TP Design

Happy New Year to Me

2012-02-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was my birthday and for the first time I am actually looking forward to a new year with new possibilities and new adventures. I don't always have the best birthdays and I think I figured out why, I have far too many expectations going into the day. When things don't magically go the way I dreamed they would I get sad. Don't we all though? So this year I looked at my birthday as a gateway to all that the next year holds for me. I have a lot of things that will be coming up this year that are new adventures and I am super excited. So instead of putting too many expectations on one day, I looked at yesterday as the door finally opening to my next chapter.

Such a better outlook. Because of this I had one of the best birthdays that I can think of to date! I had delish coffee from Starbucks (free, which of course makes it better), a wonderful time with a group of women I adore and thank God for everyday, lunch with a beautiful long time friend, scores of posts on my facebook page from friends all over the country, and a wonderful afternoon with my family swimming and working out and eating (this goes without saying of course)!

I also had a friend look up the meaning of my name, which I would love to share with you here:

Your inherent meaning for your name is -- palm tree (this one I already knew)

Your spiritual meaning of your name is --- Victorious Spirit!!!

Your scripture for your name is Micah 5:9
Your hand shall be lifted up over you adversaries, and your enemies shall be cut off.

How cool is that! I love this meaning and I am blown away by how fitting it is right now in my life when I have started to truly work on being who God created me to be. So for all of you who blessed my life yesterday with well wishes and continue to give me wings with your support and amazing words of courage thank you. I truly believe that you are gifts from God. I have been re-reading a book called Coming Home to Your True Self by Albert Haase and in the book Haase talks about Mary and how she "was a woman totally aware that everyone she encountered was a God-bearer". This struck me so deeply that I don't think this way at all, and yet it is so true - so this year, I am going to work on seeing God in all those I encounter, my friends, my family and especially those who just have a moment in my day to day life.

Be blessed friends...and I can't wait to start my new year with you.

First Class

2012-01-28T14:35:00.001-08:00

So my first class in my studio went off without a hitch. We had fun, made a mess and I loved every minute of it. My class did too. I made a couple announcements at the class that I can't quite make public, but they are big and I can't wait till I can share them with you. Until then I leave you with some of art that was created by my students. Hope you enjoy!

Zombies for Christmas

2012-01-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

So I have been dying to share these with you, but of course I had to wait till my brother and his wife opened them for Christmas! Since Christmas is over and hopefully these are comfortably sitting on their couch or bed and I can share!

My brother, while he says he is easy to shop for, is the hardest to shop for every year. I want to get him something special not just an action figure (which is what he asks for every year). I personally try to let him know he means more to me than just an action figure, and for once I think I may have done pretty good.

He and his wife love zombies, The Walking Dead is one of their fav shows right now. And while zombies are "in" right now and zombie stuff is easy to come by, I still wanted to get them something unique.

What is more unique than his and her pillows with them as zombies! My son helped me paint the backgrounds and then I went in and added the faces. There are extra details too like buttons for eyes with red thread and when the paint dried I sewed them up with a black and white herringbone fabric on the back.

All I have to say is if I knew how easy it was to make custom pillows before this I would have been making them way earlier than this.

Enjoy!

New Year, New Me, Same God

2012-01-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

I am in awe sometimes by how quickly something can go from an idea to being a new way of life. I started journaling last year and not just journaling but art journaling. It went from something to do to a must do. A new line of communication was opened between me and God and I began to share it with others. New paths were opened for them as well and a small movement was started and began to slowly grow. Now I can't wait to get in my studio and start a dialog with myself and with God. With the growth that I have seen as well as others that I have been sharing with I figured it was time to take this show on the road. (Well at least expand my horizons.) So to start this year off I will be teaching a class here in my studio!

New Year, New Me, Same God

This class will give you a start into what art journaling is about while setting the tone for your 2012 year. You will be focusing on a few words that you want your year to be about, while pairing them up with scripture, worship songs, colors and textures. If you have been journaling before you can still take the class and learn some new techniques and be in community with others. Limited spaces are available for this class so sign up soon.

This one time class will be on January 22, from 1:30-4
Here at my studio in Skokie, IL
Cost is $20

If you are interested in attending please RSVP by messaging me here or at tpdesign01 (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you need more info please email me soon.

I can't wait to start the new year off with you all!

Footprints in the Sand

2011-04-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it takes looking at the world around you through the eyes of a 4 year old to realize all that God has surrounded you with. We have friends that lives on the beach (yes, even in the midwest you can have a beach) and they are kind enough to to let us "play" there from time to time. So yesterday even though in never made it above 50, my son and I took a moment to enjoy the beauty set out before us.

Anytime I go to the beach the poem Footprints in the Sand always comes to mind. It is one of the few things I remember vividly being hung in my house when I was a child. I wanted to share it with you here if you have never read it before, I hope you enjoy...

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

Mary Stevenson, 1936

A Budding Promise

2011-04-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Like most people I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring. Spring means growth, colors bursting forth from from the dark blackened earth and most importantly fresh starts/new beginnings. My friends down in Texas are soaking up 80s and sunshine, while here in Chicago we are some days barely above 40. But it's ok. I know it's coming.

My cycle in life right now seems to be in a Spring season too. Which is truly exciting, so many promises on the horizon. I recently taught at a women's retreat, the spiritual art journaling that I have been showing you all pages of, and it went wonderfully! I made some great connections, met some wonderful women and spent some much needed time with God. Some great things came of that weekend and I can't wait to share them with you, but it's not quite time to spill the beans on the projects I'll be working on soon...

So I am hoping this spring brings you some much needed rejuvenation too, that you begin to see buds, busting through the darkened world that surrounds you and you begin to see some vibrant colors shining through.
Until then...

little hands, little eyes

2011-01-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

As most of you know I have a son who will be 4 in March, who I dearly love. He is loud, full of energy and most of all very creative. One of his favorite things is to paint with me in my studio (aka the basement). I personally wish we could do this all day everyday, but that usually doesn't happen. On the days it does happen it's magical. I love the stories he comes up with as he paints and the colors he chooses to go together. He's not afraid to try anything and he has no rules that he follows. He is free. In his mind you can never mess up.

So many times when I am painting I get wrapped up in the rules or I am afraid to make a mistake, not realizing it's just paint, you can always paint over your mistakes or for really big messes get out your gesso and start from scratch.

I think we do the same thing in life too. So many of us are so worried about making a mess of things that instead of doing something, we do nothing and "hope" it just happens on it's own. The other scenario is that maybe we do start something, but we get into the middle of it and realize it's not coming out the way we hoped so instead of pushing through we just give up.

But I am here to tell you that we should not be afraid, we should see life the way my 3 year old does. You can never get too dirty, you can never mess up to much and you can never use too much paint.

See this verse:
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

of course that is nice and easy to read, but sometimes hard to believe so if that doesn't stoke your fire enough see these next verses...

Do not neglect the gift which is in you, [that special inward endowment] which was directly imparted to you [by the Holy Spirit] by prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you [at your ordination]. Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them [as your ministry], so that your progress may be evident to everybody. Look well to yourself [to your own personality] and to [your] teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
1 Timothy 4:14-16 AMP

I love these verses in Timothy, not only does it urge you to use the gifts God has given you but it says PRACTICE...not just do, but PRACTICE. In other words if at first you don't succeed, try, try, again. God knows we won't always get it right, but He does expect us to DO.

So forget the rules and use your gifts, God will do the rest. Happy Wednesday!

New Crafting going on!

2011-01-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

So for some reason this week I have been super crafty, well at least more than I usually have been (at least lately). I have some new pics that I will be sharing with you soon on the projects I have been working on, but I wanted to wet your whistle a little first, and share some of them with you.

So first my son and I painted crazy all over some scraps of canvas that I have had lying around that I will be cutting up, sewing together, and adding embellishments to...I can't wait to share these with you! The idea behind this project came from a painting I did a couple years ago (which is below)

The second project that I have been working on is making mittens from old sweaters. I picked up a couple sweaters from goodwill and made a pattern for my hand, the first pair were a little snug so I gave them to my son's preschool teacher for her daughter. So as I work on that and work out the kinks I will post some pics for you.

The third project was adding to a project I did a long time ago, I made some wreaths out of scraps of fabric, yarn and buttons, but they never seemed finished so I added some vintage ties to them and they are starting to look better, again I'll post pics later.

Last project is my journaling. So many have been asking me about this and I am super excited that I will be teaching spiritual art journaling this year at Willow Creek North Shore's Women's Retreat. I will have 2 sessions on it! How cool is that. SO right now I am working on what I will actually be teaching and what techinques to teach...as this comes together more I think I will start offering online classes for those of you not in the Chicago area.

That's my week so far, how's yours going?

Car Display Holder for over the door

2011-01-10T08:20:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my son had a birthday party for a classmate (actually 2, twins) and after talking with them and their mom I decided to recreate an over the door matchbox car holder similar to one we received from a friend. Of course I quickly realized that this could be used for all sorts of things from matchbox cars to barbies to trains and tracks...you name it.

To say the least I am super excited with how it came out and can't wait to make more for all sorts of things... Their mom knew what I was planning to make and I am pretty sure she was more excited about the gift than they were, but she said they wanted it hung up as soon as they opened it so I guess it was a win win... Happy Birthday again Miles and Nolan!

Free Fonts, the good the bad and the ugly

2011-01-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

Being a designer and working with very different clients usually at the same time, it's important to have a variety of styles and ideas on hand at all times. You never know what a client will want to try next. So I have a list of books, websites, blogs and such to turn to for inspiration. Of course these are not just for working with my clients they are also for me when I am working on my art.

I wanted to share one of the sites that I came across recently for free fonts. Now I know that there are a lot of site for free fonts, but not all the fonts are that great, this site Font Squirrel does the hard work for you, by picking the best of the free. Of course you still need to read the fine print as to how you can use the fonts, but for designers, scrapbookers, artists that are on a budget this site is great!

Do Not Be Afraid, I Bring Good News

2011-01-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

I think it's always interesting when my son has a new saying. I always wonder where he gets them, most I can figure out and those I can't I will ask him about and I can usually decipher his answer. He's 3 so it doesn't take much for him to pick something up and repeat it over and over again. Which of course I have to remind myself of that every once in awhile.

So when he came up with his last saying I chalked it up to his Sunday School teachings, especially being that we just finished up the Christmas season, but anytime I asked him where he heard it, he would simply say "God".

Now our family has had a pretty rocky end of the year. One of my closest friends past away suddenly in November. This was especially hard for me because I have never lost anyone close to me. I didn't know what to feel or how to act, and I still don't really. I have been going over in my head for the last 2 months what I would have done differently if I had only known...but I didn't. She was a strong woman of faith and she was changing lives all around her, including my own. I have a lot to be thankful for because of her influence in my life. I miss her greatly and it's been super hard to focus on anything, especially my art. So instead I focused on nothing...not really a good thing to do with so much going on.

But a couple days ago everything finally clicked, I realized my son was giving me a message from God. A message I think we often forget especially this time of year.

DO NOT BE AFRAID, I BRING GOOD NEWS

There is always so much going on, but this time of year things seem to get more stressful more hurried, and the message that God is trying to remind us of gets lost. The GOOD NEWS doesn't seem to be the reason for the season anymore, and I think that was my struggle this past year. While others in my life worried about what "things" to get everyone and anyone, my thoughts were on Mary and the scene at the manger. I could not see how we went from celebrating the birth of Christ in a lonely meager manger to what it is now. I was sad for all these people running around me looking for presents instead of looking for Jesus. But my son got it. Now whether or not he actually heard it from God is a different story, but he at least got the message.

It took me a while but I finally got the message too and just sat amazed. Somehow my 3 year old has enough sense to listen when God was talking, but like so many others I struggle to sit still long enough to do this. So I decided to challenge myself this year for the first time. I sat down with a friend of mine and we made a list of things we want to accomplish this year, after sitting and listening to where I thought God was directing me (This way I had an accountability partner)

But I also wanted to share a few of them here with you...so here goes.

1. Find more venues to teach my Spiritual Art Journaling class.
(if you know of any please share, I would love to hear your ideas)

2. Write a book/journal and get it published.

3. Challenge myself and my art and push it to new levels.

So these are what I will be trying to focus on this year, of course things might change (I am always up for change) but I am really going to be trying to LISTEN to what God is wanting from me and right now I think these are the paths I am supposed to be on.

So what are your plans for the new year, where are you feeling lead? I would love to know what's on all of your plates.

Freelance: Trade As One

2010-09-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

It has been another crazy week around here, with no end in site. I am planning a huge Block Party (aka Quilting Bee) in October for the ministry that I started called Safe Blankets. We are partnering with Willow Creek Community Church's North Shore Campus for a day in which they are asking their congregation to "Just Serve" the community around them. There will be about 10 different places that they can volunteer at and Safe Blankets is going to be one of them!

Of course life is never that easy, by having just 1 iron in the fire, I also have my freelance that has picked up tremendously (which I love), which includes businesses, brides and new mothers, plus my son just started preschool! And of course I have been asked about teaching in more than one venue the Spiritual Art Journaling class that I just taught at Believers' Fellowship.

