What's Keeping Laura Awake Now?

A Space to Call My Own

2012-01-06T09:44:00.001-06:00

Empty craft corner

Ever since my husband and I have been married, I have wanted a craft area. In our first house, I was fortunate enough to snag one of the spare rooms. However, within 6 months we decided to rent the upstairs of our house and I lost my room. I moved my ever growing craft stash to a little closet and nook downstairs but it was a big hassle to do any projects. It was taking more time to find supplies and putting them away than I was spending working on projects. Our house was often cluttered with my supplies; I had papers and pens stacked on the mantle, the dinning room table, the dresser in our bedroom...basically any flat surface. It didn't look very nice and we were both frustrated by the constant mess. The positive side was, my husband became aware that a craft space would have to be a priority if we ever moved out of our house.

Three years ago, we moved into a newer house, with a little more room and space for me to set up a craft area. It was a storage room in the basement and I loved it. It really felt nice to have my own place to put crafts and to leave projects out to work on later. It had no windows and I shared it with golf clubs, luggage and boxes of childhood mementoes, but I had a desk to lay everything out and leave it to work on later. It meant I could do some creative things in shorter periods of time without hassling with set up and clean up.

In the Fall we moved into our current home, which is approximately half the living space we had before. Our building is divided into 3 sections: the apartment, the "middle room" (which we hope will eventually become a commercial kitchen and entertainment spot for farm socials), and the garage. For now, there is a corner in the middle room and a closet that has been designated for my craft space and supply storage. It's a nice space with a fairly large window and enough room to put at least two work tables.

The craft space now

The other night, as I worked trying to get everything set up, it became painfully obvious that I really have too many things. In my heart, I want to be more of a minimalist, but when I start going through my collected "treasures", I can hardly even consider getting rid of things. Seriously, some day I might really need the hundreds of bottle caps and wine corks I've collected. And all those pieces of fabric will surely come in handy when I decide to take up quilting! What's a girl to do?!

Storage closet in it's current state

I was feeling overwhelmed by the task of organizing my things and making it a functioning work area. I began daydreaming about what my dream "studio" should be. First of all, my dream is to have a separate building located on the far end of our almost 50 acre property. I envision myself packing a backpack with supplies, a change of clothes and snacks. I would hike off on Friday night with the understanding that I would return on Sunday night. No one would be allowed to bother me unless there were a medical emergency involving blood and guts or maybe if there were a fire - but only if it crossed to my side of the creek.

This fantasy studio would have lots of windows, a couch for napping, unlimited storage and huge tables to layout multiple projects at once. It would have electricity (of course), heating for winter, air conditioning for summer, wireless internet and a bathroom with a large, deep claw foot bathtub for soaking my cares away. Each wall would be decorated with inspirational art of bright colors with beautiful design. Every art supply, and project would remain exactly where I had left it no matter how long it had been there. Thee would be no hunting for a pencil, pen, scissors, glue unless I had misplaced it. The studio would be quiet when I wanted quiet and full of classic rock when I needed music. There would be an affectionate, handsome, well behaved tom cat lying around to keep me company if I were to get lonely.

These two, as adorable as they are, do not meet the minimum requirements of being "well behaved". They are the reason I have to make sure everything is sealed in containers or bolted down so nothing is destroyed during their "All Star Wrestling" episodes.

The reality is, I'm lucky to have any space at all and even luckier to have a husband who understands that I have a need (aka burning desire) to be creative. So, I'm going back to work, to downsize my ridiculous amount of "stuff" and to make my area inspirational and functional. Most of all, I'm going to work on having a grateful heart and appreciate the things I do have. I'll post some photos after I finish organizing.

Have a great day!

Latest Treasuries

2012-01-01T23:03:00.000-06:00

I'm pleasantly surprised and very thankful that my neglected blog and Etsy shop continue to get some attention and recognition by people who build Treasuries. Here are two of the most recent.

and...

Be sure to stop by these shops and see all they have to offer. You my find a perfect way to spend your Christmas money!

2011 Coming to a Close

2011-12-31T22:22:00.000-06:00

Almost every blog you see lately, people are talking about how quickly 2011 flew by. Maybe it's cliche, but really, 2011 did fly by in a flash. This has been one of those years where so many things happened for our family - many changes and new experiences - that it couldn't help but go by quickly.

This was not a very productive year as far as creating new art, though. With moving and starting a farm, spending time making art was not on the priority list. Right now, most of my art supplies are packed in boxes, awaiting their new home. I hope to get a studio spot set up within the next couple of weeks. Then hopefully, I'll spend some time doing art again. I miss it. I miss having ideas and taking time to implement them. I miss selling things and talking to people about things related to art and creativity. I feel that ache in my soul every time I see something I made last year or when I think of things I want to make, but don't have the time to right now. I never want to get to the point where I don't make time to do something creative on a regular basis.

I'm looking forward to 2012 and hoping I will find more ways to incorporate art into my daily life. I hope to write more and be a little more disciplined in my blog writing (yeh, I know, you've heard this from me before). I appreciate that you have continued to be on my "follow" list. I hope 2012 is an amazing and wonderful year for you.

Happy New Year!

Another Long Pause

2011-11-18T06:25:00.000-06:00

Many things have been happening on the new farm. As I type, we have a new high tunnel that is being built, 40 chickens that need to be processed, a new compost bin that needs a lot more organic matter, a messy house and a couple of experimental garden beds that need more logs/sticks and organic matter. I'm also going to start a separate farm blog, but every time I sit down at the computer, I'm either distracted by Facebook or too tired to write any entries.

I'm so grateful to be living in the country and working toward growing food. So far, the things I do here feel like they have more meaning than any other job I've had. It hasn't hurt that the weather has been amazing and the tasks do-able. Check back with me this winter when I have to find ways to unfreeze the chickens waterer, shovel the 300 foot driveway and find a way to get tons of snow off the high tunnel so it won't collapse!

Here are some photos of our place:

The "skeleton" of the high tunnel. Dan is working on anchoring it, then we'll put plastic over it. The plan is to start growing veggies this winter

Hugelkulture bed with my little "helper" chewing on the sticks

Our neighbor Buzz, who decided to come visit one Sunday morning. We don't have cows of our own, but this guy is so cute, it makes me want to have a few of my own!

Our Current Big Distraction

2011-07-22T22:08:00.008-05:00

This is a view of our land from where the barn is being built. The old barn beyond the hay bales belongs to our neighbor.

Last July, I wrote a post announcing that my husband and I are planning to start farming (you can read the post here). Since the decision to become farmers, our lives have been filled with workshops, classes, reading and talking about farming - pretty much non-stop. Our 8-year-old son, on more than one occasion has said "I think you two are taking this farming thing a little too far". Maybe we are, but he hasn't seen nuthin' yet!

Currently, we are trying to get a barn built. The barn is divided into 3 sections: a 900 square foot, 2 bedroom apartment, a middle section that will eventually serve as a place to host events and a big storage area that now houses our tractor. (Eventually the tractor will "live" outside under a covered area behind the barn).

The construction of the barn has been a slow process. We started planning sometime in the Winter, which turned out to be unusually cold and snowy, then Spring was unusually wet and now this summer seems to be unusually hot. All of these things seem to have some sort of effect on getting our barn finished. But it's ok and I want to share some photos with you.

Working on staking out plumbing and all that important stuff.

South side of the building. The window on the left is a bedroom, window on right is the living room.

Front of the building - all nice and "airy". It was really nice when the roof was put on and the walls weren't up yet. It was so nice to sit and feel the breeze blowing.

The front of the building a couple of days ago. The rocks piled on the front porch are going to be mortared onto the lower three feet of the front. Right off the front of the porch will be landscaped flower beds.

My husband has been working on insulating the inside, the past couple of days. Today I helped put up a few strips of insulation, but decided I needed to leave before I got too overheated (I'm a heat wimp). The heat index was supposed to be 107 degrees. I'm not sure what the actual number turned out to be, but it was hotter than H-E-double toothpicks! I've got a good man - I'm so thankful for him.

While I was stapling insulation, these suckers kept buzzing around. There are several of them in the windows of the barn. I used to think they were called "horse flies" because they liked to hang around horses. Now I know they are called "horse flies" because they are big enough to actually saddle up and ride off into the sunset!

Finally, I'm leaving you with this photo of the beautiful sunflowers I planted. I didn't want your last memory of this post to be of nasty ole horse flies!

Thanks for stopping by and looking at the barn progress. I'll keep you updated.

New Etsy Treasuries

2011-07-14T19:21:00.000-05:00

I am a woman who has no business spending time putting together Etsy Treasuries. But sometimes I just want to look at beautiful things and put them all together on the same page. So here are a couple of Treasuries I've done in the past couple of days.

I am amazed at the beautiful, amazing art that is inspired by some of my favorite things. What are some of your favorite things that inspire wonderful works of art?

The Return of the Absent One

2011-07-08T14:14:00.000-05:00

Dang! Where does the time go?! I was perfectly aware that I had not posted anything for quite awhile, but TWO AND A HALF MONTHS! Gee whiz.

So now I've returned with an obnoxious vengeance - posting yesterday and working on 2 posts today, without any explanation of my whereabouts the past 10 weeks. But since you are a faithful blog reader, I'm sure you are used to such blogging behavior and perhaps you have even behaved this way yourself. Anyway, on with the post...

I have many things to tell you about but right now, I need to keep it short since I'm procrastinating cleaning the house. I still need to get the house done in about an hour, but I like living on the edge, so I'll cram this post in as quickly as I can (for the added adrenaline rush).

The past couple of nights I've been working on posting new items in my Etsy shop. I painted these wooden necklaces quite awhile ago, but just got around to posting them:

I hadn't planned on selling any jewelry, but these tiny pieces of wood were so fun to paint, I couldn't help but make them into something. If I do some more, I might think of some other purpose for them, like a tiny wall hanging or something.

Last night I worked on these:

I've been a little down/grumpy lately, so working on these have been very calming. I love to make tags and carve rubber stamps. I think I'll have to keep doing this - it's much cheaper than therapy!

I currently have 54 items for sale in my shop. I'm hopping to get up to 100 items in the next few weeks. I've read that more items helps increase shop traffic and I would love to have more traffic.

Ok, well, better go clean so my kids won't be embarrassed when their friends come over! :)

Positive Response to Newer Items

2011-07-08T13:36:00.002-05:00

I've been fortunate enough to be featured in a few new Etsy Treasuries. I want to post them here. I hope this is not too obnoxious, but feel free to let me know if it is. I'm still in the phase where every Treasury feature feels like I've won some special award! Be sure to check out the shops of the artists included in these treasuries - You're in for a real treat. Thanks for looking.

The curator of this treasury is Distinctive Decor. You can visit her shop here.

Curated by Shanali Designs

Curated by Carol Annie Poo

The Only Peas I Love

2011-07-07T09:27:00.001-05:00

Hi. Here's the latest Etsy Treasury I put together. Take time to check out the shops I've included.

Treasuries

2011-04-13T20:20:00.000-05:00

It is a great honor to be included in Etsy treasuries. It means someone has seen my work and liked it enough to include it with 15 other favorites. I'm always happy and pleasantly surprised when someone has taken the time to acknowledge me in this way.

Here are a couple of treasuries I've been included in lately. Please take time to visit the shops that are represented.

Bee Hive Construction Part One

2011-04-09T23:13:00.000-05:00

This is my first bee hive. It looks different than one might think. That's because I have to actually build it. We worked on building one in "bee class", so apparently that "experience" made me think I was an expert in bee hive building. What I forgot was, I had the assistance of 3 men in my group, 2 instructors for the class and a number of fellow students who were also building the hives. The other thing I forgot is that I didn't actually build an entire hive, just the little inserts where the honey is made.

Oh. And I lost my instructions.

This is the bee hive lid, filled with 40+ pieces of wood.

More pieces to put together.

All of these wood pieces were quite interesting to my "helper" (aka Russell)

In this photo Russell is chewing on a stick from a tree not from the hive. But I had to chase him away several times to keep him from gnawing on all the small pieces of wood. He was kind of obsessed. He did finally get a piece of wood, while my attention was focused elsewhere (like trying to figure out which nails I was supposed to be using and the fact that there seemed to be a lot fewer pieces when we did this in class). Luckily, I caught him before he totally destroyed the wood. I won't know for sure how much damage was done until I put that part of the hive together.

Here's another shot of Russell's "helpfulness". I was starting to feel a little stressed about this project, so I decided for the health and well being of our relationship, he needed to spend a little quiet time in his kennel. He was ok with that, he was more comfortable in the kennel than in this hive box lid anyway!

After a couple of hours, one smashed thumb, (I'm proud to say that I didn't even cuss and I could have. The kids were at school and no one would've heard, but I suffered the pain in silence), several nails and a few ounces of wood glue later, this is what I had finished....

And these are the pieces I have yet to put together:

I was expecting I would be able to accomplish more than I did. Maybe I need to fire my helper and find someone who knows a thing or two about building? Stay tuned for hive building part 2. Hopefully, I'll actually be able to finish it!

We're Home!

2011-03-30T00:16:00.000-05:00

We arrived home Sunday night around 8:30. The trip to California was wonderful. Our last night was spent visiting Cline Cellars for a tour and wine tasting. Afterward we went to Vineyard's Inn where we experienced a Basque style, seven course meal that was fabulous and included much, much more wine. It was just a wine-a-thon kind of day/evening.

Here are my photos of the day:

These were floor to ceiling antique barrels that are currently used for wine storage. They were huge and beautiful.

Wine barrels in storage. There were several rows of these barrels - pretty amazing that there could be that much wine in one place.

For some reason I cannot resist photos/paintings or other art showing poppies. I love poppies and these just happened to be at the winery. What's a girl to do? I had to shoot some photos!

A photo of the vineyard at Cline Cellars, with a cover crop in between the rows of grape vines. I think the cover crop is mustard - it's lovely, isn't it?

