Monday, June 30, 2008
Big Sky
This is from a farm near my parent's place.
Big Sky
Originally uploaded by bethyhoward
I'm remembering now how hard it is to get just the right exposure. I took about 100 photos and only liked about 15. Just getting the contrast correct is really hard, but I enjoyed my time spent driving around the dirt roads.
You can't really beat the kind of light I was getting--it was just minutes before a summer pop-up storm.
You can see more of the pics on Flickr.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
More new camera shots
From my walk downtown at lunch time.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Printy McPrinterson
I've been trying to convert some of my daily doodlings into some actual product. What a concept! This is a little drawing that I did in the morning news meeting. Hmmm. Questionable. I'm listening, though! I know exactly how many crimes happened last year versus this year. Swear!
I'm so very very happy with these print colors and hope to package them up for sale ASAP. I had really great luck selling Father's Day cards at the Artisan Festival last weekend, and I think I've finally come close to perfectly printing linoleum blocks on my Kelsey.
I also have a couple of big new plans in the works, to be revealed later! It's a waiting game, and I don't want to count chicks before they're hatched!
I'm a Bragger
Yep. I brag a lot.
Today I got a new toy--and it's actually a late birthday (11 months late) to me from my parents--they gave me a little money last year and I saved it. Just to spend it now on a big-girl camera. The guy at Best Buy called it a "Big Boy" camera, which I naturally took offense to.
My new baby is a Canon XSi. I totally forgot how fun it is to have a camera with adjustable focus and aperture. AWESOME! Wowie wow. Hopefully now I'll be able to take more shots of stuff in questionable light. It has a stabilization thingy that helps with shakiness in low light. Exactly.
These are just some of the shots. I didn't go too far out of my way to find inspirational subject matter, but they're not too bad, right? I'll try to upload some more to flickr.
Labels: weekend
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Still recovering!
I'm still working on recovering! The house is a wreck, I have to get back on my diet/exercise track, and I just need to sleep a lot. Oh, and I just booked the honeymoon this morning. Gulp! Nothing like dropping $2500 first thing in the morning.
It was a great show, though. Check out my new shutter-shelves system! This idea courtesy Freshie--it was awesome!!
I sold that painting and another. Pretty exciting!
This week I'm playing catch up--next thing is the wedding invitations! Gulp again!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
One...Last...Post
Before the show. People, I am TIRED. I've worked the 3am-noon shift all week, which meant more time for sewing, less time for sleeping. And my first class of the summer at Watkins started last night, so I didn't get to rest on my arse like I was craving.
Today, just a few last minute things like loading prints into sleeves, cutting strings, and my least favorite, pricing everything. It's so hard to think of how much time I spent on something and then put $12 on it.
And then there's the panic of: why didn't I make more stuff? I really wish I had made a huge painting of Nashville like last year, but I just ran out of steam. I even went so far as to paint the background of a canvas, but it never got finished.
Please say "hello" if you come out and see me! I'll have prints, Father's Day cards, journals, paintings, pincushions, and HANDBAGS galore!!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Shameless Self Promotion
IMG_2995.JPG
Originally uploaded by bethyhoward
Busily working at the sewing machine this week! I have some GORGEOUS new fabric, and a show at the end of the week, so I'm cranking out the handbag goodness.
This year I'm really cranking it up. By "it" I mean style, functionality, everything. I think that what I do really well when it comes to purses is the big, comfy, functional bag. With really cool fabric, of course. So I'm not spending gobs of time sewing little tailored patchworks, although I do love the look of those.
You are all under strict orders to come see me Friday (noon-6) Saturday (10-6) or Sunday (10-6). At Centennial Park on West End. That's right. I don't care if you live in Croatia! Just kidding. But if you live in Nashville, please come and say hi!
IMG_2994.JPG
Originally u
ploaded by bethyhoward
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Hands Shaking, She Takes the Stage
Yesterday I did a craft segment on Talk of the Town--the local news and entertainment show on NewsChannel5 in Nashville. Yeah, so I work there. But that doesn't make it less stressful! In fact, the idea that all the people I spend my whole day with are watching makes it much more scary!!
I demonstrated block printing. It went really well! Only minimal hands-shaking, and I also said "I'm pretty good at lots of things" which sounds really conceited. I meant, I'm sort of good at several things, but not great at any one thing.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
See? I told you I'm sewing!
Here are some clutches I've been working on. It's a struggle to dig out the time, but it must be done. Here's the list of things I have swirling around my head right now:
To do:
sew purses
assemble notebooks
cut strings on cuffees
buy shutters for shelving
spray paint shutters (what colors)
laundry
wedding cake
clean kitchen floor
small pro-bono freelance project
sew wallets
finish paintings
assemble cards and prints
healthy food for lunch
WORKOUT EVERYDAY
Write curriculum for Watkins Class
Update website
tissue paper flowers
And today's big stress: and appearance on Talk of the Town! I'll be doing block printing. Set your DVR's or Tivo's for 11:15 am!
This was inspired by a clutch in a Japanese craft book.
Monday, June 02, 2008
The Creative STruggle
Now that the big day is drawing near--the Artisan Festival--I can't seem to motivate myself to crank out the purses. Purses are my biggest sellers for quantity. But they're the worst performers for profit. I make such a tiny profit on them that slaving away at the sewing machine for hours to make $5 per purse does NOT sound like a good business plan.
And then there's the creativity struggle. I like creating useful objects, and I like creating one of a kind ideas. I like to work BIG. So I've been painting. And not what I'm supposed to be painting--like the 3 commissions I have on the block right now. I just want to play around and make something pretty. Is that so much to ask? I feel sort of naughty for painting when I should be sewing, or at least working on my commissions.
I have been doing some sewing, which I will be showing you in the next couple of days. And I do have a stock pile of items which did not sell at the MamaMade open house. The only thing I sold that day was more than 20 Cuffees! Crazy! So I'm cranking those out like a madwoman.
Here's a detail of the painting I did this weekend. It used calico for the background, paint with a LOT of gel medium and layers of fabric for the clouds, and pastel chalk to make the sketchy marks. Then more gel medium.
I really like the look of it, but wish it was bigger. I have this desire to create really big things right now. I think it's a subconscious cry for open spaces. I WANT TO BE OUTSIDE! I WANT TO GO TO COLORADO!
Okay, I'm being weird today. I'll sign off.