A Handmade Birthday!

Some of my friends think that I have taken the handmade pledge a little too far...I disagree, of course. I committed to making my little man's birthday a handmade one. We had an outdoor skate party at our local skate park. The reservation was free. Not only was it super fun to make everything by hand, but I saved a lot of money. I tend to be frugal, so this was right up my alley!

I will admit the pinata almost got the best of me. Everyone kept telling me to just go buy one. I thought about it for a second. But no one in town carried any pinata that fit into my theme!!! Plus, I was determined! I just will most likely never make a skull and cross bones pinata again. EVER.

I have a passion for paper and handmade invites but this year I attempted a digital invite to save on money and time. I searched the world wide web for an abundance of free images of skaters/skate boards. I used picnik.com for free and created an awesome invite. Okay, so I think it is awesome. Pretty proud for it being my first digital creation. :)

You can't have a party without cake! Sure I have made cupcakes before but never cream filled or with a fancy decorating tip. I also made the picks for the cupcakes. Another first. I will definitely have to practice with the decorating tip. It takes a very steady hand. I mixed up a chocolate cake mix and baked it in cupcake papers. Then I mixed up my filling. One cream cheese square, one small tub of cool whip and about a half a cup of powdered sugar blended to perfection. Once the cupcakes cooled, I filled my decorating bag full of the cream and began filling the cupcakes. You just insert the decorating tip in the middle of the cupcake and begin filling. The cupcake will puff up once it is full enough. Top off with frosting and a pick. Ta da!

I also made fruit kabobs. So easy! I alternated strawberries, green grapes, pineapple chunks and marshmallows. Everyone loved them! Plus, it made me feel like I gave my kiddos something healthy! This party was early, 10 am, so we could try to beat the heat. We had flavored water to keep hydrated.

Overall, everyone had a blast! Most importantly, my seven year old loved it! It was okay that the arms on the pinata were a little crooked...no one noticed when it was busted open and they were grabbing candy and toys! LOL

EPL Featured Seller: Jorja's Jungle

My final featured seller from Etsy is Jorja's Jungle. I absolutely LOVE her work! Items created are especially for you, your children and your home. My favorites are her one of a kinda outfits and the fact that she manages to recycle all at the same time. She also makes darling hair bows!!! You can message her with custom order requests and I am sure she could make it for you because she is so versatile. Please read ahead and get to know this lovely lady...


-How did you choose the lovely name for your Etsy Shop? When I was pregnant with my youngest child my girlfriends threw a baby shower for me and the theme was Jorjas Jungle . Based on George of the jungle. My daughter is named after Jorja Fox on CSI (Sarah) and I just love the name. It kind of stuck after that and of course it was a great name choice for my business. Some people don't get it but a lot like it after they realize its a shop name lol.

-How did you find Etsy? How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I found Etsy while on Craftster. Craftster is a crafting community that is HUGE. A thread was created about Etsy shops and I checked it out. I loved the ease of listing and the low costs involved so I signed up . I have been selling on Etsy going on 2 years next month.

-How would you describe your style? Have any other artists etc influenced your style?
My style would be funky, colorful, over the top and fun. I love tons of ruffles, tulle, big bows, crazy dinosaurs and owls for boys. I live in Texas and its all about big here so the bigger the bow or the more over the top the clothing the better ;)
Oh there are A LOT of artists I look up to and follow their creations.
If I had to choose just a few to share with you they would be these.
At the top of my list is this chick. http://www.etsy.com/shop/cocolokaboutique
Her work is exquisite. I hope to make such gorgeous creations one day.
Another one is here http://www.etsy.com/shop/hottotscoolkids2 Affordable really cute over the top flouncy clothing. What more can a girl ask for ?

Shoes that are so awesome they rock my socks off. Seriously.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/emandsprout

And a craft I am completely jealous of as I've tried it and sucked at it. Therefore I'm forced to buy others designs.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/cakecreations

- How did you first come to art and creativity? How did your journey in art and creativity begin?
I've always been pretty crafty. My family is creative. Both of my sisters crochet and sew(to an extent) and my mom sews and dabbles in other craftiness. Her favorite thing is ceramics though.
I have to say my personal journey into creativity was about middle school. My dad would buy supplies for me to make my own homecoming mums and some of my friends. (Its a Texas thing LOL)

-How long have you been creating?
Professionally for 12 years. My oldest girl was born and as a stay at home mom I simply could not afford to pay $90 + for the cute custom boutique-y clothing I saw repeatedly on ebay. So I decided to start making my own for her and its an addiction. :P You always find something new that you MUST learn or make.

