New originals have been unearthed! These were painted earlier in the year; prints coming soon, as well as more originals from prints already in the shop. Click the images or here to buy.

Another new painting, plus a set of postcards now in the shop.

Not like you wouldn’t have guessed, but I’m taking a little break from all things web-related. I’m also going to be putting my Etsy shop in vacation mode in the next day or two (meaning it’s closed to new orders, but you can still see things that have been sold, contact me, etc., and you can sign up to be notified when it re-opens), and I’m not sure if I’ll re-activate it before the baby bean is born or not. We’re in the middle of project basement right now, and my entire studio is going to be moving down there in the next week. Since I probably won’t know where anything is or have access to everything for a while, I figured it’d be best to put the shop on hold for a while.

So, if you have any shopping you’ve been meaning to do in the Laurie Coyle Designs Etsy shop, now’s the time to do it! If you order something in the next few days I’ll be sure to include a super special free gift, too! yippee!

As for this blog, I’m just going to let myself off the hook, ok? I miss you, but I also feel bad when I don’t post, and that’s just no good for either of us. So I’m here to officially say that until I get into a routine with the little one, I’ll probalby not be here much. There may be no noticeable difference from the current infrequency, but who knows. I totally love you, though, and appreciate all of your encouragement and kind words and your interest in my work (and life!). It really means a lot to me, and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on baby-progress, as well as any new work that comes out of the new studio. I’m also planning a big before-and-after reveal of the basement space, but the project is definitely not done. Not quite yet. So until then…

xoxox

There are still a few more of these little guys in my Etsy shop. I’m also taking custom orders, which will take 7-10 days to complete, barring any unforseen moving-my-studio-two-floors-away circumstances that pop up.

Also be sure to head over and become a fan of Laurie Coyle Designs on Facebook for a super-sweet discount redeemable through Sunday (Feb. 21) on anything in the shop (you are also eligible if you are already a fan — and thanks!).

I painted this red-bellied woodpecker for the birdie calendar for the month of February:

And then last week (during the first week of February) this guy appeared at my bird feeder for the first time all winter:

Pretty cool.

But please excuse the image quality! The photo was taken through my (very dirty) glass door, while trying not to make too much of a scene and scare him off. Also my camera, while pretty awesome, doesn’t have much of a zoom lens. But you get the idea. A month-appropriate visitor.

Next month is the chickadee, but if your feeder is anything like mine it has been covered with chickadees all winter long. One of my favorite things about winter, actually — they are definitely my favorite bird (sorry red-belly, you’re cute, too!).

First thing’s first.

I have gotten the question of how on earth we figured out what kind of dog our HappyGirl is, so here’s the story:

I was standing around in the lovely “Wild Birds Country Store” (where some of my calendars just so happen to have been for sale this winter) while my mom purchased something, and I spotted some little booklets by the door on how to identify birds, as well as other things like mushrooms and flowers. There was also one about dogs. I’m always on the lookout for our little girl, so I opened it up and THERE SHE WAS. A drawing of our dog. Labeled “Munsterlander” but it said they were only 24″ tall, which is about 10 inches too short, give or take. I showed it to my mom, though, and she agreed that it looked just like her. I was sure I’d remember the name, since it was so odd, but of course I forgot. The next day I googled “M Dog Breeds” because I remembered it was a long, odd name starting with M. I browsed a list of breeds and finally came across it, recognizing the german-ness of it — and two versions, large and small. Clicked for some photos of the large version and there she was again. Pretty crazy.

In other news, relating to our little menagerie here, we are sending our goats off to a bigger farm this weekend. No, not the proverbial farm, but an actual happy farm-animal farm at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary. We have been weighing this decision for a while now, but with the baby on the way we have decided that these goaty ladies are much more work and trouble than the pleasure they give us, which is not much. They wake us up with their hungry cries (thought there is no way they are actually hungry, they have lots and lots of food) almost every morning, and they are definitely not socialized enough to ever be bred and milked. {So much for our dreams of a goat-cheese empire. But maybe someday we’ll venture into that dream again, especially if we end up somewhere with more land, so the ladies don’t have to live right outside our bedroom window.}

When it comes down to it we really think they will be much happier at their new home, anyway. I am guessing we won’t even be able to contain ourselves and we’ll end up visiting them often. It’s about an hour and-a-half away, in the Hudson Valley.  {Even though they don’t let us pet them unless we have a handful of food — preferably fruit or stale rice cakes, and even then only for a second or two until they realize what’s going on.}

Things certainly are changing around here. All for the better, but I am feeling like we’re living in the middle of a construction zone. Oh wait, we are. I have lots of photos of the big basement renovation to post, but I think I’m going to wait to make it a dramatic before-and-after. Today is paint-color-deciding day, so you know we’re getting close. All the bathroom appliances/fixtures and the vanity need to be put in, the floor installed and the light fixtures put in, as well as the painting, but it’s coming together. I’ll be moving my studio down there when it’s done, and turning the room that currently houses my studio into a bedroom for the little bean. I’ve already picked out a color for that room, a soft yellow-green, and that was easy. The basement, not so much. Maybe a gold-yellow? Maybe? I keep going back to this amazing green office, though.

