Free Shipping!

I forgot to mention in my Christmas post that I am offering free shipping for the next few weeks.  You can check out all of the leathery goodness in my Etsy shop that I'm offering AND, I am still listing new things!  I have a few more wallets and pouches to post and some new cuffs as well.  My goal for 2013 was to work hard and I plan on carrying that over into 2014.  I am on a good productive roll right now, and I hope to keep it that way.  Wish me luck:)

Christmas is Over.........Already?

The kiddos and the Christmas Tree at Wildberries

But it went by so fast!  It was peaceful and fun and quiet and all the good things that it is supposed to be.  I am finding myself having to reinvent our holiday celebrations since we really only celebrate amongst ourselves.  Since my Mom died, all of what we used to do is different, gone.  No more big gatherings at Grammy and Grampy's, no more gift exchanges between all of us, no more frilly Christmas dresses and dress pants.  It is what it is now, just simply a day to appreciate one another in pajamas, a trip to the park, and an evening walk to see the Christmas lights in the neighborhood down the way.  As sad as it is to not have the family closeness that we once did, what has happened has been a good thing for my little family of four, a day of giving and appreciation,  as opposed to a day of getting.  That works for me:)  I am sure it will change and morph over time as the kids grow and we change,  and that's o.k. too!  It's all about going with it instead of fighting it.  Change is good.  I wish you all the best and a super awesome new year!  Big hugs to you all!

New Things and Happy December!

Some newness for today:)  Now available in my Etsy shop.  The Trinidad Indie Holiday Craft Fair was a blast!  It was great to see lots of lovely faces and extra lovely craftiness.  I am so glad I got to be a part of it all.  I look forward to next time for sure!  So now, I am off to finish up the last of the coin pouches I have cut out for 2013 so I can have them ready for the "Not Too Late" Craft Fair in Arcata on the 21st.  Nice and busy, as always, and thats' how I like it:)  Have a great day!

Winding Down......

The leathery sewing frenzy is winding down now, just a few assorted wallets to get done this week.  Stuff I can do in the evenings after my two little turkeys retire for the evening.  Little bits of thread clipping and side finishing and that's it!  Then I am all ready for Saturday at the Trinidad Indie Craft Fair!  I am so excited to be going!  It's a great fair  and a wonderful benefit for the Trinidad Library.  It will be so nice to have lots of leathery stuff to share:)  Before then though, there are children to entertain, turkey dinners and thankfulness to be had, and a visit to Oldtown Eureka, so that's what is going on this week, I certainly hope you all enjoy your week!

Slowly But Surely.......

I am reaching my goal, slowly but surely!  I've finally got over fifty items in my Etsy shop and a WHOLE BUNCH of others left to list.  I am still sewing but it's all winding down.  I seem to always fall about a week off of my goal but I'm not holding that against myself.  I'm getting it done and I feel good about that.  I have finished up all of the billfolds, snappy billfolds, and larger pouch wallets.  Now I am furiously sewing my way through a stack of tiny envelope wallets and those will be followed by the last of the small coin pouches and heart shaped coin pouches.  Wheeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!  Cross your fingers for me that this week will be an easy one with very few bumps and such. 

In other news, our apartment is a complete wreck!  It seems that cleaning and organizing is just about impossible when you are gearing up for the holidays with leathery goodness.  My floor is littered with small bits of leather, thread, and lining materials.  Linus, our new kitten seems to like that a lot, he constantly has something to play with, and he's been really good about not getting into everything I am working on.  He's a good little guy and very patient with his new family.  If the kids had it their way, Linus would never be without  a lap to sit on and his feet would never touch the ground.  It is pretty darn cute to watch them shower Linus with love.  Other than that, we are gearing up for the holidays with a few projects to work on here and there and I'm getting ready for my next craft show at the end of the month too!  Lots of fun stuff to look forward to, and I'll hopefully have some pictures of all of our various adventures:)

The Newbie

 This is Linus, formally known as Nadine, enjoying some quiet time with Edolie.  Linus came to stay with us last week and we are all in love.

