Living Life as Art

People Ask the Darndest Things

2012-01-27T10:33:00.000-06:00

Questions from the inbox:

If money wasn't a factor, would you get plastic surgery? Probably, but I’m not telling what for.

I am just setting up a blog and I came upon yours. It is wonderful. Do you review books by individuals? Only if it’s art-related. I have to set some boundaries or the next thing you know I’m writing a review for Clorox.

Hi Francie! In a nutshell, what is rough edge applique?? In regular appliqué, the edges are turned under for a neat finish. When I say rough edge appliqué I’m referring to the practice of sewing something down with the rough edges out and showing. They add texture and develop character as they fray.

Are there sites that critique handmade crafts? Not that I know of. But then I’ve found that not many people really want an honest opinion of what they make.

Where can I get cute free mailing labels? Thanks! Many of the sites that I link to on the gift tag page also have other printables available.

Any tags with cows? Huh?!? Assuming you are referring to printable gift tags, then, no, not that I’m aware of.

Have you created an art journal that you would be willing to share? Yes, several, and I hope to start sharing those here again soon.

hey francis..i've had the biggest crush on you for awhile! i don't go on here a lot but message me on www.******.com under the username "wishfulthinker". Talk about “wishful thinking”.
I've had a crush on you for awhile. …
Ok so I have a crush on U. …
I'm INFATUATED with you. …
hiya cutie are you a member of any other social internet site? I’m sensing a trend here.

Do you know about the website www.bit.ly/***?? I made 200 today. it's mad easy. You made 200 what, though. That's the question.

Title? I don't need no stinkin' title!

2011-05-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

In all honesty expect this post to be all over the place. It would be as hard to put a title on this as it is to choose which is my favorite child. (Don't tell the others but I'm partial to Chico the cat. He never sasses and always agrees when I think it might be time for a nap.)

So as mentioned in a previous post (go ahead... I'll wait) I am trying to make my house look more like normal people's houses (and less like your grandma's garage sale) before class tomorrow. I do have a book review almost ready for you. But in the meantime I'll just cheat and share some links with you.

*gathering inspiration from these two online mags

Sweet Paul's Spring 2011
LMNOP's Holiday Issue 13 Yes, I'm a little late.

*loving these blogs

Pia Jane Biajkerk
Newspaper Taxi

*aching over these artists

Holy Smoke
Kristin Perers

*loving these books

Scandinavian Stitches by Kajsa Wikman

Scandinavian Needlecraft by Clare Youngs and Sarah Hoggett

*playing with the cool kids ;)

I have to admit when I joined Pinterest a few months ago I knew it was cool, handy, all that, but I had no idea it would explode like it has. You can find almost anything and anyone there. So if you haven't joined yet, what are you waiting for?!

Difference of opinion

2011-05-04T08:30:00.004-05:00

I am on a one-woman mission to rescue what I call "vintage treasures" and what my husband calls "all that crap crowding the house." In fact, just yesterday, he threatened an intervention. But do you want to hear something so astounding, so unbelievable that you'll be up nights wondering at it? When people don't pay the property taxes on houses and buildings they own and those said places become so derelict as to be put on the city's demolition list, those buildings are razed to the ground without a thought for what might be in them. Yes, some of them are empty or contain nothing more exciting than possum poop. And others... well others belonged to somebody's mother who died and their children took what they thought was worth something and the rest just sat there. Tchotchkes collecting dust but otherwise aging quite well without anyone fiddling with them. Fabric doesn't age as well but the rest... Or the barns and outbuildings with doodads that nobody knows what the heck they are but they sure look cool on your wall. Anyway, I was shocked. Still haven't figured out what can be done about it.

And so I make myself feel better by going to church garage sales where other little old ladies are more than happy to send their stuff home with me. Where they are tickled when I say I love things "with character" or that I was born in the wrong generation. Or maybe they are just happy to have someone appreciate all the crap crowding their house.

25 ways to wear a scarf

2011-04-26T11:22:00.003-05:00

How cool is this?! And I am SO a scarf kinda girl. Weather here in west Texas is *almost* warm enough to have to pack them away. *pout*

Click on the pic to go to YouTube and see the whole video.

Earth Day 2011 and Billion Acts of Green

2011-04-22T11:52:00.004-05:00

Today is Earth Day and I encourage to do what we should be doing every single day - working to reduce your footprint on the planet. No, this doesn't diminish your legacy to your children any. In fact, it will likely increase it. It also won't save you money in most cases. Sometimes living green can be costly and inconvenient. After all, if it were easy, everybody would be doing it, right? But we now know the planet won't last forever. Shocker, right? So do whatever you can for today but more importantly make small changes that you can incorporate in everyday life. Earth Day Network encourages you to pledge your commitment on their Billion Acts of Green site. Go share your act - it will keep you accountable. If you're stumped for ideas, check out acts posted by other members.

And, for goodness' sake, go outside!

But what do you DO?

2011-04-22T11:31:00.003-05:00

Do you ever get that question? Especially you stay-at-home types - moms and dads alike.

"So where do you work?"
"Oh, I don't actually have a job outside the home. I write reviews for several book publishers for my blog as well as a large craft website.* I also create art for a major company using their new products that's shipped out to stores nationwide. Oh, and I teach an afterschool art class to elementary school kids. And every time somebody needs anything vaguely craft or art related done for school, church, or family I'm the first one they call on."
"You get to stay at home! That's so nice. I wouldn't be able to that. All that time on my hands would drive me crazy."

Fortunately, starting this next week, I'll be working as a cake decorator / pastry chef at a local bakery. So I can finally say I DO something! :)

* up til 6 months ago... which is a whole other story. That particular experience, while giving me a jumpstart on craft reviewing just left me with a bad, but not bitter ;), taste in my mouth there in the last year. A major reason I just kinda clammed up online.

Local Families Lose Homes in Fires

2011-02-28T13:16:00.000-06:00

8 local families lost their homes in fires yesterday. Kait's DECA class is collecting things for them. Gently used clothing of all sizes, blankets, housewares, and new toiletries are high on their list. If you'd like to donate please let me know and I'll make sure it gets there. If you're local you can drop it by my house. If you're within 150 miles I can come pick it up. Further than that and I'll give you a mailing address. :) Thanks!

Doodle for Google

2011-02-28T10:04:00.003-06:00

My after-school art class will be participating in Doodle for Google. For the first time Google is also allowing parents to register their kids instead of needing to be affiliated with a school or program. Perhaps you know a child who'd like a chance at having their doodle seen by millions? (Not to mention a college scholarship!)

No pictures please! What about your dream space?

2010-09-07T06:50:00.006-05:00

I feel like such a tease. Always saying I'm going to post more often. Not following through. Let's see. What are my excuses... errr... reasons this time?

The kids started school. I am now the proud parent of a senior and an eighth grader. Kaitlin will be graduating this year with her distinguished diploma. She goes to school until lunchtime and then has the afternoon off although technically it's called a "work period." She's in DECA and working at a local fast food place to pay off her motorcycle. Not mentioning the name but she makes the best ice cream treats ever. (insert long rant here about problems with temporary manager that we're trying to iron out. I took the kids to school and when I came back I realized it was just a bunch of griping. :P) Her DECA counselor has been so wonderful.

Cameron is glad to be playing tennis again. That boy lives for the courts. He has some football guys on his back - all over a girl naturally. This, too, shall pass.

Both of these remind me of the Elizabeth Stone quote “Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”

And door number three, Bob? I'm glad you asked. Behind door number three today we have the shambles formerly known as our house. We live in a 50's bungalow type house. Standard 3 bedroom, 1 3/4 bath type thing. Over the years the owners added a garage then converted it to a bedroom. They added a laundry room. But what we're concerned with is the 400 square foot family room that they added onto the back of the house. Because I am currently in the process of converting it into class space.

It has been my art space forever and ever, with Ken and the kids' computer desks here and there, a loveseat for reading and hanging out. But recently it became necessary (more convenient?) to move classes out of the store and to another space. So, in a moment of insanity, we thought "Why not?" Because who else has a big space like this plus a 6 foot table, 5 foot table, 8 pine chairs, classroom size chalkboard (for lessonplans/schedule and such), 5 giant desks, 2 small desks, towers for holding paper, 8 bookshelves, supply cabinets, file cabinets... I could go on but you get the idea. It's like I've been amassing the needed items before I even knew it. And we'll have all our supplies at our fingertips! No more frantically calling Ken because I forgot needles. hehe

It does require me texturing the ceiling, sealing the floor, moving furniture, and other things. You know how you come to live with things and don't notice them anymore? That is until you realize that the parents of more than a half dozen kids will be walking through your house weekly. ugh.

And so I have employed child labor for the last week and we are down to the wire. Two days to go and what doesn't get done - well, I'll just shrug and smile.

I have no pretty pictures of my own to share. These are pilfered from various Japanese sources. If I could read the bloggers entries maybe I could tell you the sources but then again maybe not. These have the feel that I love. Right off I can't find my very favorite but as soon as I do I'll share it. What is your dream space? What would it include? Do you have certain places on the web that you go to over an over to look for inspiration for studio space?

The -ings that make up my day

2010-08-25T09:12:00.003-05:00

This morning I'm:

working on tomorrow's art/craft class
scanning in pics of our cubist/Picasso class (y'all will love these!)
taking pics of a giveaway
answering ebay questions
ruminating on that book I promised
wanting to finish this paper theater
needing to clean my art room
waiting on the plumber

Details to follow. :)

Thank you for the love - past, present and future

2010-08-11T07:30:00.005-05:00

autograph page from my personal collection for your journal/collage use
high quality png file

I would just like to send a big thank you to all of the people who have sent so much encouragement and support in the past few months both online and off.

Reviews and articles will be resuming on Monday with a fantastic new book I am terribly excited about. I will also begin sharing the kids' art classes that I teach on Thursdays.

So here's to an exciting Fall of 2010 - my favorite season!

inspiring room "clipped" from somewhere on the web long forgotten now

See ya soon!

2010-06-17T12:02:00.001-05:00

This blog is currently on hiatus for health reasons but I hope to be back soon! :)

12 Steps for Artists plus a challenge!

2010-03-26T08:34:00.007-05:00

1. Admit that you are powerless over your ARTmaking, and it is the only thing that makes your life manageable.

Many artists describe the feelings they get from making art as an almost spiritual or sexual experience, feeling a complete and total sense of happiness and being at one with the world. Much like the feeling an athlete gets from hitting the ball in the sweet spot. But, instead of it being a fleeting moment, it is a lasting sense satisfaction and contentment. It is what keeps them the sane, wonderful people we love.

2. Believe that ART is a Power, greater than yourself, and can restore you to sanity.

Making art is the way artists create order out of chaos. It is a personal order, that allows them to navigate their way through life. The most positive addiction. When you find yourself cranky or irritable, is it really just because you haven’t allowed yourself quiet time to work?

3. Made a decision to turn yourself and your life over to ART.

The term “frustrated artist” didn’t come out of nowhere. Societal pressures, parental pressures, and sometimes our own need to succeed or fear of failure, keeps a lot of artists from ever realizing their dream. You can’t escape from it forever…eventually, the need to create will overpower whatever rational reasons you have developed to keep yourself from finding the time to make art. The sooner you accept it, the better.

