back from chicago

we are back from chicago! we had a great time and a great reception. we made new friends and saw some really cool art and craft. in my last post, i promised some photos from the people i met at the east nashville arts fest. those are included below with contact information for each artist or crafter. i am also including a few other recent acquisitions picked up along the way via alternate means. all of these people are great artists and artisans. we should all try to support handmade as much as we can.

if you are not familiar with the etsy site, you really should check it out. it is a gathering of thousands of artists, artisans and crafters. one can find anything under the sun there. you'll find me there as well. do try to buy local but support your handmade creators regardless of their location! and do note that there are no favorites here. all of these are listed in order of the jpg file names on my computer. i LOVE them all! we are getting to the point that we already need another addition to the house just for the extra wall space...there are other reasons as well though, i suppose (mud/ laundry room/ dog bedroom just to start the list).

yeehaw industries

you can check yeehaw out here: www.yeehawindustries.com

sarah mills collier

the charm school dropout

super cool, vintage inspired collage with beeswax coating...

sarah can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarap

alex leopold

another gggg-reat collage artist! loads of birds.

all collages are covered with a thick coating of resin which gives them a shiny effect.

look closely. you'll see my bookshelf from 15' away reflected.

now that's some glossiness!

check alex out here: http://alexleopold.com/

heartfelt by aviva

love her stuff!

all made from felt, she does some very cool wedding pieces as well as daily wear pieces.

aviva is here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeartFeltByAviva

steve evets

cool folk art pieces!

see more at: www.sevetsart.com

vahalla studios

you can check them out here: www.vahallastudios.com

these guys are crazy talented! and they make posters for some of the best bands...

Featured Etsy Seller: Beaded Tail

Wild Tiger Lily Polymer Clay Bead Necklace

Sierra Circles- Turquioise Earrings

This month's featured seller for the etsyBloggers team is Beaded Tail. Above are some images of some of the items Sharla carries in her store. Her site is devoted to animal lovers and features items for both humans and animals. So, for all of you animal lovers, be sure to check out Sharla's shop here. Also, her blog can be found here.

I'm a joiner!

Quick photos of some new custom stuff.

Many variations exist but I am trying to get my real photography done

before Evanston this weekend and then I will be listing these items for sale online.

So, I've decided to make an effort to become a joiner. I joined etsyBloggers team. So this means each month I will have two posts which will cover topics and sellers chosen by the group. I am nearing my deadline and, ultimately, have no clue as to what I am doing but I won't stop without giving it the old college try.

Each month we choose between two topics- a question the person who is hosting the month picks. This month the options are:

1- It's graduation time. Tell us about a recent accomplishment of yours. Did you graduate? Have business success? Climb a mountain?

2- What are your goals? Short term? Long term? It's up to you...

Hmmmm.......Whatever shall I pick?

Over the past year, I have been slowly growing my business though it has actually grown much faster than I had ever expected. The reception I have gotten has been awesome! I'm so glad to have such wonderful customers- new and returning.

I have always been slow to share any of my work and, honestly, had my mother not gotten miffed with me about that, the pattern would have continued unbroken. One day she was at the house and just picked all of my stuff up and threw it in her car and said, "Deal with it. I'm taking it to work to see what happens." And luckily (though not so luckily on the days I am swamped with work :)), it has gone off very well.

Since then, I have pushed myself to continue to get out and show my stuff. I am continually applying for shows and I think this is a huge accomplishment. I am proud of the progress I have made in this area. I am getting more comfortable daily with myself, my work and my life in general. I am learning to balance family/home and work. I am pushing myself to be as social as I can be (major accomplishment for me).

So a shout goes out to Mom! Without you, I would still be draining the bank accounts and creating more piles of useless creations in our home.

And, I suppose, I can answer both questions. Goals. Why not be an overachiever? For both short and long term, I am shooting to continue growing the business and pushing myself to show my work and be more sociable. I think I can, I think I can.....Whatever, I know I can!

yeah, yeah. i'm still here...

So it has been a crazy month. The East Nashville Arts Fest was great! I met some really cool people, bartered for some awesome art (oooo, I should post photos of these too- when time permits) and just had fun. Since then life has been a whirlwind.

I was really excited to help out some friends with letterpress wedding invitations and stationery. So week one after the fest was filled with printing. The plan for week two was to have a chance to work during the days as the kids were in chess camp. Plan foiled. Massive sickness reeked its havoc throughout the entire family. Seven full days lost. Not cool. Not cool at all. And week three left me back to trying to work at night so I could enjoy our precious children during the day . That plan was half way foiled. By Monday, hatred for siblings had filled the hearts of my children leaving me completely depleted by evening from trying to control the riots . Precious children, unfortunately, not so precious these days. Poop.

