long of it was, it proved to be too stressful for me to sustain. I envy artists that are able to keep their concentration intact to create consistent beautiful works of art at cons, but it seems the system is just not for me!

However, I am offering a limited number of sketch commission slots for pickup at FC. I am starting with (3) slots and depending on how quickly I manage to finish them, I may offer more. The funds raised from these will go directly into my Africa fund.

Sketches are 100$ USD. I realize this is on the pricier end for sketches but I put a great of thought and time into each sketch desiring for it to be a piece of work both the commissioner and I can treasure!

These sketches will have a level of detail comparable to:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12835626/ or
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12811456/ or
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12796533/ or
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12788265/

These will likely not be first come first serve. I want to offer as much of a guarantee as I can that the finished work is something I can be proud of and the commissioner too likes! If you are interested in snagging one of these slots, please send me a note or email to xxbalaaxx[at]gmail.com with details about your character.

These commissions are meant to be a more freeform expression where I draw deeply from my subconscious to create a emotionally wrought portrait of your character. What this means is I will not solicit specific poses or scenarios from you the commissioner. But I will ask you to send:

1. a physical description of your character/character sheet

2. A list of defining characteristics that make your character who they are. What do they love/dream about etc. This gives me a good launching point for envisioning your character!

The reason I do it this way is because I have found the art just turns out better when I am less mired in specifics. I am free to explore your character and lure them into reality with free reign of emotion as my guide.

Thank you all for your interest and for your support!

---

Slots:
1. Sawolf151
2. Coyox
3. Qzurr

---

Also just feeling out the water here but would anyone be interested in more loose fun sketches? I was thinking of offering some inked caricature sketch slots for a reduced rate. It would be a single 8.5x11" page filled with as many sketches as I can fit on the page featuring your character in a myriad of different fun whimsical styles. Examples of styles explored here:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u.....hibichibiB.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u.....arty_samab.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u.....6_28_14_2b.jpg

It's that time of the year again!!! Werewolf Calendar 2015 Pre-orders open TONIGHT at Midnight Pacific time! We have worked really hard to put together this year's calendar and are happy to have finally arrived to this point and be able to share the vision with you all! We hope you will join us as we embark on our eight year long sojourn into the untamed places that lurk within!

As an added bonus, the first 150 pre-orders also receive FREE Bonus Items:

1 - Limited edition Vinyl sticker illustrated by Rhyu
1 - Limited Edition Collectible Art Postcard illustrated by Khaosdog
1 - Limited Edition Calendar Magnet illustrated by darknatasha EXCLUSIVELY available to the first 150 Pre-orders.


Calendars are 22$ for orders in the Continental USA and 28$ for all International orders! Price includes standard shipping!

For the first time ever we will also offering a very limited number of past calendars for sale at a significant discount! If you missed your chance to order the 2014 calendar, are looking to complete your collection or just want some fantastic Werewolf art, this is your chance! Our stock is extremely limited and offered as first come first serve.

If nothing else, come check out the stupendous work our insanely talented groupd of artists have done for this year's calendar! We couldn't be more pleased with the amount of vision and care each artist took to bring their individual pieces to life.

Thank you to all that have cheered us on, purchased prior calendars or appreciated the art and artists that make this calendar come to life. It's thanks to you all that this small project can make a come back year after year!

that you guys are all swell? Somedays, I wake up and maybe my mood is not as bright as it could be and maybe I doubt myself a little more than is productive. Then I sit down at my desk and your comments (and art!) populate my page with encouragement, kindness, and vast inspiration.

Because sometimes the folks that support the art and encourage it's continued prosperity are forgotten about, this shout goes to you!

THANK YOU! Your support matters. It makes a difference. It inspires and pushes me to aspire.

I thought I would endeavor to write one for a change, though belated it may be! We have missed Further Confusion for the past few years but this year was a reminder of why I enjoy this convention most among the ones we do attend or have attended. While it has continued to grow by leaps and bounds it does not make you feel dwarfed or insignificant by it's scale. I enjoy that the atmosphere is still more cozy than some big conventions and I always have a chance to stop and chat with lovely people. the staff was wonderful and extremely helpful this year. Thank you to all of you that volunteer your valuable time to make such a huge convention run so smoothly!

