Zazzle products rock! Check out these watches.

 Zazzle has some very cool new products!  The watches have been around for a year or so, but they are newer to me.  I love making them.  There are watches suitable for men, ladies and children.  The pig above is a fun kid's watch.  It is so adorable!!!  You can purchase the piggy watch here: http://www.zazzle.com/pink_pig_wrist_watches-256299810901935454

This is a large watch featuring my purple iris painting.  This watch has a large face to really show off the art.  There are some very pretty smaller face choices too.  You get to choose the band/face for each watch face art selection.  Very cool!!!  Check them out.  Find the iris watch here:  http://www.zazzle.com/purple_iris_watch-256712483044071615

Check all my watch designs here!  http://www.zazzle.com/artbylmr/watches  With Zazzle, always look at the page to see it there is any sale going on.  Use the coupon code provided to save some scratch!!

Pixley park in Winter and work ethic!

I thought I would start this post with my latest painting.  I titled this one "Pixley in Winter'.  It is acrylic on 12 x 16 Ampersand board.  I love the smooth surface of these boards.  They do get me to loosen up just a little :).  I was itching to do a winter scene since I had months of inspiration outside my window this winter.  The reference photo for this piece was taken at a park just a few miles from my home.  It is also a great  place to cross country ski though I haven't done that for a couple years now.  I must admit that I am not the fan of winter that I used to be, but I love painting snow!  I also needed a new winter scene for my annual calendar that I do at Zazzle! 

The other reason for this post is to inquire about others work habits.  It seems that being a creative sort, I am always working.  I am either painting, promoting, working on my online shops or learning!  I feel guilty taking time for myself.  When I worked at my corporate job I had no problem using the weekends to 'play' - now I spend at least a portion of the weekend working.  Lately, I have thought about actually making a cup of tea and reading for an hour or so, but alas I am doing this post instead.   I do take my evenings off pretty much when hubby is home from work though.    How do others balance work and me time?  I really would like to know.

My Art Plot

No, I am not preparing for my burial:)

This is a new idea in art promotion and sales. I was asked to join and write a review on my blog.

This is a site for art and crafters. Part social networking, part portfolio/sales. I like the simplicity of the site, both in presentation and use. This is a great site for beginners or those, like me, that don't want to spend time coding HTML.

This is the statement on the site itself 'This is MyArtPlot - one platform for all.
MAP is an essential part of any creative life. It brings together the art profession into one global point of contact and interaction. Social, professional, and commercial power thrive here. Everyday - artists, crafters, and supporters use MAP to interact with those around them and around the world. Most go by their real first and last names. MAP is functional to you as a paint brush is to a painter or a camera is to a photographer - it enables you. This is why people take ownership of their Plot (personal MAP page). '

The presentation is very clean and lets the art take center stage. It may be simple to use, but it does have some powerful features. I really like the automatic bi-weekly newsletters. Subscribers will receive automatic updates to your plot on a bi-weekly basis and you don't have to lift a finger.

A product called Banner is also available. Banner is a powerful marketing tool. When embedded across the internet, it becomes an ad for your Plot. When someone clicks on it, it will bring them to your Plot. The best thing is: Whenever you change your Plot's Banner, the change will automatically appear whereever the embedded code may sit! You can also track where your banners are embedded and see how many people have visited your Plot from there. To control, where your banner is embedded, you can disable or re-enable your banner from any of its location.

I can see this being a very powerful site if it can increase in popularity. The creators really seem to be behind it every step of the way. You can even talk to them personally via live chat using the Help feature.


The site is free with voluntary subscriptions available. There is a 5% commission on all sales that is mandatory of you don't have a subscription. I really see no reason not to give it a go at this early stage. You may be getting in on the ground floor of something revolutionary.


The down side is having one more place to keep current and update on a regular basis.

You can visit My plot here: http://lynnereichhart.myartplot.com/