But while I had a free moment I did what to share with you some of the freelance work that I have been working on over the past couple months. All of these items I did for Trade As One, a fair trade company. Their mission statement as it all: Our mission is to use fair trade to promote sustainable business and break cycles of poverty and dependency in the developing world. We all have a conscience. We want to make sure people get the chance to use it when they shop.

They are an amazing group of people with hearts so big! I have enjoyed every moment of working with them, and I don't intend to stop anytime time soon. If you a chance take a look at their website they have a store right there so you can buy online or you can become a Fair Trader which is an advocate for fair trade, where you can host a party and educate people about the importance of fair trade. There are many other ways to get involved too so check out their site and learn more about their passion.

Renegade Craft Fair and a Texas Sized Sleepover

2010-09-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

This time last weekend Renegade Craft Fair was in full swing here in Chicago. As usual I was blown away by the amount of vendors as well the talent they possessed. If you have never been to it I highly recommend making the trip for it. It spans 6 CITY blocks (3/4 of a mile long), there are booths down the center facing both sides so by the time you walk around the whole thing - it's over 1.5 mile of walking! It was a great weekend, not just because of the show, but because I got to have an "sleepover" with some friends from Texas who were accepted into the Renegade Show and needed a place to crash. Cheyne from Cut Out and Collect and Brian and Lynnea from Squid Ink Kollective got to stay in our humble abode (my studio, aka the basement) and in their free time we bummed around Chicago showing them our fair city. They are amazing artists with unbelievable talent.

Cut Out and Collect shop features handbags, clutches, wallets and many other one of a kind pieces you are sure to want. A note on the embroidery: This is a technique Cheyne has been working with in which she uses her regular manual sewing machine and special thread to embroider. While it's faster that hand embroidery, it requires the same steady hand and patience and has some very unique, one-of-a-kind attributes. (and it's amazing) Don't see what you want, contact her for a custom piece!

Squid Ink Kollective focuses on screen-printed apparel and posters, as well as hand-sewn and printed housewares, clothes and accessories. Between Brian's amazing illustrations and Lynnea's self taught seamster skills there's no telling what these two will come up with, but it will be awesome.

Anyways if you get a chance check out their shops you won't be disappointed! And to you guys (Cheyne, Brain and Lynnea) we miss you already and hope you come back soon.

My Class

2010-09-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

So last Tuesday I taught art journaling for the first time! I had such a blast with the wonderful women at Believers' Fellowship. I started the class with a demonstration on what they were going to be learning to do later on in the class and then gave a brief overview on what art journaling was and why it was important to their spiritual journey.

They jumped right in, when it came time to creating their own page. I had pre-cut 5x7 sheets of paper, markers and paints on the table for them as well as little baggies with magazine pictures, scraps of paper, ribbon, string, buttons (all things that they might find lying around their house. I wanted them to see that they didn't need to go out and buy anything special to start a journal. These women were amazing! They came up with some beautiful pages, which you see in this post. They only had about half hour to forty five minutes to create these! I am still blown away. Especially if you consider most do not consider themselves artistic or creative and it was their first time to work with these materials. Thanks again ladies for making my teaching debut a success!

Teaching for the FIRST Time

2010-08-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

So I am working on a new project! I am going to be teaching my first class in less than a week. I am scared, but at the same time so excited! I can't believe how quickly this is pulling together. (less than 2 months) The class is going to be on art journaling. It's not a new concept, but I am going to be teaching those who do not think of themselves as being creative or artistic - so it's new to them. I have been focusing a lot of my time lately on my own journal and really feel lead to teach others. This is way out of my comfort zone, so I must be on the right path, right?

Anyways I am totally looking forward to it, and would love to know from all of you, if you journal and if you do what do you focus on when you journal...

Something to Blog About

2010-05-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but things have gone crazy around here. As soon as I think things can't get any busier they do and I lose track of time. The one thing I can count on is that even when things are at there busiest I can still find time to doodle! I think all artist do, or else we would go crazy. So if you are like me sharpies are probably your best friend, and if you are like me you are drawn to the new sharpie champaign.

I personally love it and I just found out it was done by a graphic designer right here in Chicago! Kristen Caston originally from Ohio now lives here and has an amazing portfolio chock full of amazing hand drawn type! if you get a chance check out her site and the rest of her portfolio you won't be disappointed.

Rememberance

2009-09-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

It is hard not to remember where you were 8 years ago on this date. I woke up late and was missing my poly sci class because I had the flu. Of course I would be sick on one of the most historic days in history. I woke up that morning and turned on the TV just in time to see the second plane hit the tower. It still seems very surreal. I called my husband (my fiance at the time) and asked him what had just happened, being that I was not quite myself thanks to the medicine I was on, and he filled me in.

I am sure we all have our stories and know people who's lives were touched directly and I would love for you to share them. But I would also like to take a moment and remember the fallen from that day, and say a prayer for their family and friends as they remember as well.

State Fair of Texas

2009-09-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

I spent the last 8 years living in Texas just north of Dallas, where fried food is KING. Especially this time of year. The State Fair of Texas is just around the corner. If you know nothing about this fair, know this: they actually hold a contest between the food vendors on who has the most inventive NEW fried food. A couple years ago it was fried coke! Yes, you heard me fried coke, and it was delish. One of this year's contenders is fried butter. (see the rest here) Everything is better with butter right? Well Abel Gonzales Jr. seems to think so and he maybe right, he has won the Big Tex Choice Award for best new food several times. So if you happen to be in the Dallas area from Sept 25-Oct 18. Make your way over to the fair and enjoy some good fried food as well as some of the other attractions there.

Also, let me know which one(s) you are going to try, or tried...I won't be making it down there this year and would love to know what you all think of the new creations.

A Creative Walk

2009-09-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

This morning while I was on Twitter someone was asking how do you get the creative juices flowing? A great question. Most of us don't take the time to figure out how we do what we do, we just do it. The problem with that is we tend to get in a rut. (even if we don't know it) My suggestion was a simple one. Get out, take a walk and sketch (or take pics) of the color combinations that you see. What better way to get ready for the fall colors than to take your inspiration straight from nature!

I liked my idea so much that I took my own advice and set off with my 2 year old and we took pictures. But instead of taking pictures of what I found interesting I took pictures of things that drew his attention. He loved this, he figured out what I was doing right away and starting pointing out all kinds of things and helping take the pictures too!

I love when I am able to include my son in what I am doing, if you are a parent you totally understand what I mean. So below is a few of the things we stopped and took pictures of, I hope you find them as inspiring as we did.

I would love to know what you do to get your creative juices flowing too. Feel free to share what you do or what you do to get your kids involved in the creative process.

Shopping Smarter

2009-08-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

I know that most of us have changed our spending habits in way or another over the past year with the hopes that the economy will rise again. A lot of us have started thinking about supporting locally owned shops over the superstores with the hopes to revive what might soon be lost. Projects like the 3/50 Project are a great way to get the word out about this sort of spending.

But what if we wanted to do more? Not just for our country but others as well. What about supporting the arts all over the world? Sites like Etsy are doing an amazing job creating a global community where artists can get together and sell their goods. Some artists even support different charities with their proceeds like Bags with a Mission who is trying to help some boys in Kenya go to high school.

Another idea for you is a company called Trade as One whose mission is to provide Fair Trade employment in impoverished areas of the world and create a new way of thinking when you purchase something, by asking yourself "who made this?". Simply stating they take people out of terrible situations like slavery or prostitution and teach these people skills like sewing or farming and then provide them with 100% of the profits, so that they can make a real living on their own and begin to support themselves. Charity is great to a point but unless you can help people support themselves, charity will always need more help. That's why I love the concept behind Trade as One. The founder is an amazing man with a heart bigger than life itself. I hope you get a chance to visit their site and learn more about them and their views. The site offers everything from home decor, to food, to apparel and everything in between. The craftsmanship is amazing as well. I have a purse, a journal and a necklace from them and love them all!

I just wanted to give you another option when you shop, especially with the holidays right around the corner. If you know of any other sites that are like this please share them here, I would love to know about them.

This basket is perfect for going to the farmers market!

Perfect for back to school or a diaper bag. It's waterproof for the most part since it's made from recycled rice bages!

Fun Surprises

2009-08-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

So I was googling my shop today to see where I was mentioned and stumbled upon this! This website is one of the coolest I have seen, where regular people recommend what they love you can check it out here .

I love finding surprises! I have a busy weekend of work and social obligations this weekend so while I have some quite time I best get to work on some new vinyl pieces for the shop. Happy weekend!

Vinyl ReCYCLED

2009-08-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

SO I have been teasing you with hints of my upcoming new line of jewelry and homewares made from vinyl records, and I am proud to say they are finally here!

I have 2 necklaces listed in my Etsy Shop as well as 2 wall hangings!

I can't wait to here what you all think of these. Feel free to leave your comments here or contact me directly at my Etsy Shop. If you you like to purchase one of the four of these, mention this post and receive FREE SHIPPING on your order until Aug 31~

Happy Shopping!

New Line of Art Debuting This Weekend!

2009-07-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have been talking about some new art that I have been working on for about a month now, and it's finally ready to be unveiled this weekend! Yay!

My new line will consist of wall art as well as jewelry, all made from vinyl records! How cool is that?! I can't wait to show you. If fact the first piece has already been listed. Check it out here . It's a wall cross cut from a vinyl record and then painted.

I will be listing at least 2 more items this weekend, but hopefully more and there will be several to follow over the next few weeks. I will also be taking custom orders on these so if you have a design you would like me to work on for you please contact me anytime. And it doesn't just have to be crosses if you have another idea that you would like me to work out for you, let me know that too!

I am super excited about this project and I can't wait to see what you all think too, so leave your comments. Also leave a comment if you have other things that you would like to see me try.

New SALE, starts Wednesday!

2009-07-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give you all a heads up. I will be running a SALE on all my scrabble tiles starting WEDNESDAY! Over next few days I will be listing about 10 more designs for you to choose from.

Want to know what the sale will be? Here you go:: All tiles will be BOGO that's right. BUY ONE GET ONE FREE! Now you have no reason not to get the ones that you have been wanting. Start looking now and gear up for Wednesday. The sale will run until Sunday or until the last one sells. I only have a limited amount of each design so you will need to act fast to make sure that you get the ones you want. Happy Shopping!

Art Show and Updates

2009-07-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hello to all my avaid readers out there. I am sorry it has taken me so long to write anything on here. We have had a couple health scares around here lately and we are still waiting for the results of some tests but things seem to be quieting down a bit now so I think I can get back on track with things. Thanks to those of you who are still around you are why I keep at it.

I wanted to share some pics with you tonight of some items I picked up at a local art show a couple blocks from my house. Hopefully next summer I will be back up and running enough that I will be in the show next year!

The first piece is from Hands on Clay, owned by Karen Levy. She has some great nature pieces {bowls, plates and other similar items} In the shape of leaves or have leaf impressions in them. Beautiful colors! But the pieces I was drawn to are her lace inspired bowls and plates. I have seen these done before but the patterns that she used were absolutely stunning. Check out the one I pick up, you will see what I am talking about. If you like what you see you can email her at hands_on_clay@yahoo.com. She does custom orders too!

The second piece I purchased was from Small House Pottery , from Sanger, TX. This wonderful husband and wife team {Jim and Susan Huckaby} make beautiful pottery items that you can use in your kitchen on a daily basis. They have everything from mixing bowls {which I got} to canisters, apple bakers to salsa and chip bowls and everything in-between. They have that great Texas hospitality attitude that I miss. Plus they are from the town that I lived in the last 5 years. {Yes I know I had to come to Chicago to meet some neighbors in Sanger, ha ha}. They travel all over the US so if you would like to see their items in person chances are they will be near you at some point this year, including back home in Texas for the L D Bell Craft Fair in Hurst. You won't want to miss them or miss an opportunity to grab some of their items!

Stay tuned, I will have some exciting news in the next week about a new line of items I will be releasing soon and a new contest just for you blog readers. Can't wait to tell you.

***Also if you have anything new coming up let me know, I may want to feature it here on my blog and facebook and twitter! Talk to you soon.

And the WINNER is....

2009-06-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

I would like to congratulate Crystal for being the winner in my Blog Giveaway! She will be receiving "Hoot" in the mail shortly! For everyone else that entered fear not there will be other contests. Thanks again to all who entered and stopped by. Have a great week.

Friday Finds

2009-06-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

This Friday I found some great gifts for Father's Day that I wanted to share with you. I know that there is a long standing joke between Father's Day and tie giving - well this year you can give Dad a tie you know he'll love. Check out these finds!

1) The first is from Super Sweet Creations . Instead of getting just Dad a tie get matching shirts for the whole family. What Dad can resist this cuteness!

2) Maybe Dad already has too many ties then he just needs the proper accessory! Try these Lego Tie Tacks from Cufflinks. This will surely remind him of his former building days. It may even be enough for him to take his out and play!

3) With so many companies going to a more casual look in business wear not many Dad's are wearing ties these days. So why not dress up Dad's desk instead with this fashion statement from City Vintage .

4) Maybe Dad is crazy about his coffee, but he already has too many coffee mugs. Try dressing up one of his mugs with these upcycled coffee sleeves from the little trunk.

5) This is a great idea! Buy this piece of art from Smash Girl . What a great way to create a custom piece of art for dad.

6) Of course you can always just get him a tie. Maybe just a little cooler than his normal everyday ties. Try this one from Sugar Lust .

