Photo Friday

{Trying on the new backpack for kindergarten.}

A page from my sketchbook

Creativity, inspiration, and where to get it

Summer does this to me every year - makes me feel uninspired. Maybe not so much uninspired as lazy. I don't want to do anything productive. I just want to soak up the sun, go to the beach and work on my garden. Okay, that last one is a stretch since it involves actual work! Come to think of it, my "garden" looks like a jungle right now.

I think I'm at a transitioning point right now with my artwork. It feels like something is going to change soon, but I'm not sure what or how. I've been sketching for a few months, but I don't know what to do with those sketches. For now I've been turning them into patterns, which I then turn into paper to use in my clocks, cards, and wall squares. But I think I should do something MORE with the drawings. I want it to be real art, if that makes any sense. Right now I'm creating usable art, but sometimes I want it to be art that's made for no other purpose than to fill my need to create.

I remember feeling this way before Malayna was born. Taking a class would get that creative spirit moving again.

What do you do when you feel stuck creatively?

Ah, summer…

Hello there! I haven't dropped off the face of the earth - I'm just having a great, busy summer. Malayna and I have taken many, many beach trips this year. I'm trying to squeeze as much fun as possible into these last days we'll spend together before she starts kindergarten in the fall.

Seriously, look at this happy face! Would you deny her a day at the beach?!

Summer sale!

Take advantage of 20% off everything on milkshake crafts! When checking out, use the code summer09 to receive the discount. Happy shopping!

Updated!

{new {faye} bloom square}

I finally updated my website with new magnets and squares. Yipee! It took all day on Monday {which also included play breaks, snack breaks, meal breaks and outside-time breaks since school is finished for Malayna}. When I list my products on my site, I don't usually use real photos - I use the digital file I created for each item. I'm not sure how this translates on the web. Would it be better to show the real photo? Someone said to me recently that she thought my squares were thinner than they actually are, based on what she saw on the website.

What do you think? Should I keep the clean digital images I have on there now, or should I use real photos of the products in action? {You can see some real photos in my last post. I would take better ones if I were to use them on my site.}

{new {lucy} dream magnet}

Arts in the Park

Good things about yesterday: great weather, lots of friends stopping by, and lots of dogs to pet. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

{necklaces}

{new wall hooks - yet to be uploaded to the website…}

{new magnets - being uploaded as we speak}

{wall hooks and matching squares}

{more squares}

{view of the booth}

{my clean-up helper}

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head

Malayna's preschool performance yesterday was hilarious. She loved being on stage. Here's a video of one of the songs they performed. She's near the middle, wearing a denim jacket and a green dress. By the way, this side of her comes totally from her daddy.

Luco's "memorial day"

We planted a tree in Luco's memory last week. Malayna had been asking daily when we were going to have Luco's "memorial day." So on a beautiful day last week, Malayna, my mom and I went to the garden center and picked out a white kousa dogwood. We already have another dogwood in the front of the house, so this one will be a nice addition. The new one is in the spot where our very old maple used to be.

Malayna helped us get the spot ready, put one of his tennis balls in with the tree and put some dirt on top. After that, though, she was off - playing with her friends on her new swingset. Jimmy and I each took some of his ashes and sprinkled them at the bottom of the tree. We then took turns filling the hole with dirt.

Knock, knock. Anyone there?

{Spring.}

I can't believe it's been 10 days since I've updated this blog. Totally unintentional. I've been thinking about things, business-wise, and trying to make sense of all the ideas I have in my head. As is always the case before a show, I've come up with some new stuff. But trying to stay motivated, stay in the house and work on producing it is proving difficult. When spring (and the warm weather) rolls around, all I want to do is be outside and dig in the dirt. See those pictures, above? That's why I haven't been around here. I just want to soak it all up.

Be back tomorrow! I promise.

Slowly grieving

Malayna has been pretty emotional these days, crying at the littlest things, quietly sucking her thumb, needing more hugs and cuddles than usual. She's been crying when Jimmy leaves for work in the morning, when mom-mom goes home, and when I drop her off at school. She talks about Luco often during the day, and always before going to sleep at night. Every night she tells me she misses him and wishes he could come back. I tell her I do, too.

Every time we come home, she says "I still expect Luco to be there." He would lie by the front door, and when I would put the key in the lock we would hear him scramble to get up off the wood floor. Because of this, I would open the door slowly. I still do. I am reminded every time I open that door that he's not here anymore.

It's the little things that get me. No more dog bowls in the kitchen, no hearing him shift around and sigh during the night, no companion for me while Malayna's at school and Jimmy's at work, no furry face begging for scraps at the dining room table. I miss his sweet face and his silky ears that I would kiss before going out. I miss him keeping us company while we sit on the porch (one of his very favorite places to be). I miss him acting like a puppy when Jimmy would come home from work, jumping and wagging his tail.

The house feels so empty when it's just me here. I'm reminded every morning that he's gone - he would sleep by Jimmy's side of the bed, and would stay there until Malayna woke up. He would go into her room and lie on her floor while she was getting dressed, and then follow us downstairs. He was so big that he would be in the way, and we'd have to squeeze into a tiny space to help Malayna get dressed. It would be slightly annoying, but now there's too much room in there. I miss his big, old, furry presence.

