local eco-outpost olio united is having a great online sale today through the weekend! a few classic blissen items are included in the sale, just do a search for “blissen.” i know the economy is tight, but if you need any new eco-friendly clothing, accessories or housewares, olio united is a great business to support.

i’ve just sent off the ghost house art piece, above, to be a part of the fresh stART event february 7 in los angeles. i’ve been consumed with bookkeeping this week for taxes and a few other upcoming projects i’ll post about a little later!

january is always the month i catch up on all the things that i fell behind on during the holiday shipping season [including, but not limited to, sleep], and get everything ready for my accountant and taxes next month. plus, i’ve caught the cold going around. since i blogged last i’ve managed to:

1. clean my studio.

2. work on gocco screen prints for an online shop [more details soon, process shown below].

3. made new headers for my friends at doe-sf.com [sf citsyscape, yerba buena mint, and big sur coastline shown below].

4. co-hosted a hawaiian potluck dinner/inauguration party. we had a mini-3-block parade. cars honked. it was great. [sorry, no picture]. 

5. spent a few hours today with the graphic design students at portland state university showing them my work and the processes behind it [poster below]. thanks to my old email buddy/new in-person friend kate bingaman-burt for organizing this! the experience reminded me that i can’t wait to be a teacher someday!

just completed this private commission mural! the client’s house is situated in the rolling foothills of portola valley california. the mural depicts a manzanita tree and other native plants i encountered on frequent hikes near the home. below, a closer look at the tree and a view of the hills on one of my hikes! it’s times like these that remind me how lucky i am to have the job that i do.

mondays on the design sponge blog always feature a designer’s home, this week it’s my turn! shown above is my “kitchen city” featuring houses made or found by portland-area friends.

although i signed up with etsy soon after it launched, it’s taken me this long to actually follow through and set up shop over there! one more thing to cross off on my end-of-2008 to-do list! in 2009 you’ll find special etsy-only sales, extremely limited edition handmade goods and collaborations, and some of my most popular self-produced paper goods. check it out and let me know what you think!

shown above is one of several new poster designs, douglas fir, which arrives next week from the printer. below is one of several hidden habitats prints, available only on etsy.

day 2 of 2009, and so far it’s been a mellow year spent at home. exactly what i hope for the rest of 2009! above is my favorite latest completed project from the holiday season: a custom portrait for a private client. i haven’t drawn animals in a long time, it was nerve-wracking but then fun! this upcoming week will be busy with another amazing private client project, stay tuned for a post on that when it’s finished!