Tuesday, July 31, 2007

I sold something today...yeah!

Holly is hanging out in the grass today. It is so freaking hot. I really don't like it.

So I had an etsy sale this morning!!! I was so stupid this whole time I thought I had a paypal account and couldn't figure out why I couldn't get into it or get my email with my password. Finally I called yesterday and I never had an account. Duh. I have bought stuff but apparently it is different. Oh well better late than never...hopefully it makes me have a few more sales on etsy now that I offer paypal.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Good fabric and a suprise in a book.



I had a great breakfast this morning with my friend Kate. We talked about life and Sputnikfest. It was a good time. Thank God she called me this morning to remind me or poor Kate would have ate by herself! I think the weekend killed a few of my braincells and I totally spaced on it.

Got done in time to make a quick run to the old St Vinnie's and found some great books. One of them even had an old Easter postcard in it from the 40's. Love it when that happens. I got a great plastic necklace, some fiddle playing squirrels, some old kids books and 3 things of fantastic vintage fabric. One of them is this teal with black flowers and the flowers are fuzzy raised and the other in the picture on the right is again a great teal color but has stenciled mums in gold. I love old fabric. I am thinking I am going to put some books and fabric on etsy soon and see how they go there. I sell it okay in the store but so many crafty people are on etsy it would be great to see the stuff go to people who will use it to make something fabulous with.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Oh what a fun day it was.






It was a very fun birthday. It started with a pleasant trip to the farmers market. Lots of people sang happy birthday to me all day at the store. My new friend Xanthe came to paint a chair and bring me some presents. We did a Christmas in July swap for our Wisconsin etsy street team and she got my name. She gave me one of her beautiful soldered pendants. She also gave me a little loot bag full of all kinds of fun ephemera. I will have fun with that. It was a nice afternoon.
The birthday party was a blast! It was a nice blend of people who came and most came with gifts of booze. I think I'll have to have a after the birthday party just to drink all that wine! One of the best things about the party was the paint your portrait painting. I took a huge canvas and with the help of Heather and Kelly painted squares and then people painted their portraits in the squares. It was so much fun and the end result is just fantastic...already hanging in the dining room. It really got everyone talking and getting to know each other. We drank way too many margaritas and had more fun than should be allowed! Thanks to everyone who came and made my birthday a memorable one!

Friday, July 27, 2007

Busy busy busy....


Daycare is closed today so I have the rugrat with me. With a big Chair Painting Party tomorrow and then my birthday party at night I have a whole lotta stuff to do. Luckily she has been cooperative today! It's nap time so I have to try and get all the things done now so bye bye.
Oh and the first person who can post the name of my dog wins a free prize!
Oh and the first person to guess how old I am going to be also wins a prize!
Cuz it's my birthday.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

I am a crafting FOOL.

I just listed this beauty on etsy this morning. How fun is this painting? I love those days like yesterday where I just get stuff done. I have to be in that mode. Today not so much. Actually it is almost 3 and I haven't done a darn creative thing all day. Oh well.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Painting fool.

Canvases at 3:45

Canvases at 5:30
I finished 6 paintings in less than 2 hours. I love it when the creativity is flowing!

Holy Tomato Plant.

Before (May)














After (today) I guess I have a green thumb. That is about 6 feet of tomato there.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

New to etsy my handpainted cards...


I once had one of my handpainted cards in Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion and that was the beginning of making and selling them regularly. I just listed some on etsy yesterday. Not sure how they will do but I make them often for the store anyway so it is worth a try. The beauty of these cards is that they are little individual works of art that can be given or framed. Where else can you get an original watercolor for only $3?? I am guessing nowhere. Plus they can be personalized on the spot...beat that Hallmark.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Friday, July 20, 2007

Cool stuff by Max



So I met Max at Art vs Craft a few weeks ago and he was in the area today and stopped by to drop off some of his very cool art. I love these original pieces that are also very affordable and hip. For those who love his style he has two comic books here that are great as well for only $10!

Max and all of the other fresh new artists that I have been meeting make me get excited for things to come in the art world.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

My favorite things about our place.

So we are having an open house party soon so for those of you not coming I thought I would show you a little of where we live.... My husband is one of those men who can do everything...he rocks!Our freshly painted dining room (thanks Renee and Sarah) A little art I have collected or made.
Another dining room shot with a great granny afghan on a set of old auditorium seats from my old high school!
A very crooked picture of our beautiful entryway. Glenn built these niches and they are even lighted! The glass tiles on the back are all the colors of the walls in the apartment all mixed up. Kinda ties it all together.
One of the first projects that Glenn did. We love those random squares. Unfortunately someday we will need to completely gut this room which makes me sad but until then this wall rocks.
Lastly one of my favorite things about our home...the turquoise bathroom fixtures. Love them and will never get rid of them. I found the perfect orange lama toothbrush holder at some thrift store...love it.