There are too many friendly faces to list here whom I was honored to see again or saw all too briefly! But I wanted to give a few shoutouts all the same

 artlan Thank you for always coming along to make our conventions as stress free and relaxing as possible. It is a continued honor to have you as a friend and to be able to share some extra time with you <3. I hope you managed to have a good time as well as you are always so busy trying to see to everyone else's needs before your own.

Dusty, thank you for the lovely time after the convention and for being so generous and taking such good care of us so we could kick the crud before it brought us down! I think in great part thanks to you we managed to kick the crud before it got really bad so thank you!

 tsareia (I am doomed to forever misspell your name ;_; ) I feel like I still didn't quite spend enough time with you! I am always a bit upended at conventions and probably don't make the best of company as a result. So I hope we have a chance to interact on more personal terms sometime soon, especially before you move! You were lovely company for the time that we did spend together and I know Bagheera really treasured the sketch time you guys shared! Thank you for imbuing our room with a cheerful warmth and your resplendent smile!

 shinigamigirl I would have loved to spend more time chatting with you. In the many years we have crossed paths I seem to always be lamenting how briefly we have truly come to know each other. I remain hopeful that we will get more chances to talk as you seem like such a beautiful person! Thank you for the beautiful matted print which will be hung shortly in our guest room and for taking Aeturno. I always feel so humbled when an artist I hold in esteem expresses an interest in something I have created. <:

 LauraGarabedian Gosh it was lovely to finally sneak in more than two words in with you in person. You are a bright, encouraging and energizing spirit and we immensely enjoyed having dinner with you. I have never experienced Greek food that exalting(we want more goodness!). Thank you for introducing us and being SO so so very kind to me. I hope to repay your generosity in kind someday <:. Shine on and ever brighter!

 Snala I don't know if Melissa has an FA but I will just thank you both here for always bringing so much cheer to us during dealers den hours. And well, you know, I have to thank you for the gifts which I also simultaneously have to scold you for ;]. But I am afraid in the coffee I have a weakness and could not deny the gift as I usually endeavor to xP. I hope you both had a fun convention and didn't waste all your time keeping us company ;P.

 yelth Gosh I ever do so enjoy your and  Smokepaw's company! You guys are just such fun to talk to. Thank you again for the print you gave to Bagheera and we will be shortly framing the orca painting we managed to snag for a ridiculous deal in the art show. Hope to see more of you both in the coming year and coming to know your bright spirits better!

 Thornwolf and  skorzy Though we didn't really have time to talk what with sitting across from each other, everytime I looked up, I had a reason to smile! Thorny, hope we can catchup again soon and make all of the things <:

 vantid It's always nice to see you though I always feel we never have much of an opportunity to chat and suspect we are both a bit aloof at conventions. Please know you and Xyks are always welcome to come visit us, business or just for fun. I'd love to spend more time in your headworld and absorb all the beautiful visions that swirl and undulate therein. Your sketchbooks are phenomenal..thank you so much for giving me the honor to have a gander!

 DarkNatasha Unlikely as it may be that you will have a chance to read this, you remain a highlight of every convention where our paths cross. You are a lady in the truest sense of the word and we are basked in your light in even the briefest of moments that we share with you!

 louvelex Imagine my surprise when I spied you sneaking past <:. I am so thrilled I finally had the honor of meeting you in person. I cannot begin to exclaim how much I adore your visions and the way in which you bring them to life. One of the greatest pleasures this convention was standing in front of your art show panels and just taking them all in. So glad I managed to snag a piece to keep me company as well (Murky Waters). Thank you!!

Etuix I'm glad I finally had a chance to chat with you more than a passing word. You are as vivid and expressive as your work! I hope you had a fantastic convention! Thank you for sharing your smile and company with me, however briefly!

Bagheera This may seem silly and a mute expression being what we already share in the everyday, but FC is somewhat of a reminder of how far we have come. I recall so vividly the first time we shared a table together at FC and in a very real sense it is jarring, enlightening and deeply humbling to have the opportunity anew. Back then, there were multitudinous paths that seemed to splinter jaggedly in every direction from the place we shared in those moments. So much uncertainty, so many concealed tears and an omnipresent, if shaken, lucid yearning. Maybe it was not so impacting for you but there were moments I turned to look at you and thought, in a sense, this was the place of our beginning...and my heart would lurch, as if I was jarringly propelled back into that moment, dizzied by the possibilities and uncertainties that pressed at us then. Thank you for every chance to share a spot at your side and for the patience, kindness of heart and love you have adorned me with in every moment since then.

