Friday Favorites - Happy Halloween!

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Halloween weekend is here. Cory and I still aren't sure what we are going to be doing Sunday night. We don't have any parties to go to and aren't planning on dressing up. I'm not even dressing up for work. Usually I love getting into the Halloween spririt but it just wasn't in me this year.

Last year we went to see Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant to avoid dealing with all the kids on Halloween night. Does anyone else do that? Leave so you don't have to hear the doorbell all evening? We tried the whole leave all your lights off and stay in the back of the house but they kept on coming up! It's pitch black in front of our house without lights on too.

We gave out candy the first couple of years but got tired of dealing with all the people pulling truck loads of kids in front of all the houses. What happened to trick-or-treating up and down the block of your own neighborhood? Last year was a whole other story though.

Every year our neighbor builds a little haunted house with their kids. It's never been anything real showy. You get a few teenagers out and about but that's it.

OMG - Were we surprised coming home from the movies to find the streets by our house literally crawling with teenagers. We couldn't even drive through there were so many kids! We found out later the neighbor's son had passed out flyers advertising the haunted house.

The only good thing about it is I think the parents were mindful of the city ordinance for noise and city curfew for kids under 17. The haunted house stopped at midnight on the dot. We were very thankful for that because it was loud!

The good part about Halloween being on Sunday is both the ordinance and curfew are at 10pm. Hopefully at the very least we will be able to get a good night's sleep before work on Monday. A movie still sounds like a good idea too.

For those going off and celebrating this weekend I wish you a great time! Have fun, be safe and take lots of pictures!

WIP Wednesday - Journal Pages

I'm happy with how this page spread is turning out. I was going to paint a glaze over the shading of the girl on the left but I think I like the contract she gives the page.

The girl on the right just needs some highlights and I think I will call this done!

Goodbye Grandpa

My Grandfather died last Thursday. I found out about it via a status update on Facebook. Fantastic way to hear the news, isn't it?

I tried calling my little brother because I didn't want him to find out the same way I did. Now does he ever answer his phone? No. Did it make sense that I leave him a voice mail when he never listens to them? No. I had to text him the news. I feel bad that's the way he found out but at least he found out directly from me instead of a status update from someone he hardly knows.

Arin is flying in this evening. He was suppose to fly in yesterday but he missed two flights. Today he finally caught one to Houston only to be bumped from the one he needed to take to get to DFW.

He's a lot more upset about this than I thought he would be. I wonder if he feels guilty about not visiting him too.

Grandpa always tried in his own way after things got cut off from my dad's side of the family. I saw him and my Grandmother a few times out and about. He would always try to come and say hello to me until my Grandmother yanked his arm and drug him in the other direction once she saw what he was doing.

There were even a few times he came by and dropped off little presents to me for my birthday but I wasn't to let anyone know, especially not my grandmother. That eventually stopped after a few years too.

I only recently found out my grandmother passed away. Arin had his girlfriend call and talk to him. He asked about everyone, if they had families, how they were doing, etc.

I've been meaning to swing by and visit him but I've been busy and life got in the way. I had avoided it before because I wasn't sure how I would be received, especially thinking my Grandmother was alive. I didn't even know he was sick or I would have made time. I think Arin would have too.

I tried contacting several people (that I could find anyway) to get information to schedule Arin's flight but no one would respond to me. I don't understand why ignoring me would be a response when asking about a funeral but I guess people have their way of doing things.

I eventually found out the funeral is on Tuesday and the viewing is on Monday but it's right at the time of Arin's flight is suppose to leave. Well, that is if he ever gets here. I don't think they would let you visit before the actual viewing would they? Not sure how we're going to work things. Still working on that part.

Friday Favorites - Halloween is Almost Here

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Aren't these desserts adorable? I love making "cute" desserts and Halloween is the best time to do it.

Last year I made these little guys. I'm still deciding if I want to make something this year. Since we don't have any parties to go to and Cory doesn't really eat sweets the only chance I have to make them is for work.

I still haven't decided if I'm going to or not. I've been browsing ideas on Bright Ideas and Bakerella.

Surprisingly, I was really unimpressed this year with the ideas on Martha Stewart's website with the exception of this one. This one would end up taking way more time than I am willing to give but I think it would still be cool to make.

If I end up making anything it will be these Pumpkin Pie Bites from Bakerella's website. They look really easy to make too but we'll see. If I feel up for baking this weekend I'll be sure to post pictures of my outcome.

WIP Wednesday - My New Booth Set Up

I'm so excited about my new booth set up! I switched from all black to white with natural wood and black accents. I think it opened my booth up quite a bit.



I have Ikea to thank for the majority of my display. The frames, mirrors, bowls and decorative display bowl are all from there.



I also displayed my artwork differently than planned too. Cory and I had discussed hanging peg board off the walls so I could hang my larger pieces but it was so stuffy and hot that day we didn't want to block what little breeze there was.

All in all, I'm pleased even though I know I will forever be tweaking it. What do you think of the new set up? Do you see any improvements that can be made?

Please Stand By

My computer crashed last night so we are in the process of trying to salvage files and restore Windows. Blog posts will resume once things get back in order.

Memoir Monday - HandleyFest

This weekend Cory and I attended HandleyFest in Fort Worth. We were excited because it had an estimated attendance of 50,000+ and they gave us a deal on Labor Day weekend for half off their normal booth fee of $300.

All in all we paid $200 for our booth including the charge for electricity. Unfortunately, we only made a whopping $91.

Needless to say we were a bit disappointed. From what we heard from other vendors HandleyFest had changed their layout from the previous years. See the row of vendors on the left? Our section was in a parking lot directly behind them with no sign to direct traffic. People specifically coming out to see us couldn't find us!

