Bold Beauties! added to the Art Shop

These cards have just been added to Organic Pink Lady's Art Shop. They're even awesomer in person!



Look for these cards, amongst many more, in the Art Shop too! What fun! I hope you like them.I have a friend sending out Thanksgiving cards! What a great idea! Maybe you'd like to, too!

Did you know that

or that
or that
or thatThere are many more interesting facts to learn, accompanied by these funny drawings!Learn Something EverydayWhat a fun design project!

Well Hello Again Summer?!

My potted flowers are trying to bloom again! What a lovely springie feeling in the midst of November. No doubt more of last week is just around the corner though. Well, here's to enjoying it while we can, this whole global warming climate change wackie weather on Planet Earth!

Shroomin' Trip

In my hood lives a knowledgeable enthusiast. He knows all about mushrooms, including where to find what, when, and how. He has taken a few of us on mini field trips to collect them. Since I happened to be in the loop this summer, another neighbor asked me to let her know when the next trip would be. When the time came, this is how I let her know:I quite enjoyed this little invite, so I took a quick photo before delivering it under her wind shield wiper. Truthfully, I don't actually like mushrooms all that much, but it is such wonderfulness to sit in the grass, under massive trees, chatting quietly with friends, while scraping dirt off the spongy things, before plopping them into a canvas bag. And yes, I am talking about mushrooms of the sauteing variety!

Yup. It's official.

Winter!That's the view from my studio window. I'm thinking about a season in the kitchen. A season of music & dancing with friends. A season of painting and making things. Maybe even a season of learning to use my 1970's sewing machine. I really want to learn to make clothes, like costumes! It's already a new year, did you know that? October 22nd was the beginning of the Spiritual New Year. This year is the Year of Creativity and oh baby, I'm excited! Let's do it, make it, sing it, learn it, dream it into this world, this world! The time is now. Want a ride? I have a sleigh! Lets go to the stars for it all! And bring it all the way back here to share!

Doesn't she?

This lady so has a story, doesn't she? Do you see it? Can you hear it? Will you tell it? <3

Have you SEEN this?

Willard Wigan makes art so teeny one needs a microscope to see it! Charlie Chaplin dancing on the end of an eyelash? Yup, that's pretty teeny. The tail, of the elephant made from the fragment of a grain of sand, is a dust particle plucked from the air! Sometimes mere static moves the pieces. Find out what happened to Alice of Wonderland, what he uses as a paintbrush and what he answered when asked if he enjoys what he does! To hear him speak a bit more, about how he works in between heart beats, for example, watch this interview as well. All very amusing and interesting.

Does Nothing exist?

It's a brand new daaay!!

I opened my curtains a little wider this morning, to let the sunlight and warmth shine in deeper. It feels peaceful and vibrant, all at the same time.

So where were YOU yesterday? I was in a ski class! I bowed out, along with another classmate, and caught the "I do solemnly swear" part and the speech. You know it's gotta be super important for me to bow out of my ski class!! The sky was immensely and intensely blue. There was not EVEN a whisper of a breeze.

And today? I'm buzzing with joy, hope and good feelings. Here's to all of our journeys, up the big mountain!

mOOn festival

Isn't it positively dreamy that there is a mOOn festival on this planet? It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month which this year was the 14th of September. On that night, I happened to go out for a stroll in my hood, turned a corner, and was completely awe struck by the mOOn. It was low, immense and superbly full bellied. At the time, I didn't realize that it was the same mOOn being celebrated all over the planet.

The mOOn festival is an East Asian tradition which originated in China, centuries ago. At this time, people gather to gaze at the bright harvest mOOn, sing mOOn poems and eat mOOn cakes & pomeloes together, amongst lanterns. Really! As if the mere idea of the mOOn festival weren't poetry enough.

No wonder the mOOn amazed me more deeply than usual that night. It had been, and was being, infused with our reflection, celebration, awe and love! I hope you have a chance to go for a mOON stroll. Soak up some of those leftover love beams still glowing and reflect some back from your full heart, to all those you love. I'll see you in the mOOn ...

