New Website!

www.fanciful-creations.com

The other day I was on Vista Print ordering my calendars (which are of my art and will be in my Etsy art store soon), and I noticed that you could get a webpage for not that much a month. My job won't start until November and I have the time, so I decided to try it out. For quite some time, I thought I didn't need a website. I have my two shops on Etsy, but when I go to art fairs and people ask for my website address, I have to think, is it art or jewelry? Which business cards do I bring? What about the shows I do in Vista where I have both my art and jewelry? Wouldn't it be nice to have a website that has both? So, I dove in. I did hit a few cliches loading pictures, but Vista Print has really great tech help. I decided to link my pictures to my Etsy shops. I didn't feel that at this time I needed to pay the extra for a shopping cart. The biggest issue for me was the domain name. I had really wanted the name "fancifulcreations.com", but it was taken. I settled for fancifulcreationsbypam.com, but decided that was too long. I debated on .org or .net. I was frustrated, because when I typed in the fancifulcreations.com (of course with the www in front), I saw the link was broken. I tried to figure out how to contact the owners of that website, but I came up with nothing. It finally dawned on me, why not put a "-" between "fanciful" and "creations" .com, and that was available! Now I have a new website with the domain name (are you ready?)

http://www.fanciful-creations.com/.

Please come visit me, and leave a comment. I love comments!

The Blue Bird is back bigger and better!

Quite some time I had a 6X6 painting of a blue bird in a coral tree:

This bird received a lot of views, but it didn't sell until it made it to the front page of Etsy. Then, I sold two. One person bought it right away and another person wanted the painting, so I painted another.

I had yet another one listed about a year later. It was the same size, but the colors were a little different, and it sold:

It made me think- what if I made the bird a totally different color like yellow and facing the opposite direction?

It sold too, but it took quite a while.

Recently, I was in the mood to paint yet another bird, but I wanted to go bigger. I have had this 14X20 canvas hanging around, so I decided to go BIG. Here's how I did it:

First- After I had scetched the bird and flowers. I painted in the blues of the bird and the orange of the flowers:

Next- I added the red of the berries in the flowers:

Next- I painted the background a deep rich brown:

Next- I added the copper for the stems and the details of the bird:

Finally- I did some final touches and changed the eye color. Here he is:

You can check out the painting on Etsy- Blue Bird Original Painting.

Newsletter Sign Up!

I have FINALLY figured out to add a link off to the right side of my blog to sign up for my newsletter. I am very excited about my newsletter! It will be sent out periodically and will include specials, coupons, upcoming art shows I am in, and news about both my etsy shops( http://www.pmcookie.etsy.com/ & http://www.kittywoman.etsy.com/) . I am drafting my first one now, and it will have some great coupons that you will only be able to get through the newsletter. I am feeling very generous with my coupons, so don't miss out on my newsletter! Sign up today!

Shows and Loraine

I have been in a few art and jewelry shows lately. I have been just focused on my jewelry since that has been the bigger seller. I have been very fortunate now that my cousin, Loraine lives near, so often times we go together and have our booths next to each other. It is so nice to have someone you know next to you. For me, it's like a security blanket. I tend to get nervous and apprehensive before and during shows. I know I should be strong and not care what others think, but for me that is challenging. Since I am unemployed EVERY cent counts, and there is more of a need for my jewelry to sell. I don't think that is good, and I think people can sense that. I LOVE to create, but I don't like marketing. I would love to "hire" someone to do that for me. I think that creativity and marketing do not always go hand and hand.

Ok, I am going to quit my whining, and introduce to you my cousin Loraine's beautiful work. It is truly beautiful and each piece she does is like a masterpiece. What she does is called beadweaving, and it is gorgeous! Here is an example of some of her work:

Those are vases that she has stitched beads on. Here are her bracelets:

They are so much more beautiful in person! She has an etsy shop which is: http://beadandknot.etsy.com/
Please check it out! She will be in the street fair in downtown Vista on September 12th. I might be there too, but I am still debating.

Bracelets!

I love bracelets! I started making them because I couldn't find any in my size. I have small wrists, and the only ones that would fit me were children size. When I discovered the elastic ones, I figured out how to make them my size, and then I started making them bigger for others. In recent craft fairs, bracelets have been the big sellers. I love using Swarovski crystal sliders, but I have recently made some none elastic types that are made from semi precious stones and seed beads. Here are a few of my favorites:

Which one do you like?

