Seasons Change Second Edition...Week 10

For a whole year I will try to find the awesomeness included in all four seasons,

perhaps the weather or a nature shot...

maybe display the holidays in turn

who knows?
The sky is the limit.

This Summer...lots of visitors:

A possum that just stood there for a long period of time, while my dog barked and barked to let the 

whole neighborhood about the arrival.  Funny looking fellow wouldn't you say??

A night Owl, that just came flapping down to one of my chairs on the backyard.  Then he landed on the fence I luckily had my camera on hand. These hunt at night, so during the day they can't see very well.  Now this is beauty I think!

 Ants that luckily haven't found the way in 

to my kitchen or pantry! But they are very very close :/ Knock on wood.

There are also those squirrels, frogs, lizars, birds, neighbors' cats that never fail to visit.

yes, lots of visitors...wanted or unwanted!



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Morning laughs...Noise pollution

Have you ever felt like blocking all noise out?  Like you just can't stand any more noise.  Fake that you are listening but you are not!  I have.  Don't get me wrong I know there is a time for and place for everything but I love quietness most of all. 

I always thought that Librarian was the coolest job.

I snapped this picture over the Summer vacation some weeks ago and could not help but laugh! My kids were talking with their bellybuttons!

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Featured artist...Tera from creativitymessy

For this week's feature please meet Tera from creativitymessy.  She has a wonderful etsy shop full of an array of handmade jewelry and accessories made from recycled goods.  But wait not just jewelry...check out her unique shop and enjoy the interview.   I love upcycled goodies!


1. Tell us as little or as much as you would like about yourself.
My name is Tera, but most people around Etsy just call me "Messy". I live in an organized chaos that most people would call a "mess", hence where I got the name for my shop.

Jewelry making for me began as a young, broke, single mother, desperately wanting to have pretty things to wear. I taught myself how to make jewelry, and eventually began selling some of my pieces to put a little extra moolah in my pocket.

I started my Etsy shop in 2010, but sold jewelry and accessories on-line and at shows for over a decade prior to Etsy.

I love to find beauty in things that would normally be considered trash - which is why I love to recycle. Many of my pieces are made from salvaged goods like t-shirts, bottle caps, old keys and so forth...

However, I don't just recycle... I love to work with all kinds of mediums. I sew, I paint, I work with metal, plastic and clay. I find new ways of making art almost daily.

Making jewelry for me is something that I live to do. My inspiration comes from everywhere, and will come to me at the craziest, most inopportune times... like in the middle of the night, at my day job or driving around town running errands. I can't control my creativity... It runs wild and free within me.

2. What do you sell?
I sell mostly jewelry, however, I make jewelry, magnets, little stuffed animals, paper crafts, home decor... If I make something and think that others would like it enough to purchase it, I'll sell it. I try not to limit myself to just jewelry.

Tiny Terranium Necklace

3. Why handmade? 
My first reason is that you are buying something that is art, and for me that has more meaning than anything. You are buying something that someone put their creativity, time, heart and soul into. And they don't do it to make money. They do it because they want to share their art with you.

Secondly, I love the uniqueness of handmade items. For example, I've made 100s of bird's nest necklaces, but each one is a little bit different. Each one tells a different story. Each one has a different meaning.


4. Where does your inspiration to create come from and/or your inspiration in life?
For me, inspiration comes from beauty, and I try to find beauty in just about anything. Sometimes it comes easy, other times you really have to look and think hard. Sometimes I go to a bead or craft store and find something that gets my creativity rolling. Sometimes I'm inspired by something I see in nature and it starts there. Other times I purposely look at something that normally would not be considered beautiful, and try to figure out a way to transform it into an item of beauty.

Rose Bib Necklace

5. Besides creating what else do you do? Do you have a full time job?
I have a full time job, that is not very creative. I work in Lead Service for a Metal Building Manufacturer. I'm very good at my job, I enjoy it (most of the time) and it keeps me afloat financially. But my dream is to one day make jewelry full-time.

6. When did you start thinking you were an artist?
Ever since I can remember, I've considered myself an artist. I grew up painting and drawing. I taught myself how to work with polymer clay and focused on figurine art when I was a teenager. I also began creating jewelry in my late teens, but didn't really take off with it until I was in my 20s. Art of all kinds has always been a huge part of my life.