Enjoy these finds and if I missed any other cool tie gifts feel free to leave your links here for others to find!

Happy Monday

2009-06-08T10:42:00.001-07:00

Hello all. I hope you are having a wonderful start to you week. I just wanted to give you a couple reminders....

FIRST: HUGE grand re-opening sale is still going on till this Sunday. Don't miss out on 10% off, free gift with your purchase and free shipping on any purchase over $50. PLUS I am still looking for my 60th sale! That person will not only get the above mentioned stuff, but I will also be including a BOX of free goodies as well. You don't want to miss out on that do you? Check out my shop here {also remember if you don't quite see what you like email me and I will be glad to set up a custom order for you!}

SECOND: Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway posted here on my blog! There's only 2 people signed up for it right now, so your chances are really good to win.

Tomorrow I will be listing some great items that would perfect for Father's Day. See you then!

Studio Space and Organization

2009-06-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

Spring cleaning time has arrived and the one place we should not over look is our office space. With all the different ways to get organized why is it so hard to do it. My personal opinion is that there are too many different ways to store the same things and it gets overwhelming. So I want to share with you what has worked for me. Hopefully it will help you manage your clutter and make your office a place you want to be.

FIRST:
Shelving - I actually think that this is more important than a desk, why? Shelving is what gets everything up and out of the way! This way your desk is for doing actual work. I found this great shelf at none other than Ikea, I know shocking! But Ikea has some of the greatest tools for organizing, including this shelving unit {pictured below} at prices that won't break your budget.

This bookshelf is great for a couple of reasons, you can stand it up or lay it down {as I have it} for the type of space you have. But it also has different sized cubby holes to help keep you organized. As you can see in mine some of the holes have galvanized steel bins in them which you can add labels to to make finding items super easy. If you are trying to be Green and would rather use recycled pieces to hold your items you can find hundreds of sellers on Etsy with a great selection of old crates, boxes and bags for you to choose from.

You can also use floating shelves or wall mounted shelves to display your stuff. You can place ribbons, yarn, beads anything with lots of color in glass jars . Use a cigar box to store paint brushes or other loose odds and ends. Just to give you some ideas.

SECOND:
Your desk - You need to get what you are most comfortable with. I personally have a wood top with 4 metal legs. Super easy and sleek {in fact you could make this after I trip to the hardware store, buy some MDF board, metal pipe and flanges and your are good to go}. If you would rather have some storage underneath for paperwork you can get a filing cabinet or a desk with them built in. Craigslist.com is a great resource for office furniture when you are not looking to spend a lot. Of coarse you can always go to garage sales, this is the perfect time of year for those! Another option is to look for a desk with storage options above the desk or a desk that can close up {great if you have small children that like to get into things} just make sure that your monitor will fit in the place it allows for. I will tell you know if you have a 24" screen {like I do} it will not fit in that hole it's suppose to...

THIRD:
Make sure that you have thought about a place to write notes to yourself, keep orders out while you are getting them ready, and keep packing materials. This will save you tons of frustration later on. Also something to think about if you have kids make sure that you have a space for them in the office too. My son is 2 and loves to "help mom" especially when I am in the office working on things, so I have a second table in here just for him to have his coloring books, crayons, paper and such things. This way he thinks he is getting to help and do what I am doing but he stays out of my way, most of the time.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST:
Decorate with items that will inspire you, not hinder you. Just because it's an office doesn't mean that it has to be a stiff environment. Paint your walls with colors you love, hang art you are drawn to and don't be afraid to change it up. If you have a memo board or magnet board fill it with your inspirations and make sure you look at it daily as well as add to it. Lastly, if something isn't working fix it, don't live with it. I hope this helps you in your quest for an office space that you can actually work in.

If you have other ideas or things that have worked for you feel free to post your ideas here too for others!

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DON'T FORGET YOU STILL HAVE UNTIL JUNE 14 TO GET SIGNED UP TO WIN MY GIVEAWAY!

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•••••••• GIVEAWAY TIME ••••••••

2009-06-02T05:15:00.000-07:00

For my June Giveaway I will be giving away "Hoot" {pictured above}. This Art Block always stops people in their tracks at my shows {I've just never been able to part with him yet}!

He is made up from recycled 2x4, wire, paint, glass, paper, ink and crayon. The total size is 3.5"x3.5". This is a $20 value! To get get your hands on this fab piece all you have to do is visit my Etsy shop and leave a comment here about your favorite piece! It's that easy.

{Make sure to leave your email so I can contact you, when you win!} I will have a couple minor prizes as well so make sure you post often!

Contest ends June 14th.

GRAND RE - OPENING!

2009-05-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

Today starts the sales for my grand re-opening of my Etsy shop ! For the next 2 weeks I will be blessing you all with 10% off everything in the store and free shipping for purchases over $50! Not a bad way to start things off right?

Well that's not all, over the coarse of the next 2 weeks I will also be giving you special codes for additional % off on certain days and I will be doing a give away here on my blog!

Come back here Tuesday for more details on the give away...Want a clue? Let's just say it has to do with the little guy in the picture above! Happy Shopping!

****OH, one last thing to mention to you all...I am only 2 sales away from 60, so to the 60th sale I will be giving away a box of goodies with your purchase! My way of saying thank you to all of my great customers!****

FRIDAY FEATURES - spring garden

2009-05-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

Spring is all about new loves and budding romances. And how can it not with the snow melting and the ground beginning to form new life, giving us new hope and energy. Filling us with new smells and lighting us up from the inside out. Awaking our souls and reminding us that God is still there and waiting for us to find him in everything around us. {If you can't tell, I love spring}. So to kick off my new beginning {another thing spring is know for} here on my blog and my
So I will be finally re-opening my Etsy shop , I want to start featuring other artists that I have begun to love. These artist have amazing shops so make sure to look around at everything they have to offer.

1. Rush of Wings makes these great starter pots out of recycled newspapers. Perfect if you are wanting to start your garden a little early!

2. from Artisan Hands features handmade ceramics and pottery like these great inspirational stakes for your garden.

3. Garden Candy has these wonderful mosaic handled trowels for getting your planting done. Available in several colors.

4. LBs Sewing Sanity makes some wonderful items including this great garden bucket caddy, perfect for keeping your tools and other gardening items organized!

5. Scarlet Beautiful 2 offers those who aren't able to have a live garden of their own an alternative way to enjoy the beauty of spring. Her shop features some amazing photos not just the one featured here. Buy one or more of her shots to create the garden of your dreams, inside!

6. Of course there are some of us that are not born with green thumbs. But Blazing Needles offers cute plant alternatives for your home that need no watering. I love this cactus from her shop, something about it just makes me want to hug it!

7. JMN POTTERY has some great pots perfect for all types of plants for your indoor and outdoor gardens. Hers even feature their own attitudes!

8. Maybe you are looking for a way to recycle, especially with your garden. Take a page from Warm Country Meadows . They offer several different types of Moss Terrariums, including the one above. These are great if you are wanting something green but are terrible about caring for it. These will last for years if you keep them in a well lit area and water them every 2-3 months!

9. Sierra Creations features some wonderful stained glass pieces to help you remember the colors of spring even from your cubical at work. Just light from the back and enjoy!

I hope you find these artists as wonderful as I do, look for another great set NEXT Friday!

GRAND RE-OPENING!

2009-05-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

So I will be finally re-opening my Etsy shop . {Insert happy dance here}
My offical re-opening date is set for SUNDAY, MAY 31! I will have a ton of things going on for the re-opening. A will have a contest here as well as SALES on every item for the first 2 weeks! If you can't tell I am super excited.

Along with my re-opening of the store I will also be BLOGGING again here and starting a Twitter page. I have already joined Facebook and will be posting special CODES and EXCLUSIVE SALES on these pages, so if you are not already following me on these, now's the time to start. I have created a fan page as well for my shop where I will be posting tips and tricks to help you with your ideas and business strategies. I look forward to being back and meeting with you all again! Happy Spring!

New Year, New Location

2009-01-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

For those of you who do not know yet, my family and I have moved from the great state of Texas back to Illinois where we grew up. We are very excited about this move. I am hoping that those of you who have been around since the beginning will choose to stick around while we make this transition.

My Etsy shop will be closed until February while we get situated up here, but I will still be answering emails and taking custom orders. When the shop reopens I hope to share some new art that I have been working on.

I hope you all have had a great start to the new year and I look forward to seeing your comments.

Where did the time go?

2008-10-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year people start asking where did the year go? And then they realize Christmas will be here before you know it...

So this year get a jump start on your shopping and Christmas cards, so you aren't frantically looking for your presents at the last minute. I have already listed some of my best sellers from last year in my shop, so take a peek...

Just a Block Away

2008-10-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

Do you have that one place in your house or office that is too small to decorate, but looks like it needs something there? I always seem to have those spots. So I came up with a solution for them.

Introducing BLOX ART - mix and match squares that you can hang in any configuration you want. Each piece is a unique one of kind art piece that you can mix and match with other BLOX or other pieces already in your own collection! They will range from $5-$20. Some will be painted, some will be mixed media and even some pen and ink. The BLOX are made from scrap 1x4 cut into squares.

Here are just a few of my new ones that I will be listing in my shop after this weekend.

Almost 50!

2008-09-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

I am one sale away from having 50 items sold in my Etsy shop! So to celebrate I am offering 50% off the 50th sale!
USE THE CODE: 50th sale, in the notes to seller and wait for a revised invoice!
It's that easy! Happy shopping.

**This offer is only for my blog readers and is only good on the 50th sale. 50% off does not include shipping prices.

More from Arlington

2008-09-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to share a little more from this past weekend with you. I had the opportunity to meet some other great artists including Cindy Norris, an amazing Christian artist. She was originally an art teacher and with the support of her husband made the jump to creating art full time. On her website you can see some of her paintings and giclee prints that she has available. She is a wonderful person to talk with and I enjoyed meeting her!

I also was able to meet Cheyne of Cut Out and Collect , who is also a member of Etsy Dallas with me. She makes some fab handbags and wallets be sure to check out her site.

This weekend I will be the Farmers Market in Coppell from 8-2 with my good friend Cherry from Cherry's Creations . Hope to see you all out there!

Weekend Recap

2008-09-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted to thank all those who stopped by my booth this weekend in Arlington. My family and I had so much fun meeting all of you. I launched a new line of crosses at this show, which were well received by all. I have a couple below that were not snagged this weekend that I will be adding to my shop later this week. If you didn't get a chance to stop by this weekend be sure to come see me this coming Saturday at the Coppell Farmers Market from 8-2.

Arlington Front Street Festival

2008-09-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

So this weekend I will be at the Arlington Front Street Festival. They will have live entertainment, a car show, living history demos (great for the kids) and an art show. What more could you want? Food you say they will have that as well. Looks to be a great show. If you have been there before please leave a comment and let others know what not to miss.

Remember to stop by and mention my blog for a special gift. And also don't forget the giveaway on Funky Finds! There are some great prizes to be had there, including TWO of my photographs.

This Week's Sale

2008-09-25T06:48:00.000-07:00

This week I am doing FREE chains with every scrabble tile pendant you buy! And if you buy 3 or more they are just $8 each instead of $10! Double the saving, how great is that. If there is one that you see that I have not listed yet, please convo me and I will make a listing for you. You will need the code: BLOGCHAIN and you will need to let me know if you want a silver ball chain or the black rubber cord. Happy Shopping.

**This Sale will run until Oct. 2

Giveaway on Funky Finds

2008-09-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

It starts today! Funky Finds has opened the giveaway up already. Just visit Jessica's site, check out all the shops and leave a comment with the items and artist that you love. See her blog for complete details!

Funky Finds

2008-09-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

If you are an avid reader of Funky Finds then you already look forward to the giveaways each month. Well this month's giveaway contest starts tomorrow and I have given 2 8x10 photos from my series "My Way Home". All you have to do to win is leave a comment on the giveaway post tomorrow and wait till the end of the week! It's that simple. You have all week to do it, but don't wait too long or you might be like me and forget. If you would like to see what other artists have items in the giveaway click here . Have a great weekend!

Wearables

2008-09-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

Have you been looking for a new outlet for your creativity? Try making some mini art that you can wear. Jewelry is always a good seller and the more unique the better, so why not create some based off what you are already doing.

Do you paint or take photos? Try shrinking down your art and putting it on dominoes or other game pieces.

This one of kind pendant is from Lonesome Road Studio

Or try using some scrap wood to create pendants. One of my favorite artists Pamela Michelle makes some of the coolest necklaces out of wood, like this little guy

What ever you do make sure to keep consistent and make sure to show the rest of us.

NEW ART

2008-09-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek at some items I have been working on. I will have the with me next weekend at the Front Street Festival in Arlington. Stop by and see them in person.

Don't forget my sale on photos is running through today!

It's Wednesday...Time for a SALE

2008-09-17T06:35:00.000-07:00

Today is going to start the first of my weekly sales. Each Wednesday I will list a new item or items that will be on sale in my Etsy shop for 2 days, Wednesday and Thursday.

I thought I would start this off with a BANG! 50% off any photo, any size.
That's right 50% off today and tomorrow ONLY... (CST).

I will be listing some new photos today, if you see something but want a different size let me know and I will be happy to list a new size for you. Use CODE "WENSALE" Happy Shopping !

