Christmas Crafts

My husband and I have had a tradition, since we were first married, that each Christmas he would choose a craft for me to make and add to our Christmas decor. It has a been a lot of fun for both of us. We both love Christmas, I love crafting and he likes watching me craft. :-) I thought I would share the 4 crafts I have made over the 4 Christmases we have been married:

2008 - Painting for front door

 2009 - Advent Calendar

 

2010 - Pillow

2011 - Crocheted Ornaments

About Me: Part 2

My specialty and why I chose it.

This I am actually just now figuring out. :-) The problem with me is I love EVERYTHING arts and crafts related. I do maybe 2 or 3 of one thing, then want to move on to something else crafty I am thinking of! My mind is just way ahead of my hands. But, I don't want my shop to be a miss matched frenzy of randomness.....so I have recently decided to narrow it down to three categories: crocheted items (blankets, headbands, scarves, etc), paper goods (cards, journals, etc.), and painted wooden items (wall hangings, puzzles, etc.). As my husband Michael said to me: you don't want to be a jack of all trades but a master of none. I want to be able to pick something and really master it.

I chose these three things because: they are things I really love, I feel like I could master them, I can think of a lot of avenues to take these categories, and I feel like at craft shows..those three items are fairly unique. (They aren't jewelry and they aren't floral arrangements) :-)

So, I watched the move Fame for the first time the other day...and I absolutely LOVED what the character Jenny says at the end...so I have to share:

“There are a few things that Success is not…

Success is not fame, money or power

Success is waking up in the morning so excited about what you have to do that you literally FLY out of the door

Success is getting to work with the people you love

Success is finding a way of connecting and binding them together

Success is connecting with the world

Success is falling asleep knowing you did the best you could

Success is joy, friendship and freedom

Success is LOVE”

 

I will leave you all with that :-)

New items added to Etsy yesterday:

Here are some new items from Bringing Sunshine!

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82870302/journals-spiral-bound-blank-inside

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82870302/journals-spiral-bound-blank-inside

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85589381/yarn-boxes-no-more-yarn-rolling-on-the?ref=v1_other_1

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85589381/yarn-boxes-no-more-yarn-rolling-on-the?ref=v1_other_1

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85589381/yarn-boxes-no-more-yarn-rolling-on-the?ref=v1_other_1

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81304497/crochet-purses

View Etsy listing for more info/to buy: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81304497/crochet-purses

About Me: Part 1

In the next couple of posts, I wanted to let you guys get to know me a little more. So, this is Part 1 of 5: How I became an artist.

I can't tell you when I became an artist, because as far as I can tell I have always been one. I have always loved art; it has been one of my passions in life. I was in Honors Art in middle school and also went to a summer art camp, which I absolutely LOVED.

Created sometime in middle school at summer art camp: charcoal

In high school I was in the Art Club and also went to the Governor's School for the Arts summer program (well, until I got homesick and begged my mom to come get me. lol)

Created in high school art class: watercolor and colored pencil

Then in college I majored in Graphic Arts. I would have loved to major in visual arts....but I figured I needed something more marketable. :-) I really liked my major and when I graduated I had a job as a graphic designer for about 3.5 years.

A flyer I created at my previous graphic design job.

I still did small projects for my house or for friends and family. But I soon realized that a cubicle setting just isn't for me (still do some freelance graphic design though). And I still longed to create with my hands rather than technology. So I took a leap of faith, quit my job for a part time job at a cupcake shop, so that I could also work part time as an artist/crafter. And I have loved every minute of it :-). This has only been in the past 6 months-ish, but I have already had ups, downs, made lots of contacts, and had to figure out my business logistics. I am pretty excited about what the future holds for Bringing Sunshine!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for Part 2: My specialty and why I chose it.

Coloring Book Gift

Wanted to share with you guys this really cool, handmade gift I gave to a couple of friends with young kids. It is a personalized coloring book. I took about 20 pictures of them with family and at momentous moments and used Photoshop to turn the picture into what looks like a coloring book page. The children can color in it and have a memory/scrap book!

NEWS

Wanted to share a couple of exciting things happening in the world of Bringing Sunshine.

1. Bringing Sunshine now has its own facebook page! You can even "like" it right here on the website! (Down on the right hand side). Here is the link:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bringing-Sunshine/254243204617932

2. I was recently interviewed on a blog! So cool! Talked about my studio, my artistic process, etc. Here is the link if you would like to read it!
http://statteamartistsonetsy.blogspot.com/2011/09/challenge-winner-bringingsunshine.html

Love you guys and all your support!
Stacey

NEW ITEM and new feature!

I just posted a new item on Etsy: Journals! AND now you can buy straight from this blog. On the right you will see my Etsy shop's scrolling items.

Journals are 8.50 EACH. They measure 5.5 wide by 8.5 tall. They are .5 inches thick. Blank, white paper on the inside. Back and front covers are cream colored cardstock (back is blank). All are spiral bound with black coils. The front covers are very textured with all different types of materials including ribbon, metal, pen drawings, fabric, flowers, etc.

Words on the front:
- On front of silver and black one: "She left pieces of her life behind her everywhere she went. It's easier to feel the sunlight without them, she said."
- On front of pink one: "Calories: (noun) Tiny creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes a little big tighter every night." :-)
- One front of gold and brown one: "Only those who truly love and who are truly strong can sustain their lives as a dream. You dwell in your own enchantment..."

Recent home decor projects

Hey guys,
These pics are very old, but I wanted to share them with you! The best part is they cost about zero dollars :-) All made from wood in the garage, paint, and scrapbook paper.


