Thursday, November 15, 2012

POP UP

POP UP SHOW this Sunday 11/18 at 7809 Zimpel St. New Orleans!!!!! 
Not far from Po-Boy Fest--stop by before or after and start getting ready for the holidays!!! 
Works by 4 local artists including jewelry, fiber, photographs and collectibles. 

Get all the details here::::

http://www.facebook.com/events/444636298927898/


Friday, September 28, 2012



these were taken at Audubon Park the day after the hurricane.  my familiar running sights- seen with a calm, stormy eye. 

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

hurricane isaac

so we decided to ride out the storm- our first hurricane ever- instead of evacuating.  we talked to several people and decided since it was a category 1 that it wouldn't be THAT bad....ummm yeah.  it was quite the experience!!! i imagine i could equate it to a southerner moving up north and experiencing their first snow storm.  kind of???

i tried to keep busy with tasks that required sitting still with no electricity during the storm- reading, embroidery and sleeping.  i got a few things made and after all craft is the point of this blog so i will focus on that and not the hurricane!!  i have quite a few embroidery wall pieces made so these stitchings will most likely be made into a pillow or a collage.  or maybe i'll put some on a bag.  here they are in their "ready for the next step" stage...

this may be cute on a tote bag

PA!

trying a new addition of vintage buttons

still not done stitching this one...(this fabric is a skirt i found at the thrift store and cut up)

a few other things that kept me sane are: my $10 battery powered radio from amazon, my book, and my leftover fan from white linen night.  i have no idea why i even saved this fan but am glad i did!!  it worked much better than a magazine.  one thing i happily learned is that instant coffee has made some major improvements from the last time i tried it (maybe 10 years ago, probably more).  it was delish.  even with the fake creamer!!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

oh me oh my

so....now that i am working FT again i am ignoring my artist side!  this is very, very bad.

recently i was gifted with a little box of inspiration from one of my closest friends.  she always gives me fun findings, mostly of the vintage kind!  i came home to a lovely box of vintage buttons and misc. items the other night and couldn't be more happy about it.

you will see these in a collage soon!!

i am starting all sorts of things today--working on a custom order, going through boxes of collage supplies and making little piles that will soon become artwork.  i even got my box of paints out.  it's been way too long since i've painted and today it happened.  it's still a work in progress so wait for it! 

 in the mean time i finished up these two embroidery pieces....
oh, Pittsburgh i still LOVE you!!

everyone loves unicorns, right??

Saturday, July 7, 2012

slacker

i can't believe it's been so long since i last posted!!!!  wow, just when i thought i may be good at this i turned into a major slacker.

anyways....LOTS of updates and changes.  i have recently accepted a new full time position in visual merchandising with my old company!!!!  i am super happy about it but it brings me to some cross roads.  i started this biz with the thoughts of screw big businesses, i'm gonna be an artist.  i'm gonna put all the energy and effort into what's mine and not another company.  but the thing is i have had a steady paycheck for so long that when i didn't i felt a little well...lost.  i have managed to balance craft/life/work for so long that maybe that is what really works for me.  i am happy to say i am still teaching painting b/c that still works with my new FT regular schedule! 

since becoming unemployed and then moving last year i have had a very "whatever will be will be" attitude.  trying to figure it all out in a new city will leave you with no other way to look at it without driving yourself crazy.  the truth is, i'd like to be one of those people that is very casual and happy with getting some money here and there but i don't think i am that person.  i admire those people.  the happy go lucky kind of people...i just drive myself crazy working toward the next *maybe* paycheck.  now i am swarmed with all those questions like --am i giving up too soon?  am i settling into a routine or really what's right for me? 

i do know a few things...some major changes might be coming up in the next month that i can't share yet.  if this change happens then this is the right move for me.  also, i know that i can keep crafting as long as i have the motivation to.  it just won't be my full time gig.  i need to craft for happiness.  it is part of who i am.  i will still dream of being a successful artist but then again maybe i need to change my definition of success.  i always tell my husband his success should=happiness.  i need to approach it the same way and not judge by monetary income. 

i didn't mean for this to be such a sappy post but i went all MIA on you and i felt i needed to share my absence.  and it kinda helps me sort some stuff out too by just writing about it.  i will continue to craft til the day i die but for now i am going to be a little slow at it.

xoxo

Monday, May 21, 2012

update!