Coming this FALL...

2008-09-16T10:34:00.001-07:00

So with the beginnings of fall starting to show around here a bit early I thought I would share some things to come...

First off some changes that will be made to my blog! Yup I figured it was time to get you all involved around here so I am going to start announcing contests here on my blog and the winner will be chosen from the comments left on the Contest Entry. The first contest will be held next month, so be sure to check back for that.

The second item add to my blog will be weekly specials that you will only find out about here. I will not have announcements in my store about them so to find out what's on sale you need to check here.

And lastly I will be giving sneak peaks to my faithful viewers as to new art that I am working on and may or may not be listing in my etsy store. Why do I say may not? Well that leads into my next announcement...

SCHEDULE OF FALL SHOWS!

We all know that there are some many festivals and art shows happening this time of year and I have booked a ton. So as I make new art it goes out with me to the shows first and if I don't sell it there it will go into my shop. Of course if you see something posted here you just have to have you will always have first dibs on it. Just leave a comment or email me.

So here is my upcoming schedule of festivals...

September
27 - Front Street Fair in Arlington

October
4 - Coppell Farmers Market
11 - Kessler Pumpkin Patch in Dallas

November
1 - Trinity Craft Fair in Euless
22 - Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash at the Sons of Herman Hall in Dallas

December
6 - Denton High School Craft Fair
13 - Sanger High School Craft Fair

If you are in the area for any of these please stop by and let me know you read my blog, I will have special gifts for all of you! See you soon.

No lazy days here

2008-08-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

Usually when you think of the summertime you think, lazy days by the pool. Sitting under a tall oak tree sipping Lemonade. Watching kinds play baseball.

What you don't think about is, the kids are out of school so for the next 3 months I need to find something for them to do and once you find something for them to do then you spend your time running them from Billy's house to practice to the sleep over to music lessons and the 5 trips it takes you to do all that because somewhere in between they forgot at least 2 items they need when in reality whatever they forgot is actually sitting right next to them in the van.

Now although I don't have any children that are at that age yet I do have a brother who needed help to plan his wedding. Now I know some of you would love the details to this grand event, especially since I did 90% of the planning that will have to wait until I write the book or at least another post. Some things that I did learn from their wedding was;

there is a reason you plan...so you are not trying to figure out who is walking down the isle with who as you are coming down the stairs.

there is a reason you have a rehearsal...so the day of you are fully aware of what is going on and all the details are figured out then and not as they are happening the day of.

book your rehearsal dinner, don't just show up there and expect that they have room for you 20+ party...

make sure you have one person (at least) that knows what's going on and make sure they are reliable.

On that note make sure you have someone that is reliable and can read a watch if they are in charge of getting the father of the bride to the wedding and especially if they are suppose to be in the wedding as well...

always have alternates...in case 1 (or 3) of your groomsmen flake out on you at the last minute or don't show up until the end of the service...

And last but not least do NOT shop for you rings, the groom's tux and a pastor the week before the wedding...you never know what you will end up with!

(Yes this all happened and yes they still got married) It was probably one of the most memorable events our family will ever have...

But the bride was beautiful! And she is one of my best friends so I can't really complain too much! Congrats you guys, I love you!

A Treasury of Artists

2008-05-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

So on Etsy you can create a treasury of your favorite sellers or art, if you are lucky enough to be around when a treasury opens. I am never around...well I should never say never! I finally got one! I decided to find artists/art that depicted Chicago at night. My home town!

You can check it out HERE

Please click on all the images and leave a comment or two. I would love to get this on the front page!

Everything is Coming Up Roses

2008-05-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

So for once I set out to create something for a contest and I actually got it done in time for the deadline. Lord and Taylor was holding a contest for a new look for their rose, which has been their iconic symbol since the 1940's. They asked artists of all mediums to submit their designs by midnight last night. (I got mine in at 10:30pm!)

They will be reviewing the entries for the next few weeks and June 9th they will reveal their top 60 choices and open the voting up to the public! I will keep you posted on what I hear back and if I am picked I will let you know where to vote.

Here's a sneak peak at my design I sent in.

Beer-B-Q Recap

2008-05-21T05:37:00.000-07:00

First off I want to give a huge THANKS to the LD Team for Etsy Dallas! They worked their tails off to plan this show and it paid off in a big way. We had all kinds of press and people came from all over to see what we had going on. It was fantastic! Check out our website to see some of the press and pics from the event. I had the pleasure of talking with so many great people; including Jessica from Funky Finds who = was kind enough to write a little about my painting Rich in God's Love that I am using to raise money for the Vanessa Whitwell Scholarship Fund. I also met a couple members of a new local band Watching Cars, and got to talk to them about maybe designing a T-shirt for their band...I will keep you posted on that. Until then, check out their website for upcoming shows and some downloads of their songs.

THIS WEEKEND

2008-05-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome the Summer Season with Etsy Dallas

On Sunday, May 18th Etsy Dallas will kick off the summer season with a festive trunk show at the home and studio of The Kessler Craftsman.

Etsy Dallas’ first annual Beer-B-Q will boast over 30 local artists and crafters selling their handmade goods. Shop for jewelry, stationery, photography, bags, hair accessories, glass art, soap and bodycare, clothing, home décor, and so much more!

Customers will also be greeted with the delicious smell of grilled meats and veggies, cold beer on tap, Punchy Party Punch, and live music – all FREE to the public!(While supplies last) The first lucky 25 customers will receive a goody bag chock full of promo items and coupons. You don't want to miss these. There are so good that several of us in Etsy Dallas are talking about how we can snag one.

Etsy Dallas will also offer a free Make-&-Take crafts booth for all ages. Customers can explore their creative side for free and experience first-hand the joy of the handmade way! All unused supplies will be donated to a local children’s charity.

Please bring plenty of CASH as many of our indie handmade vendors will not be able to accept credit cards. (BUT I WILL)

So bring your appetite, your creativity, and your support for local artists and crafters, and get ready for a day full of handmade food, music, and fun with Etsy Dallas!

Where: 1027 N. Windomere, Dallas 75208
When: Sunday, May 18th
Time: 11am-5pm
Music by: DJ Modchap and the Garrett Heinrichs Band

I am bring some never before seen art with me as well. And I will be taking orders for the Rich in God's Love print where 50% of my proceeds are going to the Vanessa Whitwell Scholarship Fund.

You don't want to miss this!

Rich in God's Love, the story behind the painting

2008-05-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9

After talking with several people about this painting I came to realize that I should be sharing the story behind the painting with everyone.

This painting was painted right after I found out that a friend of mine, Vanessa Whitwell past away from a brain hemorrhage at the age of 34. I say friend, even though I never hung out with her outside of work, because after meeting Vanessa you could not help but call her anything else. She was one of those amazing people you meet that light up a room with their personality and style, and envy that you could have that much drive and determination. I had the pleasure of working with her at Fellowship Church. She started at Fellowship as one of our worship leaders. Singing every weekend with one of the most beautiful voices you will ever her. Soon after began to lead in other ministries as well, like the women's ministry and our C3 conferences. She touched thousands of lives with her gifts and her love for God. She accomplished more in her short life than most of us would ever hope to in a hundred years. She had a love for life and her work that showed in everything that she did.

Fellowship church said it best in this press release, "Vanessa approached her relationships with a sincere kindness and with a genuine heart for those in need. Known as an encourager and a consummate cheerleader, Vanessa lived with a passionate ferocity for life spreading joy and laughter along the way. She had a strong faith that dictated her choices, and sense of self that empowered all who came in contact with her."

The first show I had it at I sold it. I spoke with a women at the show it for what seemed liked hours. She loved it and was thinking of buying it for her brother who just got married and was starting a new job at a camp their church was opening this summer. Her brother just happened to work at Fellowship and worked closely with Vanessa. I knew him as well and knew he would love it. She did buy it for him as a wedding present. So the original painting found a home not only with someone who could appreciate it for it's beauty but also love it for who it symbolized. For those of us who had the pleasure of meeting Vanessa Whitwell you will understand just how "rich" we have become just from knowing her.

God sure has a great way of bringing us all together.

I am releasing a limited edition print of this painting (only 100 will be made). 20% of the proceeds will go to the Vanessa Whitwell Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will afford many students and young women the opportunity to attend various camps, retreats and events where they will experience the hope and love of Jesus Christ. If you are interested you can contact me here on my blog, or check out My Shop

Recap on TVC Show

2008-05-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Well you can't win them all. After 2 great shows this one was terrible!

There was no traffic, due to the lack of advertising, there were too many non-handmade companies there (Cookie Lee, Homemade Gourmet, etc). Half the booths were jewelry vendors. I do have to say that Debi who was in charge of the show was very nice, but it didn't seem as though she cared one way or the other. Out of the maybe 25 booths that were there only a handful made sales and of those even less made back their booth fee. I had some people make some great comments about my art and my display - but I had no sales.

Debi's way to make it up to us...a discount at their fall show. No thank you! This show was at a church and when you don't even have the support from your congregation to come out, you know it can't be good! So my recommendation...

JUST SAY NO to TVC.

Art Going Green

2008-05-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

So I never really considered myself to be an artist that recycles, just one that uses what's around me (aka resourceful). But after doing several shows lately that were about keeping the environment clean (Earth Day Inspired), it dawned on me that I am helping keep "trash" out of the landfills. And all this time I just thought I was being thrifty!

To give you some ideas on how to keep your environment clean, take a look at what's around you and see what you can give new life.

Lately I have been using cabinet doors, yes cabinet doors. They make a great canvas for paintings and mixed media pieces. A little sanding and priming and wala! A new canvas, and you don't even need to frame the piece, most cabinet doors have great trim giving your new work of art a unique look.

I have also found that old skeleton keys make some great crosses. And come with a second meaning. Jesus and the cross are the "key" to salvation and peace. What a wonderful way to display your Faith!

The one above was created using a cabinet door, scraps of scrapbook paper, skeleton keys and acrylic paint.

And it's not just my finished products that are "re"using materials, I even do it when I am painting to get some unique textures. I have used, old seran wrap, netting, fencing, popcicle sticks, disguarded wood pieces...pretty much what ever is sitting in front of me at the time is fair game.

So what are you doing to keep you environment GREEN?

Home Town Chicago

2008-05-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know I am originally from the suburbs of Chicago. So anytime I run across something from there I long for pizza, hot dogs and a day at the ballpark (Cubs, of course). So yesterday when I ran across Gemini Studio it was no suprise that I felt a longing to go home, it got even worse when I saw this painting in his studio.

What is even better about this is he made some great notecards with this design so I can share it with all my "Rangers" friends down here in Texas!

Of course if baseball is not your thing he has other great works of art ranging from food and drink to animals, pop culture themes, and destinations, like the Shedd in Chicago another one of my fav spots.

If you get a chance check out his shop you won't be dissapointed!

Arbor Daze in Euless

2008-04-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

I had another show this past weekend in Euless, Arbor Daze. It was a small show in my opinion considering the large tent they had us set up in was not really half full. I would say at least half of the vendors were jewelry and not everything was handmade like it was suppose to be (at least in our tent). They did have other events going on throughout the day and had other tents for businesses and food. It was a great family event. Saturday was a bit chilly in the morning so our traffic flow was little but as it warmed up the traffic flow increased. I didn't have any sales until after 1pm, but in the end I did rather well (on Saturday). Sunday was a different story. Not only did I not have any sales, but the traffic was little to none. After talking with the person in charge to see what he thought of the show, I was a little concerned...he said that this was one of the better years! All and all I am not sure that I will be doing this show again.

Recap:
Total made: $307
Booth cost: $50 (but I split this with another vendor)

Deconstructress - A New Look

2008-04-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

Steph owner and creator of Deconstructress Designs contacted me 1 week and a half ago ago in a panic. She had a show coming up in 2 weeks and wanted a new look for her shop. A new logo, business cards, hang tags and a new brochure. She wanted to know if it was possible to have me design and print everything in time for her upcoming show. I said yes, and why not, I love a challenge. So less than a week and a half later here is the finished products!

Oak Cliff Earth Day Recap

2008-04-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of setting up a booth at Oak Cliff Earth Day. We had great weather, nice people and some fab artists from all over the metroplex. I had a great time meeting some new artists and customers and sold some of my very favorite pieces. My booth pictured below was one of the smallest sizes I have had to squeeze my stuff into so far (but this was my BEST show ever, so I am not going to complain).

I also had the pleasure of having my step dad around to help. This was the first time he has been to one of my shows and he was really excited!

He really was, he actually enjoyed meeting all the people and seeing all that was going on.

All in all it was a great day to say the least. I look forward to next year's event. The pictures below are two of the pieces I sold yesterday that I never got a chance to share with you all. I hope you have a great week!

New Promos

2008-04-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

I just got these new promos and I wanted to share them with you.

These buttons were made by DonnaPool. She has a great shop and is wonderful to work with! The image for the buttons were taken from this painting I just finished. I haven't even listed in my shop, but it's already one of my favorites.

If it doesn't sell this weekend at Oak Cliff Earth Day, then I will be listing in my shop later next week.

How to Promote Yourself

2008-04-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

With all the different avenues you have to promote yourself it's hard to decide what to spend your time doing and what to bypass (at least for now). If you are just starting out it can get overwelming!

