Color....finally!

Despite being sick with some horrendous bug, I've started putting the base coat on some of the torsos today. I was so sick of looking at stark white for the last couple of weeks that I had to go bold and bright. I needed a color fix! :o) Stay tuned for more updates and the final reveal at the end of the month.

A sad week in the entertainment world

Above is one of my newest photographs, "Sorrow". I haven't had it printed yet, but it seemed fitting.

What a week of loss! Ed McMahon entertained us for years as Johnny Carson's sidekick, as the host of Star Struck and with appearances on so many other shows. How many of us hoped Mr. McMahon would knock on our door with a giant check from Publisher's Clearinghouse?

Like many little girls, I was in awe of Charlie's Angels. In 6th grade I had my hair cut like Farrah's, only to discover my mom didn't know how to use a curling iron and refused to buy one, so my hair looked like an A-frame house. It was awful! Farrah dazzled us with her beautiful smile and gentle grace for many years, but certainly not enough.

I've never been a fan of music, but Michael Jackson was a part of my childhood. In high school his music seemed to be everywhere. This often misunderstood man was on the verge of what could have been an amazing comeback and now we'll never know. Instead we'll have to endure weeks, months and possibly years of conspiracy theories, custody battles, lawsuits and questions.

To all three, thank you for sharing your talent with the world. May you rest in peace.

New series underway!

I have to have two new series of torsos done in the coming months. The first set is due at the beginning of August for a show that features the male and female form. My mother-in-law is flying in for the opening! We haven't seen her in over three years and I'm honored that she accepted my invitation to come in for "the big show". She'll be staying with us for 17 days. The second set of torsos are due at the end of September and they'll all be of the female form. The show benefits breast cancer research and some of my former classmates from high school have volunteered to be models. The torsos take an incredibly long time to complete and I've never worked on more than one at once, so this is quite a challenge, especially with my right arm not able to do very much. I bought some incredibly luscious embellishments for the torsos and I'm so anxious to see them hung at the gallery. I'm trying to capture all ages and sizes. I'll be sure to get lots of pictures!

Let the Yart Sale begin!

Last year at this time I was only a customer. This year all three of my Etsy stores are taking part in the Yart Sale!

mistflowerstudio is offering up to 75% off in a Yart Sale section and 10% off everything else.

mistflowermarket is offering $1 off all pocket mirrors and magnets.

mistflowerphoto is offering 20% off all fine art photographic prints.

All sale prices are good through June 14, 2009.

Woo hoo! I've been featured on a blog.

Donna of dzfantasy on Etsy creates fantastic art dolls. She was kind enough to feature me on her blog today. Donna has agreed to be part of my featured artist series in the future, so stay tuned to learn more about her and her whimsical dolls.

Thank you, Etsy for bringing my treasury to the front page!

I am thrilled to say that my latest treasury, "Romance in the Afternoon" was selected by Etsy to grace the front page. I was delighted that my new Etsy friend, Kay of OnSlenderThreads was going to have the Etsy spotlight shining on her. Whenever I stumble across an Etsy store that features incredible talent and products, I do my best to get them some extra attention. Kay is still getting her name out there on Etsy. I hope this front page exposure drives a lot of traffic through her store so they can discover her gorgeous creations. Stay tuned for a Q&A with Kay in the future. She'll be one of my featured sellers on my blog. Congrats as well to JillreDesigns, FancyPicnic, Rudman, ThisYearsGirl, RomanticThreads, pinkdragonfly98, topsyturvydesign, LittleSparrowNest, labokoff and TotusMel Please take some time and explore their Etsy stores!

Tag! I'm it and I didn't even know it.

Okay, so I'm totally new to blogging. I only started this summer. Just last night I discovered tagging and today Joanna of JoannasPhotography on Etsy (check out her gorgeous photographs!) tagged ME! Yikes! Okay, so I'm now supposed to reveal seven random facts about myself and then tag seven other people on their blogs. I'm afraid I don't know seven people with blogs, but I'll do my best.

Here are 7 random facts about me:

1) I've never tried sushi.