I know there are folks that I have missed in the above address and it is usually the reason I avoid writing a convention report. To all those that I overlooked, your moments in my company are regardless cherished and likely to be recalled in unguarded moments when I am seeking for a smile.

To all those that stopped by to say hello and to support my work, please accept my deepest gratitude. There is never a moment that I do not realize that much of the reason I can continue to create the works I share here is in great part thanks to your support (be it in encouraging words or through your patronage). I am honored that my vision is embraced and encouraged by so many of you. There were a great many folks that expressed enthusiasm for pictures that I often feel are more overlooked but also represent my essence on some of the deepest levels. Thank you for saying so! It warms my heart to hear that there are folks that 'understand' and embrace what to me are such intimate sentiments.

In short, thank you all for making this convention an overwhelmingly positive experience!

This artist in particular has already been making a name for herself in the time she has spent in the community and rightfully so. But following my last past I wanted to spread her name further. Not only is her art a fount of inspiration for me personally but the heart I feel reflected in her work is of equal beauty!

If you know of Maquenda and have sung her praises to her already, I am happy you discovered her work! And if you have yet to have the honor, head over to her page and have a gander, leave her some kind words of encouragement and just enjoy your time in her garden of colors <:.

 Maquenda

She is also at present running an auction for a full color character commission to which you can find the details here: details!

Support beautiful people with a moment of your time or a kind word here and there and you will be rewarded with a stream of dreams to bring new colors to your everyday to which you directly contribute! To all of you that do this for me, that nourish my inspiration and keep me dreaming, thank you!

One of my most favorite things to do while browsing galleries is to discover new artists to appreciate, be inspired by and to watch grow as we all continue along in our creative endeavors. Usually I find these new folks by just browsing the 'favorites' of other creatives I hold in esteem. What a wealthy resource for inspiration and motivation for creative growth!

And the next best thing is to share the discovery with other folks! One artist recently that caught my eye has been  Masked-Lion . Their expressive and dynamic sketch work in particular really captivates me. She also offers commissions for these and often in livestream so you can watch them come to life before your eyes!

Check her work out, give her a watch or a shout out, and just enjoy!

Some amazingly talented folks from right here on FA have been organizing a startup game studio called Fat Loot. For their first game release they decided to crowdfund using Kickstarter. The Game is titled Monster Stackers and from the Beta I got to tinker with, it is mega fun!

Fortunately their main kickstarter Goal has already been reached (HURRAY!). 3k is not a whole lot to make a cool game come together so I know a lot of this is purely done on passion for fuel!

They are trying for some stretch goals with exciting unlockeables. If they reach 5k$ by 5pm PST(roughly 2.5 hours to go!), all backers will receive a bonus unlockable Phoenix!

Check out and support the Campaign HERE: Monster Stacker on Kickstarter!

Also check out:  ladyfoxglove and  Ifus who are a huge part of the effort to make this studio get it's feet on the ground and to ship their first title! It's so exciting to see folks I met through the fandom doing such amazing things!!!

Hey folks, just a heads up to anyone that may have missed other announcements. The Werewolf Calendar is now open for Pre-orders! Also the first 150 orders will receive a BONUS of 3 high quality vinyl stickers with their purchase! As copies are limited, we cannot guarantee how many copies, if any at all, will be available after November 12th, 2013. So if you want to make sure you receive one, order now!

Reserve your copy here!
See the art for the 2014 Werewolf Calendar here!

Additionally you can follow the calendar on:

Twitter
Facebook

Thank you to all of you for your continued support of this project. You keep it coming back every year and we are honored to bring it back year after year!

Recently Nambroth posted a fantastic journal entry on what the pricetag on a piece of art really means. There is always a divide in perception between the artist and the audience because we walk very different paths and have different sets of challenges to overcome. And while this may always exist to varying degrees, maybe if artists spoke more about what it takes to be an artist and create art, in this case specifically the financial realities, maybe we would have less people making comments at panels that can be outright hurtful to someone dedicating their passion and talents to this unique profession. I don't think most folks say these things out of malice but rather because they are not informed, nevertheless, it is one of the most hurtful things an artist is likely to hear.

