2011

2011

My first post for the year.   Happy New Year to everyone!

Last year saw me actively working on my Artfire shop (even opening up a second shop on Artfire called The Bamboo Box) and getting quite serious in making a go of my handmade jewelry business.  And while sales on Artfire were quite slow, the last two months of 2010 found me working feverishly on Christmas orders from clients in the Philippines, alternately crowing with joy when an order for a custom-made piece came in and tearfully slogging on when the stress of keeping up with orders, holiday preparations and demands from the day job took their toll.  Needless to say, sleep was not an option for me in the last 6 weeks of the year.

The stress and harried pace also took a toll on my ME time.  I stopped journaling, forgot blogging altogether, and even forgot about marking time each week to try out a creative technique.  Now, THAT last one really made me a grumpy old witch. 

I finally had time over the New Year week-end to sit down and figure out how I want 2011 to look like for me exactly one year from now.   As soon as I did that, the feelings of being overwhelmed started again and I found myself making my first (and, I think, most important) reminder  for the New Year:   “Keep it simple, small steps  will still help you complete the journey.”

So this year, each month, I would like to:

a)     Try out or learn a technique I’ve been wanting to use in my jewelry or mixed media art.

b)      Visit a place in the Philippines that I have always wanted to see for the first time or revisit a place that I’ve been meaning to see again for some time now and see it with fresh eyes.

c)       Continue to help other handmade artisans promote their work.

d)      Do something brave regarding my creative work and business that will help push it forward and upward.

Four things.  Four things to do each month.  Four things to tell you about.  Four things to help me get over humps and keep walking forward. And I won't even hit myself over the head if I am unable to keep up. (That's my second resolution: to be more forgiving to myself.)

There – now that I’ve written them down, they’re not as scary as they first looked to me.  

What would you like your 2011 to look like?  

Trying Something New

A few months ago I had a hankering to try my hand at making something out of clay.  It wasn't so much as I wanted to actually go into it -- more like see how it is and find out if I liked it. 

Yeah -- that's exactly what I said when I bought my first little bag of beads!

So as I usually do, I did my research since I didn't want to spend too much on something that I'd give up after a month.  The polymer clays available here were not quite what I had in mind budget wise -- we get them from the US and I wasn't too keen on buying a whole batch of them since I was just starting out.  I trolled the web and found an art supply shop that sold a lot of the materials I only read about (since the whole lot of them are imported from other countries) and decided to pay a visit to one of their branches.

Of course it took me weeks to FINALLY get to one of their shops and only because I stumbled upon it when I went on my usual bead-buying spree.  I had to laugh because it was just a block away from where I get my beads and gemstones! And there I was, all this time, trying to figure out a way to sneak a trip to it in my schedule.  Thank you Google maps for showing me the way. LOL.

The ladies at the shop were kind enough to steer me in the right direction.  I had asked for an air-drying clay that required no baking or kiln-firing, one that was suited to a beginner who just wanted to get her hands on some clay and squish something out of it. They suggested a terra cotta colored material akin to mud - they told me it hardened when exposed to air and I could paint it after if I liked.  I did like the price though --- less than a dollar for a kilo! And they even showed me some inexpensive beginner clay tools.

So here it is, my first little clay creation. 

It's a little cracked around the edges and you can see my fingerprints on it! LOL.  It's not quite dry yet but the color did change from a muddy brown to something close to grey.  I think it will lighten up some more when it's fully dry.  I don't even know how I'm going to paint this one. I guess I should've started with a simpler figure to mold.

Here's another look,  sitting amidst my pile of bead containers

 
I did have fun making this little one.  A great part of the enjoyment came from the fact that my youngest son joined me and made his own little clay creation -- a dinosaur who somehow resembled Snoopy the dog.  Good thing this stuff is inexpensive -- he wants me to get him his own batch!

What do you think? Should I keep practicing and eventually go for the more expensive clay?