2) If you ask me how old I am, I have to figure out how old my brother is and then subtract three years to give you an answer. It's my unique way of doing math.

3) My husband and I IM and e-mail each other, even when we're both online and 5' apart.

4) I once rode a camel in Turkey.

5) I've only bought two CD's in my life. Music just isn't a part of my life at all.

6) I have a minimum of five Christmas trees in my house each December.

7) I lifted a lawnmower over my head and carried it up our deck stairs the other day.

Hmmm...now I'm only going to tag Celeste of CricketsCreations since I don't know anyone else with a blog. I know, I know, I'm not playing by the rules. If you're reading this and want to be tagged, let me know!

Bon voyage, dear friend!

I've posted previously about how hard it is for me to part with a piece of art that features a face. "Marge" is my latest piece to leave my studio nest and go to her new home in NY. She's due to arrive there later today. As always I'll be wondering what she'll be looking at each day. Farewell, Marge! I know you're going to someone that will treasure you always.

Her nickname might be Crickets, but there's no crickets chirping in her store!

It's my pleasure to make Celeste of CricketsCreations my first featured seller on my blog. Celeste was the very first Etsy friend I made when I discovered Etsy at the start of summer. We share a love of helping animals and people in need and are both texture junkies. I call her scarves "soft mosaics" and they've become a staple in my treasuries. Check out Celeste's Etsy store here.

I asked Celeste to do a little Q&A with me to let others know a little bit more about herself, her fur family and her fabulous scarves.

How long have you been knitting?

I took an elective class when I was eight years old. From there, I studied knitting books and tried out patterns. Now I design all my own work and can get really creative!

What made you decide to focus exclusively on scarves?

I’m a color and texture junkie who also happens to be a Gemini (lots of different interests)…scarves are great because I get to play with all kinds of crazy combos and don’t have a chance to get bored (I make 2-3 scarves a day, generally)!

What's your favorite color?

Orange! Then pink….then turquoise mixed with other colors (such as red or orange)!



I know you're a vegan. What do you eat on Thanksgiving?

Yams! I love sweet potatoes, so candied yams made with marshmallow crème (it’s vegan, actual marshmallows aren’t), green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, Cranberry Jelly (not sauce—don’t like the cranberry chunks), my “Easiest Cream Gravy” that only takes a few minutes to make…my Nicholas makes a Thanksgiving feast for all of us as Best Friends with everything vegan each year! He’s even shared a few recipes in his blog at http://network.bestfriends.org/Blogs/Detail.aspx?b=1468, to hold off the masses until his Best Friends cookbook comes out…stay tuned!

Do you have any pets?

Yes, Nicky and I are lucky enough to share our life with four wonderful, animal companions. You can see their pictures & read all about them here:
http://network.bestfriends.org/Members/Profile.aspx?u=celeste



Tell me about your day job.

I work for Best Friends Animal Society and feel like the luckiest girl in the world! If you’re curious about what I do for Best Friends, please see http://network.bestfriends.org/Blogs/PostDetail.aspx?bp=5628

What was the last book you read?

Did I mention I work fulltime for Best Friends & have a booming scarf design business, as well? While I was an absolute bookworm growing up, by now reading has almost completely gone by the wayside. And reading an entire book….almost impossible due to time constraints! ;) The last book I “read” was a comic book without words called YAM. Before that, I read a series of Owly comic books, also without words.

What is your favorite scarf in your store right now?

Hoo boy. You know I’m a Gemini, right? So choosing “one” favorite is torture! I think my new, Pumpkin Squash and Harvest Berries, Handknit Autumn Harvest Fall Scarf is my current favorite. I really pulled out all the stops, ignored every doubt & just made something bold that I could be proud of on a fun, artistic level. The result is a one-of-a-kind design (literally, it’s the only one because the main yarn is vintage & I only had one skein). It’s a bit wild and wacky with 10+ complementing (but NOT matching) yellow-oranges and purples-reds.

Thank you, Celeste for being my guinea pig. Best wishes for many more sales to come!