With A Grateful Heart

I've just had quite the weekend. You see, I have a few of my books pinned on Pinterest - one of which got the attention of Jessica at Cre8it and she found my Handmade Artists shop where she purchased on of my art journals...and then another! Anyway, she made me her artist of the week on her blog and through that I've met some very nice folks not to mention made quite a few sales. I've also just ordered some Sheer Heaven transfer paper which she exclusively sells. I watched her video tutorial and decided I have to give it a try! I definitely will post my adventures with that soon. 

There is a very sweet story that goes along with the first book she purchased. Start here and then read when she gets her new book from me a day or so later! 

Messing around with some photo filters on my iPad! ♥

I am just amazed at how the internet connects people - many complain, but I never will. I've met new friends and have reconnected with old ones, truly a wonderful thing. Speaking of the internet, I have just registered bluehighwaysbooks.com - my very own website! It doesn't go anywhere yet but hopefully by the end of April my new online shop will be born....you know I'll keep you posted on that as well. 

I've been scrambling to get more books done for the shop......yes, I know, so what's new?....

How can you not just LOOOOVE fabric? The colors. The patterns. The...the...BEAUTY! ahaha

Thank you internet for connecting me to the universe.......

Sounds of laughter shades of life..........at the Shores

Into the Mystic

I'm super excited as to what I found in my mailbox Monday ..yep... a gift from an awesome friend/artist/potter. Pottery is kind of a new venture for Jamie but I think she's well on her way.

This funky set will be treasured always.

A quick side note. The weather has been outstanding. It's been in the 70's and 80's and it's still March! I mean normally at this time we could very well have snow on the ground for a couple weeks yet. I just don't know what to think but you bet I'm NOT complaining. The hotter the better for this girl. 

A new book was listed last night. It has both lined and drawing pages. I love the fabric. Yes, I know, I say that a lot and I guess it comes with my fabric addiction... but I DO love it hahahaa!  

Two more weeks and I'll be heading to the annual mother / daughter week on Hilton Head Island. I love this time spent, not to mention I probably need to be pulled away from the worktables for some forced decompression.

Lastly, I was featured in my 100th treasury on Etsy last night. What made it extra cool is if you know me I am a huge Van Morrison fan. Well, the title of this treasury is Into the Mystic by...yes, Van Morrison. I think that was a smile and nod from the universe :o)

Maybe I've used this song here on my blog before and if I have, it's my blog, I can.

and together we will float into the mystic..............at the Shores

Happy St. Pat's!

A beautiful day today. Truly. The doors and windows are open, birds are singing, the sun is out and for the first time since I've lived here I am hearing boats out on the water this early in the year. Crazy, I tell ya. 

While taking a little stroll around the yard I found millions of acorn caps on all the gravel paths...now I have a bag full. I've seen the little felted acorns on Etsy so I had a go of a few with some of the caps I squirreled away. They're super cute and fun to make. I might have to get some more roving to make more colors.

I have also been working on a soft cover custom order for my friend Lisa's husband who I believe is studying botany. I used gessoed canvas then covered it in a fabric that has a national park map design, she wanted an outline of Utah and an elderberry on the front, a swallow on the back, then a honeybee on the inside cover...oh, and just the bottom third of the pages lined. Here it is just before I bound the pages (the cover is lying flat): 

I also got the 25 small notepad donation completed and sent off. I wanted them to not be too girly and somewhat the same but not since I think I would have never made it through 25 identical ones without losing my mind (and interest) sooooo I had a piece of batik and if you know batik the color changes can be huge so I hacked away took small 4" x 5.5" pieces of that same gessoed canvas, covered them for the fronts and just plain chipboard for the backs. I stab bound 50 pages in the hemp leaf pattern and finished 'em off with a hair elastic, I like to have something to keep things that could potentially be kept in a purse or backpack shut. I also sent some beaded book thongs with my business cards. PS It took me 16 of these before I had the idea to drill the holes for binding with my DREMEL instead of pounding an awl through them...tip: Use a Dremel to begin with, it goes 10 times faster...trust me on this one..

