today in the studio

happy friday, everyone! xo, danamarie

take time to say "thanks" & "i love you" & "_______"

today i am feeling thankful.

thank you all for such strong support after my last post--- you'll be happy to know i am busy working on the illustrated version of that beloved image... it'll be smaller, but it'll be just as powerful.

i am thankful for a place where i can post a message like that, and know i am reaching others.

i'm thankful for the sweet little red-headed, 4-legged boy scrunched up next to me as i type--- he had such a large shepherd spaced hole in my heart to try to fill, and he's done his work admirably.

i'm thankful for a good night's sleep. for online friends. for children who listen. for art museums. for really good french bread. for cupcakes. for BEAUTIFUL fall weather. for the love of my life. for the walk i'm about to go on. for soft soft yarn. for the super yummy pizza we had last night after our doggie date (with the two cutest doxie puppies ever!... next to mason). for the rush of getting ready for a show. for the "i don't like it, but i want to like it" feeling that settles over me when i'm not sure what's going to happen next. for pigeons. for the beach. for big cities. for friendliness. for good manners. for freshly polished toes (i think mine are pretty cute, i must say). for the "star" shape. for the color blue. for knowing a good friend is very happy. and on that note--- for good friends.

today is the birthday of my beautiful sister, Ashley, and one of my dearest friends, Alecia. Who now, serendipitously, both live in suburbs of Boston. And i am thankful that they know each other and can look out for one another. and today, i am thankful thinking of them. i love you both!

take the time today to tell someone you love just how you feel. You can send them one of these cards...

"best wishes"


"hang in there" cards


...or, post your comment below.
i love you.
danamarie

the mural that never was

for four brief, fleeting days, there was a 2040 sq ft wall, in baltimore city, with my name on it.
this image (my MOST favorite mural image to date ) was chosen, by a panel of judges, to grace it.



well, politics has reared its VERY ugly, very biased, very irrational head again, and today, i lost the mural.
well, that's not entirely fair. i might've been able to keep it... provided i painted the side of the building to look like... yep, the SIDE OF A BUILDING. i would've LOVED the money--- i could definitely USE the money, but i am not a sell out. I don't do things "for money". I do things for me & for people; for education & inspiration.

*for the record--- this is NOT the city's doing. 'the city" is actually quite disappointed. "the city" has been nothing but good to me.

there's more to the story, but i'm going to bite my tongue and say instead this:
we are artists.
we are not machines.
this is an image that came from my heart. and i gave it to you, to make YOUR community happier, more inspired, and graced with creativity.
you are ignorant and foolish and misguided.
your community is missing out--- not just because i wont be painting there, but because NO original, genuine thought will be painted there.
this city is full of artists with voices-- heck, this WORLD is.
i hope some day you'll listen to them.

in the meantime, friends (and yes, i am writing this with a tear stained face), i love this image so much that i am going to transform it into a piece of my own; it won't be a mural, but it will be beautiful mixed media illustration and when it's done, i will post it here and if anyone wants one, you'll be able to find limited edition prints of it, right here.

xoxo, danamarie

Shipping's little helper

A busy weekend for sales; mason (and the mason thank you cards) help me pack boxes and fill envelopes. Orders will go out tomorrow, so if you want a jump on shipping, get your orders in by 4pm tomorrow! Xo, danamarie
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

sale, sale, sale

thanks to everyone who came out and picked up new greenstar-goodies yesterday! if you haven't shopped yet, don't worry... there's still plenty of great stuff waiting for you. LOTS of sales and every order will ship with a free $10 gift certificate & a coupon for free shipping (that's an instant stocking stuffer!), plus YOU won't pay for shipping.

let's not waste anymore time (i'm sure your boss won't mind you doing a little shopping for a while)


Pitter the Knitimal


hand painted knitimal t-shirt


hand knit coffee cozy

xo, danamarie

greenstarstudio: the Fall update!

hello friends!
hope you've all enjoyed a restful, relaxing summer and are ready for the changing leaves, warm jackets & colors of the fall. for many, autumn means school, but autumn also marks the start of the holiday shopping season, which means sales, shows & shop updates! So...

*find me at these Fall shows:
hampdenfest: september 13th, 11 am-7 pm
belair festival for the arts: september 21st, 10am-5pm
Vida's Market New York City: October 18th

*take advantage of my most recent etsy shop update (lots of SALES & everything is eligible for FREE SHIPPING this month!)

with all new products, like: organic onesies, magnets, 2 brand new coloring books, decals & more. *** all orders placed this week will ship with a FREE $10 gift certificate!***

*visit my new shop on "Big Cartel" to find these brand new Knitimals! and other stuff.

*support the September charity of the month with a custom Pet Knitimal

*other news? oh, i've got lots... how about taking a class with me? want to know more about the newest greenstarstudio mural coming to baltimore? my upcoming coloring contest? what about custom, hand drawn t-shirts? halloween masks? a greenstarstudio thanksgiving "cornucopia" of goodies giveaway? 'random acts of nice' surprise packages, online "silent" art auction, yep, it's all coming up. bookmark the blog and visit often for upcoming promotions, giveaways, contests and more!

have a safe and wonderful autumn!
hope to see you and hear from you soon.
xoxo, danamarie

back from the beach!

as i sit here watching the gobs and gobs of rain (which i'm about to go out into), i can't help but think about all those poor people who have/had to deal with Ike & Hanna and all the other tropical storms turned hurricanes of the season (and i remember, yet again, why i am thrilled to not live in florida anymore). the bad weather is moving its way up the coast, so on the off chance that YOU might be spending your weekend trapped indoors, i leave you with these warm, sunny pictures from the beach (and mason's first time on a boat!).





stay dry (AND SAFE!!!) out there this weekend.
xo, danamarie

Learn Something New This Fall!