I've been thinking about how to write a post about Luco - about how incredibly awesome he was and how much he meant to us. How he was our first baby. How he was so gentle and patient with Malayna. How sweet he was. I just can't seem to do it. I can't yet find the words.

We're going to have a memorial service for him soon. We'll plant a tree, bury some of his toys, talk about him, and cry and laugh. We have his ashes, but we haven't told Malayna about them yet. One thing at a time…

Giveaway on Scoutie Girl!

Scoutie Girl and Art Garage Sale have teamed up to put together a fabulous giveaway worth over $600! One lucky person will win the entire package. Go to Scoutie Girl to enter (you can enter up to 16 times for more chances to win!). Good luck!

(PS: I donated one of my Rebecca pendants.)

Photo Friday

These are from our beach trip a few weeks ago. We had the best time playing on the beach (Malayna actually splashed in the freezing water!), walking around town, enjoying ice cream together (that was our lunch), and watching a wedding party arrive at the church in town. I'm so glad we went.

Rain makes me feel creative

It has rained here for the past 9 days - which means I've been stuck in the house when I'd rather be outside gardening! One good thing about rainy days is that it forces me to find things to do inside, like drawing, designing and cleaning. (Okay, so that last one was a lie.) While Malayna is at school, or while she colors next to me, I work on a new ideas. My latest new idea is to make prints for framing.

I've used some of my favorite patterns, which start out as illustrations with ink. After scanning, I color the patterns on the computer. The prints measure 8x10 and the paper I'm using is recycled and created with wind power.

What do you think?

Amelia pendant

{Amelia pendant - one of my favorites!}

I'll bet you can guess what Amelia Bloomer is famous for… That's right - bloomers are named after her! She had a leading role in promoting dress reform for women in the late 1800s.

She was the first women to start her own newspaper, The Lily. At first, the focus of the paper was temperance, but, with the help of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the focus soon changed to the issue of women's rights. The Lily educated women about the inequities they faced and the possibility of major social reform.

See the Amelia pendant here!

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You've got to see my Scoutie Girl post about gorgeous jewelry and dishware!

Alice pendant

{Alice pendant}

The Alice pendant is named after Alice Paul, a leader in the woman's suffrage movement and one of the founders of the National Woman's Party. Alice Paul is one of the women responsible for the passage of the 19th Amendment (which gives women the right to vote). It's hard to believe that this Amendment was adopted in 1920- a mere 89 years ago. The movie Iron Jawed Angels tells the story of this struggle.

Alice Paul later became involved in the struggle to introduce and pass the Equal Rights Amendment, which has still not been passed.

The Equal Rights Amendment

Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

The ERA would make it illegal to discriminate against someone based on their sex (for both women and men). Seems pretty basic, doesn't it? Want to do something about it? Go to the National Council of Women's Organizations website. They list events and programs to get involved with, lots of information about women's rights and a page of resources so you can learn more.

See the Alice pendant here. (Just $15!)

Luco, 1996-2009

Our much-loved Luco passed away on Saturday. We miss him. {I don't have my thoughts together enough to write a long post, but one will come soon.}

Taking advantage of a beautiful day…

Malayna and I are off to the beach! It's a long ride, but hopefully it'll be worth it. We're taking our beach chairs, buckets and lots of bags to hold all the rocks and shells we'll be collecting. Have a great day!

Abigail pendant

{Abigail pendant}

The Abigail pendant is named after Abigail Adams (1744-1818), wife of John Adams, the second President of the US.

In 1776 she wrote to her husband (who was then a congressman): "I desire you would remember the ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could.”

New necklaces!

{Kate, Abigail, Rebecca}

Here is the project I've been working on - new necklaces! They're listed in my Etsy shop for only $15!

Birds represent freedom, as does each woman these pendants are named after. Each woman made a significant contribution to feminism in the US, thus granting certain freedoms for me, my daughter and future generations.


Each pendant is an original design: the pattern starts out as an illustration done in ink on paper, then is scanned and colored on the computer.

• measures 1.25" round
• sterling silver or gold jumpring
• 20" black cord (made with local, thrifted materials)
• to reduce the use of unnecsesary materials, cord is tied
instead of using a clasp
• printed on recycled, acid-free paper made with wind-power
• laminated on both sides (lamination extends slightly
beyond image).

I've had fun working on these and even got to use some of the patterns I've been creating. Over the next few weeks I'll tell you a little about each woman the pendants are named after.

What do you think?

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New Scoutie Girl post

Almost ready…

{Sneak peak of my soon-to-be-unveiled project.}

…to unveil my latest project. I'm tying up loose ends, waiting for some sunshine to take photos, and preparing to upload lots of images when I'm finished. I've had fun working on this one! Sign up here for the mailing list - I'll be sending a coupon with the next newsletter!

2009 Shows

Hello all! I've updated my show schedule, over on the right sidebar. I have a private show coming up this Friday, from 7-10 pm. Please send me an email {lisa at milkshakecrafts dot com} or sign up for the mailing list if you'd like more information. If you sign up for the mailing list, you'll receive coupons, information on local shows, and you'll be the first to know when new products are added to the website. Sign up!

New cards at Art Garage Sale

{wire blue card}

{floral card}

I've listed some new cards in my Art Garage Sale shop featuring some of my favorite surface designs. They come in a pack of 6 for $15. See these and more at Art Garage Sale!

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Click on over to Scoutie Girl and read about my latest "eye candy" find.