4. Made a searching and fearless inventory of your ART skills.

There is nothing wrong with being a self taught artist. But, in the same way your vocabulary skills can improve communication skills, so can developing your technique as an artist. The beauty of creativity is it’s never ending quality. Making sure that you are constantly looking, learning and improving your skills as an artist (and that includes keeping up to date with technology) will ensure you are working up to your potential

5. Admit to yourself and one other human being, the importance of ART in your life.

Artists are not capable of “controlling” their work hours. When you are “in the zone” your friends and family accuse you of being preoccupied and/or distant. But, it’s like a switch you can’t turn off. It creeps up on you when you least expect it, and never, ever when you summons it. You need to communicate this to the people in your life that are important to you so they can understand the importance of ART in your life and not take it personally when you are not “present.”

6. Were entirely ready to allow ART to be an important part of your life, but not your entire life.

You may not always have the luxury to work on your art when you want to. Responsibilities of real life get in the way for most artists. But, you can learn to come up with tricks to ease back into a work schedule, when it is absolutely necessary. For example, working on 3-4 things simultaneously. When you get stuck on one, you can easily move into another. Other artists have described the technique of only leaving the studio for the day only when you know exactly what you next move on a particular painting will be when you comes back…something easy, that has already been planned and you won’t have to think about.

7. Humbly promise never to ask anyone “What do you think of my work?”

Admit it. If you’re an artist, there is ALWAYS one question on your mind that you are dying to ask people…”what do you think of my work?” There is no doubt, that as an artist, getting feedback is important. If you’ve read my article Art is a Verb, not a Noun, you already know that I don’t believe any object an artist makes can be called ART until it is out in the real world and has real eyeballs looking at it. A painting that is stored in your garage or under your bed isn’t art until it has the experience of being seen. It is only logical then, to assume that once the work is out there, you want to know how people are reacting to it. But, artists need to be extremely careful how and when they submit to that urge of asking people about their work. Before you even contemplate asking the question, let’s take a moment to think about 3 things: Why are you asking this question? Of whom are you asking this question? How will the answer change your relationship to this person and/or your work?

8. Made a list of all persons affected by your ARTmaking, and be willing to make amends to them.

There is no doubt that artists are wired differently than the rest of us. At times, living with an artist can be difficult. Learning to identify the strategies that will help you move seamlessly in and out of your “normal” life will benefit not only you, but all those around you. Send my article “If you are addicted…” to everyone you love.

9. Made direct amends to such people, whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

It is true, that to some artists, their work is the most important thing in their life…more important than parents, spouse or even kids. It’s not a crime, or something you should feel guilty about. It is a part of who you are as a person…would you ever feel guilty about having blue eyes? But, remember, the rest of the world doesn’t work that way. If you find this is true for you (and not ALL artists do) you must come to grips with that reality yourself, but never admit it to your significant others.

10. Continue to take personal inventory and realize you and your ART are not the only important things in the world.

Artists sometimes need to be forced to step outside their reality. Make sure you are able to separate the art making part of your life and the responsibilities of real life. As much as you may hate it, admit that you need a job, relationships, money, housing and the discipline to manage your art career so you can accomplish those things.

11. Sought through private time in your studio to improve your work, and devote the time necessary to just “look.”

The impulse that fuels creativity is nourished by stillness, time alone. That’s why so many artists find their most productive hours are in the wee hours, when everyone else is asleep. The lack of distractions, is a must for artists to be productive. Resting, thinking, meditating, looking…this is when the creative juices are most actively percolating. And, this is one of the most difficult aspects for non artists to understand.

12. Having accomplished all of the above, tried to carry this message to other artists and those who love them.

I saw this on Tricia Anders' blog and just had to share it. Tricia is one of those amazingly talented people. When I first met her back in, oh my gosh, something like 2001 0r 2002, she was making beautiful dolls that nobody hardly saw. But she has busted her ass for the past 10 years, not only promoting her work, being shown in galleries, mentoring others, but in continuing to grow as an artist. While I still love her 3-d work, I can't help but wonder why we don't see her paintings hanging next to Mark Ryden and the like. They are amazing.

However, I digress. I meant to tell you that the wonderful piece written above can be found on Sylvia White's website along with tons more educational advice for artists. Go. Check it out.

I'm thinking of working on one of each of the above steps every week for 12 weeks. Some weeks may only require introspection and journalwork. Others may need me to reach outside my own little artsy world. Sometimes we artists tend to be a self-centered (self-obsessed) lot. Or loners. Or psychotic. Or psychotic self-centered loners. ;)

Wanna join me? I'd love to hear from you if you'd like to play. Send me links to your posts or pics of your work and I'll link them up here as well. Or just follow along with the at-home version of our game. ;) I'd still love to hear about your progress.

Health care bill the answer? Or, the view from my bed

2010-03-22T10:26:00.006-05:00

Health care reform. A controversial topic indeed. Not one I usually address here but one of my New Year's "smack-downs", as my sister affectionately (or not!) termed resolutions this year, is to be more personal here. To be more me. Perhaps that explains my quiet the last couple months when I had so grandly announced blog changes.

When dealing with health issues and the social networking world, there are a couple of different ways to go about it. Put it all out there to read - good, bad, ugly. Hint at it til someone drags it out of you. Or retreat. I have always retreated. This has caused many misunderstandings and lost online friendships because I have had my share of health issues over the past dozen years. I just don't want to be known as that girl who whines all the time or, worse, perhaps faking it as has been found out to be about online people who were just looking for... what exactly... money? Or, more likely, the attention. Trust me, I whine enough at home. Just ask my husband. Email me for his email address. He'll tell you all about it.

And so I've been quiet. Everything has healed fine according to my doctor. I still have a persistent nagging backache - 24/7. And I weigh 99 pounds at 5'8". This was one of the issues to begin with and hasn't gone anywhere. But I'm tired of seeing doctors and being prodded. And finding out that one of my specialist referrals expired two years ago but nobody said anything so we've been throwing money away for two years paying out of network costs.

And this past year I have dealt with doctors, hospitals, and insurance more than I care to. I look at the original bill for just my surgery - more than $27,000 - and I look not just at what the insurance pays but what they also call their contractual adjustment. In other words, the hospital can't charge me certain amounts just because I have insurance with Blue Cross. And my bill comes out to $481. How can uninsured people afford to have even small surgeries like my own? That's the cost of a small house for some people. And we're not even talking about the $9,000 that the surgeon wants in a separate bill! (Or the many tests, procedures, PCP and specialist visits before that.) I'm also fighting with my local hospital because they charged me 20% upfront at OUT OF NETWORK costs before they would even perform routine cat scans and labwork. Like a dummy I paid it and now I find that they charged 3 times too much. I'm trying to get a refund with my insurance company's help but the hospital (which also runs our local doctor office/clinic) keeps coming up with other charges (disallowed by my insurance) so they can keep every penny of it.

I'm certainly not saying this health reform is the answer. But the system as we know it is definitely broken. Instead of blindly ignoring it, at least it's a step towards a solution.

No, I'm not a Democrat. (What am I exactly? Concerned.) Yes, I get asked that by family members every time I disagree with the popular public opinion in our area - which is predominantly Republican white males. Like my dad. And my brother. And my sister.

Q & A - Starting A Blog

2010-02-18T12:22:00.003-06:00

from a question at formspring.me - franciehorton

What made you decide to start your blog and how has it evolved into what it is today? I am thinking of starting my own, but feel like I am all over the map and can't find my "focus" area. Thanks in advance! I love reading your blog!

Oh, wow. If you read backwards you'll see that mine was all over the place as well. And in the very beginning, it was just images. Fortunately when you first start not that many people are watching/reading and you have time and space to find your groove. And just when I think I have a good groove going it never fails that something will come along and knock me off my tracks. LOL

The important thing is to choose something you love because you are going to get tired of writing about it otherwise. :D And some days it may still feel like like pulling teeth. And invite people you trust to read it while it's in its infancy. Ask for their advice as far as how it looks, how your writing sounds, etc.

A book I recommend is Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey. It has info, not only on starting a blog, but on the different services available, basic HTML, and lots of lovely creative blogs to visit for ideas.

And let it evolve. It may be that what you think you want to write about isn't it at all. :)

Whaddaya wanna know?

2010-02-12T19:27:00.001-06:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.formspring.me/franciehorton"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;http://www.formspring.me/franciehorton&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Ask me anything! I'll answer all questions unless they involve sex, politics, or religion. (which is *not* the same as spirituality, btw!) If a girl's smart she'll stay away from that particular trinity in polite conversation. ;)

Artful Living: Living Green with Lovely Little Deer + Free Books?

2010-02-12T07:52:00.006-06:00

I'm not sure which one is cuter! :D

I recently discovered a wonderful blog named lovely little deer by Rebecca Nia. I also won a wonderful Valentine painting through her blog from Chloe McGenn, a lovely artist Rebeeca featured at the end of January.

Valentine Petit Four Painting by Chloe McGenn

Rebecca's "about me" reads:

"I love to craft! All kinds of things, i'm very whimsical! I love to host giveaways, do reviews and feature awesome fellow crafters on my blog. I have three cats and two dogs and I'm crazy about them. I'm married and live in the U.K. I adore taking pictures. I'm a sci-fi nerd! I'm sensitive and shy. I live in my own dreamworld."

Rebecca and *one* of her babies

In her most recent post she also states,

"I'm evolving into something more sophisticated and I am loving the change. I'm still cute, I'm still me only with a lady essence sprinkled on top, ha, whatever that means..."

hehe I love it!

Rebecca just finished The Thrift Book: Live Well and Spend Less by India Knight. Looks like it was quite the inspiration because Rebecca has written a wonderful article chock full of eco-conscious and thrifty tricks and tips for beauty, fashion, home, gift-giving... all without looking or feeling cheap. After all, what's the point of saving your pennies if you're miserable all the time? Check it out here.

In commenting on her post I realized that I had something to contribute to the conversation. So I thought I might post here to both bring attention to Rebecca's post and to gather my thoughts together on my own blog.

Another thing you can do is take your green/thrifty consciousness into your craft room. Take a look at the book Green Guide for Artists by Karen Michel. It's full of awesome. Not only does it have lots of eco-conscious choices for art/craft but it's full of eye candy, too, so you're not gonna feel cheated there, either. :D Pretty visuals are always important to me. (I asked for this one from my mom for Christmas. :D My way of being thrifty.)

If you're a big booklover, I have a couple suggestions for you.

1. If you feel you just *have* to have a certain book, make a public wishlist at Amazon and make sure friends and relatives know that's what you want for gifts. (You can actually add other things to your list besides books but people love to buy books for the people they love. :P)

2. There are also a few websites online where you can trade used books with other people, for example paperbackswap.com. Be sure to check international swap rules.

3. Join librarything.com and catalog your books and write reviews. They have an Early Reviewer list that you can sign up for as well as a list of books that members are giving away. There are different books for different countries.

4. And last, but not least, if you have a blog with a good-size readership, contact the publisher of the book you're interested in (if it's a newish release) and tell them you're interested in receiving a review copy. Tell them your blog stats, your target audience and when you will publish the review. It's always good to ask if they have a reviewer list that you can be added to, as well. Just let them know the categories of books you are interested in. You don't have to "know somebody", either... just use the contact form on the main website. It'll get forwarded to the marketing person.

I hope you enjoy getting to know Rebecca and that her post inspires you as much as it did me.

I'm a big phony - emails, reviews, & apologies

2010-02-12T07:12:00.005-06:00

Yep, that's me. I'm one of those bloggers who pretends to have it all together, show only the rosy side. Then when all the eggs fly out the basket and splat everywhere I hide while I clean them up. I've even disappeared from the web for months at a time.

