SENORA MUERTOS

Gerard Butler loves crafty girls

2011-12-16T14:38:00.003-06:00

So you all have probably seen the Ryan Gosling photos all over Pinterest with cute captions regarding crafty girls that start with "Hey girl, ". Well Ryan Gosling is cute and all, but just not my type. So I don't know the story behind these photos, but I asked a friend to do one with Gerard Butler. Here's what she came up with. RAWR! LOL! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Strange Folk Fesitval 2011

2011-09-23T09:42:00.002-05:00

Be sure to come out to the Strange Folk Festival this weekend, Saturday, Sept. 24th and Sunday, Sept. 25th from 10am to 6pm both days. There will be over 150 artists, food, a beer garden, alpacas to pet, kitties to adopt and fun activities for the kids. I will be revealing my creepy doll candy canisters and a few other goodies. Hope to see you there!

Strange Folk Festival Facebook Raffle

2011-09-12T13:17:00.002-05:00

With the Strange Folk Festival right around the corner excitement is in the air. And now you can win some awesome raffle prizes from participating Strange Folk Festival artists. Check out the

Strange Folk Festival Facebook raffle . Good luck!

Strange Folk Festival

2011-07-11T18:09:00.000-05:00

I made it into the Strange Folk Festival, that will be Sept. 24th and 25th. So please save the date and come and see what I will have to offer this year. Some new items including the creepy bubble gum doll candy decanters and some mixed media collages and maybe even a few paintings. Looking forward to it.

http://www.strangefolkfestival.com/

Some random fun art

2011-06-28T19:20:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I craft for fun or for friends. These two pics were gifts for one of my best friends. Hope you enjoy them. I had a great time making them.

Anatomically correct heart mixed media piece. Lots of Modge Podge was used in the making of this! lol!

The next piece was a fun but creepy bubble gum doll candy holder. The lid is detachable.

Spring is in the air

2011-03-21T13:37:00.003-05:00

Spring is in the air again and I couldn't be happier. I love Spring! Not as much as Fall, but it's my 2nd favorite season. It's the time for new romances, baby animals, flowers, gardening, and so many more wonderful things. It's a time of re-birth. The Earth blooming and coming out of it's cold Winter sleep. With that being said I am hoping to come out of my Winter's sleep. Because that is what it feels like I have been doing all Winter. Sleeping! At least craft wise. So I wanted to share with you some props I bought recently to do some Day of the Dead dioramas. Tell me what you think.

This will be: Grandma knitting

This will be part of a 1950's kitchen scene I plan to do

Again part of the 1950's kitchen scene

Lovers on a park bench

This will be the chair for my seamstress

Not sure how I am going to do the bath scene yet

This will be a 1950's teenage girl laying on her bed

talking on the phone

This will be for my seamstress

This will be for my 1950's kitchen scene

This will be Day of the Dead angel with wings playing the harp

Upcoming CSN Stores Review

2011-01-28T14:20:00.000-06:00

CSN Stores has again contacted me to do a review on an item of my choice for them around $45.00. I have done two reviews for them so far and let me tell you I am more than pleased with both items I received and the ease of ordering and the quickness of the shipping. If you are not familiar with CSN Stores you should go check them out. They carry everything from toasters to bath towels to Herman Miller furniture.

They have so many items to choose from, but I would like to stay with the feel of my blog. Since I occasionally post recipes I decided to review another kitchen item. So stay tuned for an exciting review of yet another wonderful kitchen item from CSN Stores.

Craft books & blogs; Do they need to have pictures?

2011-01-21T14:17:00.001-06:00

I am a library junkie! I love my library and when I get on a roll I will request and request books until I am walking out of the library with 20 plus books. Recently I checked out a craft book that look interesting in the description on the library's website. Well I got the book and I was sorely disappointed. There were no real pictures and not very good directions either. I enjoy a good book. I am an avid reader, but when it comes to "How to" books I want lots of eye candy.

Would it be presumptuous of me to assume that most crafters, artists, hobbyists are visual people? I think not. So wouldn't an editor or publishing company want to cater to those who are their market? I would think so.

The same goes for blogs. I know I am guilty of this but it is hard for me to read a blog post that doesn't include a picture of some kind as reference or to tell a story.

Publishing companies, editors, authors, bloggers, please heed my words. You will get more readers with visuals. Good ones please!!! Thank you!

See I even added one pretty picture that has nothing to do with my post just to give you some eye candy.

This pic my the 7yr old daughter took at Missouri Botanical Gardens last year.

Produce Co-op

2011-01-18T15:34:00.000-06:00

I do a produce co-op every other week. It's $23.00 for a box of fruits and veggies and lasts our family (me, my kids and my parents) about 2 weeks. We do have to add items here and there of course. I love doing the co-op. It forces me to use veggies or fruit at every single meal. The co-op is throughout the St. Louis area with varying pick up times. Here's the link https://www.communityhelpingscoop.com/

Here is this weeks haul

Indie Craft Revolution Call for Art 2011

2011-01-13T10:59:00.000-06:00

The Indie Craft Revolution is currently having a call for artists. The even will be held at the St. Louis Artist Guild. The call for art will be from January 1st to February 9th. Apply here.

This years show will feature an indoor and outdoor show! Pass it along. Tell your friends!

Indie Craft Revolution: A craft event in a series of Indy Art and Craft events hosted by St. Louis Craft Mafia will be bigger and better this year. This is the second annual Indie Craft Revolution will be on Saturday, April 30th 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday, May 1st from 10 am to 4 pm.

Green Project Contest-Help Upcycle Exchange win.

2010-12-29T17:18:00.000-06:00

Please, please, please take the time to go vote for the Upcycle Exchange. You don't have to sign up or give any personal info. Just a click. I cannot tell you how much that I and other local artists have benefited from this program. Not only that we are keeping items out of the landfill. PLEASE GO VOTE NOW AND SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS. THANK YOU!!!

GO HERE TO VOTE

Sugar Skull Mask Giveaway

2010-12-10T11:26:00.001-06:00

GIVEAWAY

To get in the holiday spirit I thought I would hold a giveaway. I will be giving away one Sugar Skull Mask to one lucky reader.

MANDATORY ENTRY

To enter you MUST be a follower of my blog. Please leave a comment below with your email address so I can contact you if you win. *This entry must be completed before extra entries can count.*

EXTRA ENTRIES

1. Like Senora Muertos on Facebook

2. Give Senoraalegremuertos a heart (or favorite my store) on etsy.

3. Purchase something from my etsy store.

4. Blog about my giveaway and leave a link to your blog post in your comment.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry with an email address where I can get in touch with you if you win.

Deadline to enter will be enter will be midnight on December 16th.

Open to US residents only

*If you don't follow the mandatory entry your entry will be disqualified*

Winner will be picked by a at random number generator from Random.org and the winner will be emailed and posted on this site. Winner has 48 hours to respond to winning email or another winner will be chosen.

Another CSN Store review coming up soon

2010-11-03T18:42:00.004-05:00

The wonderful folks over at CSN Stores have asked me to do another review for them and since I was so pleased with my first product (the rice cooker) I joyously agreed. In case you haven't checked out CSN Stores yet, you must! With over 200 online stores they offer everything from kitchen products, to baby products to bar furniture.

So make sure to stay tuned for my review of one of their products and in the meantime head over to CSN Stores and check out what they have to offer. There really is something for everyone in every price range.

This was the rice cooker I reviewed and now LOVE!

Thank you! Strange Folk Festival 2010

2010-10-22T13:59:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the belated thank you, but I would like to thank everyone who came out to the Strange Folk Festival. I forgot my camera to take pics, but a dear friend of mine Lori Peterson of Lori Peterson Photography was a sweetheart and took some awesome pics for me.

Here are the great pics she took.

HAIR GOODIES

MORE HAIR GOODIES

SKULL MASKS AND CHRISTMAS TREE TOPPER

SKULL MASKS

PETER PUMPKIN HEAD AND CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS

BRIDE AND GROOM

MORE HAIR GOODIES

The paintings my 8yr old daughter did and is selling under pandacutie.

CSN Stores Aroma 7 cup Rice Cooker

2010-10-17T13:23:00.001-05:00

Awhile back CSN Stores offered me the opportunity to try and then review one of their products. I decided on the Aroma 7 cup Rice Cooker since we eat a lot of rice and I thought this product would make my life easier. I wanted to use it for some time before making a decision. Well I love it! It is so easy to use. I am one of those people who burn rice on the stove and never again will my family have to deal with burnt rice. This rice cooker is so simple to use. You measure out how much rice you will need (i.e. 3 cups, etc.) and on the inside of the pot there is a line to show you how much water to put in. You then hit the cook button and wait. Cooking times vary depending upon the rice, but it is usually around 20 to 30 minutes. It will automatically switch over to the warming option once it is done. That is all. It has most definitely made my life easier.

Here is a link to the rice cooker. It is quite affordable and again I would totally recommend it.

Aroma 7 cup rice cooker

Strange Folk Festival 2010 and Upcycle Exchange

2010-09-24T14:16:00.000-05:00

Please come visit me at the Strange Folk Festival this weekend, Sept. 26th & 27th from 10am to 6pm both days in O'Fallon, Il. There are around 150 participating artists and crafters, bands, family friendly craft activities and food. I will be sharing a booth with House Shoe Mama and Fat Daddy Kustom Leather. My 8yr old daughter will also be revealing her canvas paintings under the business name Panda-Cutie.

Also, the Upcycle Exchange will be accepting donations and those that donate will get a coupon passport that will get you lots of freebies and discounts with participating artists. I am offering a free Sugar Skull magnet or bottle cap magnet with purchase. Or if you mention my blog and have a coupon passport I will give you a goodie free with or without purchase while supplies last. Please visit the website for accepted donations.

Hope to see you there.

Baked Tofu recipe and CSN Stores Review coming up

2010-05-12T14:25:00.001-05:00

CSN Stores recently contacted me about doing a review of one of their products. I have seen many reviews and giveaways from CSN Stores on the blogs I follow and they have a great reputation so I figured why not. I would be thrilled to do so! Please stay tuned for the review of one of their products. Since I am hoping to review a kitchen related item I thought I would post a recipe. Tonight's dinner is going to be Vegetarian Stir Fry with Rice Noodles and Baked Tofu. The tofu is amazingly simple to make and so yummy by it's self I thought I would just post the recipe for the tofu.

Baked Tofu

You will need
1 block extra firm tofu
3/4 cup of hoisin sauce or marinate of your choice

The night before take tofu out of container and place on plate with 2 layers of papertowels on top and underneath tofu. Place heavy pan (such as cast iron) or other heavy kitchen safe item on top. This squeezes some of the extra moisture out.

In the a.m. slice tofu horizontally and then cube. Toss lightly so as not to break up cubes in hoisin sauce.
Put back in fridge. Let marinate at least 4 hours.

When ready to bake preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray pan with non stick cooking spray. Place cubes on tray and bake approximately 30 to 35 minutes or until kind of crisp on the outside. They will still be a little spongy on the inside.

Toss in with your stirfry or other dish or just enjoy as a snack.

So there is my Baked Tofu recipe. You will have to come back to see my review of the kitchen item. But in the mean time please go check out CSN's website. The prices are very affordable and they have 200 stores. They have everything you can think of including corner tv stands.

