Multiple Streams of Income Ecourse Winner!

The day has finally come! Barbara Burkard is the winner of a free ticket into my Multiple Streams of Income Ecourse! Barbara, please contact me with your email address so I can add you to the class roster.

If you didn't win, I have good news. Due to the great response to the class, I'm extending sign-ups until September 4. So you still have to time to join me and my fabulous list of experts to learn how to generate income from your arts and crafts. But hurry! Class begins September 7. Here's my list of experts:

Tara Reed will answer your questions about art licensing.

Claudine Hellmuth will answer your questions about teaching your craft.

Priscilla Burris will answer your questions about illustrating children's books.

Kelly Snelling will answer your questions about getting your craft book ideas in front of publishers.

Madeline Faiella will answer your questions about being a craft designer.

Tim Adam will answer your questions about selling your art online.

I'm also pleased to announce that three craft manufacturers have graciously offered to support my efforts to help other artists and crafters make money doing what they love. These very special companies have offered to host drawings during the course and my lucky students will have a chance to win great prizes from Sakura, Art Glitter and Sizzix.


In addition to prize opportunities and expert advice, I'll be walking you through my ebook, Multiple Streams of Income: Getting Started. Just think, by the end of September you could have a plan laid out to generate income from three different sources AND it's all based on doing what you love. So what are you waiting for? Sign-up today at my website at www.katydid-designs.com.

i try my hand at doll making

I made this doll out of a clothespin and paper clay. She still needs some clothes, and looking at her close-ups, I'm thinking she could have used a little sanding to smooth out her skin (hey who doesn't?), but all in all I'm pleased.

Is it just me or does she kind of look like Wayland Flower's "Madame" puppet? (Now there's a reference you aren't going to see everyday!)

did the souffle fall?

Last weekend my sister and I went to see Julie and Julia. Almost every blog post I've read about this movie has included a glowing review and talks about the different ways this movie resonated with the viewer, and this post is no different. I really enjoyed it and I think Nora Ephron adapted a screenplay to reflect the life of today's modern woman. Especially creative woman and bloggers! What did I take away from the movie? Here's my list:

1. I am not the only woman in the world to completely lose her mind and have a "fit" when things don't go right in the kitchen. My husband has been on the receiving end of many of these and I have often felt, in those post-fight moments, that I must be a really terrible person. Although I still admit that it's not the nicest part of me, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one in the world who struggles with this issue.

2. Julie's struggles with general unhappiness and the way her husband takes her unhappiness personally, is making me think twice about how much I complain. Really, my life just isn't that bad and really the best part about it is my husband.

3. I was super jealous of Julia's relationship with her husband-how supportive he was. Then I thought about it and realized that it's not like I'm running around being the biggest cheerleader for my husband either. I'm thinking I'm going to try to be more like Julia's husband. When you've been together for 15 years, you can kind of take your spouse for granted. I need to tell him regularly how spectacular and smart he is. Everyone wants to hear that.

4. I loved the way Julie handled Julia's criticism of her. Although initially upset, she was able to deal with it and not obsess over it.

5. Julia Child's cookbook took FOREVER to get published. I need to be more patient with my projects.



So after watching the movie, and learning all these lessons, my sister and I decided to pull out my copy of Julia's cookbook and make something out of it. Neither of us have ever made a souffle, so we made a vanilla souffle. It turned out okay. It wasn't incredibly difficult, and it did rise, but I don't think it fluffed up as much as it was supposed to. Oh, and while handing my sister the hot souffle to take photos, I might have burned her a little. (Sorry Jenny!) She should be used to it though, because it's not the first time I've burned her. (Insert bad childhood memory here.)



All in all a fun day. Did you see the movie? Did you like it? Have you ever made a souffle? Tell me! I want to know!

children's book illustration

(Photo Courtesy of Priscilla Burris)

I'm a day late this week, but I still wanted to introduce another expert who will be answering questions in my ecourse on generating Multiple Streams of Income. Priscilla Burris is a great friend of mine and a wonderful children's book illustrator. If you've ever dreamt of illustrating children's books, you will definitely want to sign-up for my course, so you can ask Priscilla what it's REALLY like to work as an illustrator. Here's more about Priscilla:

Children’s book Illustrator and Author, Priscilla Burris has been a natural artist and a lover of children’s books from a very early age, having grown up across the street from her neighborhood public library.
Her education experience includes degrees in Fashion Illustration and Early Childhood Education.

