to teach, or not to teach... (that is the question)

over the past few years i have been asked

to teach various work-shoppy types of things,

and i have ALWAYs declined.  

you see...

i don't think of myself as a teacher (although

i do think i may have many things i could share).  i am blunt.

i am not the most eloquent speaker... i sometimes

have a hard time getting to the point, and 

when i do i often surprise myself with a 

truth i didn't even know i held!

but here is the story... i was recently asked to be 

part of a workshop (details to come), and i totally ignored

the email, because i was so freaked out by it.

what would i have to say about that?  i might sound

dumb?  what on earth would i say....  basically i totally

shut down and panicked, YET i was still

considering it.  you know... so i could "grow".

................

so i am putting my son to bed one night, and i say

to him, "i have to get up now so i can see if i am really

going to be able to teach this class.  i have research to do...

and i need to tell the nice lady by tomorrow, 

if i am in or not."

"what is it exactly?" Henry asks... so i tell him (again details to follow),

and my smart little guy says, "MOM! that sounds like

a fifth grade report."  and i thought... you, my clever fellow,

are entirely correct!  so i marched to the phone

and called and accepted the challenge.

and now for the past 6 weeks i have been trying to enjoy

summer while freaking out about what i said yes too. 

(my arms actually hurt when i think about it!)

*don't tell...

i keep running into quotes, and words of wisdom

about personal growth and saying yes to things

that scare you.  basically, things that you 

resist and fear should be tackled

as personal growth opportunities.

well i hope that's right,

because i said YES!

(i hope)...

OOx,

cori

wish me luck- and maybe i'll see you there?

*details to follow!

NOTHING makes my day...

 like a set of cool photos that come

to my inbox!  these were from a lovely
lady (with a fabulous shop) in bend oregon.

check out this fabulous window!  !!!

*she hired a VERY talented window painter

to create windows based on my style...

and i don't think i could have done a better job

myself.

cute!

more cute...

AND THIS!  this one really tickles my fancy...

a display using some of my DENY designs

products!

and paper products and

greeting cards to boot!

now i just need to make my way down

to  bend oregon... to see this sweet little

store in person!

details you ask?

CHATEAU DEBRIS

(which is inside a mother store called Tres Jolie, in Bend)

                                                                933 NW WALL STREET

 Bend, Oregon

                                                                

seems like a little trip needs to be arranged!

OOx,

cori

Happy Holidays

to you

(and yours)

...

it has been a crazy year.

i'll write soon and tell you all about it.

but until then, i wish each and every one of

you the very happiest of holidays.

because...

YOU DESERVE IT!

OOx,

c.

Somerset March 2013!

I am SO tickled by this!

this is one of those too good to be 

true moments for me.

i have ALWAYS admired the Somerset Studio magazine...

but i had read the submission guidelines...

i knew you had to submit your own

ideas, articles, pictures to be lucky enough to find

your way into one of the beauties, and that

frankly scared the you know what out of me!  

now if you have read my blog you KNOW i don't

consider myself to be a writer (or a teacher).  

and because of that i always assumed i would never

be able to get into the "Vogue of the paper world"

because what would i write about?  how many 

years would it take me not only to formulate an 

idea that was magazine worthy, but to then

turn around and write about it...  

that would take ANOTHER YEAR (at least) !!! 

so i let the dream go...  which was sad, but honestly

knowing how i labor over the words made that okay.

but then i got the stop what your doing and do a little

dance email that made my year!  hi coir, would you be 

interested in....   you can imagine the rest. 

and of course i was absolutely THRILLED TO BITS!

and what you are looking at here is the lovely proof

that it really did happen.  OH!  the joy!

could someone pinch me.  this really does seem

to good to be true.

 thank you Christen Olivarez. 

 thank you Ricë Freeman-Zachery.

thank you Somerset magazine.

thank you for doing what you 

do and doing it, oh so well...

OOx,

cori

Joss & Main

I am PLEASED to announce 

that on February 17th (this Saturday),

 Joss & Main will be hosting

 a Cori Dantini/DENY designs

flash sale!!!  How fun is that?

Below you will find a few examples of the 

 products that DENY designs makes...

duvet cover

shower curtains

sheet sets

fleece blankets

&  throw pillows

(in different sizes no less!)

now...

