Come Find Me!

Hello out there! I'm posting over HERE today, so please head on over. Leave me a comment there, won't you? The North Alabama Crafters are a wonderful group of creative folks working hard to save handmade, and promote local business. If you're an artists and/or crafter in North Alabama, please join us!

I'm Only Sleeping

Sloth- original watercolor illustration available at Mad Shiny Shoppe!

Understandably so, I think I've lost my faithful few. You guys, I promise I'm going to keep the posts coming this time. I quit my depressing job, and am making art every single day. I'm over my poison ivy plague, as well as the horrid steroid psychosis. I think it's safe to say that I'm stable...as I ever was.

This is a new beginning for me. I know I've mentioned that a lot lately, and it sounds all hokey, but it's true, I tell you! Art commissions are rolling in, thanks be to God, and I'm working on establishing actual work hours. I have a tendency to sleep in, as I can be eerily similar to a sloth. Then I'm up until 3AM sewing, painting or writing. Not the best sleeping pattern, I know, so I'm trying to change that.

With all this work to do, and the support of my magnificent, marvelous Mr. T., I'm pretty darn content. I just hope art commissions keep a'coming, and my procrastination remains manageable. I'm participating in a craft show next month, and I've got to get to making some more wee wonderful things!

Just in case you're new here, and even if you're not, please feel free to check out my etsy shop! I create all manner of funky cuddly things, personalized cake toppers/keepsakes, pin back buttons, greeting cards, watercolor portraits, and YOU. JUST. NAME. IT.

Commissions!

I've been pretty busy during my little blogging hiatus, so I figured I'd share a few of the projects I've been working on. I absolutely adore commissions, because they always turn out to be such a challenge. I find myself missing the assignments I received in art school, so I always welcome a custom order.

This custom plush is a Harry Potter inspired Totoro for a friend's little girl's birthday.

This was supposed to be a guinea pig for a friend's baby shower. She's calling him Bear Pig. :)

Professor Lettuce here is a custom plush for an old friend performing in a peep show.

And these two lovely ladies are my oldest friend's two little sisters. Their mother commissioned me to paint them for her.

So, what have you been up to, folks?

Wading

I've been so swamped with art projects, which I could not be happier about, I haven't really had the time to post very much. Poor old Mimsy gets neglected a lot, but I'm working on documenting more.  I think keeping up with bloggy therapy is good for the soul.

For now, I think I'll make a list of art projects/commissions:

1. custom kid's book (written but not yet completely illustrated)

2. two watercolor portraits for bff's mom

3. custom illustration

sketch detail of custom illustration

4. more handmade plush creatures (like the ones in the pictures below) for a local shop

Sally Sugar Skull

Mumford T. Monster

Lola Love Bunny

O'Malley Ogling Owlie

Love Ninja - This little guy is sold already, but I can make more upon request.

5. keep up with my etsy shop
 
Now, if I can just keep myself prioritized...

The Man Loves Chickens

How's it going, friends? Mr. T and I have been doing pretty well. We've been experiencing some changes lately. Some have been good, and some not so much, but we're dealing. Can't really complain.

I happily edited my employment status on the book of face last night. Self. Employed. I can't even begin to express how good it feels to be able to say that. Working from home definitely has its ups and downs, but the ups seem to be winning.

There are so many things that I wasn't able to do while working full time, little things like making  gifts for people. It's been years since I had the time and energy to make Mr. T a homemade valentine, so this year he got a little foxy fox card.

I cut out the pieces...

Colored them...

And then glued them together.

I also made him a felt plush chicken.

It's not as strange as it sounds. The man loves chickens.

I used to read posts about people quitting their day jobs, and I was so jealous. Pretending I was content worked for a while, but that hopelessly trapped feeling kept rearing its ugly head. I was so tired of begrudging other people their happiness, because I was too afraid to go looking for my own.

I am incredibly thankful that I'm able to focus on my artwork right now, and I hope I can keep it up.

There He Is!

I was looking up some old NaBloPoMo posts, and came across something I forgot to do. Remember when I said I was making a ginger bread man, complete with gumdrop buttons, for my sexy librarian friend at the public library? If not, you can read about it here. I know you'd all cry yourselves to sleep tonight if you missed one of my enthralling posts, and we can't have that.