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T13:50:00.001-05:00

As an artist I really am frugal and Earth friendly. I try to use as much recyclable items as possible. It's not always easy though. I belong to the Upcycle Exchange which really has helped me save money and save the Earth all at the same time. The Upcycle Exchange will have a booth Sunday, April 25th, from 11am to 6pm for St. Louis Earth Day Festival. So please come visit us at the Upcycle Exchange booth. We however will NOT, be taking donations. WE WILL NOT BE TAKING DONATIONS THAT DAY.

So what do you do to help protect Mother Earth? Either in your art or home. We try to turn out lights in the rooms we are not using, wash clothes in cold, use CFL lightbulbs, ride our bikes or walk to the gym, etc. We plan to plant a garden in the back yard and start a compost pile too. It's the small things that add up!

Upcycle Exchange Green Craftea Open House this Sunday, March 28th

2010-03-24T20:20:00.003-05:00

This month, they are opening their members-only pick-up party to the public! Come find out about the program, sit for a spot of tea, and take your pick from our abundant art and craft supply inventory!

When: Sunday, March 28, 2010 – 12p.m. – 4p.m.

Where: Finder’s Hive @ 3022A Cherokee St. in St. Louis (view map)

They have two sizes of bags that you can fill to your liking:
Large (paper grocery bag) – $10
Small (paper lunch sack) – $4
Prices of large items that will not fit into bags are negotiable. They have tons of fabrics, notions, yarn, paint, paper, beads, and much much more! All proceeds benefit The Upcycle Exchange program. They'd love it if you would RSVP on our Facebook Event Page ! See you there!

I personally love this program and I am a member. I cannot tell you how much I have benefited and the money I have saved. Plus it is keeping items out of the landfills and helping us "starving" artists create our lovely upcycled creations. I'll be there!

Saint Louis Indie Craft Revolution March 13th & 14th

2010-03-11T14:22:00.001-06:00

St. Louis Artists’ Guild to host Indie Craft Revolution an Indie Art and Craft Market organized by the St. Louis Craft Mafia.

Indie Craft Revolution: A craft event in a series of Indy Art and Craft events hosted by St. Louis Craft Mafia. Indie Craft Revolution will be on Saturday, March 13th 10 am to 6pm and Sunday, March 14th from 10 am to 4 pm.

The St. Louis Craft Mafia is teaming up with partners such as SCORCH, RFT, PASTE, Yelp, Funky Finds and Well Body Acupuncture and Chiropractic to make this event a reality. This show aims to provide St. Louis with well made, handmade and interesting items.

WHAT: Indie Craft Revolution at The St. Louis Artists’ Guild
WHEN: Saturday March 13th 10 am-6pm and Sunday, March 14th from 10 am to 4 pm
WHERE: St. Louis Artists’ Guild –Corner of Big Bend and Clayton In Oak Knoll Park

http://revolutioncraftshow.com/

Before coming down make sure to download the Upcycle Exchange wish list and bring all your recyclables to get a coupon from participating artists.

http://www.upxchange.com/

Yo Gabba Gabba Live in My City ticket giveaway

2010-02-02T16:49:00.000-06:00

My friend Lori at http://www.petersonstlouis.com/2010/02/yo-gabba-gabba-live-giveaway.html?dsq=32427195#comment-32427195 is having a giveaway. You could win 3 tickets to see Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE:There's a Party in My City at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis on March 21 at 5pm.

Follow the link to see the rules!

I don't know about you, but I love Yo Gabba Gabba !

LIME GREEN!

2010-01-15T11:56:00.000-06:00

I have been cleaning and organizing my craft area in our basement all week long and in doing so I have been researching decorating ideas. The walls down here are what is called Retro Mint Green and they are not a fave of mine at all!!! I already have my gorgeous pink 1950's metal cabinets and my counter top that is also 1950's with boomerangs in green, pink and grey. I love the pink, but hated the mint green. I talked to my hubby and he said I should be able to paint my craft area with regular latex paint with no problem as it stays dry on my side of the basement and no waterproofing is needed. Yay!

Your thinking, but your only going to paint part of your basement? Yes, that's right! See one side of my craft area is cut off by our storage room, the other side stops at the stairs which has a large wooden board where our dart board is attached too. So I will be pricing paint this weekend and hopefully once it warms up I will be able to paint. Lime green was the perfect choice. It should brighten the area up, it goes with the already pink cabinets and I can use neon yellow, neon orange, turquoise, bright blue, red, purple and hot pink as accent colors. I have some beautiful Mexican oil cloth and red Alexander Henry sugar skull fabrics to use too. I'm getting there people. I figure it will help me immensely to have a beautiful area to come down and create in. Kind of like a retreat. And since those colors are the ones I use most it should help to inspire me.

Now back to cleaning! Ugh!

One of my New Year's resolutions, organizing my craft room

2010-01-10T04:32:00.000-06:00

So we all make New Year's resolutions. Well most of us do and most of us try and then somewhere into March the gusto you once had for that resolution peters out. At least that is true for me. But this year there is one New Year's resolution I hope that I can keep and that is to organize my craft area.

So here is an idea of how messy it truly is. I am not going to show you all of it because you might call Hoarders on me. LOL! It truly is bad and I am quite embarrassed to even show these, but if I bare my soul maybe it will force me to clean.

Here is the one wall where our storage room is. My desk with computer sits here. The desk was a gifted from a good friend and the computer was purchased used. I moved the desk there last month and I had to literally pile stuff on top of each other to get it there. I love natural wood but I am considering painting this with magnetic paint so I can adhere my inspirations and sketches to it.

The next photo shows the wall to the left in this photo a little clearer. You can see the MINT green hospital colored walls I am stuck with. I plan to put up as much pegboard and cork board as I can to hide these as I can not afford to paint them right now.

I have lots of ideas floating in my head and I have a good base. I have great 50's pink metal cabinets, a counter top for said cabinets that is white with, pink, grey and mint green 50's boomerangs, a great 40's style wood desk. I have received umpteen tins from Upcycle Exchange that I plan to decoupage in fun papers to match. I have an idea for putting the fabric I love in embroidery hoops and grouping them in a design. And there is so much more. As long as my depression is under control I hope to share a lot of these ideas with you in pics and tutorials. I won't promise anything as my depression has been a serious roller coaster with mostly downs lately, but it's a New Year. So wish me luck! I need to tackle the mountain of laundry you can't see that is to the right before I start. I am going to do laundry on Sunday and then on Monday after the kids are off to school and I have guzzled down a pot of Chai tea I will brave this mess and hopefully start on my new improved craft room.

Any ideas you might have to improve my space or for organization would be gladly welcomed!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2009-12-23T15:12:00.004-06:00

I would just like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Festivus, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy Solstice. I hope you get all you ask for and that you are able to enjoy time with family and friends.

Big Thank you for Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show

2009-12-07T17:01:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to thank everyone who came out to the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft show. It was crowded anytime I was there. I also want to thank the wonderful BAIACS staff, volunteers and the Mad Art staff & gallery. Another very well put on show that was beautifully displayed. Great job!

I do have quite a few items left. Including a Sugar Skull tree topper, sugar skull & glittery Day of the Dead related ornaments, magnets, necklaces and a few others.
Look for some pics here, on my FB fan page and on my Etsy site.

Thank you again!!!

St. Louis Artist Package Give Away

2009-12-06T17:38:00.002-06:00

Check out my good friends blog give away. She has made nice little package from local St. Louis Artists, including a Sugar Skull Ornament from me. You don't want to miss out on this.

Blog Give away

Sneak Peek into Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show 3

2009-12-04T08:35:00.004-06:00

So the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show starts tonight. It runs all weekend.
Dec. 4th, 7 to 11pm
Dec. 5th, 10am to 7pm
Dec. 6th, 10am to 3pm

Again, there are a multitude of gifts to choose from. You can find a gift for that picky mother in law, quirky co-worker or your punk rock niece or nephew who think they are too cool for school. The styles represented range from the hip fashionable to the quirky artsy fartsy, to punk rock.

Please check out the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show's fan page on Facebook and you will see a few photos of the awesome job the setup team and staff did. It looks great. But you will also get to virtual window shop too. Woo hoo!

Don't forget that the Upcycle Exchange will be there collecting donations and Mad Art is collecting donations for Bear Necessities that will benefit local food banks and shelters.

I will be working the registers Sat. from 3pm to 7pm. Hope to see ya there!

Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show Upcycle list

2009-12-02T15:27:00.002-06:00

So many of you have items laying around your house that you might be thinking I will never use that I should donate that or throw it away. Well please don't throw it away.
Keep those items out of the landfill. Here is a list of recyclables and craft supplies that I have asked for through the Upcycle Exchange (see the side bar for the link). Please take your time and go to the site to see other items requested by other artists. You will receive a coupon book good for free items or discounts with purchase in the future with participating artists.

Here's my long, long list and hope to see you at the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft show.

micro brew and import bottle caps
soda bottle caps
cork boards/bulletin boards
stryofoam cones
stryofoam balls
wooden shadow box/es (any size)
wall paper paste
glitter and glitter glue
wooden/plastic spools @ least 1 ft high
glass prayer candles (with wax all used)
wooden crates (no larger than 3 feet)
wooden jewelry boxes
red lace trim
any fabric with skulls, tattoo, dice, flames
any color of tulle (other than white)
copper sheeting (any size)
small religious statues
wooden crosses (any size)
vintage hard plastic carry on makeup case
ball fringe any color
loteria cards
unused sculpey/fimo clay
plastic organizing bins
cigar boxes
embossing powder
embossing glue
jump rings
jewelry chain
ball chain
split rings
earring findings
necklace closures
necklace extenders
silver bracelets
barrette findings
toggle findings
pin findings
bobby pins with glueable pads
wrap-able jewelry wire
beads (red, black, purple, blue, grey)
modge podge
glue
e-6000 glue
gorilla glue
wooden picture frames
magnets
juice can lids
end biscuit can lids
unused resin
resin molds
vinyl records
ribbon
craft paint
spray paint
fabric paint
one shot paint
glass paint
paint pens
clear acrylic spray
paint brushes
popsicle sticks
foam paint brushes
jewelry displays
unused card stock
unused printer paper
unused printer labels
countertop samples
bowling pins
scrapbook paper
scrapbooking punches
scrapbooking scissors
jingle bells
unused canvas
exacto knife blades
crayons
spinning racks
linoleum cutter
clay working tools
ink pads
ink stamps (espec. skulls, halloween)
brads
eyelets
removable glue dots/pads
pinking shears
etching cream
small clear storage bags (i.e. jewelry(self sealing)
sequins
glitter stems
chenille stems
red silk roses
black silk flowers
fall color silk flowers
unused tooth picks
skulls (any, paper, ceramic, etc)
skeletons (any, paper, ceramic, etc.)
pinups (paper, etc.)
bubble wrap
stickers

Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show

2009-12-01T13:08:00.002-06:00

So after much procrastination, whining, fretting, and mishaps I dropped my inventory off last night at Mad Art Gallery for the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show this weekend.
December 4th, 5th and 6th. The place looked great already and they had only started.
There will be tons of handmade and handcrafted goodies ranging from $3.00 on up.
I crafted a Day of the Dead Joey Ramone just for this and let me tell you he looks great! I also did a ton of Sugar Skull ornaments and some pinups, Day of the Dead among others. I have some new magnets. There are Day of the Dead Catrina's, Day of the Dead Frida Kahlo, Day of the Dead Cowboys, Day of the Dead Gentleman with top hat and Day of the Dead Mexican Revolutionary.

