A new blog!

I've started a new blog: Lehigh Valley Family Fun

I joined on as an Examiner for Examiner.com but after they switched publishing tools I've had such a horrible time trying to log in and write for them. I emailed a few times over the last few days but haven't gotten any results so I'm taking my writing on the road...to a new place...my own blog.

Come check out what the Lehigh Valley has to offer!! :)

Help feed the puppies!

The Artful Mommy wants to help Peaceable Kingdom Animal Shelter. Through the end of the month buy a necklace and The Artful Mommy will donate $5 to this local no kill shelter to help them out - someone stole 50 bags of dog food from their shed and that food would have fed dozens of their pooches.  Currently the volunteers are pitching in for food but they're going to need help.

I've got a soft spot for pound pups since that's where we got our second pooch from and  he is the sweetest and  most loyal  pup you've ever seen. 

So.....

Check out the latest pendants at The Artful Mommy on  Artfire or send a message if you see one on this page that you're interested in! (we're still working on getting better photography so  please bear with us!) More  pendants,  with hopefully better  photography,  are coming!!

Here's the full  story: Whitehall Township: animal shelter dog food theft

Thank you!

Fall Goodies

Since designers are always working a season ahead I figured the Fall Collection needs to get some focus so in lieu of that I finished a few pendants today! :)

Presenting the End of Summer Collection

As promised the End of Summer Collection is here! With some designs based on suggestions and others simply because they were 'cute' or 'unique' they're all 100% Artful Mommy. :)

Coming soon to my Artfire.com Shop! :)

Happy Baking Crafty Wii-day!

Another one of my loves is baking. Today a friend passed along her breadmaker because she hasn't used it and she knew that I wanted one. I was honestly floored and amazed and wanted to do a happy dance (but I refrained from being too silly and hugged and thanked her).

So today I started work on 10 new pendants (I did the graphics and printed them out yesterday). They're going through the 1st phase of 'production' now so photos to come once they're finished. No sneak peeks but they're a mix of suggestions from friends. :)

While the bread's rising and the pendants are waiting for the next phase to start I'm enjoying some Wii with my little guy and ignoring the buzzing dryer because sometimes you just have to embrace your inner child. :)

The Fairy Collection

One of my most favorite creatures is the butterfly and fairies seem to always be found near them. Both are so light in the air and seem so fragile though if you've seen the Disney movies you also know that they're quite the characters.

The fairies in these pendants are quick, light and peaceful creatures bringing a sense of calm and happiness. I apologize for the poor photos - I think it's time for a new camera...auto focus is not my friend. :)

More to come as the collection continues. . . Happy Crafting! :)

The Little Black Box

If you have a handmade business, The Little Black Box, is the perfect outlet for you to advertise your items. It's a great idea - business owners send in samples of their items and buyers purchase each month's box. Inside the box is a sampling of items from at least 12 different crafters and the box itself - a 6"x6"x4" black box with turquoise tissue paper topped with a turquoise bow. HOW CUTE!

Each month you never know exactly what you'll get but it's always a welcome surprise (my last one had at least 5 pairs of earrings, a cell phone charm, coupons, discounts, a compact and more!).

I applied today to have my pendants included in November's box! How exciting is that?!

So check out The Little Black Box - August boxes go on sale August 20th!

You like me, you really like me!

I'm just AMAZED at the number of fans The Artful Mommy has on Facebook. In such a short time we've gone from 38 to 74! I was amazed when we hit 50! Heck, I was happy with the first few friends who became fans and now. . . almost 75!

If you're not a fan please become one today so you can get in on give-aways and be in-the-know. If you already are - thank you!

I've gotten some great ideas from friends this past week and will be working on new designs and even worked on a few pendants today (pictures to come). A crafty mommy never sleeps. lol

New designs coming soon!

It's so exciting when a new idea strikes - or when new supplies are ordered! :)

I found a great new supplier for my tiles and hope to have them by Thursday since they ship the same day you order if you order by 4pm! :) Happy Dance!!

And here's a hint to the next design theme. . .

The Artful Mommy's 1st Giveaway!

If you're not already a fan of The Artful Mommy on Facebook, now's the time!

Just this week to celebrate having 38 amazing fans I decided to have a giveaway where the 11th comment on my status would get a free glass pendant necklace of their choice. Not only did a great friend win (who says she never wins anything) BUT now The Artful Mommy is up to almost 70 fans!

So, be sure to find The Artful Mommy on Facebook and be a be a fan!

For now, some plotting on burp cloths, bibs and new pendant designs!

