Vicki O'Dell

Is it November Already?

Oh my goodness! I can't believe Halloween/Samhain weekend is already over.  It went by so fast and now here we are in November.  The clocks have turned back for Daylight Savings Time, the leaves are almost all on the ground and there are only, 22 days until Thanksgiving and 52 days until Christmas. What!?!?

I've been caught in the world of Fall/Christmas crafting.  The two seem to over lap for a while and my poor brain doesn't know which direction to turn.  One minute I'm working on Halloween or Fall and the next I'm making a snowman.  Crazy!  You might think my ADD addled brain would be happy with this arrangement but it's craft possibility over load!

I made this fall hanging basket a couple of weeks ago and listed it in my etsy store.  And right before that I made this darling snow man from paper clay that I also listed in my etsy store.

 

I also made the Santa in the cloche behind him but I'm not going to list him for sale.  I can't imagine how I'd ever package that one up and ship it safely. 

I've been a little discouraged with the etsy store.  Sales are slow and I'm not sure if it's the economy or something I'm doing/not doing.  I think the stuff I do on the web could easily be a full-time job.  The problem is that I already have a full-time job (4 kids, house and all that go with them) so part of my problem may just be lack of time to concentrate on promoting and making items for my shop. 

I decided yesterday that I'm going to keep plugging away, doing things that I truly enjoy doing, and at some point in time all of the planets will align and I'll wake up and be doing what I LOVE and making good money at it at the same time.  Until then I'll keep making things I enjoy and share some of the extras with YOU!

Spooky Drippy Candle

This craft takes a little more time and effort but it can be used year after year and it looks very SPOOKY!

 

You will need: 

Shoe Box or Other Sturdy Box

Electic Candle

Hot Glue Gun

Glue Sticks

Wilton Parchement Paper

Plastic Bag

Black Spray paint

First, wrap your sturdy box in the parchment paper.  For some reason the hot glue doesn't stick to the Wilton parchment paper. I have seen it stick to other brands though.  Weird! It's tricky getting tape to stick to the parchment as well so you'll probably end up taping the parchment to the box. Also, place the box on a sheet of the paper so that as the glue drips it won't stick to your work surface.

Take the bulb out of the candle and set it aside. 

 

Next add the hot glue to the candle.  Start at the top and make fake wax drips down the side of the candle.  Let the glue drip over the base and down the side of the box. Be very careful not to get glue down inside the candle. 

 

This is a project that takes a while.  You'll have to keep coming back as the glue gun heats the glue sticks and add several layers of glue covering the entire candle stick. It's best to let the glue on the candle set up and cool every now and then so you can see where you need to add more glue.  Let the candle set over night to cool and harden.

 

Place the cord in a plastic bag and tie the top closed to keep the cord from being painted black. Either replace the bulb if you aren't going to use the one that came with the candle stick or place something in the top of the hole (a cotton ball works well as long as it doesn't spill out onto the glue/wax).  You do not want to get paint inside the candle stick.  Spray paint until you get the look you want. Several light coats are key.  I tried a couple of different brands of spray paint and I like the way the Krylon Fusion looks.

 

Here is a close up of the base of the finished candle stick.

 

I replaced the bulb that came with the candle with a flicker bulb for a more dramatic effect.

Quick Tip: Want things to move along a little faster? Get two or three glue guns going at the same time. 

 

And just in case you don't have the time to spend MAKING these I have some for sale in my etsy shop here.

Faux Food in My etsy Shop

And my Day of the Dead Skulls are back too!!

Cre8tiveGoddess Shop

Silhouettes

My friend Jessica Blazek at ArtbyJess has done it again!  She let our previous silhouette craft inspire her to create a darling hand stitched wristlet. Isn't it great when you get on a roll and let one bit of inspiration lead you in all sorts of directions?!?!

 

I just love the clean look of the silhouette on linen.  This looks like something a lady would have carried a long time ago.  Great job Jess!

I'm Such a Lucky Girl

I used to be one of those people who could say, "I never win anything" but not any more.  In the past couple of months I've been lucky enough to win a few really nice items from blog, twitter and 1000market give aways. 

The first thing I won was a book from Jennifer Perkins at Naughty Secretary Club.  (This was a couple of months ago and I didn't write about it then... Sorry Jennifer!) The book I won was Plexi Class: Cutting Edge Projects in Plastic by Tonia Davenport.

Jennifer reviewed the book on her blog and then all I had to do was make a comment and I was chosen as the winner of the book.  Really, someone else won but they didn't respond so I was second in line.  Whatever!   It's mine now. :) The photos have me dying to try some of the projects but I've had it on my shelf since I won it... I'm on the look-out for a plastic cutter next time I'm in the home improvement store.  I'm usually in one every couple of weeks but things have been pretty hectic lately. Anyway...

The second thing I won was an owl brooch from a Twitter contest from SheRidesTheLion. All I had to do was be the 30th to Re-Tweet a message about the contest and I was the winner.  Isn't it great?  I have the perfect jacket to wear it with too.  As you know, I have an etsy account but I haven't listed anything for quite a while.  This little contest got me back into the site again and I have to say that the hand printed linocuts and silkscreens at SheRidesTheLion are a lot of fun to look at.  In fact, I have my eye on another piece!  Oh, and Sonia included a post card with the owl brooch that is a linocut of a lion.  He's fierce, I love him and he's pinned to my bulletin board.

