Looking Ahead to 2016

It is almost time to put 2015 into the record books, and for North Texas we have some doozies when it comes to new weather records. According to NOAA, through the end of November, 2015 has had almost 6 inches more rain than what will now be the second wettest year on record. This does not include the flooding that occurred along with the tornadoes from this past weekend, so we have really broken that record to smithereens. It is even more impressive when you realize that over the summer we had the third longest stretch of no precipitation on record, 41 days from July 9 - August 18. According to the channel 5 weather report tonight, the 10 confirmed tornadoes from the storms this past Saturday makes 2015 also a record breaking year for number of confirmed tornadoes in North Texas. Good grief!

So much for looking back at occurrences that we can't control. What is within your scope of influence that you are hoping for during 2016? Many things will happen in our lives without active planning. However if there are specific goals that you would like to accomplish, taking some time to plan out the steps to achieving them and then actively pursuing those steps will greatly increase your chances of completing your goals. One of my business goals is to gather together a team of local artisans who sell or wish to sell on Etsy for the purpose of supporting team members in their specific goals for their creations and connecting them with patrons of things handmade. I am in the planning stage for getting together our first meeting of 2016 in February. Hopefully this endeavor will be a success.

May your goals for 2016 come to fruition and have a Happy New Year in the process.

Happy Holidays 2015

Here is wishing the very best of the things you enjoy during the winter holidays. If you love to cook, may all of your creations turn out festive and tasty.





If you decorate, may your decorations fill you with good memories and brighten the shortest days of the year.





If you give gifts, may they be well received.

Above all I wish you safe and happy times
that allow for your special celebration of
the holidays and friends and family.

Artist Spotlight - Sky Imaginings

Typing with cold hands is no fun. Luckily one of the talents of the artisan behind Sky Imaginings is crochet and she makes nice fingerless gloves that warm your hands while leaving you the dexterity you need to do tasks requiring fine motor skills.

I bought my first pair of fingerless gloves from her two years ago. Since I usually have layered long sleeves on during the winter I opted for a shorter style that just covered my wrists. This year I realized that fingerless gloves might also come in handy when I volunteer at the Arlington Museum of Art. As with many large buildings, this one is often a bit cooler than I like since I am rather cold natured and I thought a longer pair that came up over arm hugging long sleeves would help keep me warmer. I knew Sky Imaginings would be at Happy Holidays Gift Market this past weekend so I checked out her current selections at her booth. She had a nice pair of navy, slightly longer fingerless gloves that looked like they would do the trick and "fit like a glove" to boot so they had to come home with me.

She has many other crochet creations available. A friend ordered a cute custom cap for a new addition to her extended family. If you are looking for something out of the ordinary, don't hesitate to ask if this artisan can make it for you.

I also purchased a hand painted shirt from a local henna artist. There will be more on that in a future Artist Spotlight.

Happy Holidays Gift Market - Last Show for 2015

This weekend will find me at Happy Holidays Gift Market at the Arlington Museum of Art. This will be my last show and chance for you to come out and see me and my creations in person for 2015. I will have all of my photographic art, including my ready to hang pieces, and jewelry with me.

The market will be open Saturday, December 12 from 10am-5pm and Sunday, December 13 from 1pm-5pm. Find out more about Happy Holidays Gift Market, including some of the other vendors and entertainment that will be there, on the event page.

Find Eclectic Design Choices at Olde Town Christmas Bazaar 12/4-5/15

Just a quick reminder that Eclectic Design Choices will be at Dottie Lynn Recreation Center in Arlington, TX for the Olde Town Christmas Craft Fair this Friday, December 4 (noon-7pm) and Saturday, December 5 (10am-3pm). I will have my handmade items from both of my Etsy shops, EDCCollective and EclecticSkeptic as well as similar items not currently listed.

Thanks for the Treasuries - November 2015

Six Etsy shop owners and one Etsy team let me know they had featured one of my items in a treasury during November. Ten November Etsy treasuries, that treasury makers let me know about, included one of my creations. One of those creations was featured in two separate treasuries. You can see a collage below of my items from EDCCollective and EclecticSkeptic that were featured during November. (Click on the collage to see a larger view.)

I really appreciate being featured by the treasury makers. To thank them, I have listed below a link to the Etsy sellers that let me know they had featured one or more of my items, as well as an item from their shop that I like. In addition you will see information about the TexasFriendsTeam that also featured an item of mine.

Enjoy window shopping and please click on the links of anything that catches your eye.

HotdogCrafts
This shop owner turns graphics into button dangle earrings, hair clips, keychains and more.

TheYellowRoses
In this shop you will find rag dolls, stuffed animals, small quilts, mosaics, and coasters.

TwistedRiverClay
Makers of colorful, functional stoneware pottery for every day use and home décor.

VyTvir
This shop carries nature themed, eco style resin jewelry.

WhimzeesNest
From a cottage in Connecticut, embrace fun things from the past to feather your nest.

XenaStyle
Creator of a wide range of jewelry styles: Artistic, Pop Art, Geekery, Classic, Statement, Mixed media, Trends, Ethnic and Oriental

TXFriendsTeam
Past, present and future Texans are welcome and encouraged to join this team. The only real rules of the group are to promote friendly, The TX Way, and be respectful to all who participate.