this moment: jack o lanterns

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, join in over at SouleMama.

diy earring display

With the help of my fantastic husband we whipped up this earring display for my show booth last month.  I needed something to display my canvas earrings and I needed it to be free. So, I wandered around my house and found a canvas frame (from the painting I cut up into earrings, perfect!), simple white string (string can be used for so many things!) and a fabric storage bin top from the kid's playroom (the top is never on so, I figured it wouldn't be missed).

First, we measured where the string should go, making sure we left enough room for the earrings to hang with a little space below them. Next, we stapled the string to the back of the canvas frame with a staple gun. I then traced the outline of the frame onto the fabric, cut it out and stapled it to the back of the canvas frame.  This part is ideal with two people, one person stretches the fabric while the other staples it, this ensures the fabric is stapled tightly to the back of the frame.

Now that the frame was complete, I needed to figure out how to stand the frame up on the table ... I tried a few things then aha!  I thought of my folding easel which worked perfectly!  It seems so obvious now ... canvas earrings displayed on a canvas frame propped up onto an easel but, honestly it all came together by accident and it took awhile for me to realize the whole thing connected.  I'm not too quick, am I?!  haha. It's a good thing I can rely on my subconscious to connect the dots. :)

To make something similar you would need:

• canvas frame (could substitute a picture frame)
• white string (use any string, ribbon or cord - make sure whatever you use will hold your items)
• fabric for background
• staple gun
• easel or something to prop frame against (not needed if you use a picture frame)  

Do you have any booth display ideas that work really well for you? I'd love to hear about them!

creepy cool halloween crafts

Halloween has never been my favorite holiday ... gasp, I know! How can a creative person say such a thing?! Whatever the reason, each year I embrace it just a little bit more with the help of my kids. They really get excited about it and want more decorations! Especially the scary and creepy variety, or so I'm told.  So, this year I have kept my eye out for some creepy cool crafts we can make together ... someday!

A Floating Ghost by Everyday is Crafting Day

Spooky shoes! by Corvus Tristis

Eyeball Wreath by booturtle

Hanging Spiders by Muse Lodge

Creepy Specimen Art by Tatertots and Jello

Recycled Haloween Paper Bag Bowls by The Long Thread

Skeleton Wreath by Mega Spooky

Recycled Little Monsters by Alisa Burke

Halloween Necklace by Jamie Hogsett

market and build trust

 Hi! I'm guest blogging on Soft Flex Company's blog today. Today's post is about marketing and building trust in your brand.  Click to see today's post.

this moment: hug a tree

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, join in over at SouleMama.

ced: earth

For this month's creative everyday day theme, the element Earth, I am sharing some photos from our family staycation last week.  This break in our routine grounded me, tied up all the loose ends that had been flying around in recent months and made me whole again.  More then that it helped me connect; connect with my 2 children, with my husband and with the natural world.  We explored our little corner of the Earth and took lots of photos, enjoy!

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  To see what others artists have been working on this week for the Earth theme, please click here. 

this moment: a walk in the woods

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, join in over at SouleMama.

creative stash booth

I had my first vendor booth in 4 years on Friday.  The easel earring display I made myself and will post more about that later.  I brought with me my canvas earrings, pendant necklaces and recycled bottlecap magnets. It was so nice to be outdoors and there were a lot of people roaming about, enjoying the music, costumes and zombies.  Yep, I said zombies!  There was a zombie walk and lots of people really got into it. Check them out ...

 

To see more zombie pics as well as my fellow EVA members booths please, click here.

a crafty holiday

I believe it is important to buy from artists and support people who make handmade goods. When you buy handmade, you truly are buying meaningful gifts from real people.  I was planning on posting some of my favorite handmade finds for the holidays so, when I came across the "A Crafty Holiday" blog hop effort hosted by Angela, of The Artists House, I decided to participate without giving it a second thought.

November 1 - December 20.  Participating blogs will feature handmade shops and items on their personal lists (be it to give or to get) and share why they are vowing to buy handmade this year. I can't wait to see all the lovely handmade and artistic items!

Want to participate?  The deadline is October 14th so, sign up today! Event details can be found here - A Crafty Holiday Blog Hop Event.

meet watermelon

 I created some fun fruit illustrations last week and the client asked me to try a watermelon.  So ... meet watermelon :D

monthly goal meetup

Hello, October! I am so excited that the weather is finally cooling off.  I actually wore pants yesterday, PANTS!  October brings with it harvest festivals, pumpkin picking and lots of family fun and outdoor activities.  My kids have school break next week and I'm taking  a vacation from work to spend much needed quality time with them. I am very much looking forward to our "staycation". 

All right, now that all my excitement is out of the way, I can get down to my  Meet Up biz goals.  I swear I was busy the whole month of September however, I am not able cross anything off my list - not one thing! Why is that?  I think my goals last month were just not in line with what I was actually doing.  So, what was I actually doing?  Well, I started a second job teaching drawing 3 times a week and with that lost 6 hours a week that I had set aside for Creative Stash.  In addition, I have been working on a freelance website and picked up a logo design client.  September marks my little boy's 4th birthday and my wedding anniversary so, we had a lot of celebrating to do. I also decided at the last minute to set up a table this week at a local craft sale for the first time in 4 years so, I have had some work to do to get extra stuff made, booth displays, signage and handful of updated biz cards.

So, for October I decided to really think about which goals I need to work on for the upcoming holiday and save some of the longer term goals for later.  I also need to add a bit more balance into my schedule so I'm posting 4 biz goals and 4 personal goals for this month.

October Goals

• web site client
• logo design client
• promote custom magnets for the holidays
• promote monthly sale & test out renewing Etsy items daily
• family staycation - woo hoo!
• make Halloween decorations - kids want more spooky stuff!
• reacquaint myself with the gym
• cook up some real food not all the processed stuff we've been eating lately (I blame it on coupons!)

If you would like to join in the Meetup biz goals fun, head on over to Athena Dreams to read more about what we do and how to join in. Wishing  everyone a super fantastic October!

free font: oblik

While font shopping this week, I stumbled on Oblik, an elegant typeface with interesting curves. Modern, stylish and secure, with its own personality. This would work well for all kind of uses. Get it in sans serif bold (shown) of serif for free right here.

monsters on main this friday

This Friday I'll have a booth selling my canvas earrings, beaded jewelry and one of a kind bottlecap magnets at Downtown Mesa's Monsters on Main event from 6pm - 10 pm. It will be  my first booth in 4 years!

Event Highlights: Live Bands, Art Booths, Zombie Walk, Frightful Short Film Fest, Carved Pumpkin Contest, Costume Contest, Haunted Basement Tours and Make n' Take Projects. Plus, all booths on the South side of Main Street, between Robson & MacDonald, are for exclusive use by Steampunk artisans for the first ever Steampunk Street event! 

I'll be setup alongside my friend, Kandes of Tricky Fox Designs, located on the South side of Main Street, between MacDonald & Center from 6pm - 10 pm. Come check it out, get into the Halloween spirit and say hello! 

too fruity

 This weekend I was working on a logo for nutrition business and they wanted a fruit or nut incorporated into the design.  So, I dusted off my wacom tablet and had a blast illustrating an avocado, blueberry, almond, kiwi and a pomegranate.  So tell me, which drawing is your favorite?