Be My Valentine

This week's theme on my blog will be Valentines, red, pink, roses, and all that mushy stuff! Valentine's Day can be a bummer if you don't have a significant other to share it with, but I've had fun in the past bringing Valentines to work or making little Valentine surprises for my family.

Here's a cute little project for a Valentine tea luncheon from MarthaStewart.com. Punch a heart (or cut one out) and add it to a tea bag, with a handwritten message.

This year's projects involve my toddler who is working on signing his name to Pooh bear Valentines for our friends and family. He started out with the best intentions, but his name degraded into a scribble after the first Valentine. Oh well, one lucky person gets his signature, the rest will just have to deal with it!

Valentine Mini Booklets from my shop

I remember in grade school how we made a paper pocket mailbox and taped it to the side of our desks. Then on Valentines Day, we all went around and delivered Valentines to each other's mailboxes. It was a lot of fun to play mail carrier and get Valentines from your friends in return.

Cottage Garden Heart Pendant from my shop

Visit Etsy.com for other great gift ideas!

It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye

I have been on an unexpected furlough this past week, having had surgery on my cornea. Not fun. Here's the story...

About 3 years ago I poked myself in the eye with an eyeliner brush, a particularly stiff type of makeup brush. I usually use eye pencils, so I was unfamiliar with this tool. That saying about teaching an old dog new tricks...well, that goes for eyeliner brushes. I now stick to eye pencils.

Eye See You Print by josephev

I scratched my cornea pretty good and had to go see an eye doctor. My cornea never healed properly and developed little cysts which kept rupturing. Sounds painful? That was nothing compared to what I've been through this past week!

After the cysts ruptured for about the 17th time, I finally decided I'd had enough and went back to the doctor. He recommended resurfacing my cornea right then and there, promising me I'd be able to drive home. Piece of cake. Yeah right.

The procedure wasn't painful, just uncomfortable. Someone shines a bright light into your numbed eye, holding your eyelid with a pair of tweezers. Then the doctor comes at you with what looks like a mini dremmel tool. Gross. I had to do a little tap dance in the chair to keep my mind occupied before I passed out. I'm too visual and may as well watch the entire procedure as my imagination makes it out to be worse than it often is.

Eyelash Necklace by jessitaylor

The problems started afterward. I barely made it home, my eye was so blurry I had to close it which then affected my depth perception. By the time I got home the numbing drops had worn off and I was in pain.

The doctor gave me a prescription for pain medication, but I'm usually pretty tough and don't need it. That was not the case this time. My eye was hurting so bad by that afternoon it felt like someone was jabbing a knife in it over and over. I tried Advil but that didn't touch the pain.

Now on to round two of my week of torture. Ding.

I took the pain medicine but it made me nauseated, so I stopped it. The next day I called the doctor back and he wanted to see me. Apparently I wasn't supposed to be in this much pain. I went in and he checked me and sent me home with some pathetic eye drops for the pain. They did nothing!

Cousin Harry by AlteredIndustries
This is totally what I looked like!

That night I was hurting so bad I was pacing the house for hours. I finally decided to take the pain meds that made me sick, choosing nausea over the pain. Big mistake. I was up for 5 hours, sick as a dog every 20-30 minutes. After my system expelled every last trace of the medicine, I felt much better and miraculously, my eye didn't even hurt!

Most of the discomfort the rest of the week was muscular, from squinting so hard and my 5 hour ordeal. My eye is still blurry but is well enough that I can now see the computer screen, so I'm back in action!

I go for a follow up visit with the doctor tomorrow and let me tell you, he's going to get an earful! I gave birth all naturally and that didn't even come close to the pain I was in this week!

Consignment at Artist Alley

I have been invited to display and consign my journals at Artist Alley in Southern Pines, NC! I'm excited about this great opportunity and just mailed my initial inventory off today. I had a friend scout out the shop and she was so impressed she wants to consign there also! It's in the historic district of Southern Pines, right off the main drag.
Here is one of the journals that will be in the shop. Winter Elegance Journal and it's companion, a little mini book. It would make a great wedding or bridal shower guest book!

I have consigned at several other shops and with a little experience under my belt I feel somewhat worthy to offer these tips.

If you're just starting out, I'd recommend consigning locally until you get the hang of it. That way you can go in a check on your stuff whenever you want and can go visit the gallery if there is a problem.

Consigning out of town requires a bit more precaution. If you can't personally go check out the shop, send someone you trust to give you a report. What's the location like? Is there the potential for a lot of foot traffic? How are the items displayed? Is the store cluttered or well-maintained? Check the shop owner's credentials. Do they seem reputable? Ask for referrals from other artists who currently consign there.

