Wild Gypsy Art

What online class would YOU be interested in?

2011-02-06T20:28:00.002-05:00

Everyone is watching Super Bowl and here I sit trying to figure out what classes to start with on my artdemos.com domain. I think waiting 12 years to get started on this project is long enough! Taking an online class has lit my fire to teach again. It's been 7 years since I stood in the front of a classroom and I really miss the interaction that comes from doing and sharing. There's a poll set up on my art demos dot calm blog. To reach it, just click on the title of this posting and it will take you there. It's neck in neck for digital collage and glass pendants. Be the first to break the tie!

Hope everyone has enjoyed the half time show. I sped through all of the plays to get to the show part. I really only watch it for the commercials and the one with Roseanne cracked me up the most...I think it was for Snickers. Yeah, a Snickers bar could do that to you...LOL

In Neutral

2011-02-04T22:27:00.004-05:00

For several weeks I've been re-thinking my goals in life. I went back to selling on eBay back in October to make extra money for Christmas and I'm happy to report that everyone got nice gifts from me because of it. I've been selling there since January 15, 2001 and had a 100% positive feedback record. Today a customer (male) left me a neutral because he felt I overcharged for shipping. An extra $1.38 apparently broke his budget but since I charge a flat rate for all my customers (he lives in Jersey) there are times when it costs less to ship, as in his case. I clearly state in my listings that I will happily refund monies if a customer is unhappy FOR ANY REASON. My husband feels I'm over reacting and in essence I am. What is one neutral out of almost 1500 feedback. It doesn't really change my overall profile but because of my obsessive personality it changes everything!

For almost 12 years I have been putting off a project that will not only benefit my pocketbook but will benefit a lot of people as well. Since I was in kindergarten I always thought I'd become a teacher. I have taught various mediums over the last 40 years that I've been an artist so that seemed to fulfill my need to share my knowledge. But that domain name I've paid for year after year has been sitting there and now I think it's time to put it to good use. artdemos.com has been waiting for 12 years to host my online teaching methods.

When the idea first occurred to me there was not the availability of hosting services that there are now. So I am mulling over how important it really is to continue to produce art for others to buy. Perhaps it really is time to share my knowledge with others so that they can produce art for others to buy. I know that making art is what saved my life when I was going through my fight with breast cancer. It took me outside of my everyday concerns of survival and allowed me to find peace. And oddly, or maybe not so oddly, things have been popping up in unexpected places that have reinforced this notion.

So I write this with an eye toward sharing what I know in a classroom setting that you can pop into even if you're in your pj's and it's 3am in the dark of night. If you'd like to put in your 2 cents worth, go over to my new blog Art Demos Dot Calm (just click on the title of this posting) and vote for what classes you'd like to see demonstrated. I'll be making a decision in the next 5 weeks about whether or not this plan is conceivable.

Just one of those days

2011-02-03T10:51:00.004-05:00

I find that whenever I'm at a crossroads in life my thinking naturally tends to become dark and depressive. The more I obsess over negativity the more I attract it into my life. I'm addicted to depressive thinking...just think what I MIGHT accomplish if I thought happy thoughts...boggles the mind just to consider it.

I think the majority of us are mired in negativity. How can we not be? All we have to do is turn on the TV or radio. It's rarely the happy news hour. We hear of death, destruction, earthquakes, fires, missing women and abused children. So how do we take that bad news, push it aside and break through to a happier place? I know of only one way that works for me. I immerse myself in a new project. Usually one that centers around creating something new. Doesn't even have to be of an artistic nature. It can be as simple as changing things around on the fireplace mantle to reflect a change of seasons.

When my Dad passed away in May of 1998 I was devastated. He was such a creative thinker and so full of knowledge. Then I read "When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground." To memorialize him I started a newsgroup in October of '98. It was dedicated to bringing together polymer clay artisans of all levels of talent. Today, that group is still alive and the oldest polymer clay group on yahoo. While I no longer lead it, the woman I passed the reins to has done an exceptional job of keeping it a positive and sharing place.

I also bought a domain where I intended to teach others to work with polymer clay. It never took off. Mainly a money issue followed quickly by my discovery of a lump in my breast. Breast cancer changed my life in ways I could not even envision at the time. Most of them positive but once again the negativity still abounds at times. It's then that I go into my 'turtle' mode. Friends know when I'm 'turtling' because they won't hear from me for days or weeks on end. Most of the time it because I'm re-evaluating my life or the direction of that life.

Over the holidays I once again turtled for awhile and then something happened that changed my mindset and may in time change my life. I saw an ad on Facebook that was promoting an online classes in mixed media called "Mixed Media Melange". I was fascinated but knew I couldn't budget it. Two Facebook friends took it upon themselves to pay for that class and as I blog this I'm awaiting video class #3 to be uploaded. I'm having a great time creating for creation's sake and not as a way to earn money.

This class has stirred up a lot of unresolved issues. The main one being what I started out thinking I'd be when I grew up. An art teacher or a dress designer were top contenders. I was conflicted about which one to pursue but a collage junior decided for me by asking for my hand in marriage. He gave me two beautiful children and almost 40 years to pursue my love of art. I've done just about everything that a creative person could do. Moving from one creative effort to another; lingering on some for years and others for a week or as long as a month. And during those times I've also spent many years teaching others my "art/craft du jour".

So where is this blog post going? Somewhere positive and creative I think. But I'm going to need your help to get to where I think I'm supposed to be but that post is for another day and time. Thanks for spending a few moments while I emptied my mind out on the page...Writing has always been cathartic for me and today is no different.
I'm feeling much more positive about my tentative decision. Stay tuned for details.

Who says Miracles don't still happen?

2011-01-27T17:19:00.004-05:00

Over the last 24 hours I have had the most amazing thing happen to me. I was commenting on facebook about my desire to take an online class but unfortunately it wasn't something I could budget. In response to that post two women who I know only out here in cyberspace secretly sent me paypal payments to use for the tuition. They both sent the total amount of tuition plus a little extra to cover the PP charges. I am so touched by their actions that I've been weepy and sniffly all night and day.

These RAOKs (Random Acts of Kindness) are sadly lacking in most of our lives. We're always in such a rush to get somewhere we sometimes forget to do even little things. Hold the door for someone juggling packages; forget to smile at an older person walking by; say thank you to a harried check-out person; stop and admire someone's garden. Each day we're given opportunities to do something special for someone else but often the question we silently ask ourselves is "what's in it for me?"

These women, one in MA and one in the UK did not have to go to these lengths for a stranger. But they chose to reach out to someone to brighten their day. And in my case, renew my hope. When I was fighting breast cancer 6 years ago I was so wrapped up in the fight I didn't think about why I was fighting to live; I just fought! In the last few months and years I've questioned why God let me stay around if His only plan for me was poverty level existence. I still am wondering just how He will finally show me why I'm still here. But two women have so touched my life that I think He's beginning to revel His plans just a bit.

The online class I'm taking is called "Mixed Media Melange". When I saw it advertised on the FB ad sidebar I clicked on it out of curiosity more than anything. Looking at the list of supplies I saw that I had EVERYTHING they said was needed for the class and I wistfully posted about it to my 3000+ friends. Never dreaming that I'd ever have the chance to take it, let alone have two women reach out to me financially, I'm putting God on the spot and asking him to show me a way I can use the knowledge that I'll gain from it for a higher purpose.

I'll keep you posted. I've made a promise to myself and my readers to blog more and offer more of myself. I'm keeping faith by doing these postings as miracles start to happen all around me. God Bless Rose and Dawn...two angels in disguise!

Why Can't I Own a Canadian?

2011-01-24T12:03:00.003-05:00

I suppose I will be damned to hell by some folks who read this because I admit to being tolerant of all others despite their sexual orientation or religious beliefs. But I found this too amusing and informative not to share:

In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, written by a US resident, and posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:

Dear Dr. Laura:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them:

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10

16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I'm confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your adoring fan.

James M. Kauffman, Ed.D, Professor Emeritus,
Dept Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education
University of Virginia

PS (It would be a damn shame if we couldn't own a Canadian)

2011-01-21T12:00:00.002-05:00

All Good Things Must End Someday

2011-01-14T17:38:00.002-05:00

Last night at about 9 pm EST my little chihuahua, Tyler, died in my husband's arms. It was a sudden illness that took him in less than 24 hours. We are devastated at his loss since it was unexpected and so very, very quick. But we all got to hold him, cuddle him, kiss him and tell him we loved him and then my husband sat with him in his arms for two and a half hours while I took my daughter to her first bridal show. I didn't want to leave Ty but my husband insisted I go and I'm glad I did. Ty passed shortly after my daughter and I returned and I will miss his sweet disposition and gentle eyes forever.

WILD GYPSY JEWELS is now on facebook

2011-01-13T17:20:00.002-05:00

And this should show up as my "like" button. If not...just click on the Title line above and join my page

WILD GYPSY JEWELS is now on facebook

2011-01-13T16:44:00.004-05:00

Click on the title of this post and please LIKE my page...your help in 'liking' my fan page is much appreciated!

WildGypsyJewels is off and running.....

2011-01-13T14:28:00.003-05:00

January 2011 and I'm making resolutions to...

be more proactive with my art by:
blogging, tweeting and FaceBooking regularly
offering something FREE to the public at regular intervals
GIVING something away monthly
writing about what I want to read about
NOT getting personal; no one cares if I've broken a nail
networking with other bloggers
successfully working my NEW eBay store (click title above)
TAKING MY ART SERIOUSLY after a decade of indifference

Now that having been said I do want to catch my readers up on a few personal things. One is that my beautiful daughter, Lauren, became engaged to her e-Harmony match on Christmas Eve. Somewhere in the archives are pictures of them on her 30th birthday...I hope. Tonight is the bridal show for her chosen venue so off we go to do the Mommy, Daughter, Auntie, Future s-i-l and m-i-l thing. So far the only stumbling block is money. See my notes above on my proposed remedy:)

And the other, very sad and very scary thing I want to blog is that my little five lb. Chihuahua, Tyler, almost died this morning. I resuscitated him and we now believe his airway was being obstructed by a loose tooth. We preformed some minor surgery and have given him some fluids, antibiotics and baby asprin. All in all, a family living at the poverty level at the moment has done what they used to do before there was a Vet on every major highway...we have taken care of our own livestock and are cautiously optimistic that he will recover. I was up a few times during the night after he failed to eat at bedtime. I'm saying little prayers for the 'big guy' since at almost 13 he's still a major player in our family's circle of pets.

So there you have it...the second blog post after four months of 'turtling' by the Jersey Girl. Stay tuned for giveaways, freebies and good stuff without any b*tching and complaining about LIFE. Because once you have kicked the a@@ of cancer you MUST be willing to enjoy every single minute of LIFE no matter what it hands you. As my son is fond of saying...money is great and a necessary evil...but the only thing money really affords you is experiences. Interesting thought about the green stuff that fuels and sometimes stalls the economy of this family and this country.

HOLY SMOKES

2011-01-12T19:57:00.003-05:00

I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted....holy crap! I apologize to anyone who was really interested in seeing what I was up to but this past fall has had me all over the map...emotionally AND creatively. When I last posted, my sister and I had planned to start crafting together again. That didn't work out but the fault is all my own...I wandered off into a different venue and never returned.

In the last four months I've returned to selling on eBay. This time with adorable pendants that seem to have become quite popular. So popular in fact I can now go grocery shopping every week :) One of my NY resolutions was to start blogging on a regular basis. So I'll be back...and sooner than four months...with some interesting ideas for giveaways and other goodies. I've also started selling on a number of different sites so to say that I've got a bit of catching up to do is an understatement. If you want to see what I'm doing in the meanwhile...click on the title of this post and it will take you to my eBay.

A Sister Act

2010-09-14T21:07:00.004-04:00

Those Prim and Whimsy girls...Carolyn, a Jersey Girl and her sister Sara started working together in 1985.
Now 25 years later we've decided to stop doing local art/craft shows and sell exclusively on Etsy. So today I spent several hours getting the shoppe set up and tomorrow I'll start listing our Ghouls Jewels made exclusively for Halloween.
I spent a week doing the designs and my sister spent a day cutting them out of recycled wood from the inside of vintage cigar boxes. We're very into upcycled, recycled and repurposed items. And this wood has a distinct distressed appearance just perfect for the folk art designs I painted on them.
Tomorrow I'll be sure to add a link to the shoppe and post a few of my favorite necklaces. We're going to be working hard to promote this shoppe because at our age we don't want to get a job. After all women of a certain age need to keep working at what they do best!

TURNING CORNERS-Part 2

2010-09-05T14:36:00.013-04:00

Here are the rest of the girls in the family. I wanted to keep sketching all night but the area where I was working only had lighting over the counters. The center table is under the skylight and it turned into night before I had a chance to stop playing. But tomorrow is another day. Hope you enjoy meeting the rest of the family.

While I was on a roll I decided to add some family members. So I grabbed that big ole white bristle brush again and some forest green paint to outline her. Hey...remember I said no rules were the rules in this game. This is really hard work breaking out of my mold!

Here's the sister. Dressed in her Sunday best. I used a bunch of flower punch outs that I'd been keeping in a drawer. Seemed that the smaller ones were perfect for her dress. I don't usually paint this big OR this bold. I'm loving this whole experiment. Can't wait to do more. But first I've got to finish up the rest of the family...see some of them below.

This is the first little baby that joined the family. I think she'll be holding a balloon or maybe a kite

These faces just keep appearing. How cute is she?

These little sweetums will be finished sometime this weekend. I am having so much fun 'just doing art'. I imagine though that as always I will be selling them because that's what I do. I can probably stop being a perfectionist but I doubt that I'll ever be happy making art for art's sake. I've made my living for almost 40 years as a professional artist...I really DON'T want to get a 'real' job..those are soul-sucking things!

TURNING CORNERS

2010-09-04T20:41:00.006-04:00

I've had a creative block that has refused to move. It's like my Muse went MIA and left me in a dark void. This has been going on for months and I've despaired all summer that she might never return to full time duty. I can't see the road ahead and I despair daily at my lack of creativity.

I knew how I wanted to paint but not how to go about quieting that voice in my head that has always said "it's not good enough, you're not good enough". So today I decided to unblock once and for all. But to go about it I needed to use supplies that didn't matter.