I have absolutely no information as to what

will be on sale- but do hope you find this

information to be helpful.

Happy shopping everyone.

OOx  cori

Happy the Future ONLINE!

a super (duper) BIG thank you

to the online boutique, Gabby's Gifts, 

for carrying my gift line, "Happy the Future"!

Some of you have been asking where to get
one thing or another, and i have been waiting
for an online presence i could share, and now
i finally have one!  YAY!!!

i just went and looked the site over, and they

have a very nice selection (but not everything

is there).  but... if you are in the need of paper

lanterns, ornaments (to be hung all year), wall art,

memo boards, or a family tree,
 Gabby's Gifts is where to find

it online!

(this photo is a shot i took at our local

hallmark store)

this one a friend of mine took in Boulder CO.

and these shots i took at our local flower shop

here in Pullman WA, called Neill's Flowers.

i just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone

for supporting me in this.  i have to pinch myself

sometimes to remind myself that it is true!!!

happy shopping.

OOx c.

happy the future... thinking about how things go.

So...

last summer saw the introduction of my 

gift line with Demdaco, called 

"Happy the Future".

a funny name, which came about from 

this little painting.

which of course (with some fine tuning), 

turned into this happy little lady...  

i say that, because if you don't know already-

when you are an illustrator by trade, you are

happy to do what the client needs.  it is simply

your job.  and in this case, my job was to 

make the girl more "happy".

I know some would struggle with this, but

for me i am just filling someone else's need.

I don't feel it is a compromise, and i look

at is as a challenge!  PLUS, it is my job.

BUT...  i will say this.  when i created this piece

(the original one) i wasn't speaking to the idea of being happy.

i was having a bit of self talk, reminding myself

that things don't have to always be perfect and that

often times (for me) i have to choose happiness.

remind myself that it is even an option.

am i alone in this i often wonder?  i don't think so...

the more i think about what i am doing (in regards to

my artwork), i find that i am often speaking to the hard 

moments.   the ones where you HAVE to

 look down at the buds beginning to grow- 

bursting through the spring soil with deep

roots and faith- to remind yourself that things

will move on, and get better, blossom and

even bare fruit.

don't forget... they say, this just may be 

the beginning and not the end.

happy the future everyone.

(we all deserve it)

OOx  cori

SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH

happy new year everyone!

(happy happy new year)

it was a busy year, with so many things

to share with you.  unfortunately- not too many of them have

i made time to talk about (sorry).  but this one

was just a little too good not to mention!

recently i was contacted by the magazine, Spirituality and Health.

they were wondering if i would be willing to let them use

a couple of my bird illustrations for an article with 

Anne Lamott!  

ARE YOU KIDDING!!!  this is

so exciting- YES!  YES!!! i said. 

a resounding YES!

i absolutely love Anne Lamott...

if you haven't read anything by her you really should.  

one of my favorites is Operating Instructions.  she has the

 most refreshing take on reality.  I like it when people

can really speak the truth (and by does she).

here is the spread...

The article i a wonderful interview by Karen Bouris

who is the Editor in Chief at Spirituality and Health.

(and speaking of wonderful... the magazine is really 

terrific.  wish i had known about it sooner!)  

I am absolutely thrilled to have been partnered up

with someone as inspiring as Anne, and hope that there

are more super fun surprises coming my way (an yours).

happy 2013 winter everyone.

may this year bring everything you need to 

become more of who you are.

OOx cori

Better Homes and Gardens DIY (i'm in there!)

long time no posts!  (sorry)  life has been crazy

around here lately... in a nut shell my husband started

a new job so now my work day is over at three when 

henry (my little bit of sunshine) comes home from school.

needless to say it is hard to get things done.