Is It A Color Obsession?

The other day I was watching How Do I Look? It's my substitute for What Not to Wear (where are Stacey and Clinton?). There was a woman who dressed only in purple. She also had purple as the color of her bedroom and her accessories. She was stuck in purple and she didn't look good in it. Of course she had a total transformation at the end. I thought to myself, "how silly to be so stuck in a color". The other day, I decided to get all my sweaters out of my wardrobe to make room for my summer wardrobe. Every so often, I decide to organize my clothes by color. Of course, that idea only lasts for a week or two- tops. I looked at my groups of colors, and I realized that I am a relative of the Purple Lady, but my choice of color is aqua/turquoise/teal. Here is a picture of some of my tops:

Now, I can say in my defense that this color looks good on me, but then I noticed the color is evident in my accessories and even my cell phone:










Well, that's ok. I like to match. There's nothing wrong with that! But then I looked at my bed, and the mixed media I created to match:










Maybe this is an obssession! Then I took at some of the art I have done:










The color is in there too! I don't know if I need a color intervention.

Different Styles of Art

I have many styles of art. I really like to experiment with different colors, techniques, materials and designs.

My style that I always fall back into is the bright and colorful, fun and whimsical paintings.

I have been having fun experimenting with mixed media.

One of my favorite subjects to paint is the beach.

I do, however, like to paint a mug every so often too.



All in all, my art has different textures, colors and styles. I guess it is just the creative, experimental, artsy, Gemini in me! Who knows what I will paint next.

For more of my art, please visit my Fanciful Art Shop.

Rocks in My Path

On Father's Day, my father and I went hiking. We reached a river that separated the path. It wasn't very big, and there were some rocks that could be used as stepping stones to cross the river. My dad went first, and I followed. I noticed he was very carefully studying each rock for stability before he stepped on it. I was right behind him learning from his moves. Some rocks were stable and some rocks were shaky. You didn't quite know what the rock would do until you stepped on it. It wasn't a big river, and we made it across without falling in.

I have been aware of the symbolism of that river crossing. I am at that point in my journey in my path. There is a river that I must cross. The rocks represent decisions I must make. Some of them seem shaky, and I am hesitant to step on them, but others are strong and secure. I am standing on one side trying to decide how to proceed on the rocks. Which ones will support me? I see the path on the other side that I must continue on. If I could name the rocks, they would be: creativity, employment, family, moving, friends and health. Which ones are going to make me fall into the river if any? Which ones are slowing me down because of fear? I need to take a deep breath, plan my steps and start to cross. The other side is full of adventures and mystery for me.

Are you at a river of uncertainty?

The Colors of Summer

Yesterday I was in a creative blip. I had the inspiration, the beads, the idea, the tools, but I couldn't make it happen. I tried two different necklaces, but neither was what I had imagined in my head. What do you do with that? We've all had situations like that. I found it best to put it aside for a while. It might be a day, or days, or a week. The colors that I was trying to create in the necklace are the colors of summer.

Summer is my favorite time of year. I like the long days. I love the warmth of the sun. Maybe it goes back to my childhood, but summer means freedom.

The blue and turquoise represent the ocean and the clear sky.

The yellow, orange and red represent the sun and its warmth.

The creams and the rich tans represent the sand of the beach.

The pinks, purples and corals represent a beautiful sunset.

Someday I'll attempt another try with my necklace, afterall they say the third time is a charm, but until then, I'll be dreaming of my perfect summer day with all my favorite colors.

It All Started with a Doodle.

Do you doodle when you talk on the phone? I do. I was aware that I was making a flower that kept getting bigger as the shape repeated. I decided this could be an interesting painting, so I added lots of bright colors and started painting. It made my eyes blurr some, but I liked the effect of the colors next to each other. I love the turquoise color, so I added as the background to create more pop. The question at the end was whether to do black or white in between each color. I usually pick black, but I wanted a batik fell, so I went with white. It is a powerful painting done in acrylics on a 8 X 10 canvasboard, so I named it Flower Power. Here is the link to it on my Etsy store: Flower Power Original.

Birthday Months Are a Good Thing!