 He met Abner yesterday and they hung out together in a sunny spot on the carpet while I was working on my leather projects.  Luckily, both were cordial and just pretty much ignored each other.  Although, Abner just ignores everyone, it's just his way.

 I came out of my shower the other day to find Linus wrapped up like a baby in Edolie's cupcake blankie.  Apparently, he was tired and cold. ( This is what our dear Linus gets to look forward to in his life with us)

AND of course, the small stack of wallets that I hope to list this week.  I'm getting stuff done and it feels good!( didn't realize I loaded this but I'm supposed to be writing about my work, not kittens right?)

With Yui gone we really didn't know if we would be bringing another cat into the picture, but who could resist a face like Linus'.  He's got us all wrapped around his teeny little paw and that's O.K.  It's nice to have a feline presence in the house again.  Welcome Linus!

I'm makin' lots of stuff!

It's been busy around here the last few weeks.  I managed to make it through Edolie's birthday AND Halloween without pulling all of my hair out.  I also managed to finish up a stack of 23 billfolds and am furiously sewing through a pile of coin pouches to be done in the next day or so.  Fun times!  I am desperately trying to get a lot done and listed in my shop to reach my goal of at least 50 items in my shop and a few extra for my upcoming show at the end of the month.  I'm crossing my fingers it will all come together:)  I decided to show off the first three billfolds that I finished up for my Etsy shop.  Now I'm off to do a little bit of cleaning before I hit the sewing machine again.

A Very LONG Week

I actually managed to get a couple of wallets done in between birthday party madness!  So yeah, we made it through without too many dents or scratches from back to back birthday celebrations and now it's on to sewing my little heart out.  I just got a little nervous when I went to organize my wallet projects, I have A LOT cut out and ready to go, I just want to get back to it and I'm crossing my fingers for very little interruption.  Not very likely, but at least I'm tryin'.  If I don't accomplish my goal at all, at least I got the two above done right:)  Positivity, that's what matters!

A Huge Pink Spider

Spider Body

Spider Body with it's legs

Spider with Ed's cool socks

Hairless Spider with Sparkly Green Eyes

Spider with Pink Hair

So, I was instructed last weekend to make a "big, fuzzy, pink and purple, tarantula with sparkles all over it by my soon to be four year old.  She wanted a pinata, but ended up with a fuzzy pink spider sculpture with purple sparkly legs.  We are reading a lot about spiders here these days, and seeing a lot of our beautiful garden spiders or "pumpkin spiders" out along our walkway and all over town.  I find it hilarious that both of my kids are terrified of spiders but have welcomed the big pink spider into our home without even flinching.  I guess it's because it's kind of goofy looking.  Well, that has been my project for the week.  Ed is having her birthday party tomorrow with lots of rainbows, flowers, and butterflies so we are super busy cleaning and decorating for that.  I hope to have lots of pictures of her big day to share.  Monday, I will get to do some leathery work since the birthday craziness will be over for a bit AND I finished both of the kids' Halloween costumes!  I can't wait to sew up the piles and piles of leather that have overtaken my art table.  I miss it so:)

What's New

Edolie's drawings are starting to show figures, this one is of her, Ciaran, and Me as princesses.  I made the dresses:)

My ever growing air plant collection.  I started with one and now have a whole window full!

So, school has started, Ciaran is pretty happy in first grade.  He loves to read, he loves his teacher, and his two new buddies.  He even loves the class pet, a tarantula named Nell.  That makes my heart happy.  Ed and I are enjoying our time at home in the mornings and out and about.  She is now my super fun shopping, errand running companion.  When we are at home she is pretty content just drawing, painting, or playing with play dough.  We do take breaks for tea parties and fashion shows though, and occasionally a walk out to visit her scarecrow friend on the bottoms.  Other than family life, I am working my butt off to get some leathery stuff made for my shop and hopefully a couple of shows for the holidays.  I am also trying my hand at needle felting, and sewing some new clothes for myself.  I found a stash of fabric I've had for years and I am intent on using it up!  Also,  I need new clothes since it seems that one crazy effect of a bad gallbladder is some weight loss!  Not sure about the health of having a super restricted diet, but it feels good to be a couple of pounds lighter.  I don't really have my nice glass of beer or cider in the evening anymore so I've kind of gone haywire with my projects.  I can't say I'm at all unhappy about it though.  Feels nice to be creative, it really helps in every aspect of my life and I can't complain at all.  The only thing that's hard is that I just plain don't have enough room to work and keep this place tidy, I'm just a messy square I guess:)  I am off to cut out the last few wallets before gluing, sewing, etc. commence!  Wish me luck!

