Grand ReOpening of UberArt!

The Etsy Bloggers first blog carnival topic for this month is Spring, new things and growth...tell us about a new item and what inspired you to create it. I have the perfect item and story to go along with it--

Those of you who have followed my saga may remember that I opened a new shop in December and moved all my guest books there, leaving my poor UberArt shop sadly neglected.

Blank 16 Page Art Journal in Crossed Snowshoe Stitching

I didn't want to close UberArt because I had some ideas for that shop floating around in my head but none of them felt "right". I have finally captured one of those ideas and it's a natural fit!

BLANK ART JOURNALS! 

Sorry, I don't mean to yell, I just got excited.

Lilac and Periwinkle Blank Art Journal

It's so nice how it has coincided with the change of direction in my art. I've been making blank art journals for myself but then I thought, well, duhh, maybe other people might need blank art journals too!

This one is an accordion-star-flag book, or some such combination of all those techniques! It was fun to make and is even more fun to work in! Since it will stand open, you can paint a bunch of pages at once and let them all dry without worrying about them sticking to each other.

I was trying to wait until I had more inventory in my shop to do a grand opening announcement, but Emerson Bindery has kept me so busy with orders that I haven't had the time I'd hoped for to work on the art journals. My first art journal sold tonight, which forced me to start on a new one since it left only one lonesome book in my shop!

I've got a cool brown paper bag art journal I'm perfecting at the moment so watch for that, coming soon!

Imagining Spring Is Here

Heavy With Dew by OliviaGirdPhoto

Along with most of the rest of the US, I am so tired of this cold weather! It has been a very rough winter, especially for those of us who aren't used to such cold temperatures. As I write this, I've got a cherry pit heating pad on my back (because I ate ice cream for dessert and now have the shivers).

So, I'm going to pretend spring is here since that is the latest topic for the Etsy Bloggers' Blog Carnival. Melissa of MadeByMelissa is hosting this round and asks what items are in my shop to celebrate spring. I have all sorts of spring guest book designs, since spring is the start of the wedding season.

I thought I'd go with a yellow theme, to coordinate with the daffodil picture. Here is my Mums In Canary Guest Book.

I have one more yellow book in my shop but it's more of a summer theme...but here is one still in the works from my Petite Series--to be listed soon!

Ahhh...I feel warmer already! I hope these bright, cheery yellows warmed you up also!

Dreaming of Warmer Weather...

I'm so tired of this cold weather. Temperatures have been about 20 degrees lower around here than normal for months now. I hyperventilate each month upon opening the utilities bill. When will we get a break?!

Instead of sitting here with cold hands and feet wallowing in my misery, I will relive my days on vacation in the Bahamas...ahh, tropical paradise. Warm sand between my toes. Warm water for snorkeling. Pretty fish and sea shells. Sitting in the shade beneath a palm tree, sipping a drink. I need to get out my "Island Paradise" nature sounds CD and it will *almost* be real...and maybe a heating pad to lie on.

This is for the EtsyBloggers Team Carnival, this round hosted by HandmadeBySandi. Thanks Sandi, for this wonderful theme!

Blue and Brown

The EtsyBloggers Team is featuring a blog carnival with the theme "favorite color combination: what do you make using those colors?"

One of my favorite color combinations is blue and brown. Ironically those are not my personal favorite colors, but I do like the way they look together. (Obviously, given the number of designs I have created using blue and brown!)

Upcoming Holidays - Blog Carnival

The theme for the Etsy Bloggers Blog Carnival this week is: "The holiday season will soon be here - what's your favorite holiday movie or special?"

I love all the old claymation specials from the 1970's, but my very favorite is The Year Without A Santa Claus. Specifically, the Heat Miser vs. Snow Miser song. I love that song and sing it year round when I'm so inclined.

Here it is for your enjoyment!

Blog Carnival: Halloween

This month's blog carnival theme for the Etsy Bloggers theme is to share your favorite Halloween memory from your childhood.

I loved going trick or treating with my neighborhood friends. We'd all go together in a group, with the moms in tow chatting and having as good a time as we were having.


Here I am at 5 years old with my little sister, ready for the big night! My costume was handmade by mom and she had me wear it every year for Halloween until I was 12. By then it was almost a mini skirt it came so far up my legs! I suppose she figured she spent all that time making the costume that I may as well get as much use out of it as I could. Besides, she didn't want to make another the next year!

To be honest, I was so sick of that costume after a couple of years and it took all the fun out of choosing what I wanted to be for Halloween.

My friends: "What are you going to be for Halloween this year?"
Me: "A princess." **big sigh**
My friends: "Again?! Haven't you been a princess for the last 10 years in a row?"

