The Cutest Handmade Stockings!

White and Turquoise Ecospun Felt Stocking


White, Gray, and Red Ecospun Felt Stockings


Mustard, Gray, and White Ecospun Felt Stockings


Red and White Ecospun Felt Stockings

Today I was looking at my hearts and saw an etsy shop called RikRak, and I found the cutest little handmade stockings I have ever seen. They are cute and cool! I just love the clean look with the bold colors! You get to customize yours with the style and colors which is a bonus I think, in case you would like it to match your own personal home decor. I can't wait to get the tree up this year. My girls are a bit older and it is gonna be fun putting it up and decorating it. I may have to snag a couple of these stockings! Another great thing about these stockings is that they are made of ecospun felt.

I Made Front Page On Etsy!!

My Retro Whale Tail made it to the front page made by Bombus! Jill Browning was nice enough to alert me. I was out most of the day and missed it of course! Thanks again Jill! Some of my faves are included in this treasury as well.

Digging Up My Old Art

This is two 16x20 stretched canvases, and yes there are staples on the side!! I would never sell this one on etsy because I am afraid no one would like that fact.



This is the one that I am going to bring back to life...I think! I like it, but I hate the colors and I think it needs to be done with cleaner lines. There are several faces in this painting and that is what is interesting about it. How many faces do you see??


Alright, so I was digging in my art closet looking for something to put up on an empty space on the wall today, and I came across some old paintings that were done over three years ago. This was way before I knew I would ever get to sell my art online one day. I found Etsy less than a year ago, so imagine if I would have known about it in 2005! I would be way further into my progression than I am now I think. First off, I did not find anything to put on my wall but I found a new project! I am going to totally revive one of these paintings. The one with all the faces I feel has the potential to be waaayy better. I am going to tweak the lines and change probably every single color on the painting. It is unfinished, I just lost interest in it and never went back to it. I think I just wasn't into it because it is done on a canvas sheet. I had purchased a canvas pad to cut down cost because I kept ruining stretched canvases and throwing them out too often. I may just do the whole thing on a stretched canvas, that may be better. I have all these ideas flowing right now, so we shall see. I will post the before and after of the painting as soon as I finish it. I think I could have it done by next week!

New Bird Print!

Hey everyone, I have a new print in my shop! Its a another mohawk bird that I worked on last week. I was going to list it on Monday, but I am bored and thought I should just list it tonight. Hope you like it!


Mohawk Birdfeeder

My Mini Treasury

Nelson (CSS) Comprehensive Storage System from
DesignSmithGallery


Ferris Wheel Lazy Susan Server
from Do Wah Diddy



Vintage 1960-70's Tulip Lamp from Do Wah Diddy


Barcelona Chairs from
DesignSmithGallery


While websurfing, I came across some interesting finds that I wanted to share. I put the tulip lamp and the ferris wheel lazy susan because I have never seen anything like them! As for the delicious chairs, I want them!! And who doesn't need some extra storage that looks this cool! Enjoy!

Milla Sweet's Art

Today I wanted to showcase my daughter's art because she is truly an artist that is up and coming! She is my three year old daughter and she loves to draw and paint with me. She sits here at the art table, and I have all her markers, watercolors, crayons, stickers, and paper set up by her chair so she can create when she wishes. She draws the funniest stuff and she has a story for every drawing. She continues to impress her daddy and I everday! I only wish I had the resources she has when I was her age, imagine how much better I would be if I had practiced at such an early age. She is a very smart little girl, sometimes I forget she is three. She acts more like a five year old most of the time. I can hardly wait until my other daughter turns two, so I can get her to sit and create art with me!



Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!



Milla said, "This is you mama, your jumproping!" She also went on to describe how she gave me curly hair in the drawing!

Wall Decal Explosion

WoW! I don't know if I am the only one barely noticing all the awesome wall decals that people sell on etsy. I probably am! I remember when I first signed up in January, there were only a few people selling vinyl wall decals. The chandelier and the scuba diver on the toilet are some of the ones I first remember seeing. Someone I was chatting with on etsy asked if I ever thought of doing wall decals of my art and I told her I don't know the first thing about making one of those. I did a search on them today and I was in awe of the variety there is now. So many shops and all of them have the cutest decals! I think they are wonderful for people who rent homes and cannot paint the walls, like me. I hate white walls only because I move so much and its not worth painting walls that I am going to have to paint white before I move again in a year. I especially need one for my bedroom, it is soooo boring in there! There are so many to choose from. The only thing I have heard that is bad about them is that once you take them off of the wall, they can't be used again. Oh well, they should still be worth it for the time being.

