Cold Season Tips

Since we just finished-up with our first major illness of the new school year, I thought I would share some of my tips for surviving the cold season.  I can't promise they'll always work, but a little prevention can't hurt!

1.  Have everyone in your family wash their hands as soon as they come home. No stopping and doing something else!  Straight to the sink to wash off whatever you picked-up out in the world.  I also keep a small bottle of anti-bacterial gel in the car.  If we've been someplace especially icky, we'll all take squirt before moving on.

2.  Keep your medicine cabinet stocked!  Before I go school shopping, I go through all our medicine cabinets.  I get rid of expired medicines and make a list of what I need to have on hand.  There's nothing worse than being up at 1am with a child with stomach flu and no Pedialyte on hand.  We try not go out when we're sick (because we don't want to infect everyone else) so having everything we need on hand helps us be able to stay home and rest.  Besides meds, make sure you have heating pads, vaporizers and tissues on hand too! 

3.  It's hard to keep children still, even when they are sick.  I keep a hidden supply of new coloring books, quiet activity toys, and children's DVDs stowed away.  When my daughter is ill, I pull out something new and she stays quiet, busy and happy.

Those are just a few of my tips.  I'm not a medical professional, so I didn't want to give remedy advice (though I have a few!).  Do you have tips to share?

P.S.  Do you like my new tissue cozy (as seen photographed in this post)?  I am experimenting with hand painting wool felt and making cozies with it.  I will probably have some new designs up in my shop soon, but if you want a fabric one, there are still a few left here.  They are great for carrying tissues in your purse, or for your child's backpack.  I'm thinking the felt ones will be nice to take to bed with you when you have the sniffles.  Though, I need some expert advice.  Do you think wool felt tissue cozies would be a problem for people with a wool allergy?  I'm wondering...

Sewing Projects for Vintage Tea Towels

My grandmother gave me a couple of her old, calendar tea towels the other day.  When I was growing-up, she always had one hanging in her kitchen, so I was excited to get them as they have happy memories attached to them, but other than folding them up and putting them in the linen closet, what could I do with them?

After playing with them for a bit, I decided I could make a couple of pillows from one and a tote bag from another.  I'm very pleased with how both projects turned out. 

There are a lot of tutorials on the web for creating a tote bag from tea towels, but most of them just have you fold it in half and sew up the sides.  Because my tea towels have calendars on them, I didn't want the image to be upside down on one side so I cut one of the towels in half, made sure both sides had the images in the proper position, and then sewed them together.  I'm thinking I might give it to my grandmother for a Christmas gift.  I know it seems silly to give someone something they had given you, but I think she originally gave me the tea towels because they were just rotting in her linen closet.  Now that it's a tote bag, she can enjoy a piece of her past and use it when she goes on shopping trips.

The pillows I'm keeping!  I think the bird illustrations look like they might be in an Anthropologie store don't you?  The tea towel was really too long to make into one pillow, so I split it and made myself two. I used Bari J's Art Journal fabrics to complete the pillows.  The colors and bird & nest designs matched my tea towels perfectly and modernized them without taking away their vintage feel.

Now, go run and find some old tea towels and get sewing!

Mom Guilt

A bit after my daughter started 1st grade, about two weeks ago, she developed a cough.  No fever, just an intermittent cough.  So I wrote it up to allegies or maybe one of those mysterious childhood coughs, courtesy of a new school year.  Then, this past Thursday, my husband brought my daughter home from soccer practice early.  She was wheezing, coughing and having trouble breathing.  We sped off to the ER, where they thought she had allergies or maybe had developed exercise-induced asthma.  They did a chest x-ray and we were all surprised to find out she had pneumonia.

I was devastated and instantly went on a guilt trip of epic proportions.  How could I let my child walk around with pneumonia?  How could I have been so flippant about her lingering cough? I was going to write a big blog post about my guilt and what a terrible mother I am.  But a couple things have happened since. 

