It's the Holiday Season

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So I've basically been running a marathon of holiday order after holiday order since September and it's been absolutely incredible. I feel so lucky and so blessed to have been as busy as I have been this season. But while it's been wonderful to be this busy my last order went out yesterday and in order to celebrate I've decided to draw for me today.... and bring back Coco and Louie. I'm a little rusty. but I still love them!

What do you think? And what have you been up to this holiday season?

Diary of a Freelancer - Always Have a Back-up

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Hi there  and how was your weekend?

I'm back and finally able to get back to work after a bumpy week last week. With the holidays and everything else going on I was already running behind and in order to try to catch up I was working pretty late hours. So Thursday night at 1 a.m. my Wacom tablet, which I use to draw on the computer with, died. It had been blinking and turning on and off for a few hours but I just thought it was the cord connection. If I moved the cord a little the tablet would turn back on - so that seemed like the logical conclusion to me.

The next morning I get up and it's time to deal with this issue that I'm hoping will be fairly quick and painless... so first I call Best Buy and Apple to see if they sell just the cords in their store. Well no surprise here... they don't. So my next call is to Best Buy again to see if we purchased the two year protection plan on the tablet well it wasn't even offered to us because the warranty is covered through the manufacturer so I can't just go get it replaced that easy. So then I call Wacom explain the issue and since it's covered under the two year warranty still I have high hopes it'll all be ok. I'll have to go buy a new once since I can't wait weeks for the tablet to be replaced but then I'll have two so it'll all workout...But they think it's the cord as well and cords are not covered under warranty so I should just go to any electronics store and they have the cord since it's a standard cord blah blah blah...

Now I'm calling Best Buy for the third time and the one closest to my house does not have this so called standard cord. So I try Target.... they don't either... then I call the next closest Best Buy which is a half hour away and they have it! They tell me to order it online and just do store pick-up so it's fastest and should be perfectly simple. I Order it online. Half hour later I'm picking the cord up at Best Buy and the Geek Squad guy is promising me that it is in fact the correct cord and it'll be fine. Drive half hour home. Plug in cord. Why doesn't this cord fit!? O it's because they gave me the wrong cord!! Call Best Buy AGAIN, they assure me the right cord is set aside and I should come back and exchange them. Go there and am in the process of the exchange and I ask the sales girl if I can just take a look and make sure it's the right cord. And IT'S NOT!!! WTF!!! So back to the computer section where a very nice sales associate helps me find the right cord... surprise again. This cord is not standard - that Wacom jerk lied. In fact they barely make it anymore and I have to buy this crazy pack with like fifteen different cord hook-ups just to get one that matches. So back home, again... Plug in the cord. Yay! It Fits! But wait... wacom still doesn't turn on. WTF!!!!!!

So at this point I'm about to loose my mind or maybe I did... it's all a big angry blur. After all of that the cord wasn't the issue and I've wasted the entire day either on the phone or driving back and fourth to Best Buy. And all of those projects that I was so terribly behind on are nowhere closer to completion and I'm supposed to be leaving for the Poconos in an hour to spend the weekend with friends. So on the way to the Poconos I stop at Best Buy AGAIN and purchase a brand new Wacom, the updated version, and continue to the Poconos where any downtime or TV time we had I drew and worked on those projects. But the damn updated version sucks. I absolutely hate it. It has a tooth on the surface of the tablet so I can't make a smooth line with the pen and the icing on the cake the damn tablet continually freezes and I have to unplug it and then plug it back in to get it to work again. 

So now it's Monday afternoon. I've returned the new wacom, purchased an older version (which happens to be the same one I had to begin with), and am back in business!

But since my old wacom (the broken one) is still covered under warranty I now have to call Wacom again and get a new one from them too! I'm a little afraid based on Friday how this is going to go. And even if it all works out it'll most likely take a few weeks to get the new one anyway. But since this is the most important piece of equipment I use it can't hurt to have two.

Lesson learned though. If your major equipment breaks and you don't have a back-up you can't do your job and then you loose money and time! So ALWAYS HAVE A BACK-UP!

Happy Monday Sweets and here's to a better week!

xo

Custom Illustration Update

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A few months ago I showed you all this illustration for Sylvia C Hall a Creative Life Stylist in Kansas. Sylvia had contacted me looking for a fashion illustration for her styling business and I was over the moon! Well now, to make things even more exciting as her business changes and becomes more successful she was looking for a few tweaks to her illustration to more accurately represent who she is and where she is going. And same as last time, she is so much fun to work with, absolutely gorgeous, and her style is awesome :-)

Below is the original illustration I created for her.