Just added another show to the schedule for this year...

June 2nd I will be at the Freret Street Market from 12-5

Hope to see you there!!!!!

Friday, May 18, 2012

craft show moments....(kind of like Deep Thoughts SNL style but alot longer)

i always think i should keep a diary of sorts about "craft show moments" whether they are good or bad.  i never do.  my favorite highlight from tonight--before i forget--

* a boy about 4 or 5  RUNS over to my table and picks up a gold and black fleur de lis zipper pouch and says mom i want THIS!!  and shakes his ziploc baggie of change.   the mom replies and says well, we have to eat dinner first and then you have to ask your dad.  he won't put the pouch down and gives her this face, but not a pain pouty face, just mom PLEASE i'll buy it with my own money face.  i say i'm here all weekend and to come back after dinner to see me because she really couldn't get him to leave.  he must of ate really fast because he came back with his very manly dad....(i've had this happen before and it's a little awkward for me) the dad says "joseph, this is for a girl."  joseph doesn't budge but instead gives that face again and says i want to keep my money in it.  the dad says, "it's for a girl"....joseph REALLY wants it and just looks at him innocently....not understanding what is going on so the dad finally looks at me and says "who am i to judge?  his sister is getting a $8 tattoo that will rub off in 2 days.  at least this guy will have this for years since he tends to hoard."  joseph WINS!

PS--i need to think of a manly name for my zipper pouch....seriously parents get SO freaked out when their boys want one. not sure what the big deal is!
((not necessarily girly!!))



Wednesday, May 16, 2012

this weekend....

forgive the minimal post and lack of posting in general....things have been BUSY!!

find me here this weekend!!!  friday, saturday AND sunday!
http://thebayouboogaloo.com/

you'll find lots of stuff made from my NEW vintage finds....

Monday, May 7, 2012

return

i've been missing for awhile...busy with life sort of things.  after my fabulous trip to pittsburgh my machine was in the shop so i took a little break from sewing after 6 weeks of shows.  yes, i have a back up machine but it just wasn't doing it for me so i just well, stopped. 

i attended my first ever sewing circle at this adorable sewing shop called Sew Fabulous less than a mile from my house.  i made a hand towel for my kitchen that buttons around your fridge or oven or cabinet.  it was a quick and cute project!  my hope was to meet other people with similar interests but everyone was really new to sewing so they were absorbed in their projects and didn't really have time for chatting. bummer.....

then my brother visited from NYC and it was so fun.  we over ate, over drank and laughed our asses off!

which brings me to this week....i got my machine back but then worked every single day so i didn't have time or energy to sew.  i also started a new PT job in addition to my visual merchandising job.  i'm teaching painting at Painting with a Twist!  if you've never heard of it check out the website--it's a ton of fun!!
http://www.paintingwithatwist.com/slidell/

chris was actually on vacation this week so we hung out on friday and then i was able to sew a bit on saturday and sunday--he even made me dinner both days!!!!  amazing.....

things may be back to my new normal this week.  i have a show on saturday so i need to make it work!  i'll post pics of what i'm working on later this week.  just wanted to catch y'all up!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

the 'Burgh

i wanted to post a few non crafty type Pittsburgh pics just because....
this is a fountain on the Pitt campus along one of my regular running routes.

cathedral of learning building behind schenley plaza (Pitt campus)...another running route pic.

fleur de lis in PA!  this is the top of the green house on the Frick museum grounds.

i was happily overwhelmed by all the tulips everywhere!!