Luckily, the need to fill special orders pushed me back into the studio and work began again (only as of last Wednesday) in preparation for the Evanston show this weekend. Lots done, lots to do. I am really excited about this weekend. My dad is going along for the show and it's gonna be a blast. FYI: coolest dad ever! We plan to rock Evanston like it's our job. Right, well, it kind of is...

Not much to report though a ton has happened. Perhaps I'll put it down to the fact that it is just all a blur at this point. I am still in the process of completing tasks. As always days of work end with seemingly little accomplished and then, wham! Everything comes together and it looks like I took on the world in one day and just happened to win (by some strange stroke of luck).

Above are a few of the hats that will be available in Evanston. I am looking forward to catching up with my Illinois friends! Can't wait to see y'all!

time to catch up

So much has been going on lately, it has been hard to take time to blog. We've had sickness, birthdays and floods on which I had to focus. Though all of that has been going on, I have (as always) been working on some new stuff. Between my family, the house and work, it leaves me very little time to do much else. So, as I sit here sick and feeling sorry for myself, I have decided to give the blog a go. Work is a little difficult as my head is so filled up, I feel a bit loopy and off my game. I fear things would get messed up.

So, here's the catch up on what I have been up to lately.

Wedding invitation linoleum block draft.

Early days on this design and printed by hand and not on the press. But I always want to OK the draft before I spend real time carving the real block. I think that, in the end, when the entire card is pulled together, this is going to be a fairly cool invitation. A couple of special touches will make it unique and the paper and all will make it very green and eco-friendly. Blocks for all of the type were ordered today so this should be coming together in the next couple of weeks.

Just a bunch of silly business.

Good work for the flood days when getting out of the house was an impossibility.

Also good for filler at the upcoming show.

Gives me the ability to offer something for all price ranges.

After touching cold, hard metals all day, it is nice to come home and play with warm, soft fibers...the yin and the yang. It's all about balance.

Items include

ponytail holders, bobby pins, tooth fairy pouches and larger pouches

as well as checkbook covers.

The board is filling up again on the clear resin and graphic images front.

Loads of hair accessories- some new styles, some replacements for all that have sold.

Semi-finished pieces from the silver work done a few weeks back.

I am pleased with the outcome and beginning to get more comfortable with the viscosity of the colored resin and making it work the way I desire.

I will begin adding various colors as time permits over the next two weeks.

This is a set which includes a pair of earrings, a necklace and a ring

(at least it will be once finished).

Painted resin studs.

Necklaces in need of finishing.

Another set.

Earrings and a necklace once finishing is completed.

Earrings already sold. Yay!

But more are always on the way...

Stackable rings.

Sets of three and five available.

Pluggin'

Just plugging along at a snail's pace. But making it nonetheless. All photos are images from last week's work- 100% handmade! I didn't melt any silver and I am pleased with the end result. It's taken a while to post because the weekend ended up being an endless stream of parties, family visits and prepping for some new felted projects I hope to start work on...oh, that's right...yesterday. Arggg.

A new show is coming up in May (info will follow) and that will be nice as Main Street Festival in Franklin ended up being swallowed up by a deluge. Bummer...

Stackable ring set.

4 piece set

New pendants.

New idea of playing with painted resin.

Stud earrings.

One new pendant and one completed order (at least once I attach the earwires).

A Continuation of Yesterday

Today was just a continuation of yesterday. I did all the finishing of the pieces I made earlier in the week and began playing with the colors. I think I am headed in a good direction. This is a shot of the board in all its messiness. Good day. Can't wait to check on it all in the morning and see how it turned out. I am hoping I don't have to backtrack and salvage anything. When I left, it looked OK but when I checked on it about an hour ago, I began to have a few niggling doubts. I know I am rushing myself and I must stop doing that! We'll see tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

The Day of the Dome

Today was all about the dome- earrings, a couple of bracelets, a ring and a pendant. Now they need a little polishing and the final resin steps. Fingers crossed these turn out as I see them in my brain (or at the very minimum something equally appealing).

I only worked for a couple of hours today. I am trying figure out the balancing of my two lives- work and home. I want to work. I need to keep the house and children somewhat clean. So, I go to work and have great intentions of coming home and getting right on the straightening and laundry but when I see it, I feel very uninspired. Luckily all my cleaning out has made it so that total mayhem is just not a possibility anymore. And today I had the wonderful excuse of being thwarted by the loss of the brooms- both the big broom and the dustpan broom (thank you, children). But it really is a bit disconcerting that they can just up and lose them- never to be seen again. I mean, really.....how does that happen? And though I do not exactly enjoy cleaning in general, I do like a clean floor or at least the option to have a clean floor. And it does make me a bit nervous. I feel obsession coming on. I just want the option- that's all. Where, oh where, are the brooms?

