Happy Birthday Riley!!

Last Sunday was Riley's birthday. It was a wonderful full day of activity, laughter and no stress on my part! (which is quite a feat in itself!) We woke up and went to church, then headed to see Wall-E. The movie was really cute, i recommend it to anyone who likes a sweet animation. It's actually quite cool that the movie had barely any actual talking it in, but still managed to show so much emotion. {and the fact, that it's about emotional robots}.

After the movie, we killed time at our favorite store. Barnes and Noble. Sigh...we can spend hours at bookstores. i love them! Kobe Steakhouse is a Asian place that does hibachi at the table and they offer $15.00 off on your birthday so we headed there next. They put on a little show while they cook your food and give you a whooole plate full. {I had enough to eat to be full and two days of left overs!} It's a fun place. Tis highly recommend.

We came home and went running, and then, sadly, the day was over. It was a great day though. Hope your weekend was brilliant as well!!

Food and Me are Good Friends.

It's AMAZING how scared...okay fine...intimidated Riley was in the kitchen just a couple months ago. Now, it's as though he's turned pro. Reading and following whole recipes, and coming up with these amazing meals, all himself. I find it rather impressive. Above are a few photos of the food greatness i've been partaking in.

Lucky Me!!

Introducing...my Copper Collection.

I wanted to create a collection of jewelry that emphasizes my love for Vintage inspired jewelry. This copper gem is my favorite of my new collection. A nice sized, faceted, Opal Quartz sits under a vintage inspired, textured triangle bead cap. A tiny Garnet lays under the Opal. A little Brass flower houses a creamy Freshwater Pearl and another tiny Garnet accent. This lovely selection hangs on a 22" Copper chain, and has my signature cherry dangling off of a round copper clasp. The matching earrings hang on elongated Copper ear wires.

Life > Work

It's been a while....

Life has been getting in the way of my own work. My jobs, family and boyfriend are taking up all of my time. I really am trying to blog more. I went home and had a ton of blogging ideas, but annoyingly, my family's internet was down. Thus, i wasn't able to blog at all. More about that later. Today i FINALLY updated my website, and Etsy site with new items.

What ya think?

Typewriters, Irons, and Artwork! Oh My!

I've been admiring Michele's work for AGES!!! I just look at her work longingly, wishing i could buy all of it!! (or at least any of it, and one day Michele i promise i will!) Buying things right now just aren't in the cards right now, so I'm just drool over her work. And you should too!! Not only is her work amazing, but she's super friendly. And inspiring to anyone who is just waiting for the day they would like to take their art to the next level and make it their full time job. So sit back, look at the pretty pictures and look at the stellar work before you.



*How long have you been crafting?

I have been making things and art for just about 8 years now, but ever since I can remember I have loved to create things. Art was always my favorite activity in school, and it's something that I have always been driven to do.

*Did you always craft in this genre?

I have always stayed pretty close to the fine arts. Both of my grandmothers tried to teach me how to crochet. They also tried to teach me how to sew and hook rugs, but I never really took to it. However, I did really love drawing and making watercolor paintings for people.



*Who or what inspires you?

I like to find inspiration in things that make up my everyday life. A favorite cup, a vintage typewriter, my favorite water towers,certain flowers...these are the things that surround me. I have always liked the idea of art as a journal, or a story, and that is what I am trying to achieve with my work right now.

*What defining moment made you decide to turn your hobby into a business?

I don't know if there was a defining moment, but there was certainly a defining time. I recently moved to Pontiac, Michigan while my boyfriend attends graduate school at Cranbrook. I had been looking for a job for almost two months. I must have turned in over 30 resumes, and had several interviews, and still I had nothing. I have almost 6 years of experience working as an assistant department manager for a couple of health food stores, and had actually had three different interviews for one here. However, they wanted to start me off as a cashier, and I had promised myself 2 years ago that I would never, ever, cashier again. Out of all the various jobs I have had, that is my least favorite...and I swore I would never do it again no matter how much I needed the work. So, when they offered that job to me I said no. I said that I would much rather keep looking for another opportunity, or work on making art my full time job...and here I am :)



*What changes were made to your regular schedule to make this go from a hobby to a business?

I didn't have to change a whole lot, because this is what I started doing full time. However, there are a few things that I had to learn to do to keep myself on track. I always make a to-do list. If this doesn't get done I feel like my head is spinning in circles. Also, I had to learn to take breaks. I would try to get everything done in one go, but things just don't work that way. I had to teach myself that it's ok to take breaks and stretch my legs every now and then.

* You have an amazing talent, with great product! What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

Well, I am still pretty new to this, but I have found that having a blog is a great way to promote yourself. It gives people a chance to see what I am working on and it gives them a little bit of a sneak peak. It also allows people to connect with me, as an artist. People can see where I am coming from through the writing in my blog. They can get to know me on more of a personal level, and I think that is really important when it comes to viewing art work, or even when making a decision to purchase a piece of work.

My blog address is http://www.how2drawacupofcoffee.blogspot.com just in case you'd like to check it out.



*What challenges have you found while taking your craft into the business world?

One of the biggest challenges is that there is a lot of competition in the art world. Sometimes it's all just a matter of being at the right place at the right time, or even knowing the right people. I am not much of an outgoing person. In fact I have had a really hard time talking to people, especially about my work. Unfortunately, this is something that is REALLY important when it comes to selling art and making all those right connections. But, I am working on it, and I think with the help of the internet I am building more and more confidence in talking to people and discussing my work.



*If someone from out of town were visitng you, what key places would you bring them to? (galleries, coffee shops, parks, museums, etc)

Well, the Detroit Institute of Art just finished their big remodel so I would definitely take them there. There is also a handful of great little boutiques and cool art related businesses in Royal Oak. One of them being the 323 Gallery on East Third in Royal Oak. Also in Royal Oak is an amazing Farmer's Market where you can literally buy a weeks worth of groceries for about $20-40 bucks. This includes breads, meats, cheeses, herbs...all from local farmers! It's really amazing and I shop there every Saturday :) I love promoting local arts and farmers, because I think it's SO important, especially here in Michigan, to support small business people, and the environment.



Head over to Michele's etsy, or her blog (where she posts on a daily basis, with pictures!). Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Pancakes

Don't you love those Saturday mornings, when you don't have anywhere to be. (Well, not very early anyways..) Those Saturday mornings, you can take the moments , enjoy the morning Sunday and make delicious Saturday Morning Pancakes.

Enjoy those pancakes all year round, on every day of the year. These "pancakes" are round rondelles of a dark stained wood, with a Jade "cherry" on top. Dangling below are a cute set of Pewter fork and knife charms.

Eat Up!!