-What are your main sources of inspiration?
Anything. It can simply be a season to inspire me. Last week I was in a fall sort of mood so I started making pumpkin hats for my shop.

-Have you had any mentors, or are you self taught?
A little of both. I didn't learn to read a pattern/sew by the pattern until hmmm about 5 years ago? Before that I totally winged it on my own. My mom would teach me some stitches. Now two of my close girlfriends show me the ropes on hems and such. I'm learning something new all the time.

-Do you sell more at one time of year than others?
Yes. I have to say in Octoberish the holiday season really pushes sales along. Which is nice because what I do online here provides birthday/vacation/Christmas money for my family.

-How has life affected your art and art affected your life?
They both go hand in hand. My business is pushed right into my daily schedule . I had to really make time to work on it around my family, school and other organizations I belong to. I think its worth it. It has been such a blessing to share my creativity with everyone else.

-Do you have a favorite item you have made?
Oh yes I do. When Destiny was 4 yrs old and in pre-k, I made her an Easter pair of overalls to wear to the egg hunt at school. I put a lot of work into them and they were SO worth it. She received many compliments and it made me feel great about the direction in which I've chosen to take my business.

-What is the best reaction you have gotten from one of your pieces?
"You made this ? No way!!!!"
That one is ALWAYS my favorite lol.

-Your message for all of us?
Don't give up.
Don't be afraid to put yourself out there and promote, promote, promote!
How can people find you , if your not saying HEY, HERE I AM !!!!!!! :) Its been 2 years. Sales aren't steady flowing raking in the cash for me by any means but I.love.what.I.do.

And that's all that matters. LOVE what you do.

I love her message for everyone! I hope you loved it, too!

Visit Jorja's Jungle's Shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/jorjasjungle

Perfecting the Art of Upcycling!!!

I have been a little busy lately...I have been upcycling a lot of items. Upcycling is when you take something old and give it a new, exciting life. I love working with picture frames. I just upcycled my first piece of furniture. It was a plain white jewelry cabinet. (I forgot to get a before pic.)You can use paint but I LOVE patterned paper, so that is what I used. Some girls have an obsession for shoes or purses, but me, I have an obsession with patterned paper! I am sure I have over 1,000 sheets!

When you use paper, you will need to use an adhesive that also works as a sealer. My personal favorite is Mod Podge Matte waterbase sealer, glue and finish. I use at least a 1" wide paint brush to get maximum coverage. Make sure that your surface is clean. (I love magic erasers for this!) Lather on an even coat of Mod Podge to your item. Place your paper on top of adhesive. This part may be tricky because the paper will bubble up everywhere. You will need something rub out the bubbles. You can use a squeegee like you would use for applying wallpaper. I use an old credit card because it works just fine. I always pull the card in all directions to ensure the bubbles are removed.

The last step is applying an even coat of Mod Podge to the top of the paper. This may cause some bubbling as well. You may need to go over it with the card again. Make sure you get around the edges really good or they will peal back. I put three coats on the top of the cabinet to ensure the paper would not come off. I painted the knobs to coordinate with the paper and then finished them of with a clear gloss finish spray. Then I priced this item and it is in my booth, The Perfect Pair, waiting for a new owner!

Hopefully this gave you an idea of where to begin. Once you start upcycling, you will find your own technique!

Featured Seller Interview with Gufobardo

It's that time again! Here is another Interview I did with a fellow Etsian. Gufobardo specializes in handmade Moleskins, Jewels, One of a kind Dolls and Bears and sweet special gifts that are Italian!

Where are you originally from?
I was born in Puglia, southern Italy, close to Greece, but my father is from Friuli,in the north of Italy,and my ancestors come from ex Jugoslavia, Galles and nearby Greece. Now I live in Sardinia, a very special island, rather different from the rest of Italy.

-How did you choose the lovely name for your Etsy Shop?
The name of my shop is made of two words, "Gufo"("Owl") which is a symbol of wisdom and longevity(things i wish to me concerning my work), and "bardo"("bard"),from "longobardo", fierce and combative people who crossed the whole Italy; being half from north and half from south, I do feel like my blood is from all Italy and Europe!

-How did you find Etsy? How long have you been selling on Etsy?
I don't really remember who and when talked me about Etsy, I registered in 2007,but left the account idle for years,my activity took place on an old site of mine and sure Etsy was not in my mind...then the need for changin' style, ideas and items made me re-open concretely in December 2009, thanks also to the support of the Etsy Italian Team, which in the meanwhile I joined, who helped me and helps me considerably in developing ideas.