The typical arrangement is a 60/40 split with the gallery taking 40% of the sales price. Some galleries are lower and some are higher, but that is the most common scenario. Be sure you both sign a contract. If the gallery does not offer one, bring your own.

Another thing to consider, does the gallery insure your work against loss or damage? This is particularly important if you sell small, expensive items that can walk off easily. Most of the galleries I have consigned in do insure, but some do not.

I've had two instances of loss and damage; the first happened years ago at my very first consignment location. A group of school children came through the gallery for a tour (it was a working gallery where artists rent studio space). My jewelry was ransacked, about 75% of it stolen, but the gallery cut me a check for the lost items so it worked out okay for me.

The second was more recent at a gallery at which I no longer consign because of multiple issues. The price tags on my items were mixed up, causing some items to be sold at a loss to me. I addressed the loss with the gallery and the mixed up tags were corrected, but was not offered compensation and I didn't press the issue.

Then they "lost" one of my journals on the sales floor, only to rediscover it months later and return it to me in damaged condition. It was so bad I had to take the journal apart and remake it. The pages were dirty and rumpled on the edges and they ruined the first page by TAPING a price tag onto it!! That gallery is considered to be the "happening" place to be...I was shocked at their lack of professionalism.

The other local gallery I currently consign with is a new business run by the owner and her husband. Her gallery is small but she offers a nice variety of items and they are well displayed and cared for. Even though her gallery doesn't have a lot of foot traffic since it is rather new, she and I are hoping as the word gets out things will continue to pick up. After my experience with the previous gallery, I'd much rather do business with her, even if it means I don't sell as much!

As you can see, there are lots of things to consider when consigning and you do take a risk once your work leaves your hands. You just have to determine how much of a risk you're willing to take and what the cost will be to you if you experience loss or damage. I do this primarily for fun -- if I had to pay my bills with the money from my art I'd be living in a cardboard box! -- so a gallery that causes me big hassles and headaches just isn't worth it to me.

If you have any questions regarding consignment post them here and I will do my best to answer them!

I am an artist...I am an artist...

*Repeat to self over and over*
It has taken me a while to realize that I really AM an artist! Ever since I was able to hold a crayon in my hand I always told everyone I was going to be an artist when I grew up. I loved to create things and draw pictures. When my dad went on business trips I would spend my time making a special welcome home project for him. Sometimes it was a colored banner, decorated streamers on the back door, or a giant paper flower.

I recall in the second grade my friend Lisa and I started a comic strip. We added a new segment each morning during coloring time. By the end of the year I had about a ream of paper's worth of comics. Lisa and I thought they were hilarious and came close to wetting our pants on a daily basis laughing as we created them. The only thing I remember is a story about a caveman frozen in a block of ice which melted when an explorer shined his flashlight on it! I wish I still had my comic book but my mother threw it away in the name of "cleaning up". My mom just didn't get it.

A watercolor I did in high school of Marilyn Monroe

Through the years I took all the art classes I could and majored in studio art in college, but I never felt like I was "good enough" to do this professionally. I pursued other careers partly because I didn't believe I'd be able to support myself financially as an artist, and partly due to the influence of my college's career development department. They didn't know what to do with me; the only career they could suggest for me was to work in a museum.

One of my Art Club projects Ophelia's Memories

I continued to create art on the side, but really didn't get serious about it until about until I joined an art club sponsored by a local rubber stamp store. We had monthly projects and when I first started showing my work to others, I felt like I was just pretending to be an artist. The encouragement and compliments from my friends really helped me gain confidence in my work.

My first sale...the early version of Sand And Sky Seaglass Journal

It was a big step for me to start selling my work on Etsy but the immediate success I experienced was exciting and confirmed this was what I was meant to do! I sold my first piece in less than 24 hours but before anyone gets too envious, I must state I experienced a dry spell for several months afterward with no sales due to my ignorance regarding marketing!
This summer I had a fabulous opportunity to work with the Arnold Grummer company to design a book project for them (pictured above). They are a small family company specializing in handmade paper products and supplies. You can find their products in arts and crafts stores as well as their website.

I suppose this means I'm officially a professional artist! I still sit in front of my desk in my studio and repeat my mantra to myself over and over. I am an artist!

Accomplishments

Yet another day is almost gone and I feel like I've accomplished very little. Each night I go to bed with high aspirations of what I'm going to do the next day. "Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the sewing pile. I'm going to hem my jeans. I'm going to do some baking, make a new journal, retake some photos of items in my shop..." and so on. Here is a partial view of my sewing pile. Some of it is simple stuff like sewing buttons or fixing a seam. It's just a matter of setting aside a few hours of my time to finish it. But honestly, I'd rather be sewing the bindings of journals!