Not only that there are around 80 other artists participating with goodies from jewelry, hair accessories, magnets, art, ceramics, clothing, plushies, pinstriped toilet seats and so much more. You have to go check it out to see. It is free admission all three days with entertainment on Friday night.

So make sure to check out the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show this weekend. I will be working the register on Sat. from 3pm to 7pm come say Hi!

Dia de los Muertos Celebration

2009-10-30T10:52:00.001-05:00

Come celebrate Dia de los Muertos with me and other great artists: In a dream come true, there will be a skeleton parade snaking around the block with lots of musicians & skeletons dressed as salsa dancers, Mexican revolutionaries, AZTECas, Frida Kahlo, CUAHTEMOC, Harriet Tubman, bride & groom or a variety of other characters with photos of the remembered, maybe some skeleton pinatas -- think CARNAVAL, New Orleans Style JAZZ funeral

Date: Saturday, October 31, 2009
Time: 11:00am - 5:00pm
Location: MOKABE's
Street: Arsenal @ Grand

Current items available for sale (not on Etsy)

2009-10-08T21:01:00.001-05:00

Please be sure to check my Facebook Fan page for current items listed for sale that I have not yet listed on Etsy. Please feel free to email or pm me on FB with any questions and price quotes. Especially if the item/s need to be shipped.

I am currently accepting custom orders for Christmas fulfillment. For custom orders I require half up front as a deposit. The remainder would be paid upon receipt of the item. I need at least two weeks to fill a custom order so order early.

Please remember I can take any image and place it in a bottle cap for earrings, pendant or necklace, tie tac, cufflinks, lapel pin, bobby pin, barrette or magnets.
I need at least one week to fill this custom order.

Flashback Friday

2009-10-02T13:04:00.005-05:00

Naked Raygun was my first Punk Rock show. It was at SIUE Edwardsville and it was AWESOME! I still love them to this day, they rock! A friend of mine wrote this earlier this week

No matter what else I ever do, how old I get, or how much I spend on my hair, I will always be a punk rocker at heart. I will never let anyone tell me how to look, how to think, or that I can't pick up shit myself and learn it. I will never be... a war apologist or a demure housewife without a voice of my own. Till the day I die, I will curse like a sailor and go down swinging.

This is me! I totally got what she meant and it fits me to a T.

I got into punk when my uncle introduced me to Pipeline a local punk show on SIUE's radio station. I understood how the people singing felt. I wasn't really rebelling against my parents. They were good people and let me be who I was. I wasn't rebelling against authority, because I understood rules were in place for a reason. I was rebelling against society and I still am. I refuse to be a lamb. I refuse to wear the latest fashions and be told how to dress, think, and act.

I grew up poor. We were welfare kids. My mom and stepdad tried, but we were poor.
That's just how it was. My clothes were either from Venture, hand me downs or from the thrift store. Now I am 40, so back when I was a kid it was not cool to shop at thrift stores. I hated not having the latest, coolest styles. I once even stole money to go buy Nikes for me and a friend. I got caught and we had to return them. Lesson learned! But then I found punk rock. Punk rockers wore what they wanted. They were individuals, not sheep. No two looked exactly alike, though there might be similarities. I found black 50's cocktail dresses and I ripped my already used jeans. I wrote band names on my clothes and song lyrics. I spray painted my jean jacket. I pierced my nose and hung a chain from my nose to my ear. I could be myself and not be ashamed that I didn't have the latest and greatest. That's what I love about punk rock. The ability to express yourself in how you look and tell society, Fuck you! I am who I am and if you don't like it you can kiss my ass! Needless to say I am tamed down version. But not much. I have two nose piercings, the classic Betty Page hair (though in a dark red). I still wear band shirts, black converse, Doc Martens, skulls and black. I am a punk. It's who I am and it will always be me.
Don't get me wrong. It wasn't just the fashion of punk rock that pulled me in. It just allowed me to be okay with being myself. That then allowed me to be the free thinker I am today. It allowed me to develop my own opinions and voice them. It allowed me to strive to be better because I wanted to, not because it was expected of me. It allowed to appreciate and accept other opinions and views (to a point, there are some things I just won't tolerate). It opened up my creativity, allowing me to express myself in many different ways. Art now being one of those creative outlets. It gave me the self confidence and back bone to not care what others thought of me. I am trying to pass down those important lessons to my children. I hope it makes them better people too!

Viva la Revolution!

Thank you, and Strange Folk Festival

2009-09-28T18:19:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to thank everyone who came out to Strange Folk festival over the weekend. I was a great weekend other than the downpour we had on Sat. Some people shopped anyways. My daughter and I sat in our chairs under the tent eating kettle corn and listening to the rain. It was nice, though a clear sunny day like Sunday would of been better, you try to enjoy what you can't change.

Here are a few pics of my booth and wares for the weekend. Some items are still available, please feel free to ask.

Flashback Friday & Strange Folk Festival

2009-09-25T14:29:00.004-05:00

Yes, I am getting rid of Friday's Family feature, because truthfully it was boring. I love my family and I find them exciting, but I can only write so much about them to keep you interested. That being said I got the great idea to do Flashback Friday's. I don't know where it came from, maybe some one else is doing it on their blog. I am not taking credit for originating it. I am just going to make it my own. It might be picture, a song, a memory. I am just going to go with the flow and hope you enjoy it.

So in preparing for the Strange Folk Festival I have had a few songs get stuck in my head and then doing what I do. You get on you tube and look up one song, you then try to keep going to different band videos from that one song. Sometimes you get stuck on one band, but it can be fun to see what you come up with. While doing this last night I ran into a Split Enz video I forgot about. So I will be giving you Split Enz and Siouxsie and the Banshees today for Flashback Friday.

Remember to come see me this weekend at the Strange Folk Festival! I will have lots of pumpkin goblins, the cutest Zombie Girl EVER, Day of the Dead Elvis, Day of the Dead Cat, Day of the Dead Dog, Day of the Dead Marie Antoinette, a witch, a couple of Diablos, a bobble head, cat, dog, devil boy & skeleton and so Sugar skulls galore!!!

Strange Folk Festival this weekend

2009-09-23T15:35:00.004-05:00

The Strange Folk Festival is coming up this weekend. I like all good crafty procrastinators, am not ready. I am doing the mad final crafting dash to try and make sure I have enough goodies to sell. It is a mad scramble! My hands are stiff and crampy, I have paint in my hair and I am tired. I am just getting over being sick so it makes it especially hard. But, enough whining! Please come see me and over 124 other extremely talented artists and crafters in O'Fallon, Illinois this Sat. Sept 26th and Sunday, Sept. 27th from 10am to 6pm.

Don't forget to bring your Upcycle Exchange goodies to donate. You will be helping out an artist or artists, saving items from the landfill and you will get a coupon book you can use that day to shop!

Strange Folk Festival

Lots of new happenings

2009-09-17T15:07:00.003-05:00

Sorry I have not posted in a while. I get migraines and they are plaguing me pretty bad these last couple of weeks. In fact I have a headache as we speak. I just hope the tylenol works.

So lots of new happenings! I was accepted to Etsy's Dark Side team. I couldn't be more excited about this. I will hopefully be able to reach the audience that will enjoy my crafty goodness now. Plus the talent of some of the artists is just amazing and they all seem so helpful and nice. You can check their my space page out on the link on the upper right hand side.

I went thrift store shopping with my mom yesterday and we had a great time. I had a shopping cart full of stuff at one store and was rather concerned that I had put more in my cart than I had money for. Oh no I spent less than I had imagined by more than half. I was stoked. I actually found some shadow boxes, so I can make a few more circus freaks for the Strange Folk Festival.

I am working slowly on my pieces for Strange Folk. Between the migraines and a little laziness I am not getting very far. I will post WIP pics tomorrow also. So stay tuned until tomorrow.

The Crafter's Devotional the beginning

2009-09-11T14:25:00.005-05:00

Friday's Family Feature will be skipped today to bring you this important message, we will return to our regular programming next Friday.

I couldn't sleep last night, again. I have insomnia from time to time so after I got the kids off to school I went back to bed. Well I was just woken up by the UPS person ringing my bell. And behold it was a package, but not just any package. Here's how the story begins;

A week or so ago someone sends me an email saying a won a craft book and a bobbin winder off their blog. Needless to say I was super excited. I don't win anything, ever. Well the book is call The Crafter's Devotional, 365 Days of Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Unlocking Your Creative Spirit, by Barbara R. Call. The blog I won it off of is an awesome blog that I check daily and the link is listed on this blog. It is Craftside .

I am stoked about this book. The publisher included a note telling me to please feel free to blog about the prizes and Hells Yeah, I am going to.

Since leaving my job at the STL Zoo in May, I was supposed to be doing all I can to try and build up my craft business. I have sat on my butt and done close to nothing. This I hope will light the proverbial fire under my ass and get my crafting the way I should be.

Here is a pic of the book and a description from the back of the book.

Crafters dabble, collaborate, muse, and make, all in their own way on on their own time line. For all crafts, there are established techniques... and innumerable ways to experiment.

No matter your craft of choice, you'll find daily inspiration in the pages of this book. Author and crafter Barbara R. Call understands there is something elemental shared among artists and crafters, regardless of their chosen medium: creative energy. For each crafter looking to hone a favorite skill, there is a dozen who are waiting for that certain spark of inspiration or sinuous root of an idea to take hold.

The Crafter's Devotional uses interdisciplinary exercises, nuggets of wisdom, brainstorming triggers, and how-to techniques to inspire, enhance, and motivate you to create.

Inside you'll find the following categories:
Monday/Journaling
Tuesday/recycle, reuse, or revive
Wednesday/collection, stash, and materials
Thursday/personal history
Firday/noncraft inspiration
Saturday and Sunday/collaborate, gather and experiment

Please check back with me often as I post about the book and the activities I do and the crafts I come up with.

Great thrift store finds & My Vintage Addiction blog

2009-09-10T10:08:00.005-05:00

A friend of mine just launched her newest blog all about feeding that Vintage Addiction. The name of the blog is My Vintage Addiction. She designed the blog herself and I love the colors and the use of some really cool fonts. ( I love fun fonts). You can check it out here .

In honor of her website launch I thought I would show off my newest thrift store find.
Yesterday my mom came over and took me to brunch at one of my favorite diner food restaurants. (Did I mention how cool my mom is. Her two favorite cd's right now are Lady Gaga's The Fame and Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape). We decided to go thrift store-ing. We hit two thrift stores and scored some choice items. I am in the midst of redoing my craft area and storage is always a problem. Well I picked up some of those tins like the ones you get cookies in at Christmas. I am going to decoupage and or paint them (tutorial in the works). I also picked up some books for the kids and a few stray craft supplies. My big score was the pic on the right. I found the pic on the left for my daughter at a thrift store over 6 months ago for $3.00 or $4.00. I got the second one yesterday for $1.00. I will need to try and match up a frame for the second one.

