turning point.

In order to pay off debt changes have to be made.  More money needs to come in. It's time to do what needs to be done to get things in order.  Sacrifice.  All that.

I searched online.  job bank.  hospital.  The only thing I came up with was Target.  I'm sure it had NOTHING to do with the target discount. Floor job... go in at night a straighten clothes.  I did that as a teenager.  brainless.  doable.  I even started the online application.  I got two pages in...and then I remembered something....something dreadful....something absolutely horrible...a game changer.  I had to click "cancel".  I remembered that they have to wear khaki pants!  I hate khaki pants.

So instead I put a post on Craig's List for a small artist studio.  If I actually treat my creative outputs as a job I would actually do it.  Having a place that wasn't my dining room table to work.  A place that wasn't three feet from the living room couch and tv.  Maybe this will be my turning point.  And I can say that it was all because of khaki pants.

down to one hand.

I have been working on my craft show for months now.  Yesterday I clicked "this week's events" on facebook and freaked out a bit inside when it popped up!  I feel like I've done all I can do.  I wish I could advertise more in the cities but I just can't go up again this week.  Praying that tons of people show up.  Hoping that all of my vendors have a good time.  That the lighting is sufficient for everyone.  I want to create stuff to sell there but I'm out of energy.  Last night I started a felt picture.  It's not finished yet, but fits into an antique, white frame... I think I'm going to add "fly" to it in the upper left corner with some other media source.

a little convincing.

All year the kids talk about what they want to be for halloween.  It's not a huge "holiday" for us but dressing up as something cool and getting more candy than should be legally allowed... I get it.  And I use it as an excuse to be my creative energy.  Which brings me to my challenge this year... getting my five year old who wants to be "Dark Baddar" and my three year old daughter who wants to be princess jasmine to change their minds and be something creative... something I can make.

It wasn't as hard as I feared. My sister purchased my niece a Dorothy dress... you see where I went with that...

A Year in the Life.

A year of silence and things are churning.   I didn't really create anything this year.  I wasn't in any shows besides selling a few old things at Worship@8500 in Colorado.  But I have created The Handmade Christmas-- Craft Fair.  46 vendors in St Paul.  I'm working on advertising right now.

It has solidified my desire for a storefront.  It feels like it's more in the making than ever, although there's really nothing physically present outside my mind.  The storefronts for rent on main are drying up... it makes me anxious.  The only one left I've heard is astronomical.  I called for info and waiting for them to get back.  It all has to happen at the same time which when mixed with too much coffee makes me completely high strung and not good for anything. Just trying to take deep breaths and slow down. Enjoy the process and trust that if it's to happen then what I need will be available when I need it.

when you gonna come home...

"when will the heavy rains come...
when will the clearing of my fields be done?"

The Emporiums (Karla Adolphe and Aaron Stumpel)

I just got my hands on their album mere hours ago.  Some wonderful songs.

I am bringing her to town in May.  just fantastic.

two more

These latest treasuries are my favorites so far that I've been included in.

www.etsy.com/treasury/4d50a4ebfba98eefe9c8f276/love-is-in-the-air

 www.etsy.com/treasury/4d4e0c91cd456d91bc8e0aa0/this-will-lead-me-back-to-you

 

wastin' it.

I get frustrated with myself when I waste precious creating time.  Lately I've been so tired at night that I can't do anything but lay on the couch.  But tonight I was actually feeling a little creative.  Instead of getting something out I ended up searching the internet for metal cardette holders or clips.  None to be found... and I did spend hours looking. 

I'm also trying to process my thoughts on my desires to do something bigger(today it was brought on by seeing a storefront for sale)... do I want a store that sells handmade stuff? occasion shop? a craft class shop? a combination?  What part of it seems the most fun to me? Creating myself? Creating a fun shop atmosphere? Composing an ongoing craft class schedule with various artists?  Which part would get old fast?  If I spend most of my time with other people's stuff I won't have time to do my own projects.  It's an idea that doesn't leave me alone... I just really don't know it's context.  

treasury

An earthy one this time.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d437a1efb3f8eef3a1742af/where-the-wild-things-are?ref=pr_treasury

treasury

In another treasury!


http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d3d4bd91bf96d91dd409c42/o-r-e-g-o-n-l-o-v-e?ref=pr_treasury

treasury

It's always nice to be included in a treasury!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d3a67e5372f8eef8f0ac6c7/a-united-state-of-mind

Anything better than a Cricut??

