First Time at Funky Finds - Nov. 5-6, 2016

Find me and my creations at Funky Finds Holiday Shopping Experience in Cattle Barn 2 at Will Rodgers Coliseum on Nov. 5-6. Saturday hours are 10am - 5pm and Sunday hours are 11am - 4pm. There are lots of things to see and do at Funky Finds. The event is free and pet friendly, however there is a charge to park at the Will Rodgers Complex.


Each of the over 100 makers participating in Funky Finds donates an item for the charitable raffle that goes on both days. My felted flying pig model will finally be making her debut in my donation. I will also have some matted prints of Penelope available in my booth. I will have an outside corner booth (#409) at the intersection of the middle north/south aisle and the cross aisle for door 3. I would love for you to stop by and say hi. All of my photographic art and handmade jewelry and accessories will be making the trip with me.

This show is a great opportunity to get a head start finding unique gifts to match each and every person on your holiday shopping list.

Artist Spotlight - VanArtLife

Scale models and miniatures have always interested me. I appreciate the skill involved in reproducing something many times smaller than the original. I suspect this interest is part of the reason I appreciate the miniature paintings of VanArtLife so much. Sometimes people don't have a lot of space to bring home new artwork and display it. It is easy for wall space to run out, especially in dorm rooms or nursing homes. Van's mini art pieces are a perfect way to be able to bring home some wonderful art that is a pleasure to look at and does not take up much room.

I first met Van at a local craft show. She was showing her paintings on very small canvases, placed on mini art easels. While the subject matter was rendered in tiny detail, it was accurate and visually pleasing. I let her know about a show I was putting together later that year and invited her to be a vendor. She took me up on my offer and she has participated in several of my 817ArtsAlliance produced shows since then. Van has also opened an Etsy shop so that when she is not at a show, you can find at least some of her work online. She will be participating this year in the 817ArtsAlliance Happy Holidays Hut at Christkindl for the duration, unless she sells out before the show is over.

If someone asked me what type of images I was most likely to seek out, pictures of fruit would not be my first answer. I'm not sure I would even think of that response. However, for some reason I was very drawn to Van's cherry paintings. Van also paints lovely things on clothes pins. These become functional pieces of art. They can be clipped on a lapel instead of a pin, or with a magnet attached to the back of the clothespin, they become a fridge magnet for holding lists, messages, etc..

To see more of Van's work, check out her Etsy shop and mark your calendars so you can stop by the Texas Christkindl Market this year to see her work in person.

Fall Photo Frames - Picture Props

A couple of weeks ago, a few of us were firming up plans for a fun family fall evening out that the Dalworthington Gardens Historical Committee, with help from additional citizens, is hosting. We will have Trunk or Treat for the kiddos, giving them an additional opportunity to wear this year's costume. And speaking of costumes, there will be a costume contest for kids 13 and under and for dogs (on leashes please). Attendees can paint a pumpkin and play a version of musical chairs. Hot dogs, popcorn and nachos will be available beginning about 5:30. There will be a short Halloween Charlie Brown video inside the community room after the awards are given out for the costume contest and the first Harry Potter movie will play on the big screen in the park as it gets dark. In addition to all of this I wanted to have a picture taking area. We will have some seasonal decorations to provide a nice backdrop along with props that can be used to create some great photo opportunities. Bring your camera or phone and someone will help you capture memories for you if you need assistance.

One of the other people helping plan this event suggested that some large picture frames would be a great prop for the photo zone. I remembered a couple of old, in need of a bit of love, partially covered with burlap very large wood frames I had been given in case I needed them for something. I decided this project was the something they were destined for. I shopped for some fall themed ribbon
and fabric fall leaves. I covered the inside edge of each of the frames with a different ribbon. Then I divided the leaves up and attached half of them to the larger frame. I had a little bit of ribbon left after covering the inside edge of the smaller wood frame so I made a couple of bows out of the left over piece and added leaves to the corner of this frame. I did not need all of the half I had reserved for it.

It was getting late so I used a flash to take a quick picture of the frames to share with one of the other volunteers. When I looked at the photo, I decided it would be nice to use the leftover leaves from the smaller frame to fill in the gaps between the leaves on the larger frame seen in the first photo. The second photo in this post shows the completed frames that we will have in our photo props at the picture zone overlooking the pond in Gardens Park. Costume contest registration and goodie sack decorating begins at 5:30pm. The Harry Potter movie begins at 7:15pm.

Thanks for the Treasuries - One Last Time - September 2016

"One last time," you ask? Treasuries have been an integral part of my Etsy experience since I joined Etsy and started my first shop in 2009. I really enjoyed the rotating treasuries on the landing page of Etsy for the first couple of years. I was even featured in two or three front page treasuries. One time when a vintage cloisonne butterfly belt of mine was featured on the front page it sold within the hour that it was featured. Other than that, I have to admit I only know of a handful or fewer treasuries that were the direct catalyst of a sale of the featured item. Nonetheless, I have always appreciated being featured because you never know when a bit of exposure will result in a sale or networking opportunity. In addition, I found most treasuries to be very pretty to look at and/or clever. Unfortunately, Etsy came to the conclusion that treasuries were no longer making sense from a business perspective.

As I bid a fond farewell to Etsy treasuries, I want to express my gratitude to the three Etsy shop owners who let me know they had featured one or more of my items in a treasury during September. Four Etsy treasuries, that treasury makers let me know about, included one of my creations. You can see a collage below of my items from EDCCollective and EclecticSkeptic that were featured during September. (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.

Enjoy window shopping and please click on the links to the shops whose item catches your eye.

CorkyCrafts
Wine cork wreathes, birdhouses, ornaments, gifts and more. If you have a wine connoisseur who happens to appreciate hand made items look no further than this shop.

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

RosemarysHomestead
This shop features beautifully handcrafted macrame jewelry, micro macrame bracelets, earrings, and accessories made with beads, shells, and fine cord.