Well, I forgot to post pics of the finished product! For shame, I know. So, with no further adieu...here he is, complete with gumdrop buttons.

My librarian friend told me that the kids loved him, and he was a puppet show hit. Every time he had a part, the kids would yell, "There he is!" ^_^

And while we're on the subject of fun artsy/crafty things, I've been working on getting some more items into my etsy shop. I haven't had a lot of spare time, as of late, so it's been difficult to get anything accomplished. I hope to have a few little things I've been working on uploaded soon, and I'll post pics...famous last words.

Holiday Hoopla

Well, it's officially a week until Christmas. I have yet to make my Christmas cards, finish the handmade gifts I started over a month ago, wrapped presents, or even finished shopping. Tis the season, right?

It just feels like I've been moving in slow motion. I guess that's partially because I've been having back trouble again. The whole degenerative disc thing has been behaving itself lately, so that's nice. My lower back, on the other hand, has been making it quite difficult to get around. I went and got my bones cracked yesterday, and am incredibly sore today. My little Canadian chiropractor is a miracle worker, so I have high hopes of being back to my old self again in a couple days. Until then, I'm stiff and overly cautious.

I have managed to hobble around my kitchen to make a powdery mountain of homemade hot cocoa, though. I have one or two more batches to make tonight, and all my mason jars will be full and ready to gift. Some folks are going to have a very warm and toasty Christmas and New Year, thanks to that yummy concoction. Hooray for simple recipes!

Now, I just have to finish everything else! What have you got left to do? Misery loves company, bloggers. Don't be telling me how you've been finished since November. I might have a massive coronary.

P.S. I've come to realize that I can't listen to music and type. Well, I can. I just type to the tempo of the music, and it's really funny. I'm currently typing to The Decemberists' The Tain. I. Can't. Help. Myself.

Confectionary Cuties

Someone once said, "Pics or it didn't happen." A wise, but distrusting, soul, I think. :P (Man, I use a lot of commas! I mean, is that even right?) So, I posted here about making cupcakes, and a gingerbread man, during this Thanksgiving holiday. The cupcakes happened, but Mr. G. Buttons is still in the making. I'll post a pic of him later.

The Proof

That's just one batch of the three I made. Maybe someday I'll branch out, and try something besides wee flowers, but they're just so cute! :P And yummy. Thankfully, by the time I'm finished making different consistencies/colors of icing (this involves licking fingers) I might manage to eat one confectionary cutie.

What did you make for Thanksgiving?

Not My Gumdrop Buttons!

I know a sexy librarian. We went to high school together, and are now pretty much inseparable. Anyhow, the public library my sexy librarian friend works for performs puppet shows for munchkins. This Christmas they need a ginger bread man puppet, and I'm the lucky gal that gets to make it!

Okay, so I'm abnormally excited about getting to do this. They want to pay me, but I'm not about to let them. I just think it's awesome to be able to help out a nonprofit that serves youth and families. I mean, that's exactly the type of agency I work for.

I'm off work tomorrow, and will be spending my morning/afternoon visiting friends and making a ginger bread man (complete with gumdrop buttons) and cupcakes. Tomorrow evening will be spent visiting that attractive bibliophile, and decorating cupcakes. It's going to be a good day, bloggers.

Paying It Forward Etsy Style

Today hasn't been the best. Not the worst, but not the best. I have an incredibly angry tummy, and I'm stuck at home on the couch. I need to clean, but I don't feel like it. I get more nauseated when I'm up and about. Blah.

I did have a pleasant surprise this morning, though. Stuck on the couch, I grabbed my trusty laptop and the remote, flipped the television on to the ever paranoia spawning crime channel, and logged on to check my email.

What do I find? A fellow blogger and etsier, Adrienne, has featured one of my owlies on her blog! Awesomeness.

I haven't sold the first thing in my shop, and, to tell the truth, I've been a little daunted by that.

Making people happy by making them things is an addiction. Painting. Drawing. Crafting. Whatever. It's just a simple thing that I can do that brings so much joy.

Simple is good. Happy is good. But making things? Costs money. So a little shop to help pay for things sounds like a great idea, right?

