Photo Props

As many of you know, I love Halloween. We have a pumpkin carving party every year. Some of the young gests are reaching the tween years and I wonder if they will still be interested in coming to a family party.

This past year I made some photo props to help entertain them a little more.

I’ve seen these popping up across blog land. I see people adding them to different themed parties and they seem to be a new hit at weddings. I guess you could work them into just about any kind of party you are hosting. A little tweaking and they could suit any theme.



I made some rough drawings of various moustaches, beards and glasses. I used a few sheets of stiff felt to cut out the shapes. I bought a bag of small dowels and used hot glue to secure the cut out to the dowels so they could be held up like a mask.

Here's my little man having fun....

For just a few dollars you can add some unique fun to your next gathering. Not just for Halloween. Try them at any party, wedding or social gathering.

If you’re not feeling too crafty, I found a few people who sell them ready made here and here.

And here are some that are even made from chocolate so you can eat them after the picture. Mmmmm.

Have fun!!!

Have you seen my MoJo??

The first weekend of this month I co-hosted a huge vendor show. We had 40 craft and art vendors together in one room for the weekend to show and hopefully sell their work. The planning was at times challenging but in the end Oh, so rewarding. It was a little bit of an extra challenge to also be a vendor in the same show. The dual role was new for me and I admit, it has taken me awhile to re-group from the whole thing.

Here you can see as many of the vendors are finishing their set up and getting ready to start.

The room was full of talent and people wanting to shop.

At times it was even like a party. I love meeting so many people.

Pulling off what turned out to be a rather amazing show was such a “high”. Afterwards, I had a new found determination to make business grow. I learned so much from the experience, things about myself and from some of the other vendors. Things like networking and marketing are very important and there is a strong need to stay current. All of this can cause your mojo to waver.

So many of us find such joy in the creating, that it’s hard to pull away from that to do the more tedious work of getting your item out there. After spending any amount of time self promoting and it can get hard to maintain your level of confidence.

Taking a break from the tedious side of things and not quit “feeling” the creative spirit in me, I thought I would take a look at a few talented artists I’ve stumbled over. These aren’t any of the vendors from my show but people I have found just floating around on Etsy.

Here I found a gentleman who does pen and ink drawing. I’m always amazed but people with this kind of talent. There are some things you can learn or skills that can be improved over time but there are some things that are just a god given talent. I think his drawings are so detailed and beautiful. I’m in awe.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Dot4Dot?ref=seller_info

Here is a woman who has an eye for art. She works in mixed media paintings. I love the way she sees things and put different items together.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MaryCNasser?ref=seller_info

Here is someone who has the old fashioned art of handwork down to a science. I remember my grandmother making things similar to these. I can do most of those stitches but I don’t think I could put them all together and have them look like more than a pile of string. Well done.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeanTownEmbroidery

I hope you enjoyed your little peek at some Etsy artists. Go visit their store for a better look and pop into a few other stores while you’re there.
Enjoy!!

Full disclosure…to tell the truth

I often think that the price of telling the truth doesn’t always equal the reward it should.

I believe that more people should make it a regular practice to be truthful. Don’t have plastic surgery and try to act like you woke up one morning looking 10 years younger or 50 pounds lighter. If you color your hair, own up to that, don’t try to fool others into believing you are naturally free from grey hair. Don’t lie about your age, the lie will catch up to you. Ok, so you can be vague. I’m in the 35 to 45 demographic. No one needs to know exactly where I fall on that timeline.

But what else should we be more truthful about?
I think I’m an honest person. I (to the best of my knowledge) do not outright lie. I may be vague from time to time or give a “political” answer to avoid the cold hard details of the truth. For the most part I am honest.

But how far should we take the truth?
I so often want to explain myself or my ideas to the extent that it sometimes gets me into a bigger hole. This past Christmas, I sent a card to my former sister-in-law’s house addressed to the children. I purely wanted her kids to get mail at their house and know I was thinking of them while they are dealing with a new family dynamic. My sister-in-law and I were never close or friendly with each other and we usually saw each other just once a year. I know she was not sitting around waiting for mail from me. It’s been at least 6 years since she made a trip out to visit our family. I know she will not miss seeing me in the future. I did not send the card as a dig to her but she hit the roof and publicly went after her ex-husband and started screaming about “family” and then called my house and tore my head off.

