Wow. Im slacking on the blog

Time is flying.  I am already working on Halloween... actually I never stopped.  I have some exciting things happening.  I am adding a new show to my schedule this year.  I think I might actually have figured out how to make high quality 3-4 foot pumpking people.  I am planning on taking at least one of those dressed as fortune teller to War Eagle Fair... For those of you who keep asking to by my personal pumpkin person.  Of course, you know me,, she will have a crystal ball... and oh yes, it will light up.  I am working on heads for her as we speak.  I will also be bringing another enchanged pumpkin patch full of Lumpy Pumpkins.  These sold out by the morning of the second day last year, so you will need to get there early if you want one. Also, I am figuring out the schematics to have a 3-4 foot haunted tree that will hold candy and run of a PIR sensor... motion actived that is... I would love to have him close his mouth when someone reaches in for candy.  well see if i can figure that out.

On the home front, we are adding about 5 new props to our yard haunt... Sparky from Frankenweenie will make an appearance and I have some pretty cook projection tricks. If i can just find a projector that works and is cheap.

This month my husband celebrated the 16th anniversay of the day he gave a kidney to his brother... Every year I get him a cake.  This year, I wanted a special one, but I couldnt find anyone to make it for me, so I built it.  I say built because I had to pull out my tool box.  I bought an undecorated cake and had one of those edible print images shipped to me.  Then I wired it up... Yep, I love the electricity.

as always, more exciting news to come in the future I'm sure!

Until next time, be safe, be kind, and find one thing every day that amazes you.

Teresa

YIKES. where does it go?

Shew, we have entered warp speed.  Time is flying.  I am hoping things slow down a little in December.

I would like to take some time to thank all the customers who came to visit us at War Eagle.  You are the reason we show up and we appreciate you.  Its always a good time at the Enduring booth.

I have a few exciting things happening. First, you can now find my belsnickles at the White Buffalo gallery in Glen Rose, TX.  Home and Heart in Huntsville, AR will also have them out by next week.  They will also have my Victorian Mussy Tussies and a few of the elusive snowmen ornaments. They are sprinkled vintage mica flakes from old store stock.

Also, I would like to encourage you to visit one of my new favorite artists.. A Wing and A Prayer.  They have some Alice inspired pieces that are perfect for your office, studio, or anywhere you need random escapes into fantasy land…. But you have to beat me to buy them J

Well, Halloween is right around the corner.  I am as excited as a kid at Christmas. The haunt is creeping along.  I fully expect to have a dry run tomorrow night.  I am getting the best help tomorrow and I can’t wait.  My favorite Halloweenie Braden is coming down to tweak the spooks and set up the fogger. 

Hopefully soon I will be better able to keep the blog up.  I know I say that every yearJ   Until next time, have a great Halloween!

Too busy for words

It’s been a while since my last update.  Time is flying faster than a june bug through a duck pond.  I got the email from War Eagle that the fair is just 4 months away… Can you believe it?  Me neither.  So I have kicked production into full gear. 

Signs

I have been working on a number of different hand painted signs.  Each one is unique because I have a short attention span and hate making duplicates. 

If I can overcome my fear of pattern commitment, I plan to offer custom family signs.  They will be 6x12.  I think that is a good size to hang in a kitchen or entry way without seeming too vain, says the girl with a large Escalante above her living room entrance J
Anyway, they will be personalized with your last name and your marriage date.  Price will be $15.00 and they will be painted while you shop. Please pre order or allow up to an hour for me to paint them… The sample shown is just to give you an idea of the wording… I haven’t decided on fonts yet.

I am also attempting some new variations of Santas.  I don’t make many Santas so this is new territory.  I am trying some made out of old beehive bobbins.  Hopefully they will turn out.   I am also hoping to have some sculpted pumpkin ladies and other characters.

AND

I have been busy dyeing cornhusks.  I am hoping to have some Mr. and Mrs. Claus’s and woodland santas and maybe even ONE nativity.  These are the dolls that got me accepted to the Directory of Traditional American Crafts

If you see anything you like and would like to purchase before the Fair, let me know.  If you would like to reserve your family sign, email me.  I only have like 6 of these things.  I will require a deposit of $5 at the time of order and the remaining $10 before shipping.

Here is a preview of the new ornie....I only have 18 of them, so better come Thursday. haha

One of the Lumpy Pumkins

In the works!

Hope you guys are all staying cool. For anyone in the art business, this is the time of year when thoughts turn to Halloween and Christmas and getting ready for the fall shows. For us, Christmas really does come in July.

