Featured Artist: Cherry's Creations

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?

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

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...

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!