I will resist the urge to post a Van Morrison video on this St. Patricks day but instead will put one of my favorites from the Irish rockers U2

May the luck of the Irish always be with you.............at the Shores

Friends

Last week as a little bumpy but I must say, my friends without fail are always there to lend a hand in those times. I got an amazing package in the mail from my friend Lisa. She knows I am a Banksy fan, as a matter of fact I have a post on him (still haven't seen the movie "Exit Through The Gift Shop") anyway, back to the package, this is what she sent: 

I have completely enjoyed going from cover to cover...more than once. There was a bit in there that speaks of graffiti and how to most it symbolizes the decline in society "but the people who truly deface our neighborhoods are the companies who scrawl giant slogans across buildings and buses trying to make us feel inadequate unless we buy their stuff"..."some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place". I don't always agree with the subject matter, but I do find guerrilla art fascinating! Oh, and some of his museum pranks are the BEST! He has brought his altered paintings in to places like The Met, Tate and The Louvre and personally installed them himself with nary a guard to notice. Below is a photo of him gettin' busy at the Met in disguise. HA! Google him, you might find him as amusingly fascinating as I do! 

Another gem given to me at Christmas by a dear friend, Susan,  The Crafters Devotional - 365 Days of Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Unlocking Your Creative Spirit. It's been a fun source for creative recharge.

Finally it's about time for me to thank Teresa for the lovely award she's bestowed upon my humble blog. She  is a kind soul who is always out
there helping promote others and a Handmade Artists Shop teammate too! Here is a link to her shop.
I am supposed to share with you 7 random facts about myself and then pass this on to 15 other blogs that I feel merit this honor.

1. A few years ago I started taking flying lessons

2. I am left handed...most of the time

3. I prefer my snacks salty not sweet

4. I'm afraid of worms

5. I own a pink scooter

6. My husband and I are looking to retire soon.... outside of the USA.

7. I love working with power tools

I am picking some blogs to share this blog award to...TBA :)

I've got 3 new minis in my shops. You can see them on the right under the HAF Shop tag (top 3 are the new ones) . Still trying to finish the 25 notepads..only have 10 completed. :(

I picked this is just because this song was playing as I was writing this post

For we belong in the sun..............at the Shores

March Greetings

I've been a less than stellar blogger so far this year which I have no excuse for...lord knows I always have plenty to yammer on about! Hope everyone has ushered the month of March in with gratitude for being one month closer to warmer weather : )

In the previous post I had some little gifts I had made for my friend - well, they have been safely delivered to California: 

She messaged me to ask if I'd be making more to sell and I immediately said "No, that is OOAK" shortly thereafter she wrote back "OOAK?" I told her it meant One Of A Kind - she thought I had already named it haha...anyway, it stuck. Meet Annie and Ooak : )

I cut another stencil for a book, this time it's Frida Kahlo. I really like how it came out. Also I've been getting some mini's for the shops made, nicely priced at $20 ea. I might add! And the photo on the right are the first 4 of 25 small notepads I am making and donating for a couples retreat - hope they aren't too "hippie-ish" for their purposes! I covered some gessoed canvas (I have 5ft by 18ft rolls of the stuff) with a batik for the front covers making them pliable and regular chipboard for the back.

A patient I've spent nearly every Friday afternoon with for the past 2 and a half years died a few days ago. This beautiful one's for you Mrs. McFarland. I'll miss you.

Shelter in a storm....................at the Shores

Got My Mitts Into Everything...

What a wonderfully productive week in spite of having a cold. I have been wanting to get a few small things made for a friend of mine who was sweet enough to sew and send me a super cute handmade hat back in December. I made a lip balm key chain cozy, a pin cushion, some photo transfer wall art of her furry children (2 chinchillas and a cute dog) and in honor of the Chinese New Year a crocheted dragon:

Yes, the dog IS wearing goggles. I made a curly wire hanger for the top of the wall art that still has to be attached. Hope she likes them.

On top of that I got 7 books made, all lined journals - all 6 are available in my shop/s:

A little 80's music to groove to....big hair (on all but Annie), big voice!

When tomorrow comes.............................at the Shores

January in 120 Seconds!

Hello, it's been awhile. After being out of work for exactly 2 years and one week I am now convinced I was less busy while working out there for the man! Lots of projects going on. I am installing new track lighting in my workroom (YAY for overhead lighting!!) Preparing the fireplace surround for a mosaic and of course books for my shops....oh, and cannot forget the project that was forced upon me: I was at the kitchen sink washing out a pot when all of the sudden the entire double sink fell to the bottom of the cabinet below! HA! It doesn't look as if there was too much damage to the plumbing miraculously enough. What a sad, sad state it all is in though, the guys that installed the granite countertops did not even use sink clips - just blobs of epoxy - it all came loose, this will be a blast to fix : /
So, instead of bombarding this post with pictures of my newest book creations I have a 120 second video of my January work:

The Hepburn one near the end is one of my stenciled books and the last photo is not a book...just a manipulated photo of me.

