The handpainted owl bag

If you have been reading the blog you may remember the play date post. My very talented artist friend Jodi Reeves came over and "encouraged" me to do a hand painted handbag. I have been wanting to do some other type medium and branch out a little. So what the heck I'll give it a shot. I do okay with sketching but putting down paint is another story....it's harder than it looks.

Recently Jodi did a post about her bags and comparing styles said she was "Green Acres" and I was "Manhattan". Well if that is the case my art is "refrigerator art" and she is "gallery art". I feared my bag would just sit there until a family member took pity and asked to purchase it. However I finished the bag Friday night before the show (didn't take a picture) and sold it Saturday!!! WOW never in a million years would I have thought. The even stranger thing is the customer paid me more than the asking price, was I being "PUNKED"?

Knowing I didn't even take a picture my friend Michelle aka Wicked Moxie came to the rescue with her camera. Note always take pictures of your creations!! So here is my first hand painted with first attempt at free motion machine stitching handbag. I did enjoy doing it and plan to do more, so keep checking back.

Crafter Conversations

Hello all! Whew, what a week! I had a show Saturday before last, Mamamade event in Franklin then this past Saturday at the Lockland School of Design and Sunday CRAFT a creative community. So I have been a busy girl :) Thanks to all who came out to support local crafters and artist we wouldn't/couldn't do it without you. Which brings me to the title topic.....

Honestly it was sloooow and not the gang buster business any of us crafters/artist expected/wanted so "why do we do it"? Usually we are all busy with patrons or straighting our booths but the past 2 weekends it seemed like more down time to visit and chat with one another.
The conversations were something like this..."no one wants to pay the prices", "no one has extra money to spend", "I'm making below minimum wage doing this", "the event wasn't promoted", "other artist are marking items too low to compete, and the big one "why do I do this"?

I admit I'm not a perfect person and can be drawn into the "drama". But I really did have to think about it, you know there's some good points to consider. A lot of these issues go hand in hand like "no one wants to pay the price" and "no one has extra money to spend".
I believe a lot of us are in the same boat with the rising cost of gas, food, etc. and feel the money crunch. But consider your product? Is it priced fairly? Have you as an crafter/artist created the value in the piece? I can only speak of my experience, but I know I value my goods and hope I convey the passion and quality of my goods. I like the shows and the interaction with the customer, it is actually what I like best. Is your product something that may be used in a practical way? For example I think people are buying things that may be used everyday, they seem to be able to justify a handbag that they carry everyday or a boo boo bag that they use.

"The event wasn't promoted", well what did you do? As creators and sole proprietors it's up to us! Did you post on your sites? Do you carry handouts to give as people notice and comment on your goods? Do you promote the next event at the event you're at? Do you hang posters in your community? We can make a difference if we all pitch in.

"Other crafters/artist are pricing too low to compete". That's a hard one, we really don't know for sure the price of the materials and the time involved in a piece. I do think a lot of crafters/artist cut themselves short and we are our own worst enemy/critic. Remember we are creators and my items are created one at a time all handmade. I put a lot of thought and let the fabric speak to me and sometimes just the time spent on creating the pattern and layout is very time consuming. I remind myself that my items are usually one of a kind that cannot be bought anywhere else. It goes back to creating the value again.

I saved the big ones for last "I'm not even making minimum wage" and "why do I do this?"
That's a personal one, for me I do it because I LOVE IT! I am fortunate and am grateful that I am able to create. I enjoy the company of the other crafters/artist, setting up shop, meeting people that read my blog and creating something someone will appreciate. Although I do okay, if I added the gas, mileage, cost of materials, booth fee and then time creating the product, time in the car buying materials, time loading the car, time setting up the booth and time at the event....I don't want to think about my hourly wage!

Here's the good news...I can work in my comfortable clothes at home, I can take a break or day off whenever, no one is criticizing my work (except me), the only deadlines are self imposed, I can be as creative as I want and I'm doing what I want. I have met some wonderful people and have friendships that never would have happened. I would pay to have a job like that!