The are named left one, Gigi and the right one Mimi. Both by Sherle. I am going to have to do research to see if there are any others out there. Anyway I hope you enjoy and if you have an addiction with vintage items like me be sure to check out the My Vintage Addiction

EDIT: Just googled to see what I could find. There are three more so far. One named Penny of a girl with a guitar and two of boys kind of the same Harlequin, pastel style.

I'm the featured artist today at St. Louis Handmade

2009-09-09T08:37:00.001-05:00

Hey all,
How exciting is this! I am the featured artist today at St. Louis Handmade. Check it out here

Gearing up for Strange Folk Festival

2009-09-08T19:55:00.003-05:00

I am slowly gearing up for Strange Folk Festival. I can't seem to get my momentum going. I got a lot of bobble head or big headed Halloween creatures started. I am kind of in a rut with my Day of the Dead figures. I did start Siamese Twin Girls that will be part of my Day of the Dead Freak Show series. Along with the twins I started on a Day of the Dead cat and dog. I am going to try and have more Halloween pieces mixed in this year. I want to appeal to a larger crowd, but still appease those who love Day of the Dead.

I am planning to do a tutorial and I am kind of unsure of what. I might do a pumpkin, or a pinata. Either one would be paper mache'. Maybe I will do both or combine them. Hmmmm......??????

Labor Day Weekend Sale

2009-09-04T14:47:00.002-05:00

I decided to have a Labor Day Weekend Sale. 15% off your total purchase and a free sugar skull magnet with each purchase. Convo me on etsy before the purchase and I will adjust the invoice, put code:labor in the subject line. Click my etsy shop on the right to get to my store.

Hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend! I have two birthday parties, a BBQ and some out of town friends to see.

Friday's Family Feature -Lulu

2009-09-04T07:04:00.004-05:00

Lulu Belle is the baby of the family. She is the youngest of our Boston Terrors and she is a terror! She is the scamp, the feisty one who starts the scraps and then tries to finish them. Lulu will play fight all day with both her brother and sister if they like it or not. She is momma's baby though and will take breaks to sit with me or try to lay on me or randomly lick me.(Why do dogs do that?!)

Lulu is our little jack rabbit. She hops! She turns her body sideways and kind of hops on all fours backwards and forwards. It's the funniest thing ever.
I imagine her self portrait would be her wearing pink boxing gloves with a black eye and pink bow with a skull in the middle of it and maybe a front tooth missing.

I almost forgot to mention her high pitched bark. It grates the nerves. Ugh!

Great, now I need to draw my dogs as humans, as they would draw their own self portraits. Oh man! TGIF! LOL!

Featured Artist for the Week Courtney Turney of Hypercraftive

2009-09-03T06:57:00.008-05:00

This week I would like to introduce you to another fellow St. Louis Craft Mafia member and a very talented artist.

Artist/Crafter Name: Courtney Turney

Art/Craft Specialty: Wool felting

Etsy shop: www.hypercraftive.etsy.com

Blog: www.hypercraftive.blogspot.com

Photo site: www.flickr.com/hypercraftive

Shops where you sell: Cranky Yellow, Laumeier Sculpture Park

Upcoming Shows: Strange Folk Festival, Big A$$ Indie Art & Craft Show

What is your artistic background: I've been creating all my life and I have a degree in fashion design. I don't draw very well so I stick to mediums that don't require it!

When did you learn to craft: It all started when I would sit on the floor of my mom's sewing room and try to invent things with all her scraps.

How long have you been creating professionally: 1 year

Have you ever been published in a magazine, featured on television, etc.: Featured artist in "Objectivity", Laumeier Sculpture Park's member magazine. Issue: June 2009

Do you teach art to other's? If so where: I would love to, but I haven't yet

Can you briefly describe the process of creating your art: I knit and crochet free from items and then felt them using a wet-felting method called 'fulling'. I also felt old wool sweaters using the same method and then use a needle-felting technique to apply simple graphic images before turning the felted fabric into accessories such as cuffs and coasters.

What inspires you: My children, the color wheel and simple icons.

When do you feel most creative: When I sleep. That may seem strange, but I will wake up spontaneously, with some really cool ideas.

How does creating make you feel: Relaxed

What other art inspires you: Paul Klee, Any Warhol, anything Bauhaus

What colors make you happy: Right now, it is bright jewel tones, but that'll change.

Do you listen to music while you create? If so what: Oddly, no.

If you were to pick a different medium or craft to specialize in what would it be:
metalsmithing, large and small

Do you have any favorite places to shop for supplies in the area: Any thrift store for the old and recyclables, Paste in Soulard (for my yarn). My favorite online store is ornamentea.com

What is/are your favorite magazine(s) related to your art/craft: I don't one, but www.printpattern.blogspot.com is my favorite place for inspiration.

What is your studio or workspace like: A big mess. I have 5 projects going with all the supplies spread out on tables, floor & bulletin boards at any given time. I call it the creative process, but it's really just an occupational hazard.

If you could have your dream studio anywhere in the world where would it be: In the alps, in a chateau

When did you first discover you were a creative spirit: I don't think I ever discovered. I always was and it was always encouraged.

What is your all time favorite creation: I'm too fickle to pick just one. My favorite is always the one I just finished.

What is the best creative advice you have been given: If you love what you create, who cares what anyone else thinks.

What is the best creative advice you would give: Don't be afraid-this is why children are such great artists.

What do you really want people to know about you, your art and living a creative life: I have a day job and a family that I share my love with. I don't know what I would do with myself if I didn't have any of these 3 outlets in my life.

When you aren't creating, how do you like spend your time: on Facebook-don't judge me

Name and describe one person who has encouraged your creative spirit, and how have they inspired you: My husband, Mike Turney. He is an emerging artist himself and he has always stood firmly behind me in everything I do; encouraging and
loving and gentle

Crock pot Lentil & Sausage Soup

2009-09-02T09:20:00.006-05:00

This is one of my favorite recipes.

Crockpot Lentil & Sausage soup

1 lb (package) lentils, rinsed and drained
1 package (16oz) smoked sausage, diced
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium carrots, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies (drain liquid)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp of cumin
4 cans chicken broth (you could substitute vegetable or beef)
2 stalks celery, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients into your crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Enjoy!

What inspires you or What are you reading?

2009-09-01T17:13:00.006-05:00

So I started reading The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. It is a very interesting story so far and revolves around Dante's Inferno. In the first few pages of the book was a picture of this painting. A Topography of Hell by Bartolomeo di Fruosino c. 1420

I couldn't find a larger image, but you get the general idea. Sinners of all sorts, in different levels of torture or torment in hell. Well this got me thinking. Why am I drawn to this kind of art work. Because I do love it! I was raised Catholic and Catholics are all about the guilt and sinners and burning in hell. I was exposed to a lot of beautiful religious art and a lot of it was the Fire and Brimstone type though a lot of it was moving and showed levels of love and faith. I only went to college for two semesters and this was in the last few years. I did not take art history and I do not claim to know much of anything. These are not educated opinions in any way. I just know what I like and I like this kind of art. Don't get me wrong I love all kinds of art. This is just the art that moves me. I look at this kind of art and it invokes emotion.

Look at this statue of Madonna and child by Michelangelo. Look how he made her to look so normal. She looks like any other mom. It's as if she was posing for him and Jesus was just a normal child playing at her feet. At least this is what I get from it. Of course art is in the eye of the beholder too.

What inspires you? Or what are you reading?

Just Another Manic Monday

2009-08-31T10:51:00.007-05:00

So today I forgot to set the alarm and bolted out of bed at 7:35 a.m when my son's bus comes at 7:30 a.m. Ugh! I was dazed and out of it for the first ten minutes. Needless to say I felt like this!

Also I would like to thank everyone who has become my fan on Facebook (I am now at 100 Fans) or is following me on Twitter. I feel very fortunate to say the least!
Thank you!

Check out an interview with me at Beqi clothing

Featured Artist Beqi Clothing

2009-08-29T13:04:00.010-05:00

I am going to try and do a featured artist each week. This week is my good friend and fellow St. Louis Craft Mafia member Beqi of Beqi Clothing. Now if you haven't checked out her clothing, jewelry, purses or accessories yet, you should! Not only is the girl beautiful (see her pic), the girl can sew, assemble jewelry and sing!
I give you Beqi Clothing

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your shop:

I'm a post-punk, post-rockabilly chick who likes to make clothes. I've been sewing for myself since about 1985, and sewing for others since 2000. One day I discovered I was a terrible employee, but a fantastic boss, so I quit my graphic design job and strapped myself to a sewing machine. Over 10,000 items later, I'm still going strong.

2. What is your favorite item from your own shop?

The last thing I've finished. :) This year, I have several: the Diablo Dress, Burlesque Skirt, Peacock Tee, Luscious Earrings, and Rock Candy Skirt are all samples I kept for myself and wear constantly.

3. Who or what gives you inspiration?

I never know exactly how to answer this question. I've suppose I've been paying attention to the way people clothe themselves since I was a poor teenager in a rich high school, but it wasn't until I discovered punk that I started to have fun with it. I see things and modes of dress I like everywhere from John Waters movies to tattoo magazines to the people sitting in dive bars around the South Side. I have no filter--if I like it, I incorporate it into my style and hope it fits.

4. Explain your art- what exactly is it you do?

It's more craft than art, but I make and design clothing and jewelry for young (or young-thinking) women who like beautiful, well-made clothing that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I do the same thing your gramma did, I sew, and I sew a LOT. I love sewing so much, I take my machine on my vacations sometimes.

5. What is your favorite project you've finished so far?

Of all time? Man, that's a hard one. Probably the Tattooed Lady Dress from a few years ago. It was a fantastic print, and I must have made 1000 of them over several seasons. It was my best seller, and I was very sad when they stopped making that print. But that's the great thing about fabric and beads. There are always new ones to discover. ;)

*Where can we find your work (Etsy shop, blog, retail locations, etc.)

www.beqiclothing.com

www.beqi.etsy.com.

Stores:
City Museum Gift Shop
Circa Boutique (Belleville)
Dragonfly Designs (Eureka)
Cooperella House of Art (Maplewood)
Maven (Maplewood)
Fifi's (U. City)
Cranky Yellow (Cherokee District)
Pudd'nhead Books (Webster Groves)

Friday's Family Feature

2009-08-28T15:29:00.005-05:00

I figured I would get all of the dogs out of the way before I start with my kiddos.
Patches is our French Bulldog and Pitbull mix. She is the Princess of the house. We adopted her from the APA of Missouri and that was the name they gave her. We decided to keep it as not to confuse her. We had just lost our dog and beloved family member Bruiser a little over a month and I had decided we needed a pet to fill the gap left in our hearts.

At first Patches was the only furry child and she was fine with that. She is a little grumpy and will do the leave me alone growl to let you know when she has had enough loving, etc.(mostly to the kids). She became the Princess when we got our two Boston puppies. She wanted nothing to do with the male at all and will play with the female only at her leisure. If you are petting Patches or she is laying with you and one of the Bostons comes over she will growl, get up and leave. Too funny! She is too good to share! She loves the water as we discovered when we got a pool. She jumped right in and would bite at the water if the kids splashed her or if a hose is turned at her. She really is a good dog, just a little snotty.

