Me and My Shadow

Or more like Us and Our Shadows.  We are back from a long episode of hellish gallbladder troubles, sniffles and colds, a couple little hopes and dreams that were squashed and some other stuff.  Now we are back and happily awaiting Summer.  We are having the most awesome warm weather right now so we are all feeling a bit antsy.  It's good!  Hopefully, we'll put that energy into our volcano project, our kite project, and our other adventures that are in the planning stages.  Off I go to sew up some wallets to fund all of this madness!

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:)

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!

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.

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. 

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!

The First One is Listed!

Pendant Number 1

I finally finished my pendants into "neck pieces" this week.  I added leather lacing to each one and some rivets to make them look super awesome and now, the first one is up in my Etsy shop.  I am diggin' how they are coming out and hope to expand on the idea a bit.  I think the thing I like the most is watching them patina before my eyes.  Since the metal I am using is scrap from my mask making, it already has some texture and patina to it.  I am adding more texture to help each piece of metal fit into the whole piece but I am leaving the rest alone.  Each piece is polished with a brass brush and soap and water only.  I only sand down the rough spots here and there.  So they are all going to naturally patina over time.  My goal is to have a completely new idea look like it has been around for ages, just like my masks do.  I am having way too much fun with these, I hope you enjoy looking at them too:)

It Was a Good Day!

My Trick or Treaters, the witch and Spongebob taking a break from candy time.

It rained all morning but let up in time for the big event "Trick or Treat on the Plaza"

We got home just in time to put out our jack o' lanterns and watch them glow

 We had a wonderful Halloween and we hope you did too:)

Edolie's jack o' lantern

Ciaran's jack o' lantern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Leather! Time to Play!

I got some lovely leather from my sister in the most unusual embossed patterns and now I am up for the handbag challenge. My goal is to design just a few handbag designs and get them out there. I am so inspired now. I also got a box full of brightly colored leather clothing from a very good friend of mine and now I have even more to play with. My first project is going to be my messenger/diaper bag out of the brightest blue suede. I have been playing with my applique designs recently, just to liven things up a bit and I am finding that I really like what is happening. It feels much more like painting to me and I can get pretty crazy with shapes and colors which is all the fun in the world. So far I have made some billfolds but I am furiously sewing up some travel wallets as well. I will post more pictures as I finish up! I love it when I feel inspired! Thanks Seesa and Kathy! You guys rock!

Play in The Dirt!

Ciaran and I went for a walk yesterday and it kicked ass! The day was beautiful, sunny, and warm. I actually had a little bit of energy and felt alright so that made all the difference in the world. Ciaran loves to walk in the field behind Pacific Union School, so we headed down that way to spend some time together in the sun. We said "Hi!" to the neighbors' sheep, the alpaca and goats down the way, and the chickens at the farm on the field. Then we sat down and just played in the dirt. Ciaran with this little matchbox racer and me with a stick. It was so nice just to sit in the field in the sun and play. I forgot how much I like to play in the dirt. I am glad Ciaran was there to remind me.

What a Beautiful Day!

We are blessed with a very sunny and warmish day today. Not only that but my honey has a car for the week and will be taking us on a little adventure later. What fun! So far I have spent my day deterring a wasp from starting a nest under the eaves of our apartment, hand washing my few pieces of clothing that fit right now, and deciding on what type of swivel clips to buy for my next round of wallet making. Now I look forward to finishing up a couple of projects and getting ready for a little adventure. Today will probably be a little drive to the coffee place for a cookie and a warm and slightly jittery beverage for me and the boy and then a drive through the bottoms to say hi to the cows. Always fun:)

Sometimes You Just Need to Get Out of The House

.........and get some fresh air. We have had a stormy few days here in Northern California and my young friend Ciaran and I are pretty darn bored and wiggly. So today is an outside kind of day. Hopefully a little running around will put things back where they go in my head, so I can come home and get some stuff done. Ciaran just really needs to get out and run somewhere. Poor little guy has spent the last few days doing laps around the couch and down the hallway to get rid of his excess energy. So we take the young man to Target to spend some of his birthday money on something grand! Mom just gets to browse for now,(except for a small purchase of a so smooth and chocolate-y ritter sport with cornflakes, if they have them!) I LOVE YOU CHOCOLATE!!!!!!! Then it is off to find some wonderful area to set Mr. Ciaran loose, so he can get all that energy out. Have a great day all!

I Got Some Work!

My shop has been pretty slow, and since I've been sick, I haven't really been able to list anything. So I was very happily surprised to get a couple of custom orders to work on. It has been so nice to have something to work on instead of just sitting and staring at the wall. I am hoping it will motivate me to get cracking on other projects that need finishing and stocking up on inventory for my shops. Until then I am content just to be doing a little bit. It feels good to be back to work. I don't think I was meant for sitting still and doing nothing. It just doesn't work in my favor.

New Bookmarks

So I finally got a couple of new bookmarks made up for my Etsy shop. I think I will make more too! They are super fun to make. I hope these two find good homes.