-How would you describe your style? Have any other artists etc influenced your style?
As for jewelry, I love baroque and Rococò very much, the curves and the elaborate
intertwinement of the wire. I love wire working very much,and my muse is Eni Oken...thanks to her I'm also a teacher at jewelrylesson.com. As for moleskins and my ancient love for drawing, I love very much to create my personal dreamlike world, my inspiration comes from Tim Burton, Federico Fellini's drawings and Leonardo da Vinci's caricatures. A big influence also comes to me from Surrealism.

-How long have you been creating? that you love so much?
I've always been drawing and modeling, first memories go back to when i was 3 years old. I attended art school and have a degree in theory of shapes, visual arts section, I participated in many exhibits and never stop studying both artists and their techniques. It's important to never stop studying, the pictorial stroke of the artists but also anatomy, color theory, styles, biographies...

-What are your main sources of inspiration?
Human faces. I love to transform them in my own personal bestiary.

-Have you had any mentors, or are you self taught?
Eni Oken for jewelry design, for modeling and doll making surely Marylin Radzat and Lisa Gatz for inserting me in the online lessons with several artists from Niada...but also my Art School teachers.

-Do you sell more at one time of year than others?
I started here on Etsy in the January and winter has been really great...we'll see in fall...unlike many others, my sales have always been very well distributed year round, not only in proximity of Christmas.

-What is one thing about your creative process that you think most people don't know?
I never draw a subject in advance..I "cook" it in my mind for several hours or days,when I have the precise 3D drawing in my mind I start drawing headlong with a pen, I like to push my limits and don't want to erase or redo.

-How has life affected your art and art affected your life?
It's hard to answer, I've had paintings and colors in my head from even before I started talking, and was a very taciturn baby...I'd been born like this, I don't know where life ends and art begins and vice versa. What I'm sure of is that to live the way I want to, art must necessarily make my life better.

-Do you have a favorite item you have made?
No, to me the things I create are like sons, I love them all, but it's since I love them that I let them go free in the world

-What is the best reaction you have gotten from one of your pieces?
When I looked at the finished work and told myself "this is what I wanted!"

-Your message for all of us?
Dream and learn, dream and create...transform the dream in tangible art, usable for anyone!

To visit Gufobardo's shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/gufobardo

Thanks for stopping by! See you soon!

Picnik Photo Editing!

My newest love for editing my photos is picnik.com! Bonus, there is a free version!!! I am working on making my photos better for my listings on Etsy and eBay. I was first pointed to Picnik by one of my friends that has a graphic design degree. She uses Photoshop of course, but she told me if she wanted to do something quick she would use www.picnik.com. The other night, I played around with my photos for three hours! It is so fun making tweeks to my photos.

The picture above is of my son during our family Easter egg hunt this year. Notice the before picture is dull and a little dark.(There was an overcast outside) I adjusted the exposure on the left. I went to exposure, advanced, then I adjusted the highlights and shadows. The picture is brighter and the Easter eggs are full of color!

Besides the basic photo editing, you get to play around with special effects, add text and graphics and make collages. The free version only allows your last five uploads to be available. There is a Premium Picnik that you can pay for and it stores 100 of your photos, you get more fonts, stickers, collage options, and beauty tools for only $4.95 a month, $19.95 for six months or $24.95 a year. I am currently using the free version. Once I get a better hang of using Picnik, I am going to upgrade to the premium version. To check out Picnik and start your FREE account, here is the link:

http://www.picnik.com

BPR Designs

I will be hosting three interviews with some awesome artists that sell through the amazing handcrafted site Etsy. Etsy is an online market place dedicated to all things handmade, craft supplies and vintage items that are 20 years or older. You can find so many amazing things on Etsy.

Today's featured artist is BPR Designs. She hand crafts unique fused glass pieces. All items are food save and quality made. There are so many colorful, beautiful pieces in her Etsy shop. I asked her a series of questions, so read on to learn more...

-How did you choose the lovely name for your Etsy Shop? My shop name comes from my initials -- "BPR"

-How did you find Etsy? How long have you been selling on Etsy? I found Etsy through a friend about 4 years ago. I have had a shop on Etsy for 2 years.

-How would you describe your style? Have any other artists influenced your style? I think my style is generally contemporary. I love color and use lots of it in my work! Most of my influence comes from my garden and the great riot of colors found there!

- How did you first come to art and creativity? How did your journey in art and creativity begin? I have always been a "crafty" person -- sewing, soap making, cooking, card making. But when I retired from my full time job I had time to pursue something that I had always admired but was more time consuming and required more dedication -- glass! I quickly became an "addict!"

-How long have you been creating? I have been working with glass for about 5 years.

-What are your main sources of inspiration? All the colors out in the garden!