So I'm going to 'fess up. I've been hiding. I've gotten way behind. Some of the recovery didn't go quite as well as projected and I had an additional week of recouping. And, yes, I could have been working on the blog but I kind of felt sorry for myself during that time. I also took care of my 13 year old with an upper respiratory infection, my 17 year old with a 24 hour stomach bug, and my husband with bronchitis. It's never just one thing, is it? LOL

I have kept up with teaching my art/craft class and that's about it. I still have Christmas decorations up, for crying out loud! I'm not supposed to lift the tubs to pack them away and I haven't had the determination to make anybody help me. Come heck or high water, tho, they're coming down this weekend. (This sounds familiar....)

Also, emails 20 at a time with teeny tiny breaks between, all 750. If yours is extra important move it to the top of the list by sending it again, or if you just think it might have gotten lost or buried in spam.

I have reviews that are overdue and for this I sincerely apologize. It is not very professional of me and certainly not a good start to the year and the new direction of the blog. All I can do from here is move forward and hope for your understanding.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming!

Freebies: Vintage Valentines and Free Fortunes

2010-02-10T14:01:00.003-06:00

Remember these cute little foldover valentines from elementary school? I can't help but scoop them up when I find them at thrift stores and estate sales. Just click on the image to make it larger and then save it to your computer.

And who doesn't love silly little fortunes? If you're my naughty sister you always add the words "in bed" to the end of your fortune. ;) Try it next time you're out to dinner in a Chinese restaurant and see if that doesn't start some conversations. Again with the click and save.

And finally these little love quotes come courtesy of chocolate truffles I received several years back. And the cute little valentine card? She winks! Here I've photoshopped out the text so you can add whatever you like.

Enjoy!

Carol Duvall and iCraftNetwork? Only with YOUR help!

2010-01-31T14:55:00.006-06:00

Carol and Tim Holtz

As a teenager I didn’t know anybody that crafted. My mother taught me to sew the basics – you know clothing and such. And it’s not like the internet was around to fill in the gap. We are talking the late eighties here. Enter the Home show.

Home, hosted by Gary Collins during the time I watched it, ran from 1988 to 1994. I watched it while getting ready for school (high school) and as a young wife and mother. My favorite segments were the craft and decorating ones by Kitty Bartholomew, Carol Duvall, and Dian Thomas. I can’t tell you how many things in my home were either projects from the show or directly influenced by them.

When the Home show ended in 1994 Carol started her own show on HGTV. It was extremely popular during its 12 year run. It showed a multitude of projects from paper to polymer to jewelrymaking. While simple enough for the beginning crafter to complete, most also had options for embellishing or other techniques to challenge the more advanced crafter. Each of her guests also brought examples of different colorways and embellishments. My personal favorite segments were when she visited artists and craftsmen in their studios. Nothing gets your creative juices flowing like seeing someone working in their own environment.

When it was canceled in 2006 no one was more confused as to why than her thousands of fans. The public outcry was enough for the Scripps Company (parent of both networks) to continue broadcasting it on their DIY Network where it has enjoyed a cozy berth up until now. HGTV recently announced that they have decided to cancel the show (again). There seemed to be nothing to be done this time.

However, Carol’s producer Kelly Ehrlich may have a solution, the iCraftNetwork. This new network would show archived episodes of the Carol Duvall show as well as new shows by hip craft stars of tomorrow – the best of both worlds.

A new network needs capital naturally but any investor worth his salt won’t touch it without an outpouring of interest and support. And isn’t that what the craft community does best – take care of our own?

It will just take a minute to jot a line or two. Don’t know what to write? Say something about a favorite project or one that inspired something else that you did. If Carol inspired you to craft, tell ‘em so! If, like me, you grew up on Carol, that’s good, too. If nothing else just tell them how much we need all crafting all the time on iCraftNetwork. Oh, you might mention features you think the website should include. It can’t hurt, right? ;)

Send your emails to icraftwithcarol@yahoo.com

And please… pass this information on. If you have a Twitter account it’s as easy as hitting “Retweet” on the bottom right under the article. Presto! You’re done!

Website: Google Books has Art/Craft books?!?

2010-01-27T11:21:00.004-06:00

Blogger is currently having issues so I'm having trouble posting much. (I also lost also the linking I did in this post. I apologize.) Hopefully, that will be resolved soon. I'm doing what I can on this end. In the meantime...

Are you guys familiar with Google Books?!? The last time I looked at the site was when they first started it and most of the books were public domain. Well, a lot has changed since then. I found books dated anywhere from 1964 to 2009 even! Not just those old musty fussy books that we really only look at to copy the old illustrations from. ;)

There were at least a dozen books about bookbinding, tons on knitting, crochet and quilting, silkscreen and printmaking, and just general crafts. This was in the crafts and hobbies category - 394 books. In the art category there are 6,357 books! Oh, the graphic design and typography books are awesome... to a newbie, that is. I'm not sure just how up to date the graphic design is but I love the typography. And I finally had to stop looking because I was getting lost in the fiction and cooking and comics & graphic novels and...

Do be sure to check whether a book is the full version or is just a preview. Most of the newer books are just a limited preview but it's quite a preview. The preview for Creating Handmade Books by Alisa J. Golden was 17 pages and wasn't just the glossary and such that doesn't really tell you anything about the book. (like some websites we know. *coughcoughAmazoncough*)

I suggest taking a look at Google Books even if you looked at it in the beginning. Even if you just use it to get an idea whether you want to buy one of the books they have listed, it's worth it.

Freebie: Bird w/Love Letter Embroidery Pattern from Urban Threads

2010-01-26T13:30:00.004-06:00

Is this not the cutest embroidery pattern? And Urban Threads is giving it away! Now through Valentine's Day you can download it free. It's available in two sizes for machine embroidery, hand embroidery, and digital stock art. It's as easy as adding the version you want to your cart, checking out ($0 total), and downloading it. Then stitch it up for the one you love! Wouldn't it be sweet on a pillowcase edge?

Post-op Update

2010-01-23T03:08:00.001-06:00

I had my post-op appointment today. They biopsied my uterus, cervix and ovaries when they took them out. Those all came back negative. My colon screening was also negative. Woot!

After removing the uterus they were able to examine it and determine that my pain was caused by adenomyosis: "This condition results from the lining cells of the uterus growing directly into the muscle wall of the uterus. When the lining cells of the uterus bleed at the time of the menstrual period, these misplaced cells in the muscle bleed as well. And bleeding directly into the muscle causes pain. As the blood accumulates, the surrounding muscle swells and forms fibrous tissue in response to the irritation." Source

Since the hysterectomy I have noticed that I no longer have the abdominal or back pain that I had before. I have the normal pain you would expect after such a surgery but on a scale of 1 to 10 I wouldn't rate it any high than a 4. This is excellent since I haven't had a day below 6 in the past 6-9 months. I couldn't be more pleased.

I'm feeling so much better as evidenced by my shopping after my appointment. :P And I *will* create something this weekend even if it's only a page in my journal. And tackle the 534 emails in my inbox. *cringe*

I am so incredibly blessed. Not only because of the results of my tests and the success of my surgery, but because of the support and prayers of my friends and family. Every one of you made me feel loved, supported, uplifted. Thank you so much.

My doctor calls me The Unsinkable Molly Brown because I'm the fastest recovering patient she's ever had. :) And my husband calls me "the shoppin'est damn woman I've ever met"!

New album from OK Go = new love!

2010-01-12T13:19:00.010-06:00

Maybe you remember OK Go from the the treadmill video for "Here It Goes Again" that got passed around a few years back? They won a Grammy for Short-Form Music Video for that particular number and it is one of the most watched music videos on YouTube. They also had several other great songs on that album, their sophomore effort, Oh no.

Today is the release of the third album, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky. I've been listening to it for a couple days now and I have to tell you, I love love love it. It's less bouncy, more soulful maybe. It's definitely in heavy rotation in my iTunes right now. My favorite song so far I think is Skyscrapers or White Knuckles. You can definitely hear the Prince influence in the latter one.

Here's a bit about it from their bio page at Lala.com:

"The band previewed their third album, titled Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, on a short sling of dates on the Eastern Coast of the U.S. this March, starting in Philadelphia on March 6, 2009 at the TLA Theatre. They have stated that these songs are the "danciest, most anthemic, most heartbroken, and honest songs", of their career, and the album itself takes a much more funky, dancy, yet melancholy sound to it, drawing influence from Prince. On May 7, 2009, a song from the album, titled "Skyscrapers", was released for streaming online."

Give it a listen.

The Friendship Stone Power of 2 Giveaway (Closed)

2009-12-28T18:39:00.008-06:00

What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. - Aristotle

The Friendship Stone is one of those things that you see and say, “Why didn’t I think of that?!” They recently sent me their Power of 2 (PO2) gift set and both my husband and I loved it. I like that I can keep the stone in the bag on my desk or toss just the stone in my pocket so that every time I reach in my pocket it’s there as a tangible reminder of the other person. It can also serve as a sort of worrystone.

The PO2 comes with two stones, two bags, two blank gift cards and a brochure explaining the meaning and origins of the stones.

All Friendship Stone purchases are “giveback gifts” meaning that 10% of profits go back to Western South African communities where the stones originate as part of Project South Africa. The PO2 also gives back in another way through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Twenty percent of profits go towards BBBS with fifteen percent of that going toward a local agency based on the purchaser’s zip code. These purchases must be made through the Big Brothers Big Sisters-The Friendship Stone site to be eligible.

Cathy Raff is the owner/founder of My Stone Company. This is her story as given to me.

“Cathy Raff was born in Ocala, Florida. She was one of five ‘Cathys’ in her high school and was given the nickname ‘Rafi which has managed to stick still today. A graduate of the University of Texas, with a BA with honors in Journalism with the emphasis in Photojournalism she now owns her own studio in Israel. It is from here that she runs My Stone Company with her best friend and sister, Jill, in New York. The Friendship Stone keepsakes and jewelry that her company produces and sells are more than just giftware, they stand as a symbol of the power of positive thinking and the ability to change your situation.

In her first year of college, Cathy was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitus and on her 21st birthday, had a total colectomy (total removal of the large intestine). Of the ordeal Cathy says ‘I knew this was really my birthday, as I felt re-born on the day after I awoke from surgery.’ Then when she was 31, she met the man of her dreams and married. It took them four years and twelve unsuccessful in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments to start a family. In the end they realized how lucky they were to have an alternative; surrogacy. The following years Cathy and her husband worked with three amazing women who were each incredible and responsible for helping bring the couple three healthy children.

Because she had been medically challenged so many times, Cathy realized the disease she dealt with on a daily basis was actually a gift. Cathy spent quite a lot of time thinking about life and what was important to her. Before her surgery, she had forgotten what life was without pain. She could not imagine what it was like to have energy or even the desire to get up in the morning. Several months after the surgery, all of a sudden, Cathy realized she had not thought about her stomach for over an hour! She started crying tears of disbelief. From that moment on, there has not been a day that she is not aware of the feeling of being pain free.

And in 2004, so began her journey with the friendship stone on a business trip with her husband to South Africa.

There’s much more to Cathy’s story that I am sure she would love to share with you. And the stones themselves have quite a story, too."

Be sure to take a look around the website and read the different stories and see the different ways you can get a friendship stone – as a necklace, as an engraved traveling stone, as a Power of 2 set, and others.

Right now the Friendship Stone would like to give one of my lucky readers a PO2 set. To win:

1. Comment on this post before Thursday, December 31st, midnight central time, and tell me a little about the friend to whom you would give the second stone.