Fort Pitt tunnel shot-yes i was driving when i took this...shhhhh.

i've always loved the view of the city coming out of that tunnel--it was a gray day on my arrival but it's still pretty cool!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

BEST business trip EVER!

i don't even know where to start....it was quite the successful trip to Pittsburgh!  other than getting really lost trying to find the home ec building in south park (again!!) because there is no official address for it- things went really well!  my friend Christine was my official assistant buyer at the fabric sale so that meant 4 hands grabbing fabric.  AMAZING!!  i need to start from the beginning.  we got there and of course there was a line.  this is where we waiting in pure anticipation glaring through the windows inside....
 the first steps inside of fabric heaven/ MAYHEM!!!!
digging through the fat quarters boxes--this section was sold by the pound.
final haul laid out on Christine's dining table.

check out the old school Syracuse fabric--crazy that we found it in the 'burgh!



i didn't add up the total yardage yet--i had to ship most of the fabric home because my bag weighed 75 pounds...oops.  it should get here by thursday.  i can't wait!!!!

the I Made It!  Market was really amazing as well!  even with the rain people still came out in full force to shop which made me so very happy.  here's my make shift set up with my borrowed table cover and baskets.
it was so great to see my friends and fellow artists and meet new ones!  i'm thinking there needs to be a repeat next year minus the getting lost part!  xoxo <3 u PITTSBURGH!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

pittsburgh!!!!!

SO excited for my trip!

friday morning i will be dropping this order off at Wild Card!


saturday morning is the Salvation Army Fabric Sale...i hope i find as much good stuff as i did last year!

saturday afternoon is the I Made It! Market...looking forward to seeing friends and the people of the 'burgh!
this is my suitcase BEFORE adding in the Wild Card order or my clothes....ummmm problem!  i didn't even take all my bags!!  gonna have a tim gunn moment and "make it work".

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

getting ready for the 'burgh

i have been sewing like crazy to get ready for this weekend's show in Pittsburgh!!!! it is the first time i have ever traveled for a show so it should be interesting.  obviously, my display will not be very pretty but i'm gonna try and stuff as much merchandise into my suitcase as possible.  this is what i got made today, so far!
e-reader cases

ipad cases
i have an appointment tomorrow and have to finish my business taxes with chris after he gets home from work (yuck) so i'm not sure how much sewing time i'll have.  i'm going to try and keep going tonight but i am getting antsy looking outside at how nice it is!!  also need to pack and get organized! 

wow, i just realized this is my 6th weekend straight of craft shows/festivals...no wonder i'm feeling antsy from being in this room.  hmmmm maybe a cocktail will solve that! 

here's the info for the I Made It! Market on saturday.
hope to see you there!!!!

Friday, April 6, 2012

on a roll...

SO thankful that the shipment got canceled yesterday and i got to take off work today since no mannequins need to be updated!  YAYYYYYYYY!!!!

got the last handbag made last night and have been working on custom orders and collages today. i got two orders for vendor aprons at the last show after they saw mine. 
this one includes a matching money pouch

this order is also getting a cross body bag that i still need to make
then i got busy on replacing the collages i sold last week...these are always SO fun to make since i never really go into it with any ideas.  i love the organic creative process!
these are usually made strictly from my scrap basket but i couldn't resist using this new green grocery fabric i just got this week.  the "please with pork" is a cover of a vintage cook book.  what carnivore doesn't love pork?? 



this collage uses another great estate sale find--a parts pamphlet of tvs from 1951.  i made this one a little more "manly" thinking it'd be great in a den or something. 

i guess i need to clean up my hot mess of a studio now and start working on price tags for the market tomorrow.  hope you get a chance to stop by!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

gettin' er done

LOVE when i have a productive kick ass day!!! today was definitely one of them.  working on getting ready for Freret Fest this weekend, filling an order for Wild Card, and filling in my inventory for what i sold last weekend at Algiers Festival.