Note that this could be a ploy to get out of cleaning by the children. Brooms last seen being used by children on Sunday. Are they teaching us a lesson? If we ask them to assist with the cleaning, will they hide all cleaning supplies? Are they actually making an attempt to outwit us? They had better be too sweet for that. Hmmm...I am a bit suspicious...

Back to Work

Finally, after two weeks away from the studio, I am back at it. During the two weeks away, I was almost completely unproductive artistically. The almost was thrown in because I was able to crank out some drawings in preparation for my return. Today, I began making a few of the items I had drawn. The above picture shows the items made today. Full-on silversmithing has commenced. Today's work consisted of a set of 5 stackable rings (back right), a graduated pendant made of circles (middle row left), 2 circular pendants with attached bezels (middle row right), a small pendant of various sized bezels(front row middle) and a 4pc set which includes a ring, a pendant and a set of earrings (front row left). I also began attaching posts to some of the previously made items from weeks past.

Overhead view.

I was worried over the past few days about getting back into the studio. I am never sure if I will lose my momentum and, really, I just get intimidated. I don't know why. So being back is great.Though I am still very tired from this past weekend, it felt great to start up again. I was really beginning to panic. I don't do so well without the creative outlet. I suppose I am glad I got out of bed on this dreary day and vetoed the Gossip Girl rerun watching (or some other equally mind numbing show). That's right, I said it, Gossip Girl. And I'm not ashamed. OK, so maybe I am a little bit.

I am also happy to report that the yard sale went quite well! All the family came together with what appeared to be our entire lives of hoarding and rocked it out. Truckload after truckload, it was tons of work and we were all very tired. We made a ton of money for our cause and we still had a uhaul truck full of extras to deliver to goodwill. So we not only raised the money we wanted but we also got in some much needed charitable acts to throw into the good karma column.

i've been

So, I've not been on my game with this whole blog thing. But so much has been going on around these parts that is has been busy, busy.

I forgot to post these new prototype earrings last week. Lots of new stuff will be coming out at some point. Colored resins are among some of the new stuff.

Our newest bundle of joy...the iPad. Get one! They rock!

Max is the self proclaimed owner of the iPad. Not fair. He is a pad hog.

And so for my excuses section of this post. The part where I try to explain my absence from the blog scene.....

I am amazed at the amount of stuff we have gathered through the years. I used to subscribe to the idea that one should have no more than one could move in a day or two. Um, yeah. That went out the window. I'm not sure when. I was too busy gathering more stuff to be concerned with it when it did. So......now I am cleaning out my entire life! Yay! I have been in high powered "throw everything away" mode. Just in time for the yard sale this weekend at Granny White Market. I can't wait to be done with it all! Then, maybe my time will be freed up to get back to the creative side of my life. I must say, I am very proud of the sentimental part of me that is now ready to let go of it all. I just wish I had before and after pics. I feel very confident this will change our lives. Yippee!!!

Ode to Spring Break

I'm so glad I shrieked in my last post. Had I not, this week of Spring Break could have gone awry. But no. It has been awesome. Granted it has been tiring but I have loved having the kids home again. Since they've been back at school, I have really missed having them around. Since they got off the bus on Thursday it has been go, go, go. And had I not been so low on the creative spirit, this could have been a week of being torn between work and home. Instead it has given me a nice break and I think next week is going to be very productive!

Here's an overview of Spring Break up to now:

•Ethan kicked off his break with a bus ride and sleepover with his friend Tyler.

• Airsoft Party hosted by Max on Thursday. The funny story behind this is that I had no idea! Oman and Max concocted an airsoft party beginning at 4:30 (before Oman gets home from work! :)). They made invitations and all. I never knew. I was receiving calls from parents about this party before Max even got off the bus. Luckily, I was able to pull off the, "Yes, of course, we are so excited! Come by at 5 instead." I had not one fun food or drink in the house and had my own plans for fun with the children. The last child left at 10!

• Shortly after the end of the party, our beloved Allen arrived for a short stay on his way back to DC. Luckily, he was able to hang out for a couple of days this time though we are a little miffed about the absence of his girlfriend, Shasta.

• Friday was all about hanging out with Allen and the kids.