Cowboy Caviar Recipe

2009-08-27T10:29:00.004-05:00

I made this for a 4th of July BBQ my family and I went to and let's just say it was standing room only over the bowl. It is addictive to say the least!

2 tbsps red wine vinegar
2 tsps hot sauce (this can be adjusted according to taste)
1 clove garlic
1 can black beans drained
1 can white corn drained
2/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 medium sized onion
1/2 pound tomatoes
2 avocados
1/2 lime

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, mix vinegar, hot sauce, and garlic.

2. Drain and beans and corn. Add beans, corn, onions, cilantro, and tomatoes mix gently to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let this sit overnight. It can be made the day of, but it is better if you let it sit.

3.The next day, peel, pit, and cut avocado into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to mix. Cut lime and squeeze 1/2 of the lime over mixture. Gently stir.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Hope you enjoy!

Just another Manic Monday!

2009-08-24T19:01:00.003-05:00

I feel like since I decided to stay home and make this crafting/art thing my full time gig. I haven't done anything. I barely got my act together for the Big A$$ Craft Show and I have started on some things for Strangefolk, but that is all. I went to Leftovers trying to get all inspired and though I got great finds. I have still done next to nothing. Today I finally got all set up to take photos of all my leftovers from Big A$$ and the camera batteries went dead two photos in. Come to find out it was a good thing as there was something on the lens that I could not see and the two photos came out blurry. My kids have started school and are back on schedule, but I am not. I am napping once they are off to school and have no energy at all.
Here is a pic that my son took of himself that kind of explains how I feel.

Friday's Family Feature

2009-08-21T23:52:00.002-05:00

I thought I would start posting a little about my family on Fridays. This will get me posting more regularly and you the reader can learn a little more about me. Hopefully this will also allow me to appreciate my family just a little more.

This is Pee Wee our 2yr old Boston Terrier. He was my husband's birthday present two years ago. Pee Wee has a small tail unlike most Boston Terriers. It's really just a stub. But this little cutey does a butt waggle that leaves me in stitches every time.
His body goes sideways, his butt goes back and forth and his tail goes the up and down. I need to video it eventually and promise to! When we say "Shake Your Butt", he starts shaking. Anyway here he is.

Super long list of wants for the Upcycle Exchange at Strange Folk Festival

2009-08-20T09:22:00.002-05:00

The Upcycle Exchange is a super cool program created by Autumn Wiggins of Strangefolk fame. The idea is for people to donate goods to local artists to help out the local artists and to keep the donated goods out of the landfills.
Each artists creates a list of supplies that they would like and people bring them to the Upcycle location to drop off and then they are given a coupon to be used. Most artists are offering a free gift for those donating and some are offering discounts at the festival or on their websites or Etsy stores.
My coupon is for 10% off my Etsy store or a free small skull magnet while supplies last. So save these items, bring them to the Strangefolk Festival, help local artists, save items from the landfill and get yourself some goodies!
These are just my wants. To find out what other artists are accepting check out the
Upcycle Exchange website

Micro brew and import bottle caps
Cork boards/bulletin boards
Bowling trophies
Stryofoam cones
Stryofoam balls
Vintage glass ornaments
Wooden shadow box/es (any size)
Dish soap bottles
Wall paper paste
Glitter and glitter glue
Wooden or plastic spools @ least 1 foot high
Glass prayer candles
Wooden crates (no larger than 3 feet)
Wooden jewelry boxes
Red or black lace trim
Any fabric with skulls, leopard or zebra on it
Any color of tulle (other than white)
Copper sheeting (any size)
Solder and or flux
Small religious statues
Wooden crosses (any size)
Vintage suitcases
Ball fringe any color
Loteria cards
Unused in good condition sculpey/fimo clay
Plastic or wooden organizing bins
Cigar boxes
Frozen concentrate juice can lids
End of biscuit metal lids
Christmas/cookie/popcorn tins
Wooden candle holders
Chopsticks
Magnets (any kind)
Wooden dowels (any kind)
Modge podge
Vinyl records
Cardboard cones
Cardboard balls
Grossgrain ribbon any color
Ribbon
Cds
Comic books (any condition)
Wooden picture frames
Rubber stamps
Wooden plaques
Jingle bells
Skulls
Unused plaster
Unused varnish
Acrylic paint (any color)
Paint markers (any color)
Sharpies (any color)
Unused cardstock (any color)
Spray paint (any color)
Glue sticks
Craft glue
Wooden framed paintings
Canvas

Indie Underground Designer Marketplace Call for Artists

2009-08-19T19:38:00.002-05:00

Call for artists - Indie Underground: Designer Market. We're looking for local artists/crafters/designers to be part of a handmade market in partnership with St. Louis Fashion Week. Join the local indie fashion designers, members of the St. Louis Craft Mafia, and other local indie crafters in an exciting handmade style showcase. We want you to be part of the marketplace where high fashion and indie style meet. Apply online this week; deadline to apply is Sept. 16.

"Go to our website

Thank you!

2009-08-02T17:28:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who made it out to the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show. It was an awesome turnout and an awesome show! I want to thank Ron and the Mad Art Staff, Jane for the fabulous food, the group I worked with this week, my fellow artists and all my friends for supporting me and coming to the show!

I have some things left and will be listing them on Etsy later in the week. So be sure to check my etsy store later in the week.

I will be at Tower Grove Farmer's Market this coming Sat. August 8th, Sept 12th and October 24th and at Strange Folk Festival in O'Fallon, Il on Sept 26th and 27th and then the Winter Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show in December 4, 5 and 6th.

Thanks again to everyone who made it out!

Pics of the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show

2009-08-02T11:32:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pics of the show setup and a few of my things for sale. You still have until 4pm today to get down there and shop. There are still many great things to purchase.

Feature in the Go Section of the St. Louis Post Dispatch

2009-07-30T19:14:00.006-05:00

You can check out the article here. I am hoping that the actual paper will have some of my photos.

here

Getting Ready for the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show

2009-07-28T22:43:00.002-05:00

So I have been down at Mad Art Gallery the last two days with the Mad Art staff and some of the STL Mafia and friends helping to set up for the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show. I cannot even begin to describe the awesomeness that is there. Quilts, pillows, plushies, ceramic dishes, bowls, mugs, oil/vinegar holders, even fortune cookies. Quilted pot holders, napkins and place mats. Purses, market bags, diaper bags, laptop bags, yoga mat holders, makeup/pencil cases, wallets, coin purses, wristlets and more. Headbands galore! Jewelry from funky one of a kind pieces to fine jewelry. Jewelry boxes, one of kind keepsake boxes, trinket boxes. Candles, soap, body scrub, lotion. Hats, scarves, gloves, shawls. T-shirts, blouses, skirts, dresses, kids clothing, baby clothing, bibs, aprons and more. Baby slings, baby blocks, baby quilts, baby hats, etc., etc. Of course my Day of the Dead paper mache' and clay figurines. Magnets of almost anything and everything. Barrettes, bobby pins, and yes more headbands. Pasties! Yes, I said Pasties!!! Journals, note cards, blank books, prints, hanging art, cards, photos and so much more art. Mosaics, including a coffee table, mirror, picture frames and trivets. Key chains, key fobs, etc. There is so much and there is even a $5.00 or less table and it is crowded with goodies. So you must come down to the Big Ass Indie Art and Craft Show this weekend. Friday, July 31st, Saturday August 1st and Sunday August 2nd. Hope to see you there. And don't forget Friday night Leslie and the Ly's, Clownvis and Burlesque Dancers will be performing. Cash bar and food to purchase!!!

More of Leslie Hall

2009-07-27T15:30:00.002-05:00

Remember Leslie Hall will be performing on Friday night at the Big Ass Indie Art and Craft Show. Come see her Clownvis, Burlesque dancers including Lola Van Ella, a cash bar, beyond tasty food and lots of crafty goodies and art!!!!

Don't forget next weekend, Big A$$ Indie Art & Craft Show

2009-07-24T19:29:00.004-05:00

Don't forget next weekend is the Big A$$ Indie Art & Craft Show.

Friday is the opening night with a cash bar, yummy food to purchase, tons upon tons of crafty goodness and art to purchase and entertainment.
Leslie Hall and the Ly's will be performing along with Clownvis and Burlesque dancers including Lola Van Ella
It was awesome fun last year! This year will even be better. I hear rumors that some of the STL Craft Mafia girls are going to wear gemmed sweaters. Woo hoo!

St. Louis Post Dispatch Interview

2009-07-20T12:13:00.000-05:00

So today I interviewed with the St. Louis Post Dispatch (our local paper) over coffee and gooey butter cake. I was nervous, but the reporter who interviewed me was great!
She was friendly, down to earth and made me feel really comfortable. Now hopefully I didn't say anything stupid! LOL!

The interview will be in the GO section of the St. Louis Post Dispatch on July 31st. She is also interviewing a few other artists who are all participating in the Big Ass Indie Art and Craft Show. Look for the interview and I hope to see you all at the Big Ass Indie Art and Craft Show!

Mark your Calendars for The Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show

2009-07-11T14:08:00.003-05:00

Leslie Hall and the Ly's will be performing Friday night. If you haven't seen her yet check her out on Youtube, she is hilarious!

Make sure to check out the Upcycle Exchange for recycled items you can bring to receive coupons for either goodies or discounts at a later date for participating vendors. I will be one of them.

Here is my list of items I am asking for

micro brew and import bottle caps
cork boards/bulletin boards
old bowling trophies
stryofoam cones
stryofoam balls
vintage glass ornaments
wooden shadow box/es (any size)
dish soap bottles
wall paper paste
glitter and glitter glue
wooden or plastic spools @ least 1 foot high
glass prayer candles (with wax all used)
wooden crates (no larger than 3 feet)
old wooden jewelry boxes
red lace trim
any fabric with skulls, leopard or zebra on it
any color of tulle (other than white)
copper sheeting (any size)
solder and or flux
small religious statues
wooden crosses (any size)
vintage hard plastic carry on makeup case
ball fringe any color
loteria cards
unused in good condition sculpey/fimo clay
plastic organizing bins (at least 1 foot in length or width)
cigar boxes

Favorite Photograph

2009-07-07T15:08:00.006-05:00

Paper Mache' Sugar Skull, this is one of my favorite photos. I am proud that I made something so beautiful.

Family and Friends at Missouri Botanical Garden

2009-07-05T14:37:00.004-05:00

So I thought I would start sharing more about my family and friends. They are both great!

This Wednesday I went to the Missouri Botanical Garden with my friends Sarah and Catie and their families. We all have kids and they all play great together. Wednesday the Garden is free for St. Louis City and County residents before noon. So we packed some picnic lunches though you are not technically supposed to picnic and off we went.

I love the Garden! My stepfather worked there when I was a child and I spent a good deal of my childhood there so every time I go it brings back memories. It has changed some since I was a kid, but all for the better. The flowers were blooming like crazy and it was just lush and beautiful! I let the kids take turn taking pictures and they came out with some pretty good ones. And since we couldn't picnic we grazed. We stopped at benches or spots all throughout the garden and just snacked. This was perfect for the kids as I don't think they would of stayed still long enough for an actual picnic.

Here are some of the pics the kids took.