I am planning a bit differently for War Eagle this year.  Last year I had about 5 pieces there were other peoples’ patterns that I made to sell.  This year, I will only have one of those (due to popular demand).    Well, I will only have two sewn items in fact. I am bringing back the extremely popular bats and I am adding a primitive grungy Razorback ornie (my own pattern).  What does this mean? Well, everything else will be a one of a kind or OOAK.

There are several booths who mass produce the same item over and over to sell to the masses.  After making 18 razorback ornaments, I can safely say, I am not a mass producer.  I have heard that some of the primitive signs might even be screen printed (gasp).  Still handmade, but not quite as time consuming.   All my primitive signs are hand painted with a tiny brush.  So if you are wondering about the difference between their $8 sign and my $14 sign, that’s it.  Of course, you may not care about the hand painting enough to pay the extra $6, and I understand.

Anyway, I got off track. The Belsnickles will be back of course, but they will be joined by a new group.  My new Lumpy Pumpkins ( of course there is a back story which will follow soon) will make their appearance at the fall show.  They are all hand sculpted with lots of asymmetrical character.  Some of them have eyes that light up and they will be coated in a marine-grade poly so they can handle hanging out on your porch for the season. (not advising placing the ones with glowing eyes in the elements because electricity and water are a lot like Hatfields and McCoys).

Cornhusk dolls may also be available and most will be resonably priced at $25.00… I have one in the works that will hopefully knock some socks off…if it works out.

I will also have some larger pieces as well as some higher end pieces.  I am also planning on adding some smaller pieces for those of you who would like an affordable gift or souvenir.  

Last year Enduring Traditions was told over and over again that we were the friendliest and kid friendliest booth.  I take great pride in your compliments to that effect.  My philosophy is nature gave us hands so we could touch things.  I am a textural person and I must feel of everything I come across. In our booth, you are welcome to touch, take photos, hold and smell (yes we had several who did that too J).  We want to be extremely interactive…after all, that is why I do what I do. While the art is for grown-up children, because of its delicate nature and rusty wires and small sharp parts, we will plan on having a treat for the kids again this year.  Last year, the Halloween rings were a huge hit, so we will have something along those lines again…and since we are all just big kids, we never mind when the grown-up kids take one too J 

So even if you aren’t in the market for a OOAK Zombie Halloween Candy dish, stop by, say hi and play with us for a bit. Of course buying an OOAK Zombie Halloween Candy dish would help prove my mother wrong about me just wanting to have fun with the customers (Long story about booth planning..sorry mom)

What an honor!!!

I am proud to announce that I have been selected to be included in the Directory of Traditional American Crafts for my corn husk dolls.  I know people in the directory, I buy from people in the directory, but I never thought I would be there myself. 

Once I found out the pedigree of the judges, I was extra blown away. This is a truly uplifting and humbling experience. Thank you to all my supporters and I will strive to live up to this honor.

Finding Passion

I don’t like to use this blog for personal posts much, but it is my blog, so I guess I can do what I want with it. J Just kidding, but things have been heavy on my mind lately and I need an outlet.

In the past several years, I have determined that I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I have tried to follow a few different paths, but none of them felt like mine. Being a very internalizing person, I analyze everything.  I try to figure out why I feel a certain way, or why situations happen, or even why people react to me the way they do.

There are a few things I have come to realize. First, every decision we make affects tomorrow. We can’t hold other people responsible for the way our lives turn out. The decisions we make, the reactions we have to situations, it all affects our own future. You may be saying something like “I can’t control the stress others place on me or the things other people do to me”.  You’re right, you can’t control what others do or say, but you can control your reactions to those people and the situations. I think the first step is taking responsibility for where you are right now…no matter where that is.  If you are successful, take responsibility for putting yourself there.  If you are depressed or down on your luck or financially burdened, take responsibility for putting yourself there. I know people suffer from things that are not their fault. Diseases and defects, we all have them. Part of taking responsibility is to handle what you have the best possible way you can. Don’t let it be a crutch. Don't be the victim.

The other thing I have realized is that far too many of us are unhappy. We are responsible, but we are unhappy. Maybe you make yourself get up every morning and go to a job you dont like, maybe you spend time in social circles with people you don’t like. We spend far too little time with people who make us happy and far too much time with people who make us miserable. Why? Because it’s the responsible thing to do. Our society teaches us that to be successful you must follow a certain path.  You graduate high school, you go to college, you get out of college, you get a job, you get married, you have kids, you go to soccer games, you pay for your children to go to college, you take care of your parents, you retire, you die. This is the life cycle we have set for ourselves. Then we feel like failures if our marriages fall apart or our kids are successful etc.