2. You get one additional entry for each social networking site (your blog, Twitter, MySpace, etc.) you post this giveaway on. For Twitter it's as easy as hitting the "Tweet this" button at the bottom right of this post. Come back here and tell me where you posted it.

I will post the winner as we ring in the new year. Good luck!

Dedicated to my sister. I'm still Miss Priss and she still does a darn good imitation of a frog.

This Giveaway is now closed!

I wrote this twice last night and then hit back and lost it. Arrrggghh!

When there are 20-50 comments on a giveaway post it's much easier to choose a winner. But when there are only a few I just want to send one to each of you. :) This time the Magic eightball chose Theresa Rhakov. Send me your mailing address and I'll pass it on to Cathy at The Friendship Stone. Congrats!

Handmade Holidays: IS*LY Christmas Candy Box Printable

2009-12-19T11:18:00.004-06:00

Looking for a cute way to package up those handmade treats? Or maybe a gift card with a few little candies? Melissa at IS*LY, I Still Love You, has designed and released her third annual Christmas candy box and it's a definite keeper. Don't forget to grab the previous two as well.

She also has several other freebies and a TON of tutorials so check out the links over in the sidebar. Make sure you hae plenty of time, though, because you *will* be inspired. I guarantee it.

Oh, and if there is ever an award for coolest blog name ever, she has my vote. *grin*

Sew Liberated Book Review and Interview with Meg McElwee

2009-12-18T00:29:00.011-06:00

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Meg McElwee about her new book, Sew Liberated: 20 Stylish Projects for the Modern Sewist. This was super exciting for me because I love the book. There are so many projects that I want to make from it. And any book that has a cookie recipe by page 20 has my vote anyway.

One of the first things you’ll notice about the projects in this book is Meg’s attention to detail. Another is that those details are just a little extra ordinary. Look at the lace-up back on the Teacup Corset Apron. Not only does it make the fit easy to adjust but it adds a little sassiness to your kitchen style.

In the introduction Meg mentions wanting to use up all those little scraps of precious fabric left from previous projects. I’m sure many of you can relate to that. Or having bits and pieces from baby’s first outfit, a favorite blankie, a single napkin you found at the thrift store with the most amazing print ever.

All of the projects in the book make use of appliqué techniques to incorporate those old treasures into new treasures. But if you’ve been intimidated by applique in the past (Grandmas’ prefect quilts, anyone?), don’t be! Meg shows an easy rough edge technique and makes turned appliqué look easy. Plus many of the projects would look just as darling in a simple print fabric.

The book includes a tool and equipment guide, 20 projects with full size patterns in an envelope, an appliqué primer, a glossary, and a section on useful stitches and techniques. It also has a pattern guide and pattern layout diagrams. The projects include everything from home décor to garments to various bags for toting things (cameras, laptops, veggies, babies, only sort of kidding on that last one), to amazing projects to make for kids any of which would make great last minute gifts. In fact, how cute is this Little Chef Apron and Hat maybe packaged with a rolling pin and your favorite cookie recipe?

While my current holiday schedule didn’t allow me to make a full-blown project right now, I couldn’t resist the appliqué/stitchery pattern from the Petite Artist smock. So I used it on, of all things, a canvas roofing apron from the hardware store. Whether I'll keep it for myself or it will make it to my favorite "little artist" remains to be seen.

I know you’ve been waiting for me to hush and let the real star speak so here are my 10 questions with Meg McElwee of Sew Liberated book and blog.

In the credits for the book you mention that your husband encouraged you to sell patterns to support your fabric addiction. Did the book develop then as an extension of the patterns? Or is it an entirely separate beast altogether?

The patterns came first, then the book – there probably wouldn't have been a book without the patterns! My pattern business is what brought my work to the attention of fellow crafters, and through one of my blogging friends who was also writing a book, I was introduced to my literary agent. I then went to work putting together a book proposal and my agent shopped it around – Interweave Press picked up my proposal for the first book as well as a second, due out in 2010.

How on earth did you manage to write a book while pregnant?

Oh boy. Let's just say that it isn't easy cutting fabric or basting a quilt when you are eight months pregnant! One tip that I find useful even now is to do all of my cutting and basting work on the floor while wearing volleyball knee pads. Seriously – this is so much more comfortable than going bare-kneed!

All in all, the book represents something quite special to me – my passage from young adult to mother. What a pleasure it was to bring into the world both a child and a book in one year! It was difficult at times, but ultimately worth it, much like birth itself!

In fact, how do you manage everything you do – sewing, embroidery, appliqué, designing patterns, knitting, felting, green crafting, teaching, photography, baking - all with a little one at your feet?

Hmm … I only “do it all” by doing some of those things sometimes and letting the others fall by the wayside! Also, my little one is happy to be in a sling while I'm cooking, and happily plays while I knit. My days as a classroom teacher are over, but things are definitely busy around here. I try to keep things very simple – also, I do my best not to waste any time. I turn the computer off when I'm not working, I don't spend much time surfing the web, and we don't have a TV, so all of that leisure time goes into spending quality time with my son or getting work done.

Reading your blog I get the feeling that you have a love for the earth, a desire to lead a mindful life. Do you feel like this is reflected in your other interests?

I grew up on twenty acres of pine trees in northern California, so yes, Nature is very integral to my own identity and being outside is a priority for me. I really feel at home in the wilderness. Perhaps this love isn't so very apparent in my sewing design work, although it is what feeds my soul - I go outside and spend quiet moments in nature to refuel and to clear my mind. I'm much more productive creatively when I do this.

Was this something that was taught to you growing up or that you developed on your own? How will you instill this same love in your own child(ren)?

I believe that spending uninterrupted, unstructured time in Nature is what gives a child a love of the outdoors and also an appreciation for the quiet beauty of the natural world. My parents certainly encouraged this by giving me free range of the forest. I had the freedom to explore without parental constraints – I just knew that I needed to return to the house when I heard my dad's loud whistle! I feel like that's what is missing for today's children who have so many extracurricular activities, enrichment programs, and scheduled play dates. How will they come to be familiar with, and love, the beauty of their own backyards and the power of their own imaginations if they are never given the opportunity to just “be” with themselves in Nature?

Do you have a favorite green craft or holiday project, either your own or that you’ve seen recently?

I've been really impressed with projects that I've seen that make use of old books and pages from books. The look is so elegant. Above my bedroom window, I've hung a garland of birds and circles made from pages of an old black and white book in Spanish. The cut figures are glued together and a lightweight wire is sandwiched between the figures. One day, I'd love to make a mobile like this one (by Etsy seller Royal Buffet) for the room as well.

Speaking of recycling and using up, do you use vintage fabrics in your projects?

I do! I love scrounging around at my local thrift store for old sheets in particular, although anything made out of natural fibers with a funky floral is likely to come home with me. I do stay away from synthetics, as I don't like the feel of them in my hands as I sew.

Is it alright to mix new and vintage fabrics in the same project?

Absolutely. I often mix vintage fabrics right alongside my new stuff. Since the vintage pieces I pick up are often floral and a bit “loud”, I tend to pair them with a more subdued linen or other smaller print fabric. For example, the Teacup Corset Apron in my book is a mixture of vintage blue floral cotton, linen striped fabric, and a new cotton Japanese print. Vintage fabrics work particularly well with applique projects because vintage cuts are often small, and applique is a great way to highlight a fabric that gets passed by in other projects requiring more yardage.

Any favorite sewing, crafting, teaching, home websites you’d like to share?

I'll share with you some of my favorite sewing blogs:

Gertie's Blog for Better Sewing
Checkout Girl
Sew, Mama, Sew:
Children's Fashion Workshop

Thank you so much, Meg, for your beautiful and thoughtful answers. Congratulations on a wonderful book.

-----------------------------

Don't forget to check out the Road Rage Jewelry review and sign up to win one of 12 necklaces!

And if you would like to read more of my reviews click on the Books and Supplies buttons in the righthand sidebar.

Road Rage Jewelry Feature and Giveaway! (closed)

2009-12-15T08:35:00.010-06:00

You know how sometimes you just “connect” with somebody through an email or a blog post? You can tell that they “get” what you’re saying or that they have a similar experience or sense of humor? After trading emails with Jeanne Koesters of Road Rage Jewelry I felt like that. I knew Jeanne and I shared a similar aesthetic because I had come across some of her Road Rage jewelry and loved it. That’s what started the whole thing. I had to contact her about featuring it on here. With so many artists on my reading list I knew y’all would like it, too.

She’s the mother of three daughters and knows how hard it can be to get them to agree on anything. Well, unless it’s two of them ganging up on a third or all of them agreeing that some rule of Mom’s is silly. ;) I have two teenagers – one thirteen year old boy and one seventeen year old girl and they only thing they agree on is that there is never enough food in the house.

But when the Road Rage package came in they couldn’t wait to spread the contents all over the table and get started! I had to put my foot down and insist that we take turns picking charms, one at a time, and this time MOM goes first!

And then it was quiet except for the giggling and showing off. Oh, and the kids had fun, too. ;) The whole time I could picture a group of kids doing this for a birthday party/sleepover. Or a couple of best friends or sisters doing together. I would have fun making one with my daughter, my sister and her daughter. Jeanne had written this to me, “I know you will be sitting around with the kids laughing while you are creating them, and that, at their ages, is a blessing.” and she couldn’t have been more right.

my son's necklace

The real beauty is in how unique every piece of finished jewelry is. You design your layout and put it together. When you’re tired of it, change it up. Are you a minimalist? Just wear the street sign. You like your “urban bling”? Pile it on! And you’re not limited to what you see on the Road Rage site. I added glass beads to mine and love it. Your creation is a reflection of your character. Any guesses what my street sign is saying about me?

my idea of minimalism

a statement piece

The ball chain is fairly long but can easily snipped to a smaller length. Each of the charms comes with a quality jump ring and plenty of pre-drilled holes for attaching to the street sign and to each other (or beads or charms!)

with a french wire and added beads
The other earring says "Stop". I'm a woman. What can I say?

You can even make earrings or a ball chain bracelet with matching charms.

Another thing that I really like is the construction. This isn’t some cheap junk you picked up in the mall. Jeanne studied her target market and kept in mind their aesthetic and their concerns.
Road Rage Jewelry®:

*is manufactured of recycled lightweight aluminum

*the graphics are all ROHS (non-lead paint) compliant

*these are actual street and road signs that can be found throughout the United States and abroad that have been scaled down to various sizes from ½” to 3.”

*is proudly “made in the U.S.A.”

These are miniature street signs – no cheap bendy tin or plastic here.

Here’s what the site has to say about the beginning of Road Rage Jewelry:
“Jeanne Koesters, the sole managing member, is a working legal secretary and mother of three. While stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, contemplating how to raise funds to manufacture another product, she watched and listened to the other drivers yelling and thumping their steering wheels in anger.

Having passed a “Drive Safely” sign and silently repeating her customary prayer, she then started looking more closely at other street signage on under construction roads on the way to work. The variety of shapes and colors inspired her. Hence, Road Rage Jewelry® was born. She located a manufacturer (ISO certified) and commenced production of actual pieces of signage that she knew would appeal to both male and female; was affordable; and most importantly, would help realize a dream come true.

Additionally, Tallgirl3, LLC through Road Rage Jewelry®, has designated its “Drive Safely” and “Baghdad” series to “pay it forward.” A portion of the proceeds from the sales of these signs will be divided among charities identified through CharityNavigator.com and selected worthy fundraisers.”

Giveaway Treasure!