Time to run, I have to go see a patient. That sweet bird has been at "the end" and I've been called to the house so many times to say good-bye but she just keeps hanging on....sad really, she seems to be in quite a bit of pain, not very sure what she's holding on for. I love her dearly but it just breaks my heart to see her suffer.

Some Van Morrison just because I love him :o)

Get me on your wavelength....................at the Shores

Winding Down? NAHHH

2011 is on it's way out. I've bound my way through another crazy Christmas full of travel and custom orders and am finally home from Georgia for the second time in a month. So I can't for the life of me figure out why I am still in the weeds. I was pondering what has still yet to be done and the list is long, all of which are book orders that were not for Christmas so I was able to put them off until after the holidays. I also have a sewing project that I should have had done before I left but that too is unfinished (more on that in my next post when it finally IS done.)
I've decided that there will be no new years resolution but I DO want to start 2012 with clean work tables. I have one 8ft table, one 4ft table along with a drafting table and have a total of at best an 18"x24" clear space to work on - that's it. Rather pathetic really. No matter what, this will be done this week....at some point!

Some of my custom orders for Christmas. For the rocker   I cut a stencil of  The Who band logo  and spraypainted it over some Union Jack fabric - love the binding on it!

Then we have another stenciled cover. Yes, it's Davy Jones. I agreed to do this in spite of risking losing my rock n roller card ; )

 

The next is for an avid fisherman (also my pastor). This is the second year in a row his wife ordered one from me to give to him. She swiped one of his handmade fishing flys (sp?) and I put it under acetate window on the cover

The Dylan, Lennon and Waits stenciled books all sold so I think I'll replace them in my shops soon. I'll only make 3 per stencil before I retire each one, the background lyrics and bindings will all be different so technically they are/will be OOAK.

This one is for Tom, who 9 years ago on New Years Eve in Las Vegas became my husband.

Today and every day..................at the Shores

Stencil Fun

So, a while back a friend and I took an online 'stencilry' class and I have been revisiting what I learned for my new Artists and Musicians series of books. The first two I wrote about in my previous post. Tom Waits has since sold and now resides in Dallas. On Dec. 8th I listed my John Lennon, the reason I know it was the 8th? Because it was the anniversary of his assassination at age 40. I always wonder how his life would have played out, he would have been 71 this year I believe. The second is Dali, I happened across a photo (circa 1954) and knew it would be a fun stencil to cut not to mention it would look like he's peeking around the bookcover - and it was such a typical look for him.

I did get the 15 mini journals (4.5"x5.5") finished and shipped off to Pennsylvania. It was a lovely box of color.

I bound them all the same. I had to if I wanted them done any time soon!

The weather is still odd for this time of the year. Normally by now we have a couple foot of snow on the ground but up until the day before yesterday it was just rain. The past 2 days we've had snow but not enough to stick around....sort of creepy, either we are going to have less than normal snow or we are about to get pounded.

A little Lennon for ya........

She got to be herself..............at the Shores

Happy December!

Where have I been you ask? Well, anyone who has ever read this blog knows I often go MIA. I just got back from Georgia, my family lives there and normally drive the 12 hours for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. The weather was fantastic I must say, the first 2 days it was in the 80's then went down to the 70's - I miss the southern climate, I am so not a northern sort of gal...the hotter the better is my motto.

November was a fantastic month for business with 28 books sold. One of my customers (and dear friend) suggested that I add some books more guy friendly. I had to think hard just how I was going to do that and not lose "me" in the process. Fabric that is more masculine is somewhat boring I think so being the art and music fanatic that I am I decided to cut some stencils of some of my favorite artists and musicians and spraypaint them on the covers - I added song lyrics to the fabric background. I've finished two, Bob Dylan and Tom Waits, I have a John Lennon waiting to be bound but has to be put on hold for some custom orders that have come in.

I am working on an order of 15 mini journals - I must say, they are just about as much work as the full size ones, they're really cute though. Quite a generous Santa I must say! I've got the covers done so far, my only stipulation was that I wasn't going to make 15 identical books, she was more than happy to let me have my way:

Another fun book I have done since my last post is for the cat lover, personally I am a dog lover but all the cool fabric seems to be geared toward the feline fan! It's a larger art journal:

"Meowsterpieces" can be found here

This is the tune I used as the background on the Tom Waits book

 And the early dawn cracks out a carpet of diamond.......at the Shores

Handmade is Where It's AT!

