Craziness

My life has been overwhelmingly busy these last few months and because of that I have neglected my poor lonely blog. Next Saturday I will be vending at the Bats Day Black Market. I have been prepping for this show since January! It has taken up almost all of my free time! I was also asked by my publisher to write another book! Upon my return from LA I will be starting on it. It is going to be more difficult to write then my first book because with the first book I already had researched all the stories and all I needed to do was take them from my ghost tour scripts and rewrite them in a format which would be interesting for people to read. With this book I will need to start from scratch! Eeeeeek. My deadline is July 13th 2013, so I do have a little over a year to do it, but at the same time I don't want this project to occupy all my time and creative energy. That being said I signed up for two classes from Suzi Blu. Not because I have the time to take more online art classes, but because it forces me to keep up with my skills and to hopefully learn new techniques. I am hoping to have another art show at the Source Within in September. My goal is to have at least 12 - 15 new pieces for the show. Here is one I finished earlier in the week. I love it! I call it 'The Perfect Hat'.

And that is the latest and greatest. Hopefully I will return from the Bats Day Black Market with little of my products left and the funds made will pay for a new venture I am trying. Why a new venture? Because I need one more thing to add to my To Do List and because my life isn't busy enough!

BIG News

I went to Los Angeles on a Work-Cation.

Got a lot of new items for my museum, The Bisbee Mini Museum of the Bizarre. And when to the Craft & Hobby Expo, where I made lots of connections and will be announcing some big (besides this news) news about it when the time is right.

While in LA we decided to take a few days to spend at Disneyland, since my birthday was during our Work-Cation.

So in front of the Haunted Mansion on my birthday, my boyfriend proposed. Got down on one knee and everything! Very cute, very romantic, very us.


I said YES!!




This is how I feel about my fiance!

Holidays are OVER!

I am so extremely thankful the holidays are over! My etsy shop has never been so busy! It was so busy in fact that I had to have my understudies work the ghost tours so I could stay home and make jewelry and package it up. Not complaining at all, but December wooped me.

Since then it has been non stop! I have not had a moment to recover from the chaos of the holidays. I have been so busy that I have not had time to actually make new designs and I bought so many pretty turquoise stones in New Mexico on my way to Texas.

I guess I am to blame. I will be vending at Bats Day this year to promote the ghost tours which is taking up a lot of time and I will be taking a 'work'cation as well which I have been busy planning. Not to mention our huge Paranormal & Ghost Hunting Weekend is coming up. Ahhhhh!

So much to do...so why am I updating my blog instead of working??

Shop Sale!

I decided to get a jump start on the holiday season (did I mention that all my gifts for everyone are already wrapped and hidden?) by having a 15% off sale in my etsy shop!

Use the code 2011HOLIDAYS to get the deal!

CLICK HERE!

Money Clips

I started making money clips for my etsy shop. Carolyn from Autumn Leaves Jewelry asked for me to make a video blog of the process. So here it is, in all its glory.
Enjoy!

Raw Bisbee Blue Turquoise

Every year here in Bisbee the Mining and Historical Museum hosts a fundraiser to dig for Bisbee Blue Turquoise.
This year I went with my mother and boyfriend.

A month later I finally found time to go through the turquoise me and my main squeeze found.



The stones in the little Tupperware container are the ones I felt were the best.



Tomorrow I will take the raw turquoise into town and have one of our local jewelers see what can and what can not be used to make cabochons from.

Stay tuned!

2 Shops or Not

A while back I opened another etsy shop, but didn't get any sales so I closed it.

I am considering opening another etsy shop.
The reason? I think it is important to keep my jewelry and my paintings separate. I think with both in one shop it confuses people. Am I a metalsmith or a painter? Both?

It would seem a little less confusing if I opened a new shop for my prints, paintings, and other doo dads which I am planning on making for the upcoming holiday season.

Thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Congrats to the winner!

GIVEAWAY TIME!

To celebrate my 170th Etsy sale I am having a Halloween Giveaway!
WOOT!
Watch the video and then leave your guess below or send me a private message via facebook!

Busy Bisbee Bee

I have been extremely busy this last week.

Took a two day marathon art class session at Bliss Bee. I learned so many new techniques for making all sorts of fun stuff that I have been trying desperately to get into my studio!

I've also added new pieces to my etsy shop and decided to have a pre-Halloween sale!

Use the code 'PreHalloweenSale' to get 20% off everything in my shop!
CLICK HERE to take advantage of my etsy shop sale!



Candy Corn Ring...don't you want to eat it up!



Spiderweb earrings made using my rolling mill. Oh how I am loving my new toy!



Jack o Lantern necklace!



Gone batty earrings!



