the BoneYard and a booth

so i have talked about it before, but this is my official post to say that i now have a booth at The BoneYard on Raymond Hill!!! technically, jenni, joy and i are sharing a booth at The BoneYard. for you local folks, it is located in newnan, ga. i am so excited about this venture - the fact that i have a permanent space, i can come and fluff as i wish and i don't have to sit in 107 degree temps to sell my lovelies is all sheer perfection! i tried to get good pics of the space, but the lighting is a bit tricky, so take these with a grain of salt. (what does that really mean anyways???)

anyway, you walk in to the store and head right and the booth is on the right hand side. i am dying over this hoop art wall. i wanted to simulate a plate wall that people hang in their home, and i think the effect is lovely. not to mention all the crystal bling displayed below!

this is half of the booth and you can see all of our goodies. seriously, between the three of us, there is something for everyone.

aside from the lamps and hoops, i have some original artwork for sale also.

this blue mirror was the first to go and i hope that it found a good home.

if you have been eyeing this bed frame for your little girls room, as of today, it is still in the booth, but i warn you, things are already moving fast :)

joy has a huge table filled with all her lovely jewelry for every price point.

this is part of jenni's corner. how amazing is that door??? if i had the space, i would snatch it up, put a mirror in the opening and lean it against a wall in my home.

like i said, lots for everyone! if you live in atlanta and stop by the store, let me know what you think.

the boneyard and tons of products

price tags waiting for product

so after my show last weekend, i was left with more product than my house could hold. yeah, that's the downside to being an artist who likes to create in numbers. i get on a kick and produce way more than i can sell in any one festival and then follow it up with the depressing prospect of unpacking my hard work back into the house.

but, today i took a leap, a very big leap and decided to keep my work someplace other than my house. i now officially have a permanent booth at The BoneYard on Raymond Hill in Newnan, GA. actually to be precise, joy, jenni and i have a booth at The BoneYard. sharing a booth at the festival with joy went so well, that we thought it would be a great idea. we all have individual styles, but they mesh so well together that it creates just under 200 sq ft of complete loveliness!

i took these today during setup, but it is now clear to me that i need to bring in my tripod and do some lighting tricks to get better pics. we are having one more wall installed into the space (how cool is that that we say we would love another wall and poof, one is installed) which i will be painting on wednesday. this will house all my hoop art and be a backdrop for a great table filled with sparkly lamps.

after painting and final setup happens, i will post pics of the full space so you can see how we all worked our individual personalities in. if you live in atlanta, swing by, i would love to hear what you think! what i do already know is that our booth sticks out with all the color we use :)

bunting and a new festival

i have been busy sewing up tons of bunting for the vintage revival show i am a part of at the end of this month.

check out the website and if you are in the atlanta area at the end of june, come check it out. atlanta hasn't had a show like this in a long time and i am mighty excited to be a part of such goodness. the bunting will be part of my tent decoration, but will definitely be for sale as well!

juggling and staying on course

the first few days of summer start out ideal. i have plans for the munchkins, i have plans for my graphic design work, for making dinner, for taking walks, etc. but then after a week or so, all hell breaks loose and i feel like i am walking through an obstacle course and doing the best i can to to keep everything in the air.

i know this is nothing new and that every mom feels this same way with summer vacation, whether they work or not. but as much as i plan for it, it always happens.

so, since i can't keep everything in the air at the same time without the help of solo hours during the school year, some things have to give. if you don't hear from me for a few days, don't fear, that just means that i am devoting a bit more time to the things that need me more at this moment. or i might just be hanging out at the pool - who am i kidding:)

products and a mess

i have so many pics taken that i really want to share, but somehow i can't get past the mess in my dining room right now!

i am prepping for a show at the end of june and my dining room has pretty much been useless for the past couple of weeks. this show is a bit different, so you will find my usual items, plus a bunch of new things. spy the cream buffet in the right background? yep, that is coming with me! and the tinsel love hearts in the foreground? yep, another new "love"ly. haha!

my poor husband is so understanding - i asked him if he wanted me to cart all this stuff up to the guest room upstairs and he said no, that it didn't bother him. i sure do love him, cause the mess bothers the hell out of me :)

more randomness to follow...