This is our hallway. It used to be blank, but now it is lined with pictures of our family (pre second dog). Michael made different size, shape, and thickness of frames. I painted them to match our living room colors. I told him just to make random sizes, because I didn't want them to fit the pictures perfectly. What I did was arrange different pictures and sayings and squares of scrapbook paper to fit, like a scrapbook page in each frame.

And this is our new headboard. Again...Michael made it out of wood in the garage and I painted it! He also made the frames above and I just put different scrapbook paper pages that matched the bedroom decor in each. So much better than the nothing that used to be there. :-)

STATTEAM on Etsy

Hey followers,
I just joined an awesome team on etsy: STATTEAM. It stands for "Self-Taught Artists". We all strive to promote and help each other succeed. So go ahead and check out some of the members' pieces!

STATTEAM on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/teams/7508/statteam
STATTEAM on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Statteam/155398704519800
STATTEAM blog: http://statteamartistsonetsy.blogspot.com/

Please show them some love!

UPDATED ETSY!

I just wanted to let you guys know that I have updated my Etsy page with all of the remaining items from my craft show! (Also...stay tuned for other craft shows coming up this fall! Exciting!) My Etsy page: www.bringingsunshine.etsy.com

Here is a sneak peak!:

I'm Back!

Hey All,
So much has happened in my world of arts & crafts this summer, but I will start with the biggest news:
First craft fair ever on Sept 3rd = success!

I spent basically all summer working away in my studio building up an inventory, of which to do my first craft show. A couple months ago Michael and I happened to stop by our local farmer's market (first time EVER even though it is on our way home from church) to browse and I spotted a flyer for a craft fair. It seemed like the perfect amount of time and the booth fee was pretty low, so I turned to Michael and said, "THIS is my goal".  I was so nervous about it. Basically showing the public what I can do and hoping they like it.

I had a good time and loved being able to talk to the other crafters too! Now my plan is to put the leftover items up on my etsy shop: http://www.bringingsunshine.etsy.com/. So if you saw something you liked on Sat but werent able to purchase, or if you werent able to make it out...no worries! It will all be up on etsy soon!

yes, i am still alive :-)

hey everyone, i know it has been forever since i updated. i have been super busy! but i also wanted to let everyone know that i am going to be taking a break from blogging for a little while. cant seem to have the time to do this kind of stuff (marketing) and actually create. so my new business plan is: create until i have a really nice sized inventory, THEN start marketing myself!

testing testing

this is me just testing some software i am trying to use in conjunction with this blog....dont mind me!

twitter

follow me on twitter now! : BrngngSnshn

Awesome gifts + craftiness

Sorry this is kind of a Christmas post and it is way not Christmas time. But I had been meaning to do it for a while. Michael and I have decided that, in our family, we are going to exchange three and only three gifts at Christmas (even when children come into the picture) to symbolize the three gifts Jesus was given. Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Not only would we do that, but being artistic people, we would decorate them to match! Since two of them are liquid, they don't really "look" like anything, so that means we had to get creative! Here are the ones I did that I gave to Michael:

ETSY!

Hey everyone...just wanted to let you know that I now have an Etsy shop up and running (only about 2 years in the making. lol). Here is the link:

http://www.bringingsunshine.etsy.com/

So now, any purchases need to be done through Etsy! I am pretty excited. I keep checking the page to see how many views they get ;-)

My Creative Space

Sorry it has been so long. My time has been filled with family and holidays...but now it is back to business! One thing I am so incredibly thankful for is my craft studio. My husband was generous enough to allow me to have an entire room devoted to my crafting endeavors. I thought I would give yall a little glimpse!

Wall 1: shelves of all my "machines" :-) (Cricut, laminator, typewriter, etc)

 Wall 2: My dog, for some odd reason, cries and whines if we try and put his crate anywhere besides my craft room. So I got creative and put a top on it and made some table/work space.

 The business side of things.

 Wall 3: My table space. Computer on the right and TV on the left.

Wall 4: All of my supplies organized into their labeled containers including (but not limited to. lol): yarn, projects in progress, fabric, gift wrapping supplies, craft books/magazine, paper, Cricut supplies, knick knacks, sewing supplies, etc.

Baby Blankets - $20

I know I know..I keep widening my array of crafts :-) ...well it now includes crochet! I just can't help the urge to always be learning something new. These are baby blankets measuring about 2.5 square feet. I have the blanket shown above done and ready to ship....but I can do a custom order in any color (1 or two colors). Just imagine your little bundle of joy wrapped in one of these!

Remember: Shipping is not included in price. If you are interested in purchasing an item, just leave a comment on the post and I will get back to you!

Artist Feature - marie b. mARTelly

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to share with you another creative friend of mine! Marie Martelly is an artist and now an art teacher. For those of you living near or around Del Rio, Texas....you are in for a treat! Marie teaches a class called iCANvas paint that has been a huge hit so far. I can honestly say that Marie is the most talented young artist I have ever met. Check out her blog for more info on the class and to see some of her amazing work:

http://www.mariebmartelly.com/

Wall Hangings - $15 each

Here are some new ones that are ready to ship! (Acrylic paint on canvas - 11in x 14in). Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

Remember: Shipping is not included in price. If you are interested in purchasing an item, just leave a comment on the post and I will get back to you!

Reflections

I was going through the pictures on my camera and came across these pictures from NYC last fall. I wanted to share my awesome experience of creative/artistic growth: The Fashion District.

Basically I wanted to go there so that I could go to Mood, seeing has how Project Runway is my favorite show. It was pretty awesome. I even got to pet Swatch (the store's resident dog)!

It was one of my favorite parts of the trip to New York, even though I went by myself in the rain :-)