Working It Wednesday: New Themes for Story Stones

This week I'm working on some new themes for story stones. When I first began making them and selling them on Etsy there were very few others doing the same. Now, there are pages and pages of story stones for sale on Etsy. That's okay though. Different styles speak to different people so I welcome the company. That said, I always try to keep things fresh and new in my shop. I never get rid of my top sellers like the Nativity Sets or the Pirate Sets but I feel like it's a good thing to offer something that others aren't yet offering. Setting yourself apart is a huge help on Etsy when it comes to getting noticed amongst the masses.

This week, I've been working on a few new themes but my favorite of those is Weddings. When you're a little girl, you daydream about your wedding and if you're lucky, you get a chance to be a flower girl. I was a flower girl in my Aunt's wedding and felt like such a princess. Years later, at my own wedding, I had not one but rather 3 flower girls.

The youngest of my 3 flower girls, only 2 years old.

I was given a jewelry box as my flower girl gift and did the same for my own flower girls. But what if there was something more fun that a bride could give her little flower girl? What if there was something that she could play with? Enter my new set of story stones! This new set would be the perfect flower girl gift for all the upcoming June Brides and with advance notice they can be customized to match the look of the Bride's wedding and the Bridal party.

Wedding Story Stones in the making.

I haven't finished painting them so they aren't in my Etsy shop just yet, but soon they will be and you can check out the finished product or buy them here: www.wishesandwonderment.etsy.com

Working It Wednesday: Polymer Gift Tags

As I continue to try my hand at different crafts and projects, I thought it would be fun to start a recurring post that features what I'm working on. It'll post on Wednesdays and will give accounts of my current projects, be it a new craft or just my work refining an old one. So you may end up seeing some fabulous work or some fabulous Pinterest Fails, you never really know. And it will be your first sneak peek at potential new items for my shop!

This week I played around with rubber stamps and polymer clay. Until this year, I'd never used polymer clay but it's actually very fun to work with and as an added bonus, it is inexpensive. Only about $.99 for a small block of it at WalMart. It's a little reminiscent of play-dough but with a grown up feel to it. Earlier this year, I'd saved a pin on Pinterest of small, polymer clay gift tags. Such a simple project with such pretty end results. Side note: Don't you just love Pinterest? I mean seriously, what did we do before it existed? If you're on Pinterest and don't already follow me, hop on over and check out my pins! (Link in sidebar above Bio)

I used the handful of rubber stamps I had on hand to create tags for a variety of occasions. To make these, I rolled the clay flat and then firmly pressed the stamper into it. I trimmed off the excess outer edges with a toothpick and then very carefully peeled the clay away from the stamp. From there, I placed them on a baking sheet and used my toothpick again to create small holes in each tag. Popped them in the oven for a few minutes, let them cool and then broke out my paintbrushes! Once the paint dried, I sealed them with an acrylic varnish. Then, I threaded hemp cord through the holes and wha-la!

Stamping and cutting the polymer clay.

         

The Painting Process.

I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. They look like they're ceramic but are lightweight and not fragile at all. I'm considering making some to use in my own packaging for customer orders. Personally, I've never been much of a present wrapper (I'm incredibly terrible at it) but my mother can wrap a present like nobody's business and I can absolutely see her using something like this on her gifts. And I'm sure other people would use them too. It just gives it that little something extra, you know?

The finished gift tags!

If you like these but aren't into doing DIY and crafty things, you can buy these in my Etsy shop.
www.wishesandwonderment.etsy.com

One of my favorite things...

One of my absolute favorite things is painting on canvas. I still remember the very first time I ever got to do it. I have no idea what it is but there is something about the feeling of the brush gliding the paint over the canvas that just relaxes me. If canvases were cheaper, or free even, I could see myself painting one every day. No thinking, no planning. Just painting. It completely clears my mind and always leaves me happy. 