First thing you should do is find other artists in your area, either by joining some groups or by searching the internet. Look for local galleries and openings, art/craft shows and other events. Go to them talk with the artists, most are willing to share some of their secrets on how they got started. Make sure to have business cards with you to pass out.

If you are selling your items, make sure to have an online store so people can see your items. Try starting a blog too. Give tips that you learn and share what works...(wonder where I got that idea from...) A couple other ideas for you...if you can't start an online store. Try Ebay or even better Craigslist (it's free). Get your name out there. People aren't just going to fall in your lap (per say) It's all about promoting!

Good luck out there, let me know what works for you so I can share it with my readers!

Week 1 - Workspace

2008-04-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

So my challenge for you all was to clean up your work areas this week...Have you started. No, I didn't think so. Well here are my pictures of my workspace. (Before clean up, although this is pretty obvious) As the week goes on I will be taking pics of my progress. Let me know how your's is going and what you want to accomplish.

SPRING and NEW FOUND COLORS

2008-04-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

Well this spring has been super busy for me so far! My computer crashed! Not so good since I was in the middle of 3 CUSTOM ORDERS. Yes Spring woke everyone out of their winter slumber all at once, and I had the pleasure of working on these wonderful pieces the last couple weeks...

This sign is a great way to get visitors attention to knock instead of ringing your doorbell when babies are sleeping!

And this colorful sign was for the front door of a Child Psychologists' office.

Of course these are just 2 of the items I have been working on, but the colors came out so wonderful I just had to share them with you! I hope your spring is colorful this year and brightens your day.

March Madness

2008-03-06T06:05:00.000-08:00

With the show quickly approaching this weekend I wanted to share with you a few more details about the show.

There will be...
Handcrafted Jewelry
Make it Take it Ceramics
Handmade Candles
Wood Crafts
Sewing Crafts
Quilts
Sculptured Clay
Kettlekorn

PLUS a consession stand where the proceeds go towards Guyer School. Meaning you can eat and not feel guilty (well sort of). It's at least a great way to support a local school! Plus you can do your Easter and Mother's Day Shopping.

And I mentioned Cherry and I were doing a givaway! Here is a picture of the wonderful items you could win.

From me: One mirror (your choice of Faith, Hope or Love), a set of 5 blank notecards and from Cherry a lovely wall cross and a necklace with matching earrings! Overall a $47 value!

To enter: Visit both of our booths. At the first booth (either mine or Cherry's) fill out an entry form, take it with you and drop it off at the other booth. It's that simple! We will be picking the winner at the end of the day and contact the winner that evening!

March 8, 2008
9:00am – 4:00pm
Benifiting the Guyer High School Choir

Guyer High School
7501 Teasley
Denton, TX 76210

Hosted in two gyms, a large cafeteria, and a wide hall
Local groups performing throughout the day
Visit their website for up to date details

http://www.guyerchoir.com/CraftShow.shtml

Look for me at booth 3 in the cafeteria.

Several other Etsy Dallas Artisits will have their own booths as well, Rustique Art #119, Menagerie #81, Cherry's Creations #99, and Treasured Trinkets #35.

Stop by and see all their wonderful work !

SHOW THIS WEEKEND

2008-03-04T11:51:00.002-08:00

For those of my readers in the DFW area I will be doing an arts and craft show this weekend at Guyer High School. The show called March Madness is the first one Guyer has ever hosted and proves to be great already. There will be over 160 booths with mostly handmade items! They have live entertainment scheduled throughout the day. This is one show you don't want to miss!

If that is not enough for you, my friend Cherry of Cherry's Creations and I will be doing a giveaway. For a chance to win over $40 of handmade products from us you just need to visit both booths and fill out an entry form. It's that easy!

Hope to see you all there!

Guyer High School is located
7501 Teasley
Denton, TX 76210

Comments

2008-03-02T15:25:00.000-08:00

I wanted to let my beloved readers know about the comments that have been left on my page that say "click here" or "warning". Please do not click on the links attached! They are viruses! I have already contacted Blogger about this and the given them the profiles. I just wanted to let you all know this.

Also because of this I will be screening my comments from now on. Thanks for understanding and your support.

My Son's First Birthday

2008-02-23T09:09:00.001-08:00

So March 9 my son will be turning 1! I can hardly believe that it has been a year already. For his birthday I want to do something special for him as all mom's do. So I decided to create a birthday invitation for him like no other. Inspired by one of his photos I came up with this invitation.

If you haven't already figured out, I am not the most conventional parent, but my husband is so when I pitched him the idea, I didn't think he would go for it. Of course I forgot he is a man and it is the Godfather. It was actually his idea to add the horse head! So always I just finished it and wanted to share with you what I created. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

I am a Banana

2008-02-20T17:58:00.001-08:00

So I don't usually do surveys, but this one was too cute and was only like 8 questions....

You Are a Banana

You are mellow, easy going, and a total softie on the inside.

People find it really easy to get along with you. You suit most tastes.

And while you're very sweet, you're not boring or ordinary.

You have an attraction to the exotic, and you could show up anywhere... doing almost anything!

You are spirited, energetic, and a total kick to be around.

You're also quite funny. Your sense of humor is on the goofy side, and it fits you well.

What Type of Fruit Are You?

Getting the Most Out of a Custom Order

2008-02-19T15:14:00.000-08:00

I would say 75% of my business is done through custom orders. I am no expert but I do want to share with you what I have learned through my years of doing them. There are 2 parts to consider in the custom order process. (Yup there are only 2) The customer and the artist. I am writing this more for the customer's side, but artist please read too, it may help save you from further headaches.

The customer actually has more to do than the artist and has more responcablilities. First the customer needs to know what it is they are needing, see if they can find it and if after searching the internet, magazines and stores they can't quite find what they are looking for it's time for them to consider have something made custom.

My suggestion for the customers is to really know what you want, if you are not sure comb through magazines, pick out pictures, colors, patterns, any ideas that you think will help the artist understand what you are looking for. Now I say this with a warning, please do not pick something out of a magazine and ask the artist to replecate it exactly!!! I will not do that and most artists I know won't either.

Now that you have a better idea of what you want it's time to find an artist that can do the work. Most artists have a style that they work in, it's what makes their art unique. Some artists can do several styles, but keep in mind that you are wanting something custom so finding an artist that can create in the style you are wanting is critical to the success of the piece. There are several places to look: craft fairs, galleries, even online. Etsy is a great resource if you don't know about it, you can look through 1,000 of different artists and see their work and convo/email them right on the site.

When you approach an artist about doing custom work don't be upset if they say no, some just don't like doing them. You can ask if they know someone who might. If they say they do custom orders, explain what it is you are looking for in detail and see if they are interested in working with you. If you clipped out your ideas, email them to the artist or see if you can meet face to face and go over the details. Let them know size, quanitity, style, timeline (if you have one) any details you know already. Don't be afraid to ask questions! Especially if you have never had a custom work of art done before.

Look to the artist to start filling in some details of their own: their timeline for drafts and delivery, what to expect from them, how to get a hold of them. Ask how they work, if you will be able to see progression in the piece as they work on it. Ask to see samples if they have something they have done similar. Get a quote from the artist on cost and how they would like to do payments. Most artists want up to 50% up front to cover costs of materials, in case you back out at some point in the process. You can ask to push back the first payment until after you see the first sketches, so that you can see if you like what they come up with. If you don't that is the time to walk away from the deal, but you will still have to pay for their time of drawing up the designs for you. If you talk about this ahead of time, you will know what you owe instead of having sticker shock later.

Expect the artist to put their own spin on the custom order, if you did your homework you will love the artist's work beforehand and therefore love the ideas they bring to the table. Ask for drafts before they start working on the final piece so you can see how they invision your vision.

If you do your homework right you will end up with a custom piece of art that you will truely love without the headaches of misunderstandings. Good luck.

New Art, Looking for New Venue and Others Tales from an Artist

2008-02-18T07:44:00.000-08:00

Well I have really been doing quite well at making new art this year. I have done one show already this year and have gotten a great responce to my latest creations. Here are a few more for your viewing pleasure!

In other news, I am no longer at Brownstone Village. They decieded to make some changes in how they collected rent and such and I just couldn't see spending the amount of money they were asking. It's ok, it's actually a blessing - it was getting hard to get over there and make changes to my booth since we only have one car at the moment. So I am currently looking for a new venue to house my art. If you know of any places in the DWF area that are a great place to show off handmade goods such as mine, please share here or email me.

And lastly I wanted to share with you one of my latest custom orders. I have been working on some wedding invitations for a wonderful couple in Chaicago. The picture you see below was actually the first round draft, when I get the final ones printed I will repost so you can see the changes - Altough there were very few.

I love weddings. Every one of them is different, and you really get to see the personalities of the bride and groom come out. I love doing custom work on invitations - because it's really about them and who they are, not what they can find that is close. If you know someone getting married let them know that they can get custom invitations for just about the same price as what they find in those giant books of predesigned invitations. If you are interested in prices or how the design process works let me know.

The Trinity on Holy Land

2008-02-15T15:23:00.000-08:00

Well for more than a week of not being able to get into my blog, due to my internet being all kinds of messed up. But I am back! And I decieded to share with you some more of art that I have been working on (I have had nothing better to do without the internet) haa haa

So the next few pieces I share with you are a series of 3 watercolors that I did of the missions in San Antonio. There is just something about being there that reminds me that God is all around and that his peace is always with us, we just need to look for it.

Faith

Hope

Love

The name for this series is The Trinity on Holy Land. Love is already in my shop on Etsy. The next 2 will be in there sometime during the next couple weeks. The colors are inspired from the sunset and the way all the colors seem to be drawn to this Holy Land.

If you ever get the chance to visit these missions they are beautiful in their own way and I hope you feel the same sense of peace I felt when I visited. Enjoy and have a great weekend.

Etsy Dallas Trunk Show...A Success

2008-02-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who came out Saturday and checked out our Trunk Show. I think it was a huge success. We had over 40 local artists show off their goods and lots of people took advatage of the great weather we had and did some shopping. (Yes it was inside but we could have the doors open!)

Made some new friends while I was there. One of them was Jessica from Funky Finds and she was kind enough to write up a great piece on her blog about our little show. Check it out here. I also donated 2 8x10 photographs for one of her giveaways in September. To see who else is featured in the September giveaway click here. I know it's not till September but I will remind you as it gets closer, promise. I will also post some pictures later of what I donated.

I also got to meet some of our great members. Being a mostly online group it's great when we finally get to meet face to face! If you get a chance check out our group blog or website to see some of the artists in our group and check out their shops for some unique pieces that you can't live without.

I also got the chance to work on my booth set up. I have added a great many pieces since my last show and had a hard time deciding how to show it all off. Here's what I came up with.

Later this week I will let you know how I got to this layout and some tips and tricks I learned from doing it. Well I am off for the night...enjoy the last few hours you have before you must return to work tomorrow!

Esty Dallas Trunk Show ~February 9~

2008-01-29T06:39:00.000-08:00

If you live in the Dallas area or will be in town February 9, you don't want to miss the trunk show being put on by Etsy Dallas. There will be over 40 artists local there, including yours truely! This a great place to get something unique for your Valentine (Valentine's Day is the following week!!!)

To let you know a little about the place that is holding the trunk show for us: Southside's Artists' Quarter is a large hallway located on the first floor of the old Sears warehouse building on Lamar, which was converted to beautiful lofts and art space. I think that they are just as excited about the upcoming trunk show that we are doing!

If you would like to find out more about the artists that will be there check out the
Etsy Dallas Blog or the Etsy Dallas Website.

We plan on having goodies bags there for the first 100 people that sign up for our newsletter! The goodies bags are going to have coupons (for that day only), business cards and other various goodies! If that's not enough to get you excited we may also have some munchies for you to nibble on while you shop!

Come check us out! Do a little shopping (even if it's for yourself), meet some local artists and just have fun! Can't wait to see you all there!

Featured Artist: Cherry's Creations

2008-01-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

I wanted to feature Cherry's Creations this week. I had the opportunity to meet Cherry ealier this week and I am just in awe of her shop. She has a great selection of jewelry that she hand makes with a wide varity of beads ranging from antiques to bargins.

She has an amazing eye for color and uses her faith for inspiration for many of the pieces in her shop. Her Etsy Shop is chock full of amazing pieces of art. And if you don't see what you are looking for she is always up for custom orders.

Also in Cherry's shop 10% of the purchase price of any Autism Awareness item will be donated to The Autism Society of America Awareness.
Take a look at her shop, let her know how you found out about her. There's still time to get an order in for Valentines Day! Or if you are going to be in the Dallas area she will be at the Etsy Dallas Valentines Day Trunk Show on Feb 9.

Valentine's Day, what to get that is Truly Unique?

2008-01-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

We all struggle every year with what to get our significant other for Christmas, their birthday and especially Valentine's Day. I am sure that this year is no different. So I wanted to create some unique pieces that you could give you loved one, knowing that it was a one of kind find, just like your true love.

These pieces are something your love can put on a shelf, hang on a wall or even display them at work to be reminded of your love for them. Just like the piece above. It consists of 3 3.5" x 3.5" blocks that are painted and distressed then wrapped with painted hemp that display 1,2 or 3 paper hearts. This piece can be customized with one block and one heart for every year that you have been together. Just email me for your own special price.