I know she is in a place right now where she is looking for things to turn into an issue. However, I want so badly to rebut with an explanation of my intentions. I’m still fighting that urge but I do know that it will only bring more hardship to my brother-in-law. I also know that no matter how hard one may try to present their perspective on a situation it isn’t always seen the same way from where the other person sits.

What about when a friend does something hurtful, seemingly unbeknownst to them, do you speak up about your feelings? If you are really irritated by something, is it worth creating the proverbial mountain out of the molehill just to get it off your chest. You know, they ask “How are you?” and you say “Fine”. While it eats you up inside.


Do you ALWAYS tell the truth?
When do you… or should I ask HOW do you know WHEN to draw the line and just say nothing? I want to be honest and put my cards on the table with the idea that it will improve relations but all too often it does the opposite.

What do you think???

Shopping on Etsy the short and sweet “How To”.

More and more people are discovering how fun it can be to shop on Etsy. You can find just what you are looking for without leaving the comforts of home. Etsy offers such a vast variety of products, you’ll be amazed. If you’ve never bought from Etsy, here’s a quick run down of what you’ll need to do to get started.

Register

Before you can start shopping or make a purchase, you will need to register for an account on Etsy. This is so Etsy can identify you and communicate with you as needed. It’s very simple and fairly quick. Go to Etsy, click register in the grey banner across the top of the page and fill in the form. It’s basically your name, your e-mail address and a password. Then you’ll need to check your e-mail and verify your account. Now you’re ready to shop.

Search for a store

If you are looking for a specific store that maybe you have heard of or one that is owned by someone you know or have seen at a craft show, you can search within Etsy for that store. In the top banner you will see first, a drop down menu that usually defaults to “handmade”. Click on the drop down and then choose either “people” or “shops”. Then in the search box type in the info you have; like the person’s name or their shop name. You may need to check first in one category (people) and then in the other (shops) to find the person/store you want. You will be given a list of options found based on the info you have typed into the search box. Click on the link to go to the store.


Search for an item

If you are not looking for a specific store but want to shop for a particular item, then Etsy will find those things for you from all stores listing that product. Use the drop down menu to pick “handmade”, “vintage” or “supplies” depending on what you are seeking. Then type in the search box the product name or key words. Etsy will show you all products that it can find. Click on the images that interest you. You can also use the list of categories on the left of the home page to narrow your search or to give you some ideas of what might be available.


Contact seller

If you have any questions about the item you see, the store owner will be happy to answer them for you. In some listings you might even read as part of the description for you to “covo” the seller. This just means to e-mail them in a “conversation”. Once you have clicked on the item, there will be a blue button on the side that says “contact” Click there and it will give you a space to write a note to the seller and it will automatically include the item name/listing that you are interested in purchasing. The seller will get an e-mail from Etsy with your note and you will get a reply the same way.

Add to cart

If you want to purchase the item then click on the green button that reads “add to cart” Now, you’re almost done. You can continue to check out or shop some more.

Note to seller

The note to seller section is used if your item requires that you give a detail such as color or size before purchase. You can also use this section if you need to have your item shipped to a different address as a gift.

Make payment

Some shops will accept payment directly from the buyer using a credit card. Most buyers and sellers are more comfortable using Pay-Pal. Click on the button to “check out with Pay-pal” and you will be re-directed to sign into your PayPal account.

Paypal

If you have never used PayPal it is the easiest and safest way to purchase items or exchange money on-line. You will need to set up a separate account with PayPal. They will need your e-mail address, shipping address and a credit card as well as bank info. PayPal acts as the middle-man to make the exchange of funds. Once PayPal has all your data then you can make on-line purchases safely anywhere on the internet. PayPal sends the money to whomever you have bought from and charges your credit card. This way you are not repeatedly giving your credit card to several stores. Your information is in just one place and safe.

Shipping

Double check your shipping address as you are checking out. When you purchase your item, most sellers will list in their policies how long it takes to ship an item out. If not, you should get a notice from Etsy that the seller has marked your item as “shipped”.


