This Is It Folks!

The last day of 2012. Can you believe it? I don't care to know where it went, I'm just glad that it's gone. It was better, a bit, than 2011 but 2012 is outta here! Don't let the door hit ya! Oh my goodness!

So what am I doing? Cleaning my apartment and studio. So far I've got two very clean and organized closets. Two trash bags of stuff. I couldn't believe why I was hanging on to some of the crap that I had. Now it's gone.

I don't have a pic of the other closet but will get one.  Then I cleaned the living room section. I dusted, even moved things, and cleaned off baseboards. There was a fearsome battle of dust bunnies going on. I won! Then I swept and mopped. My place is clean. At least the front part. I'm still working on the studio, kitchen, and bathroom. But it's a start.
 

My studio is a mess. Yep, that's it, a mess. I'm trying to work on getting a few things done while rearranging things so I can really get started January 2. I just love being nuts.

There's a little bit of floor you can see. A few days ago, I only had a pathway. Like in a forest. I still have the rest of today to straighten more things out. I will be starting off my creative New Year on the right foot and with a cleaned up place. I have amazed myself.

If you're going out tonight, please have fun and stay safe. This year is over. As for next year, I'm trying not to get too excited about it. You know those disappointments are lurking behind bins, corners, and abandoned buildings.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Again, No Pics

I am doing my best wrapping up 2012 and a few more projects before I blast off into 2013.  I didn't get to as much as I wanted to but I ended up doing and finishing other projects.  I'm good with that.  Not quite balanced out but I'm fine with what I've accomplished for the year.  I will amp it up for next year.  This year wasn't bad and it was better than 2011.  I'm good with that too.

Now I have to finish up those projects while blitzing the apartment and studio.  It is a daunting task but one that has to be done.  I want to start new projects January 1, 2013 as planned.  But I need to be able to find things.  I have to clear out part of one closet to move things around in another closet, so that I can organize things better and be able to find things.  I'm trying not to cackle like a crazy woman while I'm trying to figure other things out.  So I'm going to have to mess things up a bit more in order to start cleaning.

I had a very nice Christmas Day with my new adopted family.  The food was wonderful and we played Canasta.  Which was hilarious with one very competitive member.  Aren't families great?  I got a pair of really nice earrings from a dear friend and yarn to make socks.  I'm taking a knitted sock class starting next month.  I'm so excited!  I've always wanted to learn how to knit socks.  Guess how many friends are going to get socks for Christmas next year?  Now I'll be the Mad Sock Lady.  I just love it.

There is no snow where I am at the present time. It was disappointing not having a white Christmas when just about everyone else in the country was.  Maybe I'll get lucky on New Year's Day.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, if you celebrate it.  The New Year is coming.  Are you ready?  Excited?

Well, what do you know?

We're still here.  Those Mayans... what jokesters. Hardy har, har.

Well, I'm glad I'm still here.  Got lots more creating to do.  I'm glad you're still here too.  Welcome.  Yesterday Maya and I painted a mural on a friend's nursery wall.  It's for Amanda's baby who will be here in March.  It was also Amanda's Christmas/Birthday gift from me and Maya.  This was planned back in November, on Thanksgiving Day between me, Maya, and Dennis (Amanda's husband) all while Amanda was in hearing distance.  She didn't have a clue.  Maya had an idea and told me and then I came up with some ideas.

I got up stinking early to get myself over to Maya's so we could get to Amanda's. We had to make a coffee stop or were just weren't going to be any good that morning.  We got to the house, pulled out our supplies and Maya had forgotten her sketch. It didn't matter. But then the wall she was going to put the mural on was packed with baby stuff. Dennis had moved everything over so that we could make use of the largest wall. Even better.  We were about to start drawing and Maya couldn't remember how they were spelling the baby's name. I said no 'h', so Maya called Dennis, again.  Then we got going.  Giggling all the way.  Both of use injured (she had burned her hand and my thumb is still bothering me) and trying not to elbow each other.

I did the people and fairies and other items.  Maya was the flower Queen.

We incorporated things that mom and dad liked.

This could be Zanna Joy reading.  Her mom loves to read.

Amanda loves bats, and she and Dennis love UFOs and aliens.  The lady bug is sporting sunglasses and is attached to a balloon.

Dad Dennis loves skulls.

We both signed our masterpiece.  And I put the date before the end of the world.

Here is the final.  All of this done between 9:30 AM and about 3:00 PM.  We did break for lunch and it was all freehand.  Dennis almost cried because he wasn't expecting what we did.  Amanda, when she finally saw it, was just in awe and it was great watching her pick out the details.  Already she's planning on asking Zanna to make up stories from what's in the mural.  She's planning a story a day.  That is so awesome!

Hello!

Yesterday morning on my way to the shop Olde Mill Eclective, the sun was shining and it was quite balmy at 52 degrees.  It looked and felt like spring except for the semi- and leafless trees, and piles of brown leaves on the ground.  I had to remind myself that it is December.  I don't mind the mild weather but i had to slay a stink bug the night before last.  I've kind of had enough of them this year.  Be gone!  I need a break. Which means we need some cold weather and snow.  Which we won't be getting for Christmas.

The Krankies Holiday Craft Fair was very good.  I won't have to live in a box quite yet.  Thank goodness for the credit card reader.  Whoever came up with that, I hope he/she is living it up.  That little program made my weekend.  It took me almost two days to recover and I still picked up a bug. I have one more show this year.  It's a late one but I'll take it.