I thought so, and I'm still really excited about it. I just find myself battling that nagging "no one likes the stuff you make enough to pay for it" feeling.

Ridiculousness, right? I mean, I know the amount someone is willing to pay does not define how much something is worth, but it's just that artist/consumer relationship thing. Aaand I'm insecure.

Imagine my gratitude at finding a complete stranger that is willing to help me promote my little wonky shop. So, I thought I'd pay it forward and feature some other shop owners here on my blog.

So, scroll on down, and feel free to click away! All the items are under $10, and would make wonderful Christmas gifts, don't you think?

Rock Star Ring

Owlie Magnets

Octopus Love Print

FOTC Pin

Birdie Hair Clip

Trial & Error

I got a few requests to see the owlie hat I started on yesterday, so here's a crappy razor pic! It's a nice chocolaty brown corduroy with green fleece and white, black and orange felt appliques. Our mac isn't the best backdrop either, but hey, it's late.

Soooo, it's my first hat. Didn't exactly turn out as I had hoped. You know, to fit on a human head. :( I didn't use enough material, so it's cute, but not even deep enough to be an infant's hat. So sad, but you live and learn.

This failed hat has spawned an even cuter idea, though! An owlie sleep mask! I will be lightly stuffing it with some hypoallergenic polyfill, sewing up the bottom, attaching some elastic and voila! A cozy corduroy owlie eye mask!

I'm very excited about this idea. I can make all kinds of these! I've seen variations of animal hats, but not any sleep masks. I'm sure it's been done before, as I am a firm believer that there's nothing new under the sun, but I haven't seen it, so I feel all original.

What say you? I'm going to try to get some of the eye masks and hats on my Etsy before Christmas. Maybe I'll actually sell something for a change!

Another Not So Amazing NaBloPoMo Post

I have 25% battery power left on this ol' laptop, so I'm typing against the clock here, people. Why I can't go get the power adapter, I'm not sure. It might have something to do with the fact that I'm already in bed, and too comfortable/lazy to get back up. Might.

So, what to tell you faithful few? I wish I had terribly interesting things to say everyday. Alas, it's just another day in the life of Heather. Pleasant, but not so fantabulous.

I've been trying to figure out what handmade gloriousness I can make everyone for Christmas. If I'm going to make anything, I have got to get to it. Any ideas?

I started sewing a corduroy and felt owlie hat tonight, which I'm thinking might be cute for the munchkins I know. We'll see what I think when I finish it in the morning.

I got sidetracked by the old 1946 western, My Darling Clementine. I'm a huge fan of cowboys and shoot 'em ups. Especially if it's about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

Ooh! Tombstone is my favorite western, and I found out tonight that Todd has never seen it! A blasphemy that I will atone for as soon as possible. I'm moving that on up the Netflix queue.

Tomorrow I hope to achieve a clean house, at least one completed owlie hat and make it on time to my friends' wedding.

We'll see about that, and I hope to have photo documentation for you tomorrow!

Sweet dreams, jelly beans!

So Much

I have been up to so much lately, it's ridiculous. And since So Much is the reason I've been neglecting my blog, I thought it only fitting that I dedicate a post to it.

First up were the Where The Wild Things Are birthday posters:

I promised some friends of mine that I'd do posters for their munchkin's third birthday. So, I whipped out my copy of Where The Wild Things Are, my watercolors, and voila! Said munchkin dressed up as Max for his party and everything. SO adorable.

And what better gift can you give for a Wild Rumpus party...than a monster?! It took me a few more non-blogging hours to hand-sew this little guy, but I think it was worth it. He turned out pretty fun.

And then there's the cake decorating class that my friend, Annie, and I have undertaken. This coming Wednesday is our last class. We've learned a lot, but we're pretty transport-a-gazillion-things-and-bake-cakes-for-no-apparent-reasoned out right about now.

These guys are the little cupcake toppers I made us as an alternative to the dreaded CLOWN HEADS everyone else gave in to. NO CLOWN HEADS FOR ME, THANKS.

We had to ice little bodies for them. My vampire was a little funky with a ruffly iced bod, but Annie's chicken turned out pretty darn cute. He kind of looked drunk after a while, cause our icing wasn't quite stiff enough to hold up. It was quite entertaining.