a nursery and nature

i recently had new head shots taken, along with pics of my munchkins) in one of my favorite locations. there is a beautiful nursery about 20 minutes from my house that is a wonderland. the owner lets photographers use the location for a small fee and you get to go in after hours and explore all the beauty. there is a pond, tons of old vintage sheds, chickens, rusty metal chairs...

lovely vignettes like this angel birdbath and...

baby geese! let's all do a collective "awe" at the sheer cuteness captured with them being back lit.

once i get the pics, maybe you all can help me decide on my new head shot???

craft wars and disappointments

so last week, on twitter, tori spelling (yes, i follow her :) tweeted about a new show on tlc that she was hosting called "craft wars" which is due out this summer. and that is when my heart stopped. literally, i think it skipped a few beats, and then my mouth hung open in disbelief and the disappointment hit me.

i make a rule never to post things on this blog about what might be or could possibly be happening to me because i firmly (and irrationally) believe that announcing it will jinx the whatever. sort of how you are never supposed to tell what you wish for when you blow out your birthday candles or your wish won't come true. but since this wish does not seem like it is going to happen, here goes...

back in december, i saw a few tweets about a casting agency looking for crafters for a new show tentatively titled "ultimate craft throwdown" which would be similar to the food network show "cupcake wars". no more brief than that, no producer name, no network name, it was very vague. i am not a center of attention kind of person and i never thought in a million years i would ever do a reality show (even though i am obsessed with all reality tv), but the crafter in me squealed loudly in delight. i thought "i can totally do this, and i can definitely win" seriously, confidence overflowing. because if there is one thing i am not modest about, it is my art.

i went to work designing a crazy cute one sheeter explaining why i would be perfect for the show. and guess what? i wanted something that would stand out from a plain email with jpgs attached. it worked, i got noticed and when i got a CALL from the casting director, the inner crafter in me squealed again, only louder this time! in this day and age of emails and texting, i thought a phone call was huge - she probably just wanted to see that i wasn't some loon. in fact, i think she even said to me, you seem totally normal :) next i was asked to find an assistant for the show if i was chosen and shoot a video outlining our personal styles and what we make, which would be 3-5 minutes long. i picked jenni as my assistant because she has mad styling and crafting skills and i know her enthusiasm for life would shine through on tv. i had never made a video before, but we tacked it on a sunday, and i think it turned out really cute, especially since i am a complete amateur with video editing.

after the video was submitted, i went through a few more rounds of giving information to the casting director and then jenni and i had to sign a ton of release forms for our submission video and then the waiting happened. i knew they were hoping to shoot sometime in february, and i figured they had a ton of submissions to weed through and that was why i wasn't hearing anything, but i still felt really confident that we would be picked. it was that eerie kind of calm confidence too which totally threw me off.

at this point, i still did not know which network wanted this show or who was involved. so that brings you up to last week when i read the tweet and my heart stopped. the show tori was tweeting about is called "craft wars" but in my gut, i knew it was the same show i auditioned for and never heard back from. i still don't know 100%, but i did some snooping and found a press release which talks about the show and references the same casting agency i was working with. such a bummer! so that's it, that's my story.

it would have been such a super cool thing to be part of and now that i know who is involved - oh, forgot to mention michaels is the sponsor as well, i am just so sad about the missed opportunity. being on a reality show for my crafting is something i never gave much thought to, but now that the opportunity was in my view for a short time, i want it so much. i want to be able to show the viewing audience what i can create and my point of view. i think that i have such fresh, new ideas and i would have loved the opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

did any of you apply to the show? do you know who is going to be on it? i figure in this small craft/blogging world that we exist in, we are bound to be familiar with some of the contestants. 

the moral of this novel? every time you read online about this person getting a book contract, or that person getting a licensing contract, or this person being picked to be on a craft reality show, they too have a past filled with rejections that they just aren't talking about.

a new blog and a giveaway

have you ever wished i would do another giveaway where my apron is the prize? if so, today is your lucky day.