Clutters of Petals

IF's theme of the week is 'clutter'. I guess these petals aren't really clutter. Clutter has a somewhat negative connotation, conjuring up images of disorder and confusion, the objects demoted to junk. These petals are not quite that, but I really want to contribute to IF, so we'll say clutters of petals are like clusters of petals!

Some people have all the talent!

This is highly entertaining. I loved traveling with her! My favorite is the one right at the end. Very clever. You'll see.

Our Popoja ...

Can you see my yogurt in the 'fridge' ?
I'm back! I bowed out to go spend a few days with dear friends. We met in a canyon, in Wyoming, and camped along the banks of the Popo Agie (say poPOja, think Mme Gabor on that last 'ja' part) River! Our days were filled with lots of boulder hopping, waterfalls, lying on rocks, laughing, sleeping under millions of stars, hiking with kids and petroglyphs even! FAB perfection!

Are you seeing umm ...

FACES!
All over the PLACES?
Some people are! Some people see hearts, some people see faces. What have YOU been seeing lately?
I found these on Flickr, a photo sharing site. It's where I house my PORTFOLIO too. You can visit more of these 'found peeps'. Aren't they great?! The watermelon came from here. The tree from here. The iron, (did you even know what that was?!), chair, grater and can came from here. And the mushroom, from here.

When I was perusing the many more photos at the sites linked above, I couldn't quite see the "face" in some of them right away. As I waited, the image seemed to become animated, from an object into a being, right before my very eyes! What a life!

Veronika, Katarina, Giselle & Mariana

Where do you suppose these four are going?! To a picnic tea party in a garden? A walk in the woods? A bici ride along the river? You KNOW they all have baskets on their rides! And joy. And lots of laughter together!

As if it were an Assignment

No matter how late in the season,
late in the day,
late in your life,
Walk outside and water your garden
Deadhead your petunias
Make room for blossoms.

No matter how long you have neglected Life,
days or decades,
Return.
Begin again.
Take the step across the threshold and stay out there for a while,
As if it were an assignment.
Don't come in until the day is done.
This is what I experienced today.

DNC in the hood!

As Denver is gearing up for the Democratic National Convention happening next week, I thought I'd share this funny video with you. I put my name in the pot to attend Obama's acceptance speech on the final night of the convention but I'm like umm 1000000000000000th on the WAIT list! So that means, off to the local theater we'll skip! Enjoy the video, Obama stotting like a gazelle before he flies over the rainbow on a unicorn is way too good ...

Organic Pink Lady is ...

TWITTERING! Certainly you were WONDERING what I was up to, right? Well, now you need not wonder any longer. Twitter makes it easy for me to let you in on all the fun one-liner details, right here on this blogspot. See it up there on the right sidebar? Yeah, it's a little like stalking, you might say, but in a fun, curious, connecting sort of way. Leave me comments anytime!

Faboo!

"Scarlet Butterfly"

This painting was titled by Bethany Sandvick, author of an awesome blog, "Nobody Listens to the Blonde", but we do, and you should, because she has really good things to say and she says, writes, them soo well!

I'm working on a post about a solar powered project I recently completed! In the meantime, here's a photo of a new painting. I'm finding the colors quite FAB! What do you think? I wish you could see these paintings I've been showing you in person, they're soo much more delightful and yummy!

A new series! Bellied Vessels

Can you see White White milk in these? What else do you see?

... is going to Japan!

Once I call the number, wrap it up, put it in Pimi's basket and send it off, my little camera will be on its way to Dr.Japan! Too bad I don't fit inside it, we could both go!! I do hope the procedure is quick, easy and affordable. You heard it was broken, right? In the meantime ... I'm happy to thank Ryan, who so generously lent me his own camera, so that I can, finally, at least show you some new paintings! With all my <3, thank you, Ryan!

Ela-Phantasic!