• On Saturday, my awesome husband and his sister won 2nd place in the Point to Point horse race!!! Yay for them! Oman has not ridden (in any real way) as long as I have known him (13years) though he used to ride all the time. I was quite impressed and oh, so very proud. I will say, though, that he now has no skin on his calves as he was low on horse riding supplies due to his hiatus. Sad state. And not too pretty either. After the races, Allen ended the fun by heading out in an effort to reach home for Easter.

•During the horse races, there were terrier races in which Maggie showed three dogs. She came home with first and third place ribbons for her efforts. It was so cute!

• A couple of hours later, we went to some friends' house for a dinner which I had forgotten to put on the calendar. Again, thank goodness for Oman's steel trap of a mind which is sometimes a curse and not a blessing (as I am sure you can imagine).

• Of course, the Easter Bunny made an appearance sometime that night as well. And I must say, I am not really pro on strange creatures breaking and entering in the middle of the night. When do these "little people" I live with become too old for this vandal who strews eggs and candy around the house and yard? At least he laid off of the shredded paper grass. Finally, a little sense!

•And since Sunday, we have had a steady stream of sleepovers here, there and everywhere, movie going, spring/summer clothes buying, and shuttling to and fro around Nashville and the surrounding areas.

•And the absolute CREAM ON THE TOP...the arrival of the new Balenciaga bag!!! Complete and total excitement!!! Words cannot describe. I know I have an issue. I've tried to get better about shoes and even jeans (to a very small extent as jeans are pretty much my uniform). Ask me to stray from my uniform, and, I warn you, I may cry to get out of it. BUT BAGS!!! Oh, bags. You will be my demise! I will sell my soul and lie to my poor husband (saying, "I promise...this is the last one." or "x -insert various names here- wasn't using it and let me borrow it.") All of this from ME- the person who regards omissions as lies! What has become of me? Even my partners in crime (the Xs of the world) have deserted me. It's a lonely place to be. Honestly though, the addiction leaves me feel unrepentant in any way. Must get better....must get better..............someday. :)

• And now we are up to date. It has been a great week and I hope we keep the momentum going.

spring break

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i'm scared!

running in place

This week seems to be all about running in place. I am so frustrated because I am getting nothing done. I did get a pour in today. You can see the new buckles in the photo and the other items are on the far side on the board. Really, it wasn't very productive. Usually pours give me great sense of accomplishment. Not today. I felt quite ambivalent. And all the excitement is gone for me right now. Hmmmm. I'm sure it will all pan out for me. Probably just need a new type of project- fiber, silversmithing, letterpress, something other than this. At least for a little while. I just get so bored!!! Definitely time for the press! Now that's exciting! Whew! I was getting worried...

I can't move on too quickly though. I want to get everything in my house out of it. RIGHT NOW! I can't take it anymore. Maybe if I give everything away the kids won't have anything to fling about. Maybe we could eliminate fans draped with clothes, floors scattered with airsoft BBs and that nagging sense of doom I feel upon entry. Ah....pipe dreams. They're great!

Tuesday was all about Jack!

On Tuesday I spent the day with one of the happiest little dudes around. Keith and Jenger's youngest son, Jack, came to play. It was great fun but it was all I needed to reinforce the idea that I am definitely all done with having children. I got absolutely NOTHING done. And I was soooo tired at the end of the day. Where do they get all that energy? But even all that energy can't deter me . I love him!

Better photograph of the ring from this weekend.

You can actually tell that it is an amethyst. Who'da thunk?

look what i did!

Amethyst set in sterling silver.

It is impossible to get a decent photograph in our house. This is why I have to make special trips to the barn for photos. But, when I am not working on other things, I am disinterested in trekking across the fields for one photo.

This weekend was used on a silversmithing class. This is what I made. It's a little large embellishment-wise for me but I stuck to the rules and I am pretty happy with the end result. I did fudge a little. No wire curlicues but I did go along with two of the rules- balls and castings. I just had to stop there. That was pushing it enough and, while I wanted to learn all the different facets of the game, I also wanted a piece I wouldn't have to hide or give away. So, I was a bit caught. I went as far as I could push myself and decided to stalk the girl next to me during the info on the curlicues.

