The painting above was recently created by my incredibly talented mother Sharon Scanlin. Isn't it wonderful?! I'm so excited to see her painting again. She took a hiatus for a number of years and now that she's retired, she's picked her paintbrush back up and the world is going to be a far more beautiful place because of it. She can do anything, seriously, she's like Martha only cooler. She is the original 'shabby chic' 'make something out of nothing' decorating genius. She was so beautiful she could have been a movie star and has always had an incredible fashion sense, check her out below! She's still drop dead gorgeous. My mother at 65 knows more about graphic design, computers and Photoshop than most people half her age, her logos, brochures and ads are impeccable. My mom could have easily had a career as a fine artist and certainly would have rocked the craft world as a designer. I wanted to share this with you because it's so uplifting and happy. It was a gift for a co-worker and the sun in it was a gift I gave her many years ago, so it's a double gift and now it's a gift to you, gentle reader. I love that! My mother had to sacrifice a lot of her creativity while raising three daughters on her own and it's lovely to see her reclaiming those aspects of her personality. Plus I'm really proud of my mom for spreading her creative wings again. Go MOM!
My Beautiful Mom Sharon Scanlin holding yours truly...circa 1963.
I have made an executive decision concerning The Impatient CrafterTM Happy Cute Make Kewpie Doll Challenge 2008. I'm going to order Kewpies from KitKraft, when I have them here I will announce it and if you want one you will have to pay me for the doll and the shipping (priority flat rate) via PayPal and then I shall ship it to you to the address you provide me. I will order 85 dolls, that makes 100 total including the first freebies. Once I run out, I'm out. If you want to procure your own Kewpie, that's okay too, they just all have to be 2" tall. If you live overseas, I will need to adjust the shipping. I am moving the dates back a skootch, so the deadline for entries is now September 12th and the winners will be announced September 23.
Phew.
Why did I think this was a good idea again?!
So here's the story, Aileen from Outside the Margines sent a photo of the swag she's offering for the 3 prize bags, super cool huh? How much do I love that she called it a Kewprize! Hee hee. Also Kathy Cano Murillo has agreed to provide some Crafty Chica Duncan products for the prize bags and to judge. I'm letting the judges make their own dolls (if they so choose), which will not be eligible for the prizes, but will be shown on the gallery. I will be placing a signed copy of my second book in each bag too! So put on your thinking caps and as soon as I get the dolls, I'll set everything up for you to order them from me at my Etsy Shop and pay via PayPal. I will also be ordering them from the manufacturer to arrive later and in that case, I'll sell them at a much nicer price and in groups instead of onesies.
Yes, I have an Etsy Shop. It's not really doing anything right now, but it will be in the very near future. I have a ton of funky stuff I've been hording and it's time to share with the class. So I'll be selling wicked cool craft supplies and my original pendants and one of a kind finished jewelry. So stay tuned for more details!
Aileen from Outside the Margins also sent me some samples of her new miniature bird houses and you have got to go see these! They are small enough to be pendants or pins! Is your brain reeling or what?!
Linky Love Shout Out to Carol of Art n Quilt who kindly posted my YouTube Video in her fabulous blog! We need her in our Kewpie Challenge!
Okay I promised ten things about me today, but I had bizniz to address, tomorrow is TastyLinksTM so ten things will have to wait until Monday. Because really, haven't we all heard enough about me?!
Oh and for those gals who wanted the Frankfurter Loaf recipe, it's just six cooked hot dogs plopped into a box of cornbread mix in a loaf pan. Yes, it's as simple to make as it is visually appealing. I'm making it today to bring to a party, just so I can watch people react! Tee hee.
Just to reiterate, I have officially run out of Kewpies. In fact, I've given away even my personal stash. If you would still like to join the The Impatient CrafterTM Happy Cute Make Kewpie Doll Challenge 2008 you will have to order a 2" Kewpie from Kit Kraft (http://www.kitkraft.biz/product.php?productid=4088) or find one elsewhere. I want to make sure we all have the same canvas, so that's why I'm asking you to get a 2" Kewpie. One lucky player who made the cut will receive a crawling Kewpie and one will receive a girl Kewpie, but they are still 2" Kewpies. How many times can I type Kewpie in one paragraph? Kewpie, Kewpie, Kewpie, Kewpie...
I'd love to get a bunch of folks on board, so please join in the fun! It's only a buck and change to order a Kewpie and you get to keep it and you can even sell your finished design if you want later. We have one sponsor on board so far, the fabulous Ms. Aileen Roberts from Outside the Margins has agreed to both judge and provide a little something something for the three Prize Swag Bags. I'm chatting up a few other folks so we can sweeten the pot so to speak. Sweet!
