I have missed my adventures in blogging!   Seems I had some sort of glitch on my website.   My webmasters probably have a fancy technical name for it but they know that it out of my area of expertise.

Things are going well at Jersey Made.   There are 12 artists on display now and the new banner has been catching some attention.   My new exercise program is carrying the big & heavy sandwich board out to the sidewalk every day and then back onto the porch at night.   The weather keeps washing away my message but I keep rechalking it.

A few years ago I had done this drawing of the Ocean City boardwalk looking from 13th Street.   It was drawn from some photographs I had taken while people watching on the boardwalk after lunch with my Mom and a friend.   The drawing came out so well that I had notecards made.   These were sold out quickly.   It seemed a nice addition to Jersey Made so I recently had some more printed and packaged them in sets of 5.  

Thanks for reading – I hope you all have missed my meanderings of blog!!

I have been transforming the little space that I maintain at art/craft shows.  It has been a slow but steady adjustment with a change made for each upcoming show.  Finally I feel like I have the display that protrays the art that I create and is pleasing to customers so they want to come in a browse in my little 10′x10′ world.

At each show I have gotten better.  In this case pictures are worth a thousand words….

This picture was taken at the Handmade Faire: Halloween Edition in October 2008.  It was a mish mash to say the least.  Plus I needed help to transport my large card display.  It was a great display and kept my greeting cards from being damaged from the torrential winds and rain however I just couldn’t get it in my car.  It is now permanently stationed at my home.  Someday it may be cut down to size but I kind of like it and use it to store items I have for sale.   The blue tarp was rather unsightly but totally necessary for the weather forecast.

Art, Wine & Music Festival June 7, 2009.   My wooden window frame/chicken wire display made its first appearance.  Cards were displayed in old drawers but looked kind of scattery.  I like hanging them up on the ribbon grid done in the old window.   This picture really helped me.

Field Dog Expo on the next weekend, July 13, 2009.   This show was a challenge.  I tried to make the best of the uneven ground (notice the 4′x4′ board under the table on the left.  But then the rain came.  I stashed as much as I could under the tables and cover what was left with plastic tablecloths.  The mudslide got the best of me and the rain never stopped.   Many of my paper items were destroyed.  Another learning experience.

Handmade at Om Baby was just last weekend.  July 11, 2009.   I attached my new logo to an old cabinet door but it wasn’t really large enough.  As I looked around all the other vendors had big plastic banners.  I just didn’t want to go plastic!   Still I liked the look of my display and the new card display seemed to help me sell more.    The new tablecloth finished off the look I wanted.  Huge difference!  The 5 yards of eggplant linen fabric look better on my table than they would have been as the jacket and slacks set that had been originally planned for it so many years ago (there was a blog on that one – hehehe).    The area behind me was a mess of weeds.  I had placed some bamboo mats down to keep it contained in the area where I sat and had to walk but I still wished I could camoflauge more of what was behind me.

And now…. The Handmade Faire: Summer of Love on July 18, 2009!   Think I finally got it figured out.   Everything looked awesome.  Took me a little extra time to set up the curtains but I was glad I did.  They were closed in the morning to block the sun coming in that side and tied back in the afternoon to catch the breeze.  A few adjustments to weight them down in the event of wind and they will be perfect.

I took the other “house” display rack and made a 2nd card display.  They looked great side by side on my table and I sold many cards.  I didn’t really need to label them.  It was great watching people sort through them and hear their comments.  My “Not G rated” card got the most attendion LOL!

My new “banner” with my logo.  I used an old cabinet door frame and a wooden plate to create an attention getting logo display.   I was quite pleased with it and got many compliments throughout the day.  Doesn’t look as great in the photo?  hmmmm – come see it in person then!!!

My Charming Again collection was very popular.  I found that many of my customers were in the young teen crowd.  Younger kids liked them too and their adult companions did not mind spending $5 to get them something they could pick out for themselves.  A few of them were purchased as gift items as well.   Expanding on this line because I have many more little things that can be charming again!

So here are my changes in latitude.   I hope the pictures helped to tell the story of how I turned my booth into something rinky dink to a serious creator who wants to sell and share!

My new anti-spam devise is in the form of a secret password.  So when leaving me a comment please mention “recycle”.   I really don’t want to purchase pills or sell the next get rich quick scheme and certainly don’t understand the spam I get that is in some foreign language.  I find that most spammers do not really read my blog.  So I am creating my own little spamguard.    Your comments are really appreciated and I don’t want to miss anything you would like to contribute.

Thanks for reading!