First, when I posted my guilt to my Facebook page, I received many comments from other moms, telling me stories about how similar things happened to them.  I realized these things don't just happen to me.  Why, as mothers, do we always immediately assume we have been deficient in our duties in some way and that we are the ONLY mother who makes mistakes?  As far as I've observed, my husband rarely instantly blames himself for being a bad father.  He walked out the ER on Thursday night, saying, "Wow!  Who knew?  Even the doctors were surprised!"  Whereas I walked beside him, silently torturing myself for not being a "good" mother.  I really need to take a page out of my husband's book and get over myself already.

Then, on Friday, we went to my daughter's regular doctor, who listened to her chest and told me she sounded good and that we were lucky because it looked like we had caught the pneumonia early.  Her two week cough had simply been a virus that recently turned into pneumonia.  Again, why did I torture myself, assuming she had been very ill for a long time?  In my rational mind, I'm sure that I would have taken her to the doctor if she was exhibiting worrisome symptoms.  But no, I doubted and tortured myself instead.

So I learned that I need to have a bit more confidence.  I need to remember I'm human.  I need to remember I'm a good mom.  And I need you to remember the same.

Flying Kites

When is the last time you flew a kite?  This past Spring, my sister gifted her nieces with kites.  My little family drove out to the beach to fly my daughter's.  It was exhilarating!  I couldn't believe how fun it was.  The pull of the string as the kite rose higher and higher. 

Why did I feel so free as I held on to the kite?  I had a sore neck the next day because I couldn't stop looking up.  It was a good day.  So, if you are feeling low, go fly kite.  I'm thinking you will feel much better if you do!

My Memories Suite

I bet you have seen a lot on people's blogs about My Memories Suite.  It's digital scrapbook software and they are having a blitz of giveaways right now.  When they approached me about doing a giveaway here, I was a bit reluctant.  As crafty as I am, I'm just not that into scrapbooking.  I really don't know why. I love to take photos.  I love to craft.  But I just can't excited about scrapbooking.  Digital doesn't turn me on either.  But I like to offer my readers free stuff, so I said I would do the giveaway.  Then I faced the fact that I was going to have show you what the software could do.  And I worried and avoided it due to my scrapbooking "issues".  I downloaded the software, saw what it could do and realized I didn't have to use it for scrapbooking!  I could use it to make really cool photos for my blog and my Etsy shop! 

Yes, I know you can create lay-outs like the ones you see on this post in Photoshop, but I'm a self-taught Photoshop user and some days I just want to get my photos up on my blog without struggling with layers etc.  It took me all of 5 minutes each to create the photo lay-outs on this blog post in the My Memories Suite software.  And that's five minutes from the time I started up the software for the first time!  Seriously exciting.  I don't want to sound like a salesperson here, but I do want you to know that I am really, truly impressed with the ease of use of this software and the way I can apply to it my business.  I can create quick layouts for my blog or even for tutorials that I submit to manufacturers and editors. 

And I get to offer you a chance to win a free download of the software!  For chance to win the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software, leave a comment on this blog post telling me which of their kits you like the best.  (You can see the kits here.)  I'll draw a winner on September 26.  And if you don't win or can't wait to get the software so you spiff up your own Etsy Shop, you can order the software here.  Use Coupon Code STMMMS12271 to get a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store.  (That's an affiliate link by the way!)

Have fun!  And good luck!

Blog County Fair 2011

Remember my post a few weeks ago about the Blog County Fair I'm hosting with Vicki O'Dell?  It's time!  I would love it if you would join the fun.  It's super easy and you have all weekend to join in the fun.  For details and to see what other bloggers "brought" to the fair, click here.

I decided to make some cute mug rugs for the fair.  I love mug rugs!  They are so easy to make because they can really be any size.  I usually have them measure at 7" x 6", just enough room for a cup of tea and cookie.  I also love that I can try my hand at mini-quilts and then have something cute and useful for my home.  I especially love the mug rugs I'm showing you today because I designed the main fabrics myself.  For the first mug rug, I used Tee Juice Fabric Art Markers and doodled all over some cotton fabric.  It's my new favorite thing to do!  I just cut a whole bunch of small rectangles of fabric and draw away.