For The Holidays! Vintage Ornaments from SingleStoneStudios



Birds In Birdcage from SingleStoneStudios



Mod Dot Trees from MarkJamesDesign



Black Kitchen Icons from TastySuite



Funky Circles from SingleStoneStudios



Geometric Squares from BadassCustomDecals

Tea For Joy

Hey everyone, I received a google alert in my e-mail and saw that I was in a beautiful blog! Lynne, has a blog called "Tea For Joy" and it is lovely. I am so excited and honored when I am mentioned anywhere! My Mohawk Birds have been well received with everyone and I am so surprised because I showed my husband and he wasn't too impressed, but I listed them anyway. I am glad I did. Be sure to check her blog out!

Fall Beauty

I have lived in North Carolina for almost five years and I dearly miss the great state of Texas! I miss the beach, the food, the culture, the people,...I can go on forever. My husband will one day get out of the army and we will probably go back to Texas depending on what job he gets. Anyway, I have found that there is beauty in North Carolina that I have never seen in Texas, especially during the fall. In south Texas its usually warm most of the year, and the seasons just mesh with each other and you can wear shorts and a t-shirt on Christmas day most of the time. I have come to enjoy the four seasons in NC because they come around and you can tell what time of the year it is. Oh, and for the first time in my life I witnessed snow while living here! It is beautiful but not fun to walk in when your pregnant, lol! The holidays are fun here because it is cold and there are pine trees everywhere, it seems more festive during Christmas that way. I took a picture the other day that captures the beautiful fall season here. When I leave, I will miss the red and orange leaves that blanket the lawns. I took this picture while I was in the car and I just wanted to share it.

Jill Browning

Jill Browning has a new shop on Etsy and I am so excited for her. She was a customer of mine and we have become great etsy buddies. She has amazing prints in her shop. She is an aspiring surface designer and dreams that one day her patterns and designs can be seen on fabric, stationary, gift wrap, and wallpaper. They are bold, colorful patterns with a retro vibe, and she also designs the most amazing calendars! She is a very talented artist who I admire and I hope she does well on etsy! Check out some of her awesome work. Don't forget to visit her blog as well!

New Business Cards

I made business cards once a long time ago and gave them to a shop I consigned with locally. Since then, I have not made more. I have been wanting to do it, but I never get around to it. I know, I am suppose to be putting one or a few with each order I send out. I do have labels with my website, but no cards. Well yesterday, while coming to the gate to get on the military post, a guard asked what we were doing with two big slabs of wood, and my husband starts promoting me on the spot. The guard was interested and asked where I sell my art and if he could have a business card!! Well, guess who didn't have any? I felt stupid and husband just shook his head as we drove away. The guard said.." You probably just lost a sale." So last night, I worked on a business card and this is what I came up with! I just had the website on it and nothing else. I need a tagline, but can't think of one that is good. My husband was saying that the ones I was coming up with were gonna limit me to one style. For example, I suggested "Sophia's Sweet Spot, Retrofy Your World!" And he said, no... it is limiting you and your art. He has a point, but I think I know what is best for me. After all he has no idea how one must brand themselves on etsy to be successful at some point and be recognized. Also, should I change my banner to coordinate better with the business card that I love so much? So what do I do? I may just make half and half! We shall see. Which one jumps out at you more?

SparklePaw

I came across a new shop named SparklePaw that was too cute! It sells greeting cards and pocket mirrors with little deer, beavers, and the ever popular octopus! In her profile, she states she is a self-taught graphic designer; she creates all her designs using Illustrator and does a great job. Since I do not know how to use Photoshop or Illustrator, I just admire those who do! Take a look at some of her creations.

Customer Pics

I just sent off a custom order of retro mini blocks for a customer named Laurie. I have said this before, but if I could have dreamed up the perfect custom order, this would have been it! The transaction was perfect! Laurie really had great communication through the whole process, start to finish. And.... she even sent me a picture of my art hanging in her living room. She has the cutest living room ever, and I am so jealous of her awesome blue bookcase. She was so kind as to give me permission to share it with you on my blog and use it in my listings as one of the shots! I just want to say thank you Laurie, I appreciate your business as well as your kindness!

My Priceless Possession

This chair, without a doubt, is the most priceless item I own (besides my wedding ring); I call it my "Lucy Chair". It belongs to my late grandmother Lucy's first living room set. My grandparents purchased it in 1957. It was originally white leather but it had a huge rip on it. It had been hanging around at my parents house forever until I kind of adopted it. I just had it shipped with all my belongings after I got married in Hawaii! My handy and awesome father-in-law reupholstered it for me while visiting a couple of years ago. Not only is it the coolest looking chair I have owned but the sentimental value is immeasurable. When my grandmother passed away, I was not able to hang on to anything that belonged to her before they cleared her belongings from her home. My aunt, her only daughter kept what was valuable to her and I am sure in time those will go to her daughters. I was deeply hurt about this at the time. So this chair symbolizes my grandmother and what she meant to me the twenty years I was able to know her. I will never sell this and one day I would like to pass it on to my daughters. Just thought I would share the story of my Lucy Chair.