Another shot of the vineyard with one of the winery buildings in the background. It was a great day and the scenery here was beautiful. Our tour guide Darryl, did a great job showing us around and teaching us how to taste wine. It's a lot different than my college days when I would buy a $1.99 screw top bottle of TJ Swan Easy Nights and think it was good!

Farming in California

2011-03-24T23:42:00.001-05:00

My husband has been attending a beginning farm program through the University of Missouri. It's a wonderful, intensive 4 module course that helps entrepreneur farmers learn how to develop an idea, write a business plan and network with other farmers. The third module is being held in Petaluma, California and I am fortunate enough to be attending the conference with him.

In fact, that is where I am this very minute...sitting in a hotel, writing a little about our adventures.

Yesterday was a big day full of farm tours around the region. We saw some beautiful farms, met some interesting, funny and opinionated farmers. Our dinner last night was held in the Baker Creek Seed Bank which is in downtown Petaluma - located in a beautiful old bank building. It was a long day and our brains were pumped full of information. It was great!

Here are some photos from our tours.

This is Bob Cannard of Green String Farm. He has an amazing amount of information and experience with regard to natural farming practices. He is passionate about teaching others to farm in a way that is sustainable and provides safe, healthy food for people.

Bob Cannard of Green String Farm

Bob's House

The most beautiful Rosemary hedge I've ever seen. If this had been the only thing I saw on the trip, it would have been totally worth it!

Cowgirl Creamery produces delicious, organic cheese. The cheese in this photo is waiting to be wrapped. All the cheese is wrapped and packed by hand. We got samples of several of their cheeses - it was very yummy!

Tara Firma Farms was the last farm we visited. We met one of the owners, Tara Smith, who was very kind, funny and passionate about healthy food. I found her very inspirational, especially since she is doing a similar kind of farming that Dan and I want to do. She and her husband also come from non-farming backgrounds and are learning "by the book" (Joel Salatin books). I admire people who aren't afraid to admit they are just in the learning stages. This is a new farm - only two years old- I look forward to seeing how they grow over the next few years.

Happy Pigs

I'm in awe of people who are so willing to share what they know about farming, just because they have such passion for small farms. I think it takes a lot of courage to let a group of strangers from Missouri romp around your farm and let them ask all kinds of probing questions.

I learned a lot yesterday. The tours were informative and inspiring. Most of all, listening to the stories of how people got started, made me just want to get out on the land and start planting! But I'll have to wait until next week, when I'm home. Tomorrow we are discussing writing a business plan and strategic finance. It's not as much fun as learning about composting or seeing baby chicks by the hundreds, but it's necessary, so I guess I'll do it!

Treasury

2011-03-15T21:33:00.000-05:00

I've been included in another beautiful treasury. This time one by Berkeley Bloom. Take a moment to look at all of the colorful offerings from some wonderful Etsy artists:

Recent Artwork

2011-03-12T01:11:00.001-06:00

It seems like it has been such a long time since I have done any work in the craft cave. Last night I did a new (small) painting and in the past couple of months I've done a couple colored pencil pieces. I thought I'd post them so you wouldn't think I'm a total slacker! :)

I started this one yesterday when I was working a shift at the art gallery and finished it last night at home. It is done with watercolor pencil and black ink and sharpie marker.

I did this drawing a few weeks ago. It's done in colored pencil and black ink.

I did this drawing a few weeks ago too. It's the first time I've done anything on colored paper (aka paper other than white) and I really like how it turned out. I also love the white pencil and how well it shows up on the Kraft card stock.

Thanks for stopping by. My plan is to get these three designs made into prints and greeting cards. For sure, the greeting cards will be in my Etsy shop. Stop by to see what's new over there! I hope you have a great weekend!

Divinely Swirled Treasury by Sampler Village

2011-03-12T00:49:00.000-06:00

Recently, I contributed some tags for a couple of sample boxes through Sampler Village. If you aren't familiar with sample boxes, they are quite amazing. It's an opportunity for a buyer to purchase one box that includes samples of goodies from many online stores that specialize in handmade items. I bought a box in December and it included candles, cookies, lotions, cupcake toppers, wine glass charms, lip balm and more. So for a very reasonable price, I was able to try out products from several different stores.

As a seller, I provided samples of my tags and cards which were distributed in sample boxes and mailed. It's a great way to get some exposure and all I had to do was supply a few samples.

Sampler Village was started by Traci Porczynski in 2009. She spends many hours and expends a lot of energy helping promote handmade sellers. I am thankful for the work she does! I hope you will take time to visit the Sampler Village blog for more information.

I'm also a member of the Sampler Village Etsy Street Team. Traci compiled an Etsy Treasury for some of the Team members and she picked some of my tags. Here it is:

Thanks Traci, for all your hard work!

Chicken Update

2011-03-05T20:52:00.000-06:00

Ok...I don't want to be someone who only writes about chickens all the time, but I had to post some exciting news. Well, it's exciting to us.

Velma and Hilda

It turns out that all of our chickens are hens! Yay!

This is exciting for a couple of reasons. #1 We will be getting more eggs than if we had less than five layers. #2 if any of our chickens had been roosters, we wouldn't have been able to keep them. We are in the city and we value our relationships with the neighbors. Crowing roosters don't make for happy neighbors. I wasn't ready to give any chickens away or, more than likely, cooking one up for dinner.

This is Caroline. We've been thinking she's a rooster for several weeks now. She makes weird noises and is kind of assertive - things that roosters are supposed to do. We started calling her Carlos, but after learning that she is truly a hen, she can go back to being Caroline again.

Thank you to the experts at Backyard Chickens dot com for being patient and kind and for helping those of us who are clueless in the ways of the chicken. If it weren't for you, I'd still be waiting for "Caroline/Carlos" to crow.

Let's Talk Chickens

2011-02-28T22:00:00.000-06:00

In late July 2010, we became back yard chicken owners. This is what the chickens looked like when we first got them. The mom (Velma) and her four babies. We optimistically named all the chicks girl names, except KC (the white one) because my son was being very practical about the possibility that one might not be a girl.

We've been getting quite a few eggs lately, so we suspect that we have at least 3 layers (including Velma) maybe even four. The problem is, being novices and all, we are having problems figuring out if 3 out of the 5 are male or female, boys or girls, roosters or hens. That isn't an easy thing for me to admit...I took biology in school and I feel like I should know these things. But chickens are different than the beings we studied in biology.

This is Caroline. For the longest time, we have been thinking she is a rooster - so we've also been calling her "Carlos". Now, we think she/he may be laying eggs.

This is KC. We thought KC was a rooster, then a hen, then a rooster, then...you get the picture.

This is Hilda. I think we're pretty sure she's a hen. I tried posting photos on the chicken forum I belong to, so that we could get some expert advice. However, the website has been experiencing a lot of spam lately and since I'm a new member, I've been banned from posting photos or links. They have to check me out first to make sure I'm not a spammer. So, if you happen to be a chicken expert and would like to offer an opinion, I'd love to hear from you.

We do know for sure, someone is laying eggs. Beautiful, wonderful, amazing, tasty eggs! Every day it's like a treasure hunt and every day it's exciting to see how many eggs we have. We are truly blessed! I look forward to the day when we are getting enough eggs to share with friends.

Daily Planner by Geninne

2011-02-24T22:28:00.001-06:00

Artwork by Geninne Zlatkis

Like many other people, I could spend hours upon hours lost in the online world. I am often amazed at how much time goes by and how lost my focus becomes when I'm looking for something. This is especially true if I'm looking at art online or if I'm reading blogs. One click leads to an amazing blog or website, then to another, and another until I have forgotten that my original purpose in turning on the computer was to see the weather forecast.

Sometimes when I am looking around I stumble upon an Etsy shop or blog that takes my breath away. I get that feeling of awe and wanting to see more and more of what the person has created. One of the artists I've found that keeps me continually amazed is Geninne Zlatkis. I don't know when or where I first saw her art, but I've been a fan for awhile. In fact, I follow her blog and on facebook. Sometimes I feel a little like a cyber stalker, but I try to keep it under control. :)

I'm not very good at buying art for myself - which is something I have in common with a lot of creative types. But for the longest time I've been telling myself that when a birthday, Mother's Day or some other gift giving opportunity comes around, I'm just going to have to buy a print (maybe this print) from Geninne. Her art work is gorgeous, beautiful, amazing and fabulous! She works in brightly colored watercolor with white acrylic ink highlights. She often does mixed media collage and makes her own hand carved rubber stamps.

Back in January, she announced on her Facebook page that she had a new daily planner available. It had several of her paintings throughout and I decided this was my opportunity to own some of Geninne's work. I'm not sure how many she had available, but they have since sold out. I wasn't surprised since around the same time she had come out with some mini books that sold out in a flash!

My daily planner arrived on Valentine's Day and I love it! It has many sections to help keep me organized: monthly calendar, checklists, weekly calendar, notes pages, contacts and even a section of drawing paper - which I used to doodle on this past Sunday while I listened to the sermon at church.

The best part of course, is every day on every page, seeing one of Geninne's beautiful birds, butterflies and flowers. It's very inspiring!

Be sure to check out Geninne's blog and Etsy shop to see more of her beautiful artwork - you'll be inspired too!

Craft Gene Hiding in the Family Tree

2011-02-11T14:22:00.001-06:00

Most of us who are creative can remember when we first started making things. Some of us can't remember a time when we didn't make things. Do you ever stop to think about the family members who have influenced your creativity or if maybe there is a "craft gene" hiding in your family tree?

When I was growing up, I spent hours in my room drawing, coloring and writing. I always took art classes in school. Even though there wasn't anyone in my family who would have called themselves an "artist", there was definitely some creativity floating around. My mom took a few art classes through the junior college when she was in her 30's. My uncle Dan was (and is) talented at painting and drawing, and my paternal grandma knitted, crocheted and embroidered.

Photo by Geral A. Hiebert 1978

But when I think back, it was my great grandma who was the most actively crafty/creative. Grandma Porter was a rag rug weaver. She weaved on a big loom that had belonged to her mother who bought it from an upholstery factory. I don’t know how old she was when she learned how to weave, but by the time I came along, weaving was a huge part of who she was.

In the 1970's she and my great granddad moved from their farm into a house in the "city". It was the first time they had electricity and indoor plumbing - no more outhouse! They probably thought they were living the high life when they moved into that little house in Butler, Missouri.

The single car garage had a separate workshop that included a wood stove and plenty of room for Grandma's loom and the piles of discarded garments waiting to have buttons, zippers and hooks, removed so they could be cut into strips and made into rugs. The shelves of her shop were lined with jars of buttons and hardware that had been removed from the clothes.

We always knew that when we outgrew our clothes or they were too worn out, we would just put them in the carpet rag pile. One of the reasons I have such a hard time getting rid of my old clothes now is that the first 29 years of my life were spent saving old clothes so they could be ‘upcycled’ - a word that didn’t exist back then - into functional, wonderful rag rugs.

From my earliest memories, I remember Grandma Porter either weaving, selling rugs or tearing strips to use in making rugs. There were many conversations in my family centered around weaving: about rug colors, who wanted to buy rugs, what rugs were made of, what garment might make a pretty stripe in a rug. She even made rugs out of old pantyhose, which I thought was really funny when I was a kid. Those were some amazingly sturdy rugs! My mom once had a light blue tarry cloth robe that she loved. She wore it until it had holes and was falling apart. Knowing how much my mom loved her robe, Grandma Porter made a rug for her out of it. Mom was able to enjoy her robe in a whole new way.

My grandma (Grandma Porter's daughter) would return from a visit "down home" with the back seat of her car piled with rag rugs to sell. Selling rugs helped supplement Grandma Porter's income. She sold the big ones for $8 each. Recently, I was looking on the Internet and found similar rugs that were selling for $75-$95 a piece. Grandma would have never imagined that someone would pay such a high price for a rug.

When the grand kids got older, we got to pick a rug for our birthday - a treat that was wasted on me. I loved the rugs, but they were always around and I couldn't appreciate the labor and skill involved in these amazing works.

Grandma Porter died in 1992, a couple weeks shy of her 97th birthday. The things I inherited from her was a big jar of buttons that serve as a reminder of Grandma and her craft, a pile of woven rag rugs and I suspect, the burning desire to create things with my own two hands.

Un Bee-lievable!

2011-01-26T22:38:00.005-06:00

Complements of Ace Clip Art

It has been a while since I've mentioned anything about Farm plans. If you are interested in some of my farm-related blogs, you can see a couple here here.

Since Dan and I are city kids, we have been taking courses to help us figure out what kind of farming to do. I'm sure it's going to be a lot like having kids: you read and read about raising kids, you know exactly how it's all supposed to work and exactly how you will handle each situation so that your child will turn out to be the most beautiful, most intelligent and most well behaved in all the land. Then the kid comes along, asserting it's own will, turning your life upside down and making sure you're eating humble pie for the rest of your life!

We can read every book, take every class, ask every expert and still won't know what farming is all about until we're actually out there shoveling poop and chasing cows out of the neighbor's garden.

[As an aside: a few weeks ago, I went out to the coop to check on the chickens. The puppy was with me. When I started heading in the house, I noticed the dog was chewing on something. At first, I thought it was a stick or something. It turned out to be a dead squirrel! I was so grossed out! Once I got him to drop it, I knew I had to dispose of it or he'd be gnawing on it every time he went outside. Besides, it was disgusting and I didn't want my kids to see it. I got rid of it and I was quite proud that I did it without the assistance of my man (I did make sure he knew what an awesome wife he has though: "not every woman would do this, you know.") I consider the whole incident hands-on training for farm life].

Anyway, some of the courses we have taken are: food preservation, intensive grazing management, beginning farming entrepreneur program and growing berries. Last night I went to the first of five classes on beginning bee keeping.