My second mug rug's fabric was created by scanning and printing one of my journal pages onto ink jet fabric.  Super easy and so easy to personalize!  Wouldn't it be cute to make a personalized mug rug with a sweet message for someone who needs a little cheer?

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  For lots of good, old-fashioned fun, be sure to hop around Blog County Fair entries (and add some of your own!).  We'll be at the Fair all weekend!

Teaching Your Child About Money

It's very important to my husband and me to teach our daughter to be fiscally responsible.  We've been giving her an allowance for about 2 years now-just a small amount, to help her start to understand money.  She has three piggy banks.  The biggest one is the "Saving Piggy", the middle size is the "Giving Piggy" and the smallest is the "Spending Piggy".  Each week, when she get her allowance, she divides it between all the piggys.  We don't tell her to apply it, but we do discuss her decisions and help her "remember" what each piggy is for.  Anything that goes into the Saving Piggy, stays there.  The Giving Piggy money gets used for things like her school's food and toy drives, and her Spending Piggy can be opened to buy anything she wants, anytime. 

It's a process that's worked very well for us.  She loves opening up her Giving Piggy, taking the money store, and buying toys for underprivileged children.  It means so much more to her because she's using her own money.  My heart melted last year, as she was making her purchases and told the clerk she was helping Santa out and buying toys for children who weren't as lucky as she was.  (We told her that Santa comes and picks up the collection boxes and delivers them.)  I think the clerk got a good dose of the Christmas spirit that day.

She's really surprised me with the use of her Spending Piggy too.  She's careful about purchases and watches her budget.  Even though it kills me, I won't make-up the difference if she doesn't have enough money for something she sees.  We talk about saving up for it next time.  She knows she has to make her money go a long way, and I often see her debating over two small toys versus one large item.  She even brings her money to the Farmer's Market and buys herself flowers and little cakes sometimes.  So cute!

If you are looking for more information about how to teach your child about money, I would recommend looking at these websites:

http://www.kidnexions.com/ (click on "free resources")
http://www.thegreatpiggybankadventure.com/
http://www.orangekids.com/

Some good children's books are:
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday
and
The Berenstain Bears' Trouble with Money


Next on my list is to buy some games.  When I was little, I played Payday all the time, and I think I really did learn something.  I've also heard good things about Loose Change and Learning Resources Money Bags A Coin Value Game. 

How do you teach your child about money? Can you recommend any tips, books, or games to me?

This is my life...now

Sunday Night

Yesterday, I went to my grandmother's retirement community to have brunch with her.  She lives in a really nice place, where there are apartments and houses on the campus and a main building where there are tons of activites going on and a great Sunday brunch.  I noticed that my grandma had out some paints and I asked her if she was painting.  She said she wasn't anymore because it made her "stay up too late at night".  I was confused because she doesn't have anywhere to be in the morning.  I daydreamed to myself that I would love to paint all night and sleep all day.  I spent the rest of the day, watching everyone at brunch.  Some were gathred in couples, relaxed at the tables, laughing, drinking champagne and eating, obviously planning to stay the day.  Another grinning woman was leaving, clutching a stack of Netfilx movies, and I imagined she was off to spend the day watching them.  Yet, there was Grandma, miserable & complaining.  I wondered why she couldn't see that she now had the freedom to do WHATEVER she wants, WHENEVER she wants.

My husband cooking dinner

 She is so busy, missing her old life, that she can't appreciate this new stage.  And then it hit me, that I'm guilty of doing the same thing.  Even after six years of motherhood,  I'm still fighting against change.  I have days when I miss my old job, my pre-baby relationship with my husband, and my pre-pregnancy body.  I tell my husband that I'm jealous because his work life is the same as it has always been.  I'm so busy remembering the way things used to be, I can't see that this stage of my life is pretty good too. Staying in my pajamas, drinking tea, and journaling when my husband leaves for work and my daughter goes to school.  Spending hours at the library or doing crafts with my little one.  I get to see the world through the eyes of a child again.  Nothing "bad" is happening to me.  It's all just different.  And it probably looks pretty darn good to most people because they aren't comparing it to "before".  My old life is gone.  It is impossible to get it back.  And I've got to roll with the punches and stop trying to get it back.

