This is really quite difficult!

I have decided that this whole blogging thing is really too hard for me, especially when I am not sure exactly what it is "doing"??!!??
Now don't get me wrong. I enjoy the concept. I follow several blogs, and visit some on a regular basis. But those blogs are by people who know what they are doing, or receive help in doing it. I am just a 52 yr old retired mom/artist, who started this blog to help promote my shop.
Now if I actually could get someone to help me, like, design it...add all the cool colors and bells and whistles like the really awesome professional blogs have...well...I would love that. SO would any of you who I still have left following me! And I have "looked" online for someone who does that sort of thing, but not sure if I was looking in the right place, or if I could afford to pay them. Most of my extra cash goes into my art supplies, and the advertising here with AdWords.
So, I understand if more of you drop from following me. I will keep this going, and would like to really have this be a neat blog, but al my efforts right now have to go into my shop, which really needs all the help it can get. Sales for me are non existent, yet everyone loves my goods....
If that changes, and I begin making sales, than I definitely want to snatch that special person away from one of those gorgeous art blogs with 3000 followers, and have them work the special magic on mine. Unless any of who know????
Take care, and keep creating!
Cathy

A Humbling Realization....A Tribute, Really.

This is not a new realization, but it is something I do stop and take a good look at quite often. Today, I was just inspired to write about it.

What is it, you ask, that I am referring to? Talent. Ability. Creativity. I am so often amazed by the HUGE amount of creative and artistic talent that is out there in the world. People creating amazing things to beautify our world and our lives. I have only touched on such a tiny, minute amount of the talent out there. Just today, as I was on Twitter, I looked at one of the postings by KIMMSMITH.Etsy.com. It was a stunning, colorful bracelet made with a whimsical assortment of floral pieces. Even tho I rarely get the opportunity to wear much jewelry anymore, I decided I just HAD to have that bracelet. SO, I bought it! But looking thru her shop, there were SO many other beautiful things!

About a month ago, I ran across an item, also on Twitter, made by BizzieLizzie.Etsy.com. This shop sells handsewn items, and I asked about a holder for my new cell phone, and one for my business cards. Charlotte, aka BizzieLizzie, found the most awesome material! I am now the proud owner of a BEAUTIFUL matching set, plus she made me a matching keychain, too. But the items are made of such wonderful quality, and such care put into them! (When I get a picture taken, I will post them for all to see).

I also have bought from a new friend, Mary, whom I met on FLickr. I bought from her while back on Flickr, and we both opened our Etsy shops at the same time. Mary's shop is WonderfulWire.Etsy.com. She makes amazing wire sculptures....I don't know how...but she does. She also makes the most amazing "paintings" out of 100% polymer clay. She does not sell those in her shop, but she has pictures of them on her Flickr site; they are unbelievable. I have never seen anything like them

I am only mentioning 3 people here, but when I think of all the other people, just even on ETSY , who make some of the most gorgeous and amazing things I have seen, I just get dizzy trying to envision the size of a space it would take to put all the artisans and crafters together at one time. And I feel humbled, if not even a little embarrased, to be in the presence of such talent. I really very often question whether I am good enough at my craft to be in the presence of such awesome, true talent.
I do not make that statement looking for affirmations or anything like that....it is said to try to convey how very amazed I am by so many of the creations I consistently see just in my little corner of the world. And I actually get a good, warm feeling inside when I know there are so very many people out there who are devoted to what they are doing, and take such pleasure in doing it. I love looking at beautiful things.
So, when I saw that bracelet this morning, and started looking around some of the items in some of the shops once again, I got that warm feeling. I think I even got a sense of pride....maybe? Maybe b/c I am a small part of it all?
Anyway, I felt moved this morning as I once again was exposed to so many stunning and amazing handcrafted treasures, and felt moved enough to write this as a tribute to all of you.
Thank you, and please, please keep doing what you do.
Cathy

I don't know what to name this!!!

