Are you ready???

                                  Are you ready??? Only 10 more nights before Santa comes!!!

                                                          Only 16 days left in 2010...
Spend as much time with your family as you can and enjoy the holidays!!! I ran across something this morning that was very inspirational and I wanted to share it with you.

                                         To your enemy, forgiveness...
                                         To an opponant, tolerance...
                                         To a friend, your heart...
                                         To a customer, service...
                                         To all, charity...
                                         To every child, a good example...
                                         To yourself, respect.

                                         - Oren Arnold-

I think I put it in my Christmas cards. Have a Merry Christmas Everybody!!

Christmas

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 Christmas is almost on us now and of course, it NEVER seems as if there is enough time to finish every little thing that just has to get done. I've decorated the trees, all the presents are wrapped, most of the handwork is done but Christmas always seems to take you back to the time when the children were little...when you worked too much, saved too little and yet if there was a special gift, a special set of dolls, just the right backpack...you would have searched high and low, far and wide to find it. Kids grow up and make families of their own. You hope you have given your children some memories and traditions to carry on. Now there are grandchildren to watch as they jump for joy. As they hollar, excited because Santa has brought them that special doll, just the perfect set of Lego and the box that another gift came in, it brings you back to what all those memories were about.

  They grow so quickly...

   

               ...enjoy your family this Christmas season and Remember to keep Christ in Christmas!!!

much needed work on etsy

I have found myself with a little extra time at this time of the year when you think that you would be the absolute very busiest so this week I will be working on my etsy and its much needed attention. So stay tuned bloggers and check out the shoppe for some new postings. Hopefully there will be some items you can't live without to finish up some of your personalized Christmas gifts for 2010. BUY HANDMADE!! Commit to making it HANDMADE!!!

Life happens when you're just not lookin'

Boy! Just when you think you have everything figured out...the rug gets pulled right out from under you! And you really figure out what's REALLY important and who REALLY loves you...the one person who is always that constant in your life...the one person who always believes in you...the one person who is always proud of you no matter what happens...and it brings you back full circle and the fact that you really have taken all that for granted. You just thank your lucky stars that he still loves you after everything and at the end of the day...THAT'S who you really want to spend all your time with...even if neither one of you never say a word. He KNOWS what you're thinking...and he just gives you a much needed hug!!

Everybody...Just enjoy your special someone!!!

Looking for that Cooler weather!!!

Well, the weatherman says its on its way. Sometimes that's a hard thing to believe if the weather isn't cooperating. But we sometimes just have to get in the right mindset and it will come. Halloween is just around the corner and I love the smell of candy corn., the campfire smells of a cool dark night and goblins running around.
The leaves will hopefully start turning those beautiful colors and a cool crisp air will arrive every morning. I can't wait! It is the time of year I most enjoy on my back porch with a cup of coffee in hand...

Have a wonderful fall day my friends and just get in the mood!!

Trace Creek Crop is over. I saw some old friends, met alot of new friends and learned a few things about myself in the process. This time we had some products that I use on a regular basis out to let others experiment with and met a few very nice ladies. They got a chance to use Ranger alcohol inks, Ranger Distress pads, Glimmer mist (graciously donated by "Precious Scraps" , Beverly Nash, owner in Dover, Tn) and some regular computer cleaner. The results were beautiful. Of course, everyone has a different idea but that's what makes the world go round....

Thanks Ladies!!!

As I have promised I will be putting all of the displays that I made for the show on my etsy for sale.
If you came by and talked to me about a display, please check the etsy for the display. Also, check out the rest of the items on etsy and as always you can place an order. The items are subject to availability. We scour the countryside looking for unique items to make your artwork "perfect", but sometimes we can only get a limited supply. Email me or leave a note on my blog for something specific. We also have things not on the site so if you are looking for a specific item, let us know.

A special thank you goes out to the many people who help get me to the show. You know the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child...." well, thank you Mike, Laura, Patti, Ella, Nana, Michael. You are the best!!!

Perfect House....I think not.

I ran across the PERFECT quote for my house lately. I used to think that everything had to always be in its place. I think that maybe I was only driving myself just a little CRAZY. Everything always gets done. Everbody always does their little part and even though everything is not always as perfect as I thought it should be, I am Happy. See if it fits your house too.