Late summer meal on the patio

So, just for now, I'm going to try to look at things as they are, and enjoy this stage in my life, and stop mourning previous stages.  I want to practice now, so that when I reach the next stage, I can stay up all night painting and enjoy every minute of it.

Featured Sponsor: Tara Reed

Today I would like to introduce Tara Reed.  I've known Tara for a few years and have great respect for her as an artist and business woman.  Her informational products about licensing your artwork are some of the best around-she really breaks it all down in easy to follow steps.  You can find her Art Licensing Products on her website.

How did you start your business?

My business started as a need for a creative outlet while my main job was being a stay-at-home mom. I became an avid scrapbooker when my son was young and scrapbooking was all the rage. In 2001, I started designing products in the scrapbooking industry. In 2003, I learned about the wider world of art licensing - swore I couldn't do it but in 2004, shared a booth with a friend at the Licensing Expo to see what happened. I caught the licensing bug!

With a background in sales and marketing, licensing made a lot of sense to me and was a great fit for how I liked to create and work. Basically, I create art collections that I think could work on a variety of products. Then I contact manufacturers and see if they agree! It takes a while to build since it can be 12-18 months between getting a deal and getting paid your royalties - but once you start to get things into the pipeline it can be a great business.

What does a typical day in your life look like?
There is no "typical" day - my life seems to be a constant juggling of business and personal projects. I often wake up thinking I have certain things I will do and all of the sudden a call comes in that changes my focus.

Artists in the industry and I often joke about “Art Licensing 911” calls – where you get a frantic call from a manufacturer telling you they need this, that and the other thing… in 3 days but preferably 3 hours if at all possible. So if an artist doesn’t like to change gears for potential opportunities, work quickly and work to deadlines, art licensing might not be the best choice.
I explain the reasoning behind these 911 calls by comparing it to dominoes. You know how kids love to line up dominoes then push one and it knocks them all down? The artist is the last domino in this equation.


Here’s the line-up – going from the back to the front: Artist – manufacturer – sales team – retailer


On a Thursday, a sales person calls on the retailer who says, “Oh by the way, we are selecting new products in category X next week. If you have anything for us to consider, we need it by Thursday.”


The sales person makes a living selling products and earning commissions so of course they want to have something to show and be considered. So they call the manufacturer, tell them the parameters and say they need the information by Wednesday at the latest.


Now the manufacturer has to scramble and figure out what art they have that might appeal to the retailer. They might have something on hand or they might call the artists they have worked with. The amazing opportunity is explained, but the manufacturer needs to see any art by Monday, so they have time to review their options, make choices and mock up designs to get to the sales person.


So guess what the artist has to do on Friday or over the weekend if they want a shot at this deal? Voila! An Art Licensing 911 event is born. Of course you don't have to respond to all of these last minute requests - the option is always yours.

Where do you work?I have a studio in my home and love the flexibility it offers. I've been a divorced mom since 2004 so being able to work from home and adapt my schedule to meet the needs of my son has been important to me. I can be working and hearing what is going on downstairs, make sure homework is getting done, get to doctor and dentist appointments without burning vacation time, etc. If I have things to do for my personal life in an afternoon, I can simply work at night. It's been ideal.

You do need to be a self-motivated worker to work from home and stay on task - it would be easy to let life get in the way of progress. I like to keep track of the time I spend on my business - broken down by creating art, marketing art, etc - so I hold myself accountable and make sure I'm keeping things balanced.

What is your favorite part of your business?
I love the variety art licensing offers and collaborating with clients to create art that really works for their products. Sometimes new art is something I come up with and present to manufacturers, other times it is a theme they suggest. What is constant is the back-and-forth between the two of us - tweaking colors, layout or elements to get what they believe will really sell the products.

