It's Saturday Night, Or

Do You know What Your Favorite Artist is Doing?

I’ve been under the weather all week. I had an MRI on Tuesday and I passed out when the nurse was trying to set up an IV. I don’t like needles (unless it’s a tattoo needle) and it is hard to get a good vein on me. I hear it all the time. So I tend not to watch. Especially when the nurse is visibly having issues. Nothing says this is gonna suck like hearing the nurse mutter ‘Oh dear’ repeatedly. (Which makes me laugh thinking, can you imagine hearing a 911 dispatcher do that when you call in?)

But as soon as he poked me in that right arm, boom, instant nausea. I thought maybe I was allergic to the contrasting ‘juice’ but he hadn’t even done that part. Anyways, I’m doubled over telling him I am on the verge of puking when he says he has to try my other arm. He asks me again if one arm is better than the other. I instantly flash to the last time I had a blood draw and the blood tech telling me, “now remember, this arm is easier of the two,” in a little cloud bubble above my head but all I see is her face and not which arm I was supposed to remember. Spoiler alert, it’s my left arm.

So as I’m doubled over, taking deep breaths and trying not to puke everywhere, the nurse says he’s thinks he found one on my left arm. I say my usual joke: this is why I never got into doing heroin. This joke has become my gauge for feeling out how cool hospital staff is. He didn’t laugh. We were clearly not going to have a good time today at this MRI. But as I sat up, and he poked that left arm vein, I said, “I am going to pass out, sir”. Hearing him scream for help as I go down.

Nothing quite like fainting wearing two poorly sized hospital gowns that are turned either way and barely covering me, with a nurse much older than me and weighing maybe 100lbs soaking wet trying to hold up double that. But with the help of three other people they managed to get me on a gurney in time to answer a million questions about how I have never ever fainted before like that.

Since all that drama, I have just felt exhausted all week. That said….

I was able to finish up the custom Valentine’s Day cards, Batch #2. And some of the people from Batch #1 have messaged they already got their cards. So keep an eye out those of you that ordered. I mentioned this would probably be the last year for this and some people reacted quickly. These have always been more of a fun thing to do for you guys than it is a ‘money maker’. Takes a lot of time sketching up and painting all these dogs and getting you proofs to approve etc. etc. So we shall see about next year. If enough people want it, you know I’ll probably give in. Or maybe I can do it for a rescue as a fundraiser. (Hint, Hint rescues…message me to call dibs ;)

For myself this year, I commissioned a painting of Management by Treehouse Crafts LLC. She posted on Facebook that she was doing 8x8 paintings for $125 with free shipping for Valentine’s Day. I have had all my boxers painted by her. She does gorgeous work. I particularly like that her paintings of dogs look like paintings. Meaning it doesn’t look like a photograph, cause for me, what’s the point of a painting that looks like it is a photograph. Now Management always looks like she is eyeballing me in pictures. I feel like the boxer breed has resting boxer face nailed. But put a leash on Betsey, and the dog smiles. So I had to do a picture that captured that.

As an artist who knows how difficult it is to paint dogs with open mouths, I felt a little bad but I trust Lisa’s skills. If you want to get in on her spots for the V-day deal, check out her shop treehouse-crafts.com or email info@treehouse-crafts.com. I will share a picture of my girl when she is finished in case this didn’t already convince you.

Every year I have tried to do a dragon with a romance theme for February. This year I came up with two designs:

One is the more traditional theme, in a very hot pink (dare I say, Barbie pink) holding a single rose. Edition of 2.

The other definitely shows my age.

I don’t know about you, but when I think of the 80s I automatically think of like a graffiti covered NYC subway train, ray bans and boom boxes. So these dragons started in a concrete grey and got a graffiti splash. I found tiny sunglasses on the Intern’s recent Amazon purchase of rubber ducks (hey, the kid loves ducks. One of these days I’ll do a rescue fundraiser where the big prize will go to the person that can guess how many ducks he has. Hint, hint, rescues, message me). And the final piece…a tiny cassette tape. Nothing says I love you like a custom mix tape. Kids these days have no idea how easy they got it. I remember in college, burning cds with Napster and thinking this is so much easier than running to the boom box and hitting record on the cassette tape when your jam comes on the radio! I know, I know. Totally gave away my age range there. Side note, big thank you to the Gen Xers that learned what Substack was and found me. We know how to read a map to drive some place so I had all the faith in you ;)

The dragon drop is February 1^st 8am PST. The Dragon VIP club gets early access as usual. How do you get VIP status in my shop? You have regularly contributed to my rescue fundraisers over the years. If you are someone who has been donating to the rescue fundraisers on my page for years now, and you want early access to dragon drops or maybe the boxer dog art drops, just message or email me. The amount you donate doesn’t matter. I just appreciate the consistency. My Dragon VIP members have been donating to my fundraisers since the Legacy Boxer days aka 2014 to give you an idea.

So my last project this weekend, besides getting back to the commission list, was doing my son’s school project. His teacher, principal and other staff know I am an artist so I felt pressure. Plus I want my son to be reminded how cool I am. The assignment was a homemade t-shirt with 100 things on it that he would wear in a fashion show. Remember how I said he likes ducks? Well the first idea was getting 100 duck buttons or patches and putting them on a shirt. Then I remembered he’s autistic, and had to approach the project with the mindset that: one, he doesn’t like buttons. Two, he doesn’t like anything new without a lot of introduction beforehand. Three, it has to feel like all his other shirts and not scratch him. So ok, not a big deal right? Especially since I can’t sew and was going to ask MeeMaw to do it.

I needed a design that was simple. Something I can just draw on a shirt. And keep in mind whatever the design is, I have to be able to duplicate 100 of it AND fit on an X-Small. What does my son like besides ducks….bubbles. I came up with Calvin and Hobbes and bubbles (those of you that have followed me since I was pregnant probably remember his room is Calvin and Hobbes themed).

What do you think? The other kids won’t recognize my son is too cool for school, I know. And the kinder parents might be too young to know the greatness that is Bill Watterson. But not too shabby for my first time doing my son’s school project. Bring on the styrofoam solar system, the California mission diorama and baking soda volcanos people. This mom is nailing it this week. Till next week….