We got snow last Friday to commemorate 11-11-11. It was only about 2 inches and has long since melted - mother nature teasing us I suppose! Now it rains.
Still heavy at work in trying to get inventory into my shops in time for the holidays, here are some new ones:

Echoing Eyes, a gorgeous peacock feather print - lined and unlined pages (click to view listing)

Bright Lights, Big City - also lined and unlined pages (click to view listing)

Maiden's Hair Gift a larger art journal (click to view listing)

I link to my Etsy shop only because the photos there are a bit larger but always prefer selling out of my shop on Handmade Artists' Forum. I love everything they stand for. My hope is that one day it will be more popular to shop at than Etsy...it's a shame the direction they've taken on that site. If you're a seller there you might know what I'm talking about.

Speaking of Handmade Artists' Forum, they have just unveiled a new feature to vendors - a bit of a window shop to add on your site.Cool, eh? I like it!

My choice today is Bright Lights by Matchbox Twenty - get the connection? ;o)
You'll find something that's enough to keep you.........at the Shores

A Laugh at Time

Is it just me or do you just get up an hour earlier when the time changes to fall back? Here I am, awake at 4:30am today...not that I am normally up at 5:30 but I went to bed earlier too - I feel as though this will be one long day!


So, I previously posted that my mom has a new online shop on Etsy, it took her 6 days for her first sale, I'm super happy for her - it took me 2.5 weeks to make one and then the first two were to out of state friends of mine! I hope she does well, especially since I was the one prodding her in to this venture!

I have a couple new books. Surprised? I doubt it. The first photo is of a matching set, one 8" x 10" and a small 4" x 8". I've used this fabric before on a custom order so this will be the last in using it. I think they'd make a great gift - we'll see.

Gothic Harmony (click to view listing)

Field Sparks (click to view listing)

Seems as though my husband and I will be joining the gym. I think he has reached his "I've had enough of this" when last weekend he asked me to pick a dress shirt out of his closet for him, I then saw as we were leaving that he didn't have it on, I asked why, he said it was BBB - "well, what the heck is BBB" I asked , he said it meant "before big belly". I love that he's ready to join me in some exercise, we'll just join for a few months and see if he sticks to it!

I have slacked on posting links to my friends on the On Fire for Handmade team so if all goes right I'll post a one or two every day until I catch up. These two are also teammates from the Handmade Artists' Forum:

This week's Featured Artisan is Sarah - Finding Charm! Sarah has

beautiful creations in a wide variety of styles and colors! You can

find Finding Charm on:

Artfire

Etsy

Blog

Facebook

This week's Featured Artisan is Sandi Levy - I Knit Quilt Sew!

Sandy has delightful creations in here shop. Something for everyone!

You can find I Knit Quilt Sew on:

Etsy

Handmade Artists Shop

Blog

Facebook

Remember this song? The video of Jim Croce and his son gets me a little misty-eyed. Not sure how long before his death this was filmed...pretty song.

If I could save time in a bottle...................at the Shores

Eyes, Books, Bags and Superheros

What a nice start to November! I not only feel tip top but I had my follow-up appointment for more glaucoma testing on my eyes. After re-testing my eye pressure and some peripheral vision tests it looks as though there is no need to begin treatment on my eyes yet, I go back in a year to do it all over again. What a wonderful feeling!

I, as I do every year, did Halloween costumes for two of my grandkids, and as always it was a blast!

Wolverine & The Incredible Hulk

Of course I have a couple new books made:

Land of Whispers (SOLD)

Wings of Scarlet (click to view listing)

Frozen Time (click to view listing)

I've also spent the past two days setting up my mother's shop "Knit So Ordinary, Handmade Bags" - she makes very cool market/tote bags (I don't say this just because she's my mom either). I have one that I love, they stretch to hold a lot! She does custom orders too if you have a favorite color or maybe the colors of your Alma Mater (is that supposed to be capitalized?). Have a visit : )

Love this song & lyrics...there are versions of it that can go over 20 minutes but I'll keep it short here! Pretty photos too

Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own.......at the Shores

Baby It's COLD Outside!

It seems as though fall has come and gone and winter wants in! I haven't wanted to turn on the house furnace yet so I've been dragging around space heaters to warm the rooms I'm in - anyone in the south have a room to rent for me, I'm no trouble....really!
I am down to 2 custom orders. YAY me! here are a couple I've finished lately:

LOVE this one

The person that got the chandelier in the previous post below is the owner of these two, they're Christmas gifts. I love finding out about the intended recipients then searching for the perfect fabric for each - great fun! Only 2 more before I'm caught up :o)

I think I'll take a small break this afternoon and do a little painting...need to warm up first, it's rather hard to paint while your hands are shaking from the cold!

No relevance to the post, just a song I like!

Look at me dancing for you.......at the Shores

Save the Eyes!