It is also incredibly gratifying to see products in stores with my art on it - sometimes I don't even know it will be there. I might be walking through a store, turn and find something with my design - totally cool every time!

Tara is offering katydiddys readers 10% off any of her art licensing products.  Just use Coupon Code KATYDID10.  Please note, discounts cannot be offered on data management software or Product Mock-Up Magic.  Coupon is good until September 30, 2011.  Go to the Art Licensing Info website to shop now!

Material Connection Disclosure:  I am an affiliate of Tara Reed's and will receive a commission for products purchased via my affiliate link.

Some Blog Changes

After giving it a lot of thought, I've decided to offer advertising on my blog.  A girl has to generate a little cash in these crazy times.  But I don't want my blog to be one big mess of ads.  The goal of my blog is to share tips, tricks and resources with my creative readers, so my advertising goal is to stay true and share valuable information. 

I'll only feature sponsors on the weekend, but I would encourage you to read the posts.  I send out interview questions to my sponsors and ask them to share a bit about themselves.  I think it's helpful to read other people's stories.  Learn about how they balance work, life, family.  Find out how they got their breaks.  I hope you enjoy the posts.  Some of my sponsors will also be offering generous discounts, coupons and giveaways, so you just might get a little bonus too.

If you would be interested in advertising or would like to become a Featured Sponsor, you can get all the information here.  The rates listed are introductory, so you might want to take advantage while you can.

Thanks so much for understanding this change.  I hope you will find that I will keep the integrity of my blog as I build my business.

My Creative Process

Journal Page by Laura Bray

I've recently notice a change in the way I've been working.  I'm slowing down, enjoying the process more.  I have to admit that I'm a bit of neat freak.  And by neat freak, I don't really mean my house as much as my person.  I read about artists and crafters, raving about how much they love to get messy.  Paint and glue on their fingers and clothes.  And I cringe.  I HATE being messy.  In fact, I'm so fussy that I won't even eat ribs!  I don't like getting the sauce on my face.  A little crazy?  Maybe, I've just come to accept that's me.  (My husband thinks the whole ribs thing is cute, too.)

Journal Page by Laura Bray

So, with my mess phobia in mind, I've usually just bought supplies to use.  Fabric, paper, embellishments.  Then I put them together with as little mess as possible.  But I see that changing.  I'm finding that the results of making everything from scratch really are worth the effort.  I'm enjoying the process of dying and painting my own fabrics.  I've found that if I set aside a day to do the messy stuff, I handle the mess better.  I put on some old clothes or an apron, lay down oilcloth and get to work.  I mentally prepare for the mess that will ensue. 



Journal Page by Laura Bray

Have a become less compulsive about messes?  Or is it that my daughter is in school full-time now and I have that much more time to make a mess and clean it up without worrying about interruptions?  Whatever it is, I'm enjoying it and am excited about the places this new creative process is taking my work.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll get wild and go out for ribs tonight.....



Fabric by Laura Bray
Using Jacquard's Tee Juice Pens



Blog County Fair 2011

Don't you love the fair?  Besides the food (where else can you get fried candy bars?), I love going into the Home Arts Hall and looking at the quilts.  And is there anything better than the table setting entries?  I love the history of the fair too.  The idea that it was once a place where everyone in the community gathered to show-off what they had been doing all year.  I suppose it's human nature to want to show your handiwork off, isn't it?  It's no longer a journey to get to our neighbors' houses, and many of us have connections all over the world.  Now we share our handiwork, crafts, cooking skills and even our livestock off on our blogs on a daily basis.

Vicki O'Dell and I were waxing poetic about the "good old days" and came up with the bright idea that we should mix the County Fair concept and our love of blogging together. The first annual, Blog County Fair was born.  And we would love it if you would hitch up your horses (aka turn on your computer) and join us September 16-19, 2011.  Show off what you've been working on this year.  You might even win a virtual blue ribbon that you can proudly post on your blog.