The orange bookmark is in the color combination that I wrote about yesterday. I find it to be super yummy right now. I still want to cover my walls in bright orange, pink, and blue and just sit on the floor and stare into it. I don't think that is something the guys would like to spend their time doing though. They just aren't into the whole color thing like I am. Ciaran would probably just ignore it, and Mark would make that face that he does when he smells something off. I would rather not deal with that face and the conversation that goes along with it, so I will just create bookmarks, wallets, etc. in my crazy color scheme and just stare at those instead.

Gotta Get In My Last Post of 2008

I don't have much to say today. Mostly because my caffeine hasn't kicked in yet. I just want to wish everybody a Happy New Year and hope your New Year's Eve is super fun and super safe. Mine will be spent looking after the big sick guy and the little sick guy with sniffles. Should be a blast. All of you crazy Arcatans, have a great time hanging out on the plaza, climbing the McKinley statue, maybe next year I will join you:)

Cuffs and Other New Stuff

I have been battling some sort of yuckiness the past few days and my Christmas projects have been put off. So with a lovely icy storm coming in from Alaska, the kiddo and I have been stuck inside for the last day or two. I decided to use that time to play around with my projects and think about some new items for my shops. I am playing around with some new cuff designs, very similar applique work to my wallets and upcoming handbags, and they look pretty good! I have one now that I am playing with, I will be adding some beads to it and figuring out a new closure for it. I love how the button and loop looks, it is extra comfortable during wear, but, some people just aren't in to that whole button thing. The cuff I have posted here is a little on the small side so the closure doesn't look fantastic like the others. So I will try a snap, and an elastic closure for my next few.

The handbag I am putting together is coming out great. A mixture of purples, mauves, and brown. Lots of texture, and a nice shape. I am messing around a bit with one of my older designs to make it a little more appealing. I am hopeful that I can put a few together to list in my shops when the new year comes. I am just so excited about new designs that it is hard to concentrate on just one. I hope everyone likes the new stuff. I am definitely having a great time coming up with new items.

My Favorite Little Pieces of Advice

Some of my favorite pieces of advice came from working with the kids at the school-age program I ran oh so many years ago. Some of these are from the kids, some from my co-workers but all valuable just the same. Sometimes you don't need big fancy(or ugly)words to get your point across. It is amazing how simple but how relevant to life some of these statements are:

"Just because you can, doesn't mean you have to!"

"There is a difference between being a strong person and just being a bitch."

"You were given two ears and one mouth for a reason."

"Don't go out with your hair wet!"

"Worry about your own underpants!"

"Treat your friends in the same way that you would like to be treated."

The only two words keeping you from doing that are "I can't."

"If he smacks you, and then you turn around and smack him, is that going to solve the problem?"

"They can't chase you if you don't run!"

"A little bit of embarrassment goes a long way."

"Hate is a very strong word, make sure you mean it before you say it."

"Sometimes, your opinion is only important to you."

I had to throw in the one about going out with your hair wet just because that has always cracked me up. My grandma used to scream that at us as we left the house even if it was 90 degrees out. Words to live by I tell you!

The Rush Is On!

I just finished my newest wallet, black leather stripes on embossed red suede with an antique button. I think it is pretty fun, it reminds me of fancy underwear for some reason. I listed this one in my icraft shop. I can't wait to make more!

Tis the season for rushing around and building up my inventory. I am finishing up one last custom order for the meanwhile and then the race is on. I need to get at least a few things finished for my trunk show next week. It should be a blast! A designer's showcase at one of our local galleries called the Accident Gallery in Eureka, CA. I haven't spent much time there so I don't know what to expect of the evening. It sounds like they have a pretty lively and fun little thing going right now which I find refreshing compared to the rest of the art scene in this area.

Mark and Ciaran will be enjoying a all boy's evening while I am peddling my wares at the trunk sale with my mom. Then it is all down hill after that. Along with wallets and bags, I am also making ornaments and a few pieces of jewelry for our next two shows in late November and early December. Boy time flies by. Each year I tell myself that I will be prepared and get a ton done before October 1st, rarely does that happen. It's very good this year because I have been working steadily and my sales have been pretty steady over the last couple of months so I am incredibly happy about that. So, the rush is on and off I go. Hopefully I will come up with some good stuff for this trunk show. The fun has just begun!

Ciaran Made a Friend!

My son Ciaran made a friend yesterday. He made two friends actually. One person and one dog. We decided to go out for a walk yesterday afternoon just to get out of the house and have some play time. On our way back from downtown we usually walk through a large sports field and elementary school so Ciaran can practice walking and get a little exercise. As we were walking yesterday, we saw a yellow haired boy, his mom, and a huge yellow dog playing in the field. I did'nt think anything of it until Ciaran started bolting across the field to the little boy. The little boy also ran towards him. They both stopped short of running into each other and stared at one another's feet. Then the big and happy yellow dog came running over and gave Ciaran a big ol' sloppy doggy kiss across his face. It was really cute. I am glad to see that my son is a bit more socially outgoing than his mom. I am so weirded out by meeting new people, I often miss out on opportunities to get know other people. It made my day to see Ciaran so curious and happy, I hope he makes many good friends throughout his life.