Of course, that said, if you are interested in taking our goats home, and live in a hundred-mile radius, let me know. They are pretty darn cute. If loud and obnoxious.

I keep comparing the situation here to the story of Gonzo finding his alien family in the movie Muppets From Space. As we all know, Gonzo was always considered a “weirdo”, with no other creatures on earth anything like him. But in the film, he finds out he’s one of a huge band of alien creatures. A whole civilization of Gonzos!

It has recently come to our attention that our dog, previously considered quite muttly, is in fact a member of the Large Munsterlander breed of dog. Can you believe it? She might not be pure-bred, but something close! Who knew!? We had always gone with the guess of part Brittany Spaniel, part Border Collie, but it never quite added up.

I just think this one's really funny. Taken with my iPhone and the Shake It app.

Apparently this breed is quite new to North America, originating as a variation of the German Longhair Pointer in, you guessed it, Germany (Munster, Germany, actually). It’s bred in Germany, the UK and Canada, and slowly making its way into the US. And aren’t we glad for that! She has always displayed tendencies for hunting and chasing, pointing and sniffing out, but little did we know these are precisely the traits she was bred for. Including hunting birds, you know, like chickens. :::::sigh::::: Guess we won’t be having that free-range farm we dream of anytime soon. Thankfully besides chickens, she REALLY likes squeaky toys.

">

The above photos are of our girl, Happy. Full name “Happy Anniversary.” We tried and tried for months to come up with a new name for her after we adopted her, but it just stuck. She’s almost 4 years old now, having lived with us for the last 3. She was given up to the Berkshire Humane Society because she was a bit, shall we say, rowdy. She was very mouthy and bit us all the time and howled like we were killing her when we put her harness on for a walk. But with a bit of persistence, a very tiring obedience class and replacing the bad behaviors with new ones, she soon learned it was much more rewarding to behave herself. She’s one of the best dogs I’ve ever met. Except maybe when she jumps on our guests to greet them. I always say “she wants to give you a hug” and I think I mean it. She just gets really excited!

So these photos below are of other dogs from this breed. What do you think? See the resemblance?

Image borrowed from the Raycris Large Munsterlanders

Image borrowed from the Wild Rose Dogs' Flickr

ZOMG wasn’t she the cutest puppy ever? I mean, all puppies are cute… but can’t you just imagine this is our sweet HappyGirl? I had to include this one, mostly because I can’t stop looking at it. A few people suggested I print it out and save it and say it was her as a puppy. I mean, the resemblance is pretty amazing, wouldn’t you say?

More photos of other Large Munsterlanders here. In case you are as curious as I was.

This post is a little late, but I wanted to be sure to wish you a Happy New Year with a little winter cheer!

We’ll probably keep our Christmas tree up for at least a few more weeks. I really don’t understand people who decide today means it’s all over. I can always use a good dose of twinkle lights and sparkly ornaments and glowly lights on houses to brighten up a cold winter day! I kind of wish it was ok to keep it all up until the snow disappears in March (or April).

">">

This is what we woke up to on Christmas morning. We spent the night at my parents’ house, along with two of my brothers who were in from out of town. We woke up to an icy winter wonderland, followed by all kinds of yummy treats and a big breakfast with everyone and maybe a few presents. It was super fun.

We had to wait till the next day to see my youngest brother Brian and his girlfriend, Sarah, who made me this amazing bookmark, plus little gift bags for yummy treats.

It was a very crafty Christmas, indeed.

I made this ellie for a very special little kiddo that I have yet to meet because he lives on the other side of the country. Someday!

and my darling Sarah G. made us this pair of amazing birdie pillows! Isn’t she the best? I think they are pretty much the most beautiful things ever. {thanks Sarah!!!}

I also bought us this fuzzy lil’ mushroom from the lovely Cary of Little Love Blue. We both love it so much! (The garland behind it is from CATA from a few years ago. One of my favorite parts of our tree-decorating!)

From now through January 1, 2010 I’m offering FREE shipping on everything (everything! well, excluding custom orders) in my Etsy shop. I’ve also put my 2010 Birdie calendar on sale for HALF PRICE. It’s only $10 now, was $20.

Wicked good!