Meet Evelyn Pootsie!

[Evelyn Pootsie -Potty Training Series 1 of 5]

Last June I was contacted by a sweet woman asking if I would do a custom order for her. I don't usually agree to doing custom orders but this one really peaked my interest.

The idea was for a fun little series of prints that were inspired by a poem the woman's father wrote to help his young granddaughter, Evelyn, get through the perils of potty training. Sort of like having a pal there to sooth her nerves as she faced the scary world of toilet. As a little one, the toilet can be a frightening place. There's no telling what is living in that hole at the bottom. What if you fell in?!

So, while in the throes of moving out of state, I tackled this project and am quite pleased with the results. Take a peak..

[Evelyn Pootsie- Potty Training Series 2 of 5]

[Evelyn Pootsie- Potty Training Series 3 of 5]

[Evelyn Pootsie- Potty Training Series 4 of 5]

[Evelyn Pootsie- Potty Training Series 5 of 5]

This series is now up for sale in my shop.

A very happy autumn to you!

xx
Jillian

Dream a little dream...

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have a clothes line! For many years I've dreamed of living in a little farmhouse in the country with a garden and a clothesline. I'm now pinching myself that this dream has come true for us here in Iowa!

What matters most to me though is family, and last weekend my Mom came for a visit! We had a wonderful time, as it always is when she is nearby and we're all together. Now I'm dreaming of the day when she can come visit more often.

 

My niece and nephew. Adorable =).

My Dad is coming for a visit this weekend which is always a treat. I feel so grateful to have family close by. I treasure it when we're all together. Next month we'll be heading to Texas for Kevin's sister's wedding! I know he's so looking forward to seeing them, as am I. It's been much too long!

And guess what? Fall has arrived!!

Dreams do come true.

xx
Jillian

A New Chapter in Iowa!

My, my it's been a while. I swear I've been away for good reason. Kevin, Buck and I moved to Iowa! We left the foothills of Colorado in hopes of a simpler and slower paced life here in the heartland. Many become confused as to why we would leave beautiful, exciting Colorado for... flat, boring Iowa? This sentiment mostly comes from people who've never visited Iowa. For one, we do have electricity, running water and even paved roads. And secondly, it is rather beautiful here... and definitely not flat or boring. Here's a glimpse of our new life in this lovely state.

More on our journey to come!

xx
Jillian

A New Direction for A Happy Exchange

[Helen Pootsie Fairy]

A Happy Exchange has undergone a bit of a makeover. I have some explaining to do.

You see, I received a much bigger response than I had originally anticipated when I first began offering my prints for just the cost of shipping. While I feel very grateful for having reached so many people, due to this high volume, I can no longer cover the cost of materials with my measly day job pay. This makes me sort of sad. BUT... there is a but. With the help of my husband, we've figured out another way!

It is really important to me to keep with the original giving spirit of A Happy Exchange so rather than give all my prints away for the cost of shipping or rather than just start charging for them all, I've come up with 3 different options to choose from to place an order. They are...

OPTION 1 - Each month I feature a different print for free (plus the cost of shipping).

FREE THIS MONTH - 'Sing With Me, Would Ya?' (silhouette print)

OPTION 2 - If you're interested in receiving one or more of my prints for FREE in exchange for something you've made or something you'd like to share please do contact me! I will cover the cost of shipping on my end.

Here are a few ideas for an exchange:

> Send me a handwritten letter or note in the mail. The old-fashioned way!

> Send me something you've made of equal value =).

> Share with me your greatest joy and how you can/do incorporate that into your daily life.

> Let me know how my art makes you feel. What you like about it. Why you were drawn to it.

OPTION 3 - Simply purchase the print(s) you'd like in normal Etsy fashion.

What do you think of this new direction? I'd love to hear your input!

Happy June!

Jillian

Freedom to Feel Joy

Today is the last day of school in our little town. As I sat outside reading and swaying away on our swing, I overheard the exuberant kids as they counted down the seconds at the top of their lungs, in unison, to the freedom and endless ice cream that summer promises. I remember that feeling very well.