Late Night Fun

At night when my girls have been put to bed, and my husband passes out from exhaustion caused by a hard day at work, I stay up to play. No little ones climbing on me and asking for snacks and apple juice. Just me in the dark living room and my computer. There's tons of stuff I create that never make it to my etsy shop just because I never get around to listing it or I just feel it's not so great. Some are just for the simple joy of creating them! I am gonna post some from time to time just to share with everyone and give them their fifteen minutes of fame. Oh and sometimes I don't list them because I can't think of name to list them under...I know, silly right?

Undiscovered

Last night I was on a mission to find an undiscovered shop on Pounce that I had never come across before. While I was doing that I realized how many shops open up in one day. I saw tons of shops that just opened yesterday and today! Now, I am not one of those girls who is a shoe lover. I wear flip flops almost everyday, even in the winter. I am from south Texas, its just the way I have always been, but I found the cutest shoes! I love the bold lines and bold colors used in each piece. These shoes remind me of the shoes my mom use to wear when she was in high school. She use to have a bunch of old shoes in her room, and when I was a little girl I remember trying them on wishing I was a size five already. I know, we have small feet. Now I wish I was at least a size six since finding any shoe in a size five is next to impossible... unless I am standing in the aisle at Payless labeled "Size 5"! Anyway check AnneWanda's shop out on Etsy.

Yay! I am in a treasury!

Brave Tulip Studios

Along with the photos I bought yesterday, I also purchased one from Brave Tulip Studios. I knew I was going to purchase this photo as soon as I found it a few weeks ago. I kept going back to it in my favorites and admiring it. Finally I did, and it was even better because it was her first etsy sale! How exciting it is to get your first sale. I remember mine, omg! somebody likes my art and will actually pay me to own it! I still get excited when I look in my shop and realize I made a sale. It really is a high for me. Well I hope there is many more to come for her!

Jacqleen Bleu

Today I finally purchased some beautiful photos on etsy that have been in my favorites and I can't wait to get them in the mail so I can put them up on my walls!! Jacqleen Bleu has beautiful photography and is very talented! Here are the ones I bought. By the way, she has a special going on right now, buy one get one free!! What a deal that is, maybe I should do that in my shop. When I saw that, I got so excited and just had to buy. It's so much more fun buying sets so you can put them together on a wall.

My Mini Art

So I did some retro mini art for my living room and I said I would post pics of them when I completed them. We have some not so cute couches that are a neutral color and I wanted something that would compliment them. I refuse to upgrade the furniture at this time since I have a toddler and an infant. They wouldn't be allowed in the living room if we bought the leather couches my husband wants so bad! Although I love the bright cheery art I do, its not a good fit for the look I have going in my living room. I did some rounded squares and my favorite retro flower pattern and I think they came out pretty good. In order to tone down the colors a bit, I gave them a rustic look that adds to the retro feel. These pics do not give the pieces justice, they look way cooler in person! So tell me what ya think!

My "Studio"

Well, maybe not exactly a studio, but its my arts/crafts space. Maybe one day I will rent a place in town where I live and actually have a "real job". I can dream! Either way, I am sssoooo thankful I even a have an area to put all my paint and supplies. I also get a big closet to store my canvases and paper. I love it! Before, I would have to drag everything out when I wanted to paint which limited my time and creativity. Now I can leave out what I am working on and come back any time of the day or night. In the room I have a t.v. for the girls and a little Dora couch for them to lounge in. I also have a desk with my Epson printer on it.

I just moved in so I need to really decorate a bit, my home is real plain right now. I don't have any curtains up yet and nothing on the walls. Its plain boring. I am working on some retro mini art for my living room though! I will post a pic of that when I am done. I painted that shelf to look shabby chic. It was a cheap little bookshelf that was in my daughter's room and nothing ever stayed on it, so I adopted it! I used old jars that I used for coffee and sugar in my kitchen a long time ago; I knew saving them would come in handy someday. I really do love the shabby chic style and tried to incorporate it somehow.

I didn't want to take a pic of my space when it was all nice and neat b/c that is never what it is. This is the way it looks all the time! Hope you enjoyed seeing my little corner of creativity!

No Views On Etsy!

So if you have a shop on etsy, you know how everyone is wondering what is going on with low views. Well, I have wondered as well. I list something, wait..., wait..., and if I am lucky, I get one view! Does my art stink? Well, I guess so, I listed 2 paintings yesterday, and it actually got views!! Yay!! So I guess the stuff I was listing before, just wasn't eye-catching enough.

I lost my creativity for about a month. I just got a little space together in our new place. Its really an arts and crafts space for my daughter and me. I wouldnt call it a studio, because I have to share it. So, I go back to my old sketchbooks and try and get inspired. Well I have tons of flower sketches that I never really cared to paint before. So I do a few, list them, and voala!, I got some views. When I woke up and checked my shop, one painting had 95 views! I was shocked! So I guess I just needed to get back to the basics. Hopefully I keep my streak going!