Visit my Etsy store

2009-06-30T17:47:00.002-05:00

Please visit my etsy store for lots of awesome items!

My get my ass in gear list

2009-06-27T14:12:00.002-05:00

So since I have left my job I haven't really gotten myself organized. It's been really frustrating to say the least! I want to do my art/crafts full time and make some money at it, but I have been sitting on my ass watching tv or reading more than crafting. A good friend told me to make a list to help myself get organized and pumped about it. I thought it would be a great idea to post it here to kind of give me the incentive to follow through.

1. Finish organizing craft area (even if I only do one hour a day, I will get there eventually)

2. Craft at least two hours a day (now this is the complete minimum! I have too many craft shows coming up and I need to start listing on etsy too.)

3. Take picture of item once it is finished

4. Build decent light box

5. Visit forums I like daily, i.e. craftster.org, cutoutandkeep, etc.

6. Start listing on etsy. Even if it is only two items a day. (I haven't listed on etsy in way over a year)

7. Get pic portfolio together, some better business cards and start hitting those local stores about caring your stuff

8. Blog at least every other day, come up with some fun stuff not related to crafting, but that will interest readers

9. Come up with some tutorials, these always draw readers in

10. Visit the etsy forums at least twice a week to post and get your name out there

11. Don't lose focus! You wanted to stay home and do this full time, you can do it and your art is good enough to do this!

12. Come up with an idea book, look over it often to keep the ideas flowing

13. Get your bulletin board downstairs together so you can start posting ideas around you to inspire you

14. Be positive!

15. Do at least 2 hrs of house work a day and come up with a daily cleaning schedule for you and the kids, so you won't run into the "I should be cleaning the house not crafting guilt." You can break these into 15 min or increments if needed.
Subscribe to flylady again to get you motivated!

16. Spend at least an hour hanging with the kids daily so you don't loose the perspective of why you are doing this.

I think that is good for now. I might have to redo it now and then, but it works for now!

Metro East Pride Fest

2009-06-19T14:12:00.002-05:00

Please come visit me and other members of the St. Louis Craft Mafia this Sat., June 20th from 2pm to 10pm, in Belleville, Illinois at the Metro East Pride Fest.

I am very excited about vending this and created a few Day of the Dead pieces inspired by this event. I will have two Day of the Dead Groom & Groom figurine sets, one Bride & Bride figurine set and one Day of the Dead cowboy with black chaps, black vest and black cowboy hat inspired by the Gay Rodeo Assoc. that will have a booth there.

I hope to see you there!

I will offer a free bottlecap magnet with purchase if you mention you saw it on my blog!

http://www.metroeastpride.com/

More Jewelry

2009-06-11T23:26:00.003-05:00

Some more lovelies for you! I planned to post these and the other pieces of jewelry in my etsy shop this week and have not yet had the time to do it.

I however will be vending at Tower Grove Farmer's Market this Sat., June 13th and will be at Metro East Pride Fest on Sat. June 20th, from 2pm to 10pm. If you would like to purchase one of these lovelies before then, please shoot me an email.

Jewelry and Hair goodies

2009-06-05T16:22:00.003-05:00

Some lovely and devilishly stylish jewelry and hair goodies. I will be listing these in my Etsy store next week and will be vending at Tower Grove Farmers Market on June 13th.

My new/used 50's pink metal cabinets in my craft room

2009-06-05T16:13:00.002-05:00

Here are three pics of my cabinets in my craft area partially filled. The will eventually be filled to capacity. I will post pics now and then of my craft area as it is a work in progress. Notice the ugly mint green paint on the basement walls. It was there when we bought the house and we just haven't had the time or money to redo them. So I have to work around them. I am going to install pegboard and cork board under the cabinets to the counter top that will eventually be there. Again it is a work in progress.

This is now my full time gig

2009-06-04T11:42:00.003-05:00

Today is the first day of my kids summer vacation and I am already frustrated. They are fighting already. Ugh! I have got to find lots of ways to distract them, preferably cheap. (Idea gladly accepted!)

This summer will be different than most. I quit my part time job. Between kids getting sick, my health (I get terrible debilitating migraines), trying to find child care of the summer, etc. It just made sense for me to quit. I have quite a few venues I am vending at this year so this opened up my time to concentrate fully on my art.
I am excited about this venture and also a little scared too. This is my third week of being home and it is great. My house is much cleaner, though it took me all this time to get it there. I have dinner ready at a decent time and it is not stressful like it was on the days I worked.

I am currently working on my craft room/area. We had some shelves there that we had to rip out and move. Installed are some 50's pink aluminum cabinets that we got for free. I am working on figuring out some counter space running the length of the cabinets and all along my craft area wall. I am also slowly getting organized. I horde things and people also give me supplies I use like my Dawn dish soap bottles for my Catrina's or styrofoam, etc. I need these supplies eventually, but they do take up a lot of space. Once I get organized I am going to work on a huge wall size cork bulletin board to hang my inspiration photos and other fun stuff I find. I plan to paint the two dressers I have down stairs along with the one table I have a the kitchen island cabinet too. The walls are mint green, which I am not fond of, but can't afford to paint over. So I am going to try and find a way to incorporate lots of colors that I love. I also want some shelves to hold my toy collectibles. I have some great Elvis dolls (big fan) and a bunch of Star Wars toys too. Plus other little fun stuff I find. So lots of work to do. I will take pics later and post them tonight or tomorrow of my work in progress.

I started some great pieces yesterday while at a friends house crafting. I have a lady skeleton in a blue dress (which will be glittered). She has red horns and a red tail. Her name will be Devil in a Blue Dress after the song. Next is another Day of the Dead Mermaid. I love doing these and people really like them too. I have one Day of the Dead wedding couple and a Day of the Dead (skeleton man) in a brown business suit. I also started another bride and a sacred heart. I plan to work on these over the weekend and then I will also be doing some bottle cap jewelry and some bottle cap magnets, plus more Sugar Skull magnets and some more maracas.

I will be at Tower Grove Farmers Market again on June 13th and I will be in Belleville for the Metro East Pride Fest.

Cinco De Mayo

2009-04-30T11:16:00.002-05:00

I will be vending at Cinco De Mayo on May 2nd on Cherokee in front of Cranky Yellow, from 11am to 10pm.

Come visit me and a few other talented members of the STL Craft Mafia.

http://cincodemayostl.com/

These items will be for sale there along with other goodies.

Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Show 2009, Call for Artists

2009-03-30T18:39:00.001-05:00

The Call for Artists for the 2nd Big Ass Indie Art and Craft Show is open now through May 20th. Visit the website for more information and to apply.

http://www.bigindiecraft.com/

Pics of Green With Indie & a few works in progress

2009-03-29T00:59:00.008-05:00

One of the first in a new series I am doing. Day of the Dead Circus Freaks.
This is the Iron Stomach.

Another version of the Virgin of Guadalupe. She is in a shadow box that has a glass door, hence the flash.

An overall pic of my booth at Green with Indie

Close up of Day of the Dead Waitress. I have since changed the skull & crossbones on her hat.

Sugar Skull Peg board display

Over all pic of booth at Green with Indie

Punk Rocker with Mohawk

Fifties style waitress with skull on serving tray

This is the beginning of my sword swallower. He was finished and I unfortunately sold him at Green with Indie before getting a finished picture.

Sugar Skull Magnet

Skull on a pink/black zebra hair bow

This is another in my Circus Freak series. Mermaid Girl. She has a glass door, hence the flash in the pic.

Another in my series The Fat Lady, Little Lulu.

A BIG THANK YOU!

2009-03-23T18:10:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who made it out to Green with Indie, to April & Karen (and anyone else who helped) for putting together the show. I want to thank Autumn for creating the Upcycle program and to those who donated. I came home with a ton of great supplies and goodies.

I did take some pics and not everything sold so I will post pics soon. I still can't find my camera cord, so I am going to purchase a card reader hopefully this weekend and I will load all the pics and the goodies that will be up for sale on Etsy hopefully by the weekend too.

Thanks again!!!!

Green with Indie Craft Show March 21-22nd

2009-03-20T14:59:00.003-05:00

The Green With Indie Craft Show is this weekend, March 21st & 22nd. I am very excited!
I have some great pieces done including

In paper mache'

A 50's Day of the Dead Waitress carrying a tray with a skull on it

A Day of the Dead punk rocker complete with mohawk

A Day of the Dead drinker complete with oversized glass beer bottle

Day of the Dead Frida Kahlo

A Day of the Dead business man in a suite with red power tie

Then their is my pieces made with clay

A Day of the Dead Virgin of Guadalupe

and Presenting the first installation of

The Senora Muertos Freak Show

presenting

Mermaid Girl

The Iron Stomach

The Fat Lady-Little Lulu

&

Appetite for Steel the Sword Swallower

I also have some great new hair bows with skulls, skulls & cherries, skulls & crossbones & diablo's

My usual colorful Sugar Skull magnets

some new bottle cap magnets (not many of these so get them fast)

some new bottle cap necklaces

and much, much more.

Make sure to come check it out!

March 21st, Saturday from 10am to 6pm and March 22nd, Sunday from Noon to 5pm.

There will be other members of the St. Louis Craft Mafia and some other great talented artists, including some out of towners.

Plus, the Upcycle Exchange has a table where you can make and take home a great craft using recycled & upcycled items.

Hope to see ya there!

Green with Indie, not that far away and exciting upcycling program

2009-02-27T15:20:00.003-06:00

So GREEN WITH INDIE CRAFT SHOW is less than a month away (March 21st and 22nd). I am very excited about my first craft show of the year. I am also excited about an up-cycling/recycling program that Autumn of Strangefolk Festival has put together. Basically you will go to her booth and donate one or more of the items requested by your favorite artist or to any of the artists requesting this and you will receive a coupon good towards 10% off your purchase at that artist booth.

Here are some of the items I have requested. Bring one or more of these items in and get a 10% off coupon and bring in 5 or more of the items and get a free small skull or bottle cap magnet from me.

12 schlafly bottle caps (12 or more for a discount)

cork boards/bulletin boards

old bowling trophies

stryofoam cones
stryofoam balls
vintage glass ornaments
wooden shadow box/es (any size)
dish soap bottles
10 or more wire hangers (10 or more for a discount)

wall paper paste
glitter
wooden or plastic spools @ least 1 foot high
glass prayer candles (with wax all used)
wooden crates (no larger than 3 feet)
old wooden jewelry boxes
red lace trim
any fabric amount a fat quarter or more with skulls, leopard or zebra on it

any color of tulle (other than white) a fat quarter or more

copper sheeting (any size)

solder and or flux

small religious statues

wooden crosses (any size)

vintage hard plastic carry on makeup case

ball fringe any color, (at least 1/2 yard of more for discount)

loteria cards (at least five for a discount)

unused in good condition sculpey/fimo clay

plastic organizing bins (at least 1 foot in length or width)

cigar boxes

Hope to see you there with your upcycled items to donate!

Ugh and Ugh and Ugh! I promise pictures soon!