When I saw this, I almost dropped everything to rethink art, creativity, self and the universe! But then I realized, 'Oh, right, they're probably trained. Like most art students!' Still, we knew they had good memories, but who knew elephants could have such amazing eye/trunk coordination, 2D spacial dexterity and grace. Watch her go over a brush stroke to make the line darker. Ela-Phantasic!

Growing Things

I've always wanted to grow things. Flowers, vegetables. Each year I get a little closer. One year I bought soil. Another year I got seeds. It's never quite come together though. Mainly because I thought I needed to study lots. Know things. How far apart do they need to be? I need to start the seeds inside first? When? Cover them in a plastic bag? I have to get special soil? And compost? With WHAT in it? Then I need to fertilize them? Is that natural and organic? And feed them plant food? Don't I need to plant certain ones together so they help each other fend against insects and such? And they get diseases? My oh my. It can become complex, this growing things business.

Last summer I gave a friend a packet of several different seeds. He scattered them in a barrel (because what else was he going to do with the packet of seeds I gave him?) that happened to be in his back yard and they grew!! Into big beautiful vibrant flowers!! He didn't EVEN care how deep the seeds were supposed to be buried! He said "Nah, you just put seeds in the earth and they grow."

So this year, I've decided I can try to transplant some flowers into pots and see how they/I do. I didn't start them from seed but here they are, already beautifying my porch, making me so pleased. Most of these sweet things will be planted in hanging baskets ... because deer live in my hood and they eat EVERYTHING they can reach! I also couldn't resist a Basil, Poblano Pepper and Sandia Pepper plantie. Yes, I'll put pebbles in the bottom for good drainage. Ha Ha ah. Happy planting to me!

Tobi

Well, it happened. Tobi, my computer, has passed on. No, I had nothing backed up. Yes, I took it to data doctors and it's even too late for surgery. Alas, I'll spare you the list of all things lost and the spiritual wondering which ensured ... suffice to say it's all gone. 7 years worth. I will say a couple of things though. The saddest loss is my personal photos. No amount of time or rework can replace those. And, I know you've heard it before, so do back it all up. Perhaps you don't really know how (What? Do I drag every email address onto a black screen?). Ask somebody. Google it. Go to the external hard drive store. It's too late for me but yooo ... it's not to late for you! Unless, of course, you enjoy, or feel you need to be dragged through, a hardy dose of change. By the way, my camera is broken as is my scanner! How can I show you all my new work? This, I must figure out!

Isn't It Always Sunny?

Happy
Chocolate Covered In Assorted Colored Tin Foil, Sometimes Lying In Fake Grass In A Basket
Day!

A day in the Garden

I have a huge collection of drawings and illustrations I painted while I lived in a 'cave' at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, Colorado. I still live in Colorado, and in Boulder, but now in a mint green hut. At the time though, I lived in the basement of a very old house, near the top of a hill, where rent was cheap, I had lots of space, my own entrance and no heat. The front door opened right into my studio where evening after evening, for months, I painted one painting after another. I filled numerous tiny notebooks during that time and reproduced a lot of them as notecards, postcards and prints. You can see 12 of the 112 designs, printed as notecards, in my shop right now. Hope you enjoy!

Didja Leap?

Leaps and Hounds
You'll surely want to now! The above collage is by Scrapatorium. I really enjoy her work. She even gives an exercise or two to try. See all those 'portfolios' on the left hand side of her site? Oh, peruse them!

King Lines

"The line that's just calling out to you, beckoning to be climbed. That's the king line."
I don't really know why, but before I begin, I feel the need to let you know that I'm no rock climber. I've climbed three times, the same day, the same rock. I've heard myself say that it was the scariest thing I've ever done. I'm not sure if that's entirely true, but it very well could be. Every cell from the top of my head to the bottoms of my feet was shaking. And yes, it was also thrilling, to survive. I was literally clinging to the rock by sheer friction. I say all this, yet one of the most memorable films I've seen in the past couple of years was a climbing film by Peter Mortimer. It was called Return2Sender. It was a little caffeinated and CooCooBananas, but in an entertaining and inspiring sort of way. There was a super doggie climber and an amazing 10 year old girl climber in it; and did you know climbers use their elbows to wedge themselves in cracks in the rock?!