Messy but ready to be put to good use.

Bristol paper, paper palette, kids tempera paint, some big brushes.

Getting down with the paint. Gee, I think this might be fun!

I grabbed that big white bristle chinese sumi-e brush and quickly sketched a girl and cat.

I dug around for a folder of old handmade papers. Might as well put them to some use. I've been saving them for a 'special' piece...this is it!

Adding some collage elements

I've been adding crayons, paint and collage elements at this point. She's starting to speak to me!

Adding a piece of commercial scrapbook paper. My feet are getting tired of standing but this is really a lot of fun!

Papers added and background painted in. Sloppy but freeing. Cat needs some work.

I can't believe I did it. I've painted for years but I've never PAINTED this way before. No thought if it would be good enough to sell I was able to just paint and lose myself in the work. Tomorrow I'll show the whole family that decided to join her.

I haven't been this excited about my work in years. I painted freely, loosely and happily. Welcome home my dear Muse. Please don't ever take an extended vacation any time soon...PLEASE

Eyes Are the Windows to the Soul

2010-08-23T09:37:00.002-04:00

Watching any loved one grow older is always a saddening experience. This last weekend was hard for me. My Mom has been going to her ophthalmologist of 25 years for the last six weeks complaining of fogginess in her right eye. He reached the point last Monday where he said I don't know what's wrong, you'll have to see another doctor. On Tuesday I took her to her cardiologist who said "have you seen an eye doctor? You have an infection in your eye". No joke...we've been telling her we thought it had to be something more than an irritation. Cut to the chase. My sister is leaving for a short vacation and I'm left in charge of Mom so...I tell her to call the ophthalmologist and tell him that you need to see him again STAT!!! She calls, he passes her off to a younger doc in the practice who does a thorough exam and says her eyelid is infected as well as her cornea. Come in Saturday at 9 am. In we go, she sees the pediatric ophthalmologist because he's on call and he recognizes right away that she has eye margin disease. Which is apparently what kids get when they get foreign matter in their eyes. So Sat & Sun at 9 am we had a date with the pedi optho and now today we're back to the young associate who first recognized the problem.

I hate to admit that I was getting rather annoyed hearing about her eye since the Dr. was basically telling her nothing was wrong. I even was harsh with her on the ride up telling her she was concentrating too much on that eye. When we sat down on Friday to see that new doctor I saw my Mom's hands shaking on her cane and realized she was afraid. Of me (wow, what a reversal) the doctor, and her own beliefs. I've been much more gentle and understanding finding that those big brown eyes, now dimmed by age, are infected. So now the aggressive treatment begins and hopefully the last reading she got of 20/400 will improve enough for her to once again be able to read. God Bless you Momma...I'm sorry for acting the brat once again!

FOLK ART FRIENDS

2010-08-12T11:13:00.005-04:00

It's been almost two months since I posted to this blog. I broke EVERY rule of blogging! The first being: NEVER GO MORE THAN TWO DAYS WITHOUT POSTING TO YOUR READERS. So an apology is needed to all of you followers. Forgive the lapse but this long HOT, HOT, HOT Jersey summer has just about done me in! The day after day of 90+ sunshine is debilitating to say the least and I truly had nothing to say that would have added to your life experience. During this time away I:

Took Kelly Rae's e-course
Honed my illustrative techniques
Developed a new line of art work
Colored and highlighted my hair
And...oh yes...celebrated 39 years of marriage to the SAME guy!

So it's not like I wasn't busy but I simply had nothing to add to your reading pleasure until NOW. For those of you who are of an artistic bent, I invite you to join me over at my new ART ONLY blog. One of the most important things that was stressed in Kelly Rae's course was to have a place where a reader could watch your artistic progress and help yourself define your identity as a business person. I apparently set up this blog back in '06 when I was setting up this one and then promptly forgot about it. I stumbled across it quite by accident about two weeks ago and now will be posting there regularly as I develop my line of "Kitty and Cat" paintings.
So please venture over and follow me there as well. I'll be posting regularly to both but strictly my art will appear on that one. Enjoy the day ahead and be happy that you've been given one more day to experience this wonderful world we live in!

Finding the Sacred in the Ordinary

2010-06-24T15:41:00.012-04:00

I have personal validation that I will never grow old! In gathering items for our three family yard sale, my sister and I combed my Mom's basement. In a box of 'garbage' I found this zip lock bag filled with 'useless' junk.

At the age of 61 I responded to that bag like an 8 yro on Christmas morning! I was so excited to open it up and see what was hiding in there. I have always been addicted to anything that can make a mark on paper. To some they are called pencils and pens but to me they are magic wands. Placing sacred lines on ordinary paper that then becomes art. So here are the results of what was hiding in that bag of useless junk.

Pens, pencils, erasers, fountain pens...Magic Wands!!

Notice the bottom one...a Bible Marker...when did you ever see one of those?

I totally LOVE nib pens and these holders are perfect for the dozens of nibs I already have!

The Esterbrooks will require some TLC but I've found a site for replacement nibs and ink sacs.

Far and away the best finds in my opinion are these marvelous vintage mechanical pencils! There are two Scripto brands for which I luckily have a box of vintage leads so these will be the "stars" of my future sketching...I'm in love...check out the logo on the best one!

I could go on and on about each of the pieces I found. They are sacred in my world and I know will add to the pleasure I find in sketching and drawing in the weeks and months ahead.
The next time you get ready to throw away some old 'junk' see if there is anything that can be re-purposed or salvaged and made sacred. In the ordinariness of our life there are pockets of the sacred that are often overlooked.
Just a last thought I wanted to share. Most of these were giveaways and are remnants of a Jersey Shore that no longer exists.

Turning Points

2010-06-23T16:18:00.005-04:00

We all have those days when nostalgia rears up and hits us right between the eyes! Today it came to me while I was sorting through some old packing boxes that had been in my former studio. Back in the summer of 2004 I was diagnosed with breast cancer in early July. From mid-July until my mastectomy on August 23rd I spent the time packing up my studio and labeling the boxes. I was lucky enough to have the studio in my Dad's former childhood home so I just left them in storage on a back porch and walked away to deal with cancer and all of its ramifications.
The home/studio has been rented since by my youngest nephew, then my daughter and now my eldest nephew and the boxes shifted around, re-packed, etc. I realized it was finally time to confront all of the memories and junk they contained. It's been an evolutionary process.
I've found art supplies from as long ago as the mid-70's packed away with inspirational books, household supplies and your basic every day junk! I just unpacked the very last box and it contained nothing but books. Books I obviously have read over the years but never put to use in my every day life. I guess I thought that just by owning them, my life would somehow change. Here's the list of what was hiding in that last box...or at least the ones I intend to keep:

Wishcraft~How to Get What you REALLY Want by Barbara Sher
Anatomy of the Spirit~The Seven Stages of Power and Healing by Caroline Myss
In My Wildest Dreams~Living the Life You Long For by Gail Blanke
The Well of Creativity~Julia Cameron, et al
The Power of Your Other Hand~A course in channeling the inner wisdom of the right brain by Lucia Capacchione
Pricing & Promotion~A Guide for Craftspeople by Patrick McGuire
and last but not least
Flatter your Figure~Transform your figure with the next garment you wear! by Jan Larkey

There were also a bunch of inspirational paperbacks with Wayne Dyer in the lead for the most popular author. And it suddenly struck me...I am no farther ahead, no closer to my goal, no happier, no richer, no thinner, no more knowledgeable than when I first bought those books.
I guess the old saying is true: If you always do what you've always done; then you'll always get what you've always gotten!
So with this posting I am turning a corner. I'm making a promise to myself and to you, my followers, that in the future these blog posts will be about helping YOU and not about trying to change myself. I am what I am and it's just going to have to be good enough for all of us! Kelly Rae's e-course is responsible for opening my eyes on that one!
So I'd like to hear suggestions from the peanut gallery on how I can help you. What would you like me to share information about? Is there anything that I've said that you'd like more information about (excluding my kids and husband :)? I'd like to be here for those of you who may have questions about getting started on your artistic career because the one thing I have never tried to change is my desire to grow as an artist. I have 40 years worth of knowledge on all types of media and experience with gallery and juried art shows. I'm a resource that is willing to be tapped so let the tap show begin.
With much love I remain your ever faithful, Carolyn, a Jersey Girl.

Authentic Self

2010-06-19T13:02:00.003-04:00

For years I've been secretly hiding a desire to go back to batiking. I fought it because it's not a popular art form...at least not in the rarefied circles that I inhabit :) But I'm not talking about your Indonesian batik, I'm talking about the Americanized variety that uses crayons, dyes and cloth. I practiced it 35 years ago. Had my first art show 35 years ago. Sold my first batik for $35 dollars 35 years ago. So what am I really saying here? That I want to go back to that style from the mid-seventies? The big turquoise poppies and the red calla lilies? NO! Absolutely NO! Those days are long gone and along with them an inauthenticity that even I wasn't aware of at the time.

I learned how to do American batik from a local girl who made it big. Sara Eyestone - American Artist. If you google her there are over 85,000 hits that reference her and her work. In the seventies I was young and I idolized her. I tried to be her in fact. And I failed....miserably! Even admitting that I learned the art form from her is exposing more of myself than even I am comfortable with because in doing so I must expose how negatively she impacted my life. She was my idol and my mentor. In my naiveté I believed she was also my friend. But even though that relationship ended badly for me it opened up my absolute love for Art and for 12 years gave direction for my work. Even if that direction was not my own.

Now 35 years later I'm ready to pick up the beeswax and brushes again. But this time what will emerge will be the authentic self. The real Carolyn, a Jersey Girl. The 61 year old woman who has survived breast cancer with dignity and is ready to begin again on a path of creativity that is finally my own. Where will this journey take me? Hopefully back to myself. To the real me who is scared of failing but is willing to try again despite my fears. And who is willing to say to anyone who is willing to listen...fear is our biggest stumbling block. Once we can get past our fears (of rejection, of failure, of embarrassment) the opportunities for personal growth are huge!

So tomorrow, when I would ordinarily be in church, I am going to pick up those brushes and touch them to my homemade paper and begin again. Begin something I consider sacred...rediscovering who I really am without the fear and the need for an idol or a mentor. My journey of self-rediscovery may be a bumpy ride and I may fall off the horse more than once but I hope that as I share my fears, failures and triumphs that I'll inspire others to rediscover their own dreams.

Kelly Rae Roberts and Taking Flight

2010-06-18T10:52:00.004-04:00

For Mother's Day this year my children gave me an incredible present. An e-course that has changed my life! Kelly Rae's e-course (see the clicky button at the left side) has had a major impact on my life over the last few weeks. As has the results of my latest tests and scans...I'm FIVE years out from metastatic breast cancer and I'm loving life.

I wanted to share the letter that I posted on the group's page in it's entirety so here it is:

I haven't been keeping up with the comments OR the actual blog postings for the last two weeks. I actually got my 'money's worth' on day two!! I decided to shed my fears and take that leap. So I put away my need to 'be like everybody else' and make what is selling and to do what my heart has been urging me to do regardless of whether or not it will be financially worthwhile.

About a week into my internal dialog and constant sketching I've arrived almost full circle from where I started (media wise) but this time with my very OWN style, which was missing when I was doing this work 35 years ago. I'm going away on a personal retreat this weekend to further explore what has been sketched and journaled and I'm taking along all the weeks that I've missed reading here. It will add dimension and real world knowledge to my journey.

I've been in 'turtle' mode these last few weeks. It is what I do when I need to just shut down and listen to my heart. Most of the time my head interfered and told me that I couldn't 'afford' to do my own individual art and I HAD to follow the style that was popular and SELLING at that moment. If I were to think about it too long I might begin to regret all of those years doing inauthentic art. However, those other paths have brought me to where I am now with skill sets that are totally original. Skills I didn't have when I was involved in this particular media so long ago.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart Kelly Rae. You are the one who handed me the key to unlock those secret desires that were lurking there. Now I feel enriched, authentic and happier (art wise) than I've been in the last 25 years!!!

And one final word from this Jersey Girl...during all of my mulling over of my life's work I had to go thru a series of scans and tests. Six years ago this month I found a soft round lump in my right breast. In July of '04 I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. The first oncologist I consulted told me I had a very slim chance of surviving for more than 18 months. I immediately chanced oncologists and this past Monday I got the call I've been waiting for. I'm OFFICIALLY FIVE YEARS out from beast cancer and the future is VERY promising for leading a long, long life. A long life FINALLY doing what I know in my heart I was born to do and hopefully along the way sharing MY journey for those still struggling to put their foot on their own path.

Hugs and love to you, Kelly Rae, and to all of these brave souls flying with us. I think that this (me) is what you planned this course to accomplish. And if I can finally be at peace with where I am going creatively then there is no reason why each and every one of you can not find your own life's journey...it's all about having the faith to take that first leap.

I'll be leaving in a few hours for some time alone. Hoping that all of you have a happy, creatively healthy weekend!!

Pay It Forward

2010-06-12T11:27:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was Freebie Friday in my Digital Collage Diva shoppe on Etsy. I gave away 17 sheets and even got a few sales. Last evening my brother-in-law commented: "The problem with freebies it that they are viewed as having no value, think about it." His comment has value but as I said to him: "for me it was a win-win because I believe in PIF. And it WAS a great day. Not only did I get to Pay It Forward by giving something to someone without any expectation of monetary reward but I had a chance to make new friends and perhaps even some new customers.

One of my new clients sent this note to me: "Thank you for the free collage sheet! I love your sheets and want to purchase more! I believe in PIF too! What goes around comes around!" Her comment really hit home.

When I was younger I never understood that 'what goes around, comes around'...it wasn't until I was older and understood 'karma' that I got it! I've always tried to be kind to everyone but not everyone is kind no matter what you do for them. And though I'm not vindictive I've seen that 'karma's a b*tch' thing happen even though sometimes it takes a very long time.

Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about.