FAQs

If you are still unclear as to how to shop from Etsy see their frequently asked questions page.

While you are shopping Etsy be sure to stop by my store and say “Hi”.

Happy Shopping

The workings(?) of the male brain...

Did you ever wonder just how a man’s brain works? Now they say women are the gathers and men are the hunters. The thought is that women go out and we take it all in; looking at everything, surveying our choices and collecting what we need or might need or can somehow possibly use in some way at any point in time. Men go out, get just what it is they set out to get and return with just their intended goal, frequently oblivious to all other surroundings.

I had coffee with a friend a few days ago and we were talking about these differences and it reminded me of a funny story.

Several years ago, I was planning my wedding. We were going to have an outdoor ceremony and I had found a wonderful old iron arbor that we would use to exchange vows under. I had spent the better part of a weekend cleaning it and giving it a fresh coat of paint to spruce it up for the event. That Monday, I was home from work, so I managed to drag the two very large pieces in from the yard, down the hall and into our bedroom. I’m sure I must have look like some sort of contortionist as I made attempts to get both piece standing with no ground to push them into for stability. Trying to keep these heavy, awkward iron pieces from scratching the wall I used every muscle I could to hold the two pieces together while attaching them to each other with some wire.

After it was in place, I wanted to see what it would look like decorated for the ceremony. I draped some silk ivy over the top and down each side. I wove some wide blue ribbon through the openings and then I hung word charms all around the arbor.

Amazingly, I had the whole thing finished before my future hubby came home from work. Now, there it sat, against the wall across from the bedroom door. It stood at least 6 ½ feet tall and about 4 ½ feet wide. It was dressed up all pretty and ready for display.

I worked on the project for a great deal of time and I had given a lot of attention to all the details. I was brimming with anticipation as my intended walked down the hall and into the bedroom to change out of his work clothes. I stood out in the living room waiting to hear his reaction.

Silence.

There he was walking back down the hall towards me asking about dinner.

WT#!!!!!???

So I say to him… “I think you missed something”

He checks his fly to make sure he zipped himself up and looks down at himself making sure all clothing is where it belongs.

Looking at me with that blank “What do you mean” look on his face, I point back down the hall and say “Go back into the bedroom”.

This time I follow him. As we stand in the room he looks around and holds out his hands as if to say what am I missing.

In amazement I point to the arbor. He chuckles and says sarcastically, “It’s not like it’s 7 feet tall or anything”.

Now I have a greater understanding of how he can walk past the sock on the floor 10 times and not see that it needs picked up and put into the laundry basket. The down side is he falls back on the 7 foot arbor as an excuse any time I have expected him to see/do something.

T-shirt scarf

For months I was seeing these T-shirt scarves on various blogs. They look cute and seem to be easy enough to make. I do love a good accessory to liven up the old wardrobe so I added it to my ever growing “to do” list. I was pretty sure I could handle the task but once I tried it I knew it would be great to do with my girls. It really was as easy as everyone said.

The straight forward version is to cut strips across the body of a T-shirt and then stretch them out and tie them together.

Ta-da. Yep, that easy.

I was about ready to make mine when I saw this post and she added a braid to hers. A little more sewing was needed to secure the braided ends but still really easy to make.

My girls made their's one Saturday morning.

My girls made their one Saturday morning. My six year old was worried about cutting by her self without a line to cut along. So, I folded the t-shirt and pressed down with my fingers to leave a mark for her to follow.

They also decided to get a little creative by mixing one strip of their colors with each other.

Through the magic of Pinterest I found this one. So I had to try it out for myself. Yep, still pretty easy. It takes a little more time to make but very simple and no sewing required.

Trace some circles...

Cut out as many as you can from one shirt...

Spiral cut each circle....

Ok, so I said no sewing but it satisfied my OCD to stitch the pieces together. After I had them all cut I laid them out on top of each other and put a couple stitches in the middle to hold them all in place.

They add the perfect touch to a T-shirt wardrobe and with a cute flower pin you can dress up the most boring outfit.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Have a happy day everyone!!!

(those are pancakes if you were wondering.)