7. Who has been most influential in your craft work?
My entire family is very crafty and artistic. My mother is a painter. My Grandfather was a very well known custom gunsmith. Both my Grandmothers crocheted and knit. Even my daughter is an avid soap maker. My family BREEDS creativity!

Bottle cap magnets The Mr. &The Mrs

8. Where would you like to be in five years?
(I just don't have an answer for this one...)

9. Is there anything you'd like to try doing that you haven't done?
crafts, sports, life in general? 

I'm always looking for new ways to express my creativity. I have recently began making furniture and decor from recycled "junk". I would really love to explore more of that art... maybe even having an entire room decorated in recycled pieces.

 
10. Besides online where else do you sell?  
I partake in a few craft fairs during the year. But I do most of my selling on Etsy

Birds Nest Necklace

ways to contact you:

*shop*

 *blog*

 *twitter*

*facebook*

*pinterest*

 email - creativityismessy@hotmail.com

 

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Seasons Change Second Edition...Summer Week 9

For a whole year I will try to find the awesomeness included in all four seasons,

perhaps the weather or a nature shot...

maybe display the holidays in turn

who knows?

The sky is the limit.

With this heat wave, I am always conscious not to be be running errands all day long.  I try to do them in the earliest morning hours and I stay indoors as much as possible. 

I often see these fake trees so I had to ask my husband what are those, what is their purpose?  He said they are antennas.

I love handmade and think it is the best in every case.  Even though this tree is not specifically handmade (I will say is manmade).  This manmade tree it just does not look real, it looks fake and for me it does not make the cut.

But fake as it is I am sure if I am  outside and in need of some shade,  this plastic tree will do its job when it comes to shade.



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Party invitation

Some weeks ago  Xavi came up to me and told me "mom let's party at your place!" (meaning MY bedroom) 

I answered, "why don't you party at your place?" 

(meaning HIS bedroom)

This was his answer:  "Because your bedroom is bigger, your bed is bigger and you have more pillows"  He loves to jump on my bed and fight my pillows.  He practices his Taekwondo, kicks and punches and he has a specific pillow that he says it's the hardest one to defeat!!

He even made invitations for his party!

 Ok, ok so I myslef put the sticky invitation on the Tequila bottle just for photgraphy purposes.

But the party is over.  Today the kids went back to school.

Feelings of excitement, nervousness and anxiety filled the house this morning.  I am talking for all of us.

I seriously thought that Sophia was going to have a panic attack!
She was so nervous she begged me to take her back home.  Luckily the teacher came out and greeted her and gave her a warm welcome.

Xavi on the other hand was eager to go to his class to meet his new teacher.  He told his sister "Sophia it's your responsibility to go to school"  What a mature little man I have!

Xavi is a first grader now and Sophia a fifth grader.  I wish the best of luck to my students!

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Featured artist Janice from Bikbik and Roro

It is with great pleasure that I am back with the Featured Artist series!  Did you miss the series?  I did!   I started last year in August.  Initially I wanted to do it every other week, but I did it weekly since the beginning.  I think I only missed one Monday.  And to be honest I got burned out :(   I think I put a lot of pressure on myself.   But I am back with energy and I already promise myself that I will take it easier this time around and if I don't have an artist ready to be featured I won't stress about it...I am trying to stress less but it is so hard to do.   That is just me... I stress with the little things, I will take this as a challenge. Also I will post these on Sundays instead of Mondays.

Today I  bring you Janice from Bikbik and Roro, she has an etsy shop full of wonderful softy toys for children among other lovely  handmade items.  Won't you stop by her shop or blog and check it out?  Enjoy the interview.  Hope your weekend is going great!

1. Tell us as little or as much as you would like about yourself.

Hello! My name is Janice, and I’m a Mom who writes, draws and makes things. I have two wonderful little girls, and when I have time in between fulltime motherhood, I am an editor, writer and illustrator (that was my career before Momhood took over). I also work on Bikbik & Roro, my little shop on Etsy. I’d been making toys locally for some years already, and finally decided to take up the suggestion of getting on a global, online platform.

Sailor Ghoslet stuffed hanging ornament keychain

2. What do you sell?

I make toys – softies mainly – as well as other goodies – functional, wearable things like satchels, pins and jewelry.

