When I was a kid I loved to play with dolls. Stuffed or Barbie dolls, it didn’t matter. My toys helped me to go into that creative happy place in my head where I was at peace. Sadly as an adult I don’t go to that place as much. So this post is dedicated to my dolls, which I loved (the heart symbol is a sign of love for all you Illustration Friday folk) so much in my childhood. And here’s a wish to all, that we can find our way to our creative happy place even once in a while Dolls rock!

This is a portion of an acrylic painting I did a little while back of the beautiful Quetzal (which I have yet to see here in Costa Rica). The full picture has a teary woman watching the bird. I gave this painting to my good friend Anna, from Switzerland, who was just married…yay. My husband Pedro and I were the witnesses, a great honor indeed…and we ate loads and loads of Japanese food. Ricisimo! With approximately 850 recorded bird species, the country boasts one-tenth of the world’s total. More than 630 are resident species; the remainder are occasionals who fly in for the winter. Birds that have all but disappeared in other areas still find tenuous safety in protected lands in Costa Rica, though many species face extinction due to deforestation. The nation offers hope for such rare jewels of the bird world as the quetzal and the scarlet macaw, both endangered species yet commonly seen in protected reserves. from http://photo.net/cr/moon/birds.html

My friend Noodles pointed out this site, Gogglism. Punch in your name and get very fun results. Try it, it’s fun! Of course not all of the following are true to me exclusively, but rather encompass the entire Rena race… I’ve moved some of my favorites and most complimentary one’s to the top because obviously I want to impress you my fellow readers. Googlism for: rena rena is a very beaytiful woman rena is a young girl who feels she is different from the others in her village because she is the only one who can use healing magic rena is a hotty rena is the best rena is the only authorized dealer of her patented reciprocating floats and head supports rena is awesome rena is still in the design phase rena is a very powerful actor and she was the only person who i ever had in mind for the role rena is also a much sought rena is a mixed breed shepherd rena is particularly interested in developing innovative and advanced conflict resolution training modules rena is a strong magic user rena is a pistol

Snapshot, smiling youth Eyes wide and innocent Haunted and tainted

I can only imagine the fresh greens of spring emerging from the darkness of winter. I am missing Toronto a lot and this would be the start of my favorite time of year there. Costa Rica only has the rainy and dry seasons, and there is always green and warmth so there is nothing in that regard to miss or look forward to. So oh how sweet, I have bought myself a ticket home for one month this coming May 23rd. I am very excited to see all my family and friends. I feel like the city must have changed so much in the year and a half that I have been living here in Costa Rica, for when I left there were huge buildings being erected or renovated and an entire area being transformed.

It was during a routine forward bend that Tina felt the snap in her back and was rushed to the emergency chiropractic and plastic surgery clinic. Thankfully a good back crack and emergency breast enhancement (to a double D cup) solved the problem. Tina would never again be able to hurt her back by folding too far in half.

I had to run out yesterday so I didn’t get to finish up about my car crash. My pal Susanna asked me some questions so I will answer them here.

This piece for Illustration Friday is titled, “Total Woman” because this sexy mamacita is all woman! Ok, maybe she’s a bit less woman and more of a scanned pencil crayon drawing that was altered and coloured in Photoshop. I have a live to tell story now… muy asustado… very scary. Pedro and I picked up my parents from the airport in San Jose last Tuesday in a rental car. I was driving. This was my parents first visit to Costa Rica and their first time meeting my husband and his family…oooh scary! The first part of the drive is up and around and down and around some very large mountains. I don’t really like driving them (being more acquainted with driving the flat landscape of my hometown, Toronto, Canada) but I just concentrate on the road ahead and try not to look to the steep drops on the side and all is fine for me. It’s always much nicer being in the inner lane next to the mountain. An hour into our drive home I was driving down the mountain when I noticed that a push on the breaks seemed to speed up the car before slowing it and I [...]

When I was a kid I loved a good ole game of hide ‘n seek with the neighborhood kids. It was always fun hiding out with a friend and giggling and shushing one another with nervous delight. Ahh the good old days…

Being a graphic designer I had to do a drawing for this weeks Illustration Friday theme that represented design… so here we have an example of bad communication. Personally I would choose to go Dat-a-Way, but that’s just a gut feeling and I’ve been known to be wrong before.