This is just a quick hello to my followers, and to anyone else who stumbles upon my blog! I have just been having some problems being able to access my blog if I happen to make the mistake of clicking that "sign out" up there in the right hand corner! I then seem to have the hardest time getting signed back in !
So, here I am, after finally getting signed in a few minutes ago....but now I want to let you know that I have a slew of work to do for my shop, www. catmacdesigns.etsy.com , which is why I started this blog in the first place!!! I have found out that it is a huge amount of work to promote a shop online, and I am trying my best! Oh yes, and when I get a few spare moments here and there, i actually have to make some items for my shop! Ans since I do not make much jewelry, which seems to be the biggest seller on Etsy, I feel like I have to ptomote all that much harder!
So, if any or all of you could do me a favor??? Even if you have your own Etsy shop, or Artfire, or wherever, could you please put a plug in for me here and there, just to help me out a wee bit? Then, I will have more time to work on my blog!!!!!
Have a good weekend, everyone!
Cat

What to write..what to write..So, what do I write??

I decided I should update my blog with a new posting, but to be perfectly honest, I have no idea what to write about. I have been so busy trying to get some stock in my shop, and this is just not at the top of my priority list!
I actually started this blog because it was one of the recommended steps for someone just opening up their shop on Etsy. This, along with doing the Twitter/Facebook/MySpace/Forums/ABC and XYZ stuff. I have done all of it. And, although the Google Analytics say I have had an increased number of views to my shop, I have been in a Treasury (I think they felt sorry for me), someone was nice enough to feature one of my birdhouses on their blog, and I have received numerous positive comments, I have yet to really make any sales! I mean, someone was nice enough to buy one of my son's bookmarks, and someone else bought some cute little pins for $1.50, which I had screwed up because it was supposed to be $1.50 for each pin, not for all 3 pins. But I had it listed wrong, so I lost money on that sale. Hey, I had just opened the shop!
My point is that those items are not ones I even consider really as "sales"...one was my son's, and the other was items I had, that I put in the shop to have some lesser pricesd items, but are not my "specialty" or what my shop IS. I read over and over again in the forums to find your "niche", and, I kinda sorta might have found that. I make the birdhouses, which I have been making for years. And I make the gourds, because I like to! But on those 2 main items, the BIG TICKET items, I have sold 0. Zero.Zilch. Nada. Nunca. Nothing.
And that is why I am continuing to work my butt off trying to get more items posted in the shop...to give more variety, to hopefully increase my chances of making a sale. Which is why I have not had much time to write updates for my blog. Which is why I am going to end this now, because I have to get my butt in gear making more things to sell......
So, I have just come full circle.
Bye!

RACING DAY!!

For any of you other parents out there who have school age sons in Boy Scouts, you are likely familiarwith what has been going on the last month or so, culminating in what is, in this house, a very big day. THE PINEWOOD DERBY. Now, for those who are not aware of what this is, every year, the scouts are given a block of wood, some strict guidelines, and a race date. They are to turn that block of wood into a sleek racing machine capable of winning not only a race, but any of a number of additional "token" awards...ie Most Humorous, Best Paint, etc etc etc.
Well, in this house, it is my husband who gets carried away with the race...I mean...to the EXTREME. This year, we had 3 cars entered. THREE. You see, besides the race that the Boy Scout himself enters, there is often a family race. So, we had to have a car for my daughter AND my husband to each race. The problem is, my husband becomes so ultra absorbed in this whole process, and so focused on winning, that I actually think he has lost track of what the whole process is ideally about, and has removed a good deal of the fun of it all for my son. Sure, he will profess his allegiance to doing all this hard work for my son, and complain about all the time he has to (has to??) spend on the car(s) (3 plus weeks....others we know spent 3 days max) but when he starts talking about HIS cars and HIS race (I am sure it was just a slip of the tongue), and he has pretty much put down any of my sons ideas for the cars construction, well, I have my own opinion who he was doing all the hard work for. And when it gets to the point of yelling and screaming and swearing.....well that is just getting out of hand.