The pictures are of mine and Jodi's booth set up. Another post will be forthcoming about set up, I need options. The woman is Jodi's new endeavor of shemics, like comics for women (get it?). They are wonderful, I actually bought one myself this weekend. Go check out her site for more!

If you have read this far thank you. I truly appreciate you and your comments, I wouldn't be here without you. This is a different type of post for me and I promise not to whine too often.
So smile, give yourself a pat on the back...better yet give yourself a big hug :)

Ginger Blossom Love

If you haven't had the privilege of working with Sandi Henderson's new line of fabric "Ginger Blossom" well you need to run out and get some as soon as you finish reading this post!
The colors, the print, the movement....it's just plain fun to work with! It's perfect if you are like me and love to mix things up a little, you just can't go wrong. I let the fabric "speak" to me and it was telling me it wanted to be this (tote, apron) and it wanted to be that (office set, boo boo bag set, note taker), so as you see it turned into many things.
The only problem I had was that I didn't buy enough! I NEED MORE!

As for me as soon as I finish this post I'll be placing another order with Hancock's of Paducah.

I wanted to pop in to say "hi" and invite anyone the Nashville/Franklin area to the show tomorrow.
I will be showing with the Mamamade group at Lillie Belle's Teahouse in Franklin Saturday April 26th starting at 9:00 am until at least 2:00 pm. The area is about a block form the Main Street event and I have some new goods to offer! White Cottage, The Creative Jar and Par Deux Meres will be under one roof....and if you sign up for our mailing list you will get 10% off your entire purchase!

For our Par Deux Meres launch we are offering the one of a kind "arm art" for the price of $100! Not only is this a substantial savings but you have the chance to get one of the first in the series.

Come by and say hello and check out some of the cool new items.

New sitter for Boris

If you have been reading my blog then you already know Boris. If not I will catch you up...Boris is our 125 lb. baby, actually he's a 16 month old American Bulldog. Well Boris has been the "problem child" unlike his other 3 siblings that are almost perfect. He doesn't mean to be a problem it's just that he is big (125 lbs) and he thinks he is small and he is still in the puppy phase (it's all about him). Some days he drives me crazy!!! It seems like when I schedule creating time Boris has other plans....pillow fight, pull out the rugs, empty all the trash cans and pull all the towels off the racks in the bathroom and kitchen oh and just for good measure attack mom's feet.

Yesterday as I was preparing lunch I turned on the TV to catch up on what I had recorded, suddenly Boris runs in the living room jumps on the ottoman and plants himself a foot from the TV.
Boris has discovered "The Dog Whisperer"! He sat there watching TV! He looked so cute turning his head and intently involved. He sat there until about 10 minutes after the show and then started following me again with the foot attack game, it was nice while it lasted. Just in case you're wondering, yes I did record the show :) As a matter of fact "The Dog Whisperer" is going to be recored a lot!

My only question....is it okay to let Boris watch TV? What should be the limit? Do I use "The Dog Whisperer" as punishment if he doesn't behave? Let me know your thoughts on this.

CRAFT a creative community this Sunday

CRAFT: A Creative Community will hold its monthly "Sunday CRAFT Fair" on Sunday, April 6, from 11 am to 5 pm in the rear parking lot of the Lipstick Lounge in East Nashville. Local artisans will present and sell original hand-crafted items and artwork at affordable prices. In the advent of rain, the fair will be held the following Sunday, April 13, at the same time and location (11 am - 5 pm, 1400 Woodland Street).





For 2008, CRAFT has begun a new feature on its weblog, http://craftacreativecommunity. blogspot. com/.


Each month, featured artisans explain their craft in their own words, giving insight into what, how, and why they create. This month's featured artists, Salithia Buchanan of Crystal Garden, Sarah Tams of Route Thirteen, and Stephanie Powers of Higher Vibes, all create jewelry, each with a distinct style and perspective.