Nine years ago one of my husband's best clients (DH was an investment counselor) and a close church friend sued my husband. To do that this man had to be willing to lie about how badly my husband counseled him. Yes this man collected a substantial sum of money from my husband's insurance but the stress was overwhelming for both DH and myself. I was in the middle of my cancer treatments for breast cancer but I got on the phone to beg this friend not to sue us...that it would destroy my husband and I didn't know how I'd get through the rest of chemo with DH so depressed. This friend just laughed it off and I thought I'd 'won' him over. Two months later we got the letter that the suit had gone through. DH lost his license and his spirit was crushed. I was left to struggle through the rest of the cancer treatments without the support I needed.

Nothing happened to my ex-friend during the next few years. Life treated him well; he traveled, bought properties with his sons to 'flip', bought a new house and basically seemed to be living in luxury while we (now both unemployed) struggled to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table.

Eighteen months ago I heard that this old 'friend' had been afflicted by some mysterious illness that had the doctors puzzled. He was treated for various ailments until six months ago they found the root cause of his ailment...pancreatic cancer. I haven't seen him for years and it doesn't please me at all that he is sick but 'karma' or perhaps his own guilty conscience had finally come around all these years later.

Even if I didn't believe in karma or 'what goes around, comes around' I couldn't treat another human being with such blatant cruelty. Especially if it were for personal financial gain. I'm not angelic so yes I do lose my temper once in awhile but never at the expense of someone else.

Perhaps because of breast cancer I'm more at peace with myself and the world around me. I do continue to struggle financially but am working on manifesting a positive financial environment for myself and my family. It's tough to do at times when it seems that 'bad' gets rewarded and while 'good' gets stuck. But if Paying It Forward once in awhile can bring a smile to someone's face while putting a smile on my own I'll continue to do so. It's not making me rich but it truly enriches my life!

FRIDAY FREEBIE

2010-06-11T10:04:00.002-04:00

FREE for ALL today only 3 - 6 pm EDT on the Digital Collage Diva. Just click on the title of this post and grab yourself a free collage sheet from the three dozen or so I have there. Then put it into a cart and be sure to confirm your order. BUT DO NOT PAY...I will get your order, mark you paid and send the collage sheet to your Etsy email addy. Of course if you see an extra one you just have to have you can buy it thru Paypal but that is totally optional. There are no strings to this offer other than YOU MUST LEAVE ME POSITIVE FEEDBACK for sending you your FREE collage sheet. Now how hard can that be?

Etsy is in a lull right now and rather than let these sheets sit for another month, I'd rather clear out the present inventory instead of paying Etsy ANOTHER 20 cents to list it higher up. So consider this a PIF (pay it forward) just for my Facebook and blog readers. If you want to tell a friend, that's fine with me. I just want my shop EMPTY by 6 pm so I can put it on vacation mode. Yes, I know it doesn't have to be empty to go on vacation but what's the point of that??? I'd rather you have FUN with some new jewelry inchies or magnet twinchies or ACEO backgrounds! Happy Creating!!

FREE FOR ALL FRIDAY

2010-06-10T13:35:00.004-04:00

What do you do when your work isn't selling on Etsy. I guess you could sit down and bemoan your fate or perhaps like me you decide to do a PIF. Pay It Forward is basically what the movie was about. Paying it forward to my Facebook friends and Blog fans by letting everyone have at the 41 listings that I paid 20 cents a piece for ...for FREE. This free for all is Friday from 3pm to 6pm EDT...mark it down.

If shipping was involved I wouldn't be able to afford to do this at the present time. But since these are digital works all I have to do is forward for free a digital file and let the person who 'bought it' enjoy it while getting it out of inventory and adding a positive feedback to my account.

I've noticed that of the 14 sales I've had since I started the Digital Collage Diva, only 10 buyers have chosen to leave feedback. Since I'm so conscious of how important feedback is I'm always sure to immediately leave feedback when the item arrives in my mailbox or inbox. Not everyone is quite as prompt and if I ask them for feedback, many times I get a nasty reply. What's that all about??? I guess we live in a society that is so used to sitting behind a computer screen that the common courtesies of my childhood no longer exist.

That brings me to a quote that I kind of think is profound enough to be repeated here.
"The internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand. The largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had. ~ Eric Schmidt"

There is a lot I have to say about the internet and the facelessness of it all but that will be for another time and blog post. For now, click on the title of this piece, pick out the collage sheet you like and tomorrow from 3pm to 6pm EDT put it in your cart but don't pay for it. I'll send it to you and mark you paid. But remember...the price is A POSITIVE FEEDBACK!

An Inauthentic Life

2010-06-01T16:11:00.004-04:00

I recently started an ecourse with Kelly Rae Roberts. Her suggestion was to journal about our fears as a way of removing the blocks to our authentic creative self. Before I even had a chance to read her inspiring words I journaled this post while on vacation in PA.
5.30.2010
At 61, the whispers I've heard my whole life have turned to screams. All through life I've ignored their message because I've been in pursuit of money. Whatever I had to do to earn the dime, the quarter, the dollar, the hundreds of dollars at craft fairs, auctions, home shows, and yard sales. The money, always and in all ways it's been about the money.
First I had a father who wouldn't give me a dime that wasn't earned in some way. Then it was the husband who dragged me from one dream to another always depending on me to fill the gaps and stem the flow of cancellations, shut-offs and shortfalls with whatever art form I was involved with at the time. At no time could I afford to listen to those quiet whispers that told me to express myself creatively whether or not it brought in the money.
That's not to say that I haven't lived a creative life. I have most definitely been creative. For over 40 years I have found inspiration in many places and expressed it in a myriad of ways, all of which have brought me moderate fame and some money. BUT...all of the creativity that I have expressed has been 'borrowed' from someone else. At no time has it been authentic.
At no time has that little voice said "Oh yes, Carolyn, yes! This is what you were meant to do!" But wait...that little voice just whispered that's untrue. One time, oh yes, one time it was all about me. My authentic self was given free rein that summer of my 14th year when it was all about my love of sewing. I think of it as the summer of the Singer, the Barbie and Jake's Fabrics. Then, oh, then it was truly me being expressed through needle, thread and fiber. After that intense three months I continued on through high school with sewing and designing my own clothes. I've often wondered what might have happened when I told my parents I wanted to attend F.I.T. in NYC. What if they had said yes instead of an emphatic, NO! Would those whispers have become my authentic voice. Would I really have become the designer I longed to become? And now, 43 years later does it really matter?
I've done everything that others only dream of doing but it has always been me mimicking some other artist's work because it sold well and brought in the much needed money. But now when I listen closely the whispers still persist. Louder now because time is no longer a luxury. And they are saying ..."hurry, hurry...take the time to find your voice before it is silenced forever."

Offering FREE items NOT a BOGO-5/13 ONLY

2010-05-13T15:04:00.001-04:00

Attention all Crafters of scrabble tile and soldered jewelry. TODAY ONLY (5/13) FROM 3 PM TO 6 PM...I will send you a FREE digital collage download of your favorite collage sheet from my Etsy shop just click on today's title.

http://www.digitalcollagediva.etsy.com

The only cost is a positive feedback as soon as it is sent to you!!! I wanted to do this on the 1st but didn't have enough stock in the shoppe. So hop over to the Diva and get yours FREE. Just put it in your shopping cart and confirm BUT DON'T PAY...and I'll mark you paid and send the sheet to you asap. I'll also leave you glowing FEEDBACK as a bonus :)

ATC/ACEO artists...there's plenty of 2.5x3.5 sized background sheets for you!!! So help yourself to ONE but remember...don't pay...just purchase and I'll send it along to you asap in exchange for your positive feedback! This is my way of getting started on my Etsy adventure!!!

http://www.digitalcollagediva.etsy.com

Are You there God? It's me, Carolyn

2010-05-12T14:08:00.003-04:00

The knocking on the door awhile ago was the mailman with a summons. We are in violation of Township laws requiring a pool that is clean and in good repair. I needed to talk to someone and it occurred to me there was no one to call. No close friends who could commiserate, no family who would have an answer because their answer isn't the same as mine...FILL IT IN!!! So I started to pray and it then occurred to me that God has been so busy with all the problems of the world, He couldn't possibly have been listening to my pleas. I'm not saying I don't believe. It was faith that got me through breast cancer and my husband's prostate cancer. It was God who brought me back into the fold that day on that cold operating table. But on the little things like lack of money to fix the house and yard and pay the bills and the health insurance and the broken down 16 yro car; He is mostly absent or at least isn't giving me a clue as to how to survive LIFE.

So here I am talking to you. You the people who happily or unhappily follow my sometimes blog posts. I need to vent and the cats aren't listening and neither is God, apparently. I don't usually cry but today the wellsprings have sprung and I can't seem to stem the flow. What do I do? How do I convince my family we can't repair the rips, tears and troubles of a 30 yro liner that long ago gave up the ghost. And that every year brings the neighbor's to their decks and backyard fences to complain. This time maybe the summons to appear in court and a fine may be enough to convince my DH and DS that the pool is NOT NEEDED anymore. I can see the backyard flat and smooth with no pool just lots and lots of dirt.

OK...thanks for listening...I'm going to go blow my nose and find out how much dirt it costs to fill in a huge, old, ugly, festering pool. I love you all for listening and maybe God will have the answer! At least He sent this quote my way earlier this morning: Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day. -Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Digital Collage Sheets

2010-04-17T20:09:00.004-04:00

On a happier note I will be opening a new shop on Etsy and a new blog where I'll be giving away some great digital ephemera. The "Digital Collage Sheet Diva" should be up and running and offering giveaways and goodies within the next 10 days. I'll post a link once the groundwork is finished. I've been thinking of giving away digital collage items for awhile but was hesitant to start it here since this is mostly just ruminations of a burned out artiste and mother. Notice I think of myself as an artist first. I've always had my priorities straight...LOL Stay tuned for upcoming news on my new venture. In the meantime I'd love to hear any suggestions for things you'd like to be able to download for your scrapbooking and ACEO/ATC artwork.

Bridezilla-The Final Frontier

2010-04-17T19:40:00.003-04:00

As my BFF's daughter's wedding draws closer there has been a flurry of activity from what I've come to think of as a family cult. My friend's daughter is an only marrying into a huge family of six children plus grands and nieces and nephews. Their line of thinking seems to be if you don't belong to "the family" then you don't belong at our wedding. I, along with my sister and her husband plus a few of my friend's other acquaintances have been uninvited. We strongly expressed our feelings on how rude and unfeeling it was to not include the mother of the bride in ANY part of the preceding. She usually finds out about things AFTER they've happened via Facebook.

While Facebook is a wonderful vehicle for maintaining and renewing friendships "the family" cult has used it as a way to harass and embarrass my friend in public. There is a special kind of wicked glee they seem to enjoy while talking about their trips to the bridal salon or meeting with the wedding planner. My BFF is a single mother whose husband recently married a 33 yro old new wife. The stepmother (just seven year's my BFF's daughter's senior) has been especially involved, inviting the whole bridal party to get dressed at her house while informing my friend that she is not invited to attend but a car can be sent for her if she needs a ride to the wedding and reception. When my friend broke down sobbing and reached out to her 'ex' she was informed that "who is paying for it anyway?". She told him that since he left her to raise their daughter since age 12 they probably have finally broken even in the 'money spent' department.

I could go on with all the trivial hurts directed at my friend but my part in this fiasco has come to an end. I won't be attending nor will my sister and since the four of us constituted almost half of the 10 people she was allowed to invite I'll just have to wait for the pictures folks. Oh...do you think she will get any copies of the wedding photos? Probably not which is why I was taking the Nikon D90 to be sure she had at least a few snaps to remember her daughter's wedding. I've told her not to worry...she can attend the next wedding because this marriage seems doomed from the start. Why else would the bride post to her FB page: I can't wait till this wedding is over. Sounds like a happy bride to me.

Bridezilla Revisited

2010-04-12T15:14:00.003-04:00

I didn't think my BFF could ever feel any worse with the actions her daughter has been displaying during this time leading up to her wedding. I was dead wrong. Not only does the daughter continue to ignore her Mother (no Happy Easter greetings via phone, email or FB), (no Happy Birthday greetings last Wednesday when she turned 54) but now a new wrinkle has appeared in the fabric of my friend's rejection. That darling little bit*h has taken to informing the FB crowd about her daily activities re her wedding with commentary from her future MIL AND from her 34 yro stepmother!!!

This trio is acting about as mature as a group of pissy little high schoolers. All the 'nanner, nanner, boo, boo' that is going on and my friend is taking it right in the heart. And speaking of heart, my BFF has a heart condition that makes stress a definite thing to avoid. We're all frail humans in reality but when someones ticker ain't as strong as it could or should be, you'd think that any decent human being, especially one that you birthed and nursed at your breast would think about a world without a mother and perhaps decide to act with decency for a change.

That brings me to the question of...not only do you think this young woman is a brat, but does her action in any way portray a personality disorder? I'm of the belief that it does and I keep telling my BFF that the daughter really can't help acting as she does and that my friend should NOT expect to see a change in her behavior EVER. That said, does anyone have a thought on why a future mother-in-law would take such joy in hurting the mother of her son's future wife? And should the added actions of the young stepmother point to collusion between these social misfits?

I can feel my heart literally sink in my chest when my friend calls. I can hear the desolation in her comments even when she says she's ok with all that's happening. I know she's not but for the first time in our friendship I CAN NOT help change the situation to a more positive one. So all my followers are urged to weigh in on this because maybe if we could understand WHY these women are acting this way I could help my friend feel less like a human target or perhaps a better way to say it: less like an active voodoo doll! By the way, you DO NOT have to be a member of blogspot to post comments to this post. There is a section that allows you to do so anonymously. I usually discourage anonymous postings but in this case any and all help is needed!!! If there are any docs out there that have dealt with people showing this kind of quirky behavior please weigh in. If your comment is thought out and helpful I will definitely be willing to approve it!

Bridezilla

2010-04-05T18:35:00.003-04:00

With my BFF's daughter getting married in May I've had an upclose and personal experience with what the country has come to call a Bridezilla. A rather unflattering term for a woman who thinks she's a princess and makes everyone around her unhappy while she plans her wedding. Usually she's driving her Mother nuts with all of her requests for help and demands for attention.

In the case of my BFF, however, she's been told she's not needed. To quote a recent email from daughter to mother: "Its my wedding, and things will happen how I want them to happen. Not how you want, or how anybody else thinks it should go. You complain I don't ask for help. Maybe because I do not need help. I am well aware what I need to do, how it needs to be done and when it needs to be done by. If I needed something, I told you BEFORE, I would ask.

