Kids Activities for a Rainy (or sick) day

Ahhh, tis the season.  Between rain, shorter days and the flu,  my normally active kids are spending more time stranded in the house with "Nothing to Do".  A better-prepared, cooler hipper mom would surely have surfed the net to find just the right indoor activities to keep her little ones happily occupied for hours.  Unfortunately that's not me (haha), but let's pretend for a moment that it is...Imagine, if you will, the precious little angels spending their days with these great handmade finds:

lil b designs

lolly bop baby

 

pretty dreamer

 

neskita

 Or for the very ambitious, why not have all the kids in the neighborhood over for an evening of fun.  Check out these supercute Coloring T-shirts - an awesome idea from M & E Graphics and Gifts!!

Inspiration comes from the strangest places (and things!)

Earlier today I was lamenting my lack of inspiration.  It's been quite a dry spell for me, creatively speaking, and I was beginning to worry that I'd never create anything ever again! (Please pardon the "woe is me" moment...)  So I set out to break out of this rut.

I've been toying with the concept of a new Upcycled bag collection, whereby I rescue beautiful pre-loved fabrics and create something wonderfully new and chic. Today, I thought, was the day to begin this new journey in my creative adventure. I decided to take "before" pictures of all of the amazing treasures that my Mom (aka Mamaramadingdong) has gifted me from her never-ending stash of drapery and home decor textiles, as well as some luscious suede jackets that I came upon.  At the very least I would enjoy the gorgeous fall weather, and hopefully have some pix to include when I finally start listing new items in my Artfire shop.

Little did I know that inspiration was hiding in one of the many bags of goodness that I hauled outside!  Finally, I felt the familiar creative juices starting to flow through me again.  It has been way too long!!

Here's a peek at the "before" life of my soon-to-be created XL Tote:

Ooooohhh...I'm in LOVE with the grommets!!

In the house I went, my head full of ideas.  Before I  knew it I was cutting and pressing (and turning a deaf ear to the cries of "What's for dinner?")  I was so excited that I had to take a few "in progress" pictures, to commemorate the return to my studio.

Who knew that a bag full of drapery samples had the magic ingredient that I was missing?

A Helping Hand

A Helping Hand is all about doing what I can to help friends and fellow artisans who are struggling in this economic uncertainty.  I'm hoping that featuring these people and causes here on my blog will get the word out to others who may be able to help in some way.

 

Huckleberry Arts

 I'd like to introduce you to a dear friend and fellow artisan, Annette (aka Huck) from Huckleberry Arts. Huck's story is alot like many of ours, in that she is an artist who chose to use her creative gifts to contribute to her family income.

She, along with her wonderful husband Rod, are the proud parents of 6 amazing children and the driving force behind Blockhead Radio. They've been there for so many artists and musicians, and right now they could use a boost.  Here is her story:

Two years ago Rod lost his job due to cutbacks in the Construction Industry in their region of the US.  At that point, they also lost the only car that they had and have been doing without one since then.  Huck and Rod recently learned of some promising job leads, but the commute would be impossible without a car.  They are trying to raise some money through Huck's online shop(s) so they can purchase some form of transportation.  That's where you can help!   Are you a Halloween lover?  Love primitives?  Need a website or blog makeover? Annette creates whimsical one-of-a-kind Art Dolls, Primitives and paintings, as well as fabulous computer graphics for blogs and websites. Check out some examples below (she made my ceejaybags banner!).

Stop on over to her blog or Artfire Studio, make a purchase, and lend A Helping Hand.

"Put On a Happy Face"

Growing up, that was my Mom's favorite phrase. I finally know what she means.

My daughter and I had a late night discussion recently, which centered around all the things that she feels are NOT going right in her 13 yr old world. Now keep in mind, this child is amazingly optimistic. Always upbeat. The one who all the OTHER angst-filled 13 yr old girls go to when they need a little shot of encouragement. To see her sitting on my studio floor, looking up at me with tears in her eyes broke my heart.

My Angelface has been a “journaler” for a while. She doesn’t write in traditional “Dear Diary” form, but writing has always been her method of figuring things out. So, as usual, I encouraged her to pick up her pen and write. Although that seemed like the obvious solution, she wasn’t convinced. The questions she posed brought me to tears. I’ve paraphrased the ones that hit home:

• If you’re writing about problems, aren’t you giving them more attention than they deserve?
• How does that inspire positive thinking?
• How can that energy be used more effectively, to help you feel better?

She was absolutely right. Shouldn’t we be focusing our energy on the good stuff?

This was the birth of our Family Gratitude Journal. Every night at dinner, we each share one thing for which we are grateful, and write it down. It’s a time for us, as a family, to celebrate the things in our lives that bring a smile.

Do you have ways to stay positive? What puts a smile on your face? Please feel free to post your comments here, and join me in celebrating the little things in life.

Fall - A New Beginning?

What are the things that are most important in my life?

That's been my question for the past several months. I somehow lost sight of my path, or at least took a few dead-end detours. But now as fall begins, I've been re-evaluating , and making some positive changes. My priorities are clearer now than they've ever been. From "Make Dinner time Important Again" to "Create something every day", I've drawn a clear trail map to follow. Will you join me on my journey?

Vote For ceejaybags!

Hi!
I'm so excited! See the bag in the photo? I entered it in the Artisan's Challenge over at Blockhead Radio. (see separate post for the details of the challenge HERE)

This week is the grand relaunch of the challenge, and my entry is in the line-up! How cool is that? So please stop over to Blockhead Radio Live and cast your vote!
Go to www.blockheadradiolive.com/artisanschallenge Scroll down and click on the Clothing/Bags/Accessories category. This will take you to the voting poll. Pictures of each entry are scrolling above the poll. Click on the picture to zoom in for a closer look if you'd like, and then click the VOTE button for my Handprinted Linen Bag!

Artisan's Challenge on Blockhead Radio

Have you heard about the Artisan's Challenge?

Formerly known as the Etsy Challenge (the name was change to protect the innocent...) and then renamed as the Artisan's Challenge because there are soooo many great venues out there for selling handmade, the Artisan's Challenge is a great weekly art contest on Blockhead Radio. Haven't visited Blockhead Radio yet?? Why NoT?? Stop by on any given evening, and you'll hear discussions on art promotion, online selling, coffee (yum) and you may even hear a thing or two you've never heard before...and EVERY day you'll hear some really great music by indie artists.

For those who may have never heard of the Artisan's Challenge, let me explain. There are 12 different categories with 60 different artisans every week (5 submissions in each category). The winner's of each of the categories from the previous week then face off against each other in a weekly challenge!

So head on over, read the rules and enter your submissions now! You'll be notified when it's your week in the challenge. Then its up to you to tell your friends... your family... your neighbors... the people in the checkout line at the grocery store... to go vote for you in the

Artisan's Challenge!

What's in it for you? Besides lots of people seeing your item when they vote? Besides FREE publicity for your artwork? Besides all the fun????

It just so happens that the winner of the weekly challenge will now win a audio commercial (with a clickable graphic banner) to play the entire following week on Blockhead Radio! That's even MORE FREE publicity for your handmade shop!

Remember, this contest is available to artisans from ANY selling venue! Entries are being accepted now so hurry and get your submission in. Click HERE for Blockhead Radio, and HERE to go directly to the Artisan's Challenge. What are you waiting for?