Last week was the Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) and Peter Mortimer showed a new film titled King Lines. I'm not about to write a film review, but I'm still inspired by Chris Sharma who came onto the climbing scene as a young teenager and zipped up some crazy hard routes with which experienced climbers were struggling. He's now 26 years old and has been at it for just over a decade. King Lines documents his quest to find the world's most difficult and beautiful LINE. Sharma mentions beauty many times. That's part of what makes his person interesting to me. He isn't just a climber, even though that is who he is, all of what he does. This quote, from the article linked below, says it well, "The struggle crushes many, weeding out the strong-fingered charlatans from the lifers." Lifers, an interesting distinction. Sharma was at the showing of King Lines in person and answered a few questions after the film. He's definitely a 'Lifer'. Even if you're not able to catch the film in your part of the world, you can get a sense of his being, and perhaps be inspired by watching this short video or reading this good long interview with him. Both are excellent.

As is the film ... superb cinematography and good balance between words, climbing scenes and story.

Bubble, In Your Face

If I came face to face with this in a magazine, I'd be quite amused! It's an ad for Arcor Bubble gum. I like it! The other reason this caught my eye was that it was designed by Leo Burnett in Sao Paulo. Well, Sao Paulo happens to be the city in which I was born and grew up. I'll be posting some good photos of Sampa sometime soon, but for now, you can see a small photo on the side bar, on the right. Anyway, I figured Leo Burnett was a designer in SP, so I googled his name to find out more. Well, friends, Leo Burnett is a huge design company with branches all over our world. Maybe you already knew that. Not me though. So yes, the Arcor ad was more than likely designed by a, or a few, Brazilian designers in SP. Their main site is definitely worth checking out. The work really IS superbly creative. Plus, where else can you draw and surf elegantly at the same time? Make sure to find and click on the teeny red apples too!

Peg Pencil

And now, for something ... completely different. The coolest mechanical pencil I've ever seen. I wonder how comfy it is between the fingers. It looks like it could be quite. Functional, elegant, creative and unique ... this fabulousness was designed by Yuta Watanabe. A Japanese designer who also studied in London. See more of his product design here.

Today is ...

and
day!
As it is everyday. They're both all over the place!
in a bottle of sunscreen
as a seed pod
on a sidewalk
a smeared locker
even in a tree stump
although that one had to be pointed out to me ... twice! MyDar and I were walking someplace when of a sudden he pulled me back in order to stop and show me something. Something on the ground. I said, "What, a stump, it was once a tree" and attempted to keep walking! Really, I really said that. It was soon hilarious to me (& to him) as he looked at me in disbelief! Then I saw it, it was a HEART! One of those things I see and point out all the time! Here's to hoping your life today and everyday is filled with love, of the most fabulous variety to you. May you see and enjoy your life, as there is love and there are hearts all over this land and in our own and shared inner lands as well. Really! Tons of LOVE! Happy Love day.

Bring all your friends!

Cakes are funny to me. They're colorful and sweet and we always wonder what the inside looks, feels and tastes like too. I haven't met anyone who accepts a piece of cake like they do, say, the salt shaker. 'Oh yeah, thanks.' nah. I've seen a piece of cake be rejected, but even then, it's not turned down like the salt shaker might be. nah. There's usually a twinge of drama, the decision and experience layered with story.

Life is often humourous to me. Imagining and painting cakes has made me laugh, and joyous.

Bring all your friends! We're having cake!

Stacks o'

Stack o' crackers.
Stack o' paintings.
Stack o' papers. Pile o' clothes. Stack o' magazines. Pile o' leaves. Some things are piled, some things are stacked.