So what's a mother to do? In the case of my BFF she's opted to step aside and let her daughter run her life and her wedding as she wants it to be. (I can't resist adding here that the daughter has not gotten anyone to perform the ceremony and as far as my BFF knows...hasn't ordered the rings yet). I have to give my friend credit because if it were me I'd want to b*tch slap my daughter right about now. But then my daughter still lives at home and her daughter moved in with her boyfriend 18 months ago...right next door to her future m-i-l. So guess who the daughter IS letting help plan the wedding. You already know the answer. The future m-i-l! At least that's what my BFF assumes because of all the chatter on FB by the m-i-l and those attending the wedding.

Now all of this begs the question. Is this young woman a Bridezilla or just a thoughtless and selfish BRAT? I'm going with the BRAT because I know for a fact that the mother (a single Mom) gave up everything to make her daughter's life as stress-free and comfortable as possible. My BFF chose NOT to teach in public school but to teach privately so her daughter could be enrolled in programs that would be beneficial for her. So now in her 50's my friend will never become tenured but as she says that was her choice and she won't blame her daughter for her decisions.

In closing her email to her mother the daughter wrote: "If you don't want to go to the wedding, then don't. I am completely done with the problems and drama that's happening. Its not making anything enjoyable and I am just not dealing with it anymore." Now that's what I call a wonderfully warm and loving end to any email to one's mother...NOT!! I find this all so incredibly distressing because my friend would give you her last dime if you asked. She's loved by children and animals alike because they recognize a good person when they see one. There's little hope that her daughter will ever 'come around' and ask her mother to share in her joy. But perhaps that's the crux of the whole problem...I don't think this young woman is at all joyful and maybe, just maybe she'll realize that before it's too late.

When will I know?

2010-03-25T21:33:00.004-04:00

I hadn't intended to publish a post this evening but when I moderated a comment and had to come here anyway I thought...why not? It's a question I've never been able to answer for myself so perhaps someone else will know. It was written by me many years ago and has become just a tattered piece of paper that hung in my studio for years, and years. Taunting me with its profundity and yet enigmatic presence. So I ask my readers to answer this question:
When will I know I have enough, and what will I do then?

Healthcare Vote

2010-03-20T15:18:00.005-04:00

I don't often respond to viral emails nor do I EVER post them to my blog. But this particular email struck me as being so true that it needed to be shared with everyone.

New Political Party.

Not Democrat, Not Republican, Not Independent.

It's called the "PISSED OFF PARTY" (or POP).

This party is dedicated to vote every incumbent out of office in the next elections.
If you're Democrat, vote Democrat. Just don't vote for the incumbent.
If you're Republican, vote Republican. Just don't vote for the incumbent.
We need to send a message to all politicians, that we're tired of their B.S.
If the country votes out all the incumbents, the new incoming politicians will get the message.
It's pretty simple. Nobody needs to change parties and lets face it, there's plenty of blame to spread around.
A few good politicians will lose their job but they probably have better retirement and insurance then 95% of the American public.

If you’re like me, you've had to struggle for the last 5 years. Some of you have lost your job and may be working in some other sector just to feed your family.
I guarantee you none of them will suffer like this country has.
If you like what’s going on and think this is a bad idea, ignore this.
But if you're fed up and think this is a good idea, then copy and paste this into an email and send it on.

An open message to every one of the 535 voting members of the Legislature:
It is now official. You have finally proven what we long suspected…you are all weak, ineffectual and self-indulgent. You do not listen to the wants or needs of your voting public. And we have had it!

We are tired of your infighting, special interests and lobbyist pals. You have all had years, decades even to fix our government and still all of the programs that are supposed to help the people are hopelessly broken. The rich get richer; the poor complain but are taken care of by your social programs. It is US, the U.S. middle class who is dying and your attempts to institute a health care system are helping no one who really needs it.

You, the politicians have health insurance coverage while in office and beyond. The poor have Medicaid, the old have Medicare while those who really need your help and usually are the ones who voted you into office are ignored.

Don’t pass a bill just to pass a bill. Take some responsibility and make it right the first time. Don’t pass it and then try and fix it. You’ve proven to the American Public that you can’t do it right the first or second time around for years. You can ignore us but come November a lot of us will be using the only weapon we have on hand. Our right (or left) index finger as we push the button TO VOTE YOU OUT!

TWITTER is dead

2010-03-10T11:40:00.006-05:00

At least the twitter that I joined back in the day when the idea was young and we were all naive about social marketing and networking. It was a quick way to update friends and find out their plans for the day ahead or the upcoming weekend. Messages would fly back and forth all day long. Personal messages that said "I hear ya", "I'm with ya" "I'll give ya a call tonight"...Now I'm hard pressed to get anyone to respond to a question or even a comment to a fellow tweet. With tweetdeck, hoot suite, ping, mobile web, etc. everyone is busy twittering their doings without ever once having to actually go to the web and type in an answer and perhaps see that someone cares about what they've said.

What was once a way to connect in a friendly way is now a huge marketplace where everyone is trying desperately to get someone to buy their product, join their group, become a follower. I'd say 89% of Twitter devotees like it that way. They don't want to get personal; they can get out their advertising message; they can get you to where THEY want you to go with a link; and perhaps they can even get you to buy their product. But they don't have to make you their 'friend' and really care about YOU unless your money is green and coming their way.

Social networking is a huge market. Just look at the success of Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter. Everyone is out to make a buck and sometimes a fortune. Do I think that's wrong? Of course not! Everyone is entitled to make a living and the better living they can make for their family the better the family can live. I just miss the once personal touch of reaching out to a 'friend' and have him/her take a few moments to say hi, how's your day going? Now it's mostly a tweet moments later but usually with another link to a product or service!

I'm not saying that I haven't used Twitter and FaceBook to help move along my eBay and Etsy sales because I have. But I've never done JUST that. I always find a way to connect to at least a dozen people a day just to tell them what they posted helped or gave me a laugh or yes, I'll be praying that their dog/cat gets well quickly. For the most part they go unanswered or perhaps just unseen in that ever swiftly flowing stream of words. But sometimes a long time 'friend' will reply with a personal comment and those are the ones that make me feel the best. It means I'm not just another message in the stream but they remember who I am and think I'm worth 140 letters.

Maybe I'm taking Twitter and FB all too seriously. Maybe I shouldn't care if QuickJet's dog just died and he's heartbroken or that MollysMaid has a sick kid and what would be the best way to break up congestion. But I DO care about those things because you see...that's what Twitter was all about in its early days. Days that perhaps only I miss.

You bet I'll post a link to this on Twitter and you can rest assured that I hope it stirs up a bit of controversy. I hope it draws a few comments even if they are all negative, because that will mean that there is still hope. Hope that the REAL Twitter is still alive and there are still people willing to do more than post a link to an Etsy listing or a conference call without ever once stopping to say something personal. In the early part of last century it was called etiquette. In the nineties we called it netiquette; today I don't think we call it anything at all.

Wild Gypsy Art: ACEO and ATC digital Collage Downloads on Etsy

2010-02-09T19:19:00.000-05:00

Wild Gypsy Art: ACEO and ATC digital Collage Downloads on Etsy

ACEO and ATC digital Collage Downloads on Etsy

2010-02-09T19:11:00.003-05:00

I've been very lax with posting during the last six months. Life has been spinning out of control and I don't like posting anything negative. My 30 yro daughter is moving back in and at the moment I am plagued with a bad case of hives. Don't think the two are related but who knows...LOL
I have FINALLY started doing what I absolutely love and that is offering a unique selection of printable ACEO and ATC backgrounds in PDF format for ease of printing. I'll be adding a jpeg alternative as well in the next 48 hours. If you're a collage artist and would like some unique, ready made backgrounds to spark your creativity, be sure to visit my shop. Just click on the title above and it will magically send you into ACEO background heaven!!

It's been a long time between posts but...

2010-01-06T15:27:00.003-05:00

I've been re-thinking my artistic direction and when I do that I hunker down or 'turtle' as I tell my friends. I need to think about what I doing and where I am going. I find that this discourse with myself happens every 9 months or so. Kinda like a pregnancy and birthing or re-birthing as it were.

One of the things that has been much on my mind is copyright infringement. As I've moved further away from my painting and collaging and more into the digital world I find that each time I scan a Vintage photo or even right-click on the work of a grandmaster I ask myself if what I am doing is 'legal'. In today's age of right click & save, it seems that more and more people think it's OK to use the work of others in their own creations.

Needing to take a break from my ruminations I took a look at Twitter to see what some of my cyber friends were up to this New Year. One Tweet in particular caught my eye. Margot "Madge" Potter is someone who always has something to say that needs saying. I've followed her tweets for a long time and today I saw a link to her blog that put into words what I've been thinking about for weeks. Copyright infringement in all its derivations. Click on the title of this post to read what she has to say. I can't say it any better so I won't infringe on her post by saying more!

I've almost birthed what I think will be my new and hopefully lasting direction in 'art'. I was doing this work six months before my diagnosis of breast cancer and left it behind to physically feel the art in my hands. Art is healing and during the last six years it's what I've needed to do almost daily. Now I think I need to return to my photography and my digital collage. I'll post more when the labor pains have subsided and my Wild Gypsy Art shop on Etsy is fully stocked once again.

Profoundly simple words for the Holidays

2009-12-01T16:21:00.004-05:00

You've probably received something like this via e-mail but I thought it was profound enough to bear repeating. During this Holiday season don't forget about the most important one on your list...YOU.

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because people cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something YOU WANT to do...not something on your SHOULD DO list.

ADOBE

2009-11-26T11:53:00.004-05:00

At the end of August this year my trusty but old computer crashed. It took with it every photo I'd ever taken digitally plus every word I'd written since 1995. It basically took away my life because I use my camera and Adobe Photoshop to make my art. My son, who is now a certifiable genius, loaned me his notebook and took on the arduous and sometimes seemingly impossible task of resurrecting my old computer from the dead.

Things went along well for 3 months while he sporadically probed the depths of my computer. I continued to take photos and use photoshop daily. I started listing my photos on Etsy...a long time dream of mine. So imagine my surprise when two weeks ago I went to one of my picture sites to retrieve some photos and when clicking on what looked like my gallery link initiated a tsunami of malware and trojans onto his notebook.

It seems that the innocent looking Adobe Acrobat Reader that popped up and then closed on my screen was hiding some nasty stuff that followed my keystrokes and wouldn't let me out of its stranglehold unless I BOUGHT the software needed to erase the viruses it had downloaded to me. Cyber blackmail at its best. Needless to say that notebook crashed and along with it three months of photos, notes, emails, etc. I was back to where I'd started...unable to connect in cyberspace with anyone.

Long story short. This latest cyber attack on my computer put my son into hyperdrive and he worked one solid week to restore my old computer and protect it from every and all nasty and malicious software that tried to worm its way in. He succeeded so well that I have my restored computer working better, faster and safer than ever before. And I can once again blog, post and list to my heart's content.

The moral of this story is simple. TRUST NO ONE. Even if a friend sends you a letter and there is a link, jpg or doc file in it don't click on it unless you computer tells you it's been checked for incoming viruses. As far as clicking links on websites...that's a crap shoot, I guess. I thought that this picture site was safe but they had obviously been hacked by professionals. This has happened on Twitter and even Facebook so the best advice is to be sure your security software is up to date.

BTW...the link you will be taken to if you click the title of this post is BusinessWeek. There you can read the full story about Adobe and their Hacker battle.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my tweets and facebook friends!

Sugar Cookies - 140 year old English recipe

2009-11-24T20:34:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share a favorite family recipe. I've been making these for almost 35 years. Before you say ewww, icky...bacon grease...I want to tell you that I've tried making this several different ways without the grease and the flavor is NOT the same. Of course if you hate bacon, leave it out! These are amazingly delicious sugar cookies and since they're now discovering that not all saturated fats are harmful I'm willing to give into my yearly craving at the holidays.

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 c. shortening combine: 1/2 c. bacon grease & 1/2 c. Crisco
2 eggs
1 scant tsp. baking soda, mixed with milk
3 T. milk
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt

Cream together the sugar and the shortening. Gradually add the well beaten eggs, vanilla and milk. Beat in remaining ingredients and add flour until cookies are of a consistency for rolling. Roll out, cut with round cutter and sprinkle with white sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 14 minutes.

This recipe from the Angola Episcopal Women's Cookbook, 1970; Mary Hankins, Albion, Indiana

I THINK in Photographs

2009-11-05T15:14:00.006-05:00

Ever since my computer crashed in late August I have been neglectful of blogging. Call it apathy or laziness but it didn't seem important that I express my feelings on a daily basis because what I was mostly feeling was anger and discontent. In the those early days of computing I could turn on the computer, maybe, and nowadays I find myself spending most of my time online or just on the computer working at post-processing my photography.

But not having my 'real' computer has done something to me. The first thing is it has given me a sense of discontent. I'm using my son's laptop and the keyboard is all wrong. I can't get my fingers on the right keys and if I don't keep typing I find that my hands fall on the wrong keys and everything is scrambled. Very disconcerting. I mentioned to him recently about building me a new computer and he said he'd totally forgotten about his promise because I seemed to be getting along just find with his laptop. I think NOT.

Yes, I can still do my post-processing in Adobe PS but I have to hit an error key 53 times before it will actually open the program. Then there's the problem of my printer, scanner, tablet and mouse. There are just not enough USB ports to hold everything and I'm constantly plugging and unplugging things all day long.

So what am I really trying to say? In life, it's the little things that bug you and just really, really get under your skin. But I did do something that I've been putting off ever since that fateful day in August. I've finally put my photography out for all the world to see. In some ways it looks a lot like most of the photography out there. Kinda grainy, textured and antiqued...but I'm working on developing my own unique style. I find that every day the camera finds its way into my hands to record the moments in life that pass by without much notice. The way the new kittens snuggle down next to my husband, the 'cat whisperer'; the late afternoon light as it filters down thru the autumn trees; the full moon that shines so brightly even I can find my way around without the porch light.