-Have you had any mentors, or are you self taught? I have taken a number of classes in kiln-formed glass over the years from some great teachers here in Portland. Portland is the home to Bullseye and Urobos glass companies, so it is a great place to be a glass artist!

-Do you sell more at one time of year than others? I sell pretty steadily throughout the year but the holidays are always an extra busy time for me.

-How has life affected your art and art affected your life? I think the practical part of me from my long business career is what attracted me to glass. It is art, but it can have a function as well! I love that. But I also think my art has opened up my eyes to a whole new world of color, shape and texture!

-Do you have a favorite item you have made? On any day I will probably name a different item! I pretty much love them all!!

-What is the best reaction you have gotten from one of your pieces?
A friend's reaction when I gave her a special piece made just for her actually cried!

-Your message for all of us? Promotion is critical! No one can buy what they have not seen!

I feel like I know her better already! I hope you enjoyed getting to know her as well. Follow the link below to view her shop or get in touch with her! Come back and meet two more awesome Etsians!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/bprdesigns

Cupcake Picks, Covered Baby Wipe Boxes & Glow-in-the-dark Necklaces

I have tried two new things this week so far and my kids have discovered a love for making glow-in-the-dark necklaces. It seems like everyone around me is having babies or they know someone having a baby. I decided to research some crafty projects related to babies. I choose to custom covered my first baby wipe box. It was successful. Of course, I went to youtube.com to search for instructions. I learn best by seeing and hearing :) There are a lot of different techniques but at least I had an idea of what I was doing before I went in. I cut my fabric a little bit bigger then each side and I must say I will get the exact measurements next time. Once you have hot glued the fabric on you will go around the edges with an xacto knife. This part I found a little frustrating trying to get the edges perfect. The ribbon was not that hard to get on either but be careful as to not spread on too much because you don't want it to ooze out the sides on to the fabric. I finished my box off with a decorative fabric flower and cute button on top. There are many things you can do to jazz up the wipey box. This makes a great gift!

My little man turned 7 this week and we will be having his party on Saturday. We are having a skate party at a local outdoor skate park. We have invited all of our friends to bring their scooters, skateboards, skates or bikes. I love this idea because the kiddos will get some physical activity in along with all of the sweets! I will be making the cupcakes for the party and I needed so picks for the tops. I searched high and low and could not find any locally so I am making them myself. I found some cool clip art online for free. I am using a skull and cross bones and a skateboard. I have printed out all of the tags but now I need to assemble them.

My kiddos have been busy crafting themselves. We made glow-in-the-dark necklaces!!! You can get an inexpesive bag of beads at Wal-Mart for around $3.00 and I think the black hemp was about $2. So that is $5 for this project and we have enough to make several necklaces, bracelets or anklets. After we strung up the beads we laid them outside on the sidewalk to soak up the sun so they would by extra glowy in the dark! My 10 year old loved them some much he wants to make them again tomorrow. The other night I also made a few cards. So tonight my 7 year old wanted to replicate one of them that I had made. He said he wants to make cards tomorrow. So it sounds like we will all have a busy day crafting tomorrow.

4th of July Shirts, Clay makings and Pinatas!!!

Well, it is another holiday weekend and things have been crazy! I have found some time to craft. I made someone two shirts for their 4th of July Celebration. It was the first time I worked with felt but it turned out cute. Hobby Lobby is my favorite place to get my crafting supplies. I got two shirts and felt for $7.00. I had the other supplies that I need for the project already. I cut out stars from the felt and used fabric glue to hold them in place. I then stitched around all the stars. Something I will have to master but they still look fine. Then with fabric paint, I wrote out the requested message. It took about 3 hours total to make these and 24 hrs for the paint to dry completely.

While I was at Hobby Lobby, I found a small pack of clay for $3.99. It did not require baking. My kiddos were so excited to play with this. You can get a little bit of water on your fingers to mold it better. Since we have a giant tub of play dough with cutters, we pulled the cutters out. After they molded their clay a million times and were finished, I poked a hole in the top of their clay with a pencil. Once the clay dried, about 24 hrs, the kiddos painted their shapes with acrylic paint. Now we can put ribbon through hole and hang them on the wall. Very inexpensive and we got two days of projects out of it. My kids asked when we could buy more clay. They loved it!

I am attempting to make a pinata. We will see how that goes and I will post the end results. Not sure what it will be yet. I am thinking a skull and cross bones. My son will be 7 next week and he is having a skate party at the skate park. I need something that will tie into that theme. I couldn't find anything at the store that would even come close and I decided I would make my own. Any chance I have to make something myself, I am all over it.