The floors are done in the addition. And they look AWESOME! So today was about putting the room back together and trying to get ahead of the game. Really, I just felt like a slacker. I had plenty to do work-wise. But I can't ignore the home (cleanliness, organization, etc.) part of my life- contrary to my idea of a perfect life! And now, with the class this weekend, I have even more to do. Ideas aplenty!

wrap up

well, that's it. another week down. above are the new additions for the board. more belt buckles and buttons. some prep for colored resins are also included. there are the ones with bezels within bezels to create a dotted effect. and there are domes also. not as productive of a week as i had hoped. oh, well. maybe next week?

the floors in the addition are looking awesome! and now we are headed into a weekend of chaos. ethan has left for a church retreat with levi. max rode home with a friend. maggie has a birthday party tonight as well. tomorrow, there are three parties and the flooring continues. luckily, it should be done tomorrow. i cannot take the wall to wall mess we've got going on here. i am also taking a class all day on saturday and sunday. i'm gonna need a vacation from the vacation! or a weekend after the weekend, as the case may be.

i repent....

ok, i repent! i'm changing desdemona's name......

she is now "holly." she will be smart, beautiful and a hardworker. once her makeover is complete, we're going to make magic together!

Meet Desdemona

Meet Desdemona Lamia Sloan.

Desdemona means "of the devil." And Lamia is a Greek mythical name of an evil spirit who abducts and devours children, meaning "large shark." The name means "vampire" in Latin and "fiend" in Arabic. Why would we be so mean to Desi, you may ask? Because she is "of the devil." She is shocking and scary and eery and all other dark, foreboding things.Though it may be wiser for us to fear her, we are daring to test the spirits. Fingers crossed... we live.

Packages head to the post tomorrow!

Yay!

Overall good day. Not much work progress but can't complain. I had a great lunch and hangout with a friend and got some gifts ready for the string of parties coming this weekend. The rainy weather left me hoping for naptime but, alas, there was no time. As far as I'm concerned, rainy days were made for naps. They are the only days I sleep or slack without shame. Maybe it will rain tomorrow? I don't have anywhere to be so it would be OK. Just this once.

Oh, and flooring goes in to the addition tomorrow. We're moving on up. Not to the east side but at least out of the ghetto! Cause for celebration! No more concrete floors in our bedroom.

new fabrics and filling the board

So, I sat down to work this morning and after about an hour or two, I found myself getting bored. This is a common problem for me. And this is why I am always making something different and learning new things. Another problem I have is being a hermit. I always say for every minute I spend with people, I need five to myself. I'm rarely lonely when I'm alone. So, I pulled myself together (drew a line at the matted hair plastered to the side of my head- oh, my lucky husband- and smudged mascara), got in the car and ran around town doing errands. I stopped in at textile fabrics and got some really cute stuff. I was unable to find the fabrics that I went to replace. Isn't that always how it is? So, there will be new fabrics coming out in both the jewelry and the button lines!

I also spent some time working on filling the board. I am revving up to begin making samples to be sent out to additional stores. The catalog is in the works, the samples are being considered and prepared, and the new business cards are due to arrive any day now. I do still have a few things to consider. I am focused on sample presentation right now. I know what I want but bringing it into reality- well, that's a different issue.

As with last week's feeling of working and having nothing to show.....it will all come together. It always does. It's funny how that works.

Misc. Info: New supply shipments came in today. I am really excited to work with some of the new stuff! And the mannequin head arrived. I absolutely hate photo time and I do need a way to be able to show exactly where a necklace or pair of earrings fall. So, I got the mannequin. It may have been wasted money. She is eery. Each of kids jumped when they saw her. Max said, "Can you please put her away when you are not using her? Please?" I've had to put her on the floor under the table so as not to scare my poor children and, if I am honest, myself. When you see her from the corner of your eye she does have a startling effect.

slowly adding to the board

I am slowly beginning to fill the board again for another pour late this week or early next week. All of the items with multiple bezels will be filled with colored resins. There is another tiny necklace bezel that is filled with watch parts only and no background image (hard to see in photo- very small). We'll see how that goes. And more belt buckles! Buckles are very hard to get perfect. They are slightly curved and the resin loves to run down the image and pool in the corners. Very frustrating...but doable. It's happened before.

The watch parts pendant is now complete. I know I said I was keeping this for myself. I like it but think I want a little mini version for myself. I just don't wear large jewelry. And though this piece is not very big it's always the smaller the better for me.

An overview of today's work.

•new buckles

•more fine silver pieces

•a few more yarn items that were overlooked

•finishing of the little bumblebee pendant

•3 new molds for fine silver

(they are the purple-ish blobs)

•more colored resin fun prep

•salvage day- recovering mess up supplies

It all looks so small. But that is what salvage days are like- tedious and boring. Luckily, my loss rate is pretty low so salvage day doesn't have to happen often (yay!). It went up a bit after my return...too long away from pouring. But ultimately, I'm back in the zone and shouldn't have to worry about that anymore.

I found this today. This was one of my first fine silver, self-directed projects. Not perfect but I do like the idea. The back of the bezel is dotted with raised and impressed circles and little round balls. Hmmm. Gears a-movin'.