Today I read something on a website that fully explained why blogging is so difficult for me. It said: I can't write stories only moments because I think in photographs. So to all my followers please note that sometime soon I may only be photogging, not blogging.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-28T10:25:00.002-04:00

LOVE is a Nikon camera

2009-09-26T23:03:00.005-04:00

Have you ever had a day where everything seems to go wrong and then...just at the last minute...you discover MAGIC! That's what happened to me today. I've blogged before about my computer crash in late August when I lost all of my photo files. It seemed like a total disaster at the time and still makes me cry when I think about it for too long. Today I was supposed to get word if the image file drive could be saved. Alas when they tried to access it, it came up corrupted...again!!
So today I spent some time on flickr looking for inspiration and new ideas. I've been playing around with Photoshop and textures/overlays and on flickr I came across a young mother and photographer who works magic with her Nikon D700 and sells the most incredible textures to use with your photos. Shana Rae has a lovely website called Florabellacollection.com (click on the title of this blog and it will zip you over there).
Just spending time looking at her beautiful work has left me feeling hopeful that maybe I NEEDED to lose the old so there is room for the NEW. I'll always miss all of those thousands of photos I lost BUT I do believe there are some amazing photos waiting in my future!

Blog Giveaway Winner

2009-09-26T22:50:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Jamie Lyerly who won those beautiful fabric scraps I blogged about last week. Jamie shared with me that her friend Starry who also left a comment will be receiving some of the scraps to play with as well! Have fun girls.
I'm a bit late in posting as I had to undergo some minor surgery to remove my chemo port on Wednesday. I'm doing well and the pain is minimal. The best part is that it's out and remission continues!!

Vintage Kodak Slides

2009-09-19T20:16:00.003-04:00

I've spent a fruitless evening surfing through eBay looking for vintage slides to use in making my SX70 and TtV images. I lost all of my photographic images (10,000+ images) when my computer crashed in late August so I've decided to scan and use my father's old slides to alter in Photoshop. Sounds like a great idea but I've come to realize that I'll need a lot more than Daddy's photography if I plan to keep on working. I always thought he had a camera at his eye but I've not been able to find more than 75-100 slides. *sigh* I love my great ideas but hate it when I can't find a way to carry them out!

So here's an appeal to all my readers. If you have vintage slides you'd like to sell.. I'm interested. If you'd rather do a 'loner' thing I'd be happy to trade with some of my work. Just leave a comment and I'll track you down. Thanks for any vintage images you can dredge up for me. I'm devastated to lose so much of my work. A hard lesson learned, always back up your computer even if you think you've got top of the line virus protection!

eHarmony.com

2009-09-18T21:43:00.004-04:00

Who says that dreams never come true? Not my daughter, not anymore. I told her back in July to go on eHarmony for the 4th of July weekend. She tried it, liked it and I told her to join and I'd pay $60 for one month. I told her if she didn't meet the right guy in 30 days that was that. She went on a few dates with guys that were ok and had possibility but on the very last day of her membership they matched her with someone who was close to being perfect! That was five weeks ago and they have been together every day since.

I asked her if she didn't miss the 'thrill and excitement' of going out on dates to fancy restaurants and the movies. She said "been there, done that and this is better". This takes me back 40 years when I met my husband on a blind date and we've been together almost every day since ourselves. I guess the children really do learn by example.

Here's the happy couple earlier this evening when he gave her that lovely necklace for her 30th birthday. Thank you eHarmony!

Blog Giveaway

2009-09-16T14:12:00.001-04:00

Be sure to see the previous post for my latest blog giveaway. If you like to sew or create pretty little things you'll want to win this fabric stash!

UFOs

2009-09-16T11:09:00.004-04:00

We all have them. Those unfinished objects that sit in a closet, on a shelf, in a box...somewhere we don't have to look at them and feel the pain of not finishing what we started. I've got hundreds of them around here. After 40 years as a photographer/artist/crafter/seamstress I've got so many UFOs it could drive a sane woman crazy. Since I think that would be a rather short ride for me I've decided to start clearing out those UFOs and passing them along to someone who can make something spectacular OR just keep them in her own UFO pile :)

How this all came about is quite simple. I was looking for some vintage slides the other day and came across a bag in my linen closet. Since I rarely explore that area of the house other than to refill the towel shelf I just had to see what was hidden away in that tempting white bag all tied up in a bow. Now I wish I hadn't because I came across some of the prettiest materials that I'd been stashing away for that special day when I would need them. I've long realized that those 'special' days rarely arrive and if they do it usually comes with a preset agenda that doesn't include hidden treasures I've so long been collecting.

So I'm having a giveaway for these jewels. To win all you have to do is leave a brief comment with a very short description of what YOU would do with these gorgeous scraps. Be aware of the fact that these are just what I said...scraps. None of the pieces are over a half yard wide and most of them are smaller than that, perhaps 10" x 18" and up. No fat quarters, sorry. I salvaged these from brocade jackets, silk shirts and dresses and a couple of acetate skirts. But the grape, teal and gold mix is much prettier than my cheap little digital camera displays.

Hope you have something special you can use these for because they're ironed, folded, bagged and ready to be delivered to the lucky winner. BTW...ironing was never my strong suit...consider that my daughter used to call it Irun and you'll get an idea of just how domestic I really am. Drawing will be Tuesday, September 22nd at noon EDT. Good luck and God Bless.

BREAST CANCER...no longer taboo.....

2009-08-14T09:00:00.003-04:00

I have been fortunate to meet a fellow breast cancer survivor. I long to give her a hug and tell her we're survivors because we BELIEVED we would be. She, however, lives on the other side of the ocean in a little village in Northern England! But her spirit, her zest for life is evident every time we talk via FB's chat function. I'd like to introduce this soul sister to you so when you have a moment be sure to check her blog for some of her inspiring words Itch2stitch
Last evening we were discussing how Breast Cancer and being a 'victim' of it was once taboo as subject matter in 'polite' society. Keeping things 'hush-hush' has probably killed more women in the past than anything else. Being open about your battle with cancer is essential to letting women know it does not mean a death sentence and keeping quiet because of fear is no longer an option. I've seen too many women in my life who refused to go to the doctor after they found 'the lump' because they were afraid it might be cancer. In some cases it was but in the majority it turned out to be nothing more than a fluid filled cyst. In one tragic case it was advanced cancer and had she just gone when she told us about it she would not have suffered the trauma she did.
As for myself...I'm to blame for not taking charge of my own health. When the doctor told me in January of '04..."Oh, those are just your cystic breasts" I should have suspected something. I've NEVER had cystic breasts. But since the soft squish lumps didn't hurt I waited 6 months before returning for another look. At that point he took it seriously and got me in to the local Breast Center for an immediate mammogram and biopsy. The diagnosis...ADVANCED cancer of the ducts that was doubling every 100 days. I could have used all of those months to be seeking care but his off handed manner and my trust kept me from seeking a second opinion. If I had gone in January of that year I would still have a right breast but as it is, I still have my life and that, my friends, is more important than any ounce of flesh I may own.
So what's my point here? Take charge of your health and your breasts. Do monthly exams while taking your shower. Notice any and all changes in your breasts. If you suspect even the tiniest little thing has changed go immediately to your gynecologists office and if he says: "Let's keep an eye on that", tell him to remove it, put it in a bottle on his desk and keep an eye on it that way. If you're 40 and have never had a mammogram, get one. If anyone in your family has ever had breast cancer you should be seeking special attention from your doctor and possibly have a scheduled mammogram prior to age 40. The new mammograms that are available are not like slamming your breast in a car door. They're much more comfortable and the fear of pain should NEVER be a good reason not to go for one. We've all been too dependent on the men in our lives our male doctors included. So this is a call to take charge of your life and your health. Stand up for yourself, take responsibility and ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT NO MATTER WHAT...YOU WILL SURVIVE!!!

Daughter Has a New Roomie!

2009-07-27T15:21:00.003-04:00

See other posts to learn more!

The evolution of an Artist

2009-07-16T11:35:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I'm actually blogging again. July 1st the darn computer black screened and refused to be awakened from the dead. Two weeks later I'm back with only minor loss of information. I knew I did a good thing when I sent my son off to college to learn all about electronic film, animation and COMPUTERS. He was able to save my 'soul' (my hard drive) but everything else was fried.

The Lord does work in amazing ways, however. Just that week I had been wondering if I'd made the right decision to go back to photography and hang up my brushes. Two weeks later I can honestly say I never picked up a brush to paint and didn't miss it for a moment but I longed for my Adobe Photoshop and the thousands of photos that were locked in my hard drive. Now I'm POSITIVE that I'm heading in the right direction at last. I thought it might be interesting to share some of the work I've done along the way and so my next posting will be glimpses of the 'art' I've produced during the last 30 years.

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

2009-06-30T14:27:00.007-04:00

This is the first piece that I've done to imitate Polaroid's Time Zero SX-70 art photos. Since Polaroid discontinued making the film a number of years ago I've been deprived of the process that I'd fallen in love with back in the early 90's. When there's something I'm hankering for, come 'hell or high water' I'm determined to have it. That's when I decided that if I couldn't have the real thing I had to come up with steps that could turn an ordinary photo into a fine art piece. I'm dubbing my process PseudoSX-70 art. Not surprisingly it takes longer to reproduce this effect on a computer than it ever did when I was manipulating the SX-70 prints straight from the camera. But as with all things I do, this sense of 'controlled chaos' is quite fulfilling!

This is a photo I'd forgotten about but when I stumbled across it yesterday I knew it was the "ONE". I took "EMTs" with a 'toy' camera from the sky bridge that leads from the hospital to the parking garage. The scene caught my attention because of what I perceived to be a perfect moment caught in time. Two EMTs returning to their rig after another ordinary run.

Each photo tells a story but there are stories and then there are stories! I remember this day so well that it can still make me shiver. It was one of those unexpected late autumn snowfalls that turns into a blizzard by nightfall and we were 100 miles from home. We had just finished one of my son's sporadic but crucial visits to a specialist buried deep in the labyrinth of the U of Penn Hospital.

After leaving the hospital we drove north through Philly and then on to a place called Peddlers Village in Lahaska, PA. For all of the 30 odd years that we've been taking our son to specialists in Philly we've always made the same run and we thought that this day would be no different.

It was a Thursday and in the main restaurant of the village it was a reservation only "King's Feast" that started at 4 pm. We reached the village around 3 and spent the time until our 4:30 reservation window shopping. By 3:30 I realized we were in trouble. The wind had picked up and was blowing the snow into drifts around the village square. My husband was undaunted even when I pleaded that we leave for home right then and there. A big bear of a man at 6'7" and 350 lbs. he wasn't about to be cheated out of the unlimited seafood and roasts that were awaiting him inside. My son takes after his Dad so it was a 2 hungry men against one nervous woman. They did, however, agree to go to early and see if we could bump up the reservation time. It was warm in the big waiting room and a fire crackled in the hearth. Besides ourselves there was one other couple for the 4 pm seating.

We sat near a window eating lobster after lobster while I kept a watchful eye on the ever worsening storm. Other than the three of us there were perhaps a dozen other brave folks who came in to feast. And those I can guarantee were locals because anyone who had to come from a distance would have been crazy to brave a storm like that. But the food was amazing and plentiful and by the time we had all eaten our fill and were ready to leave, night had fallen and the snow kept right on coming.

We haven't had a new car since the early 90's and that day we were driving an old green Suburban. I buckled up and started praying we'd be able to make the 90 minute drive without mishap. Past the darkened Delaware on Rt. 29 it was a bit tricky with all of the turns but we literally plowed on...with a guardian angel in there with us I know. It took us 90 minutes to reach the entrance to NJ 195 and that's when our angel took over. As we entered onto the highway we pulled right behind a trio of snow plows clearing the road ahead. My husband's knuckles were white by this time but he stayed behind the center truck and 75 minutes later we were home safely and joyously aware of having had a harrowing but unforgettable journey.

Job

2009-06-24T11:22:00.002-04:00

Why is it that I can get up in front of a thousand people and give an off the cuff speech or even a eulogy but put me on the phone with someone who is looking for/offering a job and my knees turn to vanilla pudding wobbly? When I decided to accept my son's offer of a Job with his company:

I was told it was going to be as a creative/marketing consultant finding new ways to promote BrokersBullpen.com. Well that sounded just ducky because I worked 12 years as a promotional copywriter for a large local newspaper. Then when he heard me on the phone negotiating my way out of a cancellation notice with either the car insurance company or the electric company he decided that I'd make the PERFECT new phone contact person for stockbrokers looking for a new position and broker/dealers looking for new reps.

Well you know how it goes. Sounded easy when he gave me my new job description because I've never been afraid of public speaking. But put a freakin' phone up to my ear and I go all sweaty. My hands are even shaking! Now THIS is just NOT me...I thought I was invincible...after all I kicked breast cancer's ass so good that the doctor who told me I only had a slim chance of recovery still goes red in the face when she sees me in the hospital for new scans. I obviously didn't stay with her...I don't like anyone telling me I can't do something :) And btw...the new scans I had last week came back clean and I'm now FOUR years and counting out from breast cancer...Yay me!!!

But I digress. What is it about a telephone and an unseen person that gives me the willies? I never have a problem with phone negotiations over cut off notices but this cold call deal is a killer. Especially the one guy who was gruff...he reminded me of my Dad and I felt like I wanted to throw up my oatmeal, excuse the visual image I just gave y'all. I'll keep at it, of course. My son is the reason I still have a roof over my head so I owe him big time. I just wonder at my timidness ... it just doesn't feel like ME!

Falling on Hard Times

2009-06-21T19:42:00.003-04:00

Cleaning out my documents file I came across a .doc I'd written just over three years ago. Interesting perspective I had then and little has changed over the last 1,104 days but my faith. I am a stronger believer in a higher power than I was when the downward spiral began eight years ago. My level of empathy has also continued to spiral upward. No longer do I look at a poorly dressed woman dragging tired and worn clothing out of a dryer and think "Why doesn't she buy something new"? When I see an overweight woman my first thought isn't "How could she let herself go like that". The first thought when I see a bald woman is no longer one of repulsion but compassion.

So even though my circumstances haven't changed much, my viewpoint has and for that I am profoundly grateful. I have survived cancer, poverty and depression and still I am not defeated nor wallowing in self pity. I no longer measure time by man's clock but by that of a much higher power whom I am certain has amazing things in store for me.