Well I am a little behind on my blogging but life has been hectic.  So we will travel back a few weeks to Sunday, May 31st.  My neice got confirmed.  As her godmother I wanted to have an extra special gift for her.  You might remember the antique skeleton keys that I purchased at a yard sale awhile back.  

Well I spent a bunch of time with the Dremil tool getting the rust off and making them look really pretty once again.  This began the idea for my neice’s gift for her confirmation.   I added a Scrabble letter ‘G’ for her name.  Abbie helped me with some beads to decorate it a bit and we had to include a wheatback penny that we had spent all that time drilling and polishing too.

I stamped a card to go along with it using Stampin’ Up! ”Refuge and Strength” set.   The box is recycled and the lid was decorated with some beautiful paper that I bought at a yard sale.   Together it was a great gift set and I was really pleased with it.   More importantly – SHE was pleased with it.  In her thank you card my neice called the necklace “cute & creative”.

It is great to be able to make my own cards.  I had spent so much time on the preparing the making of the necklace that the card was left until the last minute.  Hehehe – I don’t want to mislead my readers into thinking that I do everything ahead of time.  Like most people I need a deadline.  My Mom is famous for her motto that she often reminds us “never miss a deadline” and she never did!   Deadlines help me keep up with things and often I have so many things on my agenda that I need to follow in the order when things are due.  This of course keeps me burning the midnight oil sometimes.  It is also the reason I am blogging at this late hour since I really had an urge to blog before sleeping tonight.

As always, thanks for listening to my tale…..

As promised, here are some photos of the graduation cards that I finished this weekend. 

It seems I make great tassels – another quirky talent!  

I did alot with these 3 days off.  It was fun to have time for family and friends.  Went to the theatre with Mom and my neice and saw Midsummer Night’s Dream – the musical – but I would have called it a comedy.  Very entertaining and a job well done by the Ritz Theatre in Oaklyn.  I worked some today out at the Mill getting ready for the quilt show next weekend.  There were lots of people in the area today – fishing, painting, and enjoying the day.  I saw an older couple come with a card table, tablecloth, 2 chairs and a picnic basket.  They set it up along the stream and played cards for a few hours.  It was a special sight.   I really enjoyed the artists.  These ladies were fun to talk to and see them work.  One of them got bitten by a red ant and her thumb was starting to swell.  Of course Bill came out with all the fixings of a first aid kit to help her out.  She was grateful for the relief and continued to work with her charcoals.

I am now a dogsitter (in addition to my many other diverse jobs).  Bebe is fun to play with and have around.  She loves car rides and people so I took her with me to the Mill.  She liked it and the guys were happy to have her there.  Even had George play with her while Don & I moved a set of steps.  I had to keep her on the lease cause this yellow lab is trained to chase geese.  There are a multitude of geese around the Mill.  Of course today we didn’t see too many but they left remnants as proof that it really is their turf most of the time. 

Mostly I created alot and that felt great!  Tomorrow evening I am getting out the sewing machine to put all the pieces together on a few more things - the finishing touches.  Ah!  My favorite part of every project is seeing the vision inside my head become a reality.  I record my ideas in my art journal almost daily.  Not all of those become a project but often they do.  Sometimes the finishing doesn’t happen and a UFO (unfinished object) happens.   This weekend many UFO’s became finished creations. 

A friend from church told me on Sunday that I blog too much.  His complaint didn’t have much validity since upon further questioning I discovered that he has never even come to my website to see what is going on here.  So to McMatt and all the others missing out on what is happening in the bloggin world – TRY IT!

So while I was the Kibry’s Mill last week, on the day that I fell down at work and hurt my knee, I was busy getting the Museum Shop ready for the upcoming quilt show.  In the course of this I needed some help.  So after a quick glance around the 1st floor of the Mill for something that would assist me in my task.   Here it is….

This cast iron fork-like thing on a stick was what I found.   Can you guess how I might have used this tool?   I don’t really know what it actually is … so I printed a copy of this photograph to I can interrogate the curator next time I see him – hehehe – he will just love me pestering him with more questions!   Plus I have a few more tasks in mind for using this antique unknown gadget on a stick!

Meanwhile I am busy getting things ready for the quilt show.  The Museum Shop will have a feed sack theme.  www.OriginalAbbie.com has designed a logo for our sack-like items and I can’t wait to see them.   Stop by to see – I will blog about them soon but you’ll want to see them in person.  Thanks Abbie!

