meh, by the numbers.

Along with my crazy work schedule (two separate practices, sort-of adjunct faculty at one college and various temp jobs within a 20 mile radius) I've been attempting to get back a little to my arts and crafts roots. Whenever I have moments to spare, I've been making wine bags and tie purses. And kind of experimenting with headbands, but that's a whole 'nother story. In a couple of short months, I've amassed quite the collection: 62 wine bags and 7 tie purses. But while working on all these bags, I literally had no goals in mind. I was like "I'll upload them all to Etsy and see what happens!" Well....

Nothing happened. Which I was expecting... I guess. It's nice to have no expectations, and then when those non-expectations are shattered when someone buys something, you're super happy. But I guess I was expecting that too, and I was disappointed when no one purchased anything. Therefore crushing my expectations. Does that make sense?

So I started to embark on looking for craft fairs! Nothing is better than some solid one-on-one connections! The first one I participated in was more of a flea market than a craft fair. To be honest, most people were there looking for deals, not handmade items. But remarkably, I sold two wine bags! Then again, three people also asked me where the ties were that I was selling (which I don't sell individual ties). Then, on two separate occasions, people called my stuff decent.  Fucking decent. What the hell is that supposed to mean?  Here's my interpretation of decent.

I was supposed to participate in another fair today. It was cancelled because of the rain, and I can't make the rain date (poo). But, since that one was cancelled, it gave me the opportunity to sign up for the TRENTON PUNK ROCK FLEA MARKET! The spaces sold out in like, less than 10 minutes, so I'm jazzed that I am going to be participating!

I'm trying to go in with no expectations, but you can already guess that that's going to the shitter pretty fast. So during now and then, I'd love to be able to really really work on my table display. Maybe go to the Salvation Army and get an old fashioned coat rack to hang up some of my purses! You know, make that shit look professional! Cause honestly, if I don't sell much, EVERYONE IS GETTING SOMETHING MADE OF TIES FOR CHRISTMAS AGAIN.

my first real craft show!

I had a great time at my first real craft show! I brought along 40 wine bags, 4 tie-purses, some poof ball flowers and vases that I made for the wedding, and two small paintings which you might remember: abcdef fail and anxiety.

A lot of people made me feel so great: Compliments on how clever my ideas really made me smile. It was wonderful to hear people admiring my sewing and my bags. AAAAAAAAND (drum-roll PLZ....) I SOLD 4 BAGS! I'm so glad I made more bags and spent time preparing as much as I could. I did learn a couple of things from my craft show experience.

• I need sign. I picked up foam-core to make one the other night, and I decided that it wouldn't look professional enough, so I didn't bother making one. I need to make one like I made for Bamboula. One that says something like CRAFTS MADE FROM TIES! or CREATIONS FROM TIES! or something like that.
• I wonder if I'm not being confident enough. I was so happy to talk to visitors at the table, that I didn't really "sell myself" like other people were. Is that a key to success?
• It would have been nice to have someone there for a couple minutes so I could have left to use the bathroom, or to walk around to see other peoples things. At one point, I had to pee so bad that I left a note that said BE BACK IN A MINUTE! and asked the couple next to me if they wouldn't mind keeping an eye out for me. 

All in all it was a great day for a great cause. I hope I can do more fairs in the future, and maybe with some luck, I can have some more success!

bag n' bread

When I was putting prices on all of my wine bags, I noticed one lonely half-finished tie purse in my bin that I started last year and just never finished. I had some free procraftination time today, so now the lonely half-finished tie purse is now a non-lonely ALL FINISHED tie purse! All I had to do was finish the inside of the front panel, create the back panel, and sew them to the already finished straps. It made for a great morning of work while I was cleaning up the house. The cat is shedding, and it constantly looks like a yeti exploded in here. Gross.

 
In other Saturday news, I made Lou's Dad famous bread, and I thought I would share it since I finally got to make it this afternoon. It's a super simple recipe that requires only four ingredients. I used a spicy salt and whole wheat flour. Yum!

 3 cups flour

1-1/2 tsp salt

2-1/4 tsp yeast

1-1/2 warm water

Spray the inside of a large bowl with cooking spray. Sift all the dry ingredients into the bowl, then add the warm water. Mix until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot for four hours. Turn the dough onto an oiled surface and cover again for thirty minutes. While rising again, preheat your oven and dutch oven to 450°. Add dough, cover and bake for thirty minutes. Take the lid off the Dutch oven and bake for another ten minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack. Or devour immediately like I do. 

YES!!!