My family has this tradition of celebrating birthday months. I think it is a wonderful idea! Your birthday might not be a great day, so now you have a whole month to do the things you enjoy.

Yesterday was my birthday, and it was a great day! I turned 49 which isn't a great thing, but I heard 50 is the new 30! I'll see if I believe that next year! I got to spend the day with my favorite person, my BFF, my soul mate, the one who gets me, and that person is my mom. We have the same quirky sense of humor, the same klutsiness, the same kind heart, but my mom is a truly beautiful soul, so she is my mentor too. I call her my Angel Mom. Everybody who has the opportunity to meet my mom, becomes a fan of hers. She is one of the kindest, gentlest, funniest, sweetest, good hearted, loving person I know, and do you know what the blessing of that is? I got her as a mom on June 9, 1961 at 7 pm! How lucky and blessed am I?

So, yesterday we went to a new lunch place called the Yellow Deli in Vista, walked along Creekwalk where I have some craft shows, went to T.J. Max, took naps with my cats, and met my dad at the Beach House in Cardiff-by the Sea. It was a great day!

I got a new camera for my birthday. It is a Nikon Coolpix. I have a Canon A530 which is a little long in the tooth. I wanted a camera to put in my purse. I want to be able to take pictures when I see something inspirational and/or beautiful. I am still getting use to it. Here are some pictures with the new camera from yesterday:

The Yellow Deli in Vista.

The walk at Creekwalk.

New sculpture at Creekwalk. Great inspiration!

This weekend my sister and niece come down on the train for more birthday month fun!

Next birthday (the big 50 (gasp!)), I am off to Kauai to visit my aunt!

Nikki Gets Her Debut on Etsy

After I finished painting the picture of my newest fanciful cat, Nikki decided to jump up on the counter and stretch out right next to the painting. I thought it was an adorable photo so I snapped a picture.

The ecourse that I am taking from Kelly Rae Roberts says that blogs are important to increasing your sales. If fact she says that "blogging is the MOST important thing you can do to cultivate an online presence for your creative biz". So, I asked for some critiques about my blog. It use to have a dark background, and a banner like the one is my Fanciful Art shop. I received the same comments; that it was hard to read my blog with the dark background and my pictures weren't big enough. The picture problem was easy to fix. The blog design was another story. I picked a pre-made one from The Cutest Blog on the Block. It was green and brown, and it was very cute, but it didn't really match the style of my art. I felt as though I was compromising. So, I obessed, spent 4 hours, and now I have a new blog background and banner.

Update

I have enrolled in an ecourse with Kelly Rae Roberts, and I need to blog more. I'll take a moment and catch you up on things.



The Mother's Day at Creekwalk was ok. The weather was cold and drizzly. My cousin Loraine and my friend Patty were there. There were only about 7 people selling. The wind was horrible, and my displays were going all over the place. Most of the other sellers were packed up at about 1:30, but we stayed. I did the most amount of selling when it was the coldest and starting to rain. The event was suppose to go until 4:00, but we packed it in by 3:30.


At the end of the Creekwalk, we got a flyer about another upcoming event on May 30th. It was called the Strawberry Festival. Now, I know that the Strawberry Festival can be a big thing in Vista, so Loraine and I went for it. We found out that it was from 4-7. That's an odd time. We also discovered that it wasn't downtown, but it was by a creek about a mile away. I checked it out a week before with my friend. It looked pretty country and unkept, but they were still working on the trail. Enter today. I get there. There weren't any signs or banner. Loraine is waiting for me. There are no other booths. We had no idea what to do. I called the lady in charge who informed me that she has the flu. She directed me to a grove of trees. We went over there, and there were many motorcycles and old cars on display. I talked Loraine into staying. We were the only sellers. We both put up our jewelry. We got some women (mainly wives of bikers) looking. I made a few sales. It was pretty comical.

Here are some pictures from today:

Creek Walk is this Sunday, May 9th!

Am I ready? Well, let's just say that I have been known to procrastinate...... I am waiting on a few beads to come in the mail, but for the most part everything is made.

This is one of my favorite places to sell. There will be only about 20 of us, so parking is so easy. We are in such a beautiful location! We are on a strip of lawn with the creek just down the hill from us. We are right by Frazier Farms, Famous Dave's, Chili's, the Krikorian shopping complex, and right behind the Wave Water Park in Vista.