Most of these can be found in my Etsy Shop but if there is something here that you don't see there and you would like to purchase PLEASE EMAIL ME and I will get started on your own special gift for Valentine's Day. Remember that it is the thought that counts and there is something about handmade and unique that makes loved ones melt. Whether you buy from me or these give you an idea for your own art I hope you give something truly unique to those you love this holiday!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Brick and Mortar

2008-01-23T17:52:00.000-08:00

Well I have finally decided to share with all of you my space at Brownstone Village. They have a great little set up in Arlington, TX in what used to be an old roller skating rink. The whole place is filled with boutique shops, interior decorating, a salon and now a restaurant. It's one stop shopping for all your needs.

My space features some of my artwork that you can purchase in my Etsy shop, but it also has one of a kind pieces you will only find there. Extra incentive for you to go visit when you are in the area!

So far my sales have been a little slow, but I am one of a few shops in there that is all handmade items. I am really excited about the opportunities this gives me and as this progress I will start to give tips on how to get into a B and M, what to do once your there and pitfalls to avoid. So until next time...

A Bit Late but here it is...

2008-01-22T11:44:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of you remember me telling you about one of the groups I belong to called Etsymoms making a backet of goodies for Dawn, the now famous blogger. I took pictures of the final basket and all the goodies we collected back in November and I am just now getting around to sharing them with you all.

Dawn was nice enough to agree to meet with me over the Thanksgiving weekend. We met for pizza, because what else would you eat in Chicago. We had a great time visiting. I told her that we just wanted to thank her for reminding us to laugh and enjoy motherhood for all that it is. And she told me more about how this whole thing got started. She was so overwhelmed by our kindness and was more than happy to blog about the items that we sent to her. She has already written several reviews for the Etsymoms you can check them out on Dawn's blog MamasLike.com

So to all you Etsymoms out there who gave something for the basket thanks again for your donations! And those of you who are just looking for some great places to shop check out these mamas.

OneGirlieGirl
Andrea Baker
bfbeads
beadedsocks
happyhousequilts
dizzlepop
busymomcreations
amkstitches
scrappyseller
donnapool
purplehug
mooretaste
WylesStyle
wrapsberry
mizusugi
skygirlstyle
poppypatch
scrapadot
zhinkadinkadoo
and my shop

Happy Shopping and Dawn thanks again. I loved meeting you!

How many fingers do you see?

2008-01-17T11:42:00.000-08:00

With most of my art I try to tell some sort of story. Whether it's about my life, connections, a view or simply beauty all of my pieces have a background story to them. My newest venture is photography, I have been taking pictures for as long as I can remember but it wasn't until recently that I decieded to use my camera to create works of art. My first piece to show the world is already in my Etsy shop. And I love what a captured.

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and I still have family there and whenever I go there are a few things I have to do. First is to get either a pizza or a hot dog and second I have to spend at least one day downtown. But getting to downtown is half the fun of going down there. Why? Because we usually will take the train and to me there is just something special about the train ride down there. Maybe it's because I love watching people and anyone who has ever taken mass transit knows there are some very interesting people on the train. Or maybe it's the fact you don't have to worry about traffic, parking or anything else. But mostly I think it's because you get to watch worlds collide together creating new ones throught lights, sounds and movements.

If you don't quite understand maybe you have seen the movie Patch Adams. (One of my favorites) The scene where Patch is asked "How many fingers do you see?" and her answers 4 and the other guys says he's crazy. Patch is bothered by this so he goes and sees the guy later and asks what the answer is. And he is told to look beyond the fingers...and he gets 8. It's sort of like that. Look beyond what's there and see the new.

I have 2 more photos that will start this series and you will only see them here (at least for now...Take a look and let me know what you see.

Just to let you know these photos were taken in one shot. They are not 2 or more images transposed on one another.

Getting Organized for the New Year

2008-01-15T11:12:00.000-08:00

So this year you want to be more organized...
That was one of my goals this year as well. So I broke it up into 3 categories; in numbers, in product and in schedules. These are mine for now, yours maybe different you just have to look at what you want to fix or make better.

The first "numbers"...I am a terrible bookkeeper, I have numbers, math, calculators and especially spreadsheets! They all make my skin crawl. But this year with the help of Etsy hopefully it will be better. They were nice enough to set up a spreadsheet for those of us who are a bit challenged in that area. You can check it out here on their Storque page. It is all set up, you just have to plug in your info. How cool is that! Of course if that spreadsheet doesn't work for you the next thing to do is check out some of the etsy sellers who sell spreadsheets like LL Design. She not only sets up spreadsheets but makes them look fab as well!

Keeping track of product is going to get easier as well thanks to spreadsheets. I have started labeling my products with a code like TP_TB01 for these trio blocks

Right now I have 10 different sets of these blocks so they are TP_TB and 01-10 so I know which is which. I use this labeling system for my pictures too. That way I can know what pictures go with what blocks. This can also be used for storage. I have flat files similar to these

That are stacked up in my back room, each of them have a place to slip a note on the front so I can keep track of what is in each drawer. I also use plastic tubs, which come in handy when I am headed to my next craft fair. A great way to keep things organized in them is to get a packing slip holder that has adhesive on one side so you can add slip a label inside it and adhere it to the side or top of the container to know what's in each one without having to open each to find what you are looking for.

The last thing for me is scheduling! I am terrible at remembering what's coming up, when and with who. So this year I bought a blackjack phone. Similar to the blackberry, it has a large screen and one of the best calendar features a phone has to offer. You can look at things by week, month or just the day and it has an alarm feature reminding you when something is coming up. Of course it has the Internet and email features as well, but I have yet to need to use them, since I am usually at home. Plus you can sync it up to your computer at home so your calendar, notes, and what ever else you hold dear can truly be in 2 places at once! Another good thing to do is to get a wall calendar, that way you can just glance and know what is coming up and when. Scheduling time for everything is super important. Know how long it takes you to sketch something, know what really takes priority and pad your time. You don't what to promise something and then don't deliver. If you need to color code your work on the calendar. One color for starting a project, one color for revisions, photography, finishing touches, etc. Give yourself a time to be on the Internet, answering calls, setting up new items...The more detailed structure you layout the more work you can fit into a day!

Hopefully this helps you all. I know it has for me. If you have any questions feel free to make a post, or if you have some ideas to add PLEASE do.

New Year New Art

2008-01-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

I have always loved painting and I usually have some great ideas but never have the time to pursue them. Well I finally had a little extra time over the holidays and came up with this little piece.

This piece was done on 4 wood blocks measuring 3.5" x 3.5" each. They were painted with acrylic paint then sanded and scored. The bottom right hand block features birds sitting on wires connected to a telephone pole. The wires were created with hemp rope and then painted.

The name of this painting is called "At Dusk". It is the first of a series that I am starting about the unexpected connections life brings us. I myself have made many connections to new people here on the internet. These new friends have meant the world to me! So it is to them that I dedicate this first piece.

If you would like to purchase this I will be placing it in my Etsy Shop later this week. I am always up for custom orders too, just contact me anytime. Have a great weekend!

Etsy Dallas Trunk Show

2008-01-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

February 9th
Don't miss this great chance to meet and buy from over 30 Etsy Artists right here in Dallas! Check out the poster below for more info or see the Etsy Dallas Blog

The Beginning

2008-01-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

This year has started off with a bang. At least for my business. I have had a sale almost every day so far! Which suprises me since it's after the holidays and people tend to buy less for the next 3 months. But I have also been marketing myself like crazy over the past 3 months for Christmas. So over the next few weeks I will be going over things that you need to keep in mind when starting a business and trying to market yourself.

I wish good luck to all my friends out there who are starting their businesses this year. I hope this blog will help you through your journey. If there is anything you would like me to cover in this blog feel free to email me anytime and I will make sure that your questions are answered.

Thanks again for reading!

If I didn't have BAD LUCK....

2008-01-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

Most of you know the saying "If I didn't have bad luck I would have none at all". Well this is how I feel right now. Let me tell you a little about what has been going on in my life.

Back in June, I lost my job. No big deal, now I get to stay home with my son, start my own business things will be great! July 4th weekend my mom gets a call that my Grandma (who I haven't seen in over 15 years!) has had several strokes and it doesn't look like she will make it, come now. So my mom, me and my 4 month old son hop in a car to see my Grandma, who has never really showed an interest in me or anyone on my mom's side of the family, down in Florida. By the time we make it down there she has stablized and it looks like she may make it! So my mom goes into see her and she is somewhat talking and the first thing she says is where's the baby...I want to see the baby. My grandma who has never wanted anything to do with me wants to see my son! I was so excited, and sad. Sad that it took her having a stroke (6 actually) to bring us back together. My grandmother was an amazing artist, I never knew that she had such a love for the arts...so I wondered what else about her didn't I know? Now I will never know, she pasted away right before Christmas. The family decieded not to have a funeral or a wake, nothing. No way to say goodbye... I didn't even know that it bothered me as much as it does until I started typing this.

The week before Christmas my loving husband totalled his car, by missing a turn he takes everyday and running into a fence. He was not hurt, but we were down to 1 car. No big deal...I stay at home anyways, I can just wait to go out till he gets home from work. We are still waiting for the check from the insurance to buy a new car...just waiting, it's not like we have to have a 2nd car right away...that was until today.

The oil light came on in my car, so my husband changes the oil. But the light stays on...hummm. So I call my mom, she has the same car, maybe she has had this problem. She has, it was just a sensor that needed to be reset. Again no biggie, take it up to the oil change place and vola...it will be fixed. So my husband goes to run it in and the engine dies, stops dead, do not pass go do not collect $200. This can't be happening! But it is. So we call our mechanic, his first thought without actually looking at it is....the engine is seized. So what do you do for that....drum roll please.......................
Nothing, you need a new engine! What you have to be kidding...So we had it towed to the dealership where we bought it and we are awaiting their diagnois, hopefully it will be better than the last.

If that wasn't bad enough, we are short for our morgage again and every other bill we are trying to pay on time. But we got good news my husband got a 5% raise! That's great it's just enough to cover the insurance premiums that went up! Yeah us!

Like I said one thing after another around here...

So if you are having similar problems I totally understand your worries and frame of mind...but I just look at all this and think, God must have something really special in store to have me going through all this. And I look to Jeremiah 29:11 for my strenght...

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Goals for the year

2008-01-02T20:44:00.000-08:00

I am not one that usually sets goals at the start of a new year. Not because I am agaist them, but because I usually forget what my goal was to begin with. Even if I write it down, I forget where or what it was for. So this year I have decieded to share my goals with all of you and to keep track of what they are and when I hit them and any background info on them. I will keep you posted throughout the year as to how they are coming and any new news.

So here is my TOP 10 list....in no particular order.
1. Build up business (ok so this is like everyone else's goal too if you own your own business, but it is a goal)

2. I would like to take some business classes, to learn more about marketing and the actual business side of owning and running a business

3. Get more customers/clients (since I have 2 seperate businesses, my ETSY Store and my freelance and can get the word out twice as much, just by letting one know about the other)

4. Get new products designed and listed (I would love to set up an system for keeping everything in order, but that is another goal)

5. Get organized (I think that is self explanitory)

6. Get to more Art and Craft shows this year (It's all about getting your name out there)

7. Get more involved in the community (Another great way to get your name out there and you feel great helping out others!)

8. Get in more stores (I have product in 2 stores right now! But would love to get into more)

9. Make money and be a contributor to my family's expences

10. Make enough moeny that we can afford to buy my new MacBook Pro!

So what are your goals this year. What do you hope to accomplish? Please share...maybe we can help each other reach some of our goals!

Did get what you want?

2008-01-01T12:16:00.000-08:00

It's so time consuming to drop hints in the month before the holidays as to what you want and instead of being rewarded by all your hard work, you still didn't get what you wanted! Well instead of waiting for someone else to act on your behave go ahead and reward yourself for all that hard work.

If you have not already checked out my shop, now's a great time to do that. I will have new items arriving daily throughout the month of January and if that's not enough I will be taking custom orders on just about everything.

Still not sure, I will be listing things from my store on EBAY as well to gain a little more exposure and to help out my customers as well. All things I list on EBAY will start well below the price listed in my ETSY store. The first items are on there now...The Faith, Hope and Love Mirrors. These are my best seller and most loved. Check out the auction now...start bidding and enjoy them for the New Year!

End of Year Sale

2007-12-30T18:12:00.000-08:00

All Holiday Items are at least 50% off until Jan. 10, at which time they will no longer be available.

My Mirror sets are $25 until Jan 15 at which time they will be $40 due to the rising cost of materials. I have several available so if you are interested in more than one set please convo me.

Hope, Joy and Peace Mirrors
Faith, Hope and Love Mirrors

All custom orders are 10% off until Jan 15 as well. When you convo me for details on your order please reference code NEWYEAR and I will make the adjustment!

Hope everyone has a happy new year!

First Monday Sale

2007-11-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

Hello to all this fine Monday Morning

I am offering 10% off in my store today! Plus free gift wrapping

This includes custom orders (not included are the accordion books)

Happy shopping!

TP Design

Fabulous Giveaways

2007-11-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

I just wanted to let you all know about the fabulous giveaways that are being offered on the EtsyMom Blog. I am offering 3 holiday cards and 6 gift tags and there are several other Etsymoms also offering wonderful items. Check out the EtsyMom Blog and leave a comment to be entered. It's that easy! You can enter all of them or just the ones you want. Also there is a link for other great giveaways as well on the blog. Check it out!