I have signed up for a few shows starting with the Art, Wine & Music Festival in Medford Village on the 1st Sunday in June – see my events calendar for particulars.  So I have been getting prepared.  Last evening I set up my tent in the back yard to make sure it was in great shape and today I purchased some new lightweight and sturdy tables.  It seemed like a good idea to revamp my whole display and go with the rustic recycled flair that is the new direction I have chosen to be my focus.  I have alot of items all ready but of course there are a few more that I hope to get finished as well.  Finish – oh that is a big word in my world….  Today I am making graduation cards – this is a new project since I have an order for 10 plus a special order for 1 more.  Graduation time is just around the corner so I think they will be a big seller.  Tonight the finishing touches will go on and I promise to blog about them by the end of this weekend.   These will also be available in my Etsy store.

Did I mention that I am the proud new member of the Etsy NJ team?  It is great to be able to meet other artists from New Jersey and hear what is going on with them.  We meet at shows but that isn’t always the best forum for a conversation.   There is a wealth of information there and it has been encouraging me to continue pursuing making my creations and getting the word out about what I am creating.  I haven’t linked my Etsy shop to my website yet – more for me to learn in that area but I will get there eventually….  www.creatinginslippers.etsy.com

Thanks for reading my tale – Happy Memorial Day - make and keep memories every day…..

Stop and see me – it’s easy to find me – see my events calendar.   As usual, mention my website and you get a free gift – FREE GIFT – hehehe.  I am still losing the battle of ‘real’ comments vs spam.  Why do they think I want to buy that much amoxycillian?   I can only spell that word cause I see it so often.   It is all worth it when a real comment comes in between.  So take a moment and comment – bring a smile to the bloggers of the world who really do appreciate it!  

There is inspiration all around us.  Sometimes it leads us in the opposite direction but nevertheless it gets us moving.  I have chickens on the brain.  Been playing with MyFarm on facebook a little too much these days.  Been building up my fields to make enough money to buy a chicken coop and begging my friends to send me chickens.  Finally I got the coop on Monday and my first chicken arrived on Tuesday.  You could hear me hooting and holloring from miles away.

So when it came time to pack up my stamping stuff for a creative evening with Abbie, it was easy to decide what I would pack.   All kinds of stamps and papers and inks and supplies to make some chicken cards.  Also I brought along a picture from a magazine with the egg pattern that I had blown up to 170% the original size.  I am sure you will see more egg-citing cards that were ideas that started to ember in my brain from that little sample in a Papercrafts magazine that I recently picked up although it was from a few years ago.

My other inspriation is my Mom.  She lives in a retirement village and is loving it.  Recently she took over the position of manager of their little gift shop.  The shop sells toothpaste, greeting cards and other little items to the residents and staff.  Their biggest seller is candy – hehehe.  I decided it would be nice to donate a few cards to the gift shop.  My Mom would have fun telling everyone her daughter made them and it will help the cause as well.

With all this inspiration it was easy to create these cards…..

Things got a little over the top when I decided to add the peeps on the left hand side of the envelopes…..

But then there was Neil and the bunny!!!   This “Gotta Hop” bunny from Hallmark sings this catchy tune while his ears wiggle all around.  It had Neil dancing around the room in a hop-like jig.  I was laughing so hard as I watched him that I had to take a few pictures – which of course added to his excitement and kept him pushing the button on the bunny’s foot to keep it going non-stop.   Even Hendrix, the family angora rabbit, seemed to get excited about all of it and came out to hop along.  It was pointed out that I should be making bunny cards and not chicken/peep cards.  Guess I will use this inspiration for another Easter related card another day………

Hope all you peeps have a hopping good Easter!!!

My niece was Gertrude McFuzz in Suessical Jr. and did an awesome job.  She has the most amazing singing voice.  This proud aunt waited not so patiently while all of the cast came out for their applause.  Finally the Cat In The Hat appeared so that was a little puzzling. Then she appeared shortly before Horton.  The crowd went wild including me and my whole family.  Very cool!  So here is a picture of the card that I made to give her in lieu of flowers.  Flowers fade but the card and the gift enclosed will last a little longer.  I hope she enjoys it after the excitement of the cast party is over and she gets a chance to open it.  A whirlwind weekend for the whole family since she is in all 4 showings. The paper used is from Stampin’ Up!  …of course…  The flowers and little flying bugs were cut out of the paper.  I love to cut paper and have quite the scissor collection.   It was fun creating a larger sized card with the clever closure.  I have a punch that makes that circle.   Of course I had to decorate the envelope too.   The rubber stamp used inside is also copyright Stampin’ Up! and states “life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we’re here we might as well dance.”  The verse seemed so appropriate for this talented 13 year old!  Gosh – am I bragging too much?

