• Pookasplace
• Happy Delusions
• AnnaMaries Accessories

And here’s a little preview of our items…TLC Inspirations

We are experiencing many changes this year, most of them positive.  Rachel has moved to North Carolina (due to hubby’s job) which has brought a slew of challenges for her and her family.  It was an 8 day journey with a moving truck trying to avoid floods and tornados, but they made it!  They are currently getting settled in their new home, and new community.  Since they have never been anywhere on the east coast, there should be a lot to learn and explore.  I miss them, but sometimes moms just need to let go, and let live.  We have many ways to stay connected, and continue our TLC Inspirations partnership, thanks to technology.

Since we closed down our online shops temporarily, we have been expanding our crafting into new directions.  Rachel has been learning how to machine and needle felt, and she has created some adorable and unique handbags.  I, on the other hand, have become more interested in machine embroidery, and trying to implement that beautiful craft into some of my bag designs.  We hope to have some of these new creations available to our customers online soon.  We will keep you posted.

On another note, we started a YouTube channel a couple of months ago, and will be creating tutorials, so that we can share our experiences, ideas, and knowledge.  We hope that you will watch for upcoming tutorials, and visit our YouTube Channel, and subscribe as we add more content.

Find us on FB, Twitter, YouTube, and of course, here on our blog.

Bonnie & Rachel

Recycled Art, Vintage People

Sometimes creativity just runs through a person’s veins, and Terrie, of Temporary Insanity is one of those people.  Her and her husband are on a constant search for everything, and anything they can recycle into art.  The Vintage People are extroadinary creations  made from vintage hardware that has taken a new form.    She blames it on “Temporary Insanity” but we view as uniquely creative.   Terry has graciously accepted our invite for an interview, and we are thrilled, and priveledged to share her story with you.

Tell us a little about yourself. I have been creating art all my life. I had my first art show at my grandmother’s house when I was about five. My relatives obligingly paid dimes and even quarters for my first creations. If I remember correctly, they were drawn with crayon, the big box of 64 colors. Then I moved on to painted rocks that my uncle sold for me in his flower shop. Later, as a rebellious teenager, I began fashioning deerskin leather halter tops and purses. (Am I dating myself now?) They were adorned in hand cut lacing, feathers, and turquoise stones. As an adult I became a floral designer and later I started the first incarnation of Temporary Insanity. I wanted to work at home with my then two small children and I started a hand painted clothing business that had a cowboys and Indians theme.(I live in Colorado.) That lasted for seven years and we had a great run. Fun times!

Now I juggle my art with interior design, which I also consider to be an art form. My people come from all the stuff I’ve collected over the years, simply because I was attracted to it and knew that one day , it would become something real, like The Vintage People.
I am a full time interior designer with my own business, Design the Hall-Way, as well as an artist. Interior design is really a giant 3D collage, mixed media assemblage of colors and textures, space and form. When I am designing a home, a most personal, sacred space, I am creating art in 3-D for the person who lives there. I am very passionate about it!

One word that describes you. Quirky

One word that describes your designs. Original

Do you work better in quiet or chaos? I work better in chaos. Things are spread out all around me. If I can’t find something, I’m usually sitting on it. There is always music playing!

Do you have an idea in mind when you are searching for vintage or recycled pieces to create your artwork, or is it the other way around? Do you just find unusual items and then the inspiration begins? I look at things in a very different way now. I see body parts everywhere, in everything!

Are any of your altered art creations based on ACTUAL people?   What is your inspiration for your designs? The first Vintage People that I made were for Christmas presents for my family. I used their pictures and sentimental items that reminded me of each person. We painted a large tree on a couple of old doors and it became a “family tree.” As I start each Vintage Person, it’s like they reveal their story to me as they are created. I love writing up the story! They make me laugh. The more outrageous, the better, and yes, sometimes, I am thinking of someone I know.

What is your favorite creation or project that you’ve made? My favorite thing that I’ve made is probably the family tree. Everyone got such a kick out of it and they argued about who would get the door with the tree on it. It was very fulfilling.

Is there an art medium, or a craft that you would like to learn that you haven’t attempted yet? I want to learn how to paint and I want to learn the art of mosaics. I just joined a creativity cluster with other women and we are going to try our hand at clay next month. I love to brainstorm and work with a group!

Do you have any words of wisdom for other artisans? Hmmm….words of wisdom for other artists….do NOT listen to the voices in your head that say,”that’s not good enough. Who would buy that? So and so is a better artist than I am…blah, blah, blah.” You are not a judge of what you create. It is simply your job to create without any self-conscience, because your vision is unique!

It seems your life has taken many creative turns. Do you think you will still be doing this in five years? I don’t know if I will still be creating The Vintage People in 5 years, but I absolutely know that I will always be creating something because it makes me so happy!