June 12, 2006

I’ve often thought that if elected officials were forced to live as I have over the last five years, the middle class would be growing instead of disappearing. Healthcare for the masses would be a reality, not an impossible dream and those that sit in the seat of power would be doing more than warming their seat.

Since reality shows seem to be all the rage today, imagine a series where a Congressman, Senator or President was stripped of their cash and told they had to find a way to pay the mortgage, health insurance and utilities without the benefit of a regular paycheck. They would be forced to rely on wits not welfare. There would be no paycheck coming in at the end of the month but a guarantee of a mailbox full of final notices. Personally, I think it would be a phenomenal hit that would grip the country and keep them tuned in week after week. Should a producer decide to develop a reality series like that I’d be more than glad to be their technical advisor!

As incredibly stressful as the last five years of pinching pennies has been, it has given me a perspective that I would never have gained from the backseat of my limo. Having actually said to a driver ”Home James” (yes, his name was actually Jim) to be car-less is unimaginable to some but survivable by most. I went from riches to rags in a less time than it takes to grow a beefsteak tomato. How this happened isn’t as important as how I survived and eventually thrived. And wondering how the next mortgage and health insurance is going to get paid has left me with a strange sense of comfort. I’ve come to trust in a force much greater than myself and have handed over the illusion of actually being in control of my life.

BrokersBullpen.com

2009-06-17T14:50:00.003-04:00

Those who follow this blog know that after years of retirement I recently took a job with the Marketing Department of BrokersBullpen, LLC. In this capacity it is my job to find additional resources to present the services offered by the firm. Word of mouth is a far superior source, especially from a friend. As a friend I'm asking you to help expand its fan base! Become a fan!
BrokersBullpen.com

This is my idea...using social media to spread the word about the services they offer. It occurred to me that maybe all these years of blogging, FBing, tweeting, etc. could come to some good for my new position. So I'm using these resources to get people to refer licensed brokers to them and be paid a referral fee at the time of their hiring. Sounds like a good idea to me and they gave me the next few months to test my idea. So if you know of a stockbroker who would like higher payouts and a better position working for themselves, then please have them visit the BBP website.
BrokersBullpen.com

And be sure to connect through the fan base by letting us know you've referred someone.

Economic Downturn

2009-06-11T14:17:00.004-04:00

Economic Downturn puts the kybosh on my sabbatical!!

BrokersBullpen.com is my new area of creativity. I always said I wouldn't go to work for my son, CEO of BBP, but I've learned a few things over the last month. One of which is that my creativity is NOT limited to what comes off the tip of my brush.

I started out last month by declaring that I was going on a four month sabbatical. That I was going to spend the time 'finding' my artistic spirit. What I DID NOT count on was the effects of the Economic Downturn the country is in AND the effect it would have on my family's budget without my paltry contributions from my art sales. So in a word, the Economic Downturn has been BAD for my sabbatical but GOOD for my peace of mind. Taking off the month of May I discovered a number of things about myself.
1. I'm NOT happy painting pretty little pictures or collaging encouraging words on a piece of art.
2. I am happiest when I'm behind the lens of a camera.
3. Selling off my old gold jewelry didn't hurt a bit especially with spot gold at an all time high.
4. I can settle almost any bill with any company by being reasonable, calm and convincing.
5. That going back to 'work' is an inevitability BUT
6. Working for my son is allowing me to use some atrophied creative muscles. Those of the long retired copywriter and PR person.

My first bit of business will be finding men and women to refer friends, family or brokers to BBP who will in turn pay said person a 10% - 40% referral fee if the broker is hired through us. Sounds easy but I've found that the word stockbroker brings up a lot of hateful words and descriptions when googled! So my job isn't going to be easy. But I'm determined to help my son's company soar! The potential is great because a. we're helping people find jobs and b. we're helping families overcome their own Economic Downturn.

If you know anyone who is a broker, a broker/dealer or a WAHM who'd like to work for us by providing referrals, just comment on this post. One hand helps the other and in this economy we all need a helping hand!
Carolyn, a Jersey Girl

YART SALE

2009-06-09T23:23:00.006-04:00

If you need a bit of sunshine in your home or to add to your jewelry collection, go to these sales at my two Etsy shops:

BarefootBrideDesigns is offering 20% off each piece of jewelry.

WildGypsyArt has a buy two get one FREE offer now through Sunday 6/14.
Thank God for a sense of humor. What's that old saying..."Man plans, God Laughs"...well I'm sure He's been yucking it up for years with my plans for success. And the latest...my SABBATICAL was really the best laugh yet. It's over before it started. But that's because I really didn't plan on the fact that the bit of money I made on eBay and Etsy was what put food on the table for the family. I simply assumed that DH's commission checks would keep right on coming and my little bit of cash wouldn't make a BIG difference. Boy, was I wrong!!!

But in keeping with my deep faith and abiding trust in God (even when He's enjoying a laugh at my expense) I can see how much of a difference taking off those few weeks has made in my life. I realize that I really don't enjoy painting or making jewelry. Something I've been doing for years and years. Just by putting away the paints, pencils and paper I got to take a deep breath and look around me. I spent time finishing my bathroom project as mentioned in previous posts and found some old photographs that I'd taken during my days in the college photo labs. It made me realize that the last time I'd really been happy was when my eye was pressed against a camera and the world was reduced down to a manageable size through my view finder.

Now that doesn't mean that I plan to go hying off and starting a photographic career but it does mean that I at least have come to realize where my true love lies. My Dad was a photographer during WWII so I guess I come by it naturally. But for right now I'm selling off my stock in my Etsy shops, my collectibles on eBay and my gold jewelry to a local Jewelry store that specializes in Cash for Gold. I'm trusting that whatever the future holds for me it will be the right thing at just the right time.

Pop over to those sales of mine that are going on through Sunday. Maybe you NEED a Sadowski original...after all they're going to be as scarce as hen's teeth if I pick up that camera again!

Perfection is Paralyzing

2009-05-31T17:27:00.007-04:00
When I started this sabbatical I thought it was to learn more about my creative spirit. To get in touch with who I am and why I paint the way I do and the subject matter I choose. In Kelly Rae Robert's book she speaks of listening to your whispers (see May 24th post) and I thought that listening closely would be the way to discover who I am as an artist. Interestingly enough she also mentions that the first whispers she heard were for her to start training for a marathon. God forbid that my inner spirit wanted to run anywhere because this 60 year old body hasn't moved past a stroll in 30 years :)

Last week I showed a picture of the first painting I thought I heard my inner spirit wanting to create. It wasn't exactly my style but I figured maybe the lines of communication between my subconscious and conscious mind hadn't yet developed to a point where it was easy for me to interpret those whispers. So I started trying to perfect the whispers I thought I was hearing and this piece is the result. To me it's a disaster. It's too perfect, too pretty, too NOT ME. So I thought I'd just heave it in the garbage and start over when a whispery little voice said "Wait!"
...there might be someone out there in blogland who could turn it into a piece that would please them. So this piece 9" x 12" in size and as yet unnamed could end up on your drawing table. To win, just leave a comment. Perhaps one that will encourage me to keep listening to my inner creative spirit...and on Sunday, June 13th, I'll pick a winner and this piece arrive in your mailbox for you to love as is or to turn into something special that will please you.

After that disastrous turn of events on Monday I said forget it..."I'm packing it in" and I did just that. I boxed up all the paints, brushes, textures and papers that I'd pulled out in preparation for my BIG sabbatical and stored them away. And that's when I went into what I call a 'baby blue funk". For 36 hours I sat around having myself one honker of a pity party. That's when I heard it. The whisper I'd been waiting for. It said to do something that I didn't think I had the talent for or the energy to accomplish. Didn't take more than 45 minutes to figure out what that was.

It was 22 years ago this month that my family and I moved into this house. The house wasn't my first choice but it was within the budget and I agreed to go along with the purchase if DH would do just one thing. Paint the master bedroom and bath something other than the hideous Navy Blue wallpapered walls that it was then and still is sporting.

Well, of course, you know the ending to that story already. For 22 years I've begged, screamed, ragged on and pestered my husband to get out the brushes and paint and make it WHITE! I figured that plain white would be better than living in a navy blue cave. Well of courses it never happened and never will, by his hand at least. So after making a list of possible items I might need I went in search of said items in my storage areas.

Sure enough...I had a 2 1/2" brush that I'd bought to do some paste paper with and a quart of white paint that was supposed to be put on window trim somewhere in here. And I also found an over the toilet storage unit that DH somehow never got around to putting together along with a fixture I'd pulled from the curb one garbage day and an old medicine cabinet I thought might work. Here's the cabinet and light that will be replaced this week:

In those moments of quiet contemplation I thought I must be out of my mind since the whole house makeover that I was planning could not happen without money. But the universe doth provide for those eager or stupid enough to believe it will and I've since fallen heir to three gallons of white, one gallon light mossy green and one gallon of fairyland aqua! Four of these gallons courtesy of my professional house painter Nephew, Matthew Lang. This poor, sad bucket will also find its way onto my walls.

My first project was of course the smallest. The master bath which I decided should reflect the look of a Tuscan toilette at sunset as the last rays of warm yellow sunshine kiss the walls. So with some lace and fabric and texturizing paste I started slapping on some lumps and bumps that I could paint over and then glaze.

The project is only half finished because I had to beg DH to use his 6'7" body to paint the ceiling I had no way of reaching. It took him 15 minutes with a roller and paint can. Hmmmmmmmmmmm...22 years to get him to spend 15 minutes working on the house...ok...can you tell that I'm still pissed at him :) Here's the proof of my words via pictures...they are all worth a 1,000 words.

My next post will show the finished bath, and perhaps the beginning of yet another project. I may not be stretching my creative muscles...yet...but I am getting done things I never thought I should or could accomplish. God Bless you all...have an amazing and creative week! Oh, and don't forget the contest. Just leave a comment on this post and you could win that perfect little angel!

Sabbatical-Week One

2009-05-24T17:56:00.003-04:00
It's been a week since I turned off the computer and turned back to my art. I have had a roller coaster ride of a week with everything from excitement to terror! More about all of that in a moment.
I've also started journaling...something I haven't done in a dozen years...at least on a semi-regular basis. When I was doing the Artist's Way I was a devout writer but after 9 months it was painful because the OA kicked up in my right wrist the more I journaled.
So here I am with a mini report of my week. I'll only hit the highlights because as important as this sabbatical is to me, I know you have better things to do than read the minutia of my every day life.
5.18.09-I have heard whispers from my true artistic self for years. Now when I need her to shout out loud she seems to have gone off line. At 3 pm, emotionally and physically drained I decided to do something I never allow myself to do except in times of illness...I took a nap!
5.19.09-Lots of ideas spilling out of my head as I awoke this morning. Took notes for future reference and then called up my sister and said...I've got money and a 50% off coupon...let's go to ACmoore. When I got back after noon I dove into the work and about 3/4 of the way in I could feel an artistic tingle. An excitement for what was starting to "BE".
5.20.09-The sky is bright as a blue robin's egg today. I'm sitting in the shade of some mis-grown trees, birds squawking for having their feeding time interrupted. I see a jet gleaming in the sun overhead as it propels its passengers to places unknown. Always, always the sight of a shining silver jet overhead brings me pleasure...I feel the excitement of places I can only dream about.
5.22.09-I have never done art to express my inner feelings and fears. Every piece was done with an eye toward how much money it would bring. After 40 years and limited success I see each failure for what it was. A loss of interest because I was not painting to express my inner feelings.
5.23.09-My daughter asked if I would paint a piece for her home. Make it something that would express what I am always 'preaching' at her. I have never had a family member EVER ask me to paint a piece for them. But my daughter...She gets it!

Sunday night, dinner finished but dishes waiting until I blog the FIRST piece of art for ME.

Fear Kept Her Grounded

Week ahead includes a stress test for DH. But mostly it brings a test of my patience. DD has a roommate moving in and the cats had to move out. One sweet little cupcake, Willie, and one feisty, scratchy brat named Bella have joined my four cats and one Chihuahua. Bella got in a couple of good scratches and has yet to appear from out of my craft closet but Willie has settled in. What's not to love about this little cupcake!

Willie
Wishing you all a creative week. Until next Sunday...Blessings from Carolyn, a Jersey Girl

Sabbatical

2009-05-17T20:45:00.004-04:00
I'm sitting here staring at the blank white screen and trying to figure out a way to begin. Someone brilliant once said...just begin at the beginning. And so I will.

For years I've been promising myself a May-September sabbatical. A time apart where I could find out what makes me, me! And every year the same thing stops me. Money, or the lack thereof. This year is no different. Money, as always is hard to find. But this year is different. I've found a way to escape and go on that longed for artistic retreat without changing my physical location. But to do that I have to change one thing. I have to leave the cyber world behind. Not forever because the lure of it is like a siren's song. But by changing the parameters of my physical location by turning off the computer I may be able to find the place that I long for each spring.
Initially I was introduced to cyberspace via a small intranet back in 1994. I was magically linked to the parents, students and administrators of my son's Charter High School, High Technology High School in Lincroft, NJ. This school, which continues to blaze a trail in the high tech world, opened a door to such a magical place that to even think of leaving it makes me doubt my resolve. The Net has always provided me escape and friends with whom I could visit as I chose. For these last 15 years, the computer and the unseen but very real world in the ether has been a huge part of my life. Subtly sucking hours of my precious time into its vortex. When I pulled the plug, literally, last Saturday I didn't know if I could live without visiting my groups on Twitter, Ning and Facebook. My blog has not been updated in two weeks and for that I felt guilty! It was then that I realized that something drastic needed to be done. That I desperately needed that Sabbatical that I have promised myself year after year.
Spending so much time on the computer has had me neglecting not only my physical world but my creative life as well. The artists that I have met thru eBay and Etsy have been wonderful but have left me in doubt as to my own creative abilities. Every time I saw a new technique or a new fad I would find myself running after it and trying to catch the wave so that I too could be in on the money that was being made. But the more I ran after the money the less I had and the lower and lower my belief in my own abilities has sunk. As I write this now I am at a crossroads. But there have been signs.
It seems as if the universe and all the fates converged in a single week. And it happened so simply! I friended an artist because I was intrigued by her avatar on Facebook. Following the links on her page to her website and Etsy shop I came to realize that this young woman had achieved in four short years what I have not been able to do in forty. And she did it by listening to her inner voice. That little whisper that nags at you to do something that comes from your heart and is not influenced by the emptiness of your pocketbook.
"Taking Flight" by Kelly Rae Roberts is now in hand. After reading the introduction I know why its gone into a second printing. This is a very smart and perceptive lady and she is following HER own muse, not one she has 'borrowed' from someone else. So I have decided that I need to stop running and looking elsewhere for my creative wings. They're here; within me and waiting to sprout and take flight. And so it is with a bit of regret but a lot of hope that I blog about this and lay myself bare for anyone who happens to wander by and stop to read.
To keep myself real and on track I am making this promise to you and to myself; I'll be stopping by every Sunday night to report on my progress of the week past and my plans for the week ahead. You, my dear friend and reader are what will keep me real with myself. Have a blessed and creative week and I'll check in with you Sunday, May 24th.