Okay here’s the magic part. Jeanne was so kind as to send over 12 (TWELVE!) street sign necklaces for me to give away. Wanna get yer grubby mitts on one? Of course you do.

All you have to do is this:

1. Comment on this post before Sunday, December 20th, 6 pm central time, and tell me what street you grew up on. (Cedar St. is ingrained in my memory, along with all the best places to turn my bike around, hide from my brother and sister, buy penny bubble gum... oops. Telling my age now!)

2. You get one additional entry for each social networking site (your blog, Twitter, MySpace, etc.) you post this giveaway on. For Twitter it's as easy as hitting the "Tweet this" button at the bottom right of this post. Come back here and tell me where you posted it.

It's that easy. Good Luck!

You can follow Tallgirl3’s rants at because on the lighter side, we think it’s a must safer way to express yourself than flicking off other drivers. You can Tweet us at , and become a fan at . For even more info, connect with us at LinkedIn.

from the site: "We said it before - no two people are alike and the same goes for Road Rage Jewelry®. Words and symbols can be a powerful (and funny!) way to express what you want to say. We at Road Rage Jewelry® love to laugh when we are designing them, and when we see what others have designed."

Update: Giveaway is now closed! Thank you all for entering. I will post the names ASAP.

Winners List:

BG "totally my real name"
pumkinlady430
Melanie
Sky
Hannah
Karen
Michelle
remarker/fcffollower
Georgia Mist
Gabriella
Steve (please email me)
Deb

Handmade Holidays: Funky Wire Card/Photo Tree

2009-12-14T14:58:00.004-06:00

click to see bigger

How great is this?! I was thumbing through a 2005 issue of Woman's Day and ran across this project. They used 16 gauge wire (dark annealed steel) for the body of the project and 22 gauge wire to attach the branches and curlicues. Then they used Aleene's 7800 adhesive just to "firm it all up" and give it stability.

I would also mix in some small letterpress tags and maybe a handmade ornament or two. Or a small watercolored tag. Or handmade tags. Or do a swap with online friends for things just the right size. (in my spare time, of course. *snort*) Or... or... or...

If you make one please be sure to send me a link! I'd love to see it!

Free Gift Tag Additions #1

2009-12-13T23:10:00.010-06:00

Holiday Cards red & green
plus Address Labels and Seals
Creature Comforts

from me to you: gift tags for download Up Up the Blog

Santa Tag with Envelope Template 74 Lime Lane

Handwriting Cards Feterie

Holiday Labels Orange You Lucky

Wintry Holiday Tags from Papercrave at Domestifluff

The Sew Liberated and I Love Patchwork Blog Tour

2009-12-13T22:09:00.011-06:00

The Sew Liberated and I Love Patchwork Double-the-Fun Blog Tour: 2 Fabulous Sewing Authors, 2 New Books, 2 Weeks ‘til Christmas!

Interweave is thrilled to announce the publication of two new contemporary sewing books: Rashida Coleman-Hale’s I Love Patchwork: 21 Irresistible Zakka Projects To Sew and Meg McElwee’s Sew Liberated: 20 Stylish Projects For The Modern Sewist. To celebrate in style, Meg and Rashida are hitting the Internet highway on a double-author blog tour. Follow the schedule and see gorgeous pictures from their books, learn more about their design personalities, gain a chance to win free copies, and more! During the tour they’ll also be giving us a glimpse of their home studios and creative environment on the Studios blog, and at the end they’ll wrap it up with a designer-to-designer conversation with each other on their personal blogs, Sew Liberated and i heart linen. If you’re not already following their blogs, bookmark them now and visit often. We can’t wait for you to get to know them better.

Follow The Sew Liberated and I Love Patchwork Double-the-Fun Blog Tour at:

Fri, Dec. 11:
Meg on TrueUp.net (interview)
Sat, Dec. 12:
Rashida on “In the Studio with Cate” (studio tour)
Sun, Dec. 13:
Meg on “In the Studio with Cate” (studio tour)
Mon, Dec. 14:
Rashida on TrueUp.net (interview)
Tue, Dec. 15:
Meg on Apron-iCity.com (interview)
Wed, Dec. 16:
Rashida on Fabric Shop Network blog (interview)
Thu, Dec. 17:
Meg on Grosgrain Fabulous (book review and giveaway)
Fri, Dec. 18:
Rashida Twitter event – Noon EST on Twitter with @iheartlinen
Fri, Dec. 18:
Meg on Living Life as Art (interview, review, and project)
Sat, Dec. 19:
Meg on CraftyPod.com (book review)
Sun, Dec. 20:
Rashida on Zakka Life (book review)
Mon, Dec. 21:
Meg on Craftsanity (podcast interview)
Mon, Dec. 21:
Rashida on Craft Critique with Francie Horton (interview and book review)
Tue, Dec. 22:
Rashida on all buttoned up (interview)
Wed, Dec. 23:
Meg on maya*made (interview)
Thu, Dec. 24:
Designer-to-Designer: Rashida and Meg interview each other on http://www.sewliberated.typepad.com and http://www.iheartlinen.typepad.com
Mon, Jan. 4, 2010:
Interview with the Blog Tour Winners!

Be sure to bookmark the schedule and don't miss a day!

Mad Men Christmas, anyone? Ideas for Retro Holidays

2009-12-11T12:34:00.003-06:00

Image courtesy of Dyna Moe who offers
weekly Mad Men desktops on Flickr

I love Mad Men. I don't watch it every week. I'll let a few episodes pile up and then watch them all at once. I watch all my TV shows that way. Then I can get a decent-sized project done while watching. Unfortunately, that's why I don't watch as many subtitled movies as I'd like to, either.

But back to Mad Men. I'll pass on the chain-smoking and on the cocktails at noon. Oh, and definitely on the philandering husband. But a Mad Men Christmas design theme? That could be fun. So I did a little research and here's what's on my wishlist.

Festive Jewelbrite Wreaths from Etsy on my tree

Bethany Lowe Boxes found in this great
Have Yourself a Merry Mad Men Christmas post

Mad Men Christmas Stocking on Etsy

Idea for a Mad Men Christmas Card?

Retro Christmas Sleigh with Candles
circa 1960 Light on Etsy

And if you're planning on throwing a
Christmas party why not do it up right?
Try a Mad Men Theme

party thrown by Kim from Head of the Table

complete with entertainment ;)

Be sure to dress the part in a
1950's Vintage Cocktail Dress from Etsy

and Fancy Christmas Hostess Apron

And if you're at all curious what was popular for Christmas in 1959, check out Christmas Snapshots on the LA Times blog.

Stay tuned for a feature on retro-inspired ornaments!

Handmade Holidays: Felt HolidayTree Tutorial Link

2009-12-10T19:43:00.004-06:00

Danielle Thompson over at Thompson Family-Life has a tutorial for the cutest Christmas trees. She credits Emily Martin, the Black Apple, as her inspiration but to me they have a bit of an updated 50's, early 60's look.

Either way they're definitely on my to-do list. Have you come across any must-do tutorials this year?

The One about Yesterday's Post and the Wrong Email Address

2009-12-09T10:50:00.003-06:00

My apologies to anyone who may have tried to email me about yesterday's Artful Living post on guest bloggers using the email address posted within the article. I left out one little letter but it makes all the difference between arriving in my inbox and floating away like a child's balloon.

So please please try again. The correct email address is primseydolls @ yahoo.com <----- see it's plural - more than one doll, a holdover from a dozen years ago when I designed primitive doll and stitchery patterns. :)

Artful Living: Seeking Guest Artists, Writers, & Reviewers

2009-12-08T00:22:00.007-06:00

Living life as art... is it too much to expect? Not when you have the right tools. Read reviews of the latest art books, supplies, and a small selection of handmade goods aimed at helping you lead a life filled with fun and creativity.

I am looking for all of the following:

Guest writers to write an article on handmade goods. The specific focus is open for discussion.

Examples:

*the resurgence of handmade
*how to promote your handmade goods online and/or at craft shows or in local stores
*online handmade markets
*personal stories involving handmade perhaps involving the holidays, memories or learning to sew or craft (not necessarily business success stories)
*suggestions welcome

Guest book reviewers to write a review of an art/craft book. After completion of a short questionnaire, it may be possible that I will supply you with the book from one of my publisher partners. For a list of publishers that I work with please see the right sidebar of LLA. Reviews should contain the cover image and at least 2 images/scans from inside the book that are not available to view on Amazon or similar book sites. The cover image also should not be the Amazon one with the “Look inside” arrow.

Guest artists to write an article or tutorial sharing instructions and photos for a handmade project.

Articles

Articles and reviews should be 750-1000 words and contain 2-3 photos. Projects and tutorials should not be fewer than 500 words and contain as many photos or illustrations as necessary to be attractive and instructive. Articles should be original content (not previously published). Articles must be checked for proper spelling and grammar before submission. Please verify that your information is accurate as I do not fact-check for you.

Images

Photographs and illustrations should be your own and can be jpg or png format. I prefer 96 or 100 dpi and approximately 600-650 pixels wide. Please make sure your photos are in focus. Watermarks are acceptable as long as they are discreet.

Outbound Links

When articles and projects refer to sites or products that belong to the author this should be stated upfront. For example: After listing the supplies for a project one might say "For your convenience I have put together supply kits available in my Etsy shop here (link)." "For more articles on Etsy teams see my blog (link)." “I share daily journal pages on my blog at BlahBlahBlah (link).” All other topic-related outbound links are permissible.

A 3-4 sentence bio should also be included at the end with no more than 3 personal outbound links. A bio picture is preferred but not required.

Acceptable links include:

*a personal website or blog related to the topic or in the general field of arts and crafts
*a personally-owned business site that sells handmade items, supplies or services related to the topic or in the general field of arts and crafts
*any online shop such as Etsy, Artfire, Dawanda, Zibbet, Supermarket that sells supplies or services related to the topic or in the field of arts and crafts
*a personal, or personally-owned business, social networking site such as Facebook, Twitter, Ning, Yahoo or Google groups, Librarything, etc.
*question about a site? Just ask.

You will continue to own the copyright to all original content you submit. You do grant Living Life as Art the right to edit as necessary for publication. Just as articles may not be published before submission to LLA, I also ask that you do not reprint the article for 1 (one) year afterward, but that you link back to the article on LLA. In fact, you are strongly encouraged to link to your article on personal blogs, social networking sites, and/or in web forums especially in the first days following its publication.

Articles and projects will be archived in the sidebar under the appropriate Artful Living button: Books, Supplies, Handmade, Projects, and/or Websites.

All guest posts will be cross-marketed on Twitter, Facebook, the LLA subscriber newsletter through Google Groups and online forums as appropriate including, but not limited to, Fiskateers, 2Peas in a Bucket, the Journal Pages or You Got Mail! mailart groups on Facebook, etc.

Unrelated:

Please contact me for a review spec sheet if you are interested in any of the following:

*Artists who are willing to send an example(s) of their handmade product for a special feature/review.
*Sites that offer special services (not goods) to artists and crafters and are interested in being featured on LLA.
*Artists, sites, online shops, and companies who offer art/craft supplies and are interested in sending samples of their product for a special feature.
*Authors who have written books that cater to the artist or crafter and would like to see their book featured/reviewed on LLA. This review will also be posted on Amazon and Librarything.

primseydolls(at)yahoo.com
Living Life as Art

My December visitor stats are: 6500 Unique Hits and 17,600 Page Views. My Google PageRank is 4.

Free Printable Artist-made Gift Tags - over 135 Sheets Worth!