We have a way to go but so far I am loving how it is turning out!

The Button Motherload.



I just hit the button motherload. I got 3 jars at my favorite store..St Vinnie's. I paid a lot for them but could tell they were going to be good. These are the really good ones. I just love going through those jars and seeing what treasures are hiding in there. I am for sure hoarding these for a long time. Maybe I will figure out a worth project? In the meantime I will just look and smile. I also found a few great sweater clips, some great fire king bowls, and a really old McCoy planter, a very fun modern styled ashtray, and a couple of fun 1960's chicken bowls. It was a fun quick trip down the street.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

$1 for Devo.







A little shadowbox collage piece I am working on....





Today was pretty fun. I had my little gal today so I decided to take the afternoon off and be with her without having to say no don't touch that 100 times. Persimmons is a very tempting place for a 2 year old. So we went to eat Chinese for lunch. Now we live right by a Chinese place and I love love love the smell of the garlicy oniony greasy nummieness and I crave it often just from that smell but every single time I actually eat it I get sick. When will I learn? After lunch we went to the zoo. We have a great little zoo right on the river here in Manitowoc. It is not huge but has a nice selection of animals and it is FREE. We really like the prairie dogs. Those things are so darned cute! I have pictures but I am too lazy to go and get my camera cord that is downstairs right now so tomorrow. We went to mom's after so Molly could nap and I ended up falling asleep myself. I can't even remember the last time I took a nap. It was nice.



We met tonight for Sputnikfest. It wasn't a huge turnout but we did have a productive meeting. The one thing I can't get over is the price that Devo asks to perform. The festival is going to be a crazy fun unique event so we wanted a headliner band that fit that bill. Well they ask $100,000!!!! EKKKKK. It got us talking and the very creative Barb Bundy Jost came up with the idea of doing a fund raiser $1 for Devo. Love it. So we will see what is going to happen there. We could settle for Georgia Satellites...they run under $10,000.



Well the battery on my laptop is running out so I got to go for now! Have a great night.



Tuesday, July 17, 2007

New stuff from Hooker Chick.


Natalie is sporting a cute little kerchief made by my good buddy Natalie ... they just arrived this weekend. Super cute and super prices only $10 for grown kids and $6 for little girls. Great for those bad hair days. She will be joining me for ATC art night on Thursday...it will be good times. And her name cracks me up..hooker chick. I may be getting a lot of pervs reading this from those words....sorry no porn here.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Addicted to crocheting.


I haven't been a very good blogger this weekend. I didn't have a camera so I just didn't think I had anything worth posting without pictures. I went and stole my mom's camera again this morning so now I can blog again.
I have been making these crocheted necklaces this weekend and love how they turn out. This one is coral and turquoise which I think is a beautiful combo. I've been making them with all different stones. I am just doing them as a really long strand that you can wrap around your neck one two or three times and tie the ends. I love them.
It was a fun weekend. We went to Bay Beach this weekend which is a little kiddie amusement park in Green Bay. It sure is a whole lot smaller going as an adult. I remember going when I was little thinking it was the biggest most exciting place ever. Molly had a blast on all the cute little rides. I cried a little when we went on the first ride..the carousel..she got so excited when it started... her sheer joy of life and being there on that ride was so freaking beautiful. I love that child.
So off to do dreaded bookwork right now.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Sputnik on the brain

Busy getting ready for our next Sputnikfest meeting at the Rahr West next Wednesday July 18th. We kind of put the meetings on hold for a month and now it's time to get going on planning and making some fun stuff happen. After talking to some artists at Art Vs Craft in Milwaukee last weekend and making a few contacts with some media people it renewed my excitement for the festival! I can't wait to start the fundraising stuff and just get this thing going! I will for sure keep you updated on what will be happening because you will want to come! By the way it is September 5 & 6 2008...mark your calendars!

Drove all the way (he he) to Two Rivers this morning and the lake was so freakin beautiful today I wanted to play hookie and just sit by the water but I didn't. I did go and get a yummy coffee at Stumpjack and a delish bluberry muffin. I'm thinking that may be a usual Friday thing from now on.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

I just cleaned today.....boring.