HandleyFest by weenigtx

Other vendors also mentioned there seemed to be a lot less traffic in general to the show than previous years. The State Fair was in town and there was another arts and music festival going on in downtown Fort Worth so one can only assume it played a factor.

To top it all off I noticed it wasn't really my market. Even if the first two things hadn't been an issue I don't think I would have sold a tremendous amount anyway.

Chalk it up to lesson learned. I know not to do the show again but at least I tried it.

The day wasn't a total bust either. We were directly next to another vendor we knew and got to know him and his wife better, the car show did a little parade down the street so I was able to see some of the cars and the music was pretty good too. I was favoring Me & My Monkey at the end of the day.

Friday Favorites - Hustle and Bustle

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Red and Turquoise always inspire me. I have no idea why. I see the combination and want to create something. I wonder if that why I chose those colors for my studio...like a subconscious thing you know?

This week has been busy even though I took three days off of work to get things done. Wednesday and Thursday have been kind of scattered due to running errands and I don't forsee today being any different.

On Wednesday the doctor confirmed I have an ear and sinus infection which explains the headaches I was having. That afternoon I took Dixie to the vet for her shots and discovered I now have a 73 pound dog (don't worry, it's a healthy weight for her). When did she get that big?!?! Seems like only the other day she was just a pup.

Yesterday I finally got my hair done! No more roots! It's been a good five months since I'd last had it done and I feel so much better.

Today I will be prepping for Handleyfest which goes on this weekend. I'm so excited! It's going to be my first outdoor show.

I have a whole new set up and I've been turning out new pendants on a little assembly line. I'm changing up the scrabble tiles I made for magnets into pendants. The magnets don't really sell. Disappointing but true.

I will also have my new print pendants available. Actually, thinking about it...I don't know that I posted those here. I'll have to post those in a bit so you can see what I'm talking about. I really like how they are turning out.

Memoir Monday - Fall Arts Goggle 2010

We had a great time at the Fort Worth Arts Goggle put on by Fort Worth South this weekend. For those of you unfamiliar with Arts Goggle it's a free live music and arts festival where patrons can stroll through various shops and restaurants for music, art and food.

The woman hosting the event was kind enough to arrange it so the Etsy Fort Worth team could all be grouped together in one building. Several were unable to show but those of us that did had a blast!

We pooled money to purchase a keg and offered free beer, drinks, and baked goodies to the patrons browsing. Even the crafters husbands had a good time socializing with one another (normally they're bored to tears). We were directly next door to the Yucatan Taco Stand and were able to have a steady stream of business the entire evening.



It was definitely a successful show for me! I'm marking this as a must for next year. Between this show and the Birdville show a couple of weeks back I only have about a quarter of my stock left so I'm scrambling a bit to get ready for my next show this weekend.

This weekend will also be my first outdoor show. Now, why I didn't think ahead about how I would do my outdoor booth in white I don't know. Everything I've bought for booth set ups to date has been black. So yesterday Cory and I made a trip to Ikea (love that place!) and then to Lowes to build my set up.



I'm so excited about my new set up too. It's going to be all white and natual colored wood. I got two of my jewlery racks made and ready to go with just two more. We were going to line all three walls with pegboard so I can hang all my artwork but we didn't really have money for that. I'll be going to only two walls but I think that will work out okay.

Friday Favorites - Wear Your Colors Proudly

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I've always loved peacock feathers. There is just something so beautiful and bold and in your face about them. He just walks around showing the world his hand because he has nothing to be ashamed of. I try to hold that same standard when posting on my blog.

I've been posting online for over four years now and I've learned to appreciate the release it gives me. I enjoy connecting with others who reach out to you be it over crafts or problems and accomplishments you're having in your everyday life.

I've always done my best to post openly and honestly. I have angry rants and talk of my darker moments as well as post my triumphs and creative endeavors. The many of you who have followed my blog for years know and recognize these things.

In the past few months the traffic to my blog has about tripled. Now, many of you might think that's a fantastic thing and honestly I used to think it would be too. However, instead of open discussions within comments or email messages to the writer what I ended up with were a bunch of rumors and drama. I can't begin to tell you how much this disappoints me.

My husband said that rumors are nothing but bad press and I have to start thinking about how my blog will effect my business or the impression of Etsy Fort Worth or the Cowtown Indie Bazaar (the latter two driving the extra traffic).

I originally thought I should change up the way I post so people don't create rumors with assumptions from my wording thus creating more "bad press". This means I would be posting nothing but happy go lucky upbeat posts about crafting and painting and how much I liked the sunshine today.

The other day I was talking to someone about posting on Facebook. She was saying she worried and refrained from posting things no matter how major or minor because of what others would say. I told her that she shouldn't stop being herself just because others don't like it.

Later, after I'd gone home, I realized I was thinking about doing the exact same thing with this blog. I truly believe in what I was telling her yet I have been thinking of doing the exact opposite? How hypocritical would that be?

I'm sorry but continuous happy go lucky upbeat posts about crafting and painting and how much I liked the sunshine today are just not me. I won't be changing how I blog anytime in the near future.

My angry rants, depression troubles, frustrations, works in progress, accomplishments, failures, etc. are personal opinions and not a reflection of anything else. If you want to know about final work for purchase from Blueskysunburn Creations or information about EFW or CIB please go to their designated websites. While I am associated with each of the companies/groups I don't feel that I should have to lose my identity because of them.

There are plenty of people that won't agree with my decision on this and that's okay. If you want to discuss what I have to say on my blog there are comments at the bottom of every post or a "Contact" in my side bar. If what I have to say on my blog offends you so greatly that you couldn't possibly stand to discuss it then there is an "x" at the top of your tab, a hide or unfriend button on Facebook, block or unfollow on Twitter, etc.