To be honest, lifecycles are pretty natural. Many of our animal species, like the cicada,  live only to reproduce. I think this is a sad and empty existence. To be honest again, many of our own species are reproducing even when they shouldn’t and probably because its expected as part of the cycle. My husband and I have decided not to reproduce.  We looked at our medical conditions and decided that we couldn’t pass these genes on. That doesn’t mean we wouldn’t adopt, but right now our lives are full without soccer games and PTA meetings.

What I’m trying to say is that I understand I am part of this lifecycle. Now how do I get out of it? I thought one of the things I had forgotten was goal setting. If I set goals and meet them, I will be happy. Wrong.  It dawned on me that what I am missing is passion.  Not the latin lover kind, the conviction kind. When I was in school, I lived and breathed music.  I spent hours involved in it.  I worked on it, I sought solace in it. It was exhausting and I burned myself out. The truth is, I haven’t felt the same way about anything since. So how do I get passion back?  How do I find something that I feel so strongly about that I will exhaust myself out trying to do it to the best of my ability? Maybe as responsible adults, we can’t.  Maybe too much of our lives are occupied with being responsible that we can’t devote time to passion.  I hope that’s not the case.

Over the years, my goals in life have changed. I wanted to be wealthy. I wanted a big house. I wanted a successful career.  Now, I want to be happy.  I want to make a difference. I want to be independent of others. I don’t want to rely on a system or a program for my health, or retirement, or livelihood.  I want to be the captain of my ship, not a deckhand.

I know that working will be part of my life for the rest of my life…its just the way things are, but how much I have to work, what I have to deal with and how hard I work will be up to me. I know what I have to do financially, I know what I need to do spiritually, I just don’t know what I want to do.  I don’t know what my passion is. It’s a bit of a sad problem. It’s like knowing why your car won’t start, and knowing where to get the parts, and knowing how to install them, but forgetting how to turn the key.

If you are one of the rare birds who are truly happy and following your passion, count your blessings.  I see far too many people on my daily commute who are just going to the motions of their lifecycles.  I know it’s not impossible to be one of the passionate people. They are the ones in the history books.

New Blog for New Haunters

I have started a new blog to chronicle my adventures in halloween prop building.  I will showcase my sucess, my failure, and everything in between.  If i figure out a way to do it, I will share.  No secrets here. I will link to supplies, give tips on how to do things, and even tell you what not to do.  My main projects will be video puppeteering, animatronics and peppers ghosts.  Be sure to check out http://diaryofahauntvirgin.blogspot.com/.  There is plenty of time between now and halloween to watch me screw up a lot of things.

Scaling back to go big—believing in something magical.

Well, it’s time for a rebirth…again.   This happens from time to time. I get bored or disenchanted with something, and I have to make a change.  This time, my ideas are bigger than my budget and my abilities… so what to do?  Try them anyway.

I grew up with heroes like Jim Henson, Walt Disney, and Tim Burton.  These people taught me it’s ok for grown-ups to play with puppets.  They also taught me that there is magic in the world. Real live magic.  They created the magic that didn’t exist in nature.  Just because it’s mechanical or animated, doesn’t mean it’s not real.  They also taught me that it’s ok to retreat to my happy place when reality gets too real.

Along these same notes I will tell a story.  After a lifetime of waiting, I finally got to go to Disney World, as a 30-something year old adult.  It was just as magical for me in my 30’s as I imagine it would have been in my youth.  Sure, I noticed different things.  How clean everything was.  There were no bugs whatsoever… unless there were supposed to be bugs.   Everything was completely controlled to give the illusion of perfection.  You see, Walt was so obsessed with producing magic, that he controlled every aspect of the parks… there are automatic trash collectors that run underground and secret passages for employees so you don’t have frontier people in future land.  When you are there, you forget that there is a whole imperfect bug-ridden world outside those walls…that is until Splash Mountain breaks down and you have to be evacuated through the parking lot… what a disappointment.

Which makes me wonder.. is magic still magical to the magician?  Once you learn how to make the magic, is it the joy of the magic that keeps you going or the ego of making the magic that propels you?  I am going to try to find out.  You see, I kind of have a theory that part of the magic of being the “man behind the curtain” is that you get to create magic for others…even if it’s at the expense of losing a little for yourself…in turn, I think a whole different kind of magic is made.

