Friday, April 24, 2009

Yesterday's horoscope

I have been reading my horoscope for years, usually with tongue in cheek, but sometimes marvelling at how 'accurate' the forecasts were. Yesterday was a doozie, and I quote:

" Give work-related situations that have good chances for success top priority. You could be luckier than usual at putting together something that will produce big bucks."

Oh, yeah! April 1, I took my first wholesale order. About a week later, I was asked if I would work with my friend Joyce on a large sewing order, which we have since embarked on. And yesterday one of my tie-dye dresses sold. I would say there is something working in my favor these days, and I'm LOVING it!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Headin' down a different path

Actually, I think I'm going in 10 different directions at one time! But for the next 5 weeks or so, I will be very busy working on a joint venture with a fellow crafter. We won the bid to make 90 golf shoe bags for a ladies' golf tournament in June! Woo-hoo! This will mean long hours at the cutting table, followed by longer hours at the sewing machine, and squeezed in between I will be showing 2 of my art quilts at First Friday Art Walk in May and June. Then I'm committed to selling at a mini-craft fair two Sundays in June. Between the JV, the craft fairs, the FFAW and all my regular activities, I will probably be sleeping like a log every night! But there is a nice payday at the end of the JV, and I already have some items on my wish list that I will probably be able to afford now... yaaaaaaaaaay!
So if you wonder why I'm not posting a lot for awhile, that's the reason. I'll try to find a minute to post a picture of one of the bags when I have one completed. They are really nice!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Recycled Art Exhibition Opening Reception

Last night was the Opening of our 7th Annual Recycled Art Exhibition, which is a very popular event with the folk in Flag. We arrived just a few moments after it opened, and the parking lot was already full! As usual, the entries were fabulous. Here are a few pix:

This is a Tryptich using recycled canvases and found objects to add texture


I couldn't get a real good shot of this, but it is wire sculpture... really interesting!

"Marvel Mystery Time" is a mixed media working clock by Greg Mason... he does great found object pieces! This piece received an award for being 'Most Useful'.

This is a great mixed media piece


This is me by 'Waterfall'. I am wearing part of an outfit I made over 18 years ago, and leftover scraps from that fabric were used to make the piece... never throw anything out!

This mixed media piece was made out of bedsprings and an old metal barrel lid!


This is a fabulous piece made by the 5th grade students of Puente De Hozho, and it received the Best of Show (Group) for Student Entries.


Part of the evening's entertainment...

One of the features of the event is to have artists create work to music. In the background, Lyn Matthew and Keith Huling are painting, and in the foreground are dancers performing to drum music.

I would say we had another successful opening!



Thursday, April 2, 2009

If you build it, they will come...

I am a long-time believer in the power of positive thinking. And I have proven to myself countless times that if I set my mind to it, I can accomplish pretty much anything. I don't mean that to sound conceited and egotistical, instead I mean that my creator has given me... us!.. the tools to do a great deal, if we have the ambition and desire to use them.
Awhile back, I began kicking around the idea of adding a few wholesale customers to my tie-dye business so that I could reduce the number of craft shows I need to attend but still bring in enough income to keep my business afloat. I mentioned this to a friend who is also a self-employed crafter, who has done just that with her business. Well, a few weeks ago, someone contacted her to get information about crafters she knew who might be willing to sell wholesale, and my name came up. Yesterday, my new client and I had a tele-conference, and created my first wholesale order for her! I am really excited about this new growth spurt for my business, and hope that it will be just the beginning of a new business relationship. Progress!