On buying handmade and new items in my shop

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Greetings!

Do you believe in buying handmade? I do. I was on etsy today and came across etsy's featured seller, Cathy McMurray and I was struck by her quote:

"Choosing handmade is choosing a slower way of life, one rooted in tradition and creative expression."

And I thought to myself, yes. This is true and this way of life is important to me. There is a huge movement to buy handmade. When you buy handmade you are getting something that was made with thoughtfulness, creativity, and heart. You are giving less money to the middle man and more to the person who actually put the time into making the creation. It is a good thing. Not to mention, you are getting something unique that you can't just go out to Target (no offense, I love going to Target) and get.

When you give your hard earned money to someone with a small business, you are helping them to fuel their passion! How neat is that? You get something fun and creative, and in turn you help someone to stay inspired and to keep creating beautiful things.

These are my thoughts on handmade :)

Also new in the shop are some decorative paper banners. I recently made this one for a friend's sister's baby shower.

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I think it turned out really nice and I think it will add that extra something special to the party. Her sister can also use it to decorate her baby's room with it when they are done using it at the party. If you are interested in having a banner made for your next celebration, whether it's a birthday, shower, or just something beautiful to have hanging up on your walls ( everyday can be a celebration in your home)! Please let me know. I would love to work with you!

Hope your Wednesday is full of creativity and enjoyment!

Kelly

These were fun to make

I was inspired by Ashley over at her blog 31 experiment to make my own business cards. It made complete sense to me as an artist to make my own, rather than paying someone else money to make cards that may not even reflect my style or personality. I love anything with a handmade touch, so I am hoping potential art lovers/buyers will appreciate this too. 

To make these I used leftover scraps of watercolor paper, embroidery thread, faber castell pit pens, and  watercolor paint.  It was a fun way to spend my morning, listening to Heart (sometimes I like to rock out) and making these colorful cards. I blurred out my phone number because my husband hates it when I give out too much info :)

I would like to say "Thanks Ashley!" for writing such a useful post. 

If you haven't entered to win one of my art prints and are still interested you still have time to enter. Go here. A winner will be announced tomorrow!

Try Something New

*Amelia Bedelia....not looking so merry as a take her photo.

Sometimes...just sometimes I need a break from painting/drawing. I think it is important to try new things, even if you don't know if you will be any good at it. How will you know if you never try? Most of us find we are really good at one thing or kind of good at a couple things. Well you might need  a hobby to fall back on when you need a break. Even if you feel a little clumsy at it like I felt when I started embroidering this funny little towel!

My grandma Ruth taught me how to embroider when I was about ten years old. She bought a small tea towel that had a vegetable design on it as a template to follow. I remember being so excited to learn this new craft. The bright colors of the thread mesmerized me and the fact that she trusted me to use a sharp needle made me feel grown up. I decided to give this fun craft a try (now 16 years later) and realized it is really fun and relaxing.  

I think next time I will draw my design on the towel before beginning! It looks a little crooked, but maybe that adds a little charm? Anyways, eat, drink, be merry and share something you like to do as a hobby!