Mayfly

Well, my booth at Brocante Bliss is just about ready, and this upcoming weekend (Dec. 7-9) is the big weekend! Today's the day we all get ready, and it's really hoppin' down there with all of us arranging, rearranging, placing and pricing.

Also, there will be a CONTEST! With PRIZES! Brocante Bliss has teamed up with Hope House this season for the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway. <--- Click on that link for all the details. Plus you'll be helping women and children through Hope House too!

Here are a few of the furniture pieces I'll have available. I'm planning on taking a few more photos of the booth all fluffed up tonight, and I think I'll walk around and take photos of some of the gorgeous goodies everyone else has to offer. I'll try to show more tomorrow.

Hope to see you down there!

p.s. See this little sparkly house. Um... yeah. Little N and I HAD to have to have it.

Posted by Alicia at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, hello. How are you? We are terrific.

We're busy here having a fun-filled summer, but in between trips to the pool and little league games, I'm finding slivers of time to squeeze in some work.

I just finished this for a client (also my great friend). We saw this idea in an old Better Homes and Gardens Kid's Room magazine and copied it using a dresser she had. She found the map wrapping paper at Paper Source. I love it. Love, love, love it. I kinda don't want to give it back. I'm already walking around the house looking for stuff to cover in maps.

And I've also had a few photo shoots for lovely little families.

Also, since N and I didn't finish our fairy house and garden in time, our "diy-chia" heads are over at the Craft Camp. Cindy has added some more great ideas! I'll be sure to share the fairy house when we're done.

Ok, then. Time to go scrounge up something for dinner.

Posted by Alicia at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

But you knew that. The thing is, it's really fun. Seriously. People pay me to paint on their walls! Come on. How could it not be?

I recently (yesterday! while the little one was at extended day preschool!) painted a mural for a nice little family, and the dad had a great idea for his son's room- nearly life-sized and stylized baseball players. I had the wrong lens on my camera and it was difficult to get a good photo, but trust me. It looked good. At least I thought it did. Sometimes I leave a job when the clients are gone. I tidy up, take a couple photos, and lock the door behind me. It makes me a little nervous every time.

So last night after a really long day for all of us that ended with small, exhausted, whiny children finally closing their eyes, Brian checked the answering machine and there was a message from that dad. He LOVED the mural. "No need to call back," he said. "I just wanted to tell you how pumped we are that this room looks so amazing. I really love it. Thank you." That right there is the absolute. best. part. of painting murals.

Wait. Maybe the second best. When the kids are really excited about their mural? Yes. That's the ABSOLUTE best.

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Oh yeah. I also updated my main website, themayfly.com, last weekend. It's not drastically different; it's just freshened up and I added a page for my portraits. I updated up a lot of the photos and the about page. So if you're inclined, go poke around.

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It has been a busy, busy week for us, and blissfully there is nothing on the calendar for today. We have clean laundry, a lasagna and rice krispie treats in our future...

I'm betting this is all you'll hear from me this week, so have a great weekend!

Posted by Alicia at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

It has been a long summer of very little time to create, but for my own mental health, I think it's time. I'm giving myself a few little assignments to hopefully spark something.

So today instead of cooking and freezing the corn I bought, or folding the laundry, or priming the trim outside, I will be here in my studio working on a little painting. And then perhaps making a birthday gift for a friend. (Hi, friend. How are you?)

Happy Friday everyone. It came right in the nick of time, didn't it?

Posted by Alicia at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Happy Sunday! I thought I'd pop in for a minute and share little bits of a couple of recent murals.

I've been painting more murals lately, which is so very good for our financial well being, and in turn our mental well being. : ) I usually only paint on weekends when Brian is home to watch the kids, which makes me miss him a little. But we've been squeezing lots of fun stuff in and around my working time- friends and barbecues and baseball games and out-of-town visitors.

I hope you all are well! (And I also hope to have a few sewing projects to show you soon.)

Posted by Alicia at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Jennifer, hey there! Jennifer M. Yes you. How are you? Are you ready for us? We're excited to come. Now, please avert your eyes. wink.

We're taking a little trip to Dallas this weekend for a wedding. (Brian's cousin- he's great and so is the fiancee. Good people, they are.) Anyway, we're staying at Brian's sister's home and we're excited to see all the cousins and have a little mini-vacation.

I've been busy yesterday and today getting some gifts ready to take with us.

Gift 1: The host(ess) gift. For Jen and Scott for letting us stay with them.

Gift 2: An outfit for an almost 4 year old. The Earth Day baby in the family.

Gift 3: The wedding gift. I pulled this painting out of my shop for them. I intended to make another, but time ran out on me. The good thing is they are the kind of couple who will really appreciate a piece of artwork instead of a random houseware. They are cool like that.