And these are the roses (on a lovely beach towel that I brought to cover that germ ridden cake class table) that made it quite obvious that I didn't make my icing the right consistency. They kept sort of morphing into little wilted blobs. :( Practice makes perfect, right?

I've also got a photo of my first cake, but blogger doesn't seem to want me to upload it. Huff. Anyhow, I put a green and orange owlie on it. ^_^

Aaaaaand I made three separate Homecoming shirts for a few of my favorite teenagers. We tie-dyed them, and then I used a textile marker to draw an image on them, and fabric paints to color them in. It was fun, but time consuming. I also have pics of those that this flippin' Mac won't let me upload right now.

So, there you have it-my legitimate excuse for neglecting my blog...this time. Hopefully I'll manage to get those other photos uploaded someday, for your viewing pleasure.

That is all. I've got brownies cooling in the kitchen. They're begging to be decorated.

Temporary Insanity

Things are just a bit psychotic, as of late, but I have every intentions of posting/commenting regularly again. Between work and art and guitar and blah de blah de blah I've been having trouble finding the time, but I will...soon. I love you beautimus bloggers!

For now, follow me on Facebook, if you aren't already. Oh, and go check out my Etsy shop, MadShiny. I finally added some more handmade goodness!

See?

I uploaded this sleepy fellow a while back, but for some reason Blogger doesn't like the pics of my newest items. Ho-hum. He'll do for now.

Shuffle

My dear Ariana ganked this last week, and now it's my turn. Here's how it works.

Step 1: Put your iPod/MP3 player/whatever glorious musical device you've got on random.

Step 2: Post the first line from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.

Step 3: Let folks guess what song and artist the lines come from.

Step 4: Post the song info after they've had their chance.

Step 5: Give them some incentive.

Okay. I hereby state that googling or researching in any form or fashion is cheating, and will be met with swift and certain death. ^_^ Oh, and whoever guesses first/the most will get a prize. Some handmade goodness to cuddle or gift.

1. You know my name.

2. Long as I remember the rain been coming down.

3. Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl, but she doesn't have a lot to say.

4. I watched you change into a fly.

5. Cuttin' through the corn field, I've got my row picked out.

6. Is this the new year, or just another night?

7. Load up on guns. Bring your friends.

8. If you ever need a friend in me...

9. My new clay sculpture was taken home by an art vulture whose soul had been sold.

10. Oh...20 shades of green.

11. Hey. How's it going today?

12. Twas Halloween and the ghosts were out...

13. What's this?!

14. Where do you go when it gets dark, and is there room for me there?

15. Are you waiting for me at the end of the airport?

16. I'm walking down the southern stream...

17. Polly wants a cracker.

18. Up the hill past 694 at the stone wall make a left.

19. This is my time. This is my tale.

20. Five fleas band together against all odds to form a new company.

Bonus: A cold and wet November dawn, and there are no barking sparrows.

Okay bloggers, get to it! I've got a bit of handmade goodness to send the winner! ^_^

Oh, and I made a new owlie (not your bit of handmade goodness) with a 3-dimensional beak.
Not sure what I think of it. A little too Frosty the Snowman carrot nose-ish? What say you?

"Spare" Time

Whenever anyone asks me how I'm doing I say, "Crazy busy, but good". There's just no other way to describe it. Life is good, but there just never seems to be enough time.

As an artist with a full time job, I squeeze all my creating into my "spare" time. This means I don't exactly get things done at a normal speed. It takes me days of working in tiny increments to get a normal project done.

I don't miss school very much, but I miss studio time. Nowadays it seems like no matter where I am, or what I'm doing, there's something somewhere else that needs my attention. Sort of like right now.

So, off for another tiny increment.

*love this clock; found at Paris Hotel Boutique.

Walk of Life

It's almost midnight and I am typing. That's what I'm talking about, folks. Dedication.

I almost said devotion too, but then this would've turned into a post about Dire Straits, and how Mark Knopfler rocks(despite his eighties wardrobe choices). Not happening.

What is happening?

- I'm currently obsessed with finding the perfect ring tones for all my contacts via Tonzr. It's glorious and has no obvious negative effects, thus far.