Nothing exciting at all today but I did get my studio cleaned. It was pretty bad and I would have taken pictures but I gave my mom her camera back so no camera for a little while. I like a clean studio but I know it won't last long.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

My new cards.

I've been using Vistaprint for some time now for my monthly postcards but recently ordered business cards and here they are! I love love love them and everyone else does too so I thought I would give you a link to the site.... Vistaprint.com
Order stuff through my link and help me out! I get a little credit for referrals! Thanks.
They are super cheap and my cards came in 2 days. I like to try and keep things local but at these prices and quality I can't justify it. If anyone in Manitowoc knows of a local place that can come close please let me know!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Estate Sale Nirvana.


Oh what fun I had last night at an estate sale. I spent a lot of my hard earned cash at this one and may even go back to spend a little more. It was so fun. It has been a little while since I have gone to one. I got so much cool stuff. The lady was very stylish and had such cool vintage clothes. If only I was a size 10! I did get a couple of the skirts because I could not resist a pelican decorated wrap skirt! I did pick up 6 aprons and 4 vintage purses that are just awesome! My favorite find is probably the silly Christmas package decorations seen in the picture! I just love these little treasures and scoop them up whenever I find them and found a box of about 45 of them there!!!! Instant happy. Some of the other stuff... a set of 12 hand painted glasses, biology textbooks, 6 really cool dishtowels, a aluminum cocktail shaker, some covered enamel containers and a box of assorted tatted laces (perfect for my new pendants). I keep thinking about an old doctor cabinet that was there and think I may go back for it! All this stuff will be out after Krazy Daze tomorrow! I am having 40% off all vintage so it will make room for this cool stuff! I of course have all kinds of stuff to do to get ready for tomorrow but here I am blogging! Better go......

Monday, July 9, 2007

My Gardens.

My veggies...romaine, tomatoes, peppers, sage, a few daisies, chives, iris, and dahlias.
My potted herbs..oregano, lavendar, thyme next to the hosta garden.
the flower garden.. zinna, daisies, poppies, blackeyed susans, columbine, iris, coneflower, and so much more

Glenn's garden...His beautiful water fountain he made with funky water plants in it and then all sorts of exotic looking plants around it. He did a very good job!

Fun weekend!


The party at uncle Steve's house was so much fun. The kids played the old money in the sawdust game and Molly didn't quite get it but had a blast digging around with the rest of the kids. They had a few pinatas too so they were all pretty looped up on sugar. We played volleyball and sang karaoke and ate yummy food. It was fun.





Yesterday morning we woke up and got going pretty early. We took Molly to Glenn's parents and took the back way to Art Vs Craft. It was a beautiful drive. I really want a cabin on Long Lake near Kettle Moraine State Forest. It took a little longer I think but it was a great drive. We almost got lost downtown but stumbled upon MSOE where the show was being held. Ok first off the wrist bands for admission had skulls on them. I knew it was going to be fun. I was blown away when I walked in. It was a totally unique and new experience and I loved it! It was so cool to meet a few of the people I chat with on etsy and I met a lot of talented people. I actually have a lot of work to do sending contracts and possibly selling some stuff on consignment! I met a couple of the etsy admin and they were so cool. They along with about a dozen of the artists I talked to are super excited about Sputnikfest as well! Talking about it and hearing others get excited about it made me very anxious for it to happen! I just had a lot of fun! We actually ran into Chris and Chris who own Outside the Box in Sheboygan which was a pleasant surprise. We went to Whole Foods and had lunch. That is the most amazing grocery store I've ever seen! There were little buffets all over with tons of different kinds of food and you just bought it by the pound. I tried some things that I have never tried before and will probably never try again.

After that we decided frozen custard would be good for the hot hot weather and stopped at Kopps on the way out of town. Yum. I had a chocolate mint waffle cone. It was just a really good day and we got a bunch of cool stuff met lots of cool people and just had loads of fun. I can't wait until the next Art vs Craft!

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Scraps.


I finished a bunch of these today. I like how they turned out a lot and decided the official name of them is going to be scraps. Selling them for only $25! I kept the back visible as well as the front so you can see the working side of the little quilt sample too. I will list them on Monday in my etsy shop....check it out.
Off to party now.

Friday, July 6, 2007

My gocco is here my gocco is here!