There's something aesthetically and conceptually interesting to me about things stacked on top of other things. There will be more stacks o' paintings and paintings o' stacks coming soon. See just a few here right now.

Is it Time for Cake Yet?

Well, it's February. I think it very well could be. Time. For Cake. Right now. I added a few more paintings to my portfolio. Check 'em out. I'll be adding more this week. Really, THIS week! I know, I've been away from my Blog for a while. I'm on my way back with some Cakes, Stacks, and maybe some more cakes!

BRIGADEIROS!

No birthday is complete without them! They're Brazilian sweets. Say BRI.GA.DEI.ROS, and curl your r's if you can. The bobbles sticking up out of them in the photo above are not traditional but the sprinkles (also called brigadeiros) are. As well as the tiny paper cups they're in. I say all that, but if you're like Adriana and me in 8th or 9th grade ... well ... you can just make them and eat them right out of the pan while sitting on the kitchen counter after school before going out to the club ;) Yes, the ones you see above, I made for my friend Erica's birthday not long ago. A few people asked me for the recipe, as well as 'what?! are they called again?' so here it is for you all with love:

BRIGADEIROS

Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder or Hot Chocolate Powdered mix

Directions:
In a saucepan mix the chocolate powder in with the condensed milk, add the butter. Keep your flame low and be sure to stir constantly until you can see the bottom of the pan. Continue to stir for another few minutes until your wooden spoon parts the gooey river, so to speak, for a couple of seconds. Pour it all onto a plate and let cool completely. If you can, leave them on the counter overnight (covered with a teatowel) as the texture will be better when you form them into the little balls. When you do form the little balls, do butter your hands slightly or you'll be a sticky mess. Roll the balls in brigadeiros (chocolate sprinkles or I think I've heard them called jimmies as well). Place the 'docinhos' (little sweets) in their individual paper cups and Feliz Anniversario! Or Feliz Everything! (Psst! In 11 days it's MY birthday so maybe I'll make them again then :)

Too Hot For Socks

Well, so much for Halloweenish. Today it's too hot for socks! Especially out at the Pumpkin Patch. There was barely a cloud in the sky. The place was swarming with kids pulling squeakie red wagons piled with pumpkins. There was a donkey, a few bunnies, a corn maze and even those things you put your face in for a photo. I came home with a Great Pumpkin and a pocket full of dried corn kernels I found on the ground in the corn maze. Yeah, I still do that ... wonder about and pick up all sorts of stuff from the ground!


Jack-o-Lina

Trick or Treat

It's Halloweenish. The moon is just past full, glowing low and yellow through a spooky haze. It's cold. I'm wearing 3 sweaters. Yeah, I have central heating in my hut, but you know, once THAT goes on, that's it till April! Ah, April, can't wait.

I've got the Rockies game on. They're playing the 3rd game of the World Series. I know what this means now. A couple of weeks ago I didn't even know what a league was. Now I know. There are two. That lesson came later though, after a kind fellow explained the basics to me, that the Baseball Season goes through September and if a team is really good, they get to play through October. It was all becoming clearer to me. So the Colorado Rockies won most of the games in their league and the Boston Red Sox won most of the games in their league, now they're playing a series of games, The World Series, you see. I guess by 'World', they mean America. They sure do spit a lot and do all sorts of twitching while they're standing around. And what's with the hankie twirling? Go Rockies!

Here's my little 'trick or treat' contribution for IF this week. Lots o' candy!

Zings!

Meet 4 of many new additions to my PORTFOLIO.

Paluma
Ah, porque me encanta la pintura ... Ah, what is it about painting. It's all I wanna do these days. One thing is that I never know what's going to happen. Who knew 'not knowing' (and then seeing the results) would be so satisfying. At first I do feel a tinge of wondering if ANYTHING worthwhile will be created. To keep those tinges at bay, I don't stare at blank paper or canvas.

