Art Call!!!

I get Art calls from my fabulous Reps almost every week. Directors looking for anything from birthday balloons to garden flag designs.... I answer EVERY art call, unless its totally out of my style range. My goal for the year is 100 art licenses and I just got two birthday cards last week for a small but really nice greeting card company. This is my main income and I love it. I just designed a bunch of garden flags and I'm back onto greeting cards next week. Here are a few of my favorite designs from this weeks art call... hopefully they will be chosen.

Back from a Craft Show

I used to do craft shows all the time, about 15-20 a year (before I had a child) and I haven't done any major show for about 8 years. I started going to bigger shows again this year and I didn't know how much I missed it. I came home last night after a 2 day monster craft fair and I told my husband, I missed my Gypsy friends. I cant even describe the instant (and I mean instantly at 6:30 AM on Saturday) friendships that form with the booths next to you and across the aisle. We don't know each others names right away or where we live but in two days we all know everything. I took Juliann on Sunday and she went from booth to booth and sat with different people, learning about what they do and how they do it. The candle guy next to me had her smelling candles with her eyes closed to see what 'flavor' it was.

I sell jewelry with lamp work beads that I make at these shows. I will have a link to some jewelry later today.

Short on Creative time

I'm short on Creative time on Tuesdays and Thursdays. How do I manage my time... I go to tutor kids from 7-9 then back at 2:00 till 6:30. So, by the time I get home this morning its 9:30 and I'm hungry, so I eat something and check my email twitter etc. That leaves me 4 hours. 2 hours for beads and two hours to get the apple done. Should be plenty... if I don't get sucked into the computer! I'm making a commitment today to check my email at 9:30 and 1:30 and that's it until I get home at 7:00. No twitter, no blogging, no research. Not on Tuesday or Thursday...

Whats wrong with me!

Ok, so I know I may offend someone so Ill try really hard to be politically correct. I was at my daughters soccer practice and a mom sat down next to me. I was sketching some Halloween designs and she peeked over my shoulder and asked what I was doing. I explained the whole thing... how I sell my art to manufacturers for flags, scrapbook paper, etc. And then, of course, (because I never know when to shut my mouth) I rolled my eyes and said I have to do christmas next and I hate christmas. Notice that I'm spelling with a lower case c... Well, I was thinking in lower case too, but she heard 'I hate Christmas' not I hate putting red and green on the same piece of paper, I'm tired of drawing Santa, snowmen, elves and holly. She practically ran away from me and now shes not speaking to me. I later found out that shes a fundamentalist Christian and I had totally offended her. Now I sit at practice and think I should try to explain myself and 'get her back' but then I think, why... I have plenty of friends who know what I mean when I say I hate christmas! Is she over sensitive, she doesn't even know me, how could she not like me!!!! Back and forth I go,

I'm letting it go now...she has a right to her opinion and I DON'T need everyone to like me!

New kits on Etsy

I finally got all of my kits organized and 4 more loaded onto etsy yesterday. I'm really happy to have all this stuff back online. Next trick for me is to keep this blog going.... I'm really bad at doing anything with any sort of regularity...I guess its the creative part of me that wants to keep it all mixed up! Today I have to get back to the studio. I spent all weekend at a soccer tournament and was too tired (mentally) to do any work between games and in the evening. I fell asleep at 9:00 last night! I guess the stress of watching your kid play competitive sports is more exhausting that you would think. And of course I cant keep my mouth shut so I have no voice today (My husband is happy about that)

New sets on etsy yesterday

Ive listed two new sets on etsy and Ive got about 20 to go. The files are all over my computer and need to be organized! This set is probably my favorite. It was all done on Illustrator in an afternoon and reminds me of a bakery my Grandpa used to take me to that was painted inside and out with big pink and cream stripes.

Waking up in the dark

Ive been getting up before dawn this last week, the light has finally left my mornings. Sad, to see the summer sun go, but grateful for the coolness. I live in the Central Valley of California, where temperatures reach 110 in the summer (for weeks at a time) Its still in the high 90s today but the nights cool off completely now so I wake up to a 65 deg morning instead of 80. Lots to do today again, cutting out the apple costume is top priority, bead making a close second and flag designs third. My daughter has a soccer tournament on Saturday that I'm thinking about... what to take for her to eat, how hot is it going to be, how many games does she have to play.

Weekend fun!

back from a weekend with my family at our cabin in the High Sierras. Cool clean air, super quiet except the occasional bird, and no phones, tv, or computer!!!! I spent the weekend designing jewelry, sketching and playing board games with Juli. Started a new book (Twilight) OMG I had no idea I was going to sucked into it so fast! I read almost half of it last night!!!! This is a book (or series of books) for teenagers, here I am reading about 6 pages and summerizing the story for my 8 yr olds ears. She loves anything paranormal or fantastic, magical or just creepy.

Gotta focus!

Today is a crazy day. I tutor kids till 9:00 make beads till 11:00. Go to the bead store for supplies, add two kits to the website, go to a lunch for a friends farewell, go back to tutor at 2:00, pack for a trip to the mountains... pass out!

Here are the two kits Im putting up today... a little early but oh well...

Im to sexy for my pod...

Oh yea, that's right people, pics of me in a corn and pea pod costume I just designed for a school health and agriculture program. Go ahead and laugh all you want! I'm not too proud, just know that if you play the tequila song I will not be able to dance properly... and will definitely not be able to get up on a table in these babies! I love making costumes like these, I don't get paid very much but its the accomplishment and the process of designing something so crazy that makes me happy! Coming soon to a blog near you, orange and salad greens! Back to the grind tomorrow~ making beads, designing for my art calls and getting that orange sewn together!

My plate is a little full

I dont know why I do this to myself, but once again I have too mutch on my plate. I ve been struggling thru a costuming job all summer with two costumes out of 9 complete. I design and sell lampwork bead jewelry at craft shows, doing 3 this fall. I am a freelance illustrator and have at least 2 art calls per month sometimes 4. I have a 22 hour a week job that actually pays the bills. Ive been overwelmed all summer and not able to focus on anything... I wonder why...? I need to answer every art call ... this is the only way to get a bigger quarterly royalty check. I can make about 60.00 per hour on the jewelry (when it sells) with out the craft shows I dont sell that mutch. ugg!!! gotta finish the costumes....

Labor Day

yep, it really was labor day... I moved furniture and got about half way through the studio today. I am taking a break and writing my thoughts... (my back really hurts right now!). Artists are slobs, pigs at best. I know this, I am one.... As I sit here with my martini, I realize I will never change, my desk will always have piles of mail, art calls, outputs for previews, the studio will be strewn with scraps, unfinished projects I consider unworthy of finishing, in progress stuff, finished stuff, and sketched ideas that are gonna be great...but that I may not get to for over 6 months... (I date my sketches...) and its this that makes me crazy... About every 3 or 4 months I clean up, really clean up, move furniture, organize and prioritize and yes... throw things away. It usually takes two days, and I am exhausted when its done. But the studio is great again, I have room to work again, that ugly painting isn't staring me in the face any more and my daughter will actually spend time out there again! AHHHHH, another day of this and I will have a perfect space again. Well, perfect for me anyway.