I listed my purses on Etsy this morning!  I had the drafts all ready to go for weeks, but finally finally finished taking pictures yesterday.  Check out some of the details!  For more pictures and the complete listing, check out my Etsy site!!! 

do more.

Lot's of fun things are happening, including this!
My first informational artist/biznaaaaz card!  How exciting! Look at all of the exclamation points I'm using so far!  Lou and I went on an adventure this weekend (which I'll detail in the next post...) and two women that I met admired my tie purse.  After speaking with them, both asked "Do you have a contact card?"

Ugh, my heart sank!  My reply? "Ah, no!  I've been meaning to make them for so long.  One day I'll just have to do it."

I FINALLY DID IT!  I like the quirky design. More importantly, I think it incorporates all of the important information that I'd like to share with everyone, including my blog and my new Etsy Shop, which I started setting up yesterday!  I don't have any items uploaded in the shop yet because I want to make sure I get all of my wording correct and I definitely want to take better pictures of the items.  The ones I have now are a little blurry and not-so-professional looking.

Things are moving along nicely in Nodylville if you ask me!  I'm following the quote I have on my new little necklace charm.  DO MORE.

sketchy sketchums.

This morning in an attempt to play catch-up, I was going to blitz through all of my work and write a new blog post!  My attempt was thwarted however, when I got into work and realized that the phones are down.  And so is my internet connection.  Then to my obvious joy and delight, I saw my USB thingy sitting in my purse.  Therefore I am typing this post at work, and I’ll upload it later from home.  Don’t be jealous of my brain skillz.

So no, I did not get in my copper foil over the holiday weekend.  But that didn’t stop my productivity!  Would you like to hear what I did?  OF COURSE YOU DO!  Why else would you be reading the ramblings of a crazed hamburger-addicted girl?  (I had three hamburgers over the weekend, now I have meatbrainitis.) 

I sketched out a design for two small paintings that I would like to do.  The canvases I have are 5”x5”, and the design flows from one panel to the other.  I’ve been fiddling with similar design patterns for awhile, and it’s something I’m excited about!  Think organic/geometric windows with a touch of intestines.  You read that correctly.  I’m still debating what medium to use (acrylic or oil) but I know that I’d like to somehow incorporate wax.  Should be a fun project to start later on!

I also rustled up four paintings that I completed a while ago.  I’d like to look into getting frames for them and hanging them up around the house.  One painting will have a standard frame, but the other is a triptych.  I don’t know what my obsession is with triptychs, but it looks like that one will have to be custom made too.  Damnit.

I started drawing a design for the light box that I’ll be building to house my stained glass piece.  I really hope that I can plan this out and execute it properly.  I might need more brain skillz to figure this one out.  Or maybe another hamburger?

And lastly, I am going to be starting a tie-messenger bag for my sister!  She’s in her last year of grad school, so I thought I’d make her something pretty that she can bring to class.  I hope I can sketch out the right dimensions and make it work!

two more purses! 2+2=4

Well, well, well... look who finished a project early?!  Again! That's right, I slapped those two purses in the face with my sewing skills.  ...That came out a little harsher than I meant it to.  What I meant to say, is that even with my time constraint this week, I still managed to sew the purses by my deadline.  See?  That's what I meant to say.  Now, for my obligatory purse shot:

The one on the left had a lot of red, blue, paisley and a two different polka dot fabrics... the one on the right has American flags, shamrocks, more polka dots, and red plaid.  These two were a lot of fun to make!!  I even learned a little short cut while I was sewing the front panel ties together.  Awesome!!  Here's close up pictures of them...

hot sauce and bunnies.

I just realized how sad my other posts look without pictures.  So here's a shot of me gazing into the future and reading the words that you're seeing here.  Nah, I'm just thinking about cookies, fried chicken and hot sauce.  I had two of the three for lunch today.  Guess which?!

Last night I sewed the bases for both purses and fully completed the front panels, buttons and all.  High five!!  I even had time to choose the tie flap (which will be sewed to the back panel) and cut out the fabric for the back panels, too.  I'm working hard to get back on track to finish up everything by my goal date of August 21st.

As I mentioned, my next project will be to complete a stained glass piece that I started back in April of last year, and promptly abandoned one month later in May.  There were two main reasons that I put the project on hiatus.  A handful of the pieces are extremely complex to cut, and at the time I was not successful in scoring and breaking those pieces properly.  I quickly exhausted my glass supply on mistakes.  Also, my bunny Moe developed a habit of running and jumping on to my kitchen table where I was working.  Twice, he skidded onto the table and sent glass pieces a'flyin and a'breakin.  But I can't stay mad at my fluffybuns.  How could you stay mad at this?

