COFFEE POT PEOPLE LOVE CHRISTMAS

I typed that title, and thought, That's because you do, Silly. Ah. Guilty as charged! The only thing that could make Christmas better would be if it lasted longer. Personally, I'm for having it go all the way through January.

But I digress, even if no one knows that but me. The reason I'm posting is that there are four more Coffee Pot People starring on the new Christmas cards!

Here they are, with the first one a slight remake of the Christmas Organizer cover:





Let's see. What did I do today, or actually yesterday, but I've been up most of the night, so I didn't notice the change from Friday to Saturday too much.

1. Got most of the laundry done.
2. Went to Linde and picked up a carload of fabric samples.
3. Stopped over at SCRAP, where I dropped off two bags of the smaller samples, paid my booth fee for the December 19th show, and found some wonderful wide belts for $0.40 each to use as gift ties. (Pictures later.)
4. Sorted through all the fabric at home, getting rid of pieces too small to use, taking some nice pieces for myself.
5. Finished up a blog post for ThinkCrafts on production-style wire wrapping, and emailed it, along with all the photos to go with it.
6. Painted the edges of the recipe tins.
7. Glued a few beads for the new bracelets. (More pictures to follow.)
8. Forgot to eat lunch.
9. Did the Photoshopping for the four cards here. (The snowglobe with Harold Angel was a happy-making challenge.)
10. Selected the fabric for and cut twenty new fabric gift bags and matched the ribbon to them.
11. Talked with the organizers of two of the shows I'm in, or will be in.
12. Gave the dog a thorough brushing.
13. Did less housework than needs to be done.
14. Looked for my notes about next weekend's show. What in the world have I done with them?!
    
15. Remembered to eat dinner.
16. Forgot how to sleep.
    

THE ORGANIZER COVER

I've worked most of the day on this, the Christmas Organizer cover. Shouldn't have taken so long, and wouldn't have, if I'd given up on the desktop computer sooner. Working on that reminded me of a major reason I use the laptop: That beast is S-S-L-O-O-O-W-!

Here it is, and I must say, I'm quite pleased.



Aack. There's a little voice screeching in my very reluctant ear, But Melody wanted a back page, too, you know. Picture of you in your shop, stuff like that. If I think about that right now, my head will explode, and gray matter will get all over my sleeping husband.

"I'll think about it tomorrow!"

MORE COFFEE POT PEOPLE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS

I've finished more of the "Coffee Pot People Celebrate Christmas" series. They're fun and satisfying to do, but time consuming, with each one taking an average of an hour to an hour and a half, starting with the process of finding the scenes in which to insert them.

Here are the latest, with Miss Violet first, because I'm told by the woman she lives with that she went into a serious pout when she realized she hadn't been included in the first batch. Miss Violet in a pout can make life difficult for her home mates, so here she is, in Latvia (That girl does get around!):

Miss Violet in Latvia

Ready to Go!

Gift Box Bobby

My daughter hasn't told me how many of these she needs for the Organizer, but I'm thinking I'll put them on Etsy as Christmas cards...

Oh! To answer the several inquiries as to what, exactly, a Christmas Organizer is, it's a place to keep your Christmas Card List, Shopping and Wish Lists for your peeps, Recipes for holiday goodies, craft and decorating ideas you'd like to try, a calendar for activities like going to see all the lights, taking in a holiday show, putting on your cookie exchange, etc. Melody made me one several years ago, and I've used it a LOT. I'm looking forward to seeing the new one!

COFFEE POT PEOPLE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS

Good grief, I've been busy! I have three, count 'em THREE, new projects to show off, but I've been working on them so nonstop, I haven't had time to post them. I'm going to do the last one first, of course, and show off the new Coffee Pot People Christmas scenes.

My daughter Melody started it. It's her fault that I haven't been doing a bracelet a day. Well, and those other two projects, too, but that's different.

Anyway, Melody's idea is to create a Christmas Organizer, which is a great idea. I've been using the first one she created for years, so I already know she's good at it.

This time, though, she wants the frontispiece for each section to feature a Coffee Pot Person or Tea Kettle Character, and she wants a little line-drawing mascot, too. For that, she wants me. To do the artwork, anyway. These are my first five efforts, and my thought is to turn them into Christmas cards, with more to come.