A New Possibility.........

I started work on this many, many months ago and needed to get it finished up for a special gift for a very wonderful friend.  Made with appliqued recycled leather pieces, copper, brass, iolite, green adventurine and amethyst.  I think it turned out pretty okey dokey and I will definitely be playing with the idea more and listing some of these eventually.  I love my copper, brass, and leather, that is for sure!

Love Notes From Louie

I think Louie knows I'm missing our tabby cat, because when I was cleaning his vivarium today, I found this.  He licked a little heart shape into his food.  I feel like it was a little love note from him to me.  I love my little gecko:) 

Yui Haas

Our very special kitty Yui passed away yesterday.  I can't say I was surprised but I was not prepared to say goodbye yet.  Yui has been through hell in his very long kitty life.  I thought we were going to lose him quite a few times along the way.  It started with a seizure disorder he developed around three years old and lasted for years!  We were lucky that it was controlled really well with medication.  He seemed to overcome his seizures a few years back and we were able to ween him off of his medication.  He did have a few other medical problems though, most of which we were able to help him through and get him back to being the big burly guy he was.   He was the biggest, sturdiest cat that I have ever met, but he was scared of his own shadow.  He was my baby before the human babies were born.  He was the sweetest, most gentle cat I have had the honor of sharing my space with and I will miss him.  Rest in peace Yui Haas, we love you, you crazy tabby cat.

44?

That's me today!  A whole year older.  I am celebrating with a play date on the plaza, a fresh veggie pizza without the goopy cheese for dinner and low fat yogurt cheesecake for dessert.  No cake and ice cream for me thanks to my stupid gallbladder.  That's how it goes around here these days:)  The gallbladders' wishes come before my own.  My 43rd year went by so darn fast that I can't remember half of it to reflect right now, but I am ready for the change and I look forward to my 44th year!

One of Those Kind of Days

Today has been one of those grumpy, can't get comfortable, can't get anything done kind of days, so I am looking at fuzzy and scaly faces to help me make it through.  Yui, our old guy is our sweetheart, he hides all day long and comes out to curl up with me on the couch in the evenings after the kiddos go to bed.  He keeps me happy and sane.  I'm so glad he's still here to curl up with at night.  The scaly wonder below is baby Tigiba the leachie.  I am so fascinated by him/her that I spend a fair amount of time just staring at her pink spots and beautiful eyes.  It feels good to have a house full of kids and critters.  I couldn't have asked for anything better.  Now I'm off to track down an envelope full of wallets that I thought were ready to sew.  I can't stand it when I know I cut out a bunch of somethings and have no idea where I put them!  So frustrating! 

Baby Tig

We got a new baby on Friday.  A 6 month old baby leachianus gecko, or leachie from a awesome guy in Tennessee!

Baby Tig in his/her travel pod:)

This critter was in the box too, I'm pretty sure we're going to keep him, he's not a reptile but he's cute:)

I haven't worked for a couple of days.  The good part of that is that I now have a hallway instead of a huge pile of ill-fitting clothes and shoes,  and a bedroom that is not a storage room! I am aching to get back to creating.........something! anything! I set up a work area in my bedroom that I will be sharing with Baby Tig( our leachie).  Tig will be hangin' out and being a gecko, and I will hopefully be doing some drawing.  I'm trying to use it as a quiet space for a bit of art therapy.  The last few years have been pretty crazy and all that craziness has somehow caught me all up in it's grip and I'm trying to get free.  I can't go in to too much detail since this all involves family and such, but it's really unhealthy stuff, and I want to free myself of that as much as possible, since there really is no hope of solving other peoples' problems.  So, I am kind of keeping to myself, playing with my kids, working on my art and designs, and hangin' out with my scaly, shelled, and fuzzy friends.  I try to stay positive and look to the adventure ahead.  That's all I can do, and for right now, it's working!