3. Why handmade?

On a personal level, the great thing about handmade is that I can customise items to the recipients’ tastes and preferences. As a Mom, I personally endeavour to make Bikbik, Roro and their friends as child-safe as possible, sewing with reinforced stitching, and avoiding the use of choke-able items like buttons. I like repurposing fabrics, and using Asian textiles like vibrant Indonesian batiks and cute Japanese prints. These are things that mass-producing factories generally don’t do.

I think the main draw of handmade things is their uniqueness, that special one-of-a-kind quality that you just can’t find in factory-manufactured goods. Even their so-called “flaws” add to the quirky loveliness of handmade. Most people who handmake things have an artist’s romantic, imaginative soul, and the people who appreciate their work are equally romantic and imaginative. They know, and can feel, all the thought and love and care that go into every handmade piece. There are even economic and ecological reasons to go handmade, but that’s a whole other article J

Sailor Animal Girl softie doll

 4. Where does your inspiration to create come from and/or your inspiration in life?

I find inspiration in all sorts of things, places and situations. There’s beauty all around us, often in unexpected places. Even a shadow, the smell of something, or the way your dog looks at you can give you ideas. With the way the world is today, I want to create things that are happy and cheering, that lift one up and make one smile. Of course, my children are one of the biggest inspirations for this – the way they look at the world, the way they interpret things, the way they draw, dress, mix patterns and colours... My older daughter has been writing and illustrating the ongoing story of two friends – an egg white and yolk – which is a whole piece of inspiration in and of itself.

5. Besides creating what else do you do? Do you have a full time job?

Yes, I’m a Mom haha... It really is quite a fulltime, round-the-clock job. I really don’t have much time to myself, but as I’d mentioned, I do take on writing and illustration projects when I’ve the time. Childcare and schoolwork are pretty consuming.

Blossom pins honey & magenta

6. When did you start thinking you were an artist?

I don’t know that I’ve ever expressly thought of myself as an artist. I was drawing from a very early age, and perhaps as a young child I declared, “I’m an artist!”, but when I really was doing “artist” things like painting or printmaking or sketching nudes as a grown-up, I did not think, “O yes, I am an artist”. I just knew I liked drawing and making things.

7. Who has been most influential in your craft work?

I’d have to say my kids. They’re so central in my life; it really can’t be helped! Well, it’s sort of a dichotomy – on the one hand, having very Victorian/Edwardian leanings in my literary tastes, my art is sometimes influenced by the great writers and artists of the period. Their style could often be quite dark, mysterious, haunting, and even desolate. But having kids – well, anyone who’s a parent knows this! – they just change the way you look at things. And so once upon a time I was making etchings of Poe’s and Le Fanu’s hauntings; now I make Sailor Ghost!

8. Where would you like to be in five years?

A Mom with great kids who are five years older J

Sailor Birbik softie doll

9. Is there anything you'd like to try doing that you haven't done?

crafts, sports, life in general?

O yes, there are lots of things; carpentry, learning the quickstep, holidaying in Cornwall, getting a Deerhound... but being a Mom provides new challenges every day, so I’m well-occupied!

10. Besides online, where else do you sell?

It is mainly online. I actually find I do a lot more custom orders via email, than I do through the Etsy shop. People usually have specific ideas and requirements based on what they see in the shop, and I think they find it easier to just write me directly. Quite a few ingenious people bulk order something they see in the shop – like the rings, pins or Ghostlets – as party favours.

Ways to contact you:

 shop

 blog

email: bikbik.roro@gmail.com

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Seasons Change Second Edition...Week 8

For a whole year I will try to find the awesomeness included in all four seasons,

perhaps the weather or a nature shot...

maybe display the holidays in turn

who knows?

The sky is the limit.

The weather has not been pleasant lately.  It has not ease up.  Specially this last week :(  Let me see If I can explain...it's been:

ugly, nasty, icky, sticky, hot and humid 

...enough adjectives??  I can think of more adjectives in Spanish and they flow much better believe me!

Excessive heat between 104-107 F  I know some of you friends have higher temperatures and my heart really goes out to you :(
We've had 'flex alerts' which means conserve energy to avoid blackouts.

To top it off we've had thunderstorms this past weekend a thunder actually hit a house :/ on the East side of town

 and tornado hitting nearby cities.

Here in Hemet we only had scattered showers,
we literally danced in the rain.

For a good ten minutes

here's proof!