Mission Accomplished

2009-05-01T22:48:00.003-04:00

It took several months to figure out how to do it, 30 days to do the first 30 pieces and 60 minutes to upload just two auctions to Etsy but I feel empowered today! I made a major change in my creative direction, set the start date and accomplished my mission. It doesn't get better than that.
These pieces were all made using recycled plastic archival inks and dyes and sketches from my journals that go back to the mid-70's. I am LOVING this new medium and I hope it shows!
You can get to Etsy by clicking on the photo above. I'll continue adding more and more pendants daily. I hope you enjoy them and please...feel free to buy a bunch to spice up your spring wardrobe!

Lake Como, NJ

2009-04-28T18:03:00.006-04:00
This is for my friends who have left the area of Belmar and Lake Como, NJ. Life at the Shore has changed. No one walking down Main Street in S. Belmar would recognize it! Anyway this is for James and Adrian and Kirk and anyone else who wonders what happened while they've been away! This was taken in early Dec. '08 so I need to update as a lot of the building has been completed. I also need to take a picture of Borsetti's old store! Enjoy the memories.
Sorry folks...had to remove the slideshow...was messing up my ability to post additional posts...obviously a memory hog!

WOMEN IN ART

2009-04-17T21:55:00.002-04:00
I usually don't share youtube videos because they're mostly all the same. This one is so extraordinary I couldn't NOT post it here.

ONLYS=ONLineYardSale

2009-04-16T16:14:00.006-04:00
Here's a peek at what I have up and running for my ONLYS (ONLineYardSale)sale. Sorry but I had to remove the slideshow...another memory hog! You can see all of my items by going to http://www.primsywhimsy.com and clicking on the YEART sale banner which will take you into the craft supplies directory of auctions.

ONLYS=ONLineYardSale

2009-04-16T14:47:00.007-04:00
With hundreds of items for sale and only me, myself and I photographing, listing and packing this ONLYS (OnLineYardSale) is proving to be a tough nut to crack. My partner is leaving for a short vacation and has promised to start listing when she returns. BUT as usual I have left everything for the last moment since I've been destashing for 10 days. But I just KNOW you're going to LOVE the finds I have for you. If you do anything crafty or creative these first days will be the most important. I'm listing dozens and dozens of craft items, most NIP (new in package) and greatly reduced from what I originally paid for them.

After the weekend I'll be listing summer clothes from names such as Liz, J. Crew, Jones New York, etc. The better store brands that we all know and love at prices you WILL NOT be able to resist. $65 dollar dresses for $7.50 or $40 shorts for $5? WOW...if I weren't selling them I wouldn't be able to resist buying them!

So get ready to SHOP til you drop starting Fri. April 17th at 12:01 am. That's the official start time for the YEART sale that my Etsy Team is participating in. I will offer a little hint, however. If you should feel the need to start immediately, go for it. But remember I'll be listing new things daily, so check in often. ALSO, if you're looking for bargains be sure to look for Yeart Sale in the title. Now back to work listing ... *sigh*

ONLYS = ONLineYard Sale

2009-04-16T08:34:00.002-04:00
TOMORROW IS THE BIG DAY! The start of the Eclectic Artisan's YEART Sale. I'll be having my own version of the sale, an ONLYS at my site: http://www.primsywhimsy.com

Starting today I'll be uploading craft supplies, scrapping supplies, stamping supplies, brand name like-new clothing, books, magazines, household goodies, etc. I hope you'll take a moment to stop by tomorrow, APRIL 17-26 and do some shopping. Just think...you can get yard/garage sale bargains (and maybe even haggle a bit) without leaving your yard, porch, living room or den! I've been destashing like a fiend for the last 10 days and will work like a demon to get the hundreds of items up and ready for sale over the next 10 days. So mark that calendar. Sale starts 12:01 am tomorrow, April 17th on http://www.primsywhimsy.com.

And be sure to check out the great bargains they'll be having in the official YEART SALE at http://theeclecticartisansteam.blogspot.com/ they'll give you directions to all participating team member's shops. GET READY TO HAVE A BUYING FRENZY of goodies!

YEART SALE

2009-04-14T20:47:00.003-04:00

Yeart sale starts this Friday at 12:01 am. I'll be having a HUGE collection of craft supplies, brand name clothing, household goods, mags, books, etc. Will be updating daily. MARK THE DATE 4/17.

YEART SALE

2009-04-08T22:11:00.003-04:00

Have a date for the yard sale. I'm running it in conjunction with my Etsy Team. EART Team is holding a Yeart Sale April 17-26 so we'll run it at the same time. More details to follow in the next several days. We'll be selling name brand clothing, household goods, shabby chic craft supplies, artist supplies, stamping and scrapbooking supplies all at AMAZING prices. So be sure to check back and reserve the dates! We'll be updating our stock daily.

Business Wish List

2009-03-28T16:56:00.003-04:00
Our EART Team is participating in a blog carnival and The first topic is:
Business Wish List
Create a wish list of up to 5 things/objects/items and describe why they are on your wish list for your small business!
Well this is an easy one and since it doesn't require me to spend any money I'm gonna GO FOR IT and post what has been my NUMBER ONE wish for several years.
THE Nikon D90 - the digital camera of my dreams. DX-format CMOS image sensor with 12.3 effective megapixels I have a Nikon film camera N90 that is my love and the auto focus lenses would definitely work on the digital one so I'm halfway there already!
I have a great Canon scanner and printer BUT since I'd love to be able to scan and print bigger sizes these are the two other items on my wish I had list.
Epson Expression 10000XL- Graphic Arts 12" x 12" Scanner
Epson Stylus Pro 7880 ColorBurst Edition Color Ink-jet printer
Happiness is not in having everything you want but being happy with what you have. I'm content for the moment but if I ever win a lottery, these are on the list!

SPRING YARD SALE

2009-03-27T14:59:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again...SPRING!!! And every year I have a yard sale. I don't know how I always manage to find more stuff each year but I do and this year is no different, except...I've got CRAFT ITEMS that I won't just sell to any old passerby. These are items that are from private stash of goodies and I want them to go to the artists who will have the vision to turn them into ART. So I'm announcing that coming soon to my website (see icon above) will be a CRAFT SUPPLY yard sale that will make any crafter's heart go pitter-pat!!!

I haven't chosen a date because there is so much stuff to sort through but in April I'll choose a weekend to list everything and then will be announcing it everywhere on the web. Keep an eye on this blog to find out when you'll be able to find a yard sale deal without leaving your home!

Eclectic Artisans Team ~ EART

2009-03-19T21:33:00.003-04:00

The Eclectic Artisans Team is a wonderful group of artists who exhibit and sell on Etsy. If you'd like to join a group of fun loving and active Etsyians, click on the icon above and become a part of the family.

A Penny a Piece

2009-03-10T23:19:00.001-04:00
Took some time off but now back to listing my Flower Fairy House ACEOs. I scheduled three five-day listings tonight. You can go there directly by clicking on the image below. Hope you'll take a peek because they all start at JUST ONE PENNY!

eBay is Still Where it's AT

2009-03-04T22:10:00.003-05:00

I'm still selling my penny auction ACEOs but I've noticed that the less I twitter, facebook or blog about my auctions, the less sales I have. I've got to work out a schedule for promotions 'cause that's where it's at. If you don't promote, you don't sell. So here's my newest piece up on eBay for just ONE PENNY!

Spring FUN!

2009-03-03T13:48:00.003-05:00

I got my weekly mailing from PCcrafter.com. This week's was all about Spring and I must say that after the recent blizzard here in Jersey it was as welcome as the first crocus bloom.
I used to subscribe and purchase their digital downloads until it occurred to me that I might be overly influenced by the artwork of their featured artists. After all I am an artist myself and although I LOVE being inspired I don't want to cross over into the copyright infringement arena. Now every week I visit the site and just enjoy the truly beautiful artwork of hundreds of talented woman like myself. Perhaps someday I might even aspire to sell my work to commercial site like PC's but for now I enjoy my sales on eBay and Etsy and every day find the pleasure that comes from being given the gift of creativity.
You can get a taste of Spring for yourself. I've linked the title of the blog post directly to their site so surf on over and enjoy the warmer weather they're showing.

I'VE FOUND MY BLISS!!

2009-02-27T21:05:00.005-05:00

Finally, after years of searching for a 'style' that would 'catch on' at Etsy and eBay I've found what sells well and IS COMPLETELY MY OWN IDEA AND DESIGN. For years I'd see something that was selling well somewhere and think "I can do that, and do it better", but alas I always seemed to be the last one coming to the party and by the time I got a handle on the style or design it was no longer the 'in' thing. I'm hoping that I'm just at the beginning of this wonderful run of 'luck' in design because I really have found my Bliss. I find such joy and passion in these sweet little designs of Fairy Houses, Fairy Flowers and Fairies. But my favorite books as a kid were always about fantasy. The first book I read from cover to cover was Pinocchio the summer between 3rd and 4th grade. But reading and grade school is for another post.

HELP

2009-02-23T13:26:00.002-05:00

Here's the aceo I found that was kicked under my desk. Is this one that you bought that never showed up?

UPDATE: Found out who this belongs to and it is happily winging its way via USPS to its rightful owner along with a 'mia culpa' archival print. Thanks to all who responded via email.

GIVEAWAY

2009-02-21T06:27:00.003-05:00

I'm the spotlighted Day Four artisan on our EART team blog
It's been an amazing week for me with my work in two Etsy West treasuries, being a featured seller on the Country Style Street Team blog and now being a part of a huge giveaway. Click on the EART team link above on on the title of this post and get yourself a chance to WIN big!!!

LIFE ROCKS

2009-02-20T19:49:00.002-05:00

The most amazing week! I'm in another Etsy Treasury! Second one this week, third in 10 days PLUS am the featured seller on CSST's blog. WOW! Positive thinking is an amazing tool. I am so thankful that by changing my thinking I'm changing my life.

TREASURY WEST

2009-02-19T08:40:00.002-05:00

I'm at it again! Today I found out that I'm in an Etsy treasury! This one because of my wee little white kitties! You can see it here: CATS, CATS, CATS!

I've added a lot of new cats to my Etsy shoppe and will be having more white kitties on eBay soon as well. Yay CATS! I've got four and would love to have more. The most I got up to was six, three of them strays. Next time around I might even go somewhere and adopt instead of waiting for them to come to me!

Penny Ante

2009-02-18T09:29:00.003-05:00

My plan for getting back to selling on eBay has worked quite successfully. When I realized that my LolliShops PrimsyWhimsy shop was not going to make the cut for me I knew I needed a 'hook' to get me back and on top of the heap of ACEOs on eBay. So I thought since I wasn't making any money anywhere I might as well go for broke. In early January I started selling my ORIGINAL aceo art starting at just a penny with free shipping. And YES, I lost money. How could I not! But slowly the tide has turned and now my once penny pieces are going for up to $10.00. So ok, I'm not going to change the economy with what I'm making at the moment but I've just begun! And I have a plan. And I'm working that plan!! Now I still start them at a penny but I charge 60 cents for shipping. Making a bit more but the plan is slowly expanding and this week I hope to have jewelry to offer. You might want to see my progress by clicking the icon below. If you check my feedback numbers you'll see how much each person paid and the progressive upward trend. Yay for the good ole Lincoln Penny. My Daddy always said: Take care of your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves. Miss you Daddy...you were almost always right :)

YAY ME!!!

2009-02-16T10:01:00.003-05:00
Featured seller info is up on the CSST blog. Check it out. Just click on the yay me title of this post. Or see the one just below this!

FEATURED SELLER

2009-02-15T15:47:00.003-05:00

What a week it has been!!! Talk about your whirlwind affairs. Last week started out with an announcement of the grand opening of our new website:

and each day seemed to bring some new and exciting events. The latest announcement I have to make...I am the featured seller on

this coming week!! I've sold my flower fairy house ACEOS on eBay so fast I can't keep up!

And my Etsy shoppe sold three ACEOs this week!

And I have a NEW grand-doggie. A BIG brindle boxer named Buddy! If you follow me on Facebook you'll see his picture in my PALS photo album. There's a link to my FB to the right of these posts so if you want to friend me, just send me a message along with your friend request so I know where you found me :)
So coming out of the mid-winter slump was like being shot out of a cannon. It's been exciting and FAST and completely unexpected. But then, maybe the book I've been reading has worked its magic! Money and the Law of Attraction by Abraham-Hicks has been engrossing and so eye opening that I feel as if my entire 'take' on life has been re-adjusted! I'm filled with joy every day and life continues to pleasantly surprise me. But then I did promise myself that my life would change on the 8th of February and just saying that seems to have put a positive spin on the events that have occurred over the last 7 days!

GRAND OPENING

2009-02-08T16:10:00.000-05:00

GRAND OPENING ANNOUNCEMENT. As of 12:01 am EST, Sunday, February 8, 2009, http://www.primsywhimsy.com is open for business. A purveyor of all things shabby and cottage chic with a bit of glitz, glitter and grunge, Primsy*Whimsy is ready to serve your unique crafting needs. We offer ribbons, laces, embellishments, art and craft supplies for the discerning crafter. If you are looking for something specific we welcome all requests and will try and fulfill your needs as quickly as possible. New items added daily. Prices are lower than craft stores and we offer regular discounts to our customers.