I'm also working on some free product giveaways here at The Impatient Blogger. Who doesn't love free stuff, raise their hand? Yup, thought so, everyone loves free stuff! YAY! So look for upcoming comment challenges with fabulous free prizes and lots of great ideas to spice up your crafty creations. All of this and more is heading your way this summer from your hostess with the mostest Margot Potter The Impatient CrafterTM!
Can I get a Huzzah?!
Until tomorrow...craft on with your bad selves.
xoxo Madge
PS: Linky Love shout-out to the insanely talented Ms. Rebecca Peck for posting my video in her blog. It's not too late, if you want to feel the Linky Love just post my video in your blog and let me know, here's a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmzJjWmE1D4. We're gearing up for a new production this weekend, so stay tuned!
It's time to officially announce "The Impatient CrafterTM Happy Cute Make Kewpie Doll Challenge 2008". I have a small collection of small Kewpies (15 to be exact) that I purchased in Tokyo at the HAJ Show. In Japan, decorating these adorable tiny dolls in a huge variety of adorable and sometimes bizarre tiny costumes is a craft phenomenon. There were a zillion books about this craft and cell phone charms with the decorated Kewpies were everywhere we went. I thought immediately this was the exactly sort of a kooky thing American artists and crafters might enjoy, so here we are. These dolls are tiny, 2 inches tall to be exact so this is a real challenge!
The Impatient CrafterTM Happy Cute Make Kewpie Doll Challenge 2008
The challenge: Decorate a tiny Kewpie doll I shall send you via post or you shall purchase from the internet.(Note: If you live overseas, it may take a little while as I can't afford fast international shipping on a freebie!)
The rules: Take a clear, cool and funny photo of your Kewpie and email it to me at margot@margotpotter.com (1MB or smaller jpeg file please.) The winners will be selected by a panel of distinguished Craft experts...which may be Sock Monkey and my daughter unless I can find some other folks willing to judge and not play. We will select winners in the following three categories:
Most Original Funniest Cutest (a.k.a. most Kawaii)
The winners will receive a yet to be determined, but most definitely fabulous prize. I promise it will be worth your time! I will create a Kewpie Photo Gallery where your Kewpie will be showered with fame and fortune. I will announce the winners on September 8th.
You must contact me within the next two weeks in order to participate; once I run out of Kewpies, you can order a Kewpie from Kit Kraft if you want to play. Here is the url: http://www.kitkraft.biz/product.php?productid=4088. If you are one of the first fifteen, you must email me your address at margot@margotpotter.com so I can mail you a Kewpie. I will announce when I run out here at The Impatient BloggerTM.
Sounds simple enough, yes? Above are examples of Japanese Kewpies. They also dress them up as sushi and other random and odd items. You can do whatever you like, my friends. Sky's the limit. Just try to have fun!
Super Linky Love Shout Out to the divine Ms. Yoli of Sacred Snatch Designs who generously posted my video on her blog yesterday. Check out her blog and her work, she's a very cool chica.
We got in after midnight last night and my poor hubby was plum tuckered from the six plus hour drive. So he stayed up reading and the light kept me up too, I didn't want to whine considering the fact that I had been drifting in and out of sleep the entire ride. I swear to you that every time I started to nod off and snapped awake; a huge semi was cutting us off. It was like being in a bad video game! I am quite certain it was driving my husband insane listening to me gasp every half hour at another "nearly averted tragedy." It's a damn good thing that one of us is patient. We were on a stretch of highway that was Convoy central for the first half of the trip and all I can say is I am pleased as punch that I wasn't driving. Have I mentioned that Mommy has a potty mouth?
I'm a little crusty around the edges today to say the least. Snerg. Our piggy Miss Daisy was so excited to see us. When we pulled in the driveway she came spramping out of her cottage in the dark insisting someone come over and pat her on the head. She's a pushy piggy, but a lovable one. She definitely fits right in with the womenfolk in this household.
So many people kindly posted our video this weekend! THANK YOU! The only way to build it is if folks help spread the word and I'm truly grateful for your help. We're getting some great feedback and we are really excited to keep making new installments and growing this concept virally. Super Shout Outs to some of the arts and craftsiest women on the internet who have heartily recommended our humble video sampling: Violette, Kriss Cramer, Lisa Liddy, Carter Seibels, Groovy Holly...and if anyone else blogged it and I didn't shout it out, email me at margot@margotpotter.com to let me know! If you've not blogged it, and you'd like to do so and get some Linky Love from Madge, here's the url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmzJjWmE1D4.
So just to clarify, if you want to participate in the Kewpie Doll Art challenge, I will supply the Kewpie Dolls, you will supply the imagination. I'm not sure what the prizes will be yet, I'll see if I can't get some manufacturer support. I'll send you the doll, you'll decorate it, return it to me. I'll create a Kewpie Doll Gallery. Somewhere in there are fabulous prizes, what are the prizes? I don't yet know! If there's enough interest we'll go from there!