A friend of mine just posted about her replacement decision after her Cricut died... read it here.

light box

After haunting the corner of my mind for months I finally sat down and created a light box for photo taking.  I found a few tutorials online and mashed them up.  And then I winked at my husband (and bought him a nice camera) and he has been using it to take product photos.

It was so easy, cheap and looks great.   Mine is a lot bigger than most of the tutorials I saw but I didn't want it to be too small.  I didn't have an appropriate box  so I taped white foam-core board (cut out most of the middle first) and taped tissue paper over the top.  I had some laying around that was a little thicker than most tissue paper I buy.  Probably from the dollar store or something. And then I cut light white posterboard to curve down the back and extend down the bottom of the box.  Bought two desk lamps at Target... they only allow up to 60 watt and I would like to go higher but it still works. 

and I'm back!

The last new thing I posted on Etsy was valentines last year.  Today I finally sat down and got a new posting up.

I hope to get the rest of the coptics I have made posted this week and then on to organizing my craft stuff and creating!! I also want to make a new banner, fix up my facebook page... stuff like that. I'm excited to get back into this.

I also stopped into the gift shop in the hospital and got the name of the manager to see if she would be interested in selling my flowers.  I hate calling people and I hate doing "factory" work.  But it doesn't hurt to have an ace up my sleeve....or maybe a "four".

another custom journal

I was asked to do a journal for a mother-to-be.  It's a little stressful to do custom things because there's the pressure that the person won't like it.  With anything else I do, I do what I feel and if someone eventually likes it then they buy it.  This is what I came up with....  Six signatures, 16 pages a signature, white drawing paper (I will probably try to buy this in bulk and just use this in my journals from now on), random found papers, handmade envelopes.

(Ben took the pictures seconds before we had to be to church and he's still getting used to his new camera... but I want him to get an eye for this so that he can start taking all my etsy photos using a light box.)

During lunch today Ben asked me what I was going to do this afternoon. I didn't know. "Are you working on another project?" "No." I thought that he was eluding to the fact that then I could finally clean up all of my crafting stuff that had found it's way into a huge mess in the corner of my dining room (that has been there for a few months now).  "Well I think you should" He answered instead.  "Why do you say that?" "Because you don't make crap."    Well thanks.

A look at some of the good times of 2010

I don't take a lot of pictures... so not everything got captured... but here are a few of the things I got...

Ben finished the degree he was working on.

Baby Ava, my niece, arrived

Started my job as Children's Ministry Director.  Started VBS again.

A whole week at a cabin up north.

Pipi and Woody

Birthdays!  Z had a cowboy party. Kate had a little party in the cities... we totaled the Century on the way home and ended up with another buick. 

Set up

I didn't take pictures at all of my shows... but I did a practice set up at home and this is basically how it ended up each time.

Switching gears

My 2010 craft shows are done.  One lack-luster one, one fantastic one and one horrible one.  (Snow storms coinciding with two of them.)  I have a handful of custom things to do this month and then I'm going to jump in imagination first on some completely new projects that I'm excited to start.  I'm also going to work on my etsy shop again... after basically abandoning it for almost a  year.  I do well there when I work at it and I'm finally feeling ready to do the work again.  I'm also rolling around the idea of doing a few craft classes/events.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the shows! 

wow.  It's been quite awhile since I've posted.   I have been so busy with my new job that besides a few coptic bound journals I made to sell in Colorado I haven't done anything.  So I signed up for two shows (maybe three) this fall to MAKE myself create.  I've been having a fun time the last few weeks getting stuff together... and some sewing stuff which I've never done before.   I'll have to get some pictures up soon....if I have time.

we're not the practical kind.

Z's teacher's didn't get anything the could actually use from us this year. But I thought it was cute watching him give each one a flower.  He was super excited and even practiced his "Thank you for being my teacher" line to get it to be just the right volume.  But once we stepped into the classroom he was overcome with shyness and mumbled it with his head down, flowers limp in his hand. 

In an etsy treasury!

I was included in a dancing themed treasury!!

Check it out:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bd98f958de56d91c962b237/sacred-dance?show_panel=true

I don't completely understand treasuries.  But people are able to put together small collections of items from various shops and sometimes they're used for the front page of etsy!  It's always fun to get a message that a stranger has picked one of my items to include in theirs!