I also recieved my photos back from Flash In The Past. Ramsey did a lovely photo shoot for the ghost tours. I am so excited about them! I can't wait to get them up on the website (that will be my Friday project!)

In the meantime here is a teaser for you!

Halloween Time

The stores are starting to get all their Halloween goodies in. The air is getting a bit of a chill (yes even here in S. Arizona). Usually by this time of the year my costume has already been designed and made. Halloween jewelry for my shop has been made and listed. The bins and bins of Halloween decorations (the ones that are not out all year round) have been rummaged through and the best decorations have been picked to be put out on Oct. 1st.

Yet this year I have not done any of the above.

I have tried really hard to work on some batty earrings, candy corn rings, graveyard & jack o lantern necklaces, yet for some reason I am not feeling it.

I have not even decided what to be for Halloween this year. I could simply pull out a costume from my 5 huge costume bins, but what fun would that be?

The bins of Halloween decorations have been organized, but not gone through.

I'm just not in the Halloween spirit this year and it depresses me more then you know. It is my favorite time of the year, my favorite holiday, my favorite everything, yet I can't seem to get myself out of this funk and get myself ready for the big day.

Help!

Studio Time

Yesterday morning I went into my jewelry studio for a half hour. It was felt really good! I started designing some Halloween earrings and a necklace. It felt so liberating to finally go back, and work with the metal. To anneal it, and then feel it being pressed into something fun while I turned the handle of my rolling mill.
This weekend I am hosting Fairy Fun Days at the Source Within. If you want to know more about Fairy Fun Days click here. Though I really really enjoy holiday weekends, I wish more then anything I would have time to go into my studio to finish my pieces.
In more jewelry news, this week my mother and I are going to the mini Gem & Mineral Show in Tucson. I have to set a strict budget and stick with it! I know what I need and what I want, so it shouldn't be too difficult, unless I find another ruby octopus ring!
While we are in Tucson we have a photo shoot scheduled at Flash In The Past. Ramsey asked if she could photograph me in a Halloween theme to help promote the day job. I didn't hesitate when she offered! My mother is going to get a shoot as well. Its going to be so much fun. I love getting made up to look beautiful. Every woman needs to feel that way every once in a while!

Studio & Soul Cleaning

The past few weeks have been tough. Not so much bad or sad, just hard.

I decided the other day it was time to do some cleaning in my studio. Cleaning somehow helps clean out the cobwebs in my mind and soul sometimes.
So as I was cleaning my studio I was thinking about the future. Thinking about how good it is going to be. Thinking about how up until now everything was just practice. Now I am ready to live my life the way I am suppose to live it.

The way I am going to live my life is going to be full of love, creativity and happiness. End of story. Those who get in the way or try to take any of those three things away will immediately be voted off my island!

So yesterday I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned and then cleaned my studio some more.

Today I went into my studio, without knowing what I wanted to make. I took out some Halloween crafty supplies and started having fun. Letting my mind wander and my creativity flow.

After a while I was looking at a beautiful candle. I couldn't stop, so I made two more.



It wasn't until the flies started bugging me that I stopped.



How wonderful it felt. How freeing. How fun!



Everything is going to be great. I can tell.
Hopefully within the next couple of weeks I will start working on my jewelry again. I think it is almost time!

Art Show and why my lack of art.

I finally had a chance to download some photos from my Art Show Spectacular!


A photo of my mother taking a photo of me in front of my display


Me and my mother!


YIPPIE! I love my dress. It is by Jessica Louise. She is one of my favorite designers!


Friends and family come into the Source Within to check out Pirate Days and my art show.



Recently I have not been in a very creative mood. Instead I have been trying to find ways to occupy my mind. Trying to get it to focus on stuff other then the current situation I am in. Therefore my creativity has been put on hold. I am a strong believer of making art only when in a good mental place. If you are in a negative state of mind some of that negative energy will rub off into your art, and who wants all that bad gugu? Sometimes its good, for fine artists, but for what I do, I don't want it.

I like change. I welcome change. Change is good! Change is very good, but at the same time stressful. Hopefully things will start to calm down after next week and I will be able to get back into my studio, find my creativity (I think it is hiding under the couch along with the dust bunnies) and get working on some Halloween goodies for my etsy shop!

Life Gets In The Way Of Progress

It has been a busy couple of months, personally and artistically, so my poor blog has been ignored for a while.

Where to begin where to begin?



I had an art show at the Source Within. It consisted of my new paintings, which I love and adore and have opened up a whole new world to me. It was a lot of hard work and due to space limitations I didn't get to show all my work. I made prints, books and cards, those sold really well. They sold so well in fact that I had to make more and bring them down to the shop yesterday.

I also have been busy practicing for Bisbee's Got Talent. It was last night. I performed Cabaret and won. Yep I rock.