My Itty Bitty Painting

This is my Itty Bitty painting that I made over the last couple of days after days and days of contemplating what I would do with this tiny canvas.  I had this crazy looking skeletal creature all ready to go but I just feel like I have to do more with that one.  I came across this sketch while I was working and thought it would make a nice painting.  I had already made a mask in a very similar design but the drawings of mask designs have a completely different feel than the actual mask itself.  These past few weeks have been hard for me and I needed a little bit of light, so that's where I went.  I think it turned out o.k. for my first time back to painting in many, many years and I'm getting ready to go downtown to turn it in for the little art show I made it for. 

When Life Gets Bumpy, Make Some Art

Things got kind of bumpy last week.  After a few years of bumpiness they just got more bumpy which made me grow my horns and and my little devil-like tail back.  So now I'm stabbin' stuff up with my pitchfork but in an artsy sort of way.  I hate drama.  I hate manipulation.  I hate dishonesty.  BUT,(and it's a big BUT) it's there in the corners no matter how much I dust and take out the trash.  I think I found my solution though.  Make art.  My peace comes from there.  I will never proclaim to be a peaceful, shiny, happy human.  I just don't think that is true human nature but I can make my art and that is what is giving me peace these days.  I was told by a very wise soul to "forget about all else and work hard, you'll see through it all and get the things you need and want"  I'm going with that. 

So, This New Thing I'm Doing is Pretty Darn Fun

I recently joined "Humboldt Art Abandonment" where us artsy people "abandon" pieces of their work here in Humboldt County or along their travels to other places.  Last week, I abandoned my first piece.  A mini mask that I had made and was going to save for myself.  By saving it for myself,  I mean leaving it in a dusty shoe box for years while I forget about it.   So, instead of saving it for me, I wrapped it up with a little note for the person who might find it.  I headed down to the plaza with the kids to run some errands and to visit their dad at work.  Then we headed over to the plaza and dropped off our little package.  The top picture is of the package we left nestled amongst the greenery of the plaza.  The second picture is what the mask looks like.  The note, well, that is a secret between me and the person that found it:)  Well, even better than seeing that it was gone after a few minutes of errand-running, I got to see a little girl and her friends discover it, that was the best!  I can not wait to do more!

Free Shipping!

I'm offering up some free shipping this month in my Etsy shop.  Happy July and Enjoy!  I'm gonna go work on some more leathery goodness now.


Have a great day!

Got it Done!

I finally finished this cuff that I started way before I got sick.  It turned out pretty darn cool and I am pretty darn proud of it.  I am making another one of these for myself too but I chose to use some purple and teal for my cuff part and my cuff is going to have a secret pocket in it too!  Just because.  So now that I have this one up in my Etsy shop, I get to take the kiddos to the park on this gorgeous day!  Have a great weekend all!

Feeling Kind of Icky........

So after being sick last week, enough so that I sent myself to the ER, I am now back to work for the most part.  It turns out that after years(and I do mean years) of horrid stomach problems, my gallbladder has been trying to break up with me all this time.  Now, it's made itself well known and I'm on my way to getting it all taken care of.  Crossing my fingers here:)

 I have some glorious stuff to finish up including a pretty awesome cuff(my first copper/brass/leather concoction), and some large pouch-y/wallet-y kinds of things.  I am taking it easy since I really still feel pretty gross, and, with Ciaran out of school now, I am finding that my free time for my work is minimal once again.  This is mostly good because it forces me to get out of the house and to really utilize the early mornings and evenings for my work.  The trouble is that right now, I am ready for bed at 8 or so.  Hopefully, everything will work out so I can continue to work without taking too much of a break.  It feels so good to be productive!