a lovely woman, who i met through a blogging party she hosted, asked if i would like to join her in her blogiversary party. i am always up for meeting new people and being exposed to new things, so heck ya, i was interested. check out the vintage gwen blog here to read all the details. the winner will be able to chose from any of the aprons in my etsy shop. good luck...

papernstitch and exhibitors

silly me, i've failed to mention that i am an exhibitor on papernstitch for the month of march. my word for this year is strengthen. strengthen my home life, my body, my blog and my business, so i have set out on the mission to get linwood avenue out into new circles. papernstitch actually isn't new, i exhibited with them a year ago, and loved the experience, so i am back for round two. brittni runs the show and she is so great to work with. personal and quick responses, she makes you feel as you are her only artist. but the beauty is, you aren't, you are surrounded by other wonderful artists who all share your same aesthetic and feel.

thoughts and time outs

i'm back! it sounds crazy, but i really needed that week break from blogging after my week break from life. it was so nice to be checked out from everything while i was on vacation, and then i came back and got sucked into the pinterest debate and reading waaaayyyy too many blog posts about it. what really got to me was all the comments from ignorant people saying "what you put out on the internet is free game" or "if someone puts art on the internet, i am free to make it my desktop wallpaper pattern" or "what is the big deal if i rip off someones idea as my own and mass produce it, there are no new ideas out there". well, that last one i didn't actually read, but a lot of people were pretty darn close in that sentiment.

in my time off, i have had moments to really make a decision on where i stand and i have discovered that in my mind, i love what pinterest has done for the creative community. i added a "share this" widget to the bottom of my posts to let others know that i love them pinning my ideas as inspiration. what i have discovered i do have a problem with is bloggers taking my photos without permission and displaying little in the way of credit. i have added some copy in my right column stating that if you would like to use a photo (which i generally don't mind at all), i request an email letting me know and appropriate reference and link back to my blog. do i think everyone, or anyone for that matter is going to humor me with an email, no. but at least i have initiated the conversation and let my feelings be known. that's really all i can do, because the alternative is to shut down the blog and that's not really an option.

i also added a "link with love" badge. have you heard about this initiative yet? if not, head over here - their message is spot on.

now it is time to head over to pinterest and reevaluate all my pins to make sure that i myself have linked with love.

metal and wood

one man's junk is another woman's treasure. well, after a little spray paint that is!

marks and property

you might have noticed that i started adding a watermark to my images here on the blog. i have been struggling with this for a while now because i feel that they do distract from the image and the extra step of adding one is just another thing to do, but with the arrival of pinterest, it is now needed.

let me first start by saying that i love pinterest - i haven't become obsessed with it like others have, but i definitely see it's worth. for what seems like forever, i have torn pages out of magazines of things that inspire me and i place them in a binder. actually many binders, separated out into different themes such as decorating, kids, craft, food, etc. so for me, pinterest has allowed me to do the same thing, only online which is great because i can stop buying binders.

right now, i don't think of pinterest in terms of social media, i just want a place to store cool stuff. if i had my preference, i would have all my boards be private. i have the "pin it" tab in my internet tool bar and pin when i see something i want to remember. rarely do i search in pinterest to find something. the funny thing is when i speak to people about the site, they have no idea how to pin something on their own or that it is even an option. the site is evolving into a search and repin site which in turn causes images to be taken so far down the road from their original source that no credit can be found. i know that they are working on resolving this, but for me, as someone in a visual business who's images and tutorials drive my business, it is troubling.

all i am saying right now is pinterest has entered very sticky, sticky territory. i honestly don't have an exact clear viewpoint on the subject, i just have uneasy feelings.

my career as a graphic designer has made me very sensitive to image copyrights. taking an image from a site and using it on your own or in a printed piece is simply a no no. it is stealing plain and simple. there are times when i find photos of mine on other peoples blogs and even though they link back to me, i still feel a bit uneasy that i was not contacted for approval. i push this unease down and tell myself that i have to let it happen in order to get my name out there, but really, do i? do i have to succumb to what makes me feel icky in the name of my business? the thing is, i would most likely give my approval 100% of the time if i was asked. do i want people to stop showing my work of talking about my blog? absolutely not, i just want to be kept in the loop.