Gift 4: A bunny treasure box for an already 6 year old. Oooops.

Now I've got to finish packing bags. We're leaving at the crack of dawn. Before dawn really. So I'll see you next week!

Posted by Alicia at 5:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Hello!

My little Shop Mayfly is open. I'm nervous and excited and relieved that it's finally time. Like I said yesterday, I hoped there would be more to offer, but my days have suddenly filled with mural jobs, and I just haven't had much time in the studio. But I feel like this amount of work may just be the nice quiet start that I need to dip my toes into the vast ocean of Etsy sales. I'll let you know here when I'm going to add more items.

There are several Simple Bird paintings, included the one that started it all. The response you all gave me about that silly little cardinal made me believe that I might actually have the nerve to sell some artwork. Thank you for that. It only feels right to let her finally go. I have some ideas brewing for new paintings of birds, slightly more daring and conceptual. Slightly. I'll show you soon.

There are a few Artist Totes too. They are roomy and long-handled and the front pockets are designed to hold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" sketchbook perfectly. I've been wanting to make myself one of these for ages, and I thought they just might appeal to other artsy folks like yourselves. One good quality, hardcover sketchbook is included, but they would also hold one of your own favorite notebooks. One of these, perhaps. I LOVE these bags. I'll be making more soon!

So thank you for stopping by and if you decide to purchase something- THANK YOU in advance. I wish I could say I'm off to relax now, but I have a few more very busy days ahead.

Bye, friends! Have a wonderful weekend.

Posted by Alicia at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)

Another peek at the playhouse I've been working on.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. All that remains is the yellow and white checkered floor.

Posted by Alicia at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)

A jewelry and treasure box.
A very belated birthday gift for a very, VERY sweet girl.

I'm in a rush... but have a super weekend!

Posted by Alicia at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

My good friend asked me to paint her daughter's big girl room. Bryn is a big sister now and is cordially- as cordially as a three year old knows how- passing on the nursery (the second set down- the bunnies and castle) to baby Colette. They chose yellow on yellow harlequin diamonds with blue rosettes between. And since Colette got the booties and bib, I made Bryn a Little Girlie Purse in the same color scheme too. If you can't tell, she is a little bit crazy for yellow. I casually mentioned that she could keep her chapstick in her purse and now she's crazy for chapstick too.

Posted by Alicia at 7:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

The little pink sparrow arrived at its new home, so here it is. (I hung it temporarily in N's room to take the photo.) I really kind of liked this one, almost enough that I could have kept it for myself. Wow! Maybe I'm making progress.

Posted by Alicia at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Left: Sneak peak of a painting for Grace's daughter.
I'll show you the whole thing after she gets it.
Right: Magnolia tree down the block.
We're enjoying beautiful flowering trees this year.
(Both images are clickable.)

Happy Thursday!

Posted by Alicia at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Posted by Alicia at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Staying busy here. I've got a few swaps in the works and I'm working on a small painting my friend asked for ages ago. (We're doing a little trade.) I don't hate it, but I don't love it. It was inspired by the bird paintings I did for N's room, but I like the originals better. Let's call this one a work in progress. I'm half tempted to paint over it and start again.

See, I have a problem. I never like my own work. I don't think it's awful, just not great. I do enjoy making it; I paint murals for a living (sort of) for Pete's sake. But even the murals, which turn out fine, make me extremely nervous. I breathe a huge sigh of relief when the client comes in to see the finished work and likes it. People ask me all of the time if I have murals all over my house. NO! I couldn't stand to stare at them that long. Too permanent. It took a lot for me to come to terms with hanging those birds in her room.

So why choose to be an artist if you're so unhappy with the outcome? That's the question for me. I love making things- artistic and pretty yet functional items- bags, dolls, clothes. But it's easier to see the purpose for them. Example: I LOVE, LOVE Melissa's art quilt. Beautiful. I think in my head, I should try that. But then again, would I hang it in my own house when I'm done? Probably not. If someone wanted it, then sure, I'd make it.

This is the basic problem I had in college. I loved the process much more than the product. That printshop smelled so good, was a big magical science lab of sorts, but sit through another brutal critique of my mediocre yet passable art? See ya. I'm off to the bar. And all that conceptual bologna. Good grief. I get it already. I'm just here to draw a barn, people. (My senior show was all barns- I'll have to post a few sometime. Look here and here.) Don't get me wrong. I love abstract and conceptual art. I really do appreciate it. But it is what it is, let the viewer interpret. Quit blabbing about your privileged (or unprivileged) upbringing and your relentless struggle with self discovery. Ok, now I'm just being bitter. Sorry. And they wondered why I didn't apply to graduate school.