2009-02-14T16:16:00.003-06:00

So, I made a new light box on Thursday evening and took pictures of some of my jewelry and some of my WIP. Well the light box turned out okay, but for a seamless look I think I am going to have to break down and get the white foam board and cut it to size and glue/tape it together. I am going to look into a few other things too. It worked for now, but I would like it to look professional and this just didn't do it all the way.
Well I had taken all these pics and I was quite excited to upload them to the blog and to my facebook. Well someone in my family has lost the cord to connect the camera to the computer. I looked all evening along with the family and well it is still lost.
Ugh, Ugh and Ugh! I will keep looking for it though.

I did however order prints of all of my past work and plan to put together a portfolio of sorts so I can have it with me at craft shows so that customers can see my past work and get ideas for custom work if needed. And I plan to go hit up some local businesses to see if they would be willing to carry my work.

I did start on some things yesterday finally while visiting my best friend and the one who helps to keep me sane in the crafting world, Sarah of Houseshoemamas. I did another Our Lady of Guadalupe and two devil heads that I am unsure what I will do with. They could be huge necklace pendants or they could go on a barrette or maybe a 3D magnet. I will wait until they are completely finished to figure that out.

So I have started but have a long way to go to get my butt together for Green with Indie. Stay tuned for photos.

Green with Indie, Upcoming Craft Shows, ideas and Schlafly Bottle caps

2009-02-11T11:00:00.001-06:00

So I have the Green with Indie craft show coming up in March and I hope to do St. Louis Earth Day Festival with the other STL Craft Mafia. Sarah & I are going to have a booth 6 dates for Tower Grove Market. I am going to try like all hell to get in to Schlafly Art outside and then what ever else I can get into. I hope to do well this spring/summer. I want to sell, sell, sell. I am going to build a new bigger photo box so I can take good pictures of my wares. I would like to eventually make a photo portfolio of all my works to take to a few businesses in the area to see if they would like to carry my stuff and also to have a craft shows so people can see what I can do and maybe get ideas for a custom order.

I went with my STL Craft Mafia friend Allison of Squaresville to Leftovers, etc. on Saturday to pick up some recyclables and some ideas for all these upcoming shows. I found a super cool bowling trophy that has a small wooden bowling pin on it. I plan to try and paper mache' over the woman bowler to make her into a Day of the Dead bowler and thus making a Day of the Dead bowling trophy. I thought it would be fun! I got a few other ideas while there. One is to take the glass out of a cool picture frame and then back it with foam core. Then build a 3D Sugar Skull or Day of the Dead person/scenario off of the foam core. I am quite excited about it, but have yet to get down to doing what I need to do. Craft procrastination! Ugh!

I need Schlafly bottlecaps. Lots of them! So if you are reading this and you or someone you know drinks Schlafly, for every 24 Schafly bottle caps you get to me I will give you one Sugar Skull or bottle cap magnet. Email me for details.

Call for Artists: Green with Indie

2009-01-08T23:19:00.002-06:00

Spring is just around the corner and the STL Craft Mafia is gearing up for a fabulous indoor green indie craft show!

Green with Indie Craft Show

We’re looking for about 100 artists, in addition to live acoustic musical acts, eco information booths, & volunteers.

It’s a 2-day large indoor indie craft event in Webster U’s Grant Gym, March 21st (10am-6pm) and 22nd (12pm-5pm). It’s free to apply -

just go here

and submit your application online before Feb. 1st.

_______________________________________________________

What does green mean to us? Green means using your resources wisely - and crafters never waste! Every scrap is used and reused - there’s nothing more earth-friendly than creativity! We are passionate about using local resources and putting our money back into our local economy

What makes this show “green”? We intend to showcase as many “green” crafts/art as possible - we challenge our crafters to think outside the box and make goods that are both earth-friendly and sustainable. All food/drink provided will be organic & local. We’re making the fair itself more environmentally friendly by banning plastic bags and encouraging shoppers to bring their own market bags or buy them from our vendors. We’ll feature an art supply freecycle booth, a make & take recycled plush station, craft demos & more. We also intend to recycle the holy crap out of everything we can before, during, and after - we’re trying to make it a no-waste event.

Thank you! Big Ass Craft Show huge success!

2008-12-10T15:52:00.002-06:00

I am sorry I have not posted to say Thank you sooner, but Cordi and I have not felt well the last couple of days. We are both feeling much better today though.

I just wanted to say Thank you to everyone who came out to the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft show. It was a huge success! I had a rocking time hanging with my fellow crafters and the Mad Art Gallery staff. Seriously these people rock! We had a packed house on Friday night for the Burlesque dancers, Clownvis (Clown Elvis impersonator) and the rock Dj. It was steady the on Sat. and Sunday and the crowds were buying. I wished I could have finished my Circus freaks in time, but that is okay. Next craft show. So again thanks to everyone who came out and to all the STLCM and Mad Art Gallery people who made this happen. I can't wait for next time!

Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Fair

2008-12-03T20:40:00.002-06:00

All right ya' all! It is almost time for the Big Ass Indie Art & Craft Fair.
This Friday, Dec. 5th from 7pm to 11pm, Sat. from 10am to 8pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm at Mad Art Gallery.
http://www.madart.com/eventsexhibitions/publicevents/bigassindieartcraftshowfri.htm

I did not get my Circus freaks done in time. I just took on too many things this time. But they are a current work in progress. So look for them in the future.

Hope to see you all at Big Ass. I will be working all night Friday night, all day Saturday and later in the afternoon on Sunday. I will be the amazonian tall, plus size red head, probably wearing black with a skull of some kind in my hair if you have questions or just want to say hi.

Sideshow/Circus Freaks and Day of the Dead, Oh Yeah!

2008-11-15T21:54:00.002-06:00

So my crafting area is almost clean. I have been cleaning my ass off all day along with my assistant (6yr old daughter). I now have to craft as I
1. need to finish the Sugar Skull for my contest winner (had a mold problem, it happens)
2. I will be participating in The Big Ass Indie Art and Craft show, December 5th, 6th and 7th at Mad Art Gallery. Along with some members of the St. Louis Craft Mafia and other local artists and crafters.

and

3. The holidays are right around the corner and everyone will be getting at least one handmade gift. We will see how far I can go with this.

*****Circus/Sideshow Freaks turned Day of the Dead*********

So I came up with a great idea to do Circus/Sideshow Freaks turned Day of the Dead. Some friends of ours had a Halloween party and she was the knife thrower's assistant and she had knives sticking out of her and her boyfriend was the tattoed strong man complete with a handlebar mustache (which wouldn't stay on unfortunately ) and some old school blow up weights. Great costumes. Then I watched Ancient Ink and they talked about the first tattooed women in America who were basically sideshow freaks. Well folks I decided I have to turn yet another love of mine into Day of the Dead figures. Yay!

I will eventually have

The Bearded Fat Lady (swimming in her too big clothes since she is a skeleton)
The World's Tallest Man
The World's smallest Woman
The Dog Faced Boy
The Mermaid Girl
The Strong Man
The Tattooed lady
Siamese Twins
The half man/half woman
The snake charmer
Lobster boy
Fire eater

I might have to do a crazy side show ring master (per my son) and a fortune teller too (also per my son)

Then my oh so creative son came up with

an hanging escape artist in a water tank
and
man on a bed of nails

If you think of any I missed please let me know. Some things won't translate due it being a skeleton (pushing it with the tattooed lady).

I hope to have most of these done in time for Big Ass, but that might be pushing it.

Winner Of the Dia de los Muertos Giveaway

2008-09-30T19:35:00.002-05:00

The lucky winner of the Dia de los Muertos giveaway is Ursuladiamond. I will be emailing you so that we can brainstorm your idea for a Dia de los Muertos figure.
To all the others, you are not losers, you just didn't win this time. Please check back on my blog often for giveaways.

I will try to do an update of ursuladiamond's figure in progress and definitely a pic of the finished work. So stay tuned!

Strange Folk Festival pics

2008-09-29T18:27:00.006-05:00

Here are tons of pics of my booth, new banner with matching table cloths and new displays along with lots of pics on my lovelies of which most of the sold. Yay!
I will again thank everyone who stopped by my booth to either purchase a loverly of mine, complimented me on my wares or booth or just chatted. I appreciate it and I really look forward to next year.
To Autumn, you rock so hard! Strangefolk was a huge success and all the customers and vendors that I talked with agreed! Job well done!

Thanks again!

Also, I mentioned to many customers, admirers that I will gladly do custom orders. So while you are looking at these pics, think about what kind of Day of the Dead figure could I do for you and then feel free to ask me about it.

Strangefolk Festival and thank you's

2008-09-28T06:39:00.002-05:00

I want to thank all the people who stopped at my booth yesterday and either bought something or commented on my wares and displays/banner, etc. Strangefolk has been very successful so far and I am highly pleased! I have had tons of wonderfully nice people come in and ask questions and share my obsession. Wonderful! If you haven't made it to Strangefolk yet, hope to see ya there today!
Thanks again to my lovely customers, friendly remarkers and Autumn who just put on a rocking craft fair!!!

Strangefolk Festival and free contest from Beqi Clothing

2008-09-25T12:29:00.004-05:00

Check it out ya'all, Strangefolk Festival made it on the Craftzine blog today. Yay!

Strangefolk Festival

After checking that out, please go check out my friend Beqi of
Beqi Clothing.

When you are done checking out her awesome clothing and accessories, got to the bottom of the page and go to her blog. She is having an awesome giveaway and you want to win her giveaway trust me!!!
Here are some more details:

Going on from now until the end of September, 3 random commenters on her blog will receive FREE gifts from Beqi Clothing! Leave your comments on her blog telling her the following things: how you found her, what your favourite item of this season is so far, and what your favourite colour is. As long as you leave an email link with your name, She'll contact you to let you know you've won. Contest over at midnight, September 30. Winners will be chosen at random, friends and family of Beqi not eligible. (sorry!)

Craft show banners, displays, etc.

2008-09-21T20:24:00.002-05:00

So I have blogged in forever, or so it seems. I am crafting my little butt off trying to get ready for Strangefolk Festvial this weekend. I am very excited about this! I have almost all of my paper mache' pieces done. Need to clear coat them and add a few embellishments. They all look super kick ass. I spent the evening Friday, with my good friend Sarah trying to create some jewelry. I am getting the hang of it. I just don't like to count. I have some great Sugar Skull magnets made, my clay pieces are done and just need the final touch. I still have to do my bottle caps, but I am getting there. I will do those tomorrow as I think they will take a little time. I worked on my displays some yesterday and my banner today. The banner is almost done. I am just hoping that I make some money, because I have spent waaaayyy more than I should have to try to pull this all together. I know I can always put my stuff up on Etsy or save it for Big Ass Indie Art and Craft show, but selling it all this weekend would be great! Well back to the grind!

I don't like Mondays

2008-09-15T16:49:00.002-05:00

To quote my good friend today "Mondays suck!" and to quote the Boomtown Rats" I don't like, I don't like, I don't like Mondays!". I could not get any sleep last night. I have a craft show (Strangefolk Festival) at the end of the month and I laid there in bed worrying about what I still had to do. Then at work all day I was writing lists, checking this and that and basically freaking out. I have alot to do before the craft show including put my displays together, make a banner and tablecloths. That is on top of all the crafting to get my crafty wares done in time. I want to do so much and I have so little time. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!
I am counting down the minutes until work is over and I can leave and go home and craft. I told my family today that I would be serving a lot of leftovers, sandwiches, ramen noodles and canned food for the rest of the month. It won't be everyday, but it will be rare to have a good homecooked meal now that I am in freak out mode. Thankfully my family is understanding!