We'll be judging entries in:

• Quilting & Sewing
• Needle Arts – embroidery, cross stitch and other decorative stitching
• Pies
• Tablescapes
• Mixed Media

On September 16, head on over to Vicki's blog and use the Mr Linky widget to add your fair entry blog link.  Then be sure to spend some time visiting everyone's entries (it's the neighborly thing to do).

Please tell your friends about the fair.  Maybe they can meet you there.  I can't wait to see everyone's entries!
There's a button and code in my sidebar so you can share the news about the Blog County Fair too!  See you at the fair!

Teaching your child to embroider

My daughter has been itching to learn to embroider since she was very young.  The other day, at age 6, she completed her first "real" embroidered piece and I couldn't be more proud.  Nor can she.  I'm amazed at the fine works she's done.  Her stitches are even and there are no knots in the back of the piece.  I know many people feel that she might be too young to do embroidery, so I wanted to show you my process for allowing her to move forward with this interest with safety and developmental ability in mind.

My daughter's first introduction to embroidery has always been watching me.  As a young child, she would sit next to me and watch me stitch.  I would allow her to choose colors for my piece on occassion and I would also use her drawings as embroidery patterns from time to time to make her feel like she was part of the process.  In fact, my daughter and I appeared on an episode of When Creativity Knocks to share our technique for transferring her artwork onto fabric.  You can watch it here.

Once she was a wee bit older, I made some cupcake sewing cards for her.  She was about 3 or 4 when she started to sew the cards.  It was great practice for her hand-eye coordination.  You can see how I made them here.

At about five, I bought her some plastic canvas and plastic yarn needles.  She used yarn to stitch designs into the plastic canvas.  We had some knots and tears and frustration, but she practiced and practiced.  The plastic yarn needles aren't too sharp and the canvas already holes, so it helped her further her skills.  I think this step was also very helpful in impressing the need to start from the underside of the fabric and to consistently stitch in the same direction.  Once there were fewer knots and she got a little holder, we moved to the next step.

This was the biggest step.  The one my daughter was really waiting for.  I purchased some loose weave, thick fabric and some plastic canvas needles (metal ones this time!).  I drew a design onto the fabric using a marker so that she could see the thick lines and had room to stitch onto them without going outside the lines.  I was really amazed by how successful she was.  The flower piece in this post is the first project she did within this step and I'm amazed by her success.  We are using real embroidery floss and learning how to split the the threads, thread needles, keep the tail in place, and prevent knots.  She does have a tendency to put the work down on her lap when she's working, so the dull needles prevent injury, but, because they are metal, she feels more like they are the real thing.  The plastic ones still seemed like toys to her.  She can also use an embroidery hoop now which also makes her very happy.

Once we learn a bit more about needle safety, I will graduate her to the materials I use.  I'm so excited for her and I'm pleased that we found a system that allowed her to safely learn this traditional craft.  As she mastered each step her confidence has grown. 

So, if you have a little one who wants to embroider, you may want to try this step-up system.  There are no specific age guidelines for going through the steps, simply keep watch your child and their abilities and enjoy the process.  Stitch safely!

Goodbye Summer?

It's already September.  My daughter starts school in a few days.  I'm overcome with sadness.  Where did the summer go?  I feel as if it slipped by silently, without proper attention given to it.  I look at the lists my daughter and I composed at the beginning of summer.  All the things we wanted to do during the freedom of summer.  Far too few items have been checked-off and I am consumed with guilt.  Did I drop the ball?  Did she have a good summer?  Were we overbooked?  Did I make enough time for fun? 

Usually, summer goes by quickly, by this year seemed especially quick.  I'm not ready to go back to schedules and homework and soccer practices and meetings. 

We did manage to sneak-in a few days at a lake cabin in Big Bear Lake earlier this week.  It was fun, but I somehow feel that I should have started the summer with the trip.  I feel like I finally relaxed into "summer mode" just in time for school start.  Did you have a good summer?  Did it slip by for you or do you feel like you experienced to it's fullest?  Tell me your secret for doing so.