today i got 22 zipper pouches made along with three handbags!!!!! i cut everything out yesterday so it was all sewing. i was getting what i refer to as "sewing head" (kinda like museum head--another form of overload from doing something i love) so i took a break at 2:00 and went for a five mile run.  as a side bar i just want to say i am getting more and more used to running in this humidity and i'm kinda proud of that because it's just a fact of life (do you hear that show's song in your head right now??? "you take the good, you take the bad, you take 'em all and there you have the facts of life" ok, you can tell i do...) down here in new orleans.  i've even embraced my big hair--and when someone asks me if i got a perm i say proudly- no, it's natural!!

here are the zipper pouches i made....
funny....to look at this pic i wouldn't say the sewing time was 6 hours but yeah, it was.  then i made this custom order bag for Judy from Judy DiGeorge Designs.  she asked me to make this bag for her out of her own vintage fabric.  i was honored that she would pick me (trust me!) to make this bag that she's wanted for so many years!!  it's a BEAUTIFUL bark cloth fabric.  i can't wait to give it to her at the festival on saturday!!!  she hasn't seen it yet so i can't wait to see her face...it feels like christmas just a little.

and then i made two cross body bags to replace the two i sold this weekend.

i have to work at my other job tomorrow so hopefully i will have enough energy left to make the final large bag i have cut out.  i need to replace some artwork too but that may not happen...there's still price tags to make and other market prep that needs to happen on friday.  did i mention that i'm excited for this market???  i'm in booth 1014 if you come by--right next to ElleDeeNOLA--and you have to see her awesome jewelry and pedestals!!!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

back at it...

finally having a solid day of crafting today.  i am kinda behind on my balance of cutting and sewing so i did both this morning.  i have a show both days this weekend so i am trying to get started on items to deliver to Wild Card when i visit pittsburgh in april.  this is what i got made so far--eyeglass cases and cell phone cases.
still cutting out more stuff this afternoon for tomorrow morning sewing. here's a preview!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

new supplies

it felt like christmas morning friday when i came home to find both my packages of supplies had arrived!!  for some reason embroidery hoops have been hard to find lately so i had to order them online.  then this company took  f  o  r  e  v  e  r  to ship them to me.  don't think i'll use them again but at least i'm stocked up for a bit.  and i got my zippers from the fabulous etsy seller kandcsupplies who is always speedy :)  now it's time to create!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

day 30 of my 30 day challenge...

they say if you do something for 30 days straight it becomes a habit.  here's hoping creating at least 1 item a day is now a habit for me!

some things i've learned from taking on this challenge....
 *mondays are the hardest day for me.  i usually work and grocery shop and sometimes exercise so there's not alot of time left for crafting.  maybe that's my one day off.
*a migraine can still screw up my whole day=my only FAIL moment where i was sick and didn't get to make something.
*((as much as i love lists)) sometimes having a list seriously stresses me out.  even though i know that's what i NEED to make i really need to throw away the list and let creating be organic.  or else it feels like a job i don't want.
 *my sewing machine is really loud so i can't sew while chris is sleeping.  bummer.

this challenge reminds me of college in a way...  sometimes when it was time for a studio class i didn't feel like going.  well i went anyways and made myself create and then felt like oh yeah, i DO want to be doing this.  we all get lazy, we all get caught up with life but i find if i just walk into my studio most days i am inspired to do SOMETHING.  if my brain isn't feeling particularly creative then maybe i just work on price tags or researching shows.  there's always something related and even though i love my crafting i am after all, trying to make it my business.  ok, i guess it is already a business but i just mean a more successful (i.e. earn more income) business.

i am really rambeling on right now....oh man.  i was wide awake at 4am this morning.  read a little and then said forget it, i'm gonna start sewing the stuff i cut out last night.  i sewed for 7 hours straight.  didn't get dressed, forgot to brush my teeth, didn't eat--just sewed with a mission.  i cranked out 5 handbags this morning and now...well, now i'm crashing and i think i'll take a nap.

these are the bags i got made...
another thing i've learned...i like crafty challenges.  i like challenges in life- i get bored way too easy so this was very, very good.  i think i may do another one soon.  i just need to decide what one it's gonna be.