I know Im babbling like a brook right now, so I will get to the point.  I’m planning big, big things this year… it means, few traditional bobbin birds, fewer magazine appearances, etc.  I’m okay with this.  I am going to start experimenting with animatronics, video puppetry, outdoor –grade paper mache and special effects.  Hopefully, I will have something to show for dreaming big this fall.  

Not having kids of my own, I have the ability to remain one myself.  I am going to become a magician…and even though I may not have theme park, or movies, or lunch boxes, I am going to create magic at least on SkyPark Drive.

Letting the cat out of my bag of insecurities.

I like to use the phrase “putting on my Taylor Swift face”.  You know that look of shock she gives her fans when they applaud her?  The look that has the media yelling fake.  Well, fake or not, I like that face.   I feel that way on a fairly regular basis.  And it’s genuine. Every time someone says they like my art, I always forget to say thank you first.  I ask, “really?” 

See my origins are in quilting.  All hand quilting.  When you spend that much time with a project, you become intimate with every little thing you wish you had done better or different.   You start doubting yourself and your abilities.   The same is true of everything I do.   I always see the ear that is slightly off, or the paint spot I missed, or that glaringly huge mistake that is only noticeable to me.  You see, I know what I wanted the piece to be and anything other than that is a disappointment.   It doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just not what I was trying for.

You can imagine my Taylor Swift face when I found out that I had been accepted to PFATT.  I was so excited I squealed like a baby pig.  Then I started planning my debut offerings.  I knew they wanted some tin items, ok, I could do that… and I wanted to add at least one sculpture… what should it be?   I started going through my box of heads and nothing stood out.  I finished two pieces and neither of them were right.

I started thinking about all the people I would be selling with.  These are the people I had been half “stalking” er I mean collecting for years.   These artists are really really good.  I looked at my stuff, and seeing all the flaws, it wasn’t measuring up.  I started to panic.  I even went and looked at some of the other people’s offerings just to see if it made me feel more at ease… it made it worse.  I started comparing my stuff to theirs.  Should I use more pink?  Should my stuff look happy?   

Here is what I have to remind myself…thanks to my very patient husband who pulled me off the ceiling last night around 9:30.. I have my own style, and no, it’s not happy or cutesy or pink, but it’s mine.  And if the Jury at PFATT thinks I can sell with them, why don’t I think I can?  I will always feel like I am lucky to be in an arena like this.  I will always see my flaws.  I will always be a little scared to put my art in front of people.  But I think part of the appeal of this journey is challenging ourselves to always be a little uncomfortable… it’s what makes our Taylor Swift faces genuine.  So if I forget to thank you for your compliment, it’s not out of vanity or rudeness, its out of disbelief that I should receive one.

February the 10^th is the debut of Enduring Traditions on PFATT.  Please check out my page and all the REALLY good artists at www.pfattmarketplace.com

New Ventures and Old Friends

Time is flying by here, but I have some very exciting news.  I will be joining PFATT in February.  This is a tremendous honor. There are so many wonderful artists on the site.  I have to admit, I feel like a waterboy being selected to the football hall of fame.  They have asked that I expand on my line of tin tinkering.   So, I have been busy studying the antiques, and designing reproductions with my own touch.  I have also been working out new items.  If you need a roiling pin holder or a dickensesque chamber stick with a vintage glass globe, check back next month. I  have also hooked up with a couple from California who will be hand forging brackets and bases to go with my lanterns and lamps.  I am very excited about this partnership.  They are very good to work with in designing just what I need.  I think these lamps and lanterns will give your home a nice early American primitive touch.

On the sculpting front, I am hard at work designing new Belsnickles for 2012.  I am also introducing a few new one-of-a-kind figures.   Be looking for my Tommyknocker in the future.  I am very excited to have found some nice antique and vintage accessories for him.  Don’t know what a Tommyknocker is?  If you like mining history, look it up.  I am also working on some large rabbits and pumpkin heads who will help me cultivate a new crop of some of my favorite crew.   Be looking for characters to pop up from my favorite fairy tales and celtic legends too. 

I have also decided that I needed to do something special for myself.  Something that didn’t have me sitting all day and night.  I started a martial arts class.  It is 3 nights a week right now, so my art is pretty much reserved for weekends.  I really needed to do this.  Aside from needing to strengthen my body, I needed a stress reliever.  Plus, there just seems to be more and braver criminals around these days.  I think that exercise that gets you in shape and allows you to toss a full grown man over your head is pretty great.