This glass project cannot be rushed: But when it comes time to do so, I will set a goal date.  I have run into a little snag so far: Two of the colors that need are currently out of stock, and they cannot be placed on back order.  I'm not sure how this will affect the piece, or my ability to reach my goal.  But I guess we'll see when I start it up again! 

f-f-f-f-f-faaaaaaaaaaaaaaail.

Yesterday was a whole bunch of fail.  But I feel oddly content about it.  Maybe because I was busy until 11pm at night doing other things I mentioned in my post yesterday... grocery shopping, going to the gym, cooking, spending time with friends and family and (oh joy!) banking.

The gnocchi was a fail.  The whole dinner was pretty much a soupy-potatoey mess.  It was still pretty tasty... But the two hours I wasted on making glorified mashed potatoes was a downer.  Sewing the bases/straps to the purses?  Fail.  Didn't do it.  Making a list of the supplies I need for the glass?  Win!  I ended up ordering 1/2 of the things I needed because... FAIL, two of the items are OUT OF STOCK.  Let's hope that I can actually get those piece of glass, or I will be in big trouble on the next project.  On the plus side, I ordered a new glass cutter, too.  I'm hoping that it will help cut down on the glass breaking into pieces after I score it.

Today there will be no time to work on those projects because... WIN, I'm going to the Phillies game with the DTGP's. 

balancing act.

Something just hit me.  No, not a flying tomato nor was it Lou.  It's this: My next goal date for completing two new purses is August 21st.  In between now and then, I'll have only two nights during this week to work on them.  I might have some time on the weekend, but I'm not quite sure as to how much I'll have.  Could this be a potential problem?

I want to be able to successfully set goals and meet them, but how does one balance those tasks with other daily responsibilities?  Grocery shopping, work (HAH), spending time with friends and family, going to the gym, personal upkeep... hey, I like to try to look nice every once and awhile!  Don't judge me for wanting to color my hair and paint my nails blue. 

Maybe for this project, I'll set smaller daily goals to see if I can accomplish them.  Today I'll be sure sew the ties for the base/straps together and make a list of things to order for the stained glass.  Of course, I'll be doing all of this after I make AND EAT my first batch of handmade gnocchi, with spicy sausage and Swiss chard.  See details below.

great success!

s-u-c-c-e-s-s, that is how you spell success.

TA-DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!  Peppers added and painted in, varnished and ready to go! I'm excited that I've finished project #2, and I'm ready to conquer the next battle!  I decided to sew another two tie-purses as my 3rd task.  I'm hoping that while I'm doing that, I can take a look at my stained glass project and figure out what other supplies and materials I'll need to finish the job.  Hopefully by the time I'm done the purses, I'll have those materials in hand and I can begin to finish what I started!  I'll set my next goal date for finishing the purses as..... August 21st.  Let the great experiment begin...

text me sometime sugar!

Last night, not only did I trace on all the text, I COMPLETELY FINISHED THE TEXT.  Well, not completely, I just wanted to write that sooooooo baaaaaaaad.  I made such good progress that instead of doing all the text black, I decided to add some colors to habanero, cayenne and jalapeno.  So the only thing I have left to do is add the black outline to three words... then I'll be COMPLETELY FINISHED (with) THE TEXT.

I also decided to add an outline to the logo... it just looked like the odd man out on the sign without it.  The one thing I have to do today is change my chili pepper design... it ended up being too small for the space I allotted to it. So instead of it being 3" tall, it will be 5" tall. At least I'll have something to do at work today. I don't think I'll be working on the sign tonight, though.  I'm hiking after work, then I'm off to meet the DTGP (downtown gal pals) for a BYOB dinner/catch up.

I should start thinking soon about my next project.  I was thinking of doing another two purses.  Maybe get on a trend of completing purses and wine bags every time I finish a project.  One thing I have been itching to work on is my unfinished stained glass project.  Some of the pieces were truly difficult to cut, and I abandoned it about a year ago.  Good things to think about, for sure.

done-ski DONEBALLS!

That title is whack, but HEY!  I finished my first goal by my deadline and I feel great!  So wonderful in fact, that I made a lovely meal to congratulate myself... spinach, mushrooms, onions, carrots and garden fresh tomatoes in a delicious broth.  So screw you FOOD NETWORK I cooks alls bys myselfs.  It's still raining out.  But the air is cool, fresh and smells like leaves, grass and dirt. A perfect end to a deadline day.  My next project is to make a 3'x4' sign for the Pepper Festival in September.  I already have most of it worked out, so onward and upward.  Next deadline date?  I'll set it for August 15th.  Until then, LETS ROLL.