Anyway...I am not really sure where I was going with this. My son ended up taking first place, and has to go on to the next level. He got a big shiny trophy, and was the envy of all the other scouts and their dads. My daughter took first place, and my husband second, in the family race. So my family pretty much monopolized the day. My son was thrilled he won the big trophy, and my husband was beside himself with pride in his work. In HIS work. And me? I told them I did not feel we should do any more Pine Wood derby races, because I think the whole point of it was missed, at least by my husband. And to me, that makes it not worth it. Not worth it because I think that if father and son had worked together on the car(s), side by side, with my son taking the lead, as it should be...well....he would still have a smile on his face, even if they had lost. And the smile would last a lot longer. And he also would have gained a lot more than just a big shiny trophy.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Well, here we are. January 20th of 2009. The day many people have been waiting for. And, for some of you who may have been hiding in a cave and do not know what the day is, I will tell you. It is.... (drum roll plays in the background)

NATIONAL CHEESE DAY Yup...it is finally here. And it is a bonafide, actual day of celebration on the calendar. (Bet you all thought I was going to say something else, now, didn't you??? ha ha)
I happen to LOVE my cheese. Most types, anyway. Especially mozzarella cheese. Must be the Italian in me. And I decided today that I am finally going to try out the recipe I have for home made mozzarella. It certainly seems simple enough. And if it works out, I might even post it here.
So, in honor of National Cheese Day, I am going to go to the grocery store (I need to buy some milk and half nhalf anyway), and buy some cheese. Maybe, just maybe, I might buy 2 different types of cheese. I mean, after all....today IS a special day, isn't it?

WHAT I DO- WHO I AM ....NOW



So, here I am...on my second career, or in the next chapter of my life (oh, that sounds So cliche!) My first career was as a Social Worker. I worked all my life, up until 2004, with people with mental and physical limitations. I worked with them in their homes, in their jobs, in their day programs, and as the state worker who helped them get the funding needed, and sometimes provided guardianship services. I helped cut thru the red tape (bull----, actually, but I will use the word "tape"). Creatively, I have painted for as long as I can remember, first in oils, then in acrylics. I always had worked with clays, and always, ALWAYS had lots of drawing utensils around. Markers were my favorite.



That was then. This is now. Now, I am no longer a social worker, though my firm beliefs about advocating for the best quality of life for the folks I used to work for remains as strong as ever. Some of the smartest, most amazing people I ever met were "clients", people just like you and me, whose shortcomings (just like we all have) were just a bit more challenging for them, and sometimes a bit more obvious to everyone else. Big deal. The people I worked with taught me more about life and strength and courage than any classroom ever did.



But...I am getting off track. This is about me (how self centered am I!) Now, I am home everyday. Doing my "new work".... I still paint...with acrylics.I do paintings, and paint birdhouses, welcome signs, rocks, or just about anything else you can paint on. I paint somewhat, or am trying to paint, with watercolors. I ALWAYS wanted to learn to paint with watercolors; I am amazed by the effects the colors make. I also do some work with encaustics. Very cool.



I still work with clay, but now it is polymer clay instead of ceramic. And instead of a kiln, I now use my oven. Polymer clay is SO amazingly versatile...



I still do a lot of drawing, but now my markers are many and varied, and EXPENSIVE. I also use expensive colored pencils, chalks, sprays, etc etc etc on my paper. My drawing are also now usually turned into greeting cards, or some type of wall art.



Years ago, when I was around 12, everyone was making necklaces and ankle bracelets with "Love Beads". Today, I still have some of those same beads, but I also have thousands of others...millifiore, glass, clay, aztec, and any other bead that catches my eye. And I use them on wire, string, nylon. I use them for jewelry, or in my clay, mosaics, or paper work. I especially love making wire and bead concoctions.



I love mosaics, and making stepping stones. I want to learn how to do stained glass. I am fascinated by fused glass, especially dichroics. I work with resin, melt art, and wood.



I even make soap.



Well, there it is. Where I am today. I have my fingers in so many things, I am not even sure if I listed them all. And I am nowhere near finished exploring new things! There are just too many things that catch my interest. And you know what...I am actually pretty good at most of them.

But, I had to limit what I work on to sell in my shop, at least for now.



I have learned so many tips and techniques about all the different areas, and am hoping to share some with you all in future blogs. I hope some of you who read this and see some similarities to yourselves will leave a comment and let me know. Maybe we can share some secrets of the trade..



That's it for now. Thanks for stopping by and reading. Please come back. Who knows what I might be able to learn to do on the computer!!!!!!



Creatively,

Cathy