I'm sorry this is late, I had to get my hair laser session in this morning, we're trying to get rid of my underarm hair, but I have a ton of hair there and it's stubborn. Today was my sixth session and I have another in July, if it doesn't take then, I'll have to pay all over again. Ergh. Stoopid arm pit hair.
So we had some fun adventures in Erie. I've never seen one of the Great Lakes and it did not disappoint. Amazing it was. I got a ton of lovely polished rocks along the shore's edge I shall keep on my windowsill until I decide if there's a project there or I just love them as they are. I also helped the men folk find heart shaped rocks for the women folk. Men don't understand this sorta stuff most of the time, but women sure do! We also hit a Flea Market at a drive in movie theatre where we got an awesome vintage road sign, some old typing manuals, vintage kid's coloring books and a stash of vintage wooden nickels I had to broker a deal for because they were that cool. Look for something to come of that stash in my soon to be opened Etsy shop. We also hit Gabriel Brothers, a PA discount store where you can find top label clothing at super close out prices, samples, irregulars, season closeouts, you name it...you'll find it...you just have to check it for flaws. We got some Paul Frank stuff, an Ann Taylor Loft Missoni knock off sundress, Kitsen flip-flops and Skelanimals shirts...plus a ton of other stuff and Dad shopped too and we walked out with a huge bag for under 150 bucks. That's my kind of shopping!
I have a mountain of straw here that needs tending, I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, craft on with your bad selves!
We're off to Erie to see my SIL graduate from Medical School this weekend. GO ALISON GO! That's two doctors in the family, her older sister MJ (who is recovering from her horsecapade of late quite well) is an emergency vet. Smart women in this crew for sure. Yay for Smart Women!
I am still buried in the mountain of things to do before we go, and honestly, I'm so burnt on travel I can't even tell you. I just want to be home for a while, is that so wrong? Our dog Mrs. Fellerbee is lying next to a suitcase pouting, she hates when we leave her. I feel awful about that. The pigs will be mad at me. The chickens, well they could give a cluck, so that's good. I hate sleeping in hotels because the beds always make my lower back go out and I usually end up with a rash from the detergent they use on the bedding.
I'm a sensitive gal, it's my porcelain Irish skin I'm afraid. There's a reason I look so good for my age and it's called 50 plus sunscreen. It's far cheaper than any magical creams, though a little supplemental Botox does help Mommy look less stressed.
It's time once again for your TastyLinksTM! I'm including links to some folks who kindly posted my video in their blogs yesterday. I think next video we're going to brew up a little contest with prizes. I'm also thinking of a Kewpie Doll contest, would you all be game for dressing your own Kewpie in an outrageous costume for prizes and shout outs on The Impatient BloggerTM? Let me know what you all think.
I'll be back in the saddle again on Monday, I won't have much in the way of computer access until then so don't fret if you leave a comment and I don't approve it right away. I promise to do so upon my most auspicious return.
Until then, open wide and say "Ah"!
TastyLinksTM from the Crafty Bloggers:
Aileen's Musings The Fairies have landed at Aileen's Musings! Check out her Mini Fairy Birdhouse tutorial and maybe you too can capture a fairy or two!
Craftside- A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world This week at Craftside there are a bunch of great patterns and how-to's including a clip on cell phone case, jewelry with words, 2 winged embroidery templates used on a spa mask and cold pack cozy, a crocheted flower pattern and altered images and techniques.
Crafty Princess Diaries Love books and beads? Then you'll love this call for entries from Interweave Press.
Cross Stitch Bracelet Stitch up quick Cross Stitch bling using floss and plastic canvas.
Layers Upon Layers The year-long Bead Journal Project is winding down, and Cyndi is thrilled to be finished!!
Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery Over at Sweater Surgery there are a bunch of cross stitch sayings and note cards made from photos of the sayings.
The Impatient Blogger Join The Impatient Crafter Margot Potter in this cheeky video tutorial on making UTEE glittered skull jewelry. It's magically craftlicious!
Extra Link of the Week: Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean has a cute pair of earrings in BeadStyle magazine for July, and she promptly sent them off to Kim Miles, fab beadmaker!
Video Linky Love Shout Outs from two fabulously talented ladies you need to go visit:
Check out Fabulous Friday Finds at HHH Enterprises with your guest blogger, Me!
Don't forget, if you post my new video in your blog and you let me know about it here, I shall shower you with the Linky Love! Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmzJjWmE1D4. Just follow the link and look for the embed code, copy and paste that into your blog template in html mode and voila, a video is posted! Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
from Outside the Margines sent a photo of the swag she's offering for the 3 prize bags, super cool huh? How much do I love that she called it a Kewprize! Hee hee. Also Kathy Cano Murillo