Yet I really feel the drive to make stuff. I love being creative, drawing and painting and sewing and maybe even printing again one day. But is it weird to want to throw away what you've just made? Was it all a waste of time?

Holy smokes. Look at all of this. Thank you if you've waded through this far- I didn't intend to post about all of this today. I was just going to show you this little bird painting I've been dabbing at. I am not looking for any stroking. I am trying to think this through. Is this common? Is it just insecurity? Is this the defining problem that holds me at crafter and not artist?

Posted by Alicia at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)

We had a wonderful trip to St. Louis. We took the Amtrak, and it was two hours late arriving. Yes, J, N and I were on the train for 7 hours. All I can say is my children are amazing. They were so well behaved and didn't moan or squawk the whole trip. When we boarded early in the morning, there were more than a few of those "Oh my God, no, don't let them sit by me" looks thrown our way. But several people came by and complimented me on how great they were doing. Mama was thoroughly proud.

My mural went well. I think it turned out nice, and Sharon, Brian's aunt, was very happy with it. It was so fun to paint for her. She and I gabbed away the whole time- she's one of those people that is so easy to talk to. I love her dearly. She's off to Italy tomorrow for a vacation. (She stayed in the villa a few years ago that we put in the mural.)

Friday evening we ate at a restaurant called The Crossing. It is in old downtown Webster. Good food, nice weather, and a few trains passing by. Who could ask for more? Brian came Friday evening after work in the car to join in on the vacation.

Maw Maw and Da babysat so we could spend Saturday evening with dear old college friends. Brad and Katherine hosted a small reunion barbecue for a bunch of us. Thank you, guys! It was truly great to hang out and catch up. And behalf of all of us, I'd like to apologize to the nice non-Truman spouses (Jamilyn's Tom, Dave's Jane, and Bill's wife who's name has left me. They got there late, and I had, um, consumed a few of these beauties.) Thank you for bearing with our old boring stories!

Sunday we went to Grants Farm, which is very entertaining and is free. They even give you a free Anheuser-Busch beverage at the food court! Free beer! I kid you not. Then later in the evening we all barbecued at Kim's.

And there was even more. Sheesh, weekends like these make you glad to be alive. But there's nothing like a trip to make you happy to come home. We all slept like rocks in our own beds last night. Click here to see all the Flickred pics.

Hope your holiday weekend was all you hoped it would be!

Posted by Alicia at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Well, mural season is upon me. Winter is a slow time for my mural painting business, and that stinks. Right when we start to rely on the money and the holidays come around with the added expense of gifts, no one wants to do projects at home. It happens every year. There is usually a small rush to get some work done before Thanksgiving, and then it slows to a trickle until after tax season. So this year I expected it, and lo and behold, April 17 passed and I'm working again. I painted a baby room last weekend. I have a playroom to do this weekend, and several jobs still in the works.

Of course, I have always made little things on the sly, but now I'm considering officially marketing some more items. The step stools are popular; I think I might be able to get them into some little boutiques with a bit of effort. And the little aprons and such- they are pretty cute. If I can keep the prices reasonable, I think I might be able to sell them here and there too. I know this sort of thing isn't as profitable as the murals, but it might help, and it would keep me busy in the off-season. I guess it time to investigate how to charge, gulp, sales tax.

I also feel like it is time to get more professional and official with my paperwork. I'm going to go have some real estimate forms printed. The kind that have the carbons built in. And I'm going to print myself some paper tags and thank you cards. I looked online last night for some fabric tags for my sewing items. I want them to be very simple and clean, a la Shim + Sons (scroll down that post to see the tags she uses), but there seems to be a minimum order requirement of 1000+ for something like that. 1000?! I'm not ready for that commitment. I was thinking 100. I'm going to call around locally to find some. I'd try to do them myself somehow, but I want them to be super washable and durable. Anyone have any sources? For fun I think I might try to print some t-shirts and a canvas bag for my supplies. Freezer paper stencils, here I come!

I also got my first special order sewing job. OK, it IS my sister-in-law, but still. Kim wants a summery bag out of the fun stripes and dots. I'm excited and a little nervous. I hope it turns out well! So, that's it on the official news front.

In more FUN news:

I got home from an estimate last night and J came running to tell me that he and daddy were "doing stuff!" They were doing some science experiments. They had some baking soda and vinegar volcano action going on and then they made the ooze. It was cool- very slimy! 1 cup water + 1 1/2 cups corn starch + stir, stir, stir = OOZE. Note: If you make this, don't throw it out down the sink, it'll clog the pipes. Throw it into the compost.

Oh, I almost forgot. Am I the last person to see this site? Brian showed it to me this weekend. www.pandora.com. It will build streaming radio stations based on your likes and dislikes in music. It is great!

Posted by Alicia at 7:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)