A Bit Late but here it is...

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?

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

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

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

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

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....

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.