There are certain things in nature that I think are perfect and by themselves can prove the existence of God. For instance, the fact that you can take a tiny, itty bitty seed, put it in a bunch of dirt, water it for a few weeks, it grows into a plant, the plant produces blooms, the blooms turn into fruit or vegetables, you pick the fruit off the plant and eat it. And it's good and makes your body healthy. The more I learn about farming, the more amazed by and in awe I am of our Creator and how well he provides for us.

Bees and honey are definitely on the "Amazed and Awed" list. Did you know that a hive of bees will fly 55,000 miles to produce one pound of honey? That one honeybee produces about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime? That honey never spoils? (when it crystalizes you just have to put it in hot water to liquify it again). Honey has antiseptic and other healing qualities? It's all so fascinating! Honey bees (and other pollinators) help increase crops, gardens, flowers and other plants.

Our next two bee classes will be spent building hives and the last two we will get to establish a hive. I can hardly wait! At this point, we are planning to start at least one hive this spring. I'll keep you posted as more fascinating facts come my way! ;)

More farm news:

We are in the process of designing a barn. We have a builder and have decided the size and location of the barn. It will be a combination living space and storage. We also want to eventually put in a commercial kitchen.
Dan started working on some gardens in the Fall. The plan is to begin planing several gardens of vegetables this spring.
Dan built a hoop house for the chickens to stay in this winter. So far, they are doing well. A couple of times they have ventured out into the snow, but I think it's too cold on their feet. They seem to get a little grumpy, then run right back into the coop. We now have two egg layers - the mama and one chick. I'm not sure which chick it is yet. She lays light brown eggs. It's still so exciting to find an egg in the nest!
One of the chickens, Caroline, is a rooster. He's not crowing yet, but he does have an attitude and he's definitely working on developing his voice. Once he crows, he's history. We don't want to annoy the neighbors any more than we already do.

That's all the farm-related news. The last thing for this post is that I'm taking an online blog course. I'm hoping to tune this thing up a bit and make it more interesting. I appreciate you sticking with me!

Almost 3 Months Later and It's 2011

2011-01-22T21:59:00.000-06:00

I have to admit it.

I've been avoiding you.

Like the plague.

When I log in and see that it has been almost 3 months since my last post, instead of getting busy typing something interesting and clever, I just want to run like the wind. One of those coping mechanisms that isn't really working for me but I keep doing it anyway.

In my heart, I want to be the best blogger and Etsy shop owner. I want to be creative and funny and clever and organized. I want to have one of those blogs that is beautiful and interesting and full of good information for the multitudes. But you know what? Every time I come here (and every time I go to my Etsy shop for that matter) I just see what is left undone. The posts I haven't written, the photos I haven't taken and in the case of Etsy, the items I haven't listed. I just feel defeated and guilty for not doing what I say I'm going to do.

For a few hours this week, I considered shutting everything down. The blog, the shop, the face book and twitter... just take it all down and not be heard from (online) again. But I don't think that is really what I want to do. So I'm seeking help through an online blogging course. My hope is that I will get some perspective and information on how to improve my blog. I've also been getting some feedback about my Etsy shop so that I can make a better effort to sell things there.

So, if you are interested, I just wanted to check in to let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. I'm in the process of figuring out what it is I want to do and then doing it.

Thanks for hanging in with me!

Sale to Celebrate my 3 Year Etsy Anniversary!

2010-11-08T09:32:00.001-06:00

From now until November 21st, I'm having a card sale in my Etsy shop. For every 3 cards you buy, the 4th card is free! Stop by and check it out:

www.sleeplessimagination.etsy.com

Hanging On

Hearts are Crazy

Rendezvous

These are just a few of the cards you can choose from.

"New" Paintings

2010-11-04T22:17:00.003-05:00

These are a couple of paintings that were hanging in the Unity Center Solar Gallery in October. I like the bright colors and all the swirls and patterns.

Happy 3rd Etsy-versary to Sleeplessimagination!

2010-11-01T00:47:00.000-05:00

This week I will celebrate 3 years of selling on Etsy!!! My, how time flies! To celebrate, I'm going to have my first SALE and first GIVE AWAY.

Beginning today, all single cards have been marked down to $3.00 each. Later in the week, I will announce another sale and post photos of the give away items.

Stay tuned!

Standing Up for What is Right

2010-10-15T13:57:00.000-05:00

I don't like to get into political discussions. Mainly because I'm ignorant. I'm shamefully unaware, most of the time, of what is going on in the world. Trying to figure out what is really going on in government just makes me feel depressed and stupid. I have made a bit of an effort in the past few years to be more politically aware, but I'm not sure where to get accurate information. You know, the truth. It doesn't seem like anyone knows what the truth is - about our government.

Lately, I've been more interested in healthy food. How, where, when and why it's grown. Part of it is my own self interest because my husband and I want to farm and since we live in a college town that is surrounded by farmland, there is a lot of information about farming. Part of it is watching movies like Food, Inc. and reading books like Food Rules by Michael Pollen and You Can Farm by Joel Salatin. It seems the more I learn, the more I need to know and the more I need to act.

Even though I was brought up in the city and know nothing about what it takes to be a farmer - I have "farming genes". I know it's not the same as running my own farm, but I still feel like it's some dormant desire to get out there and dig in the dirt, breathe clean air, harvest vegetables, feed chickens, herd cattle, etc.

Maybe I'll be able to do it, maybe I won't. Either way, it should be my choice to decide if this is how I want to attempt to earn my living. It should also be my choice to eat food that I've grown/raised and to sell it to other people who want it too. More and more I am hearing stories about people who own small family farms, who are being penalized for wanting to grow their own food and sell it to others. I don't mean penalized like getting a slap on the wrist and being fined a few hundred dollars. I'm talking about people who have worked hard, sacrificed and grown a honorable business, just to be obliterated by some huge corporation or the government (who is being supported by the huge corporation) for doing something the huge corporation doesn't like.

There are a bazillion things I could write about this subject. Like: how our country is the land of opportunity and people have a right to start a small business; why would a huge corporation be so threatened by a family farm that they have to invest millions (billions?) of dollars in legal fees to fight them to destroy them? Is it right for us to have only a few corporations that are responsible for feeding our entire country? And in the process allow them to destroy the environment with farm waste and the use of tons of diesel fuel every year? Why do we let these same companies treat animals in cruel and inhumane ways in filthy, disgusting conditions then feed them to us for dinner? What about the workers who work at the food plants - are they compensated properly and treated well for their work? Why aren't corporate farms held accountable and why aren't they more honest about what is going on behind their quaint "farm fresh" labels?

But what I really want to know is why wouldn't our government allow me to drive a few miles into the country and buy some raw milk from a dairy farmer? Why are there so many expensive regulations on small beef/chicken/pork farms when the corporate farms are killing us with their genetically altered, corn fed, hormone pumped feces covered meat? Why doesn't our government care more about farmers who are willing to feed us clean, simple, healthy food than they do about the corporate farms? Seriously, is it in our best interest to poison ourselves in the long run, just so that some can have billions/trillions of dollars now?

I have to admit here, that I am definitely part of the problem. I love fast food and eat it whenever possible (and I have the waistline and blood pressure to show for it). If I had to sit in the stock yard where the cows lived that provided the meat for my Taco Bell tacos or where the chickens lived that provided eggs for the Egg McMuffin I had this morning, would I be able to keep from vomiting those meals right up? Probably not. Every time I pull into a drive thru, I should imagine where my food came from and who made a sacrifice to get it to me.

I know this is kind of rambling, but a change is coming and I want to do the right thing. If you are interested in one of the articles I've read recently, here's the link:

Family Farm Ordered to Destroy 50,000 Pounds of Cheese

Well, Look Who Decided to Check in!

2010-10-10T17:29:00.002-05:00

I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, though I can understand why you might think I had. It's Fall, which seems to be so incredibly busy. I know all of you are experiencing the same thing. Too busy to keep up on laundry, dishes, housework, homework, blogging, art-ing, etc.

This month I have some of my art hanging in a gallery at the Unity Center. I have known for months that I was going to be doing this, but seemed to be cramming in a lot of work the two weeks before the opening reception. It's disappointing to know I could've had more pieces and more new pieces-if only I'd worked longer and harder at it, but it turned out fine. I like seeing my things hanging on the wall in a big room. That probably seems a little egotistic or self-indulgent, but I just don't get to experience it very often. A piece of art work framed and hanging on the wall, looks so beautiful and professional. It seems more real and possible that I'm an artist when something I made is being used to decorate someone else's space.

In addition to the gallery showing, I also did an art fair this weekend. It is the first fair I've done in a year and I found myself with the same regrets I usually have when participating in an event. Right after I sign up, I have great big plans to stock up on new, interesting and irresistible works that people will want to buy. The reality is there is not enough time and space on this Earth to accomplish the things I want to accomplish before an art show. Some day I hope to be a little more balanced and realistic about what can be done before I set up a display.

Anyway, it was fun, I met some nice people, got so spend time with my friends Jolene and Beth (my booth buddies) and be surrounded by art. I'll be doing another market in December at the same place - The Catacombs Artist Market at Artlandish Gallery in Columbia, Missouri. Maybe you can stop buy?

CHICKEN UPDATE

The chickens are doing well. The babies are no longer babies and are almost as big as their mama. I still don't know for sure if they are hens or roosters. I want to believe that all four of them are hens, but don't know what the odds of that are. I mean, it would be great, but is it really possible? Since we technically live in the city and have neighbors (who are quite understanding and patient, by the way), we would have to find a new home for any of our birds that turned out to be roosters. No one wants to be awaken at the crack of dawn by some obnoxious bird, right?

The biggest chicken news we have this week is that Velma (the mama) has started laying again! It's very exciting. I knew something was up on Friday, when I went outside and there were only 4 birds running around. Velma was nowhere to be found. I was afraid some wild animal had gotten her or that she was sick. I found her in the coop, in a nesting box. I thought for sure she was dying (see what a chicken expert I am)?. Later, I checked the coop again and Velma was gone. I reached into her nesting box and found the most beautiful, green, perfectly formed egg. It was awesome! I found another one again today and took photos for you all to see.

When I look at these eggs, I find that I don't want to eat them, because I know how precious they are. I know how long we had to wait for Velma to lay these eggs and how long it will take for her to lay another (24 hours). Somehow, when you realize how much effort is involved in getting your food, you tend to have more of an appreciation for it. I think that is definitely a topic worth writing about in another blog entry.

One last thing before I go....

We have a new addition to our family. His name is Russell and other than his "need" to traumatize our chickens, he's perfect.

With Every Beat of My Heart

2010-09-14T09:52:00.002-05:00

Custom Bangles of the H... LoonSongDesign... $65	The Brave One - 5x7 Fin... TheExtentofSil... $12	ENTANGLED mixed media f... mistflowerstud... $650	Always and Forever whimsicalacryl... $25
Home (8x8 Print) artasana $22	Folded Heart Book novelbrand $32	i heart u Combination P... edymade $12	Wire Bound Journal (Bro... recycledart101... $25
Handmade Mini Book / no... bohemianbear $8.00	Hallowe'en Heart - ... SusanGreenBook... $15	Peace In Your Heart IV... lavalleygirly $28	Copper Heart Flower Kee... Copperista $44.00
MADART 8x10 PRINT Abstr... MADART $12.99	honey heart felt pebble... SewnNatural $36	A warm heart. Wool and ... folkfancies06 $22	5 Collaged Heart Hope T... handmadeAtTheN... $5

This is a treasury I put together a few days ago. I love hearts and I'm always amazed at the beautiful hearts people make. I love this treasury and I hope you do too. Be sure to stop by these shops to take a look at what else these talented artists have to offer!

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Curriculum Night

2010-09-09T20:12:00.001-05:00

I visited my kids' school tonight to learn about what they are supposed to learn this year. My son is 7 and in 2nd grade and my daughter, who is 5 is in Kindergarten. The information I heard was fine, the teachers are fine, I like their school and think they have an amazing principal.

But when I got home, I was feeling kind of grumpy and sad. Deep in my heart, I must hate the fact that my kids are moving into the world where I don't really know what is going on. I don't know how they behave during the days, if they are kind to their fellow students, and respectful of their teachers. I don't know if they are sticking up for themselves when someone is unkind to them and if they are able to stick up for someone else who might be getting bullied. I also struggle a little with the thought that someone else (a teacher) is bossing my kids around.

It's nights like these that make me feel like a wimp and like I have no clue what this whole parenting gig is about. Why can't I be more grown up about them? Kids have to grow up, learn things I can't teach them, be with people I don't know, learn about authority and following rules and doing homework.

Maybe what I'm really trying to say here, is that sometimes I'm afraid I didn't really equip them. I know I've been selfish and self-centered and I probably should have spent more time with them. I should've been better about sharing my art supplies. Maybe I should've signed them up for some self-defense classes or something.

I know I still have a huge influence on them and that I haven't totally failed them. However, something about going to their school and hearing about their day without me, makes me feel a little insecure. I sure hope I'm going to get over this before they go to college!

New Treasury

2010-08-21T01:11:00.001-05:00

I love how the new Etsy treasuries are working. I've had several people include me - which is so wonderful. Here's the latest by Cineloh. Be sure to check out her Etsy shop.

'Does anyone pay attention to these things?' by cineloh

I just like stuff..

Gena morninglori $25	Spiral hearts on red ba... thestudio8 $35	Tree- handmade papercut... swipxa $75	Weekend Sling Bag Grey ... clovergreendes... $34
Red Butterflies blacksatinshoe... $16	Round Coin Purse with a... tagodesign $16.9	flower series, no. 1 (s... paperandtype $15.5	Masquerade - print insp... kristahuot $65
ADJUSTABLE LOVELLY CROC... beliz82 $7	owl love you forever no... seekatesew $12	Mustard Yellow Rose on ... bedbuggs $22	ECO FRIENDLY VEGAN SATI... extraseed $38
Agnar the Shadow and Fr... Mumbot $20	Potted Flower Set of 4 ... sleeplessimagi... $2.25	Print - 2 Scoops of Van... thePaintedPeep... $8.5	Chunky Czech Glass Oval... fivesisters $3.5

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Velma's Feathers

2010-08-13T23:59:00.000-05:00

The other day, I mentioned in a post that I cried after I cut our hen's feathers. I did it so that she would stay out of our neighbor's yard. Until that time, I found myself obsessively checking on her to make sure she was where she was supposed to be. Which is in our yard, which is plenty big for her and her four babies. Apparently, she has already forgotten where she came from (a barn with many, many, many other chickens. In fact, when we got her, she was in a very small cage with her four babies).