As I sat there absorbing their anxiousness and excitement it struck me. Freedom. Why is it that in our society today we allow ourselves these gifts of freedom, of pure joy, only after we've suffered a bunch first? After nine months of stuffy classrooms, a ringing bell to signal the next structured activity, someone telling you how to be and what to be interested in. Nine months later you feel ecstatic about getting away from it all. And you feel good about the time off because you've deserved it, right? But does it truly have to be that way? Is it an inherent construct of this reality to have to suffer first in order to experience joy? Or is it a program/a lie that we've been led to believe about ourselves?

 Why do we have to 'deserve' to experience the lighter aspects of life?

At the start of the year I made a wish. A wish to be truly free to do the things that I enjoy every day. Here it is nearly June and my wish hasn't fully materialized in my outer reality just yet, but I feel it's rumblings from inside growing stronger by the minute. My inner landscape and my outer circumstances haven't quite met up. But they're conversing. They're negotiating. They're coming to an agreement.

I sure hope they do soon because I'm growing very wary of this conflicted state of being that I've lived with for as long as I can remember. Where my inner world and outer world are distances apart all the while I try to keep my balance between the two. It's time now for them to come together. It's time now for me to step onto solid ground and allow my heart to take the lead. It's time for me to let go of the lies that limit me. It's time to give myself permission to feel joy even when it's 'unwarranted' according to those around me. It's time for me to unleash my true gifts to this world, freely and fearlessly.

It's time for endless summers.

xx
Jillian

Being vs. Doing

I had the day off today. Tomorrow as well. This makes me so very happy. Except when it doesn't. Today was that sort of day. It was guilt that got to me. Some days I can overcome it with confidence and ease. Most days, like today, I cannot. I guess it's not that I can't but more that I don't know how. I haven't figured that life secret out just yet. This is what it looked like inside my head today...

I should take a walk.
Guilt.
I should bake something.
Guilt.
I should draw something pretty.
Guilt.
I shouldn't be watching a movie.
Guilt.
I should be earning money somehow.
Guilt.
Look at all these women who do it all and with grace. Why am I not more like that?
Self-loathing. Envy.
I should write a blog, it's been a few days.
Guilt.
I should get off the couch.
Guilt.
I should, I should, I should.
Guilt. Guilt. Guilt.

Aaaargh. What if I just felt unmotivated today. What is the crime in just being? Why do I feel I always have to be doing something productive or even creative in order to feel good? It's like I don't give myself permission to rest and just sink into however I am feeling, moment to moment. If that means staying in my pj's all day, taking naps, eating bon bon's and watching cheesy movies then why not?! Who is it hurting?

Why must I beat myself up whenever I'm engaging in something *gasp* non-productive? What if there was a reason for my feeling unmotivated? What if I needed to be unmotivated today in order for me to rest up for something yet unforeseen that may happen tomorrow or next week? Or what if I needed to be unmotivated today in order to experience boredom and realize how much it sucks and thus thrust me into motivation and inspired action tomorrow? What if I've just cheated myself out of this experience because I've clouded it with guilt and beat myself up over it allll dayyyy? Such a shame. Guilt serves no one.

Can you relate? How can we truly practice self kindness and allow ourselves to just... be? Some days are easier than others.

Perhaps I need to take a lesson from Buck...

Thanks for listening, I feel better now =).

xx

Jillian

A Happy Exchange Indeed

I received this in the mail the other day. It was just another ordinary day, until early evening when Kevin stepped out to get the mail and handed me a package. There's nothing quite like the feeling you get when you discover a package hidden amongst the bills addressed to you. You can tell it's going to be special when the address is handwritten, the stamps are cattywompus, and there are big, pink hearts on the envelope!

I opened it to find these wonderful, handmade gems =). And as if that weren't enough, a handwritten note on a homemade card! You should have seen me. Better yet, you should have heard me! I may or may not have squealed. Thank you so very much, Cynthia!

It reminded me why I started A Happy Exchange in the first place. It has blossomed into something so unexpected and beautiful. Some write me a little note, some write a letter, some send me something they've made or put thought into, some do nothing at all. But to me, every single order that is made, no matter the outcome, an overwhelming feeling of excitement and gratitude washes over me simply because I have the opportunity to share something that means so much to me, with someone whom I've never met that has connected with it in some way.

It truly is, a happy exchange, every time =).

xx
Jillian