Please take a moment to read her journal (and maybe even reshare it! ) at:

Art Prices: why do it cost so much?!

Last year, by an unfortunate series of events, I missed the registration window for FC. This year I launched myself at it at near light speed ;}. So myself and my compatriot  Bagheera will be there and leering at you all from the wrong side of the tables ;D!

I am sure I will be announcing again when the date gets closer but just wanted to sneak in a mention now. Also wanted to ping ya all and see if there were any particular things you would like to see at our table from us!

I have missed FC in the past few years we have missed out on going so it will be great to catch up with all the familiars and meet all you new folks out there ^_^!

I was waiting until the majority of weasyl journals died down to toss up my link again since the site went open beta!

Weaaaasssylll.

So far I am enjoying the site. I won't be ditching Furaffinity because I thoroughly enjoy the community here but I like some of the handy features over at Weasyl and hope to use them to share more.

To all those that joined me there already, thank you! I am a bit befuddled as to what the 'friend' feature does so please don't be offended if I don't accept your friend request, I'm just not quite sure what to make of it just yet.

But that aside, hope to see you all there and I hope the site decides to stick around!

It has taken me a while to build up the courage to finally start sharing the , now very dated, concepts from my story Savuti. Since FA doesn't have a folder option by which to organize submissions into folders and tumblr doesn't either, I have found Facebook handy at least in that regard. I am sharing all the concept work done to date, the good days and the bad, the nice and the ugly..just to show that the artistic process is not a fluid straight line but rather more like a windy twisty road that finds you lost along the way or backtracking into the backwoods from time to time. I welcome you all to join me. As many folks also don't like tumblr, I will endeavor to show more wip/sketches/concepts on Facebook as well (and Weasyl when it gets out of Beta <: ). So many social media sites..so many!!!

Come join me, give me your feedback and ideas and see all my screw-ups and successes in kind =D! And to all those that have already hopped over and joined me on the other sites I am frequenting, thank you for your company <:.

Balaa Illustration on Facebook

~~~
And just so this is not a merit lacking entry I welcome you to enjoy this short film I stumbled upon by chance yesterday:

and to explain how I feel when I view this I will humbly borrow my partner bagheera's words:
~~~
Science is not just about finding answers;
it is a journey home.

From stars we came,
amidst stars we drift,
and into stars we fly -
upon frail metal wings.

This is where we belong.

I just received a heads up from one customer who purchased from my StoreEnvy page during my holiday sale and never received their order. It seems that during the site wide upgrade there were more issues than I was first aware of (ie beyond people getting timed out while trying to order or getting 404 page errors). The bigger issue was that on this occasion, I was not at all notified of this order and it also did not show up in my order history in my store admin panel. Additionally, and even stranger, both products show 0 units sold in the product information pages, though one was listed as sold out (since only 1 was available).

So I write this to ask anyone out there who has not received their order yet to drop me an e-mail ( xxbalaaxx[@]yahoo.com )so I can make sure it was sent! (hoping it was just the one and a fluke :C) Secondly, for you folks that ran sales on Store Envy during the holiday to double check your invoices and make sure everyone is accounted for! I am afraid there may be some unhappy folks out there waiting by their mailboxes in vain >:.

As for Store Envy, I love the site and don't tend to gripe about services I get to use for free, but I do wish they had held their site upgrade during a less busy time of year xP. I've dropped them an e-mail to notify them of my problem, in case anyone else had it. Since there were so many orders placed during this time, unfortunately, it is very easy to overlook just one...but gosh I feel terrible about it, particularly because I made sure to get orders out within a few days of receiving them if I could at all help it !

Getting tired of hearing about my Ollyday sale? Well fear no more, it's ovvveeer! Just in case anyone who ordered something doesn't get an e-mail confirmation notifying them their order has shipped, I figured I would post a heads up! The last of the orders placed have now been shipped.

And if you are getting tired of being thanked, well you will find no reprieve in this here journal because I want to thank you all one final time for the wonderful amount of support I have received throughout the sale! You all helped see to it that I can see the new year without seeing red (well excepting for all those nice streamers, ornaments, and red ribbons everywhere 8>). You also helped see to it my grandma could see a doctor. We still don't know what is the matter but at least we have a chance to find out instead of worrying and wondering! So thank you thank you THANK you for making my holidays oh so jolly and filled with all things 'olly! May all of your 'Ollydays be the same and even better ^___^.