Back to School

I am so far behind this month! It's amazing how a vacation can set you back so far. The Etsy Bloggers Blog Carnival theme this time is "Back to School" and I am just squeaking in under the wire getting this post done in time!!

Back to school was always a bittersweet time for me. The good things: going shopping for new clothes, getting back into a routine, and seeing my old friends again. The bad things: end of the summer and freedom from homework, and having to get up early again!

I loved getting new clothes the best. I am a self-admitted clothes horse and was so even in elementary school. It was fun to get new shoes and clothes, but once I wore them a few times I was ready for summer again.

My favorite back to school shoes were a pair of "Bug Off" brown leather boots (that was the brand name, represented by a little ladybug). The picture is the closest thing I could find to what they looked like. I absolutely LOVED them and wore them every day in second grade. They were so comfy and I wore them every day. I even tried to wear them in the spring as the weather warmed up, but my calves got so sweaty I had to abandon my favorite boots in favor of sandals. Image from Zappos.

My second favorite look was knee socks with a cute pair of blue leather buckled loafers with short skirts. It was way more comfortable than wearing tights. I wish I could still get away with that look, but I'm way to old to be walking around in knee socks with skirts! Image from LandsEnd

Top Five Summer Favorites

1. Flowers in bloom...

Sunshine and Sunflowers by LaughingDogPhoto

2. Warm sunshine...
Turtles In The Sun by DigitalKangaroo

3. Beach breezes...

Walking In The Waves by SherriConley
Swings by WaterBugFineArts

I couldn't resist putting two here. These swings remind me of swinging on the beach in Nags Head as a child.

4. Longer daylight hours...

Ethereal Sunshine by kristensteinfineart

5. And finally, yummy fruit!

Good Morning Sunshine by ara133photography

Summer Time!

Summertime, and the livin' is easy... Now I've got that song from Porgy and Bess stuck in my head!

My newest listing, Raspberry Lemonade Journal

The blog carnival theme for this month for the Etsy Bloggers Team is Summer's Here. Well, not quite, but in less than a week summer will be official!

Summer On The East Coast by StoriesDivinations

Summer is my favorite season of the year. I love hot weather (just not the sticky humidity) and swimming in the pool and the lake. I grew up near the beach and went there a lot as a teen, but I don't prefer swimming in the ocean. I worry too much about jellyfish and sharks. Every time a piece of seaweed wraps itself around my leg I fight back panic! Besides, the ocean water feels so sticky when it dries on your skin. Yuck yuck!

Odell Lake Sunset Cove by pamvanlonden

I love relaxing in the hammock on the pier at the lake, eating watermelon and listening to the water lap against the rocks.

Strawberry-Pineapple Jam by HopesPantry

Thoughts on new products for the summer

One of this month's themes to blog about for the Etsy Bloggers Team is your new line of products for the summer. Frankly, I haven't gotten past spring yet! Summer? Geesh!!

Seriously, I have been thinking on a "new" product to introduce. If you took a look at my shop a year ago, you would have found that many of my journals incorporated polymer clay as an embellishment for the cover. I've since sold out of most of those journals and have gotten away from that style, but I think I may experiment with bringing it back on some of my guest books.

Sapphire Spice Journal

It's funny how an item can sit in my shop for months with little or no attention paid to it, and all of a sudden it becomes in great demand. That recently happened with my Sapphire Spice Journal. I originally made two of them in different color schemes. The companion sold months ago, but this one sat around in my shop and got renewed and renewed and renewed. I was about to give up on it and use it for myself when BAM! First it generated a custom guest book order for me, then it sold less than a week later to someone else.

Dew Drop Hibiscus Journal

Here's another that is currently on sale in my shop. It's a cute little journal and if no one buys it soon I'm going to start writing in it!

Paisley Flower Jeweled Journal

This journal was one of my favorites, I just loved the color combination of the greens and aquas. The little jewel on the front I made from glass and polymer clay. I think it gives the journal an ethereal look, kind of like the keyhole to the Secret Garden or something! When it sold, I had mixed feelings--I was glad to have made a sale, but sad to see it go.

Hopefully I'll have time to start experimenting with my new ideas! Summer is always a busy time for me in my personal life and I've had a lot of custom orders lately, so we'll see!

Spring!

I have springtime on the brain since the last few days have been warm enough to hang outside! Of course, the cold weather has returned today, along with rain. Boo, hiss.

I took my little guy to the park this week and we had a picnic lunch with friends. Then we visited a daffodil field, which is a local secret around here. It's an area in the woods just off the road where someone has planted daffodils to naturalize. It is just now coming into bloom and we'll have to go back in a week or two when it's in full bloom.