I'm also pretty excited to be a part of a project called Humboldt Art Abandonment.  I will be making pieces to "abandon" in various parts of Humboldt County and beyond.  I have wanted to do something like this for years and this is the perfect opportunity.  So, if your out and about and find something leathery or metal-like, it might be a little something from me to you:) 

50 Items in my Etsy Shop!

I feel pretty awesome right now!  I finished up another snap up billfold and it turned out AWESOME!  I think I'll keep the design as is for now unless I figure out a way to make it easier to use.  I modified the ID pocket and the over all length and it seems to work just fine for now.  I'll have to see how it goes over before I make a ton.  Maybe I should do a give-away for a critique kind of thing, so I can get some constructive feedback on it. 

My other awesomeness is that I have finally reached my goal of having 50 items in my little Etsy shop!  I get to celebrate by working on some of my new ideas for metal/leather cuffs and such:)  I am also working on a stack of large pouches to add too.  It feels good to not be stressed out about making things to fill up the shop.  I hope I can keep it up.   I am crossing my fingers!

That's it for now, back to work and all that:)

So This is What I Came Up With

This is the newest.  It's a new take on an old design that lots o' people have been asking for at the last couple of shows I have done.  So it's kind of a billfold but with the added bonus of an interior zipper pocket, and ID window, card pockets, and two hidden pockets, plus a big ol' pocket for dollars and such:)  I really like it, but it is pretty bulky right now, so I am working on the design of the interior for a bit on the next one I cut out before I'm going to start making bunches of them and listing them for sale.  I think I might have the bulky somewhat solved but we shall see.  I love the applique and how this wallet looks like it has warts!

New Wallet Designs, Air Plants, and The Chicken Dance

This week has been really busy.   It started with busy-ness, and ended with busy-ness.  Just the usual stuff, lots of errands, lots of child related stuff, and lots of trying to purge this tiny apartment of the unnecessary before Summer hits full force.  In between, I have been working on a new wallet design, designing some clothing for me and my Ed.  (Ciaran only likes blue jeans and t-shirts, so no new summer dresses for him!)  I'm also reading a lot about social anxiety in children(and adults), I tried my hand at a hanging air plant terrarium and I'm hooked, it turned out looking like some little alien plant from a Dr. Suess book!   After all that,  we finished out the week with the chicken dance at Ciaran's school today.  He was not happy and cried through the whole thing.  He's a lot like his mom in the respect that it seems to terrify him to be in large groups with a lot of noise, not to mention having to dance in front of everyone.  I felt really bad for him but I cheered for him and I am so proud he made it through, tears and all.  Through the whole thing I kept thinking that if someone tried to force me to get up in front of a group like that now, I'd probably smack them with their own shoe.  Go Ciaran for getting up there despite all your woe and worry, and letting me post a picture of your cuteness:)

This Week's News

Louie, peeking out at me through the palms in his vivarium, my very cute and very picky gecko stinker!

So this week is going to be a bit crazy, not as crazy like the last couple of weeks, but pretty busy/crazy.  I have LOTS of appointments and such.  I also have a little custom order to finish up as well as my newest set of pendants.  I think I'm going to spend Saturday this week just sitting in the big chair watching re-runs of old paranormal shows and such to celebrate.  The busy-ness has been good, a craft show, lots of work, a couple of super fun birthday parties for the kids to attend, many exciting adventures but now it's time to take a little break and sit for a itty-bitty while.  Then I'll get myself together and move on to more making of leather/metal things. 

New for Today!

Purple, olive green, and bright pink, mmmmmm yummy!

blue, olive, and purple= happiness

I think this is my favorite billfold that I've made so far

I wasn't sure about this one but I think I really love these colors together.

 

 

I've been busy sewing over the last couple of weeks, preparing for the 3rd Annual Trinidad Indie Craft Show.  It was awesome!  Lots of wonderful artists and people hanging out in a big room together, what better way to spend the day!  I have a few wallets left over from the show and I will be listing those in my Etsy shop over the next week or so.  This group of wallets turned out really nice!  Lots of rich color and new applique designs.  I am excited to show them off.   The four above are just a small sample of what I have ready to go.  I hope you enjoy!