2009-12-02T14:12:00.020-06:00

(For slower connections please click here for the version without preview images.)

I haven't purchased gift tags in 3 years. And, no, it's not because I just write the recipient's name straight on the package with Sharpie. Ever since I discovered that many artists on the web design and upload free printable gift tags to share with readers, I've been hooked. I can print them out at a moment's notice. They can be customized/chosen to fit the individual. They are far cooler than anything I've found in a store. Oh, and both my teenagers love to use them and recipients love to... well... receive them. :)

At the beginning of December I just make sure I have ink for my printer, tape, scissors, cute ribbon or twine, and cardstock. Many people suggest that you use a good quality paper. I have had good luck with just a standard bright white cardstock and the "best" quality print setting on my printer.

Some of the tags and labels included are not specifically designed for the Christmas/holiday season. Either they were too pretty to pass up or it didn't matter. It's like saying you can't use solid pink wrapping paper for your gifts because it's not Christmas-y enough. Bah, humbug.

Most of the tags below come with multiples to a sheet. Some of them are just a single image. In that case you will want some type of graphic software to fit more on a sheet and maximize the use of your paper. I personally use CorelDraw. I believe some people use Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

A note here: Out of the 128 sheets of tags that I found (this does not count any tags that may be added to the original post) I only found one with a Terms of Use. Kathy from Green Zebra Studio has kindly given me permission to quote her TOU here.

"This file and printed materials are for personal use only. Neither may be redistributed in any way without the artist's permission. This includes, but is not limited to sharing, selling, reselling and altering."

This doesn't mean that, by neglecting to include a TOU, any of the other artists are giving permission for a person to share, sell, resell or alter (except add a name) their tags. Please respect the artist's intellectual property. Consider the above terms applicable unless you have contacted the artist and received express permission for some other use.

These tags have been compiled from the past few years. I have not yet searched specifically for the 2009 tags. Do you know of some I've missed? Do share them in the comments and I'll add them. And feel free to share this page with others. :)

Enjoy!

Gift Tag Additions Page #1

2009 Tags Fresh Picked Whimsy

2008 Snowman Tags Fresh Picked Whimsy

2008 Holly Jolly Tags Fresh Picked Whimsy

2008 Little Birdie Tags Fresh Picked Whimsy

2008 Happy House Tags Fresh Picked Whimsy

Holiday Lights Tags Studio 67
Download & Tutorial to make tag 2-sided

Dr. Seuss Gift Tags Seusville

Outline Labels iHanna

Gift Tags 2008 Lilly Piri

Gift Tags 2007 Lilly Piri

Gift Tags 2006 Lilly Piri

Gift Tags house wren studio

Tags with Outlines with Cropmarks PaperSeed

Gift Tags Little Somethings

Bambi & Venner (Friends) Templates
#1 #2 #3 all 3 smaller on one page #4
Liselotte at Slagt en hellig ko

Girl Elf Tags Liselotte at Slagt en hellig ko

(Cute is the universal language, yes? :D)

Holiday Tags Luc Latulippe

Elf Tags Liquid Paper

Swedish Labels Hemslojd, Inc

Elf Tag Rosemary Travale

Christmas Tags #1 HTML Page PDF Jan Brett

Christmas Tags #2 HTMLPage PDF Jan Brett

ChristmasTags #3 HTMLPage PDF Jan Brett

Christmas Tags #4 HTML Page PDF Jan Brett

Holiday Tags The Fabled Needle

Gift Tags Operation Letter to Santa

Ornament Tag Belle's Printables

Baked Pretty Tags Every Little Thing

Gift Tags Whisker Graphics thru Blah Blah Blahg

Generic Celebrating Yeti Still Dottie

Christmas Yeti Still Dottie

Labels and Frames Meggiecat

Stitchmas Tags Sublime Stitching

Free Printable Gift Wrap and Matching Tags
Christmas Hanukkah Gift-WrapIt

ChristmasCanning Labels A Sonoma Garden

Christmas Couture Anna Maria Horner

Kokeshi Doll Tag Zakka Life

Placecard Zakka Life

Let It Snow Tags Vol. 25

2009 Tags Mark Fearing

2008 Tags Mark Fearing

2007 Tags Mark Fearing

2006 Tags Mark Fearing

Freebie Gift Tags JPG GIF
The Walrus and the Carpenter

Two Sheets of Tags #1 #2 Lucky Crow

Knick Knack Gift Cards Knick Knacks & Ric Rac

Tree Tags RandomHouse

Snowman Tags HGTV.ca

6 Different Styles Business Card Land

Gift Tags JPG PDF Brian White

Blank Stripes Free Printables

Pink Tags Free People

Christmas 2006 Tags #1

Kitty Genius

Christmas 2006 Tags #2

Kitty Genius

Christmas Tags Living Locurto

Four Seasons Gift tags Fog and Thistle

All Occasion Gift Tags The Small Object

Gift Tags Green Zebra Studio

Gift Labels Little Window Shoppe

Humorous Gift Tags Angry Chicken

Labels from the Queen ;) Martha Stewart

So Sweet Tags Black Apple

Bright Gift Tags Yoonie At Home

Ornate Gift Tags
Blue and Multi Yoonie At Home

Noel Labels Papercrave

Gift Tags #1 Bucklette

Gift Tags #2 Bucklette

Gift Tags #3 Bucklette

Gift Tags #4 Bucklette

Christmas 2008 Tags A Fanciful Twist

Christmas 2007 Tags A Fanciful Twist

Vintage Tags Grand Revival Design

Christmas Tags in color or black & white
Monita at Mushy

Lolly's Newest Labels LollyChops

Merry Christmas Circle Scallops LollyChops

Christmas Tree Notes and Tags LollyChops

Holiday Birds LollyChops

Just Owls LollyChops

From the Kitchen Of LollyChops

Holiday Circle Scallops LollyChops

All Birds Scallops LollyChops

Holiday Labels LollyChops

Ornament Tags LollyChops

Gift Tags Sew Mama Sew

Handmade With Love Sew Mama Sew

Handdrawn Tags Little Paper Dog

2007 Christmas gift tags
2006 Christmas gift tags
Camilla Engman

2007 Gift Tag Natascha Rosenberg

2006 Gift Tag Natascha Rosenberg

Gift Tags Delight.com

Santa Labels On a Limb Paper

Red & Teal Squares with Greetings without Greetings
On a Limb Paper

Dashed Circles On a Limb Paper

Cupcake Labels Creature Comforts

Lace Tags Creature Comforts

Calling Cards in Pink and Ochre Creature Comforts

Pink Labels Creature Comforts

Happy Ticket Ambrosia Girl

Red Vintage Labels Cathe Holden

Green Vintage Labels Cathe Holden

To and From Peptogirl

Handmade For You By Peptogirl

Gift Tags A Print A Day

Kokeshi Doll Tags A Print a Day

Little Dresses A Print a Day

Vintage Gift Tags Sweet Jessie

to/from tags Pink and Green Tricia Rennea

to/from tags Red and Green Tricia Rennea

Color-In Tags Tricia Rennea

Spiffy Funky Tags Tricia Rennea

Gift Gift Tags
(Nope, that's not a typo!) Tricia Rennea

Owl Tags Tricia Rennea

Flutterbirds Labels Tricia Rennea

Mitten Tags Tricia Rennea

Four Birds Tags Tricia Rennea

Partidge in a Pear Tree Tricia Rennea

Penguin Tags Tricia Rennea

Seansters
(These would be fun for kids!)Tricia Rennea

Gift Tags Bari J

New Tags from Amy Butler Coming Soon

Amy Butler

Free Printable Artist-made Gift Tags - over 135 Sheets Worth! (Text Only)

2009-12-02T01:37:00.010-06:00

(For preview images please click here for the image-heavy version.)

2009 Tags Fresh Picked Whimsy
2008 Snowman Tags Fresh Picked Whimsy
2008 Holly Jolly Tags Fresh Picked Whimsy
2008 Little Birdie Tags Fresh Picked Whimsy
2008 Happy House Tags Fresh Picked Whimsy
Holiday Lights Tags Studio 67 Download & Tutorial to make tag 2-sided
Dr. Seuss Gift Tags Seusville
Outline Labels iHanna
Gift Tags 2008 Lilly Piri
Gift Tags 2007 Lilly Piri
Gift Tags 2006 Lilly Piri
Gift Tags house wren studio
Tags with Outlines or with Cropmarks PaperSeed
Gift Tags Little Somethings
Bambi & Venner (Friends) Templates #1 #2 #3 all 3 smaller on one page #4
Liselotte at Slagt en hellig ko
Girl Elf Tags Liselotte at Slagt en hellig ko (Cute is the universal language, yes? :D)
Holiday Tags Luc Latulippe
Elf Tags Liquid Paper
Swedish Labels Hemslojd, Inc
Elf Tag Rosemary Travale
Christmas Tags #1 HTML Page PDF Jan Brett
Christmas Tags #2 HTML Page PDF Jan Brett
Christmas Tags #3 HTML Page PDF Jan Brett
Christmas Tags #4 HTML Page PDF Jan Brett
Holiday Tags The Fabled Needle
Gift Tags Operation Letter to Santa
Ornament Tag Belle's Printables
Baked Pretty Tags Every Little Thing
Gift Tags Whisker Graphics thru Blah Blah Blahg
Generic Celebrating Yeti Still Dottie
Christmas Yeti Still Dottie
Labels and Frames Meggiecat
Stitchmas Tags Sublime Stitching
Gift Wrap and Matching Tags Christmas Hanukkah Gift-WrapIt
Christmas Canning Labels A Sonoma Garden
Christmas Couture Anna Maria Horner
Kokeshi Doll Tag Zakka Life
Placecard Zakka Life
Let It Snow Tags Vol. 25
2009 Tags Mark Fearing
2008 Tags Mark Fearing
2007 Tags Mark Fearing
2006 Tags Mark Fearing
Freebie Gift Tags JPG GIF The Walrus and the Carpenter
Two Sheets of Tags #1 #2 Lucky Crow
Knick Knack Gift Cards Knick Knacks & Ric Rac
Tree Tags RandomHouse
Snowman Tags HGTV.ca
6 Different Styles Business Card Land
Gift Tags JPG PDF Brian White
Blank Stripes Free Printables
Pink Tags Free People
Christmas 2006 Tags #1 Kitty Genius
Christmas 2006 Tags #2 Kitty Genius
Christmas Tags Living Locurto
Four Seasons Gift Tags Fog and Thistle
All Occasion Gift Tags The Small Object
Gift Tags Green Zebra Studio
Gift Labels Little Window Shoppe
Humorous Gift Tags Angry Chicken
Labels from the Queen ;) Martha Stewart
So Sweet Tags Inside A Black Apple
Bright Gift Tags Yoonie At Home
Ornate Gift Tags Blue and Multi Yoonie At Home
Noel Labels Papercrave
Gift Tags #1 Bucklette
Gift Tags #2 Bucklette
Gift Tags #3 Bucklette
Gift Tags #4 Bucklette
Christmas 2008 Tags A Fanciful Twist
Christmas 2007 Tags A Fanciful Twist
Vintage Tags Grand Revival Design
Christmas Tags in color or black & white Monita at Mushy
Lolly's Newest Labels LollyChops
Merry Christmas Circle Scallops LollyChops
Christmas Tree Notes and Tags LollyChops
Holiday Birds LollyChops
Just Owls LollyChops
From the Kitchen Of LollyChops
Holiday Circle Scallops LollyChops
All Birds Scallops LollyChops
Holiday Labels LollyChops
Ornament Tags LollyChops
Gift Tags Sew Mama Sew
Handmade With Love Sew Mama Sew
Handdrawn Tags Little Paper Dog
2007 Christmas gift tags Camilla Engman
2006 Christmas gift tags Camilla Engman
2007 Gift Tag Natascha Rosenberg
2006 Gift Tag Natascha Rosenberg
Gift Tags Delight.com
Santa Labels On a Limb Paper
Red & Teal Squares with Greetings without Greetings On a Limb Paper
Dashed Circles On a Limb Paper
Cupcake Labels Creature Comforts
Lace Tags Creature Comforts
Calling Cards in Pink and Ochre Creature Comforts
Pink Labels Creature Comforts
Happy Ticket Ambrosia Girl
Red Vintage Labels Cathe Holden
Green Vintage Labels Cathe Holden
To and From Peptogirl
Handmade For You By Peptogirl
Gift Tags A Print A Day
Kokeshi Doll Tags A Print a Day
Little Dresses A Print a Day
Vintage Gift Tags Sweet Jessie
to/from Tags Pink and Green Tricia Rennea
to/from Tags Red and Green Tricia Rennea
Color-In Tags Tricia Rennea
Spiffy Funky Tags Tricia Rennea
Gift Gift Tags (Nope, that's not a typo!) Tricia Rennea
Owl Tags Tricia Rennea
Flutterbirds Labels Tricia Rennea
Mitten Tags Tricia Rennea
Four Birds Tags Tricia Rennea
Partridge in a Pear Tree Tricia Rennea
Penguin Tags Tricia Rennea
Seansters (These would be fun for kids!) Tricia Rennea
Gift Tags Bari J