Happy Crafting! :)

Bringing some nature into crafts

I love that I can bring the idea of recycling into my crafts and after hanging out with some eco-crafty moms today I have a list of new ideas for recycling (including the coolest tote using magazines, packing tape and a belt!!!).

Now I have it in my head to bring nature into my pendants with pressed flowers from my yard. I currently have some awesome ones with bright yellow petals pressing. My first attempt using a pretty little flower with tiny white petals wasn't awful but the petals get lost, especially since the middle is this huge yellow poof. The graphics in the background were an afterthought. It originally was clear but I wasn't sure how the glue would work. If you wear it and sweat will the glue get sticky and thus stick to you? SO...I added the first thing I saw and here is the result:

Recycle, Reuse and Refashion

One of my favorite parts of making my new pendants is looking for pictures in magazines and putting them together. Finally a use for my stash of old catalogs and such other than just giving my little man something to cut and paste. Thus far Traditional Home has been the best source for new ideas.

And without further adeu the newest creations:

Crafting the day away

I am officially addicted to a new craft - glass pendant necklaces. My new supplies arrived yesterday and I was sitting at the dining room table at 6am this morning playing and planning. I was also up until midnight on the computer designing graphics for them. lol

Working out the 'kinks' and perfecting them slowly I hope to officially list them on artfire shortly and/or sell them in a local shop. I LOVED being able to sell my crafts in New Hope last year but sadly the economy didn't work well for such a shop and it closed.

Fingers crossed for happy crafting.

Inspirational Morning

While enjoying my coffee this morning and crafting a bit (on pendants of course) I thought about how to make something unique that people would like, would be affordable and that I hadn't seen before...and then it came to me. Personalized pendants!

These two feature my precious little man as a baby and now. I've seen the ones where the child's image is on a piece of gold but I've never seen anything like this so HOPEFULLY I can make my mark in the world with these...or at least make some cool pendants for friends/family/anyone else interested in purchasing them. 

$15 includes a 24" ball chain and shipping.

They're currently available on The Artful Mommy's Facebook but will soon be available on my Artfire page as well. I just ordered more supplies today so more fun to come with larger rectangle pendants (perfect for multiple kids/pets/the whole family) and round pendants!

A happy day indeed!

A New Idea or Two

So while attempting to destash a bit I decided to finish up a few bibs...of course that didn't last long before I got it into my head - hmm, what else can I make. Of course rather than stay in the same crafting area I am now making jewelry. They're cute glass pendents utilizing fabric scraps and images recycled from magazines.

Mother Owned Eco-Business Mixer

The Artful Mommy will be participating in the 1st Mother Owned Eco-Business Mixer this September at Milk and Honey Kids in Bethlehem PA!

Please join us for the biggest selection of eco-friendly products in one building! Local moms with businesses will have tables set up displaying their products and sharing their tips on balancing work and family as well as how to make your business more 'green'. :)

Date:	Thursday, September 9, 2010
Time:	7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:	Milk and Honey Kids
Street:	3303 Bath Pike
City/Town:	Bethlehem, PA

How you feelin'?

Hot! HOt! HOT!

It's sadly too warm to paint because I honestly think my paints dry too fast in this heat.

Sooooo what to do?

I'm rearranging furniture/cleaning the house. Tomorrow I get to the spare room/craft room so once I start organizing that fun stuff I can plot some projects. I know I can come up with a few things to utilize the piles of fabric I have while making something people can use. . .I just need to sit and think.

For now it's time for more iced tea.

A painting a week worked out rather well

This was my next creation and I was very happy with the results. :)

Nefferitti was my next creation but I had issues with her face

I love sunflowers and for some reason they came to mind for my next painting.

And for my final painting(s) more sunflower though I liked my previous week's painting more with the dull background as opposed to the bright sky. I'm not sure why but it just worked better.

So all in all I have to say my 'Painting A Week' for the month of June worked out rather well even with a vacation thrown in and a puppy who needed surgery (she's fine thankfully). I'm not sure if the easel will stay out or go back into hiding though. I love sitting and painting but I run out of ideas too easily. I could set-up outside or take pictures from when the little man and I are at parks I suppose. . .sounds like another challenge is coming.

In other creative news I posted more goodies on artfire.com. My Artfire shop has also been upgraded to 'pro' for the month of July so let's see if I can make this happen. I'm pondering adding some of my painting but are they good enough? My eternal question of my work's worth. I've seen better and worse on there so perhaps we'll give it a try - it can't hurt to try and I'm always willing to try things at least one. :)

Seeking crafty days to crafty nights.. .I bid you adieu.

