Tag: Etsy shop

Summer crazy

Isn’t summer supposed to be when life slows down a little? If so, I need to rethink my scheduling. I have a commissioned piece going (I can’t show you that one until after Christmas), my two everyday jobs, a donation piece in the works (more about that below), a HUGE pile of stuff I want to finish and get on my Etsy shop before the holiday shopping season starts and I’m trying to visit my kids one more time before their schools start up again. I’m running out of time!!

August garden

Top off that list with all the garden harvest that has to be canned (all those peas have to be shelled first) and I’m wondering when I will sleep in the next couple of weeks. I DO NOT look forward to winter, but am looking forward to eating all this food instead of growing it, hoeing it, picking and canning it.

Now, more about this…

Old Chair
Lovely isn’t it? Well, it probably was 35-40 years ago, but it has seen some life since then. I wish I had a photo of it before I painted it. Yes, I painted it. It was frayed and didn’t match anything I owned. It was a hand-me-down piece to begin with. It is solid and sturdy. In my mind, too good to get rid of but I didn’t have it in the budget to upholster it or even slip cover it. If only I had had my new sewing machine back then I might not have taken a paint brush to it.

So, why am I showing you my pitiful chair? Because now I am going to turn it into a beautiful art chair (I hope) to be auctioned off at a fundraiser for our local women’s shelter. I will keep you updated. Wish me luck!

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by Categories: art, commissioned, creativity, garden, holidays, simplifyTags: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Bittersweet

Back to college8:00 am EST… Surfboards packed and back to school he goes.  I’m having one of those Empty Nest Mother moments.  It truly is bittersweet when they do this.  On the one hand, I will miss him.  I have enjoyed his company this summer and I have loved having his friends hanging out here again.  It keeps me informed on what is going on in the world or at least their world.  There is a good chance that this was his last summer at home and I’ve hung on to that knowledge since May, soaking in every moment just like I soak in every moment I get to spend with my daughter, knowing she will be moving away come next Spring. 

On the other hand…he was barely out of the parking lot before I started cleaning up his room, reorganizing it and reclaiming my office space.  This time I have also moved my easel in, stashed most of his stuff in the closet and girliefied the room to more of my taste and less teenage boy.  The process of letting go is one tiny step at a time.

Now that I have my work space back I can think clearer.  I truly cannot function well surrounded by clutter.  Not that I’m a Martha Stewart homemaker, but I just need things neat to focus.  And focus I need to do.  My project list is getting longer by the moment. 

I am trying to get my shop ready for the holiday season on Etsy. I need to add some new items, update info, get more prints made and have my shipping supplies ready.  Along with that I need to work on both my websites, arrange some social media posts and finish a piece for a contest.  This is a detail from the contest piece.Detail 

After it is all said and done I will post the finished project.  It is very involved and I’m trying to do some new things with it.  Right now I’m overwhelmed and winging where it’s going.  As often happens, I start out with a plan and then the plan goes out the window and something else takes over.  I’m pretty curious to see what it ends up looking like. 

It has been many years since I entered any contests.  Hopefully I have given myself enough time to finish this.  The deadline is September 30th.  The contest has been open since April, but I didn’t find it until last month.  If nothing else, having plenty to do will keep me distracted from missing my little birds that have flown the nest.

by Categories: art, creativity, focusTags: , , , , Leave a comment