With over twenty years of experience in children’s book publishing, Priscilla has illustrated over ninety books and materials for children, parents and teachers in both the trade and educational markets.

Her most recent works include the upcoming 2010 release of Aloha for Carol Ann (Marimba Books) written by Margo Sorenson, The Tale of Jack Frost (Scholastic/Fall 2008), written by Marcia Thornton Jones, and Tu Si Puedes, Gabriela! (HarperCollins RAYO/Aug 2008), written by Dra. Isabel & Eric Vasallo. Five Green and Speckled Frogs (Scholastic/March 2003), which she wrote and illustrated, and I Love You All Day Long (HarperCollins/Dec 2002), and Daddy All Day Long, both written by Francesca Rusackas.

Serving as the National Illustrator Coordinator for the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (www.scbwi.org), and as a member of their Board of Advisors, Priscilla presents seminars and workshops for illustrators and writers throughout the United States.

Priscilla lives with her husband and three children, and Casper, their friendly dog, in sunny California.

To see Priscilla's work visit her website at www.priscillaburris.com and her blog. (If you go to her blog, you can see the little party I set-up for her for her birthday too!)

Another generous expert added to the course. There's still time to sign-up! Go to www.katydid-designs.com and sign-up now!

the family that blogs together, stays together

(Photo Courtesy of Laura Miller)

Yep! It's nepotism day! Did you know my mom and my sister both blog too? My mom has been blogging for awhile and my sister just started.

I think it's interesting to read your family members blogs and know that your family is reading yours. (Why is it that it's easier to know strangers are reading your blog than people you know?)

I believe that reading my mom's blog has allowed me to better see my mom as a woman and an artist. She's not just my mom. And the fact that she's basically willing to open up her personal journal for her daughter to read is a very brave and loving act. I have the unique opportunity to really know my mom. We've always been close, but there's something about reading her blog and seeing her artwork and reading her poems, that has allowed me to see even deeper into her being. I thank her for the gift.

As for me, knowing that my mom is reading my blog allows her to see me as an adult. But it also allows me to still be a child with her too. I can't run home from school clutching my artwork, eager to show her what I made, but I can post my artwork on my blog and get the very same feelings I got as a child when she would exclaim over my creations. Now the exclamations just happen to take the form of blog comments. Do I sometimes write something and cringe, thinking I'm sharing something a mother probably doesn't want to know about her child? For a moment, yes; but if I can share it with the world, why couldn't I share it with my mom?

Sometimes, if one of us writes a particularly angst-ridden post, we call each other to check-in. Other times, we call to laugh together over a post one of us written. Heck, I've even got a present or two from my mom because of hints I dropped in my blog about something I wanted. As bloggers, we also read some of the same blogs now and we gossip about we read. It's amazing how much blogging has become a part of our relationship.

(Photo Courtesy of Jenny Miller's Blog)

And now, my baby sister is blogging. I'm looking forward to seeing her grow as she steps into this very special community of bloggers. I'm also looking forward to seeing who she is as a woman and writer and an artist. Did you notice how I called her my "baby sister?" I think that as 30-somethings (some of us soon to 40-somethings) we are finally trying to grow out of the relationship of big sister-little sister, into a deeper friendship-one that only sisters can know.

So if you want to see where I came from, to see who the people are who play a very important role of who I am, visit my mom's blog and my sister's blog. You'll be surprised by the differences, but if you look very, very closely, you will see that we have a commonality that can only be found in a family.

My mom's blog: Art From Trails End

My sister's blog: Pippi "that's just wrong" Stocking

wine and art

Besides eating cupcakes on our vacation, my husband and I also went to Artiste Winery. Although we didn't love the wines, they do have a great gimmick where you can paint on an easel that's set-up in the tasting room and the wine bottles are prints of gorgeous artwork.

I'm lucky enough to have a husband who is willing to play my "reindeer games" and he even picked up a paint brush. (Wait, was that luck or the wine?) Anyway, here's a photo of our joint creation. I painted the wine bottle and he painted the cheese platter. I think he's going to have to open an Etsy soon.

After painting and wine tasting, we had worked up an appetite and were able to get our picnic in. I think we picked the perfect spot, don't you? It was pure heaven. What is it about dappled sunlight that instantly relaxes you?

When I can I go again?

a sweet vacation

My vacation was great, but I bet you want me to get right to the cupcakes and wine portion, right?