Four Letter Words: FEAR

What are you afraid of?

Dark, murky water?

Erin Reynolds Photography

                                                                     
Creepy crawlers?

Over the Top

 Is it standing in front of people to speak?

Or getting off the fence and taking a stand?

Bonnie Bruno Photography

Maybe just saying NO

Or even saying YES to something that requires much effort but brings so much good

Letterary Press

I've heard it said that fear of imaginary obstacles is the hardest to overcome.  For how can one fight something that really isn't there?

Michelle V

Boo! Happy Halloween everyone!

As If One Shop Isn't Enough ---

I decided to open another one on Artfire!

I had already signed up for a basic shop a few weeks before the Artfire $5.95 Deal was announced so I went ahead and opened. Initially, the shop was for my destash beads but then I got to thinking that it would be cool to offer supplies that are not easy to find.

So, I expanded the shop offerings and have included some craft materials and supplies that are made out of materials indigenous to the Philippines like abaca and sinamay and buri.  There are abaca mesh sheets to use for collages, mixed media work and even for wrapping up a gift --

Or pretty little sinamay flowers made by hand to add to your crafts stash --

I've also got some pretty gift boxes made out of mother of pearl--

    or gift bags made out of sinamay fiber
















Think of all the decorating you can do with this roll of sinamay ribbon (in different colors!) --

And of course, being the bead and gem lover that I am, I could not resist including some freshwater pearls among the items for sale --

As well as a few pieces of select gemstones and crystals --

I'll be adding more new items regularly so if you want to take a peek and get a chance to purchase some unique craft and mixed media materials, do drop by The Bamboo Box on Artfire.

Four Letter Words: SOLO

I sit, alone.  The house is quiet and I am allowed to dream.

Of days long gone and people now passed.

By Surrender Dorothy

Of hours to come and wishes that will come true.

 By Resin 8

I sit, alone and marvel at how comforting it is to be silent and not need to speak or even move.  My eyes follow the path of dust motes reflected in the early morning sunlight, my ears pick up on the warbling notes of a birdsong. 

By Alisa Paints

I sit, alone and my heart beats out an even rhythm, an ebb and flow of life and dying, of having and losing.  A song I used to sing comes unbidden and I let it escape from my throat softly, softly, afraid the slightest sound will break the warm, golden spell I am in.

My shadow grows long and my coffee is cold.  Around me the house is starting to fill with the sounds of life returning – my son calling from the doorway announcing he is home from school, my daughter cooing to one of the little pups who have come to meet her at the door as she returns from work, another son playing peek-a-boo with my little niece.  

I breathe in and get up from my seat by the window, the spell of aloneness now broken.  The chair I sat in is pushed back to it’s corner, to wait for when I can once again sit alone.

By Sideways Shop

Was Gone, Am Back

I apologize for disappearing again.  I wish I could say that it was simply a case of life getting in the way but it was not.

I fell ill a few days after I put up my last post and had to reserve my energy for getting myself to work so I could finish an important project.  And then, my brother gave us a scare via a medical emergency (won't go into details as some of you may be squeamish but let's just say it involved a lot of blood loss) so that set me back another week. I have neglected this space of mine in the world wide web and while I could say I'll make up for it, I'd rather not. Each time I decide to post regularly, something happens and I'm unable to. LOL.

Being away has made me want to tweak this blog a bit so you might see some changes in the next few days.  I'm planning on redoing the lay-out and design (the yellow background is starting to bore me) and will be trying my hand at something new I thought up regarding the pieces I sell on my Artfire shop.  Also, I will be opening the blog to feature more Artfire artisans as well as Filipino artisans so that all of you can get to know  them.
 
By the way, do drop by Artfire when you have the time.  There has been an influx of great new sellers on the site owing to the $5.95 Deal that went up this October so I am sure you will find some great new items to put on your Christmas shopping list.

Here's a little something before I go - it's one of my new pieces in my shop.

See you soon!