My Gocco came in the mail today! I am so excited. Of course I am intimidated at the same time so it may be a few days before I actually attempt it. I have everything I need to get going! Watch for my fun stuff coming soon!
I am working on some slide glass pendants today. At St Vinnies this morning I found the most beautiful pieces of lace that had ugly stain spots and a few tears but there was a bag full for only $1 so I bought them. Never mind that I have 3 gigantic shelves of fabric and other notions but hey they were beautiful. When I look at those things I think of all that hard work that went into making tatted lace on pillowcases and needlework on crusty doilies and although those things are not really used anymore I want to think of new ways to use them. So I am making these pendants and should have some in my etsy shop soon!
This is going to be a fun weekend! My aunt and uncle Donna and Steve are having their big summer bash on Saturday. They live in the country and have lots of room for the hundred some people who come to play volleyball, hit a pinata, testicle toss, or yard dice. Of course some just sit and eat and drink beer which is always fun too! Then on Sunday I am going to Art Vs Craft in Milwaukee. It is my first time going but y friend Kate has a booth and has had one a couple of times now. It is similar to what we are hoping for the art fair for Sputnikfest so it will be a great day of research for me. I can't wait to meet so many people who I have come to know on etsy! Super excited about that.
So I may not post tomorrow but will report back on Monday and let everyone know all the juicy details of all that fun I am sure to have! Have a great weekend!

Thursday, July 5, 2007

I like Stumpjack.



I just finished this wall in the store. These are all my paintings. I like the punch of color that is the first thing you see when you come into the store. I sell my paintings for $25 to $100 each so they are super affordable just in case you need a fun painting. Again...I will ship.

So Premier Cafe next door is closed for the weekend. They went on vacation. Good for them bad for me. Luckily Glenn is not working today and he was so sweet and went ALL THE WAY to Two Rivers ( I joke because it is only about 5 miles away and people act like it is 32 miles away) to get my blended mocha from Stumpjack. Yummy. It cracks me up that in a recent readers poll in the local paper they only got 2nd for best coffee in Manitowoc County. Starbucks got #1 and Kwik Trip got #3. All in a name. By the way Persimmons was #3 for Art and Craft Store in that poll.

I am going to list some more of my charms on etsy today! I don't even care if I ever sell anything on etsy because I have met so many cool people on there that the networking alone is worth the tiny .20 listing fee I pay!

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Tour of the new and improved Persimmons






So here is one of the cabinets I picked up yesterday. I couldn't be happier for on $50! Of course 2 huge new pieces of furniture mean I had to completely rearrange the entire store. I always like it so much more when it is finished and it reminds me of how much crap I really have. I worked on it until 1 am and finally now at almost 2 pm am almost finished. I just have to clean up last minute stuff. I couldn't get out of bed this morning my stupid sciatic nerve was totally whacked out from all that lifting and moving of heavy furniture. Oh well all is well now and I like the store so much better.








This is one of my favorite parts of the store not really finished in the picture but it is where all the silly ephemera stuff is to make collages and other fun stuff. I have soooo much stuff and I like to keep buying more so I share it here with everyone. The most popular is game pieces and buttons. I have also started putting together big packs of misc. stuff in a bag and selling big packs for $8. It's a good way to get enough vintage stuff to do a little collage or a few cards. I love thinking of what people will create with their bag of goodies.










Another fun little section I created is a little bath and relaxation corner. I haven't hung the stuff on the wall yet but there are some soaps made by local artist Joan Sonnier. She is really a fine artist but makes the soaps as a quick sell item. There are some great paper flowers made by local artist Amanda Graff who used to work for Martha Stewart!!! She is so stylish! My friend Sara Schuetze makes some sweet little paper necklaces and sells them for a measly $10! Perfect gift for a little girl!



I really don't carry too much mass produced stuff but one of the products I can't resist are the smart women products. I love this stuff and the people at the company as well. I sell a lot of the coffee mugs that are $11 and the perfect size for a big cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate. They say smart women thirst for knowledge. Love that.
Hope you enjoyed the little tour!


















Monday, July 2, 2007

Short work week.


I am getting my blog post out of the way so I can really get some work done today. This short work week is going to be so fabulous! It does kind of screw up the whole week though.


I'm going tonight to get a couple of old showcases for only $50 each. My buddy Chris from Outside the Box in Sheboygan called me and said the bead store was selling them and I was happy. They are real nice old wood and glass cases that will be great for jewelry and other stuff. Of course this means I will have to completely dismantle the store but oh well.
This is a little guy in a jar I made and I think I'll work on a few more of them today. Fun little fairies to put in your cubicle or on a little shelf in your house. This guy is holding a cocktail umbrella and has a pet goose. He is happy.