At the Krankies show, there were a few people who thought some of my work too creepy.  They obviously haven't been web surfing because my items are quite tame compared to other creations out there.  I didn't fret, I just told myself that they weren't my audience and I smiled for the next person.  I received many compliments on my work.  People who had bought things as gifts last year, came back with reports that the items were well received.  New people who looked at my table from across the room, walked over and just smiled.  There were people who took time to look and began to laugh.  Those who looked at my work, walked away and came back to smile and laugh some more.  Both males and females did this.  And the best compliment of all was from a woman who said she loved how I had a variety of things but could tell they were all my creations.  She pointed out how each face, even the needle felted ones, had their own personality.  I was on a cloud.  Talk about a creative ego boost.  Exactly what I needed.  It's one thing when family and friends tell you your work is great but when you have fans and total strangers love it and the way I think, that is just so awesome.  A great feeling to wrap up the end of the year.

Now, I have a boat load of ideas from all over the place.  But first, I must blitz the apartment and studio.  I can't find a darn thing.  There's stuff on the floor of my studio and I've created a path.  The room isn't even that big.  Yikes!  It needs to be done, so I'll start this week.  Through the sniffles.  A little bit at a time.

Still No Pictures

But I'm still here. It's been crazy the past couple of weeks.  Heck, months. I've been challenged yet again and back to treading water. I've finally gotten to a point of not worrying about anything. Lost a commission. Some ideas have fallen through.  It doesn't mean that they were bad ideas; I succumbed to doubts and other things like not exercising.

I finally got a Smart Phone and the learning curve has been deep and extremely steep. Especially since I just wanted to use the thing to accept credit cards at craft shows. I was worried because I hadn't gotten the credit card reader and still learning how to use the phone. I have been back twice to my phone provider and after all is said and done, would have visited each location in town. I finally got the reader and tried practicing swiping a credit card. Yeah right. My thumb doesn't like it one bit. So I panicked and did the crying thing and the name calling started up again. I am so techno challenged and felt lower than a beetle at the bottom of a dung pile at the bottom of a lava tube of an extinct volcano. I hadn't been working on anything because the new phone just vexed me and everything was spinning out of control. All the should haves, could haves, would haves just started piling up. I'd lost my holiday spirit, even my Halloween creations couldn't console me.

WHAT THE HECK!

I am not perfect. No one is. As an artist, I am harder on myself than anyone would ever be.  That's not fair to me. Yes, I've got a lot going on this last craft show of the year. It can make me or break me financially but I will not give up. I do have that going for me. My determination, persistence, perseverance, stubbornness, and any other like word. I need to write some signs, make them real pretty and plaster them all over my apartment. Signs that say, "BE NICE TO WENDY".  I stopped and looked at what I hadn't been doing.  Exercise. For me it seems to help with feeling low and unworthy.  Something about endorphins. So I got up this morning and went for a walk. It didn't matter that it was wet out, or chilly. Actually it felt pretty good and I felt alive again. Silly me.

My head is a little clearer now. Not great but I've decided not to worry anymore this year. It's a start. I have enough items for my craft show. I know I will sell something. Probably many things. I had also started to think that I hadn't accomplished much of anything after my big exhibition in February. I can always remember the bad things that happen or go wrong but never the nice things that happen.  So when I saw this on Facebook, I thought that I would participate.

How many of you only remember the disasters and near misses of the past year? Can you remember the nice times? I can only remember a few and I know I've had more than that. So I'm going to do this. In January and I already have my jar ready. I will decorate it and make it lively because it will be holding my 'nice happenings'.

I guess I'll get breakfast, finish my coffee and continue on with my day.  It's my day. And I'm okay.

Pictureless Post

Here's a quickie. I am now in the 21st century. I have acquired a smart phone. I didn't want to but I want to be able to accept credit cards at future craft shows, so I had to make the plunge. The learning curve is steep. I feel like I've got gloves on when I use the darn thing. I will probably have to go back to my carrier and get some lessons. What happened to detailed instruction booklets? I haven't figured out if I can set an alarm. I did that with my old phone because I don't have a clock. And can I add tones for individual people who call me? Not that I get a ton of calls anyway.

While trying to figure some things out, I called a friend in another state. I thought I had stopped the call before it went through but I wasn't fast enough.  She called me back in a couple of minutes asking if everything was okay because I don't call her midday.  Ever.  She said she was about to gas up her car and make a drive from Michigan to North Carolina. I apologized for worrying her and told her about the new phone. We both laughed and she assured me that I will figure out my phone very soon.  It's nice to know that I have people who will come after me if I'm in trouble.

Back to making ornaments!

My first Christmas Card

I received my first Christmas Card. This one is hand painted by the wonderful artist Eden Carnes. She also makes lovely dolls and dragons and as soon as I can, I will post her info. Starting in January I will post pics of artists I like along with their info.

Please enjoy but remember, this is copyrighted work.

Yes It's December!

And I'm late. What else is new? Right? But at least I'm here. I am grateful I have been given another day and hopefully, another month. November is in the books. As I wipe my forehead and roll my eyes. Treading water and not sinking. That's a good thing. I've got a week before my first December show, so I may not post as much as I'd like but I'll give it a shot. The cold is history and I will just have to work through the pain of my thumb. It is feeling better and motion is improving but I've got to get going. I have good news.

SOLD!
She's going to a new home in Michigan. I'm sad and happy at the same time. Maybe this is a good sign that I will do well the rest of the month.

Here's my work table at the moment. The balls are forms for ornaments. Aliens, monsters, shrunken heads, and such. You know... the usual holiday fare.

I better get going. I've also got to put some words to paper while watching zombies on the telly.