Until next time….

Hello holly berries!

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season.  Mine started off a little rough, but I am on the mend both physically and mentally. 2012 is going to be a great year.  We are going to make it a great year.

 I haven’t started my Christmas shopping yet.  That’s right, I am shopping this year. In years past, I have made most of my gifts, but I have to admit I kind of missed the commercialism of Christmas a bitJ. I miss the sales and the sparkle and the wrapping paper and Christmas music and the traffic and the people.  I know it seems insane.   I think it stems from my dichotic childhood. 

I had one grandmother with a real cut Christmas tree (I still love the smell of cedar more than any scent you can buy), old fashioned ornaments and a big home cooked Christmas breakfast. She i a make do kind of lady who rarely bought anything that wasn’t useful.   It was a cozy Emmitt Otter kind of Christmas with frozen ponds and wood stoves.  I loved it.

My other grandmother had all the sparkle, the latest and greatest.  I think she rarely bought anything that was useful.  She had an artificial tree covered in flashy garland and brightly colored balls.  The whole living room was decorated with nativities and Santas..  She had a giant record player that seemed to play Gene Autry non-stop the whole season.  She even had a candy dish full of ribbon candy…and yes, we had to pry it apart with a knife.

I had the best of both-- a down-home country Christmas and a kitschy, sparkly Christmas.  Fast forward a few years and you have my chaos.  Primarily, my house is decorated in primitive and handmade Christmas items.  I made my own feather tree and decorated it with antique and handmade items.  The first impression would probably be a pioneer/early Victorian Christmas. And I love it.

But in one corner of my house, I cannot get away from that other side of me that likes sparkle.  It takes all the strength I can muster to resist purchasing all that beautiful glittery stuff I see at places like Hobby Lobby. I try to keep it real… as in vintage.  I have a small vintage aluminum tree, vintage shiny brites in those fabulous lime green and orange colors, bubble lights, and even a gaudy eggnog set. I even bought working vintage Christmas lights, but I am afraid to use them as they smell a little strange when I plug them in.   I have dancing Santas and glitter reindeer.  Christmas houses and candle rings.   I like to think of this as my 1950’s space age style Christmas area.  And yes, I even purchased a candy dish which I plan on filling with a lump of ribbon candy.

Right now I try to keep these personalities separate, but I look forward to the day when I can mesh the two.  It won’t make any sense to anyone but me, and those who grew up like I did.  This might also explain why some nights you will find me hammering out my primitive tin lanterns in the garage wearing a big bow in my hair and silver polish on my nails.  I heard you can be useful or ornamental.  I think I want to be both.  Like Rosie the Riveter.  My mom says mine is a life of contradictions.  I have the latest electronics (married a programmer) and earliest tinsmith machines.  I have handmade brooms and a Floormate.  I have bells and whistles and rustic charm.  I guess for me, it’s a not really that hard to reconcile, it’s just home and I love it. 

To all those primitive people with the dancing Santa hiding in your closet, bring him out and proudly display him next to your hand carved nativity… I promise it will be ok. 

My Cherry Dress

This had started out being one of those posts where I recap the year and tell you all the good things and the bad things that happened.  I changed my mind.  No sense living in the past, except to say that I had the best year with my art and I appreciate everyone who supports me. I hope next year is just as good in that aspect of my life. As for the rest of my life? Well….

Marilyn Monroe once said something like “sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together”.  2012 is going to be the year better things fall together.  Here is how it’s going to start: A Cherry Dress.

For small business Saturday, my sister and I went to a local boutique, where I bought a cherry dress. It is a beautiful dress, made in America.  It was so beautiful that my skinny sister bought the same one. J  I have been looking at this dress for a while, but I was afraid to even try it on.  I’m shaped a little odd and most of the clothes do good just to cover most of my parts.  I usually just shop out of necessity.   But this dress?  My sister made me try it on. I had to suck up all my insecurities and self-shame and put on this dress.  And this was after her perfect frame fit perfectly into the same exact dress. It took every ounce of inhibitions I had left to go into that fitting room.   It is totally unlike anything I have worn in years or ever.  It’s a halter dress.  I don’t even have the right kind of unmentionables for this dress.  It doesn’t hide my chest, or my arms or any of the other parts I try to cover with sweaters etc.