I kept contemplating building her a chicken tractor (a movable coop), but I'm not that experienced at carpentry. I was also feeling overwhelmed with the idea of finding the materials (I wanted to try to do it with what we already have) and spending time building the pen in this stinkin' heat! So, I decided trimming her feathers was the answer. Even though I was overcome with emotion at the time, I'm fine now and so is she. And I no longer feel stressed out about her bothering the neighbors.

I scanned some of the feathers I took from Velma and they really do make a nice picture, so I wanted to share it with you:

Don't you think feathers are amazing? The way they look, the many colors they come in and the incredible things they can do. I mean, they help birds fly - that is pretty awesome!

Leaf Treasury

2010-08-12T21:56:00.000-05:00

Here is a beautiful leaf treasury by Divinedepth. She included one of my leaf tag sets. Take a look at the treasury and be sure to visit the shops included - there is some really nice stuff here:

Just a Few Bullet Points to Get Caught Up

2010-08-11T01:29:00.001-05:00

It's hotter than Hades here in Columbia, Missouri. It's expected to stay this way until at least Friday. I hate being hot, it makes me sweaty, smelly and grumpy!

Velma (the hen) has been escaping into the backyard of our neighbors - again. They are very nice people and have not complained. They let me toss my kids over the fence to chase the chickens back into our yard. (The hen has to fly, the chicks just run through the fence). Then I hoist my kids back over to our side of the fence.

Today, I clipped Velma's wings. I read about how to do it, last night in my farm book (by Joel Salatin). After I did it, I cried because I was afraid Velma wouldn't be able to protect her chicks any more with those short, stubby little wings. That, and the fact that she looked kind of stupid. But after spending time on Youtube, seeing many other people clipping the wings of their run away chickens, (and describing it as being the same as a haircut for you and me), I felt much better.

I listed three new items in my Etsy shop and I'm very proud of them:

These were made with rubber stamps that I had designed and carved myself. The owl, tree branch and leaves are 3 separate stamps and the tree on the little tree tags is stamped with 2 stamps. I really love carving rubber stamps, especially when I have designs I like.

Finally, LC's Cottage used my little tree tags in her Etsy Treasury. I think this is a beautiful treasury and am really excited to have been included.

Here's the treasury link if you'd like to see a bigger photo

Velma and the 4 Chicks

2010-08-01T23:17:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago, we drove out to a farm that had many, many chickens and we bought a momma and 4 chicks. I think this is a brave move for two city kids who don't really know what they are doing! We put the chickens in a Rubbermade container (lid off) and drove them home, then set them free in our back yard. With the exception of the hen jumping the fence to the neighbors yard to see if the grass truly is greener on the other side (which, by the way, it is - our neighbors have a great lawn), they have been in our back yard ever since.

Although I've been warned that it is a bad idea to do so, we did name our birds. I figure it's ok since we only plan on using these chickens for their eggs. The momma is Velma, the chicks are KC, Foofoo, Hilda and Caroline. I'm hoping all of the chicks are female, but if not, we'll be finding a different home for any roosters. We want to do all we can to keep from annoying the neighbors.

Most everything I know about chickens has been from things I found on the internet or from a few books and magazines I've read. It's fun to observe Velma interact with her chicks - all barnyard/chicken cliches come to mind as she scratches around, looking for worms and other critters to feed her family. I now understand more about someone being a "Mother Hen", about "chicken scratch", being "all cooped up" and the need for moms to "nest".

I've also noticed that Velma is a much better mom than I am and that her chicks are better behaved than mine. She doesn't mind that her chicks climb all over her, follow her everywhere, she doesn't ever seem to be in a hurry and she enjoys doing outdoor activities with them. (I did notice that one of the chicks tried to hop a ride on her back once and she gently pecked it a couple of times. But she didn't yell, like I would have). Whenever the chicks get too far from Velma (like when they sneak into the neighbor's yard through the holes in the fence), all she has to do is cluck a couple of times, and they immediately come back to her. Unlike my "babies" who only return to where they are supposed to be after they've been threatened with no tv or video games for a week. (perhaps analysis of my parenting practices will be the topic of another blog post later on. Then again...maybe not).

We've been letting the chickens roam through the back yard during the day, then they go into their coop at sunset. So far, things seem to be working out well with them and I think they like their new environment. They have quite a nice sized back yard and don't have many others they have to share it with (except for 7 year old and 5 year old humans). I think they are pretty happy.

One of the things I did not anticipate was feeling guilty when I eat chicken. The other night I was getting ready to throw some chicken thighs on the grill. My husband was playing with the kids in the backyard and I was up on the deck near the grill. I wanted to ask him how long I should cook the chicken, but felt like I needed to whisper because Velma was roaming around within earshot. I sure hope this isn't how it's going to be from now on - being consumed by guilt every time I want to eat chicken. I don't think I can take that kind of pressure!

New Stamps

2010-07-29T00:32:00.000-05:00

My Sister-in-law visited a few days this week and part of our visit included craft time. She is very supportive of me and encouraging, so it's not hard to be inspired to create. We stayed up late a couple of nights and these are some stamps I carved:

I love doing these rubber stamps, but still have a hard time figuring out what I should be doing with them. I like the designs of these three and will probably do some tags and mini cards. It will be nice to have some new designs on my Etsy site.

A New Treasury

2010-07-27T22:29:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling especially fortunate today. I found out that I have been featured in another Etsy treasury! Wow! The curator is Lynchgirl - I hope you will take time to visit her Etsy shop and the shops of others in this treasury. It's so much fun to be recognized, isn't it?

Bird Houses

2010-07-26T19:21:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the birdhouses I've been working on. The one on the right is already spoken for. Once I figure out how to ship these things, I may add them to my Etsy shop.

I have so many unpainted birdhouses, just waiting for some color and design, that I could probably be painting them for several months. I'm a little concerned that I'm running out of design ideas, but I'll keep working on it.

Etsy Treasury

2010-07-25T15:08:00.002-05:00

I love to open my email to find a surprise message from someone. Whether it's someone I haven't heard from in awhile or someone who is purchasing from my Etsy shop. I love it. Today I got a message from Devi of Hippie Kingdom letting me know she had included some of my tags in her treasury. I'm really excited about this because I've only been in a couple of other treasuries and I've never actually gotten to see my stuff in a treasury. So thanks for letting me "toot my own horn" here by posting the treasury. I hope you'll take some time to check out Hippie Kingdom and the others who are included in this treasury.

Another Thing

2010-07-25T01:42:00.000-05:00

This is one of the other things I've been working on and have recently come close to finishing. It's a wooden heart ornament. Who says ornaments have to be just for Christmas? Will be adding this to my Etsy shop as soon as possible.

Things Completed - Or Nearly So

2010-07-19T17:49:00.002-05:00

My craft cave is full of potential projects, unfinished projects and things that will never, ever become projects (but I'm still pretending they might). And the sad part is, I don't want to work on any of them. Fortunately though, I've made myself finish a couple of things and here is a photo of one of the completed projects. I must confess that these have been finished for awhile, I just hadn't taken any pictures yet. I know...I'm a slug!

I painted these candlesticks for my son's 1st grade teacher. Of course, I didn't get them to her, so she won't be receiving them until he's in second grade. Maybe that will be more of a surprise: "hey, here's your teacher appreciation gift from last year!"

Some Fears About Farming

2010-07-03T23:53:00.000-05:00

Tonight as I'm reading a little bit of, You Can Farm the Entrepreneur's Guide to Start and Succeed in a Farming Enterprise by Joel Salatin, I find that my mind is drifting toward "the dark side". You know the dark side...the place in your mind full of fear and insecurity. The place that calls to you when you are excited about doing something fun, wonderful, different. No matter how hard you resist, you can not help but walk a little too close to the dark side, so you hear it telling you all the things you are doing wrong. All the reasons why you're crazy or an idiot or how you're going to fail.

If you don't know who Joel Salatin is and you are interested in farming and food, you need to google him. He's very interesting and has very strong and unique opinions on farming. I'm sure I'll be mentioning his writing again, since he is one of the people inspiring us to take the big leap into farm life. He has worked very hard in his life and he has made many sacrifices to live the kind of life he lives. I've only begun reading his book, but in the beginning there was a phrase that really caught my attention:

"...accomplishing your dream is not so much about mechanics and opportunity as it is about character qualities: self-denial, perseverance, commitment, focus." (You Can Farm the Entrepreneur's Guide to Start and Succeed in a Farming Enterprise pg. 4).

I think his statement is true and that is why I think I ended up in the dark side of my mind. Do I have what it takes to be a farmer/farmer's wife? Can I really work hard enough to make this thing a reality? I don't know. I believe I want to, but I also know how I tend to be, especially if there is something I really don't want to do. I tend to be like a grade schooler who is asked to clean his room. I fuss, whine, think of 5 million excuses why I can't, won't, shouldn't have to do the task that is expected. I whimper, get angry, call people names, etc. Typical brat stuff.

If I would not throw a big baby fit and channel that energy doing the task, it would probably take less time to do it than to throw a fit about having to do it. So in the case of shoveling cow poo, how do you think that will go over? It's not like the cows will shovel it themselves and it's not like we're going to have any hired help or anything. So I'll just have to do it. On a regular basis. In all kinds of weather, under all kinds of conditions. Can I do that? Will there somehow be a place in my heart that understands this is one of many things that needs to be done in order to have a farm? Will I be able to focus on a goal and work toward it rather than fill some immediate need to not shovel poo? These are the kinds of things that are weighing on my mind right now. (that and the fact that it's 11:44 pm and I'm hungry. All I want to do is fix some huge snack to eat. This is another area where immediate gratification and keeping my sight on a goal are quite challenging).

The other day my husband mentioned that we should've had more kids if we're going to do farming. I suggested that perhaps he could have brought this up earlier, like 10 years or so. Because it's too late now. In my younger years, I may have been tempted to birth a few more babies, but now I know I was not meant to be the mom of more than two kids. I guess we'll have to find other alternatives to getting our chores done!

Guess Who's Going to be a Farmer?!

2010-07-03T00:14:00.004-05:00

My husband and I are land owners. We recently purchased 50 acres of farmland about 20 minutes from where we currently live. I wanted to post some photos of our land, but I don't have any yet, so I picked some clip art related to farming. I wanted it to be obvious that it wasn't our property-I think this picture does the trick.

The land we purchased was part of a bigger farm that had been in the sellers' family for over a hundred years. Because there were so many family members who owned the property and who were spread out around the country, they decided it was time to sell. My man found it in the paper - it was being advertised for auction.

I guess I need to be fair here and let you know that from this point on, we have conflicting sides of the story. Dan has a totally different take on the events that lead to the purchase of this land, than I do. I'm just going to tell you my side, because I'm pretty sure it's the closest to the facts and well, this is my blog. He's welcome to start his own blog and share his side if he wants to.

We have both wanted to buy land for awhile. Dan has always been interested in land ownership, even before I knew him. Recently, we had been talking again about purchasing land so we could plant a big garden, but decided now wasn't a good time to do that. We thought it would be best to wait awhile. That's why I was kind of surprised when one day, he said "Honey, I found some land that's going to be auctioned in May". I responded in my usual way, when I think he's talking about something I think will never happen: "Yes, dear. That's nice, dear. Mmmhmm." (By the way, he responds to me the same way when he thinks I'm being unrealistic. Like every time I tell him I'm going to make our millions selling my art work. I'm still working on that dream, so there is the possibility that it will actually happen).

One thing I told him is that I have absolutely no interest (none. zero. zilch. nada) in building a house. I've never met anyone who felt that building their own home (or having one built) was in any way a positive experience. It sounds like a big pain in the hiney to me and I'd rather live in a house that is already standing when I buy it. That way I can walk through it, look around, picture myself and my stuff in it, and decide if it's the right place. If it's not, I can move on.

Anyway, when Dan started talking about this land, I knew it didn't have a house on it. So we had some "interesting" conversations concerning it.

Dan: I drove by that land today. It's really nice.

Laura: Really? What kind of house does it have?

It's got some nice fields...

Is it like a 4 or 5 bedroom?

Some trees...

Room for a craft area?

gently rolling hills...

two car garage?

Did I mention there is a creek that runs through the property?

I think a few weeks passed and he would occasionally mention the land, but pretty much, I had moved on with my life and figured we were done with talking about that particular piece of property.

Then one Sunday after church he said, "you know, that land auction is tomorrow". I said, "when are you going to take me to see this land?". We drove by that afternoon and there is no doubt that the property was beautiful. It really does have fields, trees, gently rolling hills and a creek running through it (and no house). It also didn't hurt that it was wonderfully sunny out. I asked him a couple of questions like "what would be your immediate plans for it, what would you want to do", etc. Then we drove home and that was the end of it for me.

The next day, I was visiting with a friend, when Dan sent me a text "the land is going for X amount, can I bid?" Since I figured there was no way on earth he was going to get it, I texted back "go for it, baby". A few minutes later he sent another text "I bid Y amount" and I swear to you, it wasn't two minutes later he sent me another message "i got it!" My response? "oh sh*t".

That's the story of how we acquired our land. One of the biggest differences in our stories is that Dan likes to tell people he had totally forgotten about the land and had let the whole idea go. I have to remind him that if that were truly the case, he would've been at work instead of being at the auction!

