Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Oooohhhh.....so full!



So much food!

So many presents!

So much fun!









Big piles of wrapping paper, family surrounded by their toys, Spook looking a bit dazed and confused, the AWESOME steampunk gun Dear Daughter MADE me! (nerf gun, painted and embellished, SUPER COOL!)

All the presents I was making got finished in the nick of time (I wrecked my sewing machine on the last one!) I made a few more Etsy sales, very exciting! Dear Daughter & I have been watching marathon TV for 5 days; Hoarders, What Not to Wear, Extreme Couponing; all the stuff I won't watch when she's gone.

Looking forward to a couple of days straightening up and cleaning out, to welcome in the New Year!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Etsy Shop Expanding



With the news that Go Figure Consignment would be closing at the end of the year, I was understandably worried about what to do with all my Red Panty clothing inventory. So I've been listing it in my Etsy shop, 4 pieces last Thursday, 6 pieces yesterday.

I've already sold 3 pieces to one lucky lady, so this will hopefully bring added momentum to both my shop and myself! I need to move this stuff, people! I must make room for new pieces of spring fashion, and my rack in the studio is full to bursting right now.

Selling something to someone who likes it is definitely a motivator; I want to get in there and make lots of new stuff! Although right now, it's all about the Christmas presents I have to make....lots of them!

So try to find some peace during this holiday season, and I'll post pics of all the gifties being created in the barn!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Christmas Kitty!



Snapple, who says she's invisible because she's hiding behind the tree!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Handmade Holiday Pledge 2011

Handmade Holiday Pledge 2011

I am pledging that at least 50% of my gifts this year will be handmade, either by me or some other amazing artist! Oh, and I'm hoping that MY work will be snatched up by others to keep the handmade holiday going strong!

Lots of ready-to-ship goodies at the Etsy Shop!

The year comes to a close


It's rainy again (or is that still?) I'm busy at the museum (which is good) and I'm trying to get the house decorated for Christmas and the holidays. I've got the green tree up and decorated, the pink tree up without decorations. I've unpacked lots of other little trees, and stored some of the normal objects I surround myself with, to make room for glittering little cardboard houses and manger scenes.

I feel like I'm on a roller coaster, though, with lots of exciting things, and lots of worrisome things hitting me from all sides.

Exciting: gave a presentation to the Delaware Artist Guild about my Red Panty clothing, learned to use Powerpoint for said presentation, got paid and sold a piece at presentation, sold another item on Etsy, have many many MANY gifts to be sewn before Christmas, started using Pinterest which is a really fun site to collect things from around the web into 1 place, wrestling a teensy bit of responsibility for scheduling from my control-freak boss, preparing for a show of my work in Newark, anticipating a lovely Christmas break at home with beloved daughter, family, friends, etc.

Worrisome: losing Go Figure as a retail outlet for the Red Panty Clothing, worrying about Sherri from Go Figure who is closing due to some health concerns, have many many MANY gifts to be sewn before Christmas, responsibility for scheduling the Library gallery, preparing for a show of my work in Newark, a long Christmas break with no work and no paycheck, beloved daughter in her final week of projects and papers and exams as she struggles to keep it together. sigh!

I am trying to maintain an attitude of open, willing, and wide-eyed wonder through this month, and keep casting around for alternatives, opportunities and possibilities. The whole "closes a door, opens a window" type of viewpoint. I'm looking for outlets for my art, my clothing, my friendship, my energy. I know I will find them.

Sometimes we become so comfortable where we are, we stop looking ahead to the next great thing, and are taken by surprise when things change. As they always do. ALWAYS!

I flipped through my notebook last week, which serves as a sort of journal for me. I don't sketch, I don't do dairy entries, but I make lists. LOTS of them! I stumbled upon a list I made last January, of blessings to be thankful for in the new year. I can still count them all! Under my "plans" for 2011, I did cross a few off. The few I didn't cross off, I guess I'll just use first in my new list for next year.

So I continue to gather up images, ideas, contacts and entry forms, and make lists of all the possibilities. And I continue to be thankful for all my blessings, which includes every single friend!