A new boutique opened in town called Bliss Bee, it is owned by renowned artist Julie Thompson. She got a kick out of my skirts that I have been making and asked me to make a bunch for the shop. Sew I have been a busy sewing bee over the past couple of months as well. Julie is so great and such a talented artist, she offers all sorts of classes. My mother and I took a few and enjoyed them immensely! So if you are ever in town make sure to check out Bliss Bee!

My jewelry has been put on the back burner at the moment. Not sure why. Just have not felt the urge to make any in a while. I think I need to revitalize my creative spark somehow. Go on a vacation and get some much needed inspiration. A hike would do. Maybe just a couple days to the Grand Canyon. I don't know what to do. Its hard to be in a creative funk but everyone goes through it.

I promise to not ignore my blog for such long periods of time anymore. Sometimes you can't control what happens in life, and have to go with the flow. Hopefully things will calm down and all will be right with the world again!

Happy July

SHOP SALE SHOP SALE SHOP SALE! 40% OFF EVERYTHING! USE CODE JULYSALE AT CHECKOUT!!!!



I have been busy! Busy busy busy! My normal (if you can call anything I do normal) job is keeping me on my toes. In fact I have way too much to do and it is a bit overwhelming.
We are redoing the top of our hearse, which you wouldn't think is artsy fartsy, but it kind of is. It reminds me of college projects. Having to sand, prime, paint, add glitter! It is all too familiar. Luckily we have cool friends who help us with advice and know more about hearses then we do!


Look at me getting all down and dirty with the rust on our hearse. Take that you rust!



So to help pay for the overwhelming costs of having a hearse I decided to have a HUGE etsy shop sale. I have had some of my pieces sitting for too long. Time to find them a new home!

If you use the code JULYSALE at the time of checkout you will receive 40% off your purchase!

In other news we had a huge turnout for our Fairy Fun Days July 4th weekend. It was so huge we ran out of fairy wings. We had to order more from the fairy folk and hopefully they will be delivered to us this week. We decided to hold the next Fairy Fun Days Labor Day Weekend. I can't wait. It was so much fun!

So we decided to add Pirate Days the weekend of August 13th & 14th to give little boys something to do. Girls have fairies boys have pirates. Bisbee is doing a huge pirate themed weekend which is arrrrrrsome! Who does not love pirates! There are still treasure maps to make and treasure to find. Mwah ha ha.

All info on the events can be found HERE.

Bisbee Burlesque Performance

Gay Pride is always a fun time in Bisbee.
This year I was asked to sing for the Bisbee Burlesque show. So I did.

Here is a video of me singing Cabaret. I opened the show with it. Apparently I got a standing ovation, I couldn't tell since the spot light was in my eyes and I couldn't see anything!




So does anyone ever read this blog?

Shop Update

Over the past year or so I have been trying my hand at painting, and through lots of practice, at home classes, and advice, I think I found my style.

In August I am having an art show at the Source Within. Until then I will be selling prints of my paintings in my etsy shop.

So now I am not just selling jewelry but prints of my watercolors as well.

This is very exciting, and scary.

Please have a looksy!

Jellyfish

Peter and I in the walk through aquarium

For Memorial Day Peter and I went up to Phoenix to go to the aquarium. Its a small one, in the mall, but still worth seeing.
Unfortunately we could not find the octopus, but we did however find lots of JELLYFISH!
I love jellyfish. I know it sounds weird, but I do love them. They are beautiful, graceful yet can be deadly.

The cool jellyfish that inspired my newest jellyfish necklaces

Last year around this time I made a couple jellyfish necklaces and seeing those jellyfish inspired me to make some more!

More Jellyfish Necklaces can be found in my etsy shop

Yesterday I made two with copper bodies, sterling silver tentacles, and gemstone beads incorporated into the tentacles. In less then 24 hours one sold!
Yes I am bragging. This makes me extremely happy. This sale gave me a boost of confidence in my work which I desperately needed. SO YAY!

The underside of a starfish. kind of cool!

In other news, my mother and her artwork were featured in an article in today's paper.Here is a linky. I hardly ever post about my family, other then my K9 and Feline pets and my husband. So take a look at the article to read about my creative mother! Enjoy.

Taking the Plunge

I decided to start selling my new paintings in my etsy shop. Small investment in promotional materials and packaging materials was made yesterday. I spent the entire morning designing business cards and postcards.

Once they arrive from the printers I will start posting glicee prints in my etsy shop. The originals will be still be exhibited at the art show I am having at the Source Within in August. I decided not to open an entirely new shop to hopefully get crossover sales.

This makes me a bit nervous. I don't like to fail and sometimes feel that I my work won't sell. If it does I will be overjoyed. Eventually I want to apply my designs to clothing and accessories. Goals. Its so good to have goals!