It's been so long since I danced in the rain
I enjoyed it so much.  Truth be told.

oh yeah and more wild fires :/  This was a scary one that started Tuesday just before 1:00 pm and kept me up most of the night, very close to home.



How is the weather in your neck of the woods??
Hoping is better.

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Etsy finds...inspiration

Ants inspiration.  

Necktie

  Ant Glass Sculpture

  Picnic Ant Embroidery Hoop

  Picnic Ants ponytail holder

  Ant rubber stamp

Red Fire Ant Wool Catnip toy

 I am positive these ants won't ruin your picnic!

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My little girl.

The good the bad and the ugly of a 10 yr old tween daughter in no specific order:

• She desperately wanted this book and reads it over and over.  She is getting some good pointers out of it!
• She repeatedly states that she cannot stand her little brother... but she still plays with him.
• She spends hours and hours on the phone with her best friend.
• I no longer have to remind her to take showers.
• She wants to smell pretty and look good.
• It is hard to go shopping for clothes (before she would love everything I bought for her).  Now it's a totally different story.  She politely says no, and suddenly knows 'what's in' right now.
• There was a point all she wanted to wear was skinny jeans, no shorts, no skirts no dresses. 
  
  NOTE:  skinny jeans were banned during the summer by me!

• So she wore shorts again...but not short shorts...that was another battle :/
• Wait she suddenly wants to wear a dress again for a Quinceañera!!! ( a 15 yr old party) that we will be attending.
• Finding a dress that we both agreed on was difficult too.
• THE HAIR:  another battle she loves it loose and wild...I love it braided.  We have to find a middle ground on topic this coming school year.  She asked me not to braid it after she was told that 'braids are so third grade'  last school year.  What is up with all that peer pressure!  It's sad.
• She told me that she  finally outgrew her stuffed animal collection.  I feel awkward, you know I spend all this time telling her she has way too many toys and now she gets rid of them :(

She got the idea of getting rid of her stuffed animals and toys while watching Toy Story 3  A ha!! She still watches Disney Channel and cartoons! I felt relieved that she keep her most precious ones.  There's proof my little girl still my little girl.  I want to cling to that thought...she is only finding her personality and balance. She is only growing up.

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Seasons Change Second Edition...Summer Week 7

For a whole year I will try to find the awesomeness included in all four seasons,

perhaps the weather or a nature shot...

maybe display the holidays in turn

who knows?

The sky is the limit.

          Another piece of advice when coming to Hemet:

                   Do not wear your wool during Summer!

          ...unless you are being herded by sheepdogs.



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Take advantage

I will be kinda busy multitasking this week so that means I cannot go to the Post Office.  Heads up readers and friends.  Use code FREESHIPPING to obviously get free shipping starting today till Sunday August 12 

All items will ship on Monday August 13

This offer good on both of my shops

moncy3

and

moncyscottage

Also here are some other ways to find me or reach me:

                             twitter pinterest facebook

Finally great opportunity for you to check out my latest listings on etsy!

                   find them here!



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multitasking

via

Some weeks ago we needed to plan a weekend that was nearly approaching.  My Husbands's parents are divorced and each live 1 1/2 hours away from us (one lives north and the other lives south) We had an invitation from each one of them on the same weekend.

So I called my husband because his mom was me calling to plan the weekend. I told him we need to decide what we were going to do!  His answer:

"can't talk right now I have something
           on my hands..."

Oh yeah, sorry I totally forgot men cannot multitask :(

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Sesons Change Second Edition...Summer Week 6

For a whole year I will try to find the awesomeness 

included in all four seasons,

perhaps the weather or a nature shot...

maybe display the holidays in turn

who knows?

The sky is the limit.

One piece of advice for you if for any reason you decide to come to live to Hemet or visit for the Summer:

Find a place with shade...lots of it!

On a side note I showed this picture to my husband and he told me he never noticed how tall the tree is.  He's been driving that same street for three years now.  Yesterday was three years that we moved to Hemet.

A piece of advice to him:

Follow my blog and read the Seasons Change Series 

and follow up on Seasons Change Second Edition!!

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Etsy Finds...inspiration

  Watermelon Inspiration

Juicy Love

Vintage 1960's Day Dress Watermelon Green

Watermelon Pink Vintage Pumps

Wedding Purse Evening Clutch

Summer Watermelon Photography

What do you say?  Mouth watering??

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