Deki
At the end of a painting session I may have some paint leftover or sometimes I put out a bit more than will stay wet in this Colorado climate so, before it dries or before washing up, I paint as many blank pieces of paper or canvas as I can with whatever color I happen to have on hand. This means that before I even start painting next time, I've already started!

Jeshka
I rarely give my mind a chance to ask 'What are you going to do now? What are you going to paint?'... I just put color to canvas. Usually a shape happens. And then the dance begins. One form and/or color informing/transforming another. It's Fabulous Fun Problem Solving! I do work on several, perhaps 4 or 5, pieces at a time and I go back and forth between them so as not to get too 'worried' about where any of them are 'going'.

Monique
I don't stop until something about them zings. That's (one of) what it is about painting. Hope you enjoy my recently updated PORTFOLIO.

The Sunrise Ruby

Rumi, On Being a Lover (by Coleman Barks)
Being a lover is close to being a worker. When the ruby becomes the sunrise, its transparency changes to a daily discipline. There's a story about a sufi who rips his robe and gives it the name faraji, which means "ripped open" or "happiness" or "one who brings the joy of being opened." Peace and compassion come as coverings are thrown open and the streaming beauty of emotion flows through the lover-worker.

THE SUNRISE RUBY by Rumi (translation by Coleman Barks)
In the early morning hour,
just before dawn, lover and beloved wake
and take a drink of water.

She asks, "Do you love me or yourself more?
Really, tell me the absolute truth."

He says, "There's nothing left of me.
I'm like a ruby held up to the sunrise.
Is it still a stone, or a world
made of redness? It has no resistance
to sunlight."

This is how Hallaj said, I am God,
and told the truth!

The ruby and the sunrise are one.
Be courageous and discipline yourself.

Completely become hearing and ear,
and wear this sun-ruby as an earring.

Work. Keep digging your well.
Don't think about getting off from work.
Water is there somewhere.

Submit to a daily practice.
Your loyalty to that
is a ring on the door.

Keep knocking, and the joy inside
will eventually open a window
and look out to see who's there.

(OPEN for IF this week)

The Blues, on Vacation!

The Blues, Visit The Beach
The Blues, Visit an Aquarium
The Blues, Visit Some Yaks
The Blues, Visit Magic Kingdom
Here's my version of 'The Blues' for IF's theme o' the week. I had a good time with these two! Looks like Visiting Magic Kingdom was their favorite. Can you see just how HAPPY they are?!

El Fascinante

In the last couple of weeks, I met 3 people whose 2nd name is JOY. I've also been messin' about with some paintings, painting out negative shapes to create tree-like forms. This particular painting of a tree looked strange perhaps, but a tree to me none-the-less ... until a couple of days later when I happened to catch a glimpse of it and noticed it was a man with a pointy nose wearing a hat and a long robe like dress with a band around his waist! And he was doing some sort of magical entertaining! I was astounded. I couldn't have created him if I'd tried! Within a short time of that painting I found out that an acquaintance friend of mine is also a 'Fire Dancer'. Then, I happened upon a new friend whose band is named 'Juggler' and on his site he has lots of fabulous clown and circus themed art. Then I was invited by another friend to join her for dinner at her house. As it turns out, she's a professional clown, jester and magician! Elf too, I think. Yes, I was wondering what it all meant! In any case, Friday morning came along and I was excited to find out what IF's new theme was for the week. Wouldn't you know it was ... JUGGLER. I just had to smile and laugh. So here's my juggler-themed-contribution.PS. Even my tea bag this morning had something to say!

Meet Pink Miyata!

Pimi for short. Yup, today I traded my cycling shoes for flip flops, my jersey for a flowy top and took my helmet off. Yeah, I know, I'll put it back on. I didn't even wear sunscreen today, wild woman that I am! It was super cloudy.

You know what my favorite part of Pimi is? Well, after her frosty pink icecream color and her HK bell, and her coolest flashlight light, and her beautiful basket ... her kickstand. Kickstands are great. I don't need a pole or a tree, a building or a car or even a friend ... although friends are nice, so are trees. Anyway, I can stand her up just like that, in the air. I like having that option.

