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?

antique tree earrings

I made these over the weekend.  I received the antique copper tree charms and findings as a gift from my co-worker and friend Jamie Hogsett last year.  Jamie gave me a thoughtful mix of jewelry findings and charms to have fun designing with. Isn't that a great gift idea for any artist or hobbyist?! It may have taken me awhile to make something with them but, now that I have, they are perfect and were totally worth the wait, I love them!  They look and feel very "me". In fact, I'm wearing them right now as I type this. Thanks, Jamie!

chalkboard party favors

For my son's birthday this year he wanted rainbow themed party favors.  He loves art and to color and I just love that he loves rainbows. They are so much fun but, there isn't much out there for 4 year old boys with a theme of rainbows. I love to make and give useful items whenever possible so, the minute I saw this how to: mini chalkboards tutorial on Craftzine I knew it was perfect!  I discussed the idea with Hudson and he was excited about it. Here is how we created the favors together.

We bought plain wood boards at Michaels for $1 each.
The boys helped me count and inspect them.

We lightly sanded the edges to smooth them out.

I taped up the edges of the boards.

Sprayed a couple of coats of chalkboard spray paint on each one.

After they were dry, I removed the tape and added colorful lines
around the edges for a rainbow boarder effect.

Hudson helped me choose bundles of 3 chalk sticks colors and rubber band
them together. Lastly, I created a rainbow thank you tag and tied a ribbon
around the boards with the chalk bundle and tag. 

bulding a network of support

 Hi! I'm guest blogging on Soft Flex Company's blog today. Today's post is about building a network of support. I am a self proclaimed network groupie and am sharing some of my favorite networking sites! Click to see today's post.

national yoga month

Saturday I reacquainted myself  with yoga.  I went on a hiatus from the gym this summer.  My arms and shoulders took a beating and are extremely sore.  It was nice to practice again. It's amazing how quickly my body tenses up and how little flexibility I had was frustrating however, it was great to feel connected with my body and have my mind clear and calm once again.

September is National Yoga Month! National Yoga Month has been created to educate people about the benefits of yoga. And how cool is this, studios all over the country are participating in a free week of yoga for new students! Head over to www.yogamonth.org, to find out which studios in your area are participating and and print off a free yoga week pass!

The website also includes information about the benefits of yoga. Some of the ones they list are:

• Lower Blood Pressure
• Decreased Stress
• Greater flexibility
• Enhanced brain function
• Lower cholesterol
• Better skeletal alignment
• Strengthened bones/joints
• Improved respiration
• Weight Loss
• Enhanced circulation
• Easier transition through menopause
• Deeper peace of mind

Big thanks to Eliza who announced National Yoga Month on her blog Art Asana.  Take a look-see at her blog if you are at all interested in yoga and/or art.  I really enjoy reading it.