I'm happy that we have land and I'm excited to make plans and to get out there and do some work. But I'm also a little shocked, I think. I'm a city girl, not a big city girl, but a large-ish city girl. My husband is a city boy and we have no idea how to live the rural life. I believe we can learn and will learn. There are some strong reasons why we want to live in the country (which I will cover at another not-so-late-in-the-nite time). In some ways I just wonder if it's absolutely insane to consider beginning farming when one is in his/her late 40's? I guess we'll see, won't we?

Neglected Followers-Shame on Me!

2010-06-22T08:53:00.000-05:00

When I became a mom, 7 1/2 years ago, I learned a few things about myself: I can love more deeply and unconditionally than I ever thought possible, I have a higher tolerance for bodily fluids than I could imagine and I can sacrifice my own needs and desires in order to serve another human being.

The other things I learned about myself are that I can be very self-focused, selfish and self-centered. That brings me to today's blog topic: My Neglected Followers.

Last night as I was checking in on my blog, wishing I had a few more followers (it's an ego thing), it occurred to me that I don't take good care of the followers I have. I don't blog regularly, I haven't posted an interesting photo in ages, I rarely respond to comments. And the worst thing? I've hardly visited the blogs of my followers who have blogs.

That's not very nice.

I wouldn't follow me!

If at this point, after hearing this shocking confession, you decide you need to delete me from your "following" list, I completely understand. There is only so much time in a day to read blogs anyway. Why spend it on someone who has never bothered to visit you at your blog? However, if you decide to stay with me, I promise I will work harder to invest in our relationship. I'm going to be making the blog rounds so that I may learn more about you.

Thanks for sticking with me.

Using Child's Coping Mechanism

2010-06-16T22:13:00.001-05:00

Do you remember when you were little and you didn't want someone to see you, so you closed your eyes? Because if you closed your eyes, you couldn't see anyone, and if you couldn't see them, then surely they wouldn't be able to see you. Or if you didn't want something to exist, you pretended it didn't exist so it would go away?

That is often how I "resolve" conflict. I think I'm doing it now, with regards to finding a job. My kids are in summer school for 5 weeks, then they have 4 weeks out of school and in the Fall they will return. Now is the time for me to find some way to earn money. I'm not really looking forward to the job search. I haven't worked away from home since I became a mom, (with the exception of a brief stint at a retail store). I didn't like job hunting before I left the market and I'm certainly not looking forward to it after being away for almost 8 years! And did I mention I'm 3 years away from the big 5-0? Yeh, my prospects sound a little bleak. So I'm pretending I don't really need to find a job and that someone will see my Etsy shop and just want to commission something from me for $1 million (or $10 million). I'll let you know how it works out, K?

Time to Make a Plan

2010-05-29T15:30:00.002-05:00

I think maybe I need to start over.

From the beginning.

From scratch.

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I never thought I'd be able to do and sell art. It was something I thought about but always dismissed as being unrealistic. So, when I actually did sell cards and paintings that I had done myself, it was really, really fun. It's still fun to sell things. The problem is that I don't sell much and I want to sell more. But how can I possibly sell more when I wander around aimlessly and have small bursts of productivity, then longer periods of inactivity? It just isn't going to happen unless I am more consistent.

So I'm starting to think about starting my "business" over. I never did get my business license or keep accurate track of inventory, what I make, what I spend or how many hours I work. The logistics aren't really my strength, but that doesn't mean I can't learn does it? I think I can learn.

I'm planning to research small business related websites and blogs, and use that information to come up with my business plan. Maybe I should even use this blog to hold myself accountable for setting some goals. You followers of my blog are a pretty good bunch of people. You don't give me a hard time when I repeat myself (which I'm sure I do a lot. My short term memory is lacking...), you don't harass me about typos, grammatical errors or anything else. I imagine it would probably be safe enough to slap up a few goals on this page and let you read them. We could celebrate together when I reach a goal and you can tell me I'm a whiner when I make excuses for not reaching other goals. Or you could remain silent, which might guilt me into action (I'm someone who is definitely motivated by guilt).

I'm going to leave my Etsy shop open, just in case someone stumbles upon it and likes what they see. In the mean time, I will (here's the goal list)

work on better photos of products already listed
list at least 5 tag sets that I already have put together
finish two birdhouses that need to be painted and list them on etsy
work on having more consistent shipping prices for items already listed.

I know it's a short list, but it will help improve the shop I have and maybe help me be more motivated. I have to start with a short list too, so I won't look at it, become exhausted by the mere thought of taking any action, and wind up taking a nap instead!

Thanks for stopping by. I'll let you know how things go.

Misc. Ramblings

2010-05-20T22:42:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you, but we have been experiencing quite a bit of rain in our area. It's not that I mind rain all that much, but the dreary days get to me (more so now, than when I was a youngin'). I also worry that we will completely miss out on spring and go right to the hot, humid summer that Missouri is known for. I don't really enjoy sweating as soon as I get out of be in the morning and not being able to breathe very well because the air is so thick with humidity.

But tonight, as I sit on my bed typing, I can hear the rain falling on the roof and I'm really enjoying it. It's so quiet and soothing. It's nicer to have the rain at night when you don't have to go out and you can curl up in bed and go to sleep.

I'm still learning about my laptop, but I haven't done much with it yet. I haven't even downloaded any photos on it or anything. I have spent far too much time searching the internet, but I did that with the desktop too. There are just so many interesting things to find out in cyber space.

I haven't done much art the past couple of days. I feel like doing art, but end up watching movies instead. This evening, I got to do some leaf rubbings with my son and daughter. It was one of my son's assignments for cub scouts. I think I had more fun doing it than they did. I loved it - it seems magical to me that you can put a piece of paper over some part of nature, run a crayon over it several times and discover the most detailed designs. The shape of the leaves, the details of the veins, along with the different colors used, are just beautiful.

One thing I'm so grateful for and in awe of is that when God created us, he didn't just put us down here in endless blank space. He put us here, surrounded by beauty, colors, and the most intricate detail. He wanted us to be entertained and curious and amazed. I love seeing the details of his creation and contemplating the vastness of what surrounds us in the heavens. Even if you were alive for a million years, you would never be able to discover all there is to discover on this planet or in this universe. Isn't that wonderful?

Humans are that way too...created with such detail and precision. We are each different, we have our own unique DNA, fingerprints, personalities, abilities. At the same time we are the same in that we all are born, we all will die, we all need love and acceptance and we all need God. I also happen to believe we all need a creative outlet, but let's just say I'm a little biased in that direction.

I'm not sure why I'm rambling on this particular subject tonight, but I appreciate your listening. I hope you had a good day.

I hope to have some photos to post very soon, so you won't just have to look at text all the time.

Discipline

2010-05-15T23:54:00.001-05:00

I envy people who are disciplined, but I guess not enough to work as hard as they do to be disciplined. I would like to be someone who could figure out how to write blog posts regularly, update my Etsy shop, and market my goods, without having my family feel neglected and without the laundry piling up to the ceiling. Maybe someday...

One of my birthday gifts was the purchase of a new laptop. I'm pretty excited because, even though I will be expected to share it with my man from time to time, I get to be the primary user. I hope to use it to keep my shop and blog updated more regularly. I'll be able to take it places and to use it even when someone else is checking email on the other computer. Isn't technology amazing?!

I'm starting to feel ready to do some more art too. My craft space was a hideous mess for awhile and I didn't even want to go in there. I did some sorting, organizing and even donated some card stock scraps to a local kids art shop. Since my desk is cleaned off, I believe I can start thinking of things to mess it up again. I'll be sure to post things as they get created.

Wanna hear something funny? My latest thing has been to work with shrinking plastic (Shrinky Dinks). It sounds silly, but you can do some cool stuff with it. I'll write more about that at another time.

My Birthday & the 100th Post

2010-05-15T00:14:00.001-05:00

There is no doubt that I have been ridiculously neglectful of my blog and anyone who might be interested in reading it. I apologize and hope you won't cross me off your "follow" lists. Like everyone else in the world, I've been kind of busy at times and lazy at others. In addition, this is my 100th post and I was feeling some pressure to write something witty and profound. Once I decided that probably wasn't going to happen, I felt more freedom to just start typing.

Today is my 47th birthday. It was a nice day, my family took good care of me. I got some nice facebook and phone messages and I even got a birthday wish from the kind people at hotmail. I have always been a spoiled birthday princess, but as I get older, I don't really feel the need to have much of a hoopla made of my getting older. I mean, the crow's feet and gray hairs are big enough indicators-I don't need to shout it from the mountain tops.

I'm not thoroughly depressed about my age, it just takes me more time to adjust to the number than it used to. Honestly, I'd only go back to my 20's if I could keep all the knowledge I've gained the past two and a half decades. Wouldn't that be so cool? To be 20, to feel 20 but to have 27 more years of wisdom and experience. It's not hard to imagine which people I would not waste precious time with and what things I would be kinder to myself about. I'm quite fortunate and have been blessed with a wonderful life. I hope that I'll get at least another 40-ish years to hang out and see my kids grow up to become parents.

I've decided that New Year's resolutions should really be saved for one's birthday instead of the beginning of a new year. Aren't we really more reflective as we age? My greatest wish, hope, dream and goal is that I will become more healthy. I don't mention it much (if ever) here, but I'm really out of shape and extremely overweight. I'm tired of being this way and I won't be here for another 40 years if I don't change my evil ways. I understand there are no guarantees, but I should at least try, don't you think? Probably it will be best to start as soon as that icecream/birthday cake is gone. :)

Overwhelmed

2010-04-17T10:04:00.000-05:00

For me, one of the challenges of being a stay at home mom, is that I don't want to appear to be on "vacation". I know that people who have been SAHMs or who know women who have been SAHMs, understand that staying home with kids is not exactly the picnic, walk in the woods and/or party that it would seem.

Before I became the "Domestic Goddess" I am now, I thought staying at home with kids was the easiest thing in the world. In fact, I'm ashamed to confess, I couldn't figure out why an at-home mom couldn't get all of her chores done and still have plenty of time to pursue all of her hobbies and dreams. After all, she was at home all day and all she had to do was hang out with kids!!! Yes, that was me. I was that woman - the one who looked down her nose at the the little house wife and her quaint role as wife and mother.

As they say, "paybacks are Hell". I have been at home with my kids for almost 8 years now. My house is constantly trashed, up until recently (when my husband took over the job) my bills were mostly overdue, my sink full of dishes, mile high piles of laundry wait to be cleaned or folded (depending on their location. Laundry to be washed is piled in front of the washer, laundry to be folded is piled on our bedroom floor). In my most humble opinion, I suck at being a stay at home mom. The only thing I think I'm really good at, is lovin' on my kids. I hug them, smooch them and tell them I love them quite regularly. But that's it.

So there you have it. Because I was the woman who thought staying at home was a piece of cake, I think I'm extra sensitive and paranoid about how others view my current vocation. And in my heart, I'm always feeling I should be able to at least keep up with the things I need to do, with a little extra time to read a magazine.

And sometimes, because I care too much about what I think others think, I accidentally over commit. Like maybe now. I have many things to accomplish for an art event at my sons school, which is in 2 weeks. I'm also working on coordinating a couple of things at my favorite art gallery. I want/need to clean my house and I would love (LOVE) to be able to do some art today. I feel a little overwhelmed with what needs to be done, yet here I sit, typing a blog post about how much stuff I have to do. This is so typical! I even procrastinated like this in college (ya know, back when I thought everyone else had it so much easier than me). Maybe I ought to get off my hiney now and tackle my to do list (maybe I should actually write a to do list). Then I might not feel so overwhelmed.

Before I go, I have to share with you two of my "favorite" comments.

#1 - I was at a restaurant where the owner was a woman with small kids. When I told her I was a SAHM she said: "you are so spoiled".

#2 - a college kid I worked with at a retail job I had for awhile: "My mom never had the privilege of staying home. She had to work her ass off..."

Thanks for stopping by and listening to me ramble. I hope your weather is as glorious as ours, here in Mid Missouri. Enjoy the weekend!

Photo Breakthrough

2010-04-09T23:40:00.002-05:00

There are some days when I feel pretty hopeless - which I'm sure I've mentioned here before. I don't like to keep bringing it up because I don't want to be known as a whiney blogger. However, it's just a fact about me...I often let things overwhelm me, beat me down and I fall into the pit of "woe is me".

But today, I crawled out of the pit for a little while, saw the sun, got some things accomplished and thought I'd better blog about it! A few weeks ago, I told you about a workshop being taught at Artlandish Gallery on product photography (by the lovely and talented Nichelle Lawrence). I didn't really participate in the workshop because I was helping build light boxes for it, but I got to hear some of the helpful tips.

Since then, I've built my own light box, (which is quite cool, if I say so myself), and have been on the hunt for daylight light bulbs. Let me just mention that if you are looking for daylight bulbs and you don't really know what you are doing, don't be distracted by the GE reveal reader bulbs. The pictures on the packaging made me think I was buying the right bulb, or at least a bulb that would work, but I was sadly mistaken. The photos I took with reveal were more of a pinkish color than the normal yellow I've taken in the past.

So today, I walked into Westlake Hardware and decided to actually ask someone for the daylight bulb instead of trying to find it myself. Even after the guy pointed to them and said "they are the ones with the blue on the label", I still almost picked the one with the green label (sometimes I really wonder about myself and my goofy little brain). I happened to have a $5 gift card (I'm on the Ace Rewards Plan), so the bulb only cost under $3. Which is nice, since I've spent about $10 or so pursuing bulbs that were of no help at all.

I came home, screwed in the light bulb (how many artists does it take to screw in a light bulb? It turns out, only one!) and took some photos. I am very pleased with how the photos turned out. No yellow, no pink or any other funky colors. Just fairly clear, normal light. Because I liked my pictures, and because I've made a couple of sales this week, I was motivated to list three new tag sets today. Woo hoo! Maybe next time Nichelle teaches a workshop (hopefully sometime in May), I can listen in on the parts I missed and come up with some cool lighting techniques. Until then, I'm pretty pleased with what I have.

