Stephanie Corfee » Dashes

what we sing around the house

StephanieCorfee — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:18:58 +0000

“They call me the D-A-double D-Y-M-A-C
And there ain’t another brotha bad as me
When I let go
Somethin’ from the ghetto
Word, a little brother kickin’ rhymes like you never ever heard!”

This little girlie wears her pants the right way….but she still spits rhymes, yo.

dashes -mix n match summer bracelets

StephanieCorfee — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:49:57 +0000

I used some discarded shreds of t-shirt material to braid up these super-quickie summer bracelets today. It took me about 15 min to make all 3. They are so fun and FREE, that i plan to experiment with braiding in some metallic trims, maybe sew on some metal beads or fringe on the next batch and play with more printed or striped fabrics. In fact, i think i’ll use my time at the beach next week to stock myself a whole summer stash of these!

why i’ve got a swing in my office

StephanieCorfee — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:10:31 +0000

What makes your work worthwhile? What makes you feel successful? What frame of mind is necessary for you to function at your best?

For me, these answers involve providing for my family, knowing i’m actually ABLE….no incredibly well-equipped to provide for my family (doing something i love and that fulfills me), and also being comfortable with the fact that i am a type-A control freak, worry-wort who needs calm and peacefulness in order to dig in and do the work required of me.

That’s why i’ve got a swing in my office.

My newborn sleeps in it peacefully at my side while i peck away on the computer…. and sketch at my lightbox…. and paint ….and email.

The rhythmic clicking of the motor keeps me ever-mindful of my goal. Its like a clock ticking. The baby will be awake at regular intervals demanding to be fed and i’m the only restaurant in town. i must get my work done in a timely fashion so as not to feel flustered and behind schedule each time these forced breaks occur.

The swing reminds me why i work, what really matters. It makes me feel like superwoman to retrieve the binky that’s fallen into the crevice of his seat and replace it with my left hand, while hitting “send” on a client email with my right hand. i feel like i’m in total control of my life and my business as the swing sways away by my knee, i chat up my 5 year old nearby at his art table, and simultaneously create new art and designs on my graphics tablet…all while sipping on mugs of decaf.

Sure, i could have the baby in a crib or bassinet in some other room. But i like being able to look at him all the time. Seems like he changes and grows every hour! Having him near me and safe actually fuels my creativity and my confidence in the fact that i can maybe, sorta do it ALL! That’s a pretty awesome feeling.

So, this is the fullness of my life at the moment. i will never have it again….at least, never just quite like this. One day very soon, there will be no swing in my office. But for now. It is perfection.

You know what they say about idle hands…

StephanieCorfee — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:15:29 +0000

Hey gang, the reason i haven’t posted in so long stems directly from the content of my LAST post. The Lil Fashionista illustrations have been so well-received that i’ve been working on orders non-stop. It’s a good thing! The ideas coming from customers have really taken the illustrations to another level. They have become a bit more detailed portraits of the little girls. Moms have really enjoyed sharing the unique personalities and quirks of their children with me and i have done my best to make those details shine through. i actually love that part. Starting with one concept and then personalizing it to the individual is so rewarding. It makes connecting with my customers an honor. So, while i catch up on orders…and sleep, please enjoy these 2 guest posts i recently wrote for scoutiegirl.com (and there’s another new one posting tomorrow) And i’ll do my best to get back on track after the weekend!

http://www.scoutiegirl.com/2010/07/wake-create-repeat-creating-a-family-tradition.html

http://www.scoutiegirl.com/2010/07/wake-create-repeat-if-ya-cant-beat-em-join-em.html

dashes – yay for stickers!

StephanieCorfee — Wed, 19 May 2010 03:26:25 +0000

Just dashing off a quick post to show you my latest; STICKERS! i’ve put my artwork on 1.5″ round glossy stickers that come on sheets of 30 each. So far i’ve made a patterned collection featuring some of my most popular art prints and a “girly” collection which speaks for itself! Stickers are now available in my etsy shop!

dashes – more tiny useful things

StephanieCorfee — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:34:00 +0000

Tiny. Useful. Paper.

Those seem to be my operative words lately. Just wait til you see all the things i’m doing with paper prints of my art these days! Here are some precious, little gift tags measuring 2.5″ x 3″ when folded. i’m packing these into assorted little bags and will be sending them along to the HoPo in Harrisburg and to Hello Bluebird in West Reading. i figure; folks only have so much wall space. May as well spread the pretty around a bit. i’m imagining a brown paper package with a bit of colored twine and a super bright gift tag like this ….

Have a great Monday!

dashes – useful art

StephanieCorfee — Sun, 09 May 2010 04:13:16 +0000

i’ve decoupaged my artwork onto some adorable, 4″ diameter little shallow saucers. These are just the right size to keep sink-side for your wedding band while washing dishes, bedside for your earrings while you sleep, desktop for paperclips and spare coins, or craft-table-top for catching little beads, glue caps, spent x-acto blades and the like! i find myself stealing my son’s little snack bowls or my soy sauce dishes all the time for little jobs like these, and so i made my art prints into pretty versions of what i’ve found to be very useful little vessels. They are not food-safe though kids! i coated them in polyurethane to protect the art and give a glossy sheen. Not tasty. But pretty and smooth! See the shiny logo on the back? Too fun!!

dashes – recap on my alice invite

StephanieCorfee — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:14:04 +0000

Just a quick recap. You all remember my process posts on this Alice in Wonderland themed party invite i illustrated a few weeks back? Well, the actual celebration went down yesterday! My friend, jackie and her husband threw the most wonderful, and fun birthday celebration for their two children whose birthdays are actually on consecutive days. One turned 6 and the other turned 4. Talk about a class act! This party had it all; children’s theater production of Alice in Wonderland, popcorn bags filled with treats and theater-themed toys, a buffet of kid-friendly food and THIS amazing 2-decker cake made by Clay’s Bakery in Paoli, PA. They took lead from the invite and even made sugar transfers of the 2 characters for cookies adhered to the first layer! And here is our birthday girl (below) staring at the glow of birthday candles. i love when a theme flows through a party front to back. And i LOVE being one piece if the puzzle.

…and this post couldn’t be complete without the smiling birthday boy : )

dashes – water + color

StephanieCorfee — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:15:15 +0000

For Easter, my 4 year old son got a new set of watercolors. What’s better than that? They look like candy. He’s been having lots of fun splashing and swooshing. This quickie artwork calls to mind the word-for-the-day around here : )