On Friday morning, we were some of the first customers at Saarloos & Sons. We couldn't wait to visit Enjoy Cupcakes (housed inside the Saarloos & Sons tasting room) and try out their unique tasting combining Enjoy Cupcakes' treats with the Saarloos & Sons wine. (We decided that since we were eating bakery, it wasn't really that bad to start drinking at 11:00am.)

I was greeted by Kevin Vander Vliet at the Enjoy Cupcakes counter. I introduced myself and he was incredibly friendly. He's the husband of baker extraordinaire, Amber Joy. This photo is his "cupcake" pose. (No cheesecake shots here!) We immediately felt at home and welcome and that feeling continued as Kevin introduced us at the wine bar. The Saarloos & Sons family wants you to feel like you have stopped by their (very well-decorated) farmhouse for a visit. Here's one of the rooms at the house. You can read their story here, it speaks volumes about them!

Then the real fun began. Out came the cupcakes. They were incredible and the combination of great wine and cupcakes was out of this world. The wine was wonderful and the cupcakes divine (you can see what we ate here, but hurry, it changes every week!). No commercialism here. Just good food and drink and company. We made short work of the cupcakes (next time I'm NOT sharing with my husband!). We sadly waved farewell to our new friends (who doesn't want friends who can bake and make wine?) and continued on our adventure.
Next time you find yourself in Los Olivos, California. Stop by Saarloos and Sons and Enjoy Cupcakes and say hi to everyone for us! If you aren't going to be in the area anytime soon, you can order Saarloos & Sons wine here and Enjoy Cupcakes is planning to start shipping their treats this Fall, bookmark this page so you can order their treats as soon as they start shipping! (I'm sure they'll be shipping by my 40th birthday in November-so you will have plenty of time to send me some celebratory cupcakes!)

To be continued...

pie and cupcakes

(Photo courtesy of Tara Reed)

I had a great time on my vacation. I'll be sifting through my photos and telling you all about it soon. But today is Monday and you know that means that I'm going to introduce another expert who will be joining me online in my Multiple Streams of Income class.

Today's expert is Tara Reed. She's a great artist and a wizard at licensing her artwork. Like me, she has a business background and she has created tons of resources for other artists and crafters who want to start licensing their artwork.

Not only do we have the same background, but she's apparently also a fan of baked goods. She just released a series of videos about how our art businesses are like a pie! It was the perfect video to share with all of you because it explains exactly what I talk about during the Multiple Streams of Income online class. It's all about developing mulitple pieces to create a whole. To see the "pie" video, click here. (You'll love the crafty fabric pie she made too!)

If you want to get an idea of the kind great information you will get from Tara in the online class, you can sign-up for her free Ask Tara call this month too. It's on August 26th at 5:30pm EST. To sign-up visit her website.

To sign-up for my Multiple Streams of Income class, go my website at www.katydid-designs.com.

wine and cupcakes

It's almost vacation time! My husband and I are sneaking away for a long weekend in Santa Ynez wine country. I love to take vacations. I love to plan vacations. I pour over brochures and websites for weeks ahead of time, looking for the perfect places to visit while we are away.

As you can see, I've packed our picnic for our first lunch of the trip. We are lucky enough to only live a few hours driving distance, so a picnic lunch, somewhere along the Central California Coast was in order. I know this is going to sound fussy, but I really took my time to pack our food hamper. I took the candy out of their ugly wrappers and put them in fancy bags with tied them with wine bottle themed ribbon, I pulled out our old picnic hamper and dusted off our plastic, picnic wine glasses. This is not how usually pack a picnic. I typically throw a pile of food (see photo below) into a bag and that's it.


I'm usually too busy cleaning (for some reason the house to be clean when I leave)to take the time to make the romantic picnic baskets I see in magazines and dream of having. But I had a pretty obvious aha moment this time. What will my husband and I look back on one day and remember? That the house was immaculate when we left or that we had a beautiful lunch?

So the house isn't as clean as it always is and I packaged our lunch in a way that makes me feel relaxed just looking at it. Bliss. And so easy, once I got over what I should be doing vs. what I wanted to do.

Guess, what's missing though? Cupcakes! I had the greatest serendipity moment as I was reading blogs this week. I was going along, minding my own business and came to one of my favorite blogs, Design*Sponge. And there was the cutest cupcake shop ever on the blog. Enjoy Cupcakes. So I read on, and slowly realize that the shop is in Los Olivos. Exactly where I'll be this weekend! Obviously a higher power wants me to eat cupcakes!