(There are a few more art packs left up in the store and I'll be leaving them up C:. Also if anyone has had problems with Store Envy while they were doing their remodel, I will be happy to offer you the sale prices through the weekend if you were thwarted by the website while trying to place an order. Just drop me a note or email at xxbalaaxx@yahoo.com)

But now off to bake peppermint cupcakes and cookies, make some more gift art, and maybe cover more things in ribbons (somebody take my ribbon rolls away please!)

Just wanted to post a reminder that the sale on the store is ending today. A few people have told me they had issues ordering so it seems StoreEnvy is still clearing the dust from their website renovation, but since I'm not sure how long this will be going for, it might be pointless to re-extend the sale again. BUT, if you have had problems ordering through the store, I will keep sale prices for another few days(until Dec 15th) through myself personally (ie via notes or email is fine). Just let me know what you'd like via note/email and we can arrange it offsite (on the plus side, yay more personal handling of orders <8)

There are also a few more art packs left up, again once these are gone, I won't have anymore available since these are the last of my supply!

Feel free to browse...ask questions etc!
SpiraMirabilis: Storefront.

And every time I post these reminders(also sorry for spamming <:), I have to leave more thanks to you all! This sale has helped see to it that I won't start my year in the red ^^!

NOTE: Heard one person had some hiccups with the ordering process. Please let me know if Store Envy is giving you any trouble! I thought the majority of their maintenance was finished.

Just a quick reminder to all you lovely folks, my print sale is ending in a few days. I am actually extending the sale to the 12th since StoreEnvy decided, for some unknown goofy reason, to overhaul their website design right before Christmas and shut down the stores for various periods of time. I can’t really give any guarantees that international orders will find their way to folks on time for Christmas since that depends on how agreeable customs is feeling during this time of festivities but I think domestic orders should still make it in time <:.

SpiraMirabilis: Storefront. The sale will be going until December 12th

I also put together some Art Packs with the last of what I had stored away. There won’t be anymore art packs along these lines for some time to come (years maybe) simply because this is the last of what I have! All art packs ship separately from other orders in a flat rate priority mailer so even if ya have ordered something previously, they will ship individual of each other with the exception of smaller things!

Last, but most importantly, I would like to thank AGAIN(and again) all those that came by and supported the store. You have all made me feel so blessed and saved me from more fires than one this holiday season! Thank you all for helping ensure my holidays are a time of celebration and warmth ! May you all feel as blessed and be given reason to feel warm and loved during these days to come and all those yet beyond <:. May the Hollydays be all things ‘Olly and full of Jolly <8!


(as a quick aside to anyone who has purchased anything. Please feel free to drop me notes giving me feedback about your purchase..what you liked, if it was packaged well, what you’d like to see improved..or added to the online store. I want to ensure everyone walks away happy and especially to see to it everyone gets their orders safe and undamaged! Please don’t be shy, this is very important to me. I rather know the truth than keep doing something that makes people walk away unhappy with their experience!)

So lovely people with all that Holly ‘Ollyday spirit and maybe some of the same panic I am experiencing in trying to figure out what to get all my special someone’s, why not order something from all the wonderful talented artists right here on FA? Instead of buying some’ thing’ from one of those big commercial stores (something you may not even remember buying in a year’s time) maybe support some of the hard working and often struggling artists who bring beauty into this world with each piece they create? Your support may be the difference between them being able to create these dreams and simply not being able to. Beyond that you can get some ridiculous stuff for very little money!

I figured I would share some of the sales I spotted in people’s journals etc and share them with you in case you still have lists that need checking off! I thought this list would be longer I admit so hopefully you guys can help me fill it out =D! If you have an art sale going on for the holidays or are offering holiday commissions, feel free to leave your details/link below and I will try to add it to the list above.