I'm finally back to posting and feeling a lot better, now if I stay out of the germ filled city I should be good to go for the rest of the year (knock on wood)!

I went to the eye doctor last week for just a regular exam and to get a new pair of glasses and after what I thought was pretty much the regular once-over I got the news that they believe I have the onset of glaucoma, yes, I was freaked - I've always said I could pretty much do without a lot but as an artist my eyesight was non-negotiable. So, of course I hit the internet once I got home...probably not the best idea I've ever had, now I think I know too much but I did read that glaucoma is very treatable. Grateful for that. They'll do further testing in a couple weeks. We'll see.
I have a few new books here:

A second and final PopTart custom order  - I've retired the design

Someone ordered  a chandelier themed book...a chandelier themed book is what I made, you can't tell  from the photo, but it sparkles!

New listing in my shops "One Man's Trash"

A sassy tune by Adele

Don't underestimate the things that I will do...........at the Shores

Bumpy Ride?

Busy week...well, I guess they are always busy if I want them to be. It just may be a bumpy ride in to the holidays. I just got 5 more book orders, 2 similar to the one below, 4 are for Christmas gifts. I had a go with making a slipcase that locks as the customer didn't want the lock on the book but did want to be able to lock it....never to be stumped, this is what I came up with. The slipcase was all black and looked a little bare so I cut out some of the skulls and a rose from the fabric I covered the book in and adhered them to the front. I love it! I posted this on my Facebook page and two more were ordered. I guess the skulls and roses is a popular theme. That will be it for this fabric since I only do a max of 3 (different bindings) from any one material.

I have 3 to get finished by tomorrow evening.

Have you ever stopped by Steamy Kitchen? Jaden Hair's blog is great, she's a funny gal to be sure, her recipes are awesome and the BEST giveaways can be found there..one of these days I'm going to win something I just know it! 

This week from On Fire For Handmade teammate is Flower and Bud:

This weeks Featured Artisan is Debbi La Rue - Flower & Bud Handcrafted Jewelry!

You can find Flower & Bud on:

Etsy

Facebook

Twitter

LOTS of cool pieces there - have a look won't you?

This song reminds me of my late mother-in-law. The two of us were going to dinner one night and this was playing on the car radio...I can still hear her humming in the passenger seat next to me. Makes me smile.

Thinking of you, Ma........at the Shores

On This Harvest Moon

The moon is enormous tonight, it's a beautiful harvest moon, I hope you didn't miss it.

I've been canning the past few days, I have zucchini pickles, banana peppers, pickled green beans (awesome in a bloody mary!), a bunch of escabeche - no cauliflower but it does have jalapenos, carrots, garlic and onions - some salsa and lastly, tomatoes. It's not a ton but a decent start, there is plenty yet to come out of the garden 
yet.......as long as it doesn't turn cold too soon!

I've got another 6 custom orders for books (I seem to run in 6's). I was sort of hoping to continue to add to my shops but I suppose this is even better considering they are SOLD!

I did get one using watercolor paper done today for the shops, I really love the fabric and the leaf skeletons I glazed over and added to the front jazzes it up nicely - it's one of my favorites.

Here is this weeks artisan from the On Fire For Handmade group

This weeks Featured Artisan is Sharri Powell - Moss and Mist! Gorgeous creations created with love.

You can find Moss and Mist on:

Etsy

Facebook

Twitter

The wirework rings are absolutely beautiful, normally I'd link to a favorite but no can do this time - there are too many! Have a look and see if you agree!

There's no better song for this lovely night but this one...

And the moon is climbing high.........at the Shores

Getting Better

I think today is the day my cold is taking a turn for the better, 11 days is a long time. I don't normally get sick living out in such a rural area but there are two places I will catch something if there's something to be caught, one, a visit to the city and two, on an airplane, both are swarming with cooties!

 I did get another book finished. It has lined pages and a very cool purple and orange batik - it has been ribbon bound. I like doing ribbon bound books, it gives the new owner the option of ordering refills. You can see it in either shop, I prefer selling through my HAFshop because it's a newer venue and I really love that they are so vigilant about their handmade only policy, you don't have to fight the resellers that go under the radar on other sites.

This Weeks Featured Artisan is Vaudeville Gypsy. Truly Unique Creations

to tickle your fancy! You can find Vaudeville Gypsy on:

Etsy

Artfire

Facebook

Blog

She's got some cool Vaudeville gypsy costume, accessories & jewelry!

I'm breaking out some Suzanne Vega...it's been a long time since I've played any of her music.

You will hear yourself in a song...........at the Shores