Google yourself.

Ha, ha, you probably thought I meant something bad didn't you?

Sorry to disappoint you, I mean it in the literal sense, have you googled your nickname lately?

If you Google "smilingbluedog", you'll find my stuff... all over the place. Flickr, Etsy, and

now, I'm happy to see, my home website shows up!

And some photos I added of Kokanee Creek Park, are on Google maps too!

Some stuff' is so old, but it's still alive on the Internet. (Reminder to self- don't say dumb things, they stay forever and you never know who is watching.)

I just Googled myself, and found 6 pages of smilingbluedog links! So I tried some of the ones I don't recognize, and wandered off on a goose chase, to see where my name shows up...

My little skull beads are on the Art Bead Scene blog and I'm even on a link called "Cow Ranching" because of my miniature cow skull pin on my homesite!

So try it, Google your name, and see what you get, you may be surprised!

BTW-

I've been asked where did I get the name smilingbluedog?

To save time, I often say it's after our dog - he's so black he's almost blue, and he smiles when he greets you. The true-er story isn't very exciting, but it is what it is.

Years ago, I was trying to set up my 1st Yahoo e-mail account, but the name (I had thought long and hard to come-up with) was taken, so I tried another, then more and all the names I wanted were unavailable!

I was upset to find that I'd been on the computer over an hour and still hadn't completed my "mission".

Yahoo had suggestions, but I wanted to make my own name (like everything else, I try to do/make it myself- yes, it takes longer, but is more rewarding.)

So I put together 3 words that relate to me:

Smiling- because I smile... a LOT! I'm generally a happy person.

Blue- it's my favourite- a creative and energizing colour for me.

Dog- if I were an animal, I'd be a dog. Happy, companionable, faithful, curious, loving.

So now you know :)

*****************

Last night I was in my studio painting... until 1am. I just received these little chipboard cards ordered from Krazykatedesigns and have been excited to paint them. They are my 1st set of ACEO (Art cards, editions and originals.) I'm starting with a group of 9 little pictures, of mountain/landscapes, representative of where I live- in the Kootenays, BC. Each one starts off the same, but as I paint I'm using different colours and texture.

These little pieces are all about technique rather than design. I'm not sure where they'll take me, but that's the whole idea.

I love working in the wee hours, however this time of year it's kind of scary to go from the studio to the house. It's bear season, and our walnut tree is just starting to drop nuts and leaves. They hit the shed and it's startling to hear the loud "bang" of a walnut bouncing off the tin roof. It's driving us and the squirels a little nuts :)

Anyhow, I hope you'll have a great day, and I'd love to hear about

how you came up with your nickname(s).