Crystal Garden's Salithia Buchanan began her journey as a wire jewelry artist in 2005. Her fluid, organic designs meld semi-precious stones, crystals and wire to create one-of-a-kind pieces that are at once ethereal and earthy. Buchanan finds inspiration for her wire-wrapped crystal and stone pieces everywhere -- organic shapes, tribal art, nature. Many times her inspiration comes from within, motivated in part by the realization that we are all made from the same earth -- the same elements and minerals -- that make up the stones, crystals, and metals she works with.





Sarah Tams, of Route Thirteen, sees jewelry making as the final destination along a long road of creativity that has led her through drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, and graphic design. Her graphic background is evident in the classic, clean-lined sterling silver, copper, and gold designs she forms, hammers, and molds by hand in her studio. Tams' work, simple and elegant, is versatile enough to be worn night or day.





Stephanie Powers is sometimes known as "The Rock Lady" – a nickname that has roots as early as her kindergarten years, when, as she remembers, she searched for eye-catching stones instead of playing games. Her love of stones and crystals, and her desire to help heal others and herself, led to her creation of Higher Vibe, an online store featuring jewelry handcrafted with healing stones.





In addition to jewelry, CRAFT's April event will showcase functional pottery, fiber art, clothing, and home furnishings, soaps and candles, and much more.


CRAFT's website, http://craftacreativecommunity. com/, provides more information about upcoming events and their ever-growing roster of participating artisans.





CRAFT is a network of artists and crafts people in the Middle Tennessee area who have banded together to show and sell their work in an atmosphere of fun and friendship, celebrating creativity. Drawing their operating ethic from the simple maxim "Life is too short for ugly stuff", the artisans of CRAFT: A Creative Community have established the monthly Sunday Fair in order to promote and support local craft, local artisans, and the spirit of community that nurtures such creativity. With its Sunday Fair, CRAFT aims to establish craft events that become part of the fabric of the community and that serve as a "home base" for artisans to share original, handcrafted things of beauty and functionality with the general public.





For additional information on the Sunday Fair, or on CRAFT: A Creative Community, please visit http://craftacreativecommunity. com/.

Working and playdate

Have you ever planned a day and the weather just had other plans? Yesterday we (Jodi and I) had big plans to do our craft set up before the show this weekend. We have obtained some new displays and such and wanted to do a test run. The big plan was to set up in the front yard but it was raining and nasty so on to plan "B". What no plan "B"? We have been looking forward to this and very excited so we never thought of anything else. Well we're not ones to let a day spent together go to waste....so PLAY DATE! What do two grown women do on a play date? Let me tell you...HAVE FUN! So we painted (more on that later), played with the dogs (Jodi couldn't stop laughing), cut out Par Deux Meres sacs, ate caramel kisses and drank Chi tea. The only thing we didn't squeeze in was a thrift store visit. But we were having so much fun at the house.

Okay back to the painting. I am the designer, fabric, needle and thread behind the scenes. Jodi is the incredible artist. Yesterday Jodi made me sketch and paint a bag, no excuses she brought the paints and tricked me into cutting the panels. So there we were....well I doodle...the kind of thing kids do. So soon I will premier the first Par Deux Meres sac hand painted by me?!?
I'm so sure you will be able to get it for a very good price, maybe one of my family members will save me the embarrassment of the sac sitting there and purchase it. Before I can finish I need to get some paint and note I did enjoy it! You guys will be the first to see I promise. Just remember to be kind.

I'll leave you with some of the pictures of our play date, note Boris was not in the crate the whole time just when Jodi was taking the pictures. Gracie is the Boston Terrier, Dixie Bell is the Jack Russell (very hard to get a shot, she keeps moving) and Sir Thomas is the fat cat.

Come on out to the show this Sunday, we will be in East Nashville on Woodland street behind the Lipstick Lounge in the parking lot.

Note all pictures taken by Jodi Reeves of The Creative Jar.