When I put this dress on, I am sure I looked like a one of those commercial wrapped cars, but I felt like Marilyn Monroe (sure shorter and rounder with roots showing,  but still).  I purchased my dress. And I bought it a size smaller than I needed.  Since that day, I have been trying to eat better and exercise because I will fit into that dress. And I will get up the nerve to wear that dress to work and to the grocery store and to vacuum my carpet if I so feel like it.  I am going to buy red heels to wear with that dress. I am going to show my knobby knees and my chunky calves in that dress.  I am going to take a picture of me in that dress and do something I have never done… post it right here on my blog.  And I will tell you something else, I have already picked out another dress. And its even a size smaller than the cherry dress because once I fit into that cherry dress, I am going to start working to fit into my other new dress.

This dress is how I am going to turn my life around in 2012.  I am going to leave my comfort zone to see if things don’t fit a little better out there.  Too many times I opt for the frumpy sweater to hide my insecurities. I think people around me can pick up on that, and then it’s like a feeding frenzy.  And I am not just talking about dresses.  There are people out there who take advantage of the fact that some of us are afraid to leave our comfort zones.  They see it as an opportunity to bully or as a way to make themselves seem bigger than us. Those people are going to have to deal with my red heels and bare arms in 2012.   

I challenge everyone out there to buy a cherry dress and wear it.

Please excuse my mushiness.

What a show we had at War Eagle.   This was my first year to have a booth there.  I was a little nervous, but the people were wonderful.  We were blessed with the best booth buddies in the whole place!  Our customers were amazing.   When you enter a new realm like this, you leave the safety of people who like and compliment your work.  You put your art out there and wait for people to judge.  It feels a little like going to the grocery store naked.   You put your best out there for all to see and hope they enjoy it.   I have to tell you, our customers made me feel great.  The feedback was so positive.  There were so many people saying things like "you know what would be cool?"  I LOVE THAT.  I love the fact that my art made people interactive.  So many times we just observe, but my customers get involved and WANT to become part of the creative process.  These customers alone have reenergized me and are pushing me to do bigger, better and more than I have ever done, and I will not let them down. 

I had been feeling like a fish out of water, having a hard time finding a place for me.   No more.     I cannot think of another place I would want to be.  When the customers are that encouraging, you know you have found your home.   I cannot tell you how much it means to me for everyone to come out and say such great things, with everything going on, I really needed all of you.   The suggestions, the encouragement, and most of all, the smiles, KEEP THEM COMING.

If you get to know craftsmen and artisans, you get to know the reasons they do what they do.  Sure, some try to make money; some try to keep a dying art from becoming extinct; others simply use it as a method of expression. The reason I do what I do is to see you smile.  It is hard to make a living at this, heck, it’s dang near impossible.  I feel better this Monday than if I had made a million dollars just because of the number of smiles and laughs I got. 

Sure, some of my art is a little creepy, and according to one customer a little sad, but it’s relatable.   I don’t strive to make cute art or scary art, I want my faces to be real.  I want people to look at my pumpkin people and understand them.   I think there are people we know who aren’t beautiful by society standards.  They may have wrinkles and hairy moles and sad eyes and large noses, but underneath all of that, they are kind.  Kindness makes them beautiful.  I believe an entire story can be told in a face, and I want my art to tell that story.

I learned a lot this weekend.  I learned about the logistics of a show, I learned about intra-vendor relations, and all of that, but mostly, I learned about me.  I learned that most of the people walking by may not realize that I use antique underwear buttons on my cats, or that my signs are hand painted and not stenciled, or that my brooms are completely handmade down to the handles. But I know these things, and I will not change them.  I will make a promise to my customers, I will never K-Mart myself to attract price conscience people.  I strive to offer you reasonable prices for quality work.  If you buy a sign, you will have a hand-painted sign that took hours to complete.  These signs start as a piece of un-planed local pine that is planed, cut, routered, sanded, painted with 2 layers of paint and 1 layer of wax, sanded again, hand painted, sanded yet again, and polyurethaned .  .  If you get a belsnickle, you will know his feather tree is a hand wrapped goose biot.  I do not mass produce, I will not cut corners, and I will continue to grow as an artist and a person.   I know my customers appreciate the fact that I am not just making things to sell, but I am making things that hold pieces of my heart.  Each item has a story, and if you ask, I will be happy to tell it…if the art doesn’t tell it first.

contraditictions

Where does the time go?  I promise this winter, I will do a better job of keeping this thing up.  But on to what’s happening at the moment.