GRAND OPENING WEEKEND special. Any auction that has the world VALENTINE in its title will earn you 20% more in product if you use the code: PW289. Please take a moment to stop by and see what's available.
Carolyn, a Jersey Girl
Owner: http://www.primsywhimsy.com

ETSY TREASURY

2009-02-07T19:38:00.003-05:00

As my last post stated, I'm back on Etsy and tonight I made it into a special group of pieces...an Etsy Treasury!! Click on the icon above to be transported to a delightful grouping of original pieces from some fabulous artists.

ETSY

2009-02-05T21:10:00.004-05:00

I had no plans of returning to Etsy as a seller but alas I have learned that one must have multiple streams of income to survive in today's economy. So as of this evening I am announcing the re-opening of my shop:
WildGypsyArt on Etsy A collection of fairyland ACEO giclee prints.

IN HARD LABOR

2009-02-04T16:37:00.005-05:00

Right now I'm in hard labor ready to give birth to a whole new way of buying craft supplies. PrimsyWhimsy.com is undergoing the initial birthing pangs and by this weekend I hope it will be ready for viewing.

Right now it has a very graphic intensive front page so I'm afraid it may well be difficult for those with dial-up to view. If you're a dial up customer, do me a HUGE favor and click on the icon above. It will take you to our site (and I'll even let you buy if you insist :) and let me know if it's difficult to view or takes too long. I'm putting most auctions on the front page but I may have to cut back to just a few so it makes it easier for those viewing it to get into the site before your browser times out.

Right now I'm still in process, laboring away, getting the hundreds of items that I've got for sale up. Unfortunately these long hours on the computer has caused my OA in my dominant hand to kick up and it's getting painful spending this kind of time. But never fear, I'll labor on until it's ready and waiting to fulfill all of your cottage style and shabby chic crafting needs. And every once in awhile I think I'll be like the big chain stores and offer coupons here on my blog. Follow this blog so you won't miss out on anything new or exciting.

AND, if you have needs that you can't fulfill in the crafting world and would like to see specific items in the shoppe, comment below. I take every comment to heart and will do my best to get you what you need!
Carolyn, a Jersey Girl

McDonald's Dollar Value Meal

2009-01-29T16:52:00.004-05:00

I think the penny sales on my eBay account are better than the dollar menu at McDonald's! Where else could you possibly snag an ORIGINAL Sadowski mini folk art painting for under a dollar. It has happened! Recently the final prices have risen a bit so I'm happy that I'm at least making slave wages for my pieces now.

Before I wasn't making money once you took out the 15 cent listing fee, the 8+% final valuation fee plus the 30 cent Paypal fee +their 3.25% processing fee. Now it seems that buyers are willing to snag them at prices that have topped $6.00 Woot, woot! Before these same original ACEOs brought up to $15 at the low point and up to $35 at the best of economic times. However, since I plan on making my fortune in very short order I'm happy to ply my buyers insatiable need for ORIGINAL FAIRY art. See for yourself, just click the icon above and get in on the fun of possibly snagging an original piece for $.01! Best of Luck~!

VALENTINE'S DAY CRAFT SHOW

2009-01-27T21:05:00.003-05:00

Visit a virtual Valentine's Day craft show. Just click on the logo below and enjoy

LolliShops

2009-01-26T18:06:00.007-05:00

We've all had those days where we wake up and think "WoW, this is gonna be a great day" and then about 5 minutes into it something happens that just derails you right then and there.

I'm an optimistic soul so I'm taking this as just a small bump in the road to financial success. I know I've blogged about, Twittered about, FaceBooked about, emailed about my LolliShop, PrimsyWhimsy (just click the logo above to visit). I was so enthusiastic about my participation in this new website because I could see that the work that had gone into it was well thought out. There was a vendor's Guild and a Shopping guild where you could promote your business to fellow vendors and shoppers alike. I could see the future as nothing but bright and rosy.

This past weekend I spent helping my DD get ready for a new room mate (yes my sweet baby is a bit of a piggy-poo)and so I missed all of the drama surrounding the dissolution of the two ning.com communities where all of the Lolli dreaming took place. Of course I wasn't there so I'll never really be sure what 'went down' but the CEO of LolliShops killed off these two communities that were precious to me and most of the vendors who participated. How or why the 'fight' began I don't know but apparently it was nasty and even went so far as to spread over to the Etsy groups. The Etsy groups I've never participated in because I've heard they are warrior class folk and LOVE to duke it out on the net:)I try and keep my online life as undramatic as possible since my 'real' life is more soap opera than comic strip!

Anyway, I digress...the groups were dissolved and now I'm left with a BIG question as to whether or not to open my own website and link thru Lolli. My stomach is actually knotting up as I write this because I put a lot of faith into the future of a site that I thought would finally be the answer to "where do I want to start up my business". It's not that the 'rent' isn't reasonable enough and is scheduled to go down a bit to promote more participation. BUT...without a forum for us to sell promote our business through, how do we even begin to reach a target audience?

I know that the owner is doing a lot of print advertising. I worked in the print media business for years so I know that it can be effective. Unfortunately not as effective as it once was because of the big take over of the Social Media groups such as the LolliShops Guild once was.

Most of the sales at our grand opening happened because as I've previously mentioned I used EVERY social media at my disposal to get the word out that we were open. Oddly enough...after I stopped promoting it that weekend three weeks ago we've only had ONE sale...and that one came because I posted to Twitter. *sigh*

I'm seriously re-thinking my career path at the moment but never fear...I have never before cried UNCLE and given up. I kicked the h*ll out of breast cancer and if I can beat that, I can surely find a way to solve my current insolvency.

Hugs and LOVE to all the friends I made on "The Guild". Leave a comment so we can reconnect and plan our next move.
Caar

AWARD WINNER

2009-01-19T13:49:00.005-05:00
Today I found out that I had won two awards for my ACEO paintings done in 2008. Here are the finished pieces and awards won.

AftertheKnife-artisticNudes

And then this sweet little piece of my favorite kitty, Sebastian, was in the finals.

Cat-in-a-Hat-digitalART

These were in the YBA (Year's Best ACEO) contest on eBay.

PENNY SALE ON ORIGINAL ART

2009-01-19T12:19:00.003-05:00

ONE RED CENT ~ PENNY SALE ON ORIGINAL ART

There's just one day left to spend a penny and get a LOT of original art at the_wild_gypsy's Penny Sale Extravaganza. I'm willing to let these ACEOs go for a fraction of their worth...are you willing to spend a penny and make a BIG investment. 40 years as a professional artist makes these pieces worth a hundred times what they're now priced at on eBay. Visit and spend a penny, get a lot!

GOD IS GOOD

2009-01-18T11:33:00.002-05:00

Take a moment today and pray for baby Harper. If you need more info click the link to the right.

Miracles are all around us and prayer does change things. Just ask the 155 passengers of Flight 1549 and the Miracle on the Hudson. Prayer saved my life when breast cancer threatened to take it away. Prayer can and will change YOUR life if you take a moment and thank God for the blessings He has sent your way.
If you sit quietly and think of the good He has given you instead of the lack that you see, you will find the peace that passeth all understanding.

Harper's Mom & Dad know this and so do I. Today make a decision to find that peace for yourself. Simply say: God show ME how to come to know YOU.

Friday Flea Market TODAY!

2009-01-16T08:50:00.004-05:00

We're part of the Friday Flea Market group. Every friday visit our PrimsyWhimsy site for goodies to tempt your creative abilities. Today we've got sugared cupids in the spotlight so click on the title of today's blog posting and be magically transported to our little corner of the craft seller's world.
When you're done nosing around in our shop return to this blog and link up with other sellers by clicking the FFM logo in the right sidebar. Happy Hunting!

VALENTINE'S FRIDAY

2009-01-16T08:12:00.002-05:00

LOVE is in the air as well as the winter chill! It's the time of frills and frou frou and all things heartfelt. It's almost Valentine's Day! Over at our little corner of the world we're offering sugared heart, cupids and doves to go along with the lace, ribbon and 1/4" tinsel we usually stock. Our favorite this week: 100% RAYON PINK SEAM BINDING RIBBON! A yummy shade that will work with the traditional reds and whites of the fairest Day in the year...St. Valentine's Day.

WISDOM

2009-01-12T21:58:00.003-05:00

Where does wisdom reside. Surely not in the teeth we receive in our 'old age. Today's man/woman usually receives them with a rush of pain because it was our prehistoric ancestors who needed them, not us. There is no room for those big teeth to fit in modern day man's mouth. So we live with them and finally experience the pain of ignoring them or we have them wisely removed before they cause a problem.

Today my daughter had hers removed. She's lived with them for years but suddenly last week they made themselves known, painfully! And now the biggest problem is...a co-pay of $463 that wiped out her bank account. And Mom, who would do anything to save her children pain or unhappiness can only stand by and cry because she can do NOTHING to help her. I can't kiss the boo boo and make it go away and I CAN NOT give her money to buy food for the next two weeks. Because Mom is so broke she can't even buy food for herself.

How did I get here? Surely not when my wisdom teeth were removed quite painfully forty years ago. But somewhere along the route of these last 40 years I never learned how to keep money in my pocket. I learned to put it into the pocket of many, many people along the way. Because I love to buy, buy, BUY and now all I have to show is an empty wallet, a house full of stuff and a daughter who I can not help because I can not help even myself.

But tonight I met a young woman named Bev on Twitter. Quite unexpectedly she popped into my life at a time I needed to hear what she had to share. Here is a portion of our tweets:

Bev: Lord, I pray you meet the financial needs of Your precious child NOW in the Name of Jesus. AMEN
Bev: He ALWAYS hears our prayers. "I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him & honor him." (or her) Psalm 91:15
Bev: Keep praying. Resist the urge to get frustrated, give up. Been there, done that! What Scripture are u standing on?
Me: Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
Bev: Do you repeat multiple times a day until it becomes part of you? That's how you get thru the "testing season"
Me: Years ago international prayer saved my life when the Drs. gave me a 40% chance to survive. I BELIEVE in prayer.
Bev: Praise the Lord! Remember, faith moves mountains. WORK the WORD until you get a breakthru.

So from Atlanta, GA an unknown woman entered my life via cyberspace and through her words of Him I have received a renewal of MY faith. The Lord sure knows how and when to bring new people into our lives just when they are needed most. So tonight I make a promise to myself. I will renew my faith in prayer and I will pray for the wisdom that somewhere along the way I misplaced.

SALES, SALES, SALES

2009-01-09T19:18:00.002-05:00

Every time an email arrives telling me PayPal has sent me money my computer makes a little bling bling sound...sorta like a cash register working away. Sales are going well and my sister and I expect it to be the start of something WONDERFUL since we haven't even touched the tip of the ice burg when it comes to our stash of supplies.

We have limited stock on some things so we're really hoping that two people don't race to paypal at the same time and we have to disappoint someone :( Anyway, first day of the grand opening is going very, very well. Thanks to all of our new customers and fans! Remember to put in for your 20% bonus purchase with coupon code:PW912

GRAND OPENING IS ON at Primsy*Whimsy

2009-01-09T12:16:00.000-05:00

Our Grand Opening is today on Lollishops.com Sadie did a magnificent job of getting it all together! The seam binding ribbon finally arrived in our shoppe so I'm happy that at least all of my ducks are finally in a row. Now it's up to me to get the word out to everyone on Facebook, Twitter, my yahoo groups, and past customers.! I've got a lot of work ahead of me but I think I'll break for brunch and then continue. Hugs to all and remember to visit my shop for a 20% bonus purchase coupon code:PW912

GRAND OPENING SPECIALS 1/9-12

2009-01-08T21:18:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is what we've been waiting for for six weeks! The Grand Opening of our Lollishops. You can get there from any number of links on this page, just look around! If you wanna bet that lazy...just click on the title of this post...lol

So here goes...the reason why Primsy*Whimsy should be your first choice for unique crafting supplies!

"Primsy*Whimsy is a sister run company providing crafters with unique
handmade and/or vintage crafting supplies. After 20+ years in the business
we want to provide young SAHM's the opportunity to create art/crafts that
are a step above the ordinary. We hunt out the most unique and different
supplies available and often offer pieces that are one of a kind (OOAK). We
keep our prices low because we know what it's like to have a SAHM's budget.
Our blog posts keep all of our customers up to date on what is newly listed
and offer discount coupons several times a year."

If you mention code: PW912 we'll send you a 20% purchase bonus! Here are the PrimsyWhimsy girls over 50 years ago:

Bottle Brush Trees

2009-01-07T18:18:00.003-05:00

With the upcoming Grand Opening of our LolliShop, Primsy*Whimsy, I've been combing the county for the best elements to offer crafters. These Valentine's Day Vintage RED bottle brush trees are a real find.

I've got my eye on some other ones that I hope to be able to offer as well. These are darn hard to find but I think I've got a source I can count on. In the meantime I at least have these up and ready to go!

Widgetbox CRAFTS Network

2009-01-07T17:30:00.003-05:00

Just joined the Widgetbox Crafts Network. I'm hoping that by doing so I can get my handmade elements out to all cottage style crafters. I spend a lot of time designing just the right pieces that artisans can add to their work that will make that piece UNIQUE. Most of what I do is in limited edition quantities and all can be seen by clicking on the icon above.

FREE CRAFT SUPPLIES

2009-01-06T20:00:00.003-05:00

The next two days are going to be crazy busy so I wanted to post this to all of my groups to let them know about my upcoming Grand Opening Weekend special. Our new shop Primsy*Whimsy http://www.lollishops.com/primsywhimsy will be the featured artist on the Lollishops website.

We're a vintage and handmade craft supplier and as a special introductory offer we're giving all of our customers and new 'fans' a 20% purchase bonus. When checking out, use the code PW912 and we'll send you 20% of your total order in EXTRA, FREE goodies as a way of saying THANKS for shopping with us. If you love PINK, ruffles, ribbons, bows and hearts and could use some more LACE, linens and baubles and bells in your shabby or cottage chic crafting, visit Primsy*Whimsy January 9-12th. When you use the code PW912 you'll get some wonderful EXTRA goodies to add to your stash of winter crafting supplies... just call it our own little economic stimulus package...lol