Autumn means a lot of things to a lot of people... but i think for most people, Autumn will always suggest a return to school. (and for some people, the fact that you don't HAVE to go anymore, is pretty exciting!) personally, i miss college; i like deadlines and pressue, but i also like feedback and support. And i just plain like learning!
(i'm a total dweeb now, right? i'm all "rah rah, learning!".

seriously though, why should kids get all the fun of school?
and besides, school can be really awesome if you're learning something you REALLY WANT to know.



lucky for you, there are a lot of opportunities for the entire family to pick up some new talents or brush up on old skills... and possibly EVEN luckier, i will be the one teaching you!


(look how fun my notes are!)

this fall, you can catch me at School 33 Art Center & MICA (the Maryland Institute College of Art), teaching four different courses. And if you live in Baltimore (or the surrounding areas), you should really think about taking a class or two at either of these institutions. This fall alone, you could learn printmaking, painting, mosaic & found object sculpture and more. Now, if you're looking to learn how to draw, or someone to soak up all your kids' creative energies and run with them... well, that's where i come in.

For the kids, check out the whole range of Continuing Studies courses available to students (K-12), through the Young People's Studio Program.
I'll be teaching two classes for YPS this fall---
Real & Fanciful Landscapes
Saturday 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
September 13 to November 22, 2008
Grades 3-5.

and

Tell a Story, Draw a Story
Saturday 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
September 13 to November 22, 2008
Grades 2-4.

And for the "bigger kids" (that's you Adults), head over to School 33 for
BEGINNING AND CONTINUING DRAWING for adults & young adults which will be offered at two different times & days, so you can pick the one that best suits your workweek!
Wednesday, Sept 17 – Nov 5, 6:30-9:30PM or
Friday, Sept 19-Nov 7, 10AM – 1PM


Learn to draw in eight weeks! Even if you’ve never picked up a pencil before, you’ll walk away with new skills & drawings you can be proud of. Individual instruction & student centered lessons make this the perfect class for the beginner AND the more experienced artist.



I'm always amazed at the quality of work people produce (especially because i find the adults much more stubborn and self-effacing than the kids ever are, and LO! look how beautiful the final products are!)


If you're ever thought "i wish i could do that", now's the time to act on it. I am a very patient teacher and as you know, my ambition, above all else, is to bring art into everyone's life... let me teach you!! You can register online &/or get more information at both the School 33 & MICA websites. Don't wait a second longer--- classes are filling fast and start SOON!!

Look forward to seeing you local folks all covered in ink & charcoal and having epiphanies about composition right before my very eyes. Plus--- i let you make fun messes like this one:


xo, danamarie

things i love...

i realized, today, that i've been so busy lately, so overwhelmed with the working and the "waking up when the alarm says so" part of life that i'm not really taking time to smell those proverbial roses...

heck, i'm not smelling much more than wool & lesson plans (and the cigarette smoke that is "drifting" into our apartment, thanks to our recently acquired downstairs neighbor (and yes, suddenly the frequently naked, often cursing at the news or christmas specials, and on at least ONE occasion, peeking under our front door to look at puppy mason, former downstairs neighbor seems pretty darn good). i've been sorta... down. we're running the air purifier 24/7 (a term that annoys me and i am surprised i used) and spraying NeutraAir like it's free; my asthma has been, understandably, enraged, and in general... well, i need a change of scenery. this, it seems, is not likely to come anytime soon, so i decided to spend some time focusing on the things i have right here... the things i REALLY love.

like this:

cupcakes. these particular cupcakes were delivered out of the blue, by my dear friend katie, just because. and they are perfection... if you live in baltimore, run don't walk (and really-- run, don't drive, because you'll want to work off some calories first) to the baltimore cupcake company

or this mug:

estelle and i painted these mugs (we made two-- one for her mom, the aforementioned Katie, and one for me) for christmas last year. i painted the solid inside while she napped, and when she woke up, i sat her right in the chair and handed her the brush... that's where i bowed out. and of course, if you're drinking coffee or milk with your cupcakes, they're gonna taste better out of this mug.


even sweeter than cupcakes, is waking up or coming home from work to find a new vase of gerbera daisies (my favorite flowers, after Daffodils... if any of you were going to send me flowers) set up on the table or the mantel... this is a new treat of AJ's and i love it. he's told me (and i already knew it) that if he had more money he'd buy me fresh flowers everyday. this is pretty close and its just the best.

on second thought... THIS is the best.

this beautiful boy, who sits on the windowsill and watches the world go by. my little hero. him i love.

xo, danamarie

fall for these...

ah puns...

seriously though, if you're looking for some sweet orange-y, reddish, brownish, leaf/bird/nature related goodies to usher in the fall, i'd seriously consider these treats!

Pine the Knitimal



organic hand-drawn onesie


orange felt knitimal brooch


excerpt number 222, "little birdie"


on SALE! Pitter the Knitimal

remember, a portion of all the sales from my etsy shop will go to this month's charity: 2 Dogs 2000 Miles, so shop today and shop proudly... as they say "puppy up!".
xo, danamarie