Happy Birthday to Me, part 2 :)

So every year for my birthday I get myself a gift, and the last few years it's been something from a fellow Etsian.

Last year, I treated myself to fabulous beads from my favorite lampwork artist, Anne. I simply adore her beads, and her prices are awesome! If you love lampwork like I do, check out her shop, Maudies, on Etsy!

This year, I discovered a wonderful artist on The Quilted House blog who uses found objects to make functional art. I was so excited to work with her to create my beautiful birthday clock! She had some that I liked in her Etsy shop, REaction Gifts, but none were exactly what I wanted. So we worked together to create something fabulous! I was so excited to get it in the mail, a whole week before my birthday! Happy Birthday to me, indeed! :)

Be blessed :)

ps... Don't forget about my birthday giveaway! There's only 4 days left to enter! :)

Craft vs Art

I was asked to be part of a research study recently and the focus group session really made me think about what I do. Now I'm beginning to question my craft and ask myself "Is what I do art?"

Just because it's handmade doesn't make something art. But what does? I think my jewelry is beautiful, and I love the organic energy of my embroidered bags. But I didn't start making them as an artistic outlet, per se. I enjoy the artistic qualities of my work, but when I think of art, I don't think of my stuff. I know that I probably can't afford to create "art". What I would consider art is usually created almost entirely from scratch, and hence, the price reflects that investment of time and creativity. But is my work any less artistic simply because I buy my beads and findings? With my denim things, I use something that already exists in one form and re-create it into another, which I think is closer to being pure art, but the functionality of the piece brings it down for that artistic pedistal and forces it into the human realm.

We also discussed the various selling formats for our artistic endeavors, and, again, there's a disparity between those of us who make hand-crafted items and true "art". I can have a pair of earrings listed on Etsy & in a retail location because I can make them again. But a work of art is one of a kind and cannot be reproduced exactly. My bags in this instance are much closer to "art" because each one is created individually and no two will ever be exactly alike. But I still don't think they're art.

But does my work need to be art to be of value? I don't think so. But that just means that I need to find the right venue to showcase my work. I'm not in a position to create a million of each piece so that I can sell them wholesale, and I wouldn't want to even if I could. There is a difference between hand-crafted and home-made. Home-made makes me think of those terrible crocheted vests everyone wore in the 70's. Hand-crafted elevates the process to a near-art form, but still allows for the functionality of the work.

I guess, in my mind, the difference between art and craft is the functionality. Art is beautiful just for the sake of beauty while I would like my things to be loved and used. If I had unlimited resources would I rather be creating works of art? I'm not sure. I do know that I'd make a whole heck of a lot more money selling my things at the Guggenheim than on Etsy :)

Be blessed

Pants Purses for Everyone!

My children love my bags. They call them "Pants Purses" since Mommy makes them out of their old jeans. I have several that I carry myself, one that I carry pretty much everyday, and two larger ones that I take to the gym or if we're going on vacation. They have been asking me forever to make them each their own Pants Purse. So I took some time off from making things for my shop to make my children happy.

What do you think? Am I a good Mommy, or what? I've got a couple of things to tweak before I list them in my shop. Customizable stuff is so awesome! I've also got a couple of other designs that I want to perfect. I'll be listing them all in my denim shop, Heavenly Denim. :)

And don't forget about the giveaway! You've only got 8 days left to enter! :)

Be blessed!

Happy Birthday to Me! :)

Well, I'm coming up to the 10th anniversary of my 29th birthday soon, and I thought that a nice way to celebrate would be to have a giveaway! And since this is my 10th anniversary, I thought I'd give you 10 days to enter to win this fabulous 14K gold freshwater pearl & crystal bracelet!

How do I enter, you may ask? Easy! And there are lots of ways to increase your chances, too!

1. Become a follower of my blog, and leave me a comment telling me you do so (or that you already do!)
2. Go to my Etsy shop and heart my shop and then come back here and tell me what your favorite item is (go ahead and heart it, too!)
3. Tweet, blog or Facebook about my giveaway. And then come back and tell me about it (noticing a pattern?)

Extra credit:
4. Follow my personal blog. Not much about jewelry there, but some pretty funny stories about my kids & how I feel about the mess the government's gotten us into. :)
5. Make a purchase from my Etsy shop. And if you do, there's a handy dandy coupon code for free shipping! Of course, if you use the coupon code, you need to be a follower of my blog(s). Use the code FOLLOWFREE from 3/14 - 3/24 (domestic shipping in the US only).

Now, don't forget to leave me a comment to let me know everything you've done so that I can tabulate all of the entries into the giveaway. Unfortunately, Facebook comments don't count. Sorry! :) You don't need to make a purchase to be entered into the giveaway, but if you do, imagine what a happy birthday I'll have! :)

So good luck! I'll post the winner on my birthday, 3/25. :)

Be blessed!