 

And there is a THIRD item I won just this week.  I don't even have it in my possession yet.  This I won from a gallery opening at 1000markets from a little shop called Ideas Inc. I follow artist Robin Maria Pedrero on Twitter and she mentioned winning a prize and I clicked on over to check it out.  I had never been to the 1000markets website before but I set up an account and went poking around.  There are some really cool shops and hand made items to be found there.  I found a whole day of the dead market! Waaayy fun!

 

So if you are on a social networking site like Twitter and someone mentions a contest don't be afraid to check it out.  Click around, you might find something you never knew you needed OR you might just get lucky and win a wonderful prize too!  Check out all of the links in this post too if you can.  There are some really talented people in the world and I've been so lucky to have some contact with many of them!

Confessions and Fantasies

Confession #1...I do my best thinking in the morning when I'm in the shower.  I'm sure that I take a shower that is way too long.  I should take quick showers; but I do have a flow restrictor on the shower head so I hope that helps.  It doesn't make me feel any less guilty about it for sure but I just get lost in the heat and steam and my imagination takes me where it will. It's like I don't have any control once that hot water gets flowing, my body gets washed but my subconscious is in the drivers' seat...Anyway, I was thinking this morning about how I think.  (I've been told that I think too much.  Ya think?)

Confession #2...I have recently confessed to my husband that I think in pictures.  I've never told anyone that because I didn't think anyone else did.  (I still wonder if anyone does.) Example: You say spaghetti and I picture spaghetti.  Not the word "spaghetti" but a steaming plate full with grated Parmesan, meatballs, place setting, salad, bread and good wine.  The works!  I think in DETAILED pictures.  That's why I can't watch the news, or horror movies.  It's why when I'm thinking about something I'll physically flinch, smile or whatever.  You should watch me read a book.  I KNOW I make faces, I catch myself and try to stop but then I get lost in the story again! It's weird.  Does anyone else do that?  Probably people with over the top imaginations like me but I don't know.  Maybe I AM the only one...

Fantasy... This morning, for some reason the picture of a bus kept coming to me.  Not a school bus but a Greyhound. Thinking about that picture reminded me of a fantasy I've had for years.  (Pervs can stop reading now because there is nothing here for you) When my boys were little sometimes I felt seriously out numbered. Three to one. You moms out there will understand. Then their father would take off for 6 weeks-3 months with the military. Talk about overwhelming! If the boys got to be too much and I needed a mental break I'd fantasize about getting on a Greyhound bus.  Of all things.  In my fantasy, I'd get on the bus with just a small suitcase and a few dollars in my pocket (I'm always thin and young in these fantasies) and I'd ride that bus out to the middle of no where in Oklahoma.  It's a long ride, it's hot and I'm so tired.  (Even though when the boys were REALLY little we lived in New Mexico...not such a long ride!)  Once I get there I hole up in a cheap hotel room and I rest up. It's smelly, dirty and kind of noisy but it's all to myself! Just me and that little suitcase.  After I'm rested I get a job in a diner down the street and I wait tables to pay for my little hotel room.  I like the job because I talk to grown ups all day.  I meet interesting people.  We talk about art, philosophy and other stuff.  No one is calling "mom, mom, mom, mom". No one to take care of but me.  Ahhhh.  About that time someone makes a loud noise and I'm back in reality but the mental break was long enough that I can get back to everyone else. 

 

That's just what I was thinking about this morning.  My husband is away in Atlanta and has been since the 21st.  He won't be home until the 5th at the earliest.  I've been working on a special surprise for him for our 10th Meetaversary.  (I can't tell you what it is yet in case he reads my blog.) I'm working on that, my regular job, shooting videos, 4 young adults going hither and yon, my ebay/etsy, crafting... Must be why the escape fantasy came back. 

Anyway, now you all know just how weird I am. :)

My etsy store!

SOLD!

I'm so excited!  The skull I listed sold already!  YIPPEE! 

I have 6 or 7 more and I listed 3 of them today. 

First Etsy Listing

Well, I finally managed to get my first etsy listing up.  I love the way my skulls turned out.  I'll be listing one every day for the next week.  I'm so excited!

I'm already thinking of what to list next. :)

     

Sunday Tired Sunday

I slept until 10am today!!  I hardly EVER sleep that late unless I'm sick.  I'm more worn out than sick I think.  I had teenagers out until late both Friday night and Saturday night and I can't sleep when they are out so I got to bed pretty late those nights.  I had to get up early to work on Saturday and I worked late on Friday.  It was a long couple of days but hopefully I'm rested up now.

I spent the morning with Warren finishing up the banner for the etsy store.  I like the way it turned out.  Amazing what that man can do with a computer.  I think he wants to use it for the ebay store too.  Now if I could just keep up with all of the stuff we want to do...

I finished painting some stuff I'm going to list on etsy.  As soon as it's dry I'll take pictues and list it.  I'm excited to see how it does.  I have to get busy right away and work on some other stuff for a couple of craft shows coming up.  I think this is a relatively quiet week coming up so maybe I can get some stuff done.  I'll believe it when I see it.  Usually, the week starts out looking pretty quiet but by Tuesday I'm up to my eyeballs in stuff. 

I have a dear friend having a hysterectomy tomorrow.  Everyone send healing thoughts for her will you?

I'm uploading more pictures of work I've done.  Go check it out!