If you want to be really jealous of me, visit this post on Design*Sponge, and then imagine me there on Friday. It looks like the cutest shop ever! I'll tell you how it all was when I get back.

creative nostalgia

If you got my newsletter this morning, you already know that I've been working on my style. I journaled my way through the book, Style Statement: Live By Your Own Design and came to the conclusion that my style is called Creative Nostalgia.

Since finding an official label for my style, I've felt a renewed sense of self-esteem and my artwork and business have been flourishing. Why? Because I know what it means to be authentic to myself. Yes, I'm talking about style, but style doesn't stop with your clothes and home decor. It's how you live your life. I know it's silly to think finding two little words would make a difference, but you would surprised by how liberating it is. If you think about it, the most successful business people and celebrities all have a very distinct style. There's got to be something to that. Rachel Ashwell built an entire empire out of her style, Shabby Chic.

So what is Creative Nostalgia? It's all about being creative, resourceful and comfortable with change, all while maintaining a sentimentality for a begone era (in my case, the 1940-50s). You can see it in my art. I use bright contemporary colors, but there's always a little bit of nostalgia in my work too. (I could write paragraphs about this style, but I'll spare you.)

I highly encourage you to your hands on a copy of Style Statement and find out what your style is. I can guarantee you that it's not Shabby Chic or Creative Nostalgia. We are all individuals and there are about a million descriptive word combinations available. Once you get your style down, why not start incorporating into your life? I've been doing just that and I have to tell you, I've been feeling like one slick chick lately. Here's how I've purposefully started integrating my style into my life:

-I got my haircut and colored. Thicker bangs that are reminiscint of the 1950s, yet the cut doesn't scream Rockabilly (cause I've got that whole creative thing going and I'm updating a classic). It's also much redder. It's funny because my hair was red in my early 20s and I used to feel great about myself. Then I decided I had to get conservative and grown-up and started going more auburn and I felt much less happy about myself. Proof to me that my whole theory about style=authenticity=happiness is true.

-I'm really concentrating on buying clothes that reflect my style better. I'm not shopping at thrift stores, but I do look for styles that are mildly reminiscint of days past. A great example of Creative Nostalgia in clothing is the resurgence of aprons. They are an old-fashioned concept, creatively renewed in bright colors and modern fabrics. I also love anything that looks handmade. I'm hanging out in Anthropologie a lot more (waiting for sales!). Since staying home with my daughter, I've had a really hard time dressing myself. Mainly because I was always dressed up for work or fancy dinners, so this casual thing eluded me. Now that I have a jumping off point, I'm feeling more confident about dressing myself.

-I made a playlist on my iPod and call it Creative Nostalgia. From oldies like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald to newer music like the Puppini Sisters (they sing like the Andrews Sisters, doing covers of old Smith songs!).



-I'm even applying my style to my weightloss schemes. I have faced the facts that I'm just not built to be model thin. I've posted photos of my movie idols from days past as my inspiration instead. I'm curvy and so the idea of working towards a 1950s starlet type of "ideal body" takes a lot of pressure off me and seems much more realistic.

-A friend of mine is currently figuring out her style and once she does, we are each hosting a girl's night out that reflects our individual style. There's a restaurant around here that does the whole old-fashioned, night club thing, complete with a floor show and I'm thinking that might be included in my night out.

So, what's your style? How have you incorporated it into your life? I'd love to know!

Don't forget to read my newsletter about this subject too! I talk about branding your business in relation to your style.

A little commercial

Every Monday in August you are going to have to bear with me and read about my Mulitple Streams of Income Online Course for artists and crafters. I'll be featuring my experts each week. The good news is you might discover someone new to follow. Even if you aren't going to sign-up for the course (Why ever not?) you can check-out my experts' blogs and websites.


(Photo courtesy of Claudine Hellmuth)

So to start off, I'm introducing my expert on teaching classes and workshops. I'm pleased to announce that Claudine Hellmuth has agreed to answer my students' questions about the subject. I've personally taken one of Claudine's classes and I was blown away by her teaching style. She shared way more information than I thought I was going to get from the class and my collage abilities improved instantly with the help of her warm and encouraging teaching style and advice. I completely understand why her classes fill-up fast at every retreat I've attended. In fact, the photo at the beginning of this post was one of the collages I created in a class Claudine taught at Art & Soul.