ANYWAY...

you know this piece?

it is called community tree...

and this piece?

it is called the art of receiving...

well ages ago... 

i was contacted by BHG (Better Homes and Gardens)

and they asked if they could use a couple of my prints

in their DIY magazine (a mighty fine magazine i might add). 

 so... OF COURSE i said YES!

who wouldn't?

anyway, i waited... 

and waited... 

and waited some more...

to the point of thinking that they didn't run the article. 

but then  (just the other day)... i was in the store and there was 

the new magazine (in a sealed plastic sleeve i might add).

i looked over at my husband and i said, i wonder if 

this will be the one?  

and guess what!  IT IS!!! (page 9)

*side note...  i was at a show this past weekend 

so i didn't buy it. but when i got onto my computer that night,

a lovely lady had emailed me, to share the news! 

she had seen me in there!  

so the next day my sweet husband went

and got me one.  i had to see it (as you can imagine).

i was so tickled...

(one of my little career bucket list items was

to be in a big time magazine, and there i am).

woot woot!

OOx,

cori 

HAPPY the FUTURE is in the show rooms!

i had a lovely surprise post on my facebook

page today...  a link to these

photos of my gift line with DEMDACO

(Happy the Future), at the Dallas Market Center!

 i have to admit, seeing it all put together made 

me so happy that my toes curled up in delight.  

(this is all so weirdly exciting to me, i can

hardly stand it!)

and best of all...  the display won BEST WINDOW
at the show!!!  hip hip hooray!

(wish the line luck okay!)

OOx c.

the old me...

this afternoon i started thinking about how i got 

where i am at in regards to my art.  

when i began doing art

(well after a bit of training), this is the kind of stuff

that i made.

(yes.  that is mine.)

*i used to love a small brush, and all the tiny details.

YET- i did NOT love artwork like this.

so i began to wonder why i made this sort of art

when it wasn't what spoke to my heart.

(this was18 years ago).

this wondering, caused me to think about what i was making

and how i was making it... which then lead me to take a hard

look at how i was using my tools.  basically, i decided to

shake things up a bit, which prompted me to switch

a few things around.

.

overnight i went from big paper and a small brush, to small 

paper and a big brush. 

 and look at what happened next...

i liked this...  

(i would buy this!)  

and then that work morphed into this...

which led me here...

then this lady showed up  (about 10 years ago)

out of the blue.

i made a big series of modern/organic paintings

at this point... 

 but toward the end of that body of

work the paper ladies showed up.

miss lucy (below) was the first.

and you know where this led?   it led to my etsy shop.

which led to me doing art shows, which led me to my agent...

who took my work to surtex, who got me a new

and different kind of work...  calendars, fabric, shower

curtains, a card line!

so, by changing up what i was doing, i ended

up right here, chatting to you about how

i ended up here.

there are SO many more parts to this story...

and perhaps i will visit them at a later date,

but i really don't want to bore you.

OOx  c.

cori dantini INTERVIEW on Smart Creative Women

My fabulous friend Monica Lee

has started a new website called

Smart Creative Women

This new venture of hers is meant to help 

all of us creative ladies, who maybe don't know 

how to get from point A to point B.   She

is doing a series of interviews with loads

of creatives women... in hopes of helping YOU

get the answers you many be searching for

on your creative (& professional) journey.

Today the interview is with yours truly...

if you want to watch me wiggle and laugh THIS

will answer ALL your questions about 

who I am.  Well maybe...

(I had no idea I was such a wiggler until today.)

if you don't get motion sickness from watching... you can go here
(Smart Creative Women) to watch part 2.

OH!  and i am offering a PROMO code for 25% off
my etsy site (off the entire order), but you have to go
see monica to get it!

OOx  c.

a FAVORITE song for Sunday

i  love built to spill

&

i just wanted to share the love...

this is my most favorite song.

ever.

(because i wanna see movies of my dreams)

OOx  c.

*i think i will do this weekly
BECAUSE i have loads of favorite songs...
(but this one really is my all time favorite)

Calypso Cards...

i fell in...

you know, into the big giant hole called work
and responsibility.

  anyway, it is so busy in that deep abyss,

and this fact makes it very hard to come up 

for anything extra (like a blog post).

but... i am out!  

*insert deep breath here*

AND 

i am taking the time to share just one 

of the many things i have been 

busy doing.  AND THAT... is a line

of cards for CALYPSO!

if you have a second...  go take a look!

(press here for complete collection)

now... i am off to work on a series of 

questions for the REALLY big thing i 

have been working on (for the last year!).

i can hardly wait to tell you all about it.

but for now my lips are sealed.

OOx c.