So the two photos above are ones that I hate and ones that I normally take. And these are the ones I'm feeling very proud of today:

I realize I still am no professional, but I feel much better about these product photos. Hopefully, I will stay motivated enough to continue to work on them and not be so easily discouraged. It's fun to have lots of things up in my Etsy shop, but it's not so much fun to work hard and not have good results.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope wherever you are, Spring is warm and beautiful. It sure is here in Mid Missouri!

Latest Stamp Carvings

2010-04-09T00:49:00.002-05:00

Here are my latest hand carved stamps. I think I'm running a little dry on ideas, but at least I'm carving...I guess.

Linoleum Block Cut

2010-04-05T13:17:00.001-05:00

I started carving this block during my first linoleum block cutting workshop. I finished it a couple of months ago, but didn't make my first prints until last night (in the wee hours, of course). I like the way it turned out, but think I should've left more detail in the biggest leaf. My favorite on this cut, is the smallest leaf. No doubt there will be another leaf block coming soon.

I guess I'm going to have to figure out something to do with the bigger block cuts. I think this one would look good on a handmade art journal or as a framed piece. Cards would be ok too. I have some other colors of ink I will need to try out.

Thanks for looking!

Law & Order & Tags

2010-04-04T20:27:00.000-05:00

I've been making tags, though I'm not sure why. They're fun and easy and I can do them while I watch t.v. I had over 100 episodes of Law and Order recorded on DVR. If I watched all of those shows and didn't do anything else, well...nothing would be done. It turns out that after several days of watching 1-3 episodes of L&O per day, I couldn't take it any more. No matter how attractive I think Sam Waterson and some of those detectives might be, there was just too much killing going on. So, I deleted all the episodes (except for one) that I had recorded and canceled all future recordings.

I didn't really mean to go into my t.v. viewing habits in this post, but sometimes stuff just happens. Anyway, here are some new tags that are made from rubber stamps I carved. I hope you like them.

I'm Featured!

2010-03-24T00:40:00.000-05:00

My friend, Kristi Mott, is the person behind Soap Scent-sations. She makes lovely soaps and other bath and body products. This week, I am being featured on Kristi's blog as the Missouri Monday Featured Artist. I hope you'll stop by and read the post.

While you're at it, visit Kristi's Etsy shop. She's having a great sale on cold pressed soaps and whipped body butters. It's not too early to shop for Mother's Day, for Graduations, or end of the year teacher's gifts. I love Kristi's soaps and I know you will too!

Just Popping in to Say "Hi!"

2010-03-22T11:43:00.001-05:00

I feel like I've been gone for a very long time, so I'm glad to see that it has only been a couple of weeks since my last post. But since my last post, I lost one of my followers. Apparently, I'm not so entertaining that I can get away with only writing a couple of times a month and keep people coming back! I've fallen far behind on my New Year's goal of posting three times per week. Isn't it weird how your New Year's resolutions can be shot to heck in the matter of a few weeks?

Anyway, things here are going fine. I'm tired, a little depressed (where is that sunshine anyway?), and I'm feeling overwhelmed. However, I know spring and warm weather are just around the corner and I know that I'm going to get to start doing some art again real soon.

Yesterday I attended a workshop at Artlandish Gallery on Product Photography. It was taught by photographer, Nichelle Lawrence. I was actually just helping out, but one of the things I got to do was help build light boxes. If you've ever visited my Etsy shop, you know how much I could benefit from having a light box for my photos (which suck, frankly). Last night and tonight, I spent some time building my own light box and it turned out pretty cool. I just shot a couple of photos using it and here is one of the things I shot:

I painted this dinosaur several months ago. I want to paint a couple of sets of dinos and sell them in my shop but so far I've only gotten one finished. I like the way the photo turned out and I look forward to taking pictures of my other items and playing around with this light box a little more. When my husband saw my light box and looked inside to see this smiling dinosaur he said "He looks pretty happy in there!"

The Untitled Post

2010-03-09T23:30:00.000-06:00

As I'm sitting here trying to think of a clever title for this post, I realize I'm just wasting time and energy that I could be using to actually write. Nothing came to mind, therefore it remains untitled.

Things are weird at our house these days. My mother-in-law passed away 2 weeks ago. It was not unexpected, but still very sad. In the past two weeks, my husband was two hours away from our family, caring for his mom. After she died, the kids and I went to my MIL's house and began helping go through 45 years worth of precious belongings and other things that meant something to her.

It was great to spend time with family members we haven't seen in awhile. It was also nice to hear the loving words people shared about such a wonderful woman at the memorial service.

We still have quite a bit of work to do to get her house (my husband's childhood home) ready to sell. I think it's somewhat healing to have to work at something when a loved one dies. The acts of sorting, disposing of, moving and cleaning, while thinking of the person who is gone, is part of letting go. The problem is, it is also a way to avoid mourning the loss. I don't think the real mourning will come until after all the "business" is taken care of. I just hope I will be sensitive to my husband's grief when the time comes.

Anyway, I haven't taken much time to think about my art projects or blog or Etsy shop. I'm hoping to be able to dedicate time to making some things in the near future.

Thanks for reading.

Custom Hand Carved Stamp for Soap Scentsations

2010-02-20T15:48:00.001-06:00

After seeing some hand carved stamps I made, my friend Kristi Mott, asked me if I would make one for her. Krisit is the owner of Soap Scent-sations, a lovely online shop with hand made soaps, lip balms and other bath and body products. She was interested in stamping cards to include with her soaps.

This photo shows the design I came up with, based on the design Kristi already uses for her packaging. I had a great time carving this stamp and would love the opportunity to create more custom stamps. I've found that stamp carving and designing is currently one of my favorite things to do. Seeing the final results is very satisfying.

Take a moment to check out Kristi's shop (she also has an Artfire shop). Her soaps are wonderful. They're pretty, they smell great and they lather up quite nicely. (Lather is important to me, so I thought I'd mention that). Every time I use one, it feels like a special treat. But don't take my word for it, hop on over and order a few bars for yourself! :)

A Year in the Life of an Art Journal

2010-02-18T12:07:00.003-06:00

In January, I decided to expand my horizons, step out of my comfort zone and join an art journal community. I've never done anything with art journal pages and I thought I'd try this. Sometimes I have a hard time committing to something (besides my family - thought I should clarify) for very long periods of time, but I'm going to try my best with this.

I'm still learning my way around the blog - sometimes I'm not sure how to leave comments. I also keep thinking there are rules about what I should be doing, but those are only imposed on me by my inner critic (dang her anal little self!)

Here are my two latest journal pages. The topic is Hope:

I like how the background turned out and really love the flowers. I think I'm going to have to put some more of these type of flowers on some other art. Probably some plaques and more journal covers. It gives me an excuse to use all the paper I've been hoarding.

If you are interested in checking out this group, you can just click on the badge in the upper right side of this blog. It's pretty awesome to be part of this community.

My Google Analytics Looks Like a Treacherous Mountain Range

2010-02-17T23:08:00.000-06:00

I am not a woman who understands many things involving numbers. I've never been a numbers person and most of the time I don't really care (although I firmly believe that if a person is mathematically and scientifically inclined, he/she can do anything he/she wants to do. I'm a little envious of the math/science crowd, but perhaps that's a topic for another post). When Google Analytics came out, all the people "in the know" encouraged everyone to use it to help determine the activity on blogs, Etsy and Artfire. I added it to my Etsy and to this blog because I wanted to know how much traffic I was getting.

At first, it was interesting. But now....well, let's just say the honeymoon is over. There are so many peaks and valleys in my views that I feel like I'm on some emotional rollercoaster. One day I'll have 10 views, the next day there is one or none. My peaks make no sense to me. Why do I have so many views on a certain day, when I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything. Yet on days when I've made some effort to get noticed, there's nothing but the flat line (like that of a heart that has stopped beating)!

For a brief time in January, my blog never hit the one to zero mark. In fact the views stayed up for quite a few days, but that must have been a fluke. Or maybe I'm not as interesting in February as I was in January. Anyway, I know there are lots of resources for figuring out what all the graphs and numbers mean. I guess I need to take some more time to do some reading and try to make sense of it all. I think it could help me set and meet some goals for my Etsy shop.

What has been your experience with the Google Analytics tools?

Just a random thought: don't you think it's ironic that in order to look up the spelling of a word in the dictionary, you have to know how the word is spelled?

Second Hand Stiched Journal

2010-02-11T15:47:00.000-06:00

I've fallen behind in my beginning journal workshop and technically it's over. I think I have a couple more weeks to access the videos and I have about 2 more stitches to try. I'm not sure what it is about making my own journals - there is such a feeling of accomplishment. It might be because it seems like something that would be too difficult to attempt, yet here I am. Attempting and creating books I like.

I did this journal similarly to the first. I painted and collaged a 14" x 17" piece of bristol paper and used a yellow piece of cotton fabric to reinforce the spine. This stitch is the machine stitch (though it's sewn by hand). I used 2 colors of embroidery floss: blue and orange. I also drew some doodles on the spine with some waterproof pens. I love the feel of writing on paper and fabric that has been coated with mod podge. This time I used drawing paper for the inside of the book, instead of cardstock (like I used on the last one).

I can picture making several of these and bundling them together to make a gift set. Wouldn't that be cool? The problem with this kind of thing is that often, even though people love them, they are afraid to use them. I know I'm that way. I can't tell you how many books, craft supplies and found objects I have sitting around that I won't use yet. I mean, what if I use them, then find that I need them for that really special project?

Davis

2010-02-09T23:44:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had to have our cat put to sleep and it was very sad. He was definitely my husband's cat but he also had a place in his heart for me and the kids. He was so handsome and the best cat I've ever had (and there have been many cats in my life). He was 13 - a very old man who had lived a good life. I will miss him.

This is a picture of Davis and my daughter when she was a baby. She really loved Davis too (which she showed in annoying sorts of ways like laying on him and carrying him around like a rag doll). From the time my daughter was a baby, Davis preferred to show his affection for her while she was sleeping! :)

It's A Done Deal

2010-02-07T22:58:00.000-06:00

Okay, I've finished the doodle I posted the other day. I decided to add some color to it. Well actually, a lot of color. I like black and white, but thought I'd try this. I really like how the colors turned out. Here are some before and after shots:

Doodling has helped me to work on something creative, without feeling like I have to make anything specific. It's also something I can do while I'm talking with people, watching t.v. or when I just want to meditate a little. I wrote on another blog the other day that doodling helps me work through problems and worries sometimes. I can draw and think about whatever is bothering me and pray in my head. It's very relaxing.

This was done on Strathmore drawing paper, using Staedtler and Prismacolor pens. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look!

Dear McDonald's

2010-02-05T10:34:00.000-06:00

Dear McDonalds,

I'm breaking up with you. I'm sure this comes as quite a shock, but I can no longer ignore the reality of our situation. I've known for years that you are no good for me and that you only want me for my money. But this morning was the last straw.

I tried to explain to you that there was something not quite right with my order - you were trying to charge me more for something I get often. I was calm, polite and just wanted to be heard. Yet, you wouldn't listen. You kept interrupting and essentially told me I was not telling the truth.

I'm deeply hurt, but know I must move on. My kids will be awfully disappointed-they love you so much. My husband will be quite relieved, but I know it will take months before he believes my relationship with you is over. Don't try to contact me, I have caller i.d. and will not answer your calls.

Sincerely,

Me

Weekend Doodle

2010-01-31T18:54:00.000-06:00

I started this a couple of weekends ago and worked on it this weekend too. I'm not finished yet, but thought I'd post it anyway.

First Art Journal Completed

2010-01-28T13:47:00.002-06:00

I finally finished my first art journal. I posted a photo of the cover a few days ago. Last night I finished trimming the cover and sewing the binding. I like how it turned out, but I did have a few problems. My pages weren't folded and trimmed correctly, so the book is a little crooked. I'm sure this is just something that will take practice to master. I think next time, I will use paper that is not so thick and that should help. So here are the photos. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities!

Follow Up to the Spam Post

2010-01-24T23:05:00.000-06:00

Thanks for the comments I received on my last post. It's nice to get some feedback and to know I'm not alone! One thing I need to clarify is that I was joking about comments. I know how to comment, I just am not very good about doing it. I tend to think of a response to the comment, but never type it out. It's as if I think the commenter will just know by telepathy that I've responded! I'm a goofball that way. Sometimes I think I'll answer comments later, but then forget about it because my short term memory is fried!

I do have a question for the listening audience, though. When you respond to comments left on your blog, do you respond on your blog or do you find the commenter's blog and leave your response there. Or do you do both? What is the proper etiquette there? If I respond here, that assumes that the person commenting will be checking back to see if I responded. I check back, but that's because I tend to be desperate for attention and not everyone else is as desperate.

Felicia (one of the two people who left comments last time) wanted to know how to block a follower on Blogger. It's pretty easy, here's how you do it:

From your dashboard, click on the followers link on the upper right side of the screen. A list of your followers will pop up. Click on the person you want to end your following relationship with and you will get an option for "Block this user". Then I think you get a prompt asking if you're sure you want to delete the follower. Then "poof" they're gone! If only we could do that with people who annoy us in the real world. "Click" you can no longer follow me or make comments about my life (or try to manipulate me into doing things I don't want to do).

Spam Followers

2010-01-23T23:21:00.000-06:00

I suppose someone with 53 followers shouldn't be too picky about who follows my blog, but I am. I love my followers and appreciate everyone who takes the time to read what I've written. I enjoy reading comments and as soon as I get a little more blogger savvy, I may even respond to those comments! :)

But lately, I've been getting followers who don't really give a doo doo about what I have to say, or about art or anything I'm interested in. They are spam followers. I was tipped off when the avatar of one of my "followers" was some buff guy who was not wearing a shirt. Don't get me wrong, I certainly can appreciate a well-toned shirtless body. But personally, I like to choose when and who I look at. So I decided to remove him from my follower list (honestly, I suspect if I had followed his links far enough, there would have been some porn waiting for me. I don't want porn on my computer screen or anywhere else for that matter). Today, my latest "follower" must have been closely related to the last guy. He had a similar bod, but had some sort of cartoon character head (and similar spammy links).