A perfectly kept house is a sign
of a misspent life:
How to live creatively with collections,
clutter, work, kids, pets, art, etc...
and stop worrying about everything
being perfectly in its place!
-Mary Randolph Carter-

altered art supplies

It's been a couple of days since I've had enough time to actually slow down and visit my own blog. I've been doing alot of work for the store in little spurts (mainly waiting on "drying time") so in the meantime...we went shopping! We scour the countryside looking for vintage and artful ways to make your art (and mine) come to life...to be all you want it to be! We look for vintage papers,  game pieces,  jewelry findings,  letters, 

numbers and art supplies. The more vintage, the better we like it!. Our stock changes regular and many things are limited so shop wisely. Somethings we can never obtain again. We will be at Trace Creek Crop on Friday, September 17th, and Saturday September 18th from 7:00 until 5:00 offering some of the items. Hope to see you there! We've got LOTS of new things to show you! Thanks for visiting!

clean...clean...clean.

WHEW!! I know I really needed to spend the time and reorganize and clean. You know you get that feeling when you look around and you are trying to create on a 6 x 6 inch space on your 4 foot by 4 foot table...

so...I spent the day doing just that and now it's just too late to get started on something really good so I will refrain and start on something tomorrow. But, it will be alot easier to locate and a whole lot easier to spread out!!! Until then enjoy some new pictures!

New products

I want to tell you about a couple of new products out that I think are pretty newsworthy.

The first is the new Martha Stewart Glow in the Dark glitter that is coming out shortly and will be just in time to use with her Halloween products. It's a little spooky but also very cool. Try some as soon as you get a chance!!

Also there are two NEW paper pads out that are just about as good as they get!! One is by Graphic 45. It is alot of steampunk style paper. It comes in a 12 x 12 pad and the other is by Tim Holtz called Lost and Found. I'm quite sure that if you buy either one of these, you will plan projects to use every scrap!!

Magazine submission

One of our customers came in yesterday and let me know she had seen my submission in the new Doll Art Quarterly. I wasn't sure it was out yet but now I know for sure. I was thrilled. This is a very good magazine. Everybody go out and purchase one. It keeps us all submitting when it doesn't seem like there is enough time in the day to create. And thanks to Doll Art Quarterly for including me in your magazine. I can't wait to start working on the next doll...actually...there are a couple already in the works...

CHA excitement

I work in an industry where things are ever changing. Now this is good for me because I don't like to sit still too long and it's always another opportunity to create. The National Craft and Hobby Association just let out and there are oh so many goodies in store!!! That means it won't take too long before they arrive in the stores! New paper, new ribbons, new die cutting machines, NEW ALTERABLES...Need I say more? As soon as I can get you some pictures I will upload them and as soon as I try them out I will be posting my reviews. Until then, Shake well...

Here are a couple of images for you to play with this week.

trace creek crop and create...

Not too much time for a long post today. I will be at Trace Creek Crop in September and I need to be creating new things for the booth...Maybe some displays will end up at a certain daughters house that's redecorating...???

creative folks

Every day I am so truly blessed to be able to work with so many creative people!

I have discovered that creativity comes in so many shapes and sizes.

There are the quiet, well reserved photographers who think no one is really paying any attention to their photos only not to know that they are daily inspiration. Another group of artists are the quiet writers. They are to be well respected because sometimes words come very hard. There are the quirky," always looking for a place to display another piece of art" kind of artists. There are the "everything I do is over the top" artists. There are the "I can't do art" artists who are really good at it anyway. There are artists that just make what I tell them, no matter if it really doesn't make sense at the time. And there are artists who just sort of whittle two sticks together and out pops something wonderful...(as my husband says) people. No matter the type of supplies...Shake it up...Shake well and let the creativity fall.

A few of my favorite things

Since this is among my first posts I wanted to let you know the kind of things I am really interested in.
As we go along, I'll be adding pictures that you are more than welcome to use in your artwork or just for your personal inspiration. I like Old sheet music, Antique lace, Old tattered books, Buttons, Keys, Antique papers, Baby shoes, Birds Nests, Speckled eggs and especially the HUNT for all of them!!!

HELLO!! This is my very first post so everybody be easy.

I think this blog is going to be good for me in a couple of ways.
One, a stress reliever. Two, a way to create...differently, not just with a sharpie and three, a way to bounce a few ideas off other artists who have similar interests.

Let me tell you about some of my interests and you can see where I am headed.

I love anything vintage. Anything that is crusty, dusty or to be altered probably has my name already on it to be saved.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to create one of a kind pieces of artwork for enjoyment or to sell that has some sort of vintage theme to it. I really never know where the piece will lead me until that certain little face appears or that certain little chotsky comes out of my many boxes and drawers of stuff that will actually make that piece of artwork "come alive". Everything is just waiting to be shaken well.