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!