At the risk of sounding like a prude, I really just want my blog to be about art and creative things. Things that are fairly joyful and innocent. So Mr. Hot Bod spam follower, why don't you go find someone else who might appreciate your avatar and mysterious links more than I do. I'm afraid your efforts are wasted on me and only make me want to punch you in the face!

We All Could Use A Good Challenge

2010-01-20T15:50:00.002-06:00

It's easy to get stuck in a rut and keep doing the same old thing. That might be why I was feeling so frustrated and uninspired last weekend (I'm feeling much better now, by the way). Sometimes it's important to challenge yourself so that you can improve on whatever it is you like to do (writing, painting, cooking, etc).

In my mind, I keep telling myself that I need to go to school and take art classes but I can't afford to go to school right now. I probably wouldn't make a very good student anyway because I have too many other priorities. Technology, being as amazing as it is, offers some great alternatives. I'm taking a 3 week book binding workshop online called: Make Your Own Journal: for beginners. It's being taught by a woman named Leslie Herger of Comfortable Shoes Studio. [As an aside, you can still check out the workshop if you are interested. She's taking participants until January 22. Get more information here: http://artjournaling.ning.com/.]

I have seen a couple of Leslie's videos on Youtube and enjoy them. They are clear, provide a lot of useful information and she is not hung up on everything being pretty and perfect. I think when you aren't worried about perfection you can really crank out some nice art. Anyway, I like having the challenge of trying new things and seeing the techniques Leslie has to offer.

The only problem with the whole art-journal-making-thing is that now I have a new crafting obsession. Which as you know, I don't need. But hey, what the heck!

Here's a photo of my first hand made art journal cover. Collaged with some papers I've been hoarding:

I can hardly wait until we get this week's assignment. I think we're going to get to assemble our journals. I'll let you know how it goes. Until then, go create something! :)

I Think I'm Onto Something

2010-01-17T22:57:00.000-06:00

My wonderful husband took my kids away for awhile this weekend, so I could have time to myself. I love having time to myself. I had planned to do art all weekend so I'd have something new and interesting to sell at the artist's market next weekend. The problem is, I was absolutely uninspired to create anything. I hate it when that happens! How often do I get a big chunk of time when I can paint to my heart's content? Not very often. So I spent most of my time yesterday watching some of the 65 episodes of Law and Order I've been recording on DVR (and eating a bunch of crap I shouldn't eat).

Today I sat down to do some work and the same thing happened - nothing. Just all these feelings of dread and self doubt and being uninterested. So I decided to do a few other things. I took a shower, watched a movie, ate some dinner. Then I went back to my room to put a coat or two on some things I want to decorate. I made myself work for an hour, then I decided to do dishes. If I wasn't going to do art, then I may as well do something that will make me feel productive.

While I was doing dishes, an interesting thought occured to me: maybe the reason I'm not a very good house keeper (besides the fact that I don't really like housework) is because if all the housework is done, then I have no excuse not to do art. I keep telling myself that I can't do art because I have all this other stuff to do, but what if that's just a way to avoid the thing I think I really want to do?! Or, what if I don't even really want to do art, after telling myself for years that I do? Wow. Then I thought about how much fun I have when I do have an idea and get it out on paper. Or how much I enjoy talking with people about creativity. And who would I be if I didn't have this one thing that is all mine?

I joined an art journal challenge this month called A Year in the Life of an Art Journal. I'm really excited about doing this because I think it will help me learn things about journaling and inspire me to do some art. The first prompt is asking: what is it that keeps me from doing what I want to do? And all the things I think of, all the excuses I make - everything comes back to me. I'm the one who keeps me from doing the things I want to do. Isn't that interesting?

So, I guess I'd better learn to get out of my own way.

Uninspired - Sort Of

2010-01-12T00:26:00.000-06:00

I think it's amazing that when I'm faced with a deadline, my brain (and heart) can not come up with anything to create. I signed up to be in a really cool artist's market on January 22nd (that's a mere 11 days away) and every time I sit down to make something for it, nothing happens. I just stare at all the junk in my craft cave, look at the walls, shuffle papers around, then decide to get a snack. That's it.

I know that about January 20th, I'll start freaking out because of all the things I need to do to get ready, and I'll have a bunch of ideas I want to work on, but I won't have time. It's just the way it goes. I had the same problem in college. I would wait until the night before the due date to start some major paper, I'd stay up all night smoking cigarettes and drinking tea (I'm a non-smoker now, but still occasionally drink tea). I'd write out my paper in long hand, then type it on a borrowed electric typewriter (this was before everyone had personal computers). I almost always managed to get the assignment in on time and get a good grade. It was ridiculous and I'd hoped to out grow it some day. Guess I'm still working on it!

I have managed to start a large drawing for someone I love. I can't reveal who it's for because it's a surprise and I don't want to it for the person if that person happens to read my blog. It's colored pencil with ink outlines. I'm not finished, I still have to add some details, but this is what it looks like now:

So far I'm pleased with it (except for the fact that when I posted it here, I can't get it to post horizontally-which is how it's supposed to be...goofy thing)! The drawing is 17" x 14".

Thanks for stopping by!

My Biggest Fans

2010-01-03T17:23:00.000-06:00

These are my kids - my biggest fans. They think my art is beautiful - all of it. They think I'm the best paper cutter in all the world, really great at coloring in the lines, and they are consistently impressed with most of the creative things I attempt. I know they are easily impressed and wouldn't be considered impartial, but I don't care. I love that they compliment me like I'm the best artist this side of heaven. They are the only ones who do this for me and I know it won't last forever. I'm going to take it in for as long as I can.

Who is your biggest fan? Who loves your work and isn't afraid to tell you about it?

Hope of Things to Come

2009-12-31T21:02:00.001-06:00

When I was younger, I would spend time every New Year's Eve, reflecting and writing about the year that was ending and my hopes for the year ahead. This tells you two very important things about me: #1 I didn't have many New Year's Eve dates and #2 I have periods of time where I am very hopeful.

Now that I am 46 (and a half), married (so I have a permanent New Year's Eve date) and have two young kids, I don't have much time to reflect on much of anything. I also have lost much of my short term memory, so I can't remember what I had for lunch let alone what I did in January or the rest of the year. But tonight my most wonderful husband, took the kids out for some family fun and (after some whining and complaining on my part) didn't "make me" go with them. So for one glorious and peaceful hour, I wrote down some of my hopes and goals for 2010. I would like to share some of them with you:

Introduce some new products to my Etsy shop. I've been wanting to add some different things for a long time (bookmarks, handmade journals, more tags, calendars, etc) but haven't taken the time to do it. I want to work on it this year.
Open another online shop. I have an Artfire account that I haven't put anything in for about a year. Maybe I should give that a try.
Make my blog more interesting and look more the way I want it to look.
Average 3 blog posts a week. Maybe add some demonstrations or tutorials.
Set some sales goals for my Etsy shop and work my hiney off to reach them.
Make more money than I spend (or at least break even).
Be bold in my belief in God and pursue my relationship with Jesus Christ.
Quit procrastinating
Love myself more in action and thought (stop telling myself that I'm destined to fail)
Be healthy (quit eating so much sugar and start exercising)
Clean house regularly
Love my family

I know this is a big and challenging list, but these are my hopes. It would be great to be here next New Year's Eve reporting that I made even a little progress in most areas.

Thanks for following my blog and for your encouragement. It has meant so much to me to have people cheer me on as I pursue one of the things I love most.

Have a safe and wonderful New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-27T02:08:00.001-06:00

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas. My family and I did. We have been spending the past couple of days being "snowed in". In central Missouri, that usually means only about 4-6 inches. I know compared to some of the northern states, that is wimpy snow, but it is snow. It has been fairly relaxed and quiet - as quiet as it can be with kids around. I'm thankful for this time. It seems the past few weeks have been non-stop activity, so I'm ready to be doing nothing.

I'm working on coming up with a list of goals I want to work on for the new year. My goals are always a little too lofty in the beginning, so I need to tweek them a bit. I do know that one goal will be to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. That will mean going to be earlier than my normal routine of 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. I love the quiet this time of night, but the lack of sleep is definitely taking it's toll on my mind and body and it's reflected in my mood (which tends to go up and down like a wild roller coaster).

I'd also like to write more regularly in my blog and get more things listed in my Etsy shop. I think I set the goals last year but was only minimally successful. That's one thing about a new year, you get to start all over again. You have hope that you can actually reach the goals that are set. I've got my fingers (and toes) crossed! I'll be back soon with my goals list, so you can see what the plan is. Right now, I need to go to bed since it is past 2:00 a.m. I'm tired and need to get some rest so I can concentrate in church tomorrow!

Good night. Thanks for following my blog!

Where to Go From Here

2009-12-15T23:44:00.000-06:00

Tonight I find myself a little confused about what to do with myself, my art projects, my shop, my blog...Hey wait a minute! Haven't I written about this before?! I believe I have. Hopefully, you won't mind going down this road with me again.

I think the challenge for me in this stage of life, (besides trying to do anything that does not involve my children) is getting from where I am to where I want to be, without taking the long and winding road. Sometimes the long road is good, you learn things, you see things you may not have seen if you'd gone the fast track and you get the opportunity to develop patience. But sometimes, the long and winding road is just full of foolish mistakes and wasted time. I realize that all lessons ultimately are good lessons and shape who we are, I just feel like I've spent too much time on the long and winding road and would like to be more focused on the destination.

I'm trying to figure out ways to be more productive in 2010. I need to ask questions about what goals I want to set, are they realistic, how will I get there and am I doing things that will keep me from where I want to be? Am I allowing too many ideas to overwhelm me and to scare me into not doing anything? It's probably good to just take tiny baby steps rather than standing in one place. Eventually tiny baby steps lead somewhere.

I'll think about this some more and get back to you with some goals. Until then, I think I'll go finish making some Christmas presents!

Beaux Arts Bizarre 2009

2009-12-05T23:13:00.001-06:00

Last week I participated in the Beaux Arts Bizarre held at the Missouri Theatre in Columbia, Missouri. This is the second year that I've had a booth with my friends Jolene and Beth. The Missouri Theatre is a beautiful old building that was recently renovated. Just seeing all the work that has been done to restore it is awesome and to have a booth on the stage for 3 days is pretty amazing.

I enjoy sharing a booth with Beth and Jolene. It's one of the few times the three of us get to spend time together without children dominating our activities and conversation. Between the three of us we have 7 kids, all under the age of 10 and most under the age of 8. Whenever we do a booth together, we call ourselves "3 Moms Creative Outlet" but individually, we each have our own Etsy shops. Our creations are different, but similar enough to blend and display nicely together. Here are some pics of our booth:

I like doing fairs because it's nice to get feedback about what kinds of things I've been working on. I also enjoy meeting people and talking with them. It's really fun getting to know some of the other artists. But doing art fairs as a way to make money has not been very successful for me. Getting product ready and setting up, taking down, etc. is a lot of hard work. So far, I've done better at a gallery showing and selling consignment at Artlandish Gallery downtown. I don't want to give up on art fairs, but I hope to start figuring out how to make more money than I spend. Maybe in the spring I'll have better opportunities to sell art. We'll see.

Printer Update and Wood Things

2009-12-04T01:02:00.001-06:00

I know you've been on the edge of your seats wondering how the printer saga will end. I'm happy to say that I purchased a brand spankin' new printer from Office Depot today. It's a Brother MFC-290C and I believe we are going to be very happy together!

I just wanted to post a few photos of some wooden things I've been painting. I especially love the mirror and candle stick holders with matching napkin rings. Would love to do more of these in the future. These photos were taken at the Beaux Arts Bizarre last weekend. Our booth was on the stage, so we had some "dramatic" lighting. I plan on writing more about the art fair, but for now I would just like to show you some pictures.

These are now for sale at Artlandish Gallery on Walnut Street in Columbia, Missouri. They would make great Christmas/holiday gifts, don't you think?

The Printer Dilemma

2009-12-03T09:21:00.001-06:00

In October 2008, I decided I needed a new printer. I wanted one that would copy, print and scan. I looked online, researched and found one that was compatible with my budget. I bought it, brought it home, set it up and loved it. The printing was great, the scanning was awesome and I was a happy woman.

Approximately one week after the warranty on my printer expired, so did the printer. It would no longer pull paper through properly and I had no idea how to fix it. I've asked a couple of people if they knew how to fix printers, but it seems to be that it is more economical to throw printers out than to have them fixed. That seems to be the ongoing theme of our disposable culture. I even took the printer apart to see if by some miracle, I could fix it myself. Once I got it all put back together, I tried to run it, but it's out of ink and I don't think I'm going to run out and buy $50 in ink just to find out if all my poking around fixed the problem. I could buy a new printer with 50 bucks!

I've been without a printer for weeks now and I'm ready to have my printing freedoms restored. However, I have a very limited budget and I don't want to buy another garbage printer. What to do, what to do.....

If you have any good recommendations for printers under $100, feel free to share. I know $100 isn't much, but I think I should be able to get something halfway decent for that amount of money. It doesn't have to last until I retire, but it does have to last beyond it's warranty.

Some Are Born With It, Some Are Not...

2009-11-17T21:38:00.001-06:00

Everyone is born with gifts and talents. Thankfully, everyone has something different they are good at. Think how boring it would be if we were all the same and if we all had the same gifts. It might also be kind of dangerous. If all people were like me, who would run the Emergency Rooms, the Stock Market and other intense things that involve high drama, quick thinking, and blood? I'm glad God made people who want to (and are good at) work in hospitals, be leaders, teach gradeschoolers (junior high schoolers and high schoolers), run the country, preach, design faster computers, develop better sewer systems, etc. I certainly have benefited from all of these things.