Getting back to work

I've said it once and I'll say it again - The Artful Mommy is back. There are never enough hours in the day and sadly I've been not only neglecting this blog but also my crafts! :( Very sad BUT that actually changed recently! I bought a nice selection of canvas boards from a woman on CraigsList and set my easel back up!

This is my current work in progress:

 Hurray indeed! I also was asked to make a candybar wrapper for a graduate. I've made these almost every year and never put my information on them to see if I can get any more business SO this time I did. If you know of anyone graduating check out my samples below and let me know if you're interested! :)

VERY reasonable rates and they're great for birthdays, retiree parties, showers and more so if you're looking for something let me know!

So that's is what's new in the world of The Artful Mommy. . .crafting in my spare time. :)

At some point you have to stop and focus. . .

When I first found out that I was pregnant I started sewing. I liked that baby clothes were small and I could finish a few pieces in a short amount of time. I also liked baby quilts for the same reason. As my little guy grew I branched out into other sewing projects such as wall hangings, purses, tote bags, coffee cup snuggies, coin purses, and then went back to more baby things such as burp cloths, changing pads and wash cloths. The CPSIA laws put a kink in my idea of making/selling baby items even though there's a stay on the testing I need to read up and see exactly what is allowed and expected at the moment before I go making and selling again. I 'think' that it's just a matter of using materials from the approved list and then tagging the items as per CPSIA and FTC regulations.

My history is full of art and my favorite courses were those taken to pursue a certificate from NCC in Computer Graphics. I LOVE Photoshop & Illustrator. I love fixing old photos and making holiday cards but there are so many people out there it's a saturated market much like baby items were before CPSIA changes last year. I still do some web design/updating and play around whenever possible though to keep my skills sharp.

My love of crafts was helpful when I got married since I was able to make my center pieces and favors which included candles poured by me. I've often thought that making favors and such would be an awesome job but dealing with Bridezillas concerned me. It's easy too and I'd feel silly charging someone for such easy work but at the same time some people can't boil water so heaven forbid they attempt to melt wax.

Candle making on the back burner (pun not intended) I most recently became interested in soaping since candle and soap makers tend to interact in the same crafting circles. I like soaping though patience is not a virtue of mine and waiting 6-8 weeks for a bar of soap to cure is agony. I do love the idea of homemade soap and love being able to give it to people and say, "Hey, I made that!". Now that the holidays are over with I can get back into soaping and I have pounds of lye and pounds of oils and butters so I'm good to go.

In the continued search for SAHM jobs I decided to do something that would actually save me a little money and became a mark. rep. I LOVE make-up and frequent Sephora's website daily to check out the latest trends and products. Mark. bases a lot of their products on higher-end cosmetics so it saves me money and may even eventually be a slight income for me if I actually take the time to try that. I am having my first party the end of the month to see what I can do with it.

And thus my dilemma...I have so many ideas on what to do to take advantage of my time at home in between doing mom and wife stuff but I bounce from craft to craft and project to project. It's also worth making each month dedicated to one thing so I can devote time to just one thing.

For today I'm spending my time on the couch while I drink tea and relax since there's something going around and it got me. . .but then again in my mind I'm thinking of projects at the sewing machine and the soap recipe I finalized that I'd love to test out.

CPSIA. . .

The fun of crafting is seeing the final product. Even better than that is seeing the look on someone's face when you give it to them. The worst part is having the authorities come after you for making the quilt for your friend's baby and not having tested it according to the CPSIA's laws or tagging it as required by the FTC and CPSIA.

I stopped keeping up with the CPSIA laws because they aggravated me. It seems that some testing has been delayed another year but other testing the the tagging must be done presently in order to sell your products. With all of the dangerous items coming out of China they need to focus on imports rather than what Granny's making and giving her friend's daughter or selling at the craft fair.

I just needed to vent a sec because I REALLY wanted to focus on making children's items but there's no way I can keep up with the laws. I need to research because I 'think' my burp cloths may be okay since the individual pieces are okay but I thought quilts would be in the same boat and I've read differently. So confusing. . . I need a CPSIA for Dummies website.


I spent the afternoon crafting baby items and while it felt great it also saddened me because I don't know if I'll be able to sell them as originally planned. UGH

New Year & New Start

So with a new year of possibilities and hopes I sat down at the sewing machine last week to organize. Everything cleaned up and in its place and ready to go. New ideas for burp cloths and soaping ingredients sitting and waiting to be used. It's a beautiful thing indeed!

My goal is to make something new every week...so what will this week's project be? Check back later to find out. :)