IronFeathers is offering grab bags full of amazing art!
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4066844/

alectorfencer is offering 10% off everything in her store! So full of amazing things!
http://alector.storenvy.com/

Nambroth who recently updated her online store with a ton of amazing new additions varying from original art, prints, to gorgeous wrapped silver pendants: http://featherdust.storenvy.com/col.....5-all-products

Some other lovely stores with awesome art to ogle and mayhaps even buy are:
thornwolf http://thornwolf.storenvy.com/ -prints, originals, pendants!
mirroreyes http://dragondust.storenvy.com/ -prints, originals, buttons, bookmarks etc!
synnabar http://synnabar.storenvy.com/ -prints, originals, card decks
ashalind http://ashalind.storenvy.com/ -prints, calendars, originals, jewelry
foxfeather http://foxloft.com/ -all manner of really unique products and art!

Also in case you haven’t snagged one yet but have been meaning to or just need a great Christmas gift for someone, Werewolf Calendars should still ship in time for the special day! Snag your copy here: http://www.werewolfcalendar.com/

...but I am feeling so overwhelmed with gratitude of late. There are so many folks that have spoken humbling words about my work or my person that I have spent my days a bit red in the face and with a ceaseless flutter in my heart.

I wanted to take a moment to share that with you all and thank you for all the beauty and light you welcome into my world, even just in passing. I feel blessed to know so many talented, inspirational, and kind souls. Each person that enters my life imparts upon me a piece of their good heart and I carry all these colorful pieces close to me, and many even become part of who I am or strive to be.

There are many of you whom I know well but feel undeserving to know so well, to behold your inner beauty on a daily basis. And then there are those whom I know very little and I feel guilty that I know you so little. So many of you I wish to know better because I think knowing you will make me a better person and a bolder dreamer <:.

And for those of you that supported me by purchasing things through my store, please know your orders helped me through a rough financial patch(and are still helping!). This time of years seems to bring out alllll the unexpected financial bombshells (not even counting holiday shopping). But most critically, your orders helped me pay for part of my grandmother's hospital bills. Without this money she would not have been able to see a doctor in her country. So thank you for supporting what I love doing most and giving me the privilege to live with my head in the clouds a little longer.

May you all be made to feel as cherished and beautiful as you make me feel with each word, each smile and each inspiration.

Ello all you lovelies! I am running a print sale over at my store: SpiraMirabilis: Storefront. The sale will be going until December 10th which should leave plenty of time to ensure everyone gets their packages in time for Christmas!
Some of the specials I have going now are:

* - All 12x18" Lustre Prints discounted nearly 50% Off.
* - All 8x12" discounted 35% off. The price will be going up to 12$ after the sale as prints cost me more to run!
* - Special Black Friday Sales unveiled on Fri NOV 23rd. All Black Friday items are 1$!
* - BRAND New Mini Print packs on sale for 10$. Designs vary but I will be happy to include at least 2 of your preferred print designs in either the feline or canine category. Just specify when you place your order!
* - Art Grab Bags will be posted periodically throughout the sale period!
* - Brand new bookmarks with charms!
* - Brand new Magnetic Bookmark designs in time for the holidays!
* - FREE Gift Wrapping on any items purchased by special request.
Please Note:ALL Prints are professionally printed on Fujifilm Crystal Archive LUSTRE finish paper and profiled to ensure color accuracy. Each print comes hand signed with archival gold or silver pen and bagged to protect the print.[/center]

Also ALL orders always come with extra goodies just to show you all how much I appreciate your support! Also Happy Thanksgiving to you all! May you have more blessings to be thankful for than you can count.

Come check out all the deals and please don't forget to check out other artists holiday deals! What better gift than the gift or art while simultaneously supporting all these amazing talented folks so they can keep making gorgeous art!

Are you running a Holiday Art Sale? Post your link in a comment to this journal C:!!


SpiraMirabilis: Happy 'Ollydays Sale

Sometime back while I was preparing for a show, I discovered my favorite online mat calculator was not working for some reason. I also discovered how cumbersome it was to have to have to tote my laptop out to wherever I was matting or have to calculate the numbers all by hand. I brought up this annoyance with Artlan ,a dear friend of mine, and he had the brilliant idea of coding an Android app to use for matting. I did the graphics and beta testing and he did all the legwork and listened to my obnoxious nitpicking until MatMath was born.

This small app works with all android devices. It's very simple: plug in your mat/frame size and your picture size and it will calculate the borders for your mat and even generate a handy little visual reference (so if like me you have cut the wrong size on the wrong side ;P). That's all there is to it and best of all...IT'S FREE!

Please download it and give us your feedback! We would love to improve on it where we can.

MatMath Android App