Stampin’ Up! products   http://creatinginslippers.stampinup.net

Stampin’ Up! started a new program last year where I can have a demonstrator based website.  Current catalogs can be reviewed, orders can be placed online or you can get in touch with me to schedule a workshop or attend a stamping event.  Plus it is a great source for ideas.  So I started researching it further.  Yes, I know it is February and a little late to still be working on my projects for the new year but I really put alot of thought into this.

I love being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator.  I have been doing it for almost 7 years and am now a Senior Demonstrator.  It is so fun to help others make creative greetings cards and scrapbooking pages and show them all the neat tricks that they can do with the SU products.  So for 2009 I will be moving more in that direction.  The economy may not be in great shape but we still need to feed those inspirations and keep on making something handmade.

A wise woman once told me ”If it sits still long enough, stamp it”.  So I am borrowing this phrase and following these words of wisdom.  Rubber stamping rocks!!

http://creatinginslippers.stampinup.net

It’s time for creating Christmas cards again.  I’m really behind on that this year.  Usually the ideas start coming in July or August and the creating process begins in the fall.  Yet here it is December and I’ve only just begun.

These cards were inspired early but I didn’t get around to making them until just recently.  Seems that the church was discarding the old hymnals and getting new ones.  There was no way I could let them go into the trash so every time I could I’d take more books home or find someone who might enjoy having one.   It wasn’t until I started playing with the walnut inks to make my Jersey Angel  costume  that I got the inspiration to venture away from fabric and try walnut inks on paper. 

Walnut inks are fun but very messy.  So I took the Christmas hymns from one of the books, applied the walnut inks with a paintbrush, then attached them to tags that I cut to size. The thin paper of the hymnals worked well as the different colored inks blended together and created a cool effect.    The hardest part was waiting for the walnut ink to dry – patience is not one of my strong points – hehehe!   It was great to see how the whole project came together and I was pleased with how they turned out.  There will never be 2 exactly the same – that is for sure! 

Here is the link for my Jersey Angel  blog   http://www.leafpile.org/blog/2008/10/28/the-wind-beneath-my-wings/   

Sometimes inspiration comes to me in huge swooping waves.

That’s what happened yesterday.

One of the committees I belong to at church is Congregational Care. At its inception our discussion was centered around visiting members who couldn’t get to church to share Holy Communion with them. I got on this committee because I stood up at a congregational meeting and asked why we weren’t doing that anymore. Poof! That was all that was needed to get me on a committee. We are in the process of getting everything ready to do that. In the meantime it was brought up that we used to send out greeting cards to the shut-ins. I had a small group of ladies who helped me and we got together every other month or so. Somehow we had gotten out of the habit of doing that. Mysteriously money was donated for us to continue the purchasing of postage stamps and supplies. That combined with the plethora of stuff I have at home enabled us to make bunches of cards.

My schedule is already pretty full so it was a challenge to figure out how to add yet another thing and coordinate all these ladies to help out with it. Still somehow I found time to make cards to send out in early October. The pressure was on to find another card to send out around Thanksgiving but nothing was coming to me. I was feeling like it was just another thing to put on my already too long “to do” list. I knew that it was really more than that but that didn’t help my energy level to get it together.

Because yesterday was the 5th Sunday of the month we had a service of healing. It really is neat when we do this but I was scheduled to deacon this Sunday. That changed things. It meant that I assisted the Pastor and I could see the looks on their faces as she went around and placed oil on their foreheads and said a prayer for each one. Many of them had tears in their eyes. Even the children sat still for a little bit longer. We were reminded that none of us are exempt from the need for God’s healing.

Part of my deaconing duties was to carry the cross in the recessional of the choir and Pastors out of the church. When I arrived at the entry doors at the end of this meaningful service, the picture that appeared in the bulletin struck me and I leaned over and said to Pastor “hey, that would make a great card for the shut-ins”. We both let out a little gasp of excitement. I had seen it in the bulletin earlier and planned to keep it for my altered hymnal (something for another blog). I just figured it was part of my problem with throwing away paper.

Anyway, it motivated several of us to gather as many bulletins as we could. Others were catching the enthusiam in the room as we had beverages and snacks. I came home with 14 of them. One woman even offered to go through the trash to find more. I thanked her but figured we could always make copies if needed. Tonight I painted them all with acrylics. Each one is a little bit different. Usually an idea goes into my journal and then waits for time to allow me to pursue the inspiration. This wasn’t one of those times. It was like a bolt of inspiration to do something good and spread the service of healing to those who for various reasons cannot come to church.

Plans are now underway for us to meet after church next week to finish them and get them ready to be mailed out.