-I'm knitting an oh so colorful, sudserific dish cloth, with which I will joyously disinfect dishes. At least that's the plan. I'm pretty shallow when it comes to dishes. If it isn't attractive, I want nothing to do with it.

- My cat keeps throwing up his healthy kitty kibble. Healthy, hmmm?

- Tomorrow night is Girls' Night In at Ari's, which may possibly be invaded by a favorite male of mine. We'll see.

- Thursday night is Vegetarians Attempt To Eat German Night with the hubs and a few real life/blogger friends.

- Friday afternoon Ariana and I are attending a student art show, which, according to current information, ought to rock. We will make an appearance wearing literal bells(Ari- I was totally planning to mention this to you tomorrow. We have to go bell shopping.)

- I'm going to bed.

I Now Pronounce You...

Mr. and Mrs. Finished Cake Topper. Yay! *throws heart shaped candies* *sheds tear*We all know I'm a hopeless procrastinator, but I have triumphed! My beloved sort-of-sister is getting married this Sunday, and I have successfully completed the lovely couple's personalized cake topper.

I'm not going to delve into the whole, "Leah was THREE when I became best friends with her big sister, and now she's NINETEEN and getting hitched!!!" spiel. I'm not.

I'm merely going to show you a full view of their wee doppelgangers.

I hope they like it.

Good night my faithful few. ^_^

I Stress Over These Things

For your viewing pleasure...two very fun hand painted fleece scarves!

Side note: Fleece is evil, and rotary tools are the devil.

Christmas is creeping closer, and my crafting is almost complete! I can't wait until that bright and shining moment when everything is finished. I will mark the last name off my list and weep. Weep for joy, you hear?!

In an attempt to spare you from yet another "I'm overloaded and it's my own fault" post, I will be taking advantage of the fact that I've been tagged!

Ari tagged me to list seven random/quirky things about myself. So, with no further adieu.

1) My name is written on page 77 of every book I own-except my bible.
2) I have a tattoo of one of my drawings-a snail.
3) I used to play with the feathers in Stevie Ray Vaughan's hat when I was a baby. He and Lonnie Mack were friends of my Grandpa Jerry's.
4) Helena Bonham Carter is my girl crush.
5) Bunnies and otters make me cry.
6) I'm a non-alcoholic lush.
7) I had my nose broken with a baseball bat when I was little, and now I can pop it.

Alright folks. You're it: Ashley, Matt, Becca, Lauren or guest blogger(which I'm now counting as two), Andy, and The Dutchess!

* Link to your original tagger(s).
* Share seven facts about yourself in the post-some random, some weird.
* Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
* Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs/twitter.
* List these rules.

Unusual As Usual

Before I get started yammering, here's my newest creation. She's a variation of my owlie. I love her!

From now until Christmas I'm going to be sewing and knitting my fingers off. At some point this whole making people stuff for Christmas thing started getting out of hand, but it's worth it!

Okay. So, I like to celebrate unusual things. Random holidays for example. One of my favorites is this New Zealand holiday. Not that New Zealand holidays are unusual. They just qualify as unusual to me, seeing as I'm not a New Zealander.

In January I look forward to Dress Up Your Pet Day. It's January fourteenth and none of you should pass up this opportunity to pamper/humiliate the critters you love. The day after Christmas I'm going to start knitting this kitty hoodie. I know Kimchi will never forgive me, but I can't help myself. He'll just be so darn cute and cozy.

Today I want to celebrate my 105th post. Why I didn't feel as if I should celebrate the 100th, I'm not so sure.

Anyhow, I've been blathering for quite some time now and I just love it. Letting some of the nonsense in this head of mine out to play is a good thing. I thank anyone who has the attention span to muddle through it, and I love to read your comments. By "your" I mean my faithful few. You now who you are. THE ONLY ONES READING THIS.

I try not to compare Matt, Ben and Chris' gazillion comments to my two-maybe three? I'm going for quality not quantity here, people.

Oh, who am I kidding? I covet commentage! There! I've said it and I'm glad! Glad!

I will press forward undaunted.

*Sniff*

As if I too am a successful male blogger with an entourage of female followers.

*Sniff*

I will triumph!

Chunks of love to my loyal subjects. All three or four of you. One loves you. Kiss. Kiss.