It’s FALL!  That means there is a show or festival or event EVERY weekend.  I love small town festivals.  There is something so fundamental about them that makes me connect to the people, the crafts, the food.  No matter where I am, when I am at a festival, I feel like I am home.   Which is good.  Most of the time I feel like Gonzo in Muppets from Space.   I never quite fit into my environment. 

Today’s theme is all about contradictions.  Greenday would call me a “walking contradiction”.  It’s true.  I long for the days of cooking outdoors, making your own goods… I guess a simpler time.  I try to learn as many of the activities as I can because I think we all need to preserve them.  The truth is I have to have a job  to pay for these things.  We no longer live in a society in which bartering is an option.  I don’t have enough land to be self-sufficient, and not matter how much I want to go off the grid, I am tied to it in a love/hate relationship.

Recently, I was told a local magazine was interested in doing an article on me.  I was initially thrilled.  Then I was worried.   Worried that I wouldn’t live up to the expectations.  I do tinkering on tin and I make cornhusk dolls and I study all the crafts of the old days… and I make them too.  I make them in my very modern house.  I have a house that was built in the 90’s.  It is packed full of the latest and greatest of everything, because I married a computer programmer.  I do not have antique furniture because, well basically, I am afraid of it… too many episodes of Haunted Collector.   I learned how to can my own food, but I don’t do it. For one, the weather here zaps every garden I plant, and for two, it’s hard to spend a Saturday canning when I can buy them so cheaply at the store (I know it’s blasphemy, but it’s the truth). 

It’s becoming harder and harder to reconcile the contradictions.  I am a firm believer in buying American Made items.   I make a point of telling the sales people that I only want American items.  I encourage others to do it too, but the truth is, many of our jobs involve importing goods from other countries.   It’s very difficult to make peace with this, but I look at it that if I don’t have my job, I can’t afford the American goods.   Still, I struggle.

My mother pointed out that I use a handmade broom with a sapling handle to sweep my floor before I use my Floor Mate to mop it.  I pointed out that I bought that broom from a broom squire who made it from a tree from his land, and sold it to me using his smart phone and his Square.  It is at least comforting to know that I am not alone.   From the documentary I watched, many Amish are also starting to feel this pinch.  It said that many of them now have phones (outside the house) to take orders for cabinets and such because the economy is eating away at their lifestyle as well. 

So what to do?  I honestly don’t know.   In a way, I kind of think the way we are headed with the importing and the disposable goods are going to lead us back to the way I want to live.  I think in the future, we may not have a choice between canned goods and store-bought goods.   Maybe it’s the ex-girl scout in me, but I want to be prepared.  Plus there is just something wholesome and reassuring in making your own items - In knowing that I am not only using an American-made spoon, but a Teresa-made spoon.  Will the magazine want to write an article on me with all these conflicts?  Who knows?  But I kind of figure most of us are in the same boat.

And the winners?

Heck you all win!  Don't you love give aways where everyone wins?

Wicked Fairie gets the paper cone and witch hat ornies

Mamatkins wins the orange dress hat

Mary Ann gets the Harvest Angel

and Miss Amy gets a previously-unannounced-but-fabulous- non-the- less-prize because nobody walks away empty handed here!

Give Aways! Give Aways! Give Aways!

In honor of the Handmade Art Fair's Autumn Open House, I am offering the following give-aways.  You can get one entry by following my blog, another by leaving a comment, and a third by joining my email list. You will need to tell me in your comment which drawing you would like to enter ..or all 3 if you like.   Drawing will be September 7th, via random number generator.   Please provide your email in the comment if you do not have a blogger account.  Thank you and good luck.

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Harvest Angel  

The first item is a cornhusk harvest angel.  She stands about 6 inches tall.

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Victorian paper cone and witchy hat ornies

The second prize is this handmade paper cone and 3 little witch hat ornies for your Halloweeen Tree.  Hatstand not included
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Dressy witch hat

Every witch needs a dress hat.  This is a paper mache hat form covered with scrap paper.  It is trimmed with black and white polka dot tulle, an organza ruffle and some candy corn floral picks.  There is a tiny moon charm on the hat band and a Dresden spider on the point.  Hatstand not included.


As always, my goodies are only intended for grown-up kids.  Never give these items to children. 

Here is a War Eagle Peek

 Here is a look at just a few things that have been keeping me busy.  All of these items and a ton of others will be heading to War Eagle Fall Show.  I just need to get busy making some feather branches.  I have many original designs, several ooak pieces, several pieces made from our favorite designers, and even a few published items (oops letting the cat out of the bag).  My lips are sealed...except for the squealing.