i feel like this is all a mishmash of thoughts - hopefully it makes some sense.

this is a very interesting article i read last week which has made me reconsider everything. should i delete most of my boards since they are filled with others work that i do not own? am i too in violation of everything i just wrote about because the owners of this work do not know that i pinned them?

sticky, sticky territory i tell you.

but what i most want to hear about are your thoughts on having your OWN work pinned and referenced without proper credit on blogs, etc.

tools and tips

since i have been creating a lot of turorials for may arts and my make-it section of the blog, i have come to realize that there are a few studio items that i go to for everything. i am always on the hunt for new to me products so i thought you might be as well and would like to know my top 5 tools. (which in no way have sponsored this post - i just like them and wanted to share the knowledge ;)

super 77 spray glue: i have talked about my love for this product here before, but really, it is amazing. i spent over 10 years of my life working in advertising agencies and this was the number one item stocked in every office. i have most likely inhaled way too much of it, spraying it in random stairwells when a ventilated spray booth wasn't handy, but what can you do. this is the ultimate "glue stick". i use it when i need to adhere paper to anything. it has a near permanent bond and dries immediately. it's also great to use as an adhesive when adding glitter. tips: spray outside and keep away from your fingers - it is not fun at all to pick this stuff out of your nail beds.

matte gel medium: i am new to the product, but have acquired a quick dependence on it. it seems that golden's brand is the go to for artists, but before i knew that, i bought the utrecht brand. the containers have a wide opening so you can dip your brush right into the pot which is great. i use this in place of mod-podge for any of the new canvases i have made. a coating underneath and a coating on top seals everything up perfectly.

aleene's clear tacky glue: this glue is my grown up version of elmers. i use it on fabric, paper, beads, glitter, ribbon. it is clear and dries pretty quickly.

various scissors: i have scissors specific to fabric and paper (each one labeled with a death threat if used for the other). then i have a set of pinking sheers which makes sharp triangles when cut and a set of scalloped scissors which creates, well, scallops. everyone should really have more than one set of scissors in their studio.

disappearing ink pen: this could be the most used item in my arsenal. this pen is amazing, you write on fabric with it and it will eventually disappear. i tried to use sewing chalk pencils for a while, but the tip of the pencils would get rubbed down quite easily and i would end up marking a super thick line. obviously, you can use the disappearing pen to make pattern notations when sewing, but i use it a lot in my fabric canvas art. i write in script on the fabric and then have a guideline for my word embroidery. i can pinpoint exact marking of where i want to place a button or even do a light sketch. whatever you do, you don't have to worry about messing up, because it will eventually disappear.

so those are my current go-to items. any favorites from your studio that you want to share?

post linked to between naps on the porch

uniqueness and crowds

last week, i received this sweet comment from my new blogger friend, margie. it was written for one of my new mixed media posts.

"I love your new style too. Uniquely you and unlike any I've seen, which is always hard since there is so much out there."

first of all, it is no secret that i love comments, i adore them. for me, it isn't about praise, because i even like the not so nice comments. it's about the dialogue, and meeting new people, learning new things, the back and forth.

anyway, this comment struck a particular chord because uniqueness is what i strive for. when i see what other artists are doing, i do not say "that's beautiful, how can i remake it", i say "that's beautiful, strike another thing off the list that i can't touch." i have come to realize that it is a bit self-sabotaging to think this way, but that is how my brain has always worked. i shut the door on a lot of things before i even put one foot over the threshold. this causes a lot of artistic downtime for me and a lot of freezing up of thoughts.

my website and booth setup used to contain a lot of beautiful yellow and white chevron prints, but once chevrons became all the craze, i am now working on removing them because i don't want to seem like i jumped on the bandwagon. i LOVE all the somerset magazines, but you see a lot of art made from cremes and tans and a LOT of music note paper. don't get me wrong, the artwork showcased is very beautiful and i would cherish any piece should i own one, but you will rarely find music notes in my art because i am tone-deaf and they are not unique to ME.

having said that, i do believe the saying that there are no new ideas, but i am trying really, really, really hard to find them. so thank you margie, for recognizing my efforts to be unique :)

what are your thoughts on this? are you as self-sabotaging as i am?