There are other "callings" that I wish I were better suited for like being a singer/songwriter, ballet dancer, farmer, Martha Stewart (or anyone else who is incredibly talented with all things domestic and has made big bucks showing others how to be).

Alas, I am not those things. I am also not a business minded or money saavy individual. This poses a bit of a problem since I think I want to run a little business with my art work. I can accept that I'm not a ballet dancer, nor will I ever be one, but I really want to succeed at business. So I keep making silly mistakes that someone with a business mind would never make. For instance, not charging enough shipping for something I'm selling on Ebay. Or not knowing how to get a fair price for an item I'm selling (not just on Ebay). I'm trying to learn from my mistakes and trying to take advantage of resources that will make me smarter. Until then, I guess I'm going to be giving Ebay buyers some pretty darn good steals...uh, I mean "deals".

Conquering Fear - On a Small Scale

2009-11-16T11:35:00.000-06:00

Do you have those things in your life that you really want to try but are letting fear or worry hold you back? I have lots of those things. Most of them are quite silly, but I let the fear or worry keep me from doing them anyway.

For years I have wanted to make my own books. Small books, big books, beautiful, wonderful and creative books. I bought several books about making books. I've checked out books on book making from the library. I've seen wonderful hand made books on Etsy and at art shows. But I was always too afraid to try making one myself. I thought they would be too difficult to make and take too much time. A few weeks ago, I made a few small books that I put together and hand stiched to include in block printing kits I put together. They turned out kind of cute, they were fairly easy and I was happy with the result.

Last week, Artlandish Gallery offered a workshop in traditional Japanese bookbinding and I was privileged to attend. The workshop was taught by artist Sonya Nicholson who did a great job of breaking down the steps to building a book. (Check out some examples of Sonya's work here).

I really love the way my book turned out and it was not as difficult as I had always imagined it would be. Isn't that the way with things we fear? Mostly, they are never quite as bad as we build them up to be? The other thing is, that since I was able to finally make something I had always wanted to make and I liked the result, I felt very happy. I still love looking at my beautiful book and dreaming of a whole new avenue to release some creative energy. As if I really needed another thing to add to my list of things I love to make! Oh well! :)

Here are some photos of my first book made with Japanese bookbinding:

Adding to My Etsy Shop

2009-10-31T23:11:00.005-05:00

One of my weaknesses is that I allow myself to be overwhelmed by tasks that I haven't even attempted yet. I think of something I want to do and instead of believing I can do it and use my energy to get the job done, I waste time telling myself the many reasons why I can't do it. Almost always, I end up either not doing anything at all or procrastinating until it's too late to do anything.

My business suffers because of my procrastination. I pretty much ignored the fact that I have an Etsy shop for most of the Spring and Summer. I would log in, look at my stuff, roll my eyes, then log out. All the while telling myself how I really needed to get in there and dust the cobwebs off so I could add a few things and make my shop presentable. I really want to have a cool shop. One that is successful. Really, I do. But I get caught up in believing it's an impossible task and I just end up feeling bad.

A couple of weeks ago, I changed my avatar, my banner and worked on some of my photos. I changed my banner for this blog too (which still needs work) and today I actually added 7 new items. That's SEVEN! Not only did I add that many new items, I now have 25 items total which added a second page to my shop! It may not seem like much, but to me, it's huge. The other part is that the 7 (yes, that's SEVEN) things I added are not paper crafts. They are totally different than anything I've ever listed before. These are my babysteps.

I think it helps to look to others when I am feeling defeated or overwhelmed and I don't know what to do. One person (a fellow Etsian) who is an inspiration to me is Jessica Doyle. She is a wonderful artist who works her butt off and is very successful. I follow her blog and follow her on Facebook. I like reading her daily entries because she seems very organized and she's really good about sharing information. When I see her successes as a result of her determination and hard work, it makes me want to get my own rear in gear. I'm thankful for Jessica and people like her, who share their struggles, insight and processes. It helps me learn how to be more focused and more hopeful about seeing my dreams come true.

Do you have a blog you like to turn to for inspiration?

I Did This Instead of Sleeping...

2009-10-31T00:48:00.003-05:00

Everyone in my family has had some sort of ailment in the past week. I'm just getting over mine, so I should really be sleeping. You know, getting rest so I can get healthy, letting my body rejuvenate so I don't have a relapse. Instead, I spent time carving eraser stamps! I've found that this is what really relaxes me lately, especially if I like the way the designs turned out.

I've been working on getting some things ready for an art fest I'm doing with my friends on Thanksgiving weekend. It's kind of an overwhelming task because there seems to be so much to be done and not really enough time to do it. Carving stamps helps me be creative, without having to commit too much time. Besides, I'll be able to make tags out of some of these and sell them at the art fest!

Working to Make it Better

2009-10-24T23:05:00.004-05:00

I've been telling myself for quite some time now, that I'm going to work on my Etsy shop and other aspects of my tiny little business. I've been avoiding my Etsy shop like the plague because it seems so overwhelming, the number of things I want to do. But I'm just trying to focus on taking baby steps.

I changed my avatar and banner and added one new item. I will probably have a few more things to add, but need to take some photos first. I've been spending some time in the forum, reading blogs of sellers I admire, participated in Tim Adam's Webinar and have refused to give up after not doing so well in a couple of art/craft fairs.

Two really nice things that have happened lately: someone is in the process of buying one of my mixed media collage pieces and I sold 24 cards to the Unity Center so they could sell them in their bookstore. It's always nice to make a couple of sales.

The piece below is the one that is being purchased. It's called "You Are The Only One". It's one of my favorites, but I'm glad that it will have a new home.

Block Party

2009-10-04T22:29:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I facilitated a group of 8 women in a linoleum block printing workshop. It was held at Artlandish Gallery in Columbia, Missouri and it was really fun! I met some nice people, had a few laughs, saw some great designs. But the most fun part was watching as each person saw the first print of their carving on paper. It was truly amazing. Lots of "ooos and ahhhs" going on in that room.

We also carved some plastic erasers for some really cute hand made stamps. I was inspired to carve out a small lino block last night before I went to bed. Here's how it turned out:

I'm happy with the way it turned out and can hardly wait to print some different colors on cards and make some prints for framing.

I've been working on carving a few stamps and rubber pieces. It's very satisfying and there is the element of immediate gratification. I can carve a quick stamp in a few minutes, make a quick print then go cook dinner (or whatever thing I need to do). I can squeeze making hand made stamps in any part of my day! I'm soooo addicted. Here are some of the stamps I've made:

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

2009-10-03T23:32:00.003-05:00

We spent a week in Wisconsin in August and this is one of the things I did while I was there. I'm just now getting around to posting it.

I Don't Think He Believes Me

2009-09-10T23:14:00.004-05:00

I'm not depressed or anything, but tonight as I was sitting in my craft space, I felt that feeling "I have no other ideas left. The idea pool is all dried up and I don't have the energy to do anything about it".

My husband was in working on the computer when I announced: "Well honey, I'm out of ideas. I'm just going to sell all my craft stuff now. Just combine it all and sell it in one big lot on ebay." His response? "Mmmm hmmm".

"We can now use the extra space in the craft room as storage, won't have to worry about needing room for my art supplies"

"Mmmm hmmm"

"You know, this will really free up some time for me. I won't be spending all these late nights doing art. I can go to bed at 10:00 now."

"Mmmm hmmm"

"The kids will ask me if I have tape, glue, scissors and I'll just tell them 'the only thing we have like that is in your craft closet'"

"Mmmm hmmm"

"I'll really be saving money since I won't have to buy any craft supplies. I won't feel obligated to go to Michael's to spend money when they have their 50% off coupon".

"Mmmm hmmm"

It's a good thing I'm a procrastinator. If I weren't, I'd be packing it all up right now and listing it on ebay (I've got lots of great supplies). I guess I'll just have to sleep on it. Maybe tomorrow I'll get some genius idea that I'll need my paints and brushes for. I sure hope so!

More Block Prints

2009-09-09T19:56:00.004-05:00

I've been working on some more block prints. I will be facilitating two workshops at Artlandish Gallery in the next few weeks and even though I'm a little nervous, I'm really looking forward to it. Above are some images I scanned to show the progression of this particular print.

The first picture shows the candle after I did one etching into the linoleum. I think doing some preliminary prints can be very helpful in showing you what other details will make the carving look more interesting. Even though I like the original sketch of the candle, I'm not completely happy with the final print. I think it would have been better to have something in between the second and the last image (but number 3 above is not what I had in mind). I think I should have left more background around the candle like in image two. I may try to do this drawing again, or I may try one of the other sketches I have hiding in my sketchbook.

Thanks for stopping by!

You Can't Always Get What You Want/The Honeymoon Is Over

2009-08-30T23:25:00.002-05:00

After my last post where I sang praises to the addiction that is Ebay, I have come to know the darker side of cyber bidding:

I HAVE BEEN OUT BID!

It's cruel to win your first bid, giving you false hope and overconfidence. Only to have some "slick willy" jump in during the last few minutes of bidding on your next item and take away the object of your desires! I was so sure I was going to get that speedball lino cutter handle with 5 blades and ink. SO SURE. I was the only one who bid on it. I was so excited thinking about it showing up in my mailbox wrapped in a little package, with my name on it.

Darn you a***m for your bidding savvy!

Oh, Ebay! Where Have You Been All My Life?!

2009-08-28T22:32:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I've known about Ebay for a very long time. I even have been signed up with them for probably over a year. But I never have done anything on Ebay other than look around a little. That is....until this week.

Because of Ebay, I am now the proud owner of a box of 36 Prismacolor Water Color Pencils and a Speedball lino cutter with blades at a fraction of what I would've paid in the real world! Oh man! Now I know why people get so hooked on online bidding. (I am currently waiting to see if I've won bids on two more items).

So, as I sit here typing this, (hurrying to finish this entry so I can visit ebay for a little while before I go to bed), I know that ebay can also be a dangerous place for a woman like me. One who has impulse control "issues", not a lot of disposable income, not a lot of storage space and gets a major rush from finding a good deal! Let's pray that I won't eventually have to mortgage the house to support my habit! :)

New Obsession

2009-08-19T10:22:00.006-05:00

Ok, I know I'm no different than any other creative type. I love making things. I find out about some new technique or art form I want to try, become obsessed, buy supplies, check out books from the library, and make big plans to become a full time artist doing this new thing. Then along comes something else that catches my eye and I'm on to something even newer.

My latest "newest thing" is block printing. Although it's really an ancient art form, it's kind of new to me. I have loved rubber stamping for a long time and I've dabbled in carving my own stamps from erasers. But I think I may become addicted to lino block printing. I have a feeling it will be one of the art forms that stays with me for a long time. It's very satisfying to carve out an original design on a linoleum block, ink it up and press it on paper.

This is one I did this past week:

The tree on the right is fully inked from the first pressing. The one on the left is from a second pressing without adding any new ink. Let me know if you have any suggestions. I think eventually, I'm going to post a tutorial on how to carve your own lino block.

Thanks for stopping by.

5 States, 7 Days and Home Again

2009-08-16T23:46:00.004-05:00

My family and I took a lovely vacation to Grantsburg, Wisconsin last week and returned yesterday afternoon. We drove from Columbia, Missouri, to Prairie Village, Kansas to drop off our sick car so my awesome mechanic brother could work on it. Then the four of us hopped in the mini van and headed North.

The first night we stayed in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The next morning we explored the Mall of America for a couple of hours (man! that place is huge!) then headed to Grantsburg, Wisconsin. There we spent 5 nights and 5 days at the Luther Point Bible Camp for family week. It was a lot of fun and we met many, many wonderful people. Minnesota and Wisconsin are such beautiful states in the summer (not sure I could handle the winters there). I loved the landscape of trees, hills, beautiful big barns and acre upon acre of corn and soybeans.

On Friday, we said goodbye to our camp friends and drove the mini van to Des Moines, Iowa. I love Iowa too. On this trip we saw a couple of wind farms, which I had never experienced before. Those "windmills" are awesome and HUGE. We had to stop for a minute to take photos of them. I know that probably sounds silly to some of you, but I'd never seen them up close and personal before. I thought they were amazing.

6-ish hours later, we walked through the doorway of our home sweet home and to our wonderful, fuzzy black cat, Davis. It really was a good trip.

Now, I'm trying to get my mind organized so that I can start some projects that will (hopefully) eventually make me some money. Our budget requires that I leave my "life of luxury" and get a part time job. I'm still hoping to find something a little unconventional and creative that I can do from home. A girl has got to have dreams...

One thing I'm looking into is leading a couple of workshops at a cool new store that opened up in town (have I mentioned Artlandish Galle ry before)? I'm doing internet research on where to find the best prices for art supplies. If you have any suggestions for me, please feel free to leave me a comment.

I just wanted to check in. I'm working on a linoleum block print and I'm almost finished. I'll be sure to post a photo of the finished product!

Going to the Birds

2009-08-02T19:35:00.001-05:00

I sold one of the suns from my last post (the painting with the four blocks and the sun in the middle). After the sale, I immediately went to the ARTlandish Gallery and put the other two up for sale. My hope is that someone will fall in love with them and want to take them home :) !

I continue to purchase wooden objects to paint. I think I'm obsessed! I have two boxes full of things I want to paint with funky designs and bright colors. I keep thinking if I do that, surely someone will want to buy them. I hope so anyway. I don't have enough room in my own house to "show case" all the things I plan on painting.

One of the things I've been really having fun with is painting bird houses. I can't explain it, I just love doing it. Here are some photos of a few of the things I've been working on. Some are complete, others need more work:

These were really fun to do and I'm currently working on another. I will post it when I'm done. Thanks for stopping by.