Riding around town is good. I seek out the quieter side streets and have to think about where I am and where I am going in a different way than when I am driving. I have to consider which side of the street I'm on, where it is that I am going and where it might be best to cross over. I also love that bicycling is powered by carrots and collard greens, or, well, as in my case today, cookies ; )

Magnificent

My friends, Carol and Arthur Lee Land, showed me this the other day. Absolutely incredible. I hope you enjoy!

Cloudcroft

Oh Southern New Mexico, so rainy, so cloudy, so woodsy 'n wet. "New Mexico?"
Yes! If you drive four hours in the scorching desert south of Albuquerque and climb a sandy dry mountain speckled with low 'bobble' bushes, then way at the top, you'll come to a little place named Cloudcroft! Not long ago, I packed the car up with canvas, paper, tubs of paint, water buckets & my bike, of course (which I never got to ride because I was in CLOUDcroft where it RAINS every afternoon). I spent a week there studying


with successful, generous and superby inspiring artist, Robert Burridge. Since I've been back ... all I want to do is paint! That just says it ALL about a teacher, doesn't it! A couple of nights ago I didn't even want to go to sleep because that meant too many hours before I could paint again! Lil Ms Artist has been revived! If you visit his site, consider signing up for his Artsy Fartsy Newsletter, 'tis fab!

The Weddin' Tree

Serving myself chocolate for breakfast, letting lady bugs land on me while lying in an embroidered hammock strung between cottonwood trees, noticing rainbows and going on bike rides … is that all you think I’ve been up to since OrganicPinkLady.com still isn’t functional, a full month after my self imposed deadline?! Nooo … not all! To work is a beautiful thing, to art-work that is, and nothing tops making art for wonderful people who have special projects in mind. The photo above is of one of my latest such projects. It is, as of today, on its way to Ireland, a wedding gift for nephew #1 of 40, of an Irishman named Jim. Can you make out any of the words within the tree? The poem surrounding the Weddin’ (that’s the Irish way of saying wedding) Tree is by Jim himself. He asked me to design something celebratory while still serious, as it is a wedding wish after all, from Uncle #6 of 9, no less!

Forms, Numbers and Taxes, Oh My!

After at least 16 hours of research, I finally came to the sure conclusion that a “Tax ID number” is NOT the same as an “EIN number”! Really. And after 3 hours of meticulously going over the application form for a “Sales Tax ID number” which is the same as a “Tax ID number” which is not the same as a “Federal Tax ID number” (which is the same as an EIN number, maybe) which is the same as a “Sellers Permit” which is also the same as a “Resellers License”, I drove to Denver to exchange a wad of cash for a short string of special numbers, which allows me to collect sales tax and then give it to The Man when he comes-a-knockin’.

By this time, I had wised up to the fact that it’s not all designed to make sense, so it didn’t take me very long to, if not understand, accept, that even though the form I was filling out said “Business Registration Form” I was not Registering a Business by filling it out but requesting a Sales Tax ID number! As it turns out, Registering a Business is yet another situation, which may or may not be the same as Registering a Trade Name, which is completely different from Registering a Trade Mark. I do at this point feel fairy confident that applying for a Business License is something else entirely. Oh, and NONE of this even begins to address Income Tax! Did you know that? Oh, the fascinating things I’ve spent hours, days and weeks now, trying to make sense of!

It was a cool, sunny, beautiful day. I had precise directions and was delighted to find myself right downtown, near the Capitol Building, Art Museum and Public Library. I found parking one street over and had just enough change to feed the parking meter for an hour. I went in, clarified a few details (see above), paid my fee and was back at my car with 3 minutes to spare, special numbers in hand. Leaving the building, I felt a straightening, a scintillating Yes, and Thank You.

The sky was clear and blue. The breeze felt fabulously refreshing and OrganicPinkLady.com is another step closer to being Open for Business!