I know blogger is having some trouble and you may not be able to follow my blog at the moment.  You can friend me on facebook until the problem is fixed here.  ALSO  if you plan on visiting War Eagle, sign up for my newsletter... it will worth your time, as in, I will be offering a coupon.  Trust me, I wont spam you, I barely have time to write this :)   

Also, be looking for a fall look taking over the blog..  The Handmade Art Fair is having an Autumn open house August 31.  I will be giving away a cornhusk angel, maybe some ornaments, and who knows what might show up between now and then.

I love HALLOWEEN, so I am building my spooky music playlist and gathering spider webs.  Get ready for some conjuring and good times.

After October, I will be scaling back a bit.   I will only be offering two pieces a month for sale.  I am going to use this time to develop my line of kinfolk in the "Jewel's Porch" collection.   I am going to start working on my lantern patterns and I hope to venture into more full size figures.  I am not pulling my irons out of the fire, I am just putting them into more defined fires. 

Back to School!

I am not a teacher, I don't have kids, but this is one of my favorite times of year.  I know, traffic is terrible for my morning commute, but there are so many other reasons to love back to school.  Besides getting to eat lunch at the more popular hangouts and having a little less hoodlumdom through the week nights, back to school is the harbinger of the most wonderful time of the year.

I have always loved back to school.  It was a fresh start.  New clothes, a new year, new teachers.  It was almost like getting a redo every year of your life. The thing I loved most about it, was that it started (at least in my mind) FALL! 

I am so excited about fall this year I could wet my pants and squeal like girl..Well you get the idea.   I get this way about fall every year now.  Football, caramel apples, that crisp feeling in the air, the smell of dried leaves, Halloween, harvest festivals, swoon.  What isnt to love about this awesome season?  

It wasn't always great for me.   My dad and I, and to some extent my sister, shared a weird wanderlust that time of year.  There seemed to be a struggle between the need to migrate and the need to nest.   It almost seemed primordial.  We felt like we needed to prepare for winter, but we grew restless.   I'm not talking about restless like pack up the truck and move to Beverly, but like 2 hour drives to nowhere.   It was this time of year, I personally felt the need to try to look for houses.  Dad would grow quiet and just drive.   I often wondered if he was a little saddened by the dying of things in the fall.   He is more of a spring person... rebirth and renewal.  Fall is kind of the curtain call of the year.  It's a neon sign flashing the finality of all that is green and lush. 

For me, I feel the need to store and hoard and gather...like a squirrel.  I also feel the need to smoke meat.   Yes I am 10 minutes from 3 grocery stores, but you never know what could happen in the winter.  I find the tales of harvest and preserving and communal preparation so romantic.  I know in reality there isn't much romance in butchering a hog, but still, I think it's the co-dependent independence if that makes sense.  Communities relied on each other, but not on the government or China, or anybody else.  The economy doesnt really matter much when you're self sufficient.  I think I am a terribly old soul stuck in a disposable world.  I have been fortunate to find a clan that kind of feels the way I do and tries to preserve the knowledge of the past.  I think in a former life, I was a granny woman - tough as nails but nurturing, practical but with a weakness for pretty things.  I sometimes picture myself stirring a big pot of something, missing a few teeth, but knowing exactly how to care for my family.  Sometimes, today, I catch myself wondering "what would granny Teresa do".

So my celebration of Fall turned into my twisted version of survivalist reincarnation.  What are ya gonna do?  Get a caramel apple and watch some football, and if you get really into fall, get a kettle and make some apple butter.

Wow

Has it really been a month since my post?  Probably.  There are so many things going on right now.  First of all, The Olde Primitive Peddler updates at midnight tonight.  We are having an autumn open house for the Handmade Art Fair starting on the 31st.  There will be GIVE AWAYS, so be sure to follow the link on my page.  Simply Primitives will update on the 1st of September and it's Halloween season in the art world.   Among these selling sites, you are sure to find that perfect new addition to your decor. 

Here is my philosophy on holiday decor:

I don't know about the rest of you, but being grown up is hard for me.  All the bills, dealing with lousy neighbors, fixing broken appliances etc.  Sometimes being an adult kind of stinks.  I have found a great form of therapy for the otherwise foul state of adulthood is decorating for holidays.   It kind of brings back the magic of childhood.   In fact, my "real job" cubicle is decorated for Halloween...


In this day when the economy is depressing, the national debt is depressing, and hope seems a mere glimmer in the distant future, pull out some pumpkins, eat a little extra candy corn, and say boo and know we will all be okay.