Cyber Monday Sale!

After an incredible discount-focused weekend at those big box stores, I have to ask myself, "How can a small art business compete with such low prices on mass-produced goods?" This is how — I don't. I have to look at it like this... they can't compete with me! I'm unique, friendly, real, approachable, honest, flexible... and everything in my shop was made by me... with Love!

So I invite you to shop this Cyber Monday, but also to shop hand made. Shop my shop. Hey, I'm not afraid of shameless self promotion! And, just because I like you... I'm offering 25% everything in my Yesterday's Trash Etsy Shop — Monday, December 2nd for an entire 24 hours until midnight EST. Just enter the code CYBERMONDAY when you check out. You'll find lots of unique items made from vintage, found and everyday items including...

Rag Dolls! Like these fun and whimsical cupcakes!

Upcycled Jewelry! Made from vintage items, interesting finds, and antique pieces and parts... like this metal purse necklace using an upcycled coin purse, vintage brass and enamel baubles and filled with the most gorgeous faceted red crystal beads!

Tons of Carnival & Circus Fun stuff! Including arcade-inspired Knock-Down Dolls, Shadowboxes, Side Show Banners and more!

Mixed Media Art! Including shadowbox-framed collages and some really weird and interesting stuff too! And Prints! The newest addition to my shop... prints of my original art. Lots of fun and whimsical pieces to choose from. 

So skip the malls, don't fuss over parking, avoid the crowds... and be a Cyber Shopper. Shop loud. Shop proud. Shop in your underwear if you like, because I can't see you! And... Thanks!

Visit my Etsy Shop!

~Michelle
    xoxo

Giving Thanks...

On this day that we call Thanksgiving... I thought it would be a really good time to ponder that prefix a bit more...

THANKS

On any given moment of any given day, I'm most likely rushing around... trying to get stuff done... completing my daily tasks... doing household chores... working on freelance graphic design jobs... or making something creative to sell. In those same moments, there are constant worries and fears as well. Where is my next dollar coming from? Do I have enough energy to keep up this pace? What's up with all these health issues? Can I even afford health insurance? Is our town safe from another storm? Is our house?  There are too many to list.

But lately, I've been making it a practice to say "Thanks" at the end of every day. Thanks for the good stuff that's happened. And thanks for the not-so-good stuff too... for there are lessons and learning and growth in those! But in doing this, I've realized that I have so much to be thankful for. That every moment of every day is a thankful moment. And most moments — when I stop and think about them — are actually pretty darn good. And that any worry I usually have is picking up on events of the past and projecting them onto my future. In other words, they haven't even happened!

So I think to myself, that right now... in this moment... everything is fine. And I say... Thanks!

It's My Party!

Recently I got a new graphic design client, and I'm doing some work for an events company. They needed someone who could create logo designs for clothing and apparel that are given as gifts at their parties... mostly for teens. So I would have to come up with modern and cool looks for Sweet 16 parties, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and the like. Certainly pushing the boundaries for me, as most of the designs have to be create!

Because now I have to think like a teenage boy (no, not those kind of thoughts!)

Or a 16-year-old girl! And because these logos are ultimately screen printed, it creates additional challenges to be limited with only 2 or 3 colors.

But logo design is one of my favorite things to do. It kind of incoporates all my graphic design skills. And the themes I design for are pretty interesting.

They usually include the name or initials of the coming-of-age star of the party and the event date. I create small logos for the fronts and bigger designs for the backs of sweatshirts, hoodies, tees, and more.

Okay, so I have to admit, some of this stuff is pretty fun to make. I mean, pink and white on black with a disco ball and some bling? Yeah... that's my kinda work.

Me, Owww...

There are some times in your life where you just feel like being snarky.... but you still want to look cute doing it. Meow.

A Rainbow Touched My Heart...

One day I was driving around running errands and I saw... a rainbow. Only it wasn't a real, prism-in-the-sky kind of rainbow. It was a logo on a local park sign. But I thought it was cool. So I jotted it down in my notebook for future use, and let it go.

But when I was working on this piece recently, the space to the right of my little blond-headed girl needed something. I wasn't sure what. The elements at the top of the page were rather "heavy" which is why I made her dress black... to balance that all out. And i really liked the cloud, so I wanted to keep that element in there somehow. And then I thought of the line in that Andy Grammer song that goes...

"...only rainbows after rain..."

And bing! The multicolored image from my journal popped into my head. And although I was planning to use it with a shooting star... why not a rainbow straight to your heart?

It worked as the perfect element to fill up the space and I loved the story that went along with it...

"The storm passed and then a rainbow touched my heart."

That's kind of how I feel when life hands me something that I didn't think I could handle... and then I get through it and feel so much more empowered. And I thought this was a great visual reminder of that sentiment.