Lumin in the Snow

Santa, The Children, and Wren

Bubble Light Coco

Belva Goes to Church

NEW "ON VACATION" CARDS

Several more of the Coffee Pot People went "On Vacation" this week. It is a holiday weekend, after all. Here are the places they found:

Molly didn't go far from home, just up the hill to Rocky Butte. She wanted to scope out the views for the 4th of July, thinking it might be a really good spot for seeing the fireworks. Waterfront Park was looking less attractive to her, since Vancouver's fireworks had been canceled, which probably meant even huger crowds for the Blues Festival. She hated to miss the festival, though, so she's hoping for next year.

The view from the top was awesome! Unfortunately, by nightfall Molly was so tired she just didn't feel up to going anywhere, especially since the temperature had topped 95 degrees by early afternoon. (That's 35 degrees Celsius, for those of you unfamiliar with our Fahrenheit thermometers.)

Lucky for her, the night was alive with fireworks right in her own neighborhood, so she just walked outside and admired what the amateurs were doing. You'd never know fireworks of that sort were illegal, and frankly, Molly isn't sorry some of the local peeps ignored Big Brother. (Don't quote ME. That's Molly speaking!)

Ginny got outta Dodge, and headed for Crater Lake, which she'd always wanted to see. It was as beautiful as expected, and she thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Edith loves the Oregon Garden, especially here in the Japanese section. She adores the way the azaleas match her eye shadow, and decries the more casual dress code of fellow garden tourists. "A garden this lovely deserves to be dressed for!" Edith tells her friends. She has more tact than to mention it to the jeans-clad, however.

Edith also uses the garden for research, constantly on the lookout for new and unusual varieties for the flower beds in front of her popular tea room. She insists there are no beds at all above stairs.

LUMIN GOES "ON VACATION"

It's been a while since I sent a Coffee Pot Person on vacation. This seemed like a good day to send Lumin somewhere, but where?

Here!

Lumin & the Westport Lighthouse

And as long as I was working with my little vacationers, I reworked Harold Angel:

Harold, watching over highway construction

I also, today, unloaded the utility trailer, which was full of old wooden pallets, some broken, some whole. I had to promise, Scout's honor, to wear gloves, and be very careful, and quit instantly if I cut myself.

Why would I want to? Because it needed doing, I like physical labor, and with muscles, it's use 'em or lose 'em. Statistically speaking, people lose about 10% of their muscle mass each decade after thirty. That is an "eventuality" I have no intention of fulfilling! And why should I, when there's plenty of good clean work to build muscle doing? I have absolutely no intention of ever becoming the proverbial 95 pound weakling. Besides, it really does feel good. Or is that just the tomboy in me speaking?

Also today, I weeded the bed next to our house, did a smattering of housework, had a nice visit with the neighbor, watched Dad's memorial video several times, and planted

A nice big cluster of daisies
A euphorbia griffithti
A couple of liatris
A lovely primrose I got for Mother's Day
A low-growing, spreading form of oregano
A nice, bushy agapanthus (bear's breeches)
And eight geraniums, including one called "Happy Thoughts"

Thinking about a flower called "Happy Thoughts" is my happy thought to go to sleep on!

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NEW! COFFEE POT PEOPLE "On Vacation"

I've been working on a new project, one I'm excited to share, not to mention crow about.

My Coffee Pot People and Tea Kettle Characters have gone on vacation, and brought back with them the photographic "proof" of their travels. (And we all know pictures never lie, right?)

The photographs have all made it onto the front of cream-colored blank note cards, and will shortly be available in my Etsy store. And although I haven't scanned the final product into my computer yet, I am (was there ever any doubt?) going to share the pictures right this very minute.



Angie on the beach at Grayland, Washington



Bob, from inside the Sea Lion Caves on the Oregon coast



Belle, visiting relatives in Savannah, Georgia



Cowboy, in Fresno, California



Harold Angel, flying watch over highway construction north of Grants Pass, Oregon



Sage, in Carysbrook, Virginia



Raoul at Burning Man



This barefoot boy refuses to tell me where he found the fountain!



Nigel, under the St Johns Bridge near Portland, Oregon



Orin, who found this boardwalk on one of his daily hikes



Rocco, enjoying a gondola ride in Venice



Violet, basking in the reflected gleam of the Eiffel Tower


That's it for now! I have another fifty or sixty yet to do, so these vicarious vacations will undoubtedly keep me occupied for some time to come!

ALLISON STRINE--COLLAGE & WHIMSY

I have fallen in love with the art and whimsy of Allison Strine She makes me smile, and laugh out loud, and yes, WANT. (ooh ooh ooh--Three of her cards are on the way soon! YES!)

Let's see. Pictures first, and then interview questions, with more pictures, I think. (Thank you so much for letting me share, A!)