Taking pictures with a lightbox, new jewelry, craft show display and banner

2008-09-14T19:21:00.006-05:00

This weekend was a good weekend. I went to my friend Sarah and James and started my jewelry ( when my supplies came at 6pm on Friday). Our kids always have fun playing together and Sarah and I bounce ideas off each other and can talk about anything really. We just go from one subject to the other and I never get bored talking with her. So all around good night!

Saturday I went to Leftovers with fellow craft mafia member Allison and ran into fellow craft mafia members Nancy, DeAnn and Kate B.. Leftovers is this wonderful store that started out as a resource for teachers and now sells to the public too. It has all recycled items and has all these neat little displays to show you how to use recyclable items for art and other great ideas. I found a bunch of old big film spools and some wooden spools that I am going to dress up for my craft show displays. I will get some pics once they are done. I then went to lunch with my mom and to Hobby Lobby and the Dollar store for yet more supplies.
I picked up red ball fringe to use on my craft banner. I am so excited about this. It is going to look so cool! Hubby was out of town in Indianapolis for the Moto Gp races (motorcycle races). I am patiently awaiting his return. The kids were good for me though. No real problems and I was able to make a good meal each day although I was crafting too. Over all great weekend!

Today I had to apply for an upcoming craft show and decided to try using a lightbox. Now the one I made worked pretty well. It needs to be tweaked a little and I definitely need a bigger one, but you can see how well it worked here.

The pics of the jewelry are some new pieces that I did over the weekend and that I will be selling at Strange Folk.

Tell me what you think of the pics.

Etsy bloggers Street Team/Blog Carnival post about my favorite color red

2008-09-12T13:09:00.005-05:00

I an effort to help me keep up my blogging I joined the Etsybloggers Street team. The street team does a blog carnivals weekly and you can choose from topics to blog about. I choose to blog about my favorite color and to show it in my work.

My favorite color is red. My favorite flower is red roses. Red seems to be a dominate color second to black in all of my work. Red is supposedly a power color, but that is not why I like it. It is a strong color, bold, it reminds me of fire, which is mesmerizing and soothing when it warms you. Blood is something else that comes to mind when I think of red. Blood is so strange to me. It is the life force that flows through us and is bluish under the skin, dark red when in a larger quantity (like in a vial of a blood sample) and bright red when we are cut, scrapped, etc. Red is also the dominate color for Valentines day which signifies love. Red is a passionate color and you can see that represented in any Renaissance painting. Red is the color of the devil/Diablo which with my Catholic upbringing is still such an oddity to me. El Corazon, the loteria card with the heart is my favorite Loteria card and I am guessing it is due to the red in it. My daughter will even tell me how red is my favorite color anytime I am painting with it. Funny thing I can’t wear red though. I am a redheaded Irish girl with a snow white tan and freckles, I look pink when I wear red. I can’t even wear red lipstick or red nail polish, this sucks! My children both look great in red. Maybe it is just because I love the color. I could get all cheesy now and quote a Sammy Hagar song, but instead I will just leave you now and hope that the song doesn’t get stuck in your head now like it is in mine. Dang it!!
What are some other songs about red?
1. Lady in Red (bad 80’s song)
2. Paint it Black (Rolling Stones ) “I see a red door and I want to paint it black.”
I can’t think of any more right now. I need more caffeine. LOL!

One of my wooden crosses with the Loteria card El Corazon.

Oh yeah! I got my replacement Sculpey clay today with a sample of the new Ultra light sculpey. It is a small sample, but it is Ultra light. Again Sculpey has the greatest customer service! Yay Sculpey!

Business Cards and upcoming weekly features

2008-09-11T19:13:00.005-05:00

I needed business cards. I kept playing with what kind of logo I wanted and I was going to draw up my own sugar skull and then I was going to use a pic of one of my pieces and finally I came up with this.

I am now going to do some t-shirts with that photo also. I really like it. It is the pic of the tattoo rose sugar skull that everyone seems to really like. I just tweaked it in a photo editing program. Easy enough. I like it! Tell me what you think.

So I am toying around with doing a couple of weekly features. One is pics that my son takes of what the puppies chewed this week. We adopted two Boston Terrier puppies in December. Pee Wee is a male and he is 15 months old and Lulu is a female and she will be one year old in October. They are steadily teething and chewing on anything they can get their little puppy paws on. We have lost many a Polly Pocket, Littlest Pet Shop, Comic book hero and Star Wars character among other things. My son likes to take photos and this will only hone his skills and give everyone else a little laugh.

The other I would like to try is to feature a Milagro (mexican prayer charm) each week. Maybe show what it looks like (photo) and maybe a photo of past work I have used it in. Then go in to what the prayer or wish you might use the charm for. (i.e. baby charm....fertility, to protect a new baby, to offer thanks for a new baby, for a baby's good health, to honor a child that has passed, etc.)

Bear with me as I try to start these up.

One of kind Dia de los Muertos figure Giveaway

2008-09-09T15:47:00.004-05:00

So if you have been reading you know I am trying to pump up my blog and get some viewers. Well I have been reading lots! One tip was to have a giveway of some kind.
So.... I am offering a OOAK Dia de los Muertos figure or paper mache' Sugar Skull of the winners design specifications for one lucky winner. I will draw randomly one name at the end of the month and then the winner can choose what type of figure or sugar skull they would like. i.e. (soccer player, cook, teacher, dog, cat, beautician, someone's profession or the likeness of a loved one who has passed). Basically whatever the winner wants to do. I can be as creative as you will allow.

So if you are interested in winning, please post a comment and leave your email addy or subscribe to my blog or add me to your favorites links or blog list and leave your blog name in the comment. Please try to leave where you found me in the comment too.

Again I will draw a name on Sept. 30th and will contact the winner that day.

(To get an idea of my work, make sure to read my past posts or check out my slideshow)

Blogging for your business and pleasure

2008-09-08T19:24:00.004-05:00

So I have been reading up on blogging and how to market yourself on your blog, etc. I am learning quite a bit and hopefully one day I will blog and give out those tips myself. But until then I am trying hard to find a happy medium between blogging to help promote my business and blogging for the fun of it.

With the type of items that I make I really need to market myself well as there is a limited amount of people who will buy Dia de los Muertos and other Mexican inspired folk art from a Midwest Irish Girl. But I love the stuff, I have the ability to make it and the passion above all else. Or maybe obsession is a better word for it. I look at everyday things and wonder how I can cover it with glitter, skulls or make it into a Dia de los Muertos masterpiece. I guess this is a good thing because I have an endless supply of ideas. Maybe too many really as it feels like I just will never get to everything I want to do. One day, one day! A girl has to dream.

Anyways, bear with me as I try to build up my blog and my business and ramble on about other things in my life.

St. Louis Weather and crafting

2008-09-05T11:59:00.002-05:00

What is it with the weather here in St. Louis? I have lived here all my life, but I will never get used to it. Monday is was hot and muggy. Today I am sitting here typing with a blanket over me. We have window units so I don't want to turn them off completely because tomorrow it could be hot again. Ugh!

I got a lot accomplished yesterday and today I am ordering the rest of my supplies to make my jewelry. I am very excited about this.

Crafting along and sculpey

2008-09-04T18:52:00.003-05:00

So I had some sculpey clay that I had for a few weeks and when I got it out it was hard. There was no reconditioning it. This was a brand new package that I got at Hobby Lobby. I however did not have the receipt. So I emailed scupley and complained as the packaging is crap. Well the customer service rep offered to mail me a replacement pack and samples of their new product. Great customer service! I will buy scupley again, I will however open and check the package to make sure it is still pliable.

Well I have made quite a few things with sculpey for the upcoming Strangefolk Festival. I have two wedding couples (different heighths), a small diablo, a diablo and angel that will represent Heaven and Hell, the Lady of Guadalupe as a skeleton and a few small skulls for my flower hair bobby pins. I have painted the shadow boxes, some woooden crosses, some jewelry boxes and coat pegs that I will adorn with Loteria cards. My sugar skull magnets are looking great too. I am awaiting some more wheat wall paper paste to start on all the armatures I have. I am moving along quite well. Just need to keep up the momento.

Jewelry is something I am going to start doing more of. I have done a few bottle cap pieces, but I am going all out now. I found some great sites to get me started. I am going to see how well things sell before I go crazy though. It is all so exciting though!

Back to frugality and recycling

2008-09-03T09:38:00.004-05:00

So when I started out crafting to try and make some extra cash I was pretty frugal. My hippy Uncle, who baby sat my siblings and I all the time, taught us to us what ever we had around us. I tried to use as many recyclables as possible, get supplies at thrift stores, yard sales, hand me downs from friends, trying to buy as little as possible. But, then I got annoyed with not having things I needed when I needed them. Not to mention all the cool stuff when you go to a craft store. I could spend a $100.00 each time I went easily if I let myself. Well I recently spent a buttload of money on different supplies and I am wondering how much I need some of this stuff. My art was just as good before. So I am going to try to make an equal amount of recyclables to bought supply ratio in each piece. I can do this!
Here are some of the things I use that are recylables.

1. coffee mate creamer bottle or dish soap bottles ( the curvy bodies of my Catrinas and some of my bowling pin like Halloween figures)

2. kleenex boxes (base for a paper mache' shadow box or diorama) This is a new find and I have not done this yet.

3. flat styrofoam ( I use this for basic shapes, torsoes, etc.)

4. bottle caps (for bottle cap jewelry or for my wooden crosses)

5. old costume jewelry (this is a new one too)

6. wire hangers (basic armatures for my figures)

I know there is more, I just can't think of them off the top of my head.

STRANGEFOLK FESTIVAL

2008-08-27T10:40:00.002-05:00

So I am crafting my butt off to have lots and lots of goodies for the Strangfolk Festival. I have some new sugar skull fridge magnets. I am also going to try and make some tin nichos (wish me luck here) and finally I am going to do a new version of the skull barrette with fabric bows with great prints and then a little skull or sugar skull accent. Plus I am doing tons of primitive or vintage looking Halloween figures. I am very excited about this. So be sure to come check me out at the Strangefolk Festival in O'Fallon, Il on September 27th and 28th. Check out the website here and see the great list of 120 vendors. Woohoo!
http://www.strangefolkfestival.com/

St. Louis Craft Mafia on Show Me St. Louis

2008-08-22T00:31:00.003-05:00

Here is a link to the video of me and other members of the St. Louis Craft Mafia on Show Me St. Louis. Overall I think they did a great job and it was cute. I however wished I would of thought more on my responses to their questions. But, live and learn. But it was still great coverage for the Mafia and hopefully it will drum up some business for all of us.

http://www.ksdk.com/life/programming/local/showme/story.aspx?storyid=152604&catid=78

Pics from CRAFTANOSTRA continued

2008-08-14T21:27:00.006-05:00

CRAFTANOSTRA Update and pics of new stuff

2008-08-14T20:54:00.004-05:00

Thanks to all of you who came out to CRAFTANOSTRA . My sales were not record high, but I have to say that the set up and the evening in general went very smooth. I now have to get ready for Strangefolk. Yay!
So check out the new pics and tell me what you think!