Breaking Bread & Hammering Metal

What do those two have in common? They're both great ways to relieve stress!

I've been baking bread for my family for many years now. In the past, though, I'd always done it in my bread machine. About a year ago, I found a new recipe that required that I do it the *old fashioned* way. And I discovered how relaxing kneading bread can be. If something isn't going well or I'm frustrated by a project, or one of my children (or husband!), kneading bread is a great way to avoid excessive conflict.

But if I don't have time to make bread, I've also found that hammering metal can be equally effective. I've gotten into making chain maille lately, and I really like being able to create my own clasps. And the beating of my hammer against the wire, turning it into a piece of functional art, is a great way to release aggression in a positive way!

It's so nice to turn a negative emotion into a beautiful work of art, be it bread or jewelry!

Be blessed!

My new schtick

My husband calls me flighty, and I'll admit, I'm a little ditzy and absent-minded, but I also enjoy allowing my creative flights of fancy free rein. Lately those flights of fancy have taken me in the direction of fabric, and more precisely, upcycled denim.

Over the summer I saw a bag my sister had made, and my attempt to re-create it let me to use some old jeans that I couldn't bear to part with, but were no longer functional. They were a gift and had sentimental value, so I didn't want to throw them away. I was thrilled to come up with the idea to repurpose them into a fabulous bag. I had so much fun making that one, that I just couldn't stop! Unfortunately, my Kenmore sewing machine just wasn't up to the task. It really didn't like sewing through more than 2 layers of denim. We were having some serious problems. Around that time, I heard about a sewing machine shop closing, so I went in to talk to the sales people about my options. When I found the BabyLock Sofia 2, it was love at first site! The capability to incorporate embroidery into my designs opened the floodgates of creativity. I had so many ideas running through my head it was unbelievable! :)

Of course, finding time to sew, with my kids, husband, opera & my job as a hairdresser, was pretty difficult. Especially trying to learn something new and incorporate it into an already pretty fluid process. Unlike my sister, I'm not big on patterns. Each one of my wallets and bags is created on the fly. I basically sit at my design table and put together an elaborate jigsaw puzzle of denim.

So being able to finish my first embroidered denim bag was awesome! There's so many pre-loaded embroidery designs on my new machine that I haven't even needed to go online to find anything new. I was so thrilled to be able to create something beautiful out of something worn out and useless. And it's so much fun to play with color!

Originally, this first bag was destined for my etsy shop. I even had a name for it: Eternal Springtime in Shades of Purple. But, I love it so much I think I have to keep it! Purple is my favorite color, and I really love how the embroidery turned out. And my first attempt at using hardware in my bags turned out really nicely as well. I love the adjustable strap! And it was amazing being able to take pictures in my basement in the middle of the night with my new photo setup! So many new techniques all coming together at once :)

I've got another bag that I've been working on that I'm planning on calling Celestial Beauty. It's suns, moons and shooting stars in golden tones. Really fabulous. I really want to keep that one, too! :)

Where has the time gone?

Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted! So much has happened since July.

I think the summer is busy in any crafter's life -- with so many shows andopportunities, it's hard to find time to stay connected online. Why would I want to spend time on my computer when I could be outside enjoying life? :)

I had a really busy summer. I was able to do two really great craft shows. As a hairdresser in my other life, taking a weekend off to do a show is a big deal. I tend to be really choosy about the shows I do. So I was very lucky to find two really good ones over the summer.

The first was at a retirement community for very active, vibrant seniors. It was wonderful to bring our handcrafted wares to them and get to talk to some really wonderful people. The second was part of the annual celebration for a beautiful park here in Pittsburgh on Mt. Washington. The park is on top of Mt. Washington with a fabulous view of the city. It was so inspiring to be there all day just soaking up the beauty of the day and getting to meet some really great people, including a couple of other Etsy sellers. Both experiences were really fabulous!

And, of course, with the holidays coming up, I've got a couple of shows scheduled. I did a really great house party a couple of weeks ago, in advance of the holiday craziness, and I'll be part of the Light-Up Night festivities in Hampton Township, north of Pittsburgh. I'm really looking forward to that!

In all of my spare time, though, I've started a new project: upcycled denim accessories. They're SO much fun to do. I've started repurposing old jeans and giving them new life as denim bags and wallets. It's the perfect way to meld my love of quilting and sewing with my love of recycling.

So between my full-time job as a mom, and all of my various part-time jobs, I've managed to find some time to feed my creative spirit. I think that's something we can all use.

Be blessed!