Smalls Saturday: Springtime Buntings

Recently I made up a bunch of buntings in the hopes of urging spring along.

Considering we just got hammered with a major nor'easter blizzard, I guess it didn't work.

Oh well.  They're cute anyway, right?

Fingers crossed for spring!




These are available for sale at Rooted in New London, PA.

A Little Before and After

Bought this darling little rocker at A Habitat store for $5! It was a dull white, and I decided to paint it a pretty slate grey, and distress it just enough to let the white show through in places. I also went ahead and drew a flower in one corner of the seat for a touch of whimsy. I used a paint pen for that so it was beyond easy. It was easy peasy.

Then, before I even finished the rocker, I found this sweet little table someone was selling for $10. Can you say chippy love? Clearly, the two needed to be together. I painted the table white with the same slate grey for the top, and now the two look inseparable, don't they? I can only hope that when someone sees them at Rooted, they will take them home together.

You know, the way it was meant to be.

Spring Fling

I made a few bits and pieces for springtime the other day, and delivered them to Rooted.

I'm hoping that will help to usher some spring weather in!

Fledgling Blog

I'm starting a new blog today.

How exciting!

Well.  Exciting for me.

Is exciting really the right word?

Escapism for me.  Yes, that's better.

See, for the last couple of decades, I've been, first and foremost, a Mom.

Mom to six darlings that have led me to the drink.

Because there's only so much cooking, cleaning, washing, hair-cutting, refereeing, counseling, nursing, toenail cutting, diaper changing, breastfeeding, homework helping, sports practicing, chauffeuring, boo-boo kissing, play-date arranging, and life-lesson teaching that one can do without needing a 12 step program.

Add to that that all of this took place on a small farm complete with horses, goats, chickens, and other  walks of life in the furred, feathered and scaled divisions.  So you can add a few less-than-glamorous jobs to the above list. Just to mention a few: poop shoveling, rat killing, and testicle removing.

But nowadays?  I'm finding that my life has taken a new twist.  I only have four still in high school, and one of them is flying off to college in the fall.  So I've started doing, for lack of a better term, arts and crafts.

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

That sounds so...

so....

so third grade art class.

So kindergarten birthday party.

But saying I've become an artist doesn't seem to fit.

I don't even have a beret.

And the stuff I create is hard to categorize.

Am I a mitten-knitter? No, but I have made mittens out of recycled sweaters.

Am I a painter?  Not really, but I paint folksy things on wood and sometimes canvas.

Seamstress?  Well, I do sew, but mostly I make pillows out of dish towels.  Which I consider cheating, but there it is.

Sometimes I make floral arrangements with painted Mason jars, or hot packs and boo-boo bags, or assorted stuff with old horse tack.

So there it is. And here I am. Looking to find a way to get the things I do out there. I'm selling things at a TO DIE FOR little shop called Rooted, located in New London, PA. I love-love-love Rooted. It's a consignment boutique, with all of the items for sale coming from local artisans that make soaps and jewelry and purses and scarves and gourmet popcorn and all kids of pretties and lovelies. And I bet every single last one of them has a theme or a category of the things they make. Everyone but me.

This will be a learning phase for me.  I am hoping to connect with other crafters/artists, get some ideas, maybe start doing some craft fairs or start an Etsy shop.

Did I mention learning?  Because this is all new to me.  I only just started making my first pieces  a couple months ago.

So please say hello and let me know what kinds of things you do, and how you market, and whether you do craft fairs or online shops, or just anything you can tell me about what you do.

And how you dedicate time to your passion in between raising your kids and hitting the sauce.