You have until Saturday, November 3 at noon to leave a comment.
Thanks for the support!

Etsymom's Say Thanks to a SAHM of 6

2007-10-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you apart of Etsymoms you should already know about the promo basket that we are putting together for Dawn, a mother of 6 and author of the blog Because I Said So. If you are not in the group let me fill you in. Dawn has begun to receive national attention from this blog containing crazy stories about her life and the battles of being a mom to 6 kids. She first gained recognition from an Ebay auction that she listed for a pack of Pokemon cards that her kids slipped into her basket at Walmart. Nothing special about the cards other than the hilarious story that accompanied it. The cards sold for over $100. And her fame has gone on from there. Newspapers from all over the country as well as national tv stations, like ABC, have picked up on the story and are telling the world about it.

Dawn, much like the rest of us stay at home moms, was looking for a way to get some extra income for her family when a friend suggested blogging. Well it paid off she announced recently on her blog that she just signed a book deal and Hollywood is calling for her to write a sitcom based on her life's misadventures.

Anyways one of the Etsymom members, crochetmaggie, came up with a great idea to send her a promo basket, filled with goodies from the Etsymoms. As a thank you for making us laugh and to remember to laugh at ourselves every once in a while too.

Now when I first took this on I thought great idea, but what are the chances that we will get this to her let alone get some kind of response back. Well I took a chance and emailed her, letting her know about Etsymoms and the basket that we wanted to send to her. I also let her know that I was going to be in town for Thanksgiving (yes I am originally from Chicago) and was wondering if I could meet with her then to deliver the goodies. Amazingly enough she emailed me back and said she was flattered and would loved to meet with me! Yeah, she shoots, she scores! The crowd goes wild! Ok, the Etsymoms go wild!

Oh wait, I didn't get to the good part yet. Not only did she want to meet with me but she asked if I, and the Etsymoms, would be interested in having our products being reviewed on her blog! Now we can do the happy dance! Yes we will be reviewed on her blog if we can work out the details, but I don't think it will be to hard to work it out.

I am so excited about this opportunity for me and my friends in the Etsymoms group. Wish us good luck on this adventure and pray that this brings a little exposure to us. I know we could all use a little extra help!

If you would like to know more about the project please email me or wait for the updates that I will be posting here and on the Etsymom Blog.

My First Craft Fair

2007-10-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Well I survived my first craft fair this past weekend! I was beat tired after it, but I learned a lot of do's and don'ts from it. While the fair itself was a bust, it was a good stepping stool for my next ones.

This craft fair, I was told had about 900 people at it last year...this year was closer to 200! And that included the vendors! I was so disappointed, but I did make some sales, some good contacts for future sales (I hope) and manage to make a profit after the booth fees and various other materials I needed to buy to create my booth. So all and all I guess it wasn't too bad. Let me give you the run down of what happened.

First, they let us set up the night before the show started. Thank Goodness! With the 2 hours they gave us the night before and the 2 hours the day of we just barely finished setting up in time for the show to start...of course most of this is because my friend and I are perfectionists and we hate things that are just thrown together. I shared the booth with a friend of mine that makes amazing fold out greeting cards with scriptures and quotes. The two of us work really well together.

Out of all the booths we probably had some of the most unique items there. Most of the booths were pretty general items that you expect to see nothing really unique. Of course this is probably why we did so well, compared to everyone else. I think I was more disappointed in that then the turn out. I was really hoping to see some unique gifts that I could get for my family or to get ideas from. But not really.

Now I don't want to make you think that this craft fair was a total waste, in fact just the opposite. I am actually grateful that the turnout was terrible, it gave me a chance to think about what to do better next time. So here are some things that I came up with to think about when getting ready for your next craft fair.

First, be prepared. Do an inventory checklist, know what you have and how much. If someone wants to buy several items, know how many you have for them. Keep your inventory together and categorized. If you keep things that are similar together it makes it easier for loading and unloading, not to mention if you have extras that are not out for the customer to see you will be able to find it quickly. Label everything, know what's in what bins for easy access and quick recovery. Remember time is money so the more time you waste trying to find something under the table the more sales you will lose, people don't want to wait around for something. Most people at craft fairs buy on impulse. They are not looking for something specific, just something unique. Also know your venue. Know what other vendors are around, know where the bathrooms are, the water fountains and the food. People will come back to you to ask questions but as they do, something might catch their eye and presto a sale. Plus it makes you look more professional and knowledgeable.

Also know your products! This is pretty self explanatory and I thought pretty straight forward, but you would be surprised at how many people I talked to that had to look up a price or look to someone else on how something worked. Why? If you have someone helping you out, make sure that they know your items as well as you do. You look very unprofessional when you can't answer a question about your own work! If you offer different colors, papers, sizes; know all this and let the customer know if they are not all out. They can't read your mind, they don't know that your underwater basket weaving comes in 3 sizes if they are not all out or you didn't tell them.

Think like the customer! Walk around your booth what jumps out at you? What doesn't? Does everything make sense? What questions would you have? Price, color, custom orders or do you take CC? All things that they are going to want to know so how are you going to let them know?

Offer CC sales! If you are not sure how to do this go through ProPay. They seem to be the easiest and cheapest way to offer them, plus you can get a mastercard linked to your account so you don't have to worry about transferring money back and forth between accounts! More than half of my sales came because I offered this, plus I made connections with other vendors. So many of them didn't know how to go about offering CC and they came and asked me how I did it, 1 of them bought something from me and 4 took my card for the future.

Next look at your booth set up. When you look at your booth is everything at the same level? Or did you build it up so things have a sense of hierarchy? This was a huge thing I noticed at the fair. There were several booths that just laid things out on their tables, no levels, and no real sense of order either. There are several things that you can do to "add levels" to your table display. First, look at what you have to display. What might get lost or what do you want to show off most? Use empty shoe boxes, paint cans (small and large), plastic bags/newspapers or anything else that will give height to your table. Then use a table cloth to cover them up and bunch it around the items, don't make it form fitting (you don't want to give away your secret). Once you have things were you think they need to be start adding your items, your boxes and paint cans may need to move slightly in order to fit the actually items but at least you have a starting point. Once it is all set, Ta Da you have hierarchy! And a table that will attract attention from passersby.

Make friends with the vendors around you. More than likely if they are from that area they have friends that will be dropping by to say hi and if that is the case, they will probably point out something in your booth that they fell in love with and can't live without. I had 2 sales because of this. Not that that sounds like a whole lot but I only had 7 sales total...I recommend going around and introducing yourself to as many vendors as possible actually, this way if they have a break during the day they might come over and say hi and look at what you have plus they can send people your way if they find out you are selling something close to what that person is looking for. Word of mouth is a great tool at craft fairs! One of the booths that the craft fair this weekend had cake mixes that you make in a coffee mug complete with frosting! A great invention, anyways she sold out of almost everything because of word of mouth. All the vendors were talking about what a great idea it was, especially for teacher and secret Santa gifts where you don't have a lot of money to spend. Well one vendors spoke up and said she was starting to run out and that started a frenzy of buyers. Buy the end of the day I think she only had 3-4 types left out of the 14-16 that she was offering. Remember as you are walking around too to be handing out business cards, even if they don't get around to seeing you during the day they may take a look at your sight later.

Another thing to consider is participating in a silent auction, if it is offered. Not only does this get you exposure but sales. I had 3 sales because people were bidding on my Faith, Hope and Love Mirrors and didn't win. Plus the lady who won took my business card to tell others about my store!

One last thing, enjoy yourself. Engage in small talk step outside of your comfort zone. People are more willing to linger if you get them talking about a subject they enjoy talking about. not sure how to start it...look at what they are wearing, complement them on the jewelry, hat or top. Ask where they got it or if their is a story behind it. If they are wearing a sports team talk about that. Ask what or for who they are looking for gifts, sounds dumb but it works every time.

Follow these simple guidelines and you will do great and have a great time with less stress.

Another New Venture

2007-10-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

I have been asked to write a branding/marketing post on the EtsyMom Blog once a week. I am so excited to be doing this. EtsyMoms are a great group of moms who own shops on Etsy and a lot of them have become great friends of mine. I am hoping this new outlet helps get the word out about EtsyMoms and Etsy itself, one of the greatest sites for finding handmade gifts and with the holidays coming up there is no better place to shop. Check out both sites and share the love.

Craft Fairs and helpful ideas

2007-10-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

After countless hours researching craft fairs here are some great ideas to keep in mind as you get ready for your next craft fair.

Make sure you have a good little "survival kit". These are things that you should include: a small tool set, a first aid kit, a cell phone, extra batteries (for things like the kid's games and your cash register), snacks and drinks, a blanket and my all time favorite: the ever-so versatile duct tape!A few other things include glue or glue gun, hammer and nails, etc. to fix the crafts that didn’t survive the trip to the show and a roll of paper towels you never know when you or your customers might have an accident.

Other things that you need to remember to bring are plenty of busniess cards, any promo items, good signage, table cloths, pen and paper (write down new ideas), reciept pad or cash register and last but not least a good friend so you don't get board!

When it comes to inventory control this was one idea I came across... When we were big into the retail scene, we simply kept a hand-written log of sales as they occurred. At the end of the show, the list would be organized by the type of product sold and then the information would go into a simple database. This made inventory easy to track and we would always know what the best sellers were and what product lines needed to be filled before the next show.

Next how much money should you bring for change? Always a great question. Around $50 - $100 per day should be enough for an average sized show, when you are in your home town/area. If you are out-of town at a large show that will be lasting for several days, you will want to bring more. Remember that many people use $20 bills. And if someone wants you to provide change for a $100 bill, just ask them for something smaller, or to use a credit card if you accept them.

Always make sure to bring plenty of inventory. New and old. How much should you bring also depends on your show size. I am still looking for a good answer to this question, so if you have any ideas post them here and share with the rest.

I hope this helps you all as much as it has for me.

THIS WEEKEND

2007-10-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am particapating in my first craft fair! If you are in the Denton/Cornith area stop by and say hi. I would love to meet some fellow Crafters and Etsians. I plan to have several items that I don't have listed in my Etsy store and plan on taking custom orders as well. I hope to meet some of you!

The craft fair will be held at the The Church of Corinth there is a printable coupon on the site as well as directions.

I will let you all know how it goes and have some tips to share with you when I get back!

Craft Fairs

2007-10-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well I have my first craft fair next weekend! I am getting really excited and really nervous at the same time. I love meeting new people and showing off my designs, but at the same time I worry about how I will do, how I will be excepted, will I have enough merchandice...Not ever doing one before these questions haunt me. All week long I have had different dreams; one where I run out of things to sell (great! but then an angry momb of people come by wanting stuff and we they see I am completely sold out they begin to throw tomatoes (where the tomatoes come in I don't know). Another dream is that I am laughed at for trying to sell what I have brought or they thumb up their nose at me from being discusted at my merchandice and it's quality.

I think my biggest worry right now is to know how much to bring. Since most of my items are greeting cards I don't know how much of each design to bring, or even how many different choices to bring. Plus some of my other items (like the floral arrangements) there is only one of those so how do I let people know that they are one of kind. I never make the same thing twice.

How to disply my items is another big problem. With not a whole lot of money to spend I am trying to figure out what is the best thing to put the greeting cards in. Something that will hold them in place while still being easy for the customers to thumb through them to see what they like...what type of signage to put out. How to grab people's attention without being too obnoixous.

If you guys have any experience in this I would love all the help I can get!

Thoughout the week I will be posting different things I find that will help me get ready, so hopefully when you get ready for a show you will have the answers that you are looking for too.

Organizing, part 2

2007-10-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

Now that you have had a chance to go through everything in your work area and get an idea of what you would like to do there it's now time to look at your paperwork and filing systems. This might actually be more important than product organizing, but for many of us it's even harder. We think artistically not analytically.

When it comes to paperwork the number one answer from my fellow Etsians was to use a computer program like Excel or iWorks to document all your expenditures and profits. Another great thing to do is to have bins, photoboxes, expanding folders with all your receipts, invoices and other paperwork. smittenkittenorig goes one step further and organizes her paperwork by each month. Then at the end of the year she hands everything over to her accountant. I recommend using an accountant, spend the $125-150 to get their expertise. It's a tax right off and they can help you save money in places you would never expect.

LisasLovlies says she makes up "grocery lists" in different notebooks to keep track of sales, orders, designs - measurements and other related paperwork. And lolbaby says that she uses Google Earth to keep track of her sales and where she ships to.

For keeping tracking of my schedule I use the calendar on my phone. It's always with me and I can set an alarm if I need to. Our favorite contributor TheWorldsDresser prints out a weekly schedule from Outlook. Each day has her appointments/meetings along with 2 hours of crafting, 1 hour of promoting (posting, creating or handing out samples...) and 3 hours of studying. I also recommend color coding your schedule. Pick different colors for different reoccurring things in your life. Business meetings, craft fairs, kids schedules, dates, dr appointments, etc. That way at a glance you can look at your schedule and know what type of things you have going on that day.

