milk + honey

I've been postponing blogging because I feel like I need a real update.. and I promise to have a recap of my 4 month absence soon, but for now, enjoy the milk + honey treasury I just made.

milk + honey

New Items in the Shop and Guest Blogging!

Since summer classes have been winding down, I've found some time to work on creative endeavors over the past few weeks. Here are some of the new items I've listed in the shop.

Airplanes Bottle Opener Keychain

Red & White Globes Pocket Mirror. I love this paper! A few months ago I used it as a cover on some of the books I was binding and it's quickly become one of my favorite papers.

& lastly, the Grow A Beard, and Must Have Moustache Buttons.
Click any of the pictures to be directed to the etsy listings. I'll be making a lot more of these for fall shows and actually had a little spare time to make some new button designs today that I hope to add to the shop next week.

Also, make your way over to Homemaker Hero today where I posted a guest blog with one of my favorite projects.

More updates soon with pictures from my blogging hiatus.

Hiatus

So, I've been pretty much absent from the online world for the past few weeks. The summer semester started and I've been doing some re-evaluating and re-prioritizing of everything that I do. I often struggle with feeling fragmented and scattered and I think the only way to solve that is to cut back on some of the things that I've been doing, or at least stop daydreaming with new ideas and just focus on the things that I know. Does anyone else have a desire to know how to do everything? I feel like I want to learn it all and then decide what I like, but really, I end up liking most things that I try and that's why I cannot focus. I think if I could choose one thing, I could do it well, but instead, I choose many things and just do them well-ish. This post is probably sounding about as jumbled as I'm feeling.

I feel so lucky to work from home, and really, I know how fortunate that makes me. But sometimes it seems like if I just got a "real" job, I wouldn't have so many problems focusing. Like I could just go to work from 8-5 and then forget about things until the next morning. I'd love to hear from some other artists that work from home about how they find time to focus on their art. I find that when I fully intend to spend the day working on a project, there are numerous phone calls, laundry to be done, endless homework assignments, grocery shopping, and lists of other distractions that keep me so occupied that I don't get to spend time on the things that are really important to me. And then when I find some spare time, I can't decide if I'd rather work on things for weather&noise, Indie Emporium, my ebay store, my artwork, or one of the other many things that I'm always thinking about. I keep saying that I'm going to just go up to the studio in a 4 hour block and not answer the phone, check email, or think about anything else. Right now I think my biggest "to do" on the list is getting the 3 websites that I've been working on finished. I think that will be a huge relief.. really huge. But, learning AutoCAD this semester isn't meshing with learning Dreamweaver on my own.

And, I want to apologize to everyone that I've been ignoring. I do know that I have an inbox full of emails, missed calls/txts on my cell phone, and the home phone has been flashing "21" for a few days. Is it awful to just delete without listening.. I know I need to change all of my billing addresses on EVERY ACCOUNT I'VE EVER HAD ANYWHERE because my post office box place closed, I'm just feeling pretty anti-social and overwhelmed.

Tonight, I'll be finishing at least one un-finished project.. the apron that I started a few weeks ago with Emily of Girl with the Red Kerchief. BTW, she's a great teacher!

Tomorrow I've planned a nice morning of getting some free coffee (yay coupons!) and then going with the husband to see Away We Go. Then we're going to get our house ready for a visit from the inlaws next week (thurs-mon) and go shopping for ingredients for all of those awesome cupcakes I'll be baking for my birthday party which might just be next weekend. Sunday I have a pretty big assignment due, so I bet I'll be spending most of the day on that. And sometime in there, I'd really like to find some time to enjoy my dad's wonderful earthbox vegetable garden, take Tucker to the new dog park, nap with my husband, and a few of those other things that make my heart happy.

New Prints in the Etsy Shop!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade christinesharpcrowe.etsy.com

Overdue..

I know that a new post is so far overdue, but I've been spending so much time enjoying the beautiful sunshine and doing spring cleaning that I have not felt like being at the computer.

A brief recap.. Deluxe took place a few (maybe 3!) weeks ago and I joined the lovely ladies of the Tulsa Craft Mafia in OKC. Blue Dome was 2 weeks ago.. Three day, outdoor shows are exhausting, but sales were good.

Ok, that's all. I said this would be brief!

I did find out today that my husband & parents are going to get me a KitchenAid Artisan mixer for my birthday.. Trying to pick a color. I really think I want the pear colored one. It will match all of my Orla Kiely goodies (apron, oven mitts, hand towels). But, my mom thinks I should get something that I will like for a long time.. silver, or black, since I will probably have the mixer for a really long time.

What do you think?

A productive day..

And I'm feeling much more at ease.

I finished the next two layers of color on my screen printing project and got everything ready for Deluxe today. If you are in the OKC area tomorrow, come out and shop! I'll be joined by some of the lovely ladies of the Tulsa Craft Mafia.

Last night I ventured out to the Oklahoma Women Blogger Meetup. Jenny of crashtestmommy was nice enough to give me a ride, since I still haven't replaced my car battery. It was nice to meet some new people and I won a door prize, so that was fun!

After 9+ hours of screen printing today, I'm pretty exhausted, but looking forward to a fun and hopefully profitable day in OKC tomorrow.

I probably won't be checking back in for a few days.. you know, craft show & finals.. Sunday I plan to take the laptop into the backyard, light the chiminea, make a good playlist, and work nonstop on my Design of the Built Environment final that I've been neglecting.

Surrounded by Grey

After much panicking, I have my first coat printed on the next 39 prints.. I had ink drama lastnight/this morning. I was pretty sure that my final would not get completed, or at least completed properly, thus dropping my solid A to a bad grade.. you know, lowering my GPA, and therefore just crushing my world. I wish that grades didn't concern me so much, but I OBSESS over them.. I have gotten one B so far in college. I'm pretty sure that tears were shed.

You would think that with my feelings about grades, I wouldn't wait until the last minute on assignments, but I always seem to find myself scrambling. And you know what? It usually turns out just fine.

This morning felt like the brink of a nervous breakdown. On my current worry list, finishing the next 3 colors (9 screens) of colors on these 30 prints, finishing my SFVC redesign project, preparing for and getting to OKC/Deluxe Saturday, preparing for Blue Dome the following weekend, the garage sale at my house on the same day as Blue Dome (thanks neighborhood association for caring about my other plans!), getting the Indie Emporium website updated with 2009 info, getting tucker's shots, figuring out how to "open" our swimming pool, getting my car fixed, travel arrangements, and about 40 other things. Also, tomorrow is my only free night until the 17th.. Who knew May was so busy? If I check out and don't respond to anyone for a few weeks, you know why.

So, although overwhelmed, I can always just think about last September/October and remember that things will get done and I will carry on. Really, things could not be busier than that.. If you'll remember, I was screen printing 2,000 bags for the National Trust for Historic Preservation with 6 weeks to go. And I had no screen printing experience/help. Or supplies. And Indie Emporium approaching with many emails/calls a day about it and lots of prep work. And in laws at my house for 9 days. And parents house floods. And squirrels were living in my attic. But you know what, I finished the bags early, enjoyed time with the family, had the squirrels evicted, and planned a successful event. And I can't wait to do it again this year.