November seems like a good time for a sale – so I’m having a FREE SHIPPING event (to the US and Canada, only, though I will give overseas customers a break on shipping)!!
Handmade Holidays
Wow! Can you believe it’s already November? For us, here in Fairbanks, it seems really strange. We had a very dry fall – no snow until the last week of October. Usually it starts around the last week of September. I’ve been running around taking advantage of the weather … in other words, procrastinating getting ready for winter! Now I have to do what folks at lower latitudes do every year: prepare for winter and the holidays at the same time! Eek!
And, this year, I decided to have a handmade holiday. Everybody on my list is getting something handmade. You think I’m crazy, don’t you? I mean, I’m a self-professed procrastinator, my studio is a construction zone and I have little kids. Don’t worry, I have a plan! I’ve already finished some presents…and I never said all those handmade items had to be made by my hands. 
I have a not-so-secret source for fabulous handmade stuff – ArtFire.com – and I intend to use it.
I love the unique quality of artisan-produced stuff – and let’s face it, not everyone on my gift list would welcome polymer clay jewelry or a rag doll, no matter how adorable and well-made. Check out some random non-cutesy stuff I found:
From The Beaded Lily: A beautiful and masculine $12 keychain.
From Brilliance Found: The perfect earring for your guy if he wants to look pierced without getting pierced – for $2.50!
From Inkwear99: Shoes and shirt for your tattooed dude. ($60 and $11, respectively)
Why should I turn around an spend the money I earn from craft sales on other peoples’ crafts?
1. Why no? The stuff is beautiful and unique.
2. I can ask question about an item’s components or construction method from the person who made it, instead of a store clerk who may or may not be clueless.
3. I’m helping support folks who are facing the same kinds of challenges I am…maybe that’ll help my karma!
Why ArtFire?
1. Well, initially, I chose ArtFire because Kathi at Dragonglass mentioned that artists could open a shop there FOR FREE. No fees. At all. And I’m cheap. I haven’t opened any other online shops yet (ie – at Esty.com, Ebay, or any of the other possibilities), so I can’t say if ArtFire’s better than any other, but I like it so far.
2. You don’t need to open an account at ArtFire if you just want to shop.
3. You can shop for craft supplies and cool vintage finds there, as well as handmade stuff.
ArtFire.com Updates
I decided that trying to do our local holiday bazaars this year was just not going to work. Hubby is taking a welding class on alternate Saturdays . . . which just happen to be the Saturdays I was planning to sell at the bazaars. (Also, flu season and snow have hit. Bleh.) So I am trying to stock up my ArtFire shop. Only two new items posted so far, but I’ll be taking some more photos today. Come back soon for more updates!
For some reason, I can’t get the other new item’s picture into this post. Grrr. So go visit ArtFire.com! My shop is Butterscotch_Grove.
Studio Update – Two Forward, One Back
Remember that nice clear floor from a previous post? Guess what.
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- Ceiling is down, but not gone.
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- Nice Floor for the “Playroom,” eh?
Butterscotch
Lots of folks (well, a couple) have asked about my business name (and the name of this blog). We have a bunch of birch and cottonwood trees on our property, and in fall, their leaves turn a glorious butterscotchy color. Hence, “Butterscotch Grove.” When I came to Alaska from Philadelphia, I really missed the autumnal reds and oranges I grew up with. After fourteen years of watching the hills around Fairbanks turn gold, Gold, GOLD in September, though, I’m not only used to it, I LOVE it. The birches against the dark green spruce and the brilliant blue of the never-ending sky is just stunning. The pictures don’t do it justice:
In my yard
I love birch trees.
Twice the Woman I Used To Be
I did not diet before my wedding. I figured, he fell in love with me despite the love handles – why add more stress? We had guests coming from the both coasts, some who’d never been to Alaska before, and that was really enough to worry about. Oh, and my apartment building had been sold. I was the last tenant, and the new owners were really wanting me to move as soon as possible. We’d decided to wait until after the wedding to live together (imagine that!).
So, I waited until after the wedding to lose the weight I’d wanted to get rid of. And I did – when we went back East for our first anniversary, I’d lost about 30 pounds. Woo hoo! I even wore a two-piece bathing suit when we went down the shore. It was a tankini, but still! I hadn’t worn a two-piece since I was eleven.
Then…I had kids. Now I weigh more than ever before (while not pregnant), and I must say the weight is distributed differently. My kids are little (3 and 5) and VERY active. I have an arthritic toe, joint aches, carpal tunnel syndrome or something, chronic fatigue syndrome or something, and almost 70 pounds to lose. I’ve been feeling old, tired and fat for too long, dang it! So, I joined Weight Watchers (again) – and this time I’m committed to increasing my activity. My first workout? Jumping in rain puddles with my boy while waiting for Sissy to come home from school, instead of just watching him. We played Follow the Leader, too. He looked pretty cute following my lunges and squats. Next time I’m following him – 15 minutes of doing what he does should equal an hour or so at the gym.
I’ll add a “before” picture to this post soon. Wish me luck on making it to the “after”!
New (Lame) Addiction
Ok, so my dear friend-whom-I’ve-never-actually-met, Karin, introduced me to FaceBook, FarmVille and Farm Town. For Karin, these applications are not a problem: she apparently does not sleep, and therefore has lots of time to do lots of amazing stuff, as well as keep up with her virtual farms. I, however, would rather sleep than eat…and I love to eat. So, I’ve been wasting loads of time pretending to plow, plant and pull, and have neglected posting. And making stuff. And cleaning (yeah, like that’s something new). So, I’m setting some limits – 1 hour of FB a day, AFTER studio time, and ONLY if the kitchen is clean. Maybe, if I pretend I’m one of my kids, I’ll be able to stick to this. I would really rather dream about new clay or doll-making ideas than make-believe farms….
Tempus Fugit
My daughter is starting Kindergarten this year. I look at her in her pretty school dress and new school shoes, hair all brushed and pulled back, all excited to learn to read, and this is what I see:
Hi there!
Back into the Studio – with hammers and crowbars
Ok, so I know I said I’d post regular updates about my studio organization project. Sometimes unexpected things happen…like me not understanding quite what my husband needed to do with the space, and when. Anyway, it sure is a lot emptier now…
The ceiling had to be ripped out so we could see why the upstairs floor was so bouncy, and possibly do something about it. LOTS o’ dust. So, here’s my clay table:
and my fabric stash (at least some of it), as well as the contents of the “play room”:
Sigh.
Crafty Daddy’s Princess Bed
DH decided that our Girl Child needed a princess bed…but her ceiling is too low to accommodate a traditional canopy or bunk beds. This is the design he came up with. The crenelated section on top holds a twin mattress, and the “dungeon” has a crib mattress, at the moment. (A twin will fit, but changing the sheets will be tight. I think the Boy will need a sleeping bag.) I was planning to do some faux stone accents and flower stencils on it, but I think it looks great as is. What do you think? And don’t you think my kiddos are lucky to have such a cool dad?
Two Princesses and a Little Dude in the Dungeon
Daddy and His Happy Kiddos
Look at that face!