The artists here are very talented! My friend, Patty Waite, is a fabulous photographer! Check out her website at- http://www.nomadicnotebook.com/. Her work is very inspirational! This year, my cousin, Loraine Inglis will be selling her beautiful beadweaving creations. You can find her at- http://beadandknot.etsy.com/. In my booth, I will be selling some of my friend's handmade cards. Her name is Andrea Nickle, and her cards are great! I will be pretty much selling my jewelry. My website address for jewelry is- http://kittywoman.etsy.com/. I will also have some art that website is-http://pmcookie.etsy.com/

All and all it will be a great day! Once again, it is from 10-4 on Sunday, May 9th in Vista by the Wave. Bring your mom and stop by!

From Days of Art to Creek Walk

More images on my facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/album.php?aid=45297&id=1587597780

Well Days of Art is over. In the end I had fun, but it was a learning experience for me! Here's what I learned:

1. When borrowing the hugest big truck from my parents, ALWAYS remember it is much wider than my Corolla. That ESPECIALLY means the mirrors.

I completely cracked the mirror of the Egyptain food guy on my way to park the car the first day. I started crying. He was very nice! I gave him my phone number and told him to let me know the cost to repair the mirror. I haven't heard from him yet.

2. Handle personal affairs BEFORE the day of the fair, and DO NOT have discussions that are delicate after hitting the van mirror.

My friend had worked very hard on a project to help my sales. I wasn't really comfortable with the idea, but I didn't talk to her before the show. She brought it up while we were setting up. It was not a good time, and her feeelings were hurt. I did not handle it well!

3. Make sure ALL pegboards have the APPROPIATE sized pegs.

I hadn't realized that not all pegboards have the same sized holes. The pegboard easels that I had borrowed (thanks Patty Waite) were a different sized hole than mine. I hadn't thought to look the night before. I had just assumed. I had to scramble a little, but it all came together in the end.

4. A 10X10 space is actually very small. 5 pegboards will NOT fit. A table centered in the middle might cut some sales.

The pegboard easels, and the hanging pegboards were a nice look. However, the space looked a little crowded. The table in the middle made it difficult to come into the space and get a closer look. Thanks to Andrea, her mom, and my mom, the table was moved to the side. More people came into the space, and more sales occured!

5. Bring PLENTY of food with you, and do not rely on others to feed you! A border line hypoglycemia attack is NOT attractive.

When I get focused on a project or get stressed sometimes I don't eat as much as I need to. On the first day, I hadn't brought enough food. I relied on some friends to get me something, but there was some sort of communication breakdown. Fortuantely, after the demanding of my friend, I was able to get a good meal that helped me out a lot!

6. DO NOT judge things on the first day of a two day sale no matter how low your sales are!

My sales had been low the first day, and I was in my hypoglycemic attack. I was certain that I wasn't coming back the next day. I was very discouraged! I felt as though I sucked as an artist, and this was all a waste of my time. After eating, and the encouragement of friends, family and other vendors, I finished the two days. The second day was MUCH better.

All in all, it was a GREAT learning experience! Sunday was much better than Saturday! I was calmer, I sold more, and I was enjoying the day! I made about $180.00. I appreciated all my friends and family who came out to support me! Sign me up for next year!

On Mother's Day, I will be selling my jewelry at Creek Walk in Vista. It is across the street from the Wave. It is from 10-5. Details will be coming soon!

Days of Art Approaching

I think I get a "D" in blogging. I am not very good at it. I apologize! I am going to do better! I have been quite busy lately, and I am not a writer.

This weekend I will be participating in the Days of Art art fair in Oceanside.

It will just be my art for sale. I have framed many. I have also included magnets, bookmarks and notecards. It is a two day event. If you are in the area, please stop by and say "hi"!http://http://www.sandiegocoastlife.com/events/san-diego-coast/events-oceanside-days-art.html

I will post more pictures next week.

Hearts Everwhere

Triple Op Art Heart

Blue Heart Pendant

Heart Mixed Media Original

Silver Heart and Red Cystal Bracelet

So here it is getting close to Valentine's Day, and I have been adding some hearts to my Etsy shops. Please feel free to click on the links. My heart is pretty good. How's yours?