YAY!  BAGS R US!!

Purse #1 with a paisley interior

Purse #2 with a gold satin interior

goal in sight

I am almost done the purses!  I'm positive that I can complete them both by tomorrow night, which happens to be my deadline of August 3rd.  I'm really excited that I'm sticking to my goals.  Originally I was thinking that I could complete them earlier and then brag about it to myself, but sometimes you just need to put a little padding on your timeline, right?  Things come up!  I was going to try to finish them last night, but then Mexican food and a pitcher of margaritas happened.  Yes, I know it was Monday.  Don't judge me, blog or I'll start calling you the blaaahg.  Good times don't discriminate against Monday nights. 

Here's a haiku.

Mural-ing tonight.
Bubbling paint.  Fix the bricks.
Don't rain, let's do this.

hazy, lazy summer days.

My weekend was anything but lazy!  It certainly was hazy and quite hot, but I made the best of my time and continued to be productive.  I found a lot of inspiring things this weekend, so let me dive right into it.

I finished up the fronts and the backs of the tie purses, minus the 1/8" stitching that I need to do around the edging.  I'm getting close to my goal of finishing both purses by Wednesday! It feels really good to set a goal, and it feels even better when I think about completing a task I set out to do.  Productivity:1 Laziness: 0. 

Saturday morning was spent volunteering at Art/GAGE.  The event was great: Interesting vendors selling handmade items, wonderful live music and familiar faces that I remembered from HomeSkooled Gallery openings.  There were so many things that sparked my interest during the day.  One in particular was Coalition Ingenu ( www.coalitioningenu.com ) Two people commented about how much they liked my tie purse.  One of them wants to buy one!  She asked me "Why didn't you sign up for a booth here?"  Good question!  Looks like now was a good time to start sewing again, ay?  Maybe a new long term goal is to get a booth next year and sell my purses! 

Saturday night I was helping Lauren with her mural downtown.  She's done an amazing job: Check out the details on the audience so far!  We started on the bricks... but my sponging technique for the bricks was a FAIL.  But, it turned out much much better when we taped off the grout lines and painted the bricks.  Lesson learned: Don't get discouraged when something you try doesn't work.  There is always another solution, and it could work out better than you planned! 

The rest of my weekend, both Saturday post-muraling and Sunday was spent with great friends and filled with interesting conversations.  I think that those times were the most inspiring moments in my weekend.  Being lucky enough to create art and ponder inspiring moments is one thing, but aren't we lucky that we can share them with friends? 

 

inspriation lacks, but thou shalt craft on.

Today was hard to get inspired.  Work was dull and bitterly boring, but I managed to strike up a couple interesting conversations about our tanking economy which was nice.  (I'm going to try not to talk about work on the blog.  It's hard not to say anything about it, since it tries so hard to kill all of my productivity.)

Onward!  I'm on day #2 of finding the little things in life that inspire, and hopefully by the end of the day I'll have the fronts of the tie purses completed.  Aw hell, I hope to have the backs completed, too.  Here's a shot of the fabric I bought yesterday, and one of a jumble of ties... which will eventually be purses.

day #1: for lack of better titles.

Success!  Even though mural-ing was postponed for the evening due to rain, I decided to head downtown anyways to spend some quality time with myself... away from the Food Network.  First stop, a Vietnamese noodle soup joint.  NOM.  The flavors and aromas reminded me of when I lived around that section of town.  I jumped back in my car after I was finished stuffing myself and noticed that it was starting to drizzle.  Instead of hurrying on my way, I decided to sit and listen for a couple of minutes.  The rain was just starting and it sounded like dust on an old record being played.  Awesome.  Next stop was the fabric store... 50% off ALL FABRIC?!  Don't mind if I do!

I found 10 different fabrics!  All different patterns, colors and textures and all for me!  All of that fabric reminded me of the purses I started cutting out months ago.  Is this what I needed to slap myself back into shape?  Only time will tell.  However, I did decide to set myself a goal:

I WILL FINISH THE TWO PURSES I STARTED SEWING TONIGHT BY AUGUST 3RD.  Let's see if I can do it... When I'm finished, I'll post pictures of the final outcome.  Inspiration, here I come!

Oh, and I took this picture of myself with my new phone app.
... You're Welcome.