And at the end of the day, what do I have to show for myself? The same list of things that I went to bed with the night before. Why is that? What do I do all day??

Well, I answer questions all day from my 3 year old such as, "Mommy, where is North America?" and "Is there a monster in my closet hiding my books?" He will not be satisfied with a simple answer. All the answers must be given in great detail with full eye contact. If I try to mutter something while working I get, "MOMMA! Look at me!"

I also spend a lot of my time rescuing the dog from the toddler. He doesn't understand the dog isn't a peer and can't play cars because:
l) he has no interest in toys that don't squeak,
2) Hotwheels are not edible, and
3) he has no thumbs.

The fact that the dog cannot speak our language doesn't seem to bother my toddler in the least. He still yaks the dog's head off, telling him the ABC's, asking him questions, and narrating what Clifford is doing on tv.
I was able to accomplish a few things today. There are four finished Japanese paper journals in the book press. Tomorrow I hope to photograph them and list one. The blue paper next to the press is part of a new Sand and Sky Seaglass journal. I'm making one like my avatar, only with blue paper inside instead of tan. I hope to get the pages cut tonight and maybe start on binding the book.

I work best at night after the little guy has gone to bed. Or I should rephrase that...after he has gone to SLEEP. Just because he's in bed doesn't mean the questions stop. The other night he called me in there because he thought the Pooh bear on his nightlight was a monster. I surmised from this event that Scooby Doo is still too scary for him; we watched some old Scooby cartoons that day and he talked about the Willawaw for days afterward. "They are big walking owls, but they really men inside. Like when I wear my Halloween costume. They try to get Scooby Doo but he runs fast."
I also made some Parmesan-Pepper Bread. I wasn't too sure about the pepper part, so I only put a little in and it turned out great. I'd like to pretend that I made that mug, but I'm not that good a potter. My friend Rae is the expert potter. Maybe one day I will be able to make a mug that isn't an inch thick and lopsided. Until then I will buy them from Rae!

So that is a summary of my typical day. Tomorrow I will tackle that sewing pile, hem my jeans, finish a journal...here we go again!

Will I ever...

...have a clean studio?? Martha Stewart needs to come to my house. She can tackle my closets while she's at it. But that's another blog posting. A very lllllooonnnnggg posting. Here is Martha's studio. Do you think she uses it?! photos from MarthaStewart.comIt seems I do nothing but clean my studio. It never lasts for more than a day before I've messed it all up again with my projects. Papers everywhere, missing my bonefolder, glue stuck to the table, containers meant to keep things together open with their contents strewn across the table...

My studio is long and narrow with short walls like Martha's in the first picture, but not as wide. I have a table I used as an island in my former house, but when I tried it in my new house I kept falling over it. I get injured enough as it is without setting up obstacles for myself.

I've blogged about my studio before and posted photos. Some of you said my studio looked neat and organized but that was just for the photos! Ha ha ha! It never stays that way. If I were to photograph it right now you'd see!
I love all the drawers. They're shallow, just the size for small art supplies. The paper organizers are nice also, but I would need about 35 of them for all my paper!
Just look at all her little glitter jars all lined up so you can see what color they are. I have my glitter and embossing powders in a small stationary organizer with drawers. I am forever opening the wrong drawer and picking up every jar in it to find what I'm looking for. And the sad thing is I even have the names of the colors written on the caps. Obviously that doesn't help me much.

But seriously, look at all that wasted space in the sharps drawer! All those scissors could fit in one compartment and the others could be filled with something else. It is exactly that kind of thinking that has gotten me disorganized. I can't find anything for all the *things* in the drawer.
I've always wanted to keep my ribbon in a little box for easy dispensing, but the trouble is I have too many spools, they're all different sizes and wouldn't fit neatly into the same box. I do have cute little jars like these pictured but I have nowhere to display them because every flat surface is cluttered with something already.

It is beginning to sound like I need to downsize and reduce. I have accomplished that in much of the rest of my house. However, I refuse to budge when it comes to art supplies. I am a packrat and a hoarder, I admit it. You never know when a project might call for an old candy wrapper, a shamrock green bamboo twig, or a torn page out of an Agatha Christie mystery. These are just a few of my treasures stashed away. If I could just remember where I put them...

In the time I have spent drooling over Martha's organized space I could have cleaned out my art cabinet. Sigh. I just need some inspiration. Maybe these photos will help me aspire to be more organized. Or more likely, I'll continue to drool over them until I get cross eyed and sleepy. Then I'll just go to bed, dream about having Martha over and my studio will still be a mess in the morning.