New Tags from Amy Butler Coming Soon
Amy Butler

December Sponsors: Road Rage Jewelry and the Friendship Stone

2009-12-01T19:10:00.004-06:00

I'm pleased to introduce you to my first set of sponsors, Road Rage Jewelry and the Friendship Stone.

Jeanne Koesters at Road Rage has been an absolute delight to work with. And I have to say her necklaces have been the most fun my teens and I have had together in a long time.

"The Friendship Stone serves as an important reminder of the bond of friendship - something of yourself that you can leave with someone else; a meaningful friendship gift above price, as unique as the way you feel about each special friend you have." from the Friendship Stone's message page. There is so much more to it, though. If you absolutely can't wait you can go check it out now. ;)

In the next week I will feature each of these two companies and the women who started them. I'll tell you about the packages I received from them and the responses from the members of my family. (hint: everyone was pleased in one way or another!) And best of all for you, I'll tell you how you can win jewelry from Road Rage and a giftset from the Friendship Stone. With Christmas coming up they make great gifts. (for yourself! ha!)

Craft Critique Articles

2009-12-01T09:32:00.002-06:00

Some of you might not know that I also write reviews for a fabulous website called Craft Critique.

"What is Craft Critique? We are a collective of experienced crafters (some professional, most not) with strong opinions to share on the craft supplies you want to learn more about."

These are some of the reviews I've written so far:

Martha Stewart vs. Tsukineko Essential: Glue Pad Wars

Enchanted Adornments Book Review

Canvas Concepts

Vendor Spotlight: Copic Marker Tutorials (a compilation of tutorials on the web)

Vendor Spotlight: Copic Markers

Strands Book Review and Giveaway

Vendor Spolight: Shimmerz, Blingz, and Spritz

Vendor Spotlight - Kitschy Digitals Embroidery Patterns

Around the Block Tape Writer

Artful Living: Blog Expansion Complete

2009-11-30T11:38:00.005-06:00

Ladies and gentlemen, please put your seats in an upright position and fasten your seatbelts. Now take a look in the right sidebar at the new column heading titled "Artful Living" conveniently placed at the top. Notice there are five buttons below it: Books, Supplies, Handmade, Projects, Websites? And then a sixth heading named "Sponsors"?

I am excited to announce that I am expanding the blog. I will no longer just be doing art/craft book reviews. I will also be bringing you reviews of art supplies and handmade goods from smaller companies and indie artists. I will also be sharing more handmade projects from myself and guest artists. Under the websites tab you'll find articles about blogs and sites that I feel help foster a love of creativity and an artful life.

Each month will also bring a new set of sponsors. These sponsors are companies or shops whose products I am personally using and endorsing. At the beginning of the month I will run a feature about each of them and then you will find their link under the sponsor button for the rest of the month.

With all of my product reviews (including my sponsors), these are products that I use and love. I do not accept payment for my reviews or sponsor spaces. Companies do send me product to review and/or in exchange for sponsor space but this doesn't affect what I write. I am very particular about the companies that I accept submissions from and that I send queries to so that I offer only the very best to my readers.

For more information on my disclosure policy, see here.

If you are interested in being featured for any of the following:

a guest artist/project article
artist/handmade review
book/art supply review
website/blog review
sponsor space(which includes a review)

please contact me for a spec sheet at primseydolls @ yahoo.com

I hope you'll join me in this new direction.

Handmade Holidays: The Handmade Gift Guide Feature

2009-11-29T16:19:00.005-06:00

Long before we started tightening our belts because of the economy handmade started making a huge resurgence. Not only do most people love receiving a gift with time and thought invested in it, it is incredibly rewarding to give a gift that isn’t found at the local discount chain store. But what if you don’t have the time or the particular skill required? Support indie artists.

We all know about Etsy. But did you know that there are several other handmade markets available online? Fortunately, someone has done the work of gathering those links together as well as featuring many of the best artists daily.

Anne Hayman, or Enna, is the brains behind The Handmade Gift Guide. The Handmade Gift Guide bills itself as “THE place to go online to find gifts for every occasion. A mix of featured artist's shops, places to buy and sell handmade gifts.”

The beauty of the internet is that we can meet people virtually that we would not be able to otherwise. Recently I had the pleasure of sitting down with Enna in just this way. I had my coffee and emailed her questions. She had her tea and answered them. We discovered we share a love of handmade and of talking. ;)

Is this the first year for the guide?
Yep. I just started in October. I am putting together a new page for The Guide called On Sale. It will list all of the sales and special events I find for handmade gifts. I also have a Facebook page where I ask people to post their sales and special events.

Are you the only one who runs the guide?
Yep, it's mostly just me, my daughter does help me find cool stuff, she is 13, and has great taste...

How do you determine who is featured?
I window shop a lot online, and just ask artists if I can feature them. I also have people request to be featured. I try to feature everyone who asks. I do get a lot of requests to be featured from jewelry makers, so I have to space them out a little. I try to feature as many of my twitter followers and FB fans as possible. They are amazing! I try to look at everyone's shop who follows/fans me.

Do you feature Etsy and non-Etsy alike?
Yes, I feature shops from all over the internet. I have had a lot of requests from people who have Etsy shops, but I try to include shops from other venues like 1000 Markets, Artfire, DaWanda, etc...

Do you have a shop yourself?
Yes, I have a few... I make Aromatherapy and Herbal Wellness Products, Spiritual Art, Healing Gemstone Jewelry, and I sew clothes and toys as well. I even make a few purses with my mom :)

http://rheedunn.etsy.com
http://lotusflowerherbals.etsy.com
http://lotusflowerherbals.artfire.com

How close to Christmas will it run?
It will be an ongoing thing. I try to post daily.

Right up to the day if they offer overnight shipping maybe?
I will do a last minute shopping post of a few shops that are offering overnight shipping for those procrastinators out there!

Or will you stop at some point just to relax and enjoy the holidays with your own family?
I spend a couple nights a week up late after my family goes to bed writing features for the week. That way I am not always on my computer during the day. I work a lot while my kids are at school and baby is napping.

Are there any other handmade markets that you especially recommend?
I love what Tim Adam is doing for Etsy, his HMC app is super amazing. Artfire is really great too. Supermarket is a very cool spot as well. I really like all the ones in my link list. They all have their finer points. :)

Anything else you'd like to share?
I am very grateful for all the help and support I have received from the handmade community. They have helped me so much in the past month. I hope to grow The Guide into THE place to go to find handmade gifts for loved ones. I really believe in the handmade movement, and want to support it fully.

I enjoy getting to know each artist/crafter that I feature. I think people enjoy buying from people they know something about. I really love the 'Causes of the Month' feature... there are some very loving and caring people out there, and I want them to be recognized for their efforts to make this world a better place to live.

I also have another blog, http://lotusflowerherbals.com for my aromatherapy/herbal wellness business. I am a busy girl. I detest boredom. I want to do it ALL :) {Editors Note: Sounds like a girl after my own heart!}
You can find me here:
Twitter
http://twitter.com/hndmdegiftguide

Facebook
http://facebook.com/thehandmadegiftguide
http://facebook.com/ItsOn Sale
and of course on The Guide
http://thehandmadegiftguide.com

*Artists/crafters can find out how to be featured here: How To Be Featured

Thank you for so graciously answering all my questions, Enna! For everyone visiting The Guide, be sure to check out the plethora of links in the sidebar. Not only has Enna gathered her November Etsy Favorites (soon to be December!), but there are also tons of other handmade market listings. And if you still haven't had your fill, check out the archives. Don't forget to grab a button for your own blog to share the love. :)

Rolling with the punches

2009-11-22T18:31:00.002-06:00

Unfortunately the things I'm eager to share with you are going to have stay under wraps just a little bit longer. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we're headed to the in-laws for the Thanksgiving holiday tonight instead of Tuesday night.

Have a wonderful holiday and I'll meet you back here next week!

The Sewing Bible Book Review by Liesl Gibson of Disdressed

2009-11-20T11:09:00.004-06:00

Here is an excellent book review written by Liesl Gibson for The Sewing Bible by Ruth Singer. If Liesl's name sounds familiar, it should. She's the author of the popular blog Disdressed as well as the creator of Oliver + S, a beautiful line of patterns for children's clothing. So when she recommends a sewing book, people tend to sit up and take notice.

She does a good job of explaining what makes this book different from every other how-to-sew book out there. Liesl also shows several photos from the book. That's one of my biggest "make it or break it" things about a book review. If a book review shows just the cover image and a small paragraph/blurb, I'm not interested. I can get better than that at Amazon. I want a reviewer to put some thought into it. And Liesl does this.

I'm recommending this book to my sister and her husband who are both beginning sewists and can always use a good reference book. And I'm doing it based on Liesl's review.

Teaser

2009-11-20T08:48:00.003-06:00

I'm working on a blog revamp. Not so much a new look, although there will be some new buttons over in the sidebar. Up to now I have only covered book reviews. I'm very pleased to be expanding into other areas. Oh, we won't leave my beloved books behind. That would be like asking me to stop breathing. I'll just be adding ever so much more. Beginning Monday.

What does the picture above have to do with it? Nothing.

Enchanted Adornments Book Review on Craft Critique

2009-11-16T11:00:00.002-06:00

Doesn't the tray of treasures below look absolutely divine? See what master storyteller and jewelry artist Cynthia Thornton of Green Girl Studios and Green Girl blog can do with them in her first book, Enchanted Adornments. I don't want to give anything away here but I will say that I almost guarantee you'll fall in love.

Handmade Holiday Quilting Arts Free E-book

2009-11-11T13:33:00.009-06:00

This season I'll be sharing ideas, links, and goods to help you enjoy a Handmade Holiday. Maya Angelou said:

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

It's also likely they will not remember what you bought, but they will remember that you took the time to make something for them whether it's a gift, an ornament for their tree, or a loaf of banana bread.