Is this All Moms, or not?





This one is SO my middle daughter!




And now the questions:
Where are you located?
I'm in the Atlanta area now, after having lived the first 30 odd (and they were odd) years of my life in Boston.

What do you create?
I make collages on thick art canvas, and then use the wonders of technology to transform the art into soldered pendants called LadyBirds. I also make soldered pendants/charms/baubles/doodads out of vintage license plate letters and fabric.

When and why did you decide to start your business?
I totally stumbled into selling my work. I had spent several years being very involved in the scrapbooking and altered arts industry, focusing solely on doing work for publication. I really loved seeing my work in print, especially in such highly regarded mags like Cloth Paper Scissors and Somerset Studio. After a while, I started feeling like I was losing myself, doing work that I thought editors might like, instead of listening to my art heart inside. So after a short art break, I whirled through a spurt of creating highly personal little figures that talked. Since they were part lady and part bird, I came up with the brilliant moniker of LadyBirds (I know, it's shocking, but true.) A friend mentioned Etsy as a possible outlet for me, and I started a little shop. It wasn't easy to shush the 'what-if-no-one-buys-them' naysayer inside of me, but I'm so glad I did!

Where do you get your inspiration for your projects?
Just about everything I come into contact with is fodder for my little art brain. For images, I love to use odd catalog stuff. The words are everywhere. My husband came up with one the most popular LadyBird sayings, when he started saying we should carpe the diem. Really, though, my life is one big fat ladybird.

Which of the tools you use is your favorite?
Ooh, whatever I'm using at any given moment is my favorite. When I'm soldering, I love the soldering iron, and when I'm painting, I love my paintbrush! I'm just a tiny bit addicted to my Mac computer, too.



Can you explain a little about your LadyBirds? What are they and how did you start making them?
I want to make art that tells my story without being a downer. I had a painful childhood, and developed an eating disorder as a way to cope with my troubles. O lo these many years later, I'm living the most wonderful life imaginable. I wanted to make art that helped remind me to live in the present, and not to revert to yucky negative thinking. I first started wearing a "She Dares to Be Happy" pendant, and it was good. Then I tried the "She Doesn't Pretend to Be Normal" pendant, to help me remember to be me, and it was good, too. Next, I tried the "She Goes the Whole Day Without Wearing a Bra", and the rest is history (kinda).

There are so many negative messages sent to women about our bodies, and it is important to me that the LadyBirds are made of all shapes, from massive silhouettes to pencil thin bodies, and of every skin color under the sun. I want to send my daughter a positive message about what it means to be a girl, and the LadyBirds help her to understand that she is much more than what others see on the outside.



What keeps you motivated?
I wonder about that sometimes. I may possibly have some (rather unattractive) obsessive tendencies. I'm sure I'd do some sort of art even if people hated it, but one of my greatest rewards is hearing from a customer that my piece had a positive impact on her day. Women have shared some really heartfelt, touching stories of being affected by a LadyBird touched them. That is without a doubt the most amazing reward of all.

How do you get the word out about your work?
So far, it's been word of mouth, and a little bit of advertising on blogs. Etsy has been an invaluable asset - there would be no business without the luck I've had on Etsy. The whole internet is just amazing to me; my mind is boggled by the fact that a lady in Tasmania can buy my work (and one did!). I'll probably do an art show or two this year also. I did one last fall and it was the first time I got to see people's faces light up when they read something that tickled them or spoke to them. I'll never forget that feeling of satisfaction, that my art actually made someone feel good!



What advice would you give to someone starting a creative business?
Ooh, I'd say it's important to listen to your heart, and make sure you're creating something that really reflects your own unique personality. And if it doesn't work, change stuff! Push yourself, even if it's scary as heck.



Who are some of your favorite indie artists/designers?
I'm new to the indie world, but from the altered arts world I'm quite inspired by the colorful work and generous spirit of Teesha Moore.

If you could live in your dream place/city where would that be?
I adore Hawaii, and Europe, and Boston in the summer, and San Francisco, and Maine, but really I just need to be wherever Lloyd is.

What's your definition of a perfect day?
I'm lucky enough to be living the perfect day right now (as long as the kids don't bicker too much). I like having my coffee, and bringing the kids to school, and calling Lloyd, and going to exercise (actually I hate it but I'm glad when it's over), and coming back home to do some soldering, and computering, and art-ing. And so on, until the cooking dinner part, which is the worst part of the day for me! But then it's over, and I'm happy again finishing up the day puttering around on the computer some more. Exciting, huh?