A few weeks ago, someone was moving out of my apartment building and they left several boxes of "free" stuff next to the trash chute. I actually racked up on free stuff, including 2 lamps, but I also scored a blank canvas. A blank canvas! Who throws those away? Not me, but I am thankful that they did! 

So today I sat down and started painting. In my favorite sort of way. No thinking, no planning, just painting. 

This is where I'm at so far and while I have no idea what the final piece will look like, I am enjoying the journey. 

Old Becomes New Again

My most recent craft project evolved out of an old project I'd done years ago. In 2011 we moved to California and being that it was the farthest away we had ever been I wanted some sort of art to show all the moves we'd made and to show how far away we'd gone. I took small wooden planks and painted them all different colors and then painted the names and distance in miles of all the cities we had lived in. These hung on my art room wall for several years and I did enjoy having them. When we moved back East again a few years later, I'd planned to fix the new distance in miles on them and continue them but never got around to it. I've just had them piled up next to a stack of blank canvases and artwork that I didn't like enough to do anything with. Until this past weekend that is! I saw them sitting there and decided it was time to do some repurposing. Time to make the old become new again!

I started by painting over my original work to create a blank slate and then gave them new life with colors, quotes and bits of scriptures. These turned out so much better than what they'd been before and were a lot of fun to make so I'm sure I'll be making a few more in the future. I haven't finished attaching the sawtooth hangers to the backs so they aren't in the Etsy shop just yet but they will be soon! For now, here's a sneak peek!

New Year, New Adventures

2016 is well under way and it's brought some big changes my way.

For starters, my husband's job relocated us to Memphis in November so our holidays were spent moving and selling our house. We are excited to be back in Memphis after 15 years away so this is a welcome change. And as an added bonus, my husband found us an apartment downtown with an incredible view.

View from my kitchen window!

For the first time in a very long time, I will be lucky enough to see my husband every day. See, usually his job requires that he does some serious traveling and over the years we've become accustomed to going days at a time without seeing each other. We managed fine like that but I've gotta admit that it feels really, really awesome to see the person you love every day. I'd forgotten what normal felt like. I have no idea if we will be in Memphis long term. Might be here a year, might be here forever. Who knows? But I do know we plan to enjoy it while we're here, for as long as we're here.

Up next, as some may have noticed, my Etsy shop has changed names! It was called "A Little Hodge, A Little Podge" based mainly on the notion that I tend to enjoy making and thus selling a variety of things rather than just one particular item. I personally liked the name a lot but something seemed a little off though I couldn't place what that something was. After a lot (and I do mean ALOT) of thought on the matter, I opted to change it to "Wishes and Wonderment". I like the new name better than the old one but mainly because it seems prettier. Silly reasoning, I know, but hey, I'm a girl and I like pretty things.


The next big change that has occurred involves both of the aforementioned changes. With this new move, my gracious husband has made it possible for me to not work a traditional job but to instead focus on doing what I love and creating art! I've had to change jobs with each of our moves and each time it feels a little harder than the time before. You have to start back at the bottom again and you have to be the new girl and you have to learn new software and policies, etc etc. And eventually prospective employers start to question whether or not they should hire you because it's super clear from your resume that you move around in Nomadic fashion. So this time around, I get to do something different. I get to work for me, doing artsy stuff! Originally I'd planned to flip furniture but after flipping one bookshelf for myself, I quickly realized that our new apartment isn't logistically set up for that sort of endeavor. So as I go back to the drawing board on that idea, I'm working to fill up my Etsy shop with a variety of new things. Story stones will probably always be my favorite thing to make but creativity knows no limits so I'll keep searching for inspiring art projects to fill my days and my shop.

Alphabet Stones, available in my Etsy shop.

I hope this year continues to bring fabulous things my way. I hope my husband finds success and enjoyment in his new position. I hope we both fall in love with living in Memphis again. I hope my Etsy shop continues to grow and that I'm able to find success doing something I love. I pray we will be happy and healthy and live a life full of adventure.