Email is another thing that needs to be organized. Most email systems have folders systems that you can utilize. Keep track of your custom orders, inquires, purchases, billing and anything else that you need to organize. Wrapsberry swears by this, along with bookmarking pages that she needs for supplies, blogs and sales/marketing tools. These can be but into folders as well for easy access to your information.

If you have more ideas please post them in the comments here. Or if you would like me to cover another topic let me know. I love sharing knowledge, whether it's mine own or borrowed. I like to help those around me the way that others have done for me. Thanks for reading!

Favorite Sayings

2007-10-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready to create a new line of greeting cards that I hope to have done for Christmas.
They will feature "Favorite Sayings"

So I am holding a contest to get some ideas. Please add your favorite sayings to the comments on this post and the "Winners" (the ones who's sayings I pick to be in the line) will get a free copy of a card of their choice from this line. I will announce the winners at the end of the month and post the winning card designs so the winners can choose.

You may enter up to 5 different saying, but if more than one saying is picked you will still one get one choice of card designs. The "sayings" can pertain to anything for any occasion.

Thanks for your help and I am looking forward to what you all come up with!

Organizational KEY, part 1

2007-10-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

Organization for a business is KEY, but for so many it becomes a forgotten thought or a last minute scramble. There are many reasons why you should take a moment and rethink your organization, first and foremost it is much easier to stay on top of things when you know where they are and how they are progressing. Second, and just as important, it will help you keep your sanity! Instead of scrambling to put together an order or to know what bills are do when or what you need to follow up on you can keep it all organized and be less stressed. Yes, less stressed! Now I am not talking OCD type organizing (not to offend anyone) just some simple tools that you can implement in your day to day work to put your ying and yang back into it's place, at least for this part of your life.

Now, I took the liberty of asking some of my fellow artists on Etsy to help me compile a list of their favorite ways to stay organized. And after 13 pages of answers and more still coming in, here are just a few of my favorites.

Overall I think the most popular answers were drawers, boxes, bookcases, some sort of object to place all the chaos in. While this is all well and good, most of the time it just becomes a contained chaos. Of course there were some that answered me with their whole system like TheWorldsDresser who wrote me a dissertation on how she kept organized. Amazingly organized! But I am not sure that we all have to go to her extreme. Please don't get me wrong, my goal in life is to be that organized, but I know I will never achieve do to lack of concentration. So I think somewhere between just drawers and queen of organization is where we will aim.

Our first stop is the drawers, boxes and bookcases. One way to keep them from becoming chaos is labels. Use the labels on the outside to let you know what's in each drawer; paper, tools, beads, etc. Then when you open the drawer have it sectioned as well. Do it by what's easiest for you to remember. Color, style, size, type. And the biggest thing to remember is to put things back when you are done! Don't let them get piled on top of each other, you will forget what you have out, lose something, spill something...well you get the idea, chaos.

I guess where we should have started is where you do your work. Have a designated place, even if you are in tight corners you can still have a place to work, it just might be more work on your end to stay organized so you can put things out of the way when you are done. I myself, have an office upstairs, but I don't use it. I now have a 6 month old son getting ready to start crawling at any moment so being confided to my office is not practical at the moment. So I moved everything to my dining room downstairs for the time being. That way I am close to him if he is playing and I can still get some work done. In this space I have my computer, since that is what I use the most, along with my printer, scanner, and a small flat file for papers, greeting cards and other things that I am using at that moment, but that I can change out as I need to. I almost always have a sketchbook as well that I am using to keep my latest ideas and custom orders in. I also have a small card table set up to actually do the physical parts of my work; the painting, cutting, gluing, etc. When it comes to this type of stuff get things that you are able to work around. I got my tables at Ikea, which is a great place to get organized cheap and still keep your style! But for some like kateisgreat80 they buy a fancier cabinet that holds everything and stores it out of the way. Great for small spaces and if you have small children. You could do the same thing with a repurposed Armour or TV cabinet.

If you are working with something that has several steps to it, you might want to think about having different areas set up to hold the items as you work on them. inediblejewelry says that each of the different areas set up for making their charms also has the tools they will need to complete that task. Another great idea, so you are not running around trying to find something especially if you are working with time sensitive materials.

StarletTwinkie had a great idea if you are working with something that needed multiple pieces to it. Use a clear pocketed shoe hanger bag that hangs over a door. Easy access to all your pieces and you can see what's inside them. If you can't find a clear one, just tape one of the pieces to the outside of the pocket so you know what in there.

TheWorldsDresser also recommended photographing every single one of your creations to make a catalog in a power point document separated by medium. Great for these reasons
-When you have a juried show you have a place to pull pics from without looking too hard
-If you have electricity at your show, bring a laptop and have the images rotate - it brings folks over
-If you do home shows it allows people to get a good grasp of your work and helps them decide on custom orders
-If you intend to sell to shops, you have a portfolio of your work all ready to go (have it professionally printed and bound at an office supply store) without lugging every piece over.
Like I said she gave me a dissertation. Amazing!

Design4u says that flower pots are great for holding paint brushes, markers, decorative scissors, etc. I have found that this coffee mug organizer works great too!

That should give you a good start on you product organization, next time we will cover paperwork, final products and scheduling. Hope this helps and a big thanks to all who supplied me with answers.

Below is a list of stores to look at when trying to get organized:
Ikea
Duluth Trading Co
The Container Store
Target
Any office supply store and ebay

FIRST MONDAY SALE!

2007-10-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

I am running a sale today only 20% off anything in my store, except the accordion cards. And with everything $30 purchase or more you will recieve a free gift! Stock up now for Christmas! Custom orders are welcome and the discount applies to them as well! Check it out!

TP Design

Thanks and happy shopping!

Also check out this thread for other sales from Texas Artists!

First Monday Sales

Tag I am it

2007-09-27T20:30:00.001-07:00

Ok I guess I will play along since I have been tagged twice now...first by Wrapsberry and then by Mooretaste. Now I have to share six unique things about myself with all of you, if you fall asleep you were probably too tired and need to come back and read about my exciting life ::yawn:: Then I guess I must make six others share my fate.

So here we go

1. I met my husband through a mutal friend while living in Chicago at a country bar. We used to go dancing at least twice a week (yes, linedancing and two-steppin'). Now that I live in Texas I think we have been twice total the 7 years we have lived here.

2. I have interned at the happiest place on earth twice! (Walt Disney World, FL) First time I worked at Epcot in Innoventions. One day I met a lady and her brother who were there celebrating his 98th birthday! He had never been to Disney before so his sister suprised him with a trip there. I found this out and gathered a bunch of passers-by (50 or so) and made an announcement about his birthday to any one who could hear me and had them all sing happy birthday to him. One of the happiest days in my life, I never knew the impact that human kindness could have on others, since then I try to brighten everyone's day around me.

3. I had a dog in high school named Harley. I asked my mom for a motorcycle when I was old enough to drive and of course the answere was no, so she got me a puppy instead. (Which I named Harley) With the hopes I wouldn't want a motorcycle anymore. It worked, I have yet to get one.

4. I just found out recently that my Grandmother sells paintings that she does in galleries all over NY. (I didn't even know that she painted) She also does some of the most amazing needlepoint I have ever seen.

5. I am far from being domestic, in fact my husband usually did the cooking, cleaning, laundry and so on for the last 6.5 years that we have been together, but now that I am a mom the "leave it to beaver" switch was turned on and now I want to do that stuff. Wierd I know...

6. I started up 3 companies on my own without capitol. I at the moment they are all making a profit (not a big one, but a profit none the less)
TP Design my Handmade Goods Store
Eternal Blooms Wedding Flowers and invitations
And TP Design my graphic design studio...

That's me in a nut shell. I am off to tag
Cozy Moments
Donna Pool
One Girlie Girl
Happy House Quilts
Such Pretty Colors
Dancing Hannah

Being Disney to your customers

2007-09-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

So you have been working on your branding for the past week. Since I have not heard from any of you either things are going well or you haven't started, ha ha. No worries my posts will be here when you are ready. If you need help or have additional questions please email me, I don't mind if fact that is why I started this blog.

So now that you have a good handle on your branding it is time to start thinking about your marketing/advertising. Now if you are anything like me you have zippo start up capitol, so you need out of the box ideas for getting your name out there. Here are just a few ideas...

First and foremost, make business cards! This is a priority not a suggestion. There are so many things that you can do with them. You can get some designed for you if you have a little extra money or get them at vistaprint.com for free, these won't be well designed but they will do for now. (**Now on a side note, I do design business cards for fellow Etsy sellers at a huge discount compared to my usual price for design, for the reason of I know what it's like to try starting up a company on a dream and a prayer.)

There are a few places that you can use them at; first restaurants: leave them with your tip or drop them in the "win a free lunch bowl". Believe it or not the people cleaning out that bowl every week take the time to look at who's in there, especially if you get cards that stand out. I made my cards 2" x 2", they are not the normal size of business cards (2 x 3.5), which brings up a good point, they don't have to be the usual size. Things to remember are: you want them to fit in people's pocket/wallet without being a problem.

The second thing you can do with business cards is leave them on tables at Starbucks, or bulletin boards, Barnes and Nobles, leave them on a bench in the mall - you can leave them just about anywhere for people to find them. Liana, at BusyMomCreations, suggested leaving them in your back windshield wiper for people to take. This works especially well if you have a car decal. Which by the way she sells at a fantastic price! Here is the link if you are interested,
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6089748

Lastly about the business cards, they are great for handing out face to face, or giving to other shops for their promo bags. Etsy has several groups that get together and "trade" business cards for the purpose of helping each other promote, check out the forums for how to get involved. BTW - you don't have to always be the one handing out the business cards. Give some to your family, friends, co-workers anyone you believes in your store and can talk you up! Or place a couple extra business cards in with your orders, if your buyers really like what they get they are going to talk about your shop with others and if they have extra cards they can give them those.

Some other out of the box ideas are, moving billboards, not actual billboards. Your car. You drive all over the place, place an ad on it. Great exposure there. If you use the link from above to check out BusyMomCreations, you can get your name and URL made into a vinyl sticker that you place on your car. How cool is that. Pair that with some business cards and you got a good thing.

Think about your packaging too! How is your stuff packaged? Do you just throw things into a box and ship it off or do you take the extra step to package things nicely before sending it off. One shop I know of makes their own bubble mailers to ship their products in. They were nice of enough to share how to do this here http://thisis.notarobot.net/2007/08/make-your-own-bubble-mailers.html. Now you don't have to go this far, but think on what your customers sees when they receive your package. Go beyond their expectations and they will return. Why do you think Disney is so popular? They didn't become they #1 vacation destination by meeting every ones expectations, but by blowing them out of the water! Think Disney when you are branding, marketing and advertising yourself and you will have more customers than you know what to do with.

Something else that you can do is link all your sites together. What sites, you ask? Or better yet what sites should you have? First you should have an online store where people can view your work. If you are not on Etsy.com and you sell handmade goods you should be, if you do something else make your own website with a store. You can buy a domain name at GoDaddy.com cheap and use weebly.com editor with free hosting. If you are on Etsy you can still have your own website and link it to your Etsy store with Etsymini. Other things to think of are myspace.com, cafemom.com (for all those moms out there), indiepublic.com, flickr.com (I have yet to set this one up) and a blog just to name a few. There are more things that you can do but these are the main ones I use. Myspace, cafemom and indiepublic all have the same general idea the are a meeting place, but they can be great exposure for you as well. You can put an Etsymini on your page which links your page to your Etsy store. You can blog on these sites and check out others you think could be potential buyers (use your info about your target market to decide who to target) invite these people to check out your shop. You can also let people know of new items you have with pictures that you post or leave comments so they know about coming sales or other info you would like them to know. These pages also let your potential buyers know a little more about who you are. I don't know about you but I am more willing to buy from someone when I know more about them. Plus an extra added bonus is that you can make more friends with these sites and more people backing you and your store. Again if they believe in you and your store they will tell others.

This next section is mostly for Etsy sellers, though you might be able to apply some of it to other shops as well. Other great ways to get your name out there is in the forums. Join in on discussions, or start one yourself. There is also a chat room on Etsy that has some cool features to it, like posting photos of some of your work or others in the room that you like. Remember people like to be complimented about their stuff, you if let them know that you like something of theirs odds are they are going to check out your shop and see what you have. Just from participating in the forums on Etsy I have notice a huge increase of traffic at my store. And more interest in my items.

Another great way that costs nothing is joining groups on Etsy. I belong to Etsymoms and EtsyTexasCrafters. Both have their own forums that I can post to, to get the word out about what's going on with me. I also find out what is going on with others, how their shops are doing what sells and what doesn't. All of these are great for finding out if it's just slow right now or if I am doing something wrong. You can bounce ideas off these new "friends" and since they all have shops and are wanting to make it - they are likely to be more honest then your mom and Aunt Kitty. (No I don't have a Aunt Kitty).

One last thing is when you do sell something remember to include a handwritten thank you or free gift. Let them know how much you appreciate their business, 80-90% of your business should be repeat customers and word of mouth. Remember that the next time you are rushed with an order...

These are just some of my ideas for marketing/advertising. I would love to know your ideas, post them here on my blog and let others know how you capture your customer's attention. Next time we will discuss an often overlooked part of owning your own business...organization. Stay tuned for the exciting story and how to master the clutter of your office (this could be your living room, dining room, bedroom, garage - where ever you work)