The first link I want to share just arrived in my inbox this morning. It's a free e-ebook from Quilting Arts with 5 small quilting projects. The really great thing about these designs is that they use fabric scraps. We all have those little bits of favorite fabrics that we save "just because" but they aren't really big enough for anything much.

There are 5 projects that have all manner of adaptability potential for Christmas. There's the colored pencil roll that has been so popular as a children's gift. The journals are an obvious one and can be customized to the individual. Imagine the luggage tags as gift tags (perhaps reusable?) instead. The mini wallet for a traveller or even a teacher might benefit from one. And of course the Little Treasures box... with a gift box so beautiful how do you put anything in it that even compares?

To receive the e-book you'll need to sign up at the Quilting Arts website. This will also get you in the door for their forums, newsletter, and more freebies. I've found that I truly look forward to their emails. It's a little bit of eyecandy in my inbox.

Latest Kids Art Class

2009-11-07T09:17:00.004-06:00

Standing Tall

Chillaxin'

These are the papermache birds that the kids painted in the latest kids art class. (Somebody's bluebird in the back was heavily influenced by Karen Michel. ;) )I premade them before class from papermache pulp made from newspaper endrolls. Our class is only an hour and a half and I wanted them to be able to be able to paint in this class. After painting the birds, they received a Gladware tub of wet papermache to mold with and take home. This way they got the best of both in one day! I also sent home a printed sheet about paper mache.

Paper Mache

There are two basic methods of paper mache. The first is dipping strips of paper in glue/liquid paste and laying them across a form. This is how piñatas are made. The second is to make a paper mache pulp. This is the method we’re using.

Newspaper
Water
Salt
White glue

Tear the newspaper into small pieces and put them in a large bowl or bucket. Add enough hot water to completely cover the newspaper. Let soak overnight or for several hours.

After your newspaper has soaked, it's time to really start smushing it up. Tear it up, squash it, squeeze it. Try to get as many lumps out as possible. If necessary, add a bit more water and let it soak a little more. You want to consistency of oatmeal.

Once you have it as smooth as possible, add a few tablespoons of salt to help retard mold. Mix it again with your hands. Once mixed thoroughly, squeeze out any excess water and add a few tablespoons of glue. Now you are ready to use your paper mache pulp.

Store your pulp in an air tight ziploc or tub in the refrigerator for several days to a week.

I also like to finish my projects with a thin layer of tissue paper and white glue on the outside for a smoother appearance.

To dry your project leave in a warm dry area for several days or until it feels light and is not moist at all. You can also bake it at about 300 for an hour or so depending on the thickness. Be sure to watch it carefully. I keep a toaster oven in my art room just for clay and paper mache projects. Works beautifully for this!

You can buy also buy dry paper mache pulp at a craft store. I try to emphasize recycling in crafting as much as possible, however, so I suggest the following sources:

- Recycling your newspapers. The only drawback to this is the ink makes it a bit sludgy.

- End rolls from the newspaper office – The local news office charges $2-3 for these and they also make excellent drawing paper.

- Some shipping companies pack with sheets of thin paper that is just like newsprint paper.

Next week we're doing ATCs. They're already pumped about them! :)

Good Mail Day Author Interview and Book Giveaway (Closed)

2009-10-19T21:00:00.006-05:00

And the lucky winner is Apple! Congrats, Apple! And if you didn't win this time, don't worry. I'll have more book giveaways soon. Cross my heart. :)

I love mail art! There’s nothing better than getting something fun in the mail rather than bills. So naturally I flipped over Carolee Gilligan Wheeler and Jennie Hinchcliff’s new book, Good Mail Day. And I was lucky enough to score this author interview with Carolee from her publisher.

And at the end I’ll share some great mail art links as well as tell you how you can win a copy of the book!

the authors - Do you think there's a mail art badge?

What's the name of your book?
Good Mail Day: A Primer for Making Eye-Popping Postal Art

What's your book about?
Good Mail Day is about all of the wonderful ways to utilize the postal service (a medium that many have thought fallen out of favor) to send creative, unique mail and mail art to friends and strangers all over the world. We take new users through simple ways to create more individual and interesting pieces of mail, from the humble postcard to mail-able sculptures, and then we introduce them to the finer points of working within the Mail Art network.

How long have you been doing this type of craft or art?
I would honestly say that I have been making mail art since high school, when I had a variety of pen-pals that I discovered through the pen-pal section of my favorite band’s Fan Club. Those people introduced me to the idea of friend books (essentially an add-and-pass in the fine mail art tradition) and the idea of making one’s mail as distinctive and artistic as possible. Within were letters, yes, but also drawings, mix tapes, and even things like 100 plastic ants. People prided themselves on how unusual they could make their mailings, which were essentially to complete strangers. The only comparable level of dedication I’ve seen since has been with mail artists. I became more interested in mail art as its own medium (separate from mere letter-writing, in which I was still engaged) when I met Jennie in 2004 and we started sending things to one another.

What inspired you to write Good Mail Day?
Jennie {Hinchcliff} and I have been engaged in our project, Pod Post, since we met, and Pod Post is, purely and simply, correspondence-obsessed. We have sold stationery sets and mail art kits, as well as mail art bentos filled with tags, labels, stickers, and postal rubber stamps that we bought on a trip to Japan and assembled in little bento boxes (complete with fake sushi grass!). Our Pod Post logo incorporates the international symbol for Post. Pretty much everything Pod Post does has to do with mail and mail art. So it was a natural fit, and since we continually meet people who say, “Oh my gosh, people still SEND MAIL?” we jumped at the chance to show them all of the wonderful ways they can incorporate their love of collage, or typography, or illustration—you name it—into making and sending exciting mail art. Doesn’t everyone love to get REAL mail? Most people I know do. And the first rule of the Mail Art Network is that if you want to get great mail, you have to send great mail. We thought maybe people just needed a little nudge, and the book could serve that purpose.

What makes your book different?
Most of the mail art books I’m familiar with have been out-of-print for a long time, and other correspondence-related books seem to focus on either card-making or penmanship or something of a more specific nature. With mail art I think you get the entire package. At its best, it’s 100% handmade, completely unique to the sender, and definitely the kind of thing you want to keep. And unlike more traditional fine arts, mail art is still really affordable, especially in the United States, where you can send off a gorgeous piece of mail art for as little as a postcard stamp. I also hope people will notice the incredible variety of the mail art we received for submission, all of it received through a traditional mail art call-for-entries. There are so many styles in there that it’s my hope that everyone who sees it will understand that anyone can make mail art, it can take as little as ten minutes, and there’s room for everyone’s personal vision.

Who will most enjoy or benefit from this book?
Everyone! Seriously. Well, anyone who likes making things. A wood-whittler could make really exciting mail art! The most natural extensions of their crafts will be for calligraphers, illustrators, collage and scrapbook artists, printmakers, photographers, painters, typography and design nerds, philatelists, junk-hoarders, origami enthusiasts…. Honestly. Name a craft, and I could probably think of a way that it could be applied to mail art. Beyond that, we’re just looking for the people who say, “I remember when I used to get the best mail…”.

When and where will your book be available?
It's available right NOW! You can get it at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon, and any number of craft stores.

Were there contributors to this book? If so, who were they?
We received a very large number of contributions through a call-for-entries and included nearly everyone in this book. They run the gamut—from friends and acquaintances who said “What’s mail art, again? Well, I guess I could do that…” to seasoned mail art networkers and paper crafters. There are far, far too many to list here.

Be sure to read up on the history of mail art at Wikipedia. It might surprise just how far it goes back. Then, check out the mail art at the following links.

http://www.actlab.utexas.edu/emma/
http://mailart2.com/
http://digitalmailart.blogspot.com/
http://www.zyarts.com/zybooks/mailartpage.html

Do you know of any others? Do share.

Now, wanna win a copy of the book? You get one entry for commenting on this post. But, wait! There’s more! Taking a cue from several blogs I’ve read recently I’ll also give you additional entries if you post about this giveaway on 1. Your blog 2. Your Twitter 3. One Other Social Networking Site. That’s a total of 4 possible entries. Just come back here and let me know that you posted about it and where. We’re on the honor system. :)

I’ll keep the comments open until Sunday evening 6 pm central time. Good luck and go forth and create mail art!

Daily Journal Candy

2009-10-07T00:11:00.002-05:00

So I was going to do a tutorial and share some sneaky tricks on how to cover the backs of your canvases with brown paper. Somehow I ended up doing some fall flower arrangements for the house, working a little with the clay, and this journal page. We're not mentioning the shopping wherein I buy the most amazing pumpkin cookies ever.

"Elizabeth" Art Print October's 5 Dollar Deal

2009-10-04T20:12:00.001-05:00

"Elizabeth" is available as a 5" x 8" print. She has a that fiery red hair and a bit of that Joan from Mad Men look to her face. Yes, it is one of the shows I watch while I paint, why? :)

She is the first in my new series of Five Dollar Deals. Every month I will present a new print that will be available for the entire month for only $5. There will only be 30 available or until the last day of the month whichever comes first.

The original is sketched in pencil then painted in watercolors on heavy watercolor paper. Then it is scanned in at 600 dpi for the best image possible.

Each print is numbered and handsigned under the lower right hand edge of the print. The image is printed on 8 1/2" x 11" archival matte paper. I only use archival, fade resistant inks as well.

Oh My Goodness! Another Allen Designs Giveaway!

2009-10-04T01:42:00.003-05:00

Oh, my! Michelle is giving away FOUR of her darling houses in another giveaway. She is one of the most generous bloggers I've ever run over with my car so that I could get my grubby mitts on that black, red, and pink one!

If you win be sure to email me and I'll send you my address.

Creative Troupe Pieces (Image Heavy)

2009-10-03T10:05:00.000-05:00

I am very lucky to work with C & T Publishing as a part of their Creative Troupe. What this means is that every couple months, I get to work with some of their wonderful products and create samples either for art store displays or for sales reps around the country. This last time around I used some of their Lutradur to make a handmade book, I painted a canvas book, a board book, and I glammed up a greeting card keeper and made a card for the inside of it. So enough with the words and on with the pictures. (Oh, by the way, you can click on any of the links above and order some of your own goodies. I highly recommend them!)

Disclosure Policy October 2009

2009-10-01T00:00:00.002-05:00

This policy is valid from 01 October 2009

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by Francie Horton. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we will and do accept and keep free products from companies and organizations. Most of the items that I review are items that the company has sent for the purpose of review, particularly when there is a giveaway involved.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received will never influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

CMP.ly Disclosures as of December 1st, 2009

CMP.ly0
CMP.ly1 - Book Reviews
CMP.ly2 - Most Product Reviews

Daily Journal Candy

2009-09-29T09:10:00.000-05:00

Unidentified sailor from Nana's old photo album. Ooh la la!

Think Pink Swap

2009-09-27T16:30:00.004-05:00

These are the pink charms I made for the Think Pink charm swap on Amber Dawn's blog awhile back.

They are made of polymer clay then painted with acrylic paints. I used head pins to attach them to jump rings and added beads and flower sequins. These sequins were a gift from a blogger I met at the first ArtFiberFest, Diane Moore, as well as several packages of vintage glass buttons and purple rose beads. Every time I use these goodies in my projects I think of her and the fun we had. :)

And then because packaging is so important, I wrapped them in pink tissue and put them in little manila envelopes then tied them up with red and pink baker's twine that had a polymer cane bead slipped on it and a tag.

Daily Journal Candy

2009-09-26T00:36:00.000-05:00