New Logo for Sylvia C. Hall Personal Stylist

And here is the updated illustration

We wanted to create something that was a little more Sylvia as well as give her an outfit that worked in other seasons then just summer ;-) 
What do you think? Do you like the updated illustration? I personally am so happy with it and hope it works great for Sylvia! Also, check out Sylvia's website and if you are in Kansas give her a call and work with her! 
xo

Currently Reading - Bossypants

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I'm currently reading Bossypants by Tina Fey. 

This book is awesome.

It's written with a great amount of sarcasm and and vibe that suggests Tina Fey, even with how successful she is, doesn't take life as a celebrity to seriously. I quite literally laugh out loud every time I open this book. I've even read it on the train or waiting rooms... you know those public places where you just want to blend in and read... and end up laughing and looking like a lunatic!

The basic premise of the story is Tina Fey telling you about her path to success and what she has learned from her life and career. She is so candid.

Need a good laugh as well as an encouraging story... go read this!

Designer Inspired

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Kate Spade Billie Dress and LC Lauren Conrad Lace Trim Dress

It's no secret that I love to shop but I'm also a girl on a budget. I'm constantly on the lookout for things that have a similar look to some of my favorite high-end styles but cost me a lot less.

Today's designer inspired post includes the Kate Spade Billie Dress that I have been drooling over. And while I LOVE this dress it is pretty expensive and I'm not sure how often I would actually have occasions to wear it. So when I found this little LC Lauren Conrad Lace Trim Dress I was over the moon! It has that same Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's feel for a fraction of the price.

What do you think? Close enough? Is the Kate Spade dress worth the splurge? Or would you have purchased the Kohl's version too?

Photo-heart connection, number XII

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Old man Winter....is not really my favorite time of year.I long for the sun,for longer days,and for walks on the beach, the sand in my toes,for green things popping out of the ground,for flowers,and bees,and for my beloved encounters with the lizards.
I miss all of it......this bird looks like he misses it too.
But he also looks a bit secluded, sheltered but not completely from view.I wonder if there is enough room for me, right next to him.I could use a quiet place to rest, to think, to just be.Because even though I've been quite here lately, it's been because this past monthhas been busy with all the holidays. And I can't quite manage too much busyness at one timelike I used to. I wish I could say that it was because I had secluded myself on a branchsomewhere, because right now, I could use a quiet place to nourish my soul.
Anyone else need to join me on the branch?

Thank you again Kat, for this wonderful monthly practice, and for all who share.
I have truly learned wonderful things from all of you through this connection.
P.S. - I am honored to have been chosen to share what the photo-heart connection hasmeant to me this last year, here, over at the Kat Eye Studio.
Love, KimXO

You're not seeing things . . .

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No, you're not on someone elses blog by mistake, it's still me. The girl whoresists change, likes my comfort zone, decided I needed to freshen up around here.Of course I'm not sure it was all just resistance to change...and it might have had something todo with the fact that I'm not only technically challenged, but fearfully technically challenged.
Really, I'm always afraid that I'm going to hit a button and POOF it will all be gone! Hopefullyyou weren't here while I was trying to change it, AND my mind. Seems I not only have a problemwith change, but making up my mind too.
"It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sightharder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggsat present. And cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary decentegg. We must be hatched or go bad.
- C.S. Lewis
So, in keeping with my word this year...Possible...I thought I would see if it was possible to makes some changes by seeing if I could start the hatching process of my technically challenged self  without falling straight to the ground. But hey, I didn't say anything about not being frustrated. I know you're laughing, I mean it should be fairly simple, right? But at least where I'm technically challenged, I'm adept at using a jewelers saw. ( I have the jewelers saw on my mind as I'm starting back to my metals class this morning....(whoo hoo) ) 
 Not sure about your part of the world, but mine has been rainy, cold, overcast, gray, raining, raining, raining!! But, when I saw that the sun was going to make a grand entrance I made a bee-line straight to thebay. It sure did my body, mind and soul some good to see that sun, and boy did I have a great day last Friday!! If you follow me on instagram (KIMATPICKINGPOPPIES) you know I had quite the little adventure and to be honest I think I had more fun with my phone that day! 


The light was perfect for a silhouette....

....and the sky looked painted.

You know I'm always one to love me some water drops, but there was something about these being on the back of the leaf that intrigued me and gave the drops almost a watercolor painted effect.

I visited the butterfly garden and came across dozens of butterflies. Mostly Queen butterflies, like this male and female pair, with a few Monarchs and cloudless sulfurs.


As I walked towards the bay, I saw lots of birds, this Rosette Spoonbill is one of my favorites...justlook at that pink!!

It became really overcast, and ended up becoming drizzly and cold again, but the colors of everythingwere really saturated.

And here are half the IG pics I took that day, in random order.


With all this rain we are having, I can only imagine the beautiful spring it will be around here, and the bluebonnets and wildflowers planted along the highways will be in plenty!
Hope you all have a wonderful Monday...Love, KimXO

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