sprucing and cleaning

i have some blog/website updating on the way and was checking to see if you all have any suggestions of things you wish i offered or organization you would like to see?

my tutorials keep growing and growing, so i am going to dedicate an entire page to them. the new section will be called "make-its" and will include everything that you see in the current left hand tutorial column. other than this addition, it will be a lot of sprucing up and cleaning out. nothing like spring cleaning in the winter, right?

labels and country living

i've been sewing up a flurry of aprons this past week. i shouldn't say this, but sometimes i get so burnt out on making them, the redundancy of it all, so there is a long time in between batches. but once i get going again, i love mixing together crazy patterns and seeing all the colorful fabric laying around my studio. the best part about this batch? they are the first ones that include my woven business label. i get very giddy over the professionalism of it all!!!

and...

they will be for sale at the atlanta country living fair this weekend at stone mountain along with my hoop art! i will be helping out the lovely kelly mccants in her "modern june" booth and she has graciously offered to sell my creations alongside of hers. i will be there all day long on saturday cutting up a storm of oilcloth and laminated cotton fabrics. and, who am i kidding, probably buying some as well. if you are in the atlanta area, swing by and say hello!

and...

did you know that kelly is the author of this new book? she is going to be doing a signing at whipstitch fabrics tonight if you can't wait for the weekend and want to swing by and pick up your very own copy :)

goals and dreams, a recap

about a year and a half ago, i posted about my goals and dreams for linwood avenue. i thought it would be a good thing to revisit them to see where i stand. i try to be a very motivated person, and to actually put one foot in front of the other when i put my mind to something. looking back over the list lets me know where i have made strides and where i need to devote more time. so here goes...

small goals:

• be published in a national magazine by the end of the year  - yay for artful blogging!
• create a calendar with my botanical drawings and find a publisher for it. month to month in flowers, but with a modern, youthful twist - 6 more months to draw
• purchase linwood avenue embroidered labels for my products regardless of cost - loving these!
  
• become a much better product photographer - photos aren't yet where i want them to be, but i'm getting there.
• keep my etsy shop update regularly - working on this
• save money to attend an art retreat - art and soul portland
  

big goals:

• enter the world of licensing. would love to design and reproduce vintage inspired lamps
• expand linwood avenue so it overshadows my graphic design business - not yet, but it is about half/half right now which is great!

blog goals:

• have my blog become a place of creative inspiration for readers  - i think adding more tutorials has helped this.
• build my blog followers - thank you once again artful bloggging!
• have a larger tutorial section - my partnership with may arts has contributed greatly to this section. 

that's it for now. i feel good about what i have accomplished and some of the items are almost there. overall, i really, really need to devote more time to etsy because i think that will overflow into some of the other goals. and i really want to finish the botanical calendar because i think i will feel such a sense of accomplishment after it is done. don't you love how freely you can breath after you have finished something that has been hanging around for a long time?

thread and patterns

have you checked out the we love french knots website yet? if you like fabric and stitching, you will definitely find some eye candy. bari j. has been highlighting various embroidery pattern designers and they are all so varied in their designs. this got me thinking about my own work and how my botanical drawings would translate to thread.

this image is a scan of my first attempt to bring my drawings to life on fabric and i think it turned out rather lovely. i used a vintage sheet as the background to bring in some more interest and detail, then went to town sewing. it came together really quickly and i think because i outline all my flowers in black ink, that they could translated to this medium very well. what are your thoughts? would you be interested in seeing me offer downloadable pdf patterns in my shop?

up next? my tiger lily...

biz branding and colors

i hope everyone had a good weekend! i managed to hang the chandelier in the dining room, but sadly, no crown moulding :(

in better news, i was recently interviewed over on oh my! handmade goodness about my love of craft fairs. head on over if you are looking for some tips and tricks to set your booth apart from the rest.

safe travels and lamps

i am packing this lamp up for a very important trip this week. it's going as a large "calling card" for me to a very important building that houses the offices for a very special magazine. fingers crossed for me peeps, fingers crossed!