So, if you have been thinking about adding teaching to your artistic income plan, sign-up for my class today. You will be able to ask Claudine your burning questions about teaching classes and workshops. To read more about Claudine and visit her shop and blog go to her website at www.collageartist.com.

By the way, there's still time to win the free spot in my ecourse. Visit this blog post to learn more.

everyday magic

I had a garage sale yesterday. My mom came over to help with my daughter and was sitting outside, chatting with me. We were bored of watching people walk quickly through the garage, not buying anything. Suddenly, out of a nowhere, a small car pulled up and parked. Doors flew open and about six people came pouring out-more people than we imagined could fit into the car. An older man, with longish, wild hair walked up and sat down next to us as his family began to pour over my pile of books. He said he was a poet. We asked him to tell us a poem. He asked for a piece of paper and began scribbling. When he was done, he stood before us and, with his beautiful Spanish accent, recited what he just written. I hope he doesn't mind if I share it with you here:

Let me make a sculpture of you...
not of stone
or clay
But with the clouds
yes;
High above
and I will
mold with
my Hands
all the form
de tu cara bonita
then
Gently with my
Fingers
write letters
on the sky
telling the world
How beautiful you are

-Rocky

As we talked he told us about a short story he wrote. Pulling his sleeve up, he showed us a large scar that he said he got from an accident, when he was a boy, working in a mercury mine. His father was a doctor and played a part in the story, but he didn't want to ruin his short story for us. He said he would leave it in my mailbox one day. His family payed for their book selections, piled back into the car and left. If I wasn't holding Rocky's poem in my hand, I would wonder today if it had all been a dream.

I am always delighted when an experience such as yesterday's happens. When a mundane day turns amazing. Thank you, Rocky and family, for stopping by and bringing your magic to me.

Sakura Winner!

Ana you won the watercolors! Please email your address to me (you can find my email addy in my profile!) so that I can have Sakura send you the prize! Congratulations. Thanks to everyone who played along. The response to my article on travel journals was overwhelming and I appreciate all of your kind words!

want to come to my ecourse for free?

My Multiple Streams of Income ecourse is filling up quickly, but I know that in today's economy, it's hard to spend money, so I'm giving one lucky person free entry to my ecourse! To enter to win, simply write a little something about the class on your blog (you can lift any of the marketing information from my website here) and then leave a comment on this post with a link to your blog entry. That's it! I'll announce the winner on August 31. If you want to sign-up now or if you have already signed-up and you win, I'll refund your payment!

I'm working on the ecourse everyday and it's going to be too much fun! I have some really good experts lined up too, including Tim Adam! If you are on Etsy, you probably know who he is. He is THE expert on selling your crafts online and I feel very lucky to have him as an expert for the class. The experts portion of the course will allow my students to submit questions for each of the experts and then I will pick the most popular questions and have my experts answer them! How cool is that? My ecourse students will get to pick the brains of artists and crafters who are in the trenches. It's a great way to find out what it really takes to: license your artwork, teach classes, illustrate children's books, sell your crafts online, be a professional designer or get a book published. Of course, this is just one part of the ecourse too! There will be a lot more great information being shared, so sign-up today!

super butterfly spy girl

You know how in movies there is always a kid who is a little quirky? They wear a cape or something and it's cute and funny? Somehow, I have one of those living with me. She's either wearing a crown, a tutu or a mask to the grocery store. Right now, she has decided that she is a super hero named "Super Butterfly Spy Girl". I'm not sure where it came it from. I do know that one of her superpowers is the power to turn into a butterfly. Apparently I'm the official tailor to super heros and it's been requested that I sew a cape for Super Butterfly Spy Girl. I've already cut out a paper mask, bracelets (a la Wonder Woman) and a hair clip. (Everyone knows super heros can't have their hair in their face when they are saving the world.)

I don't think I ever had super hero persona growing up and I wonder why. Is it a personality thing? All I know is that I need a super hero alter ego right now and I'm working on what mine will be. What's yours? What is her name? What are her super powers? What does she wear? Are you brave enough to go to the grocery store dressed as her? Share!

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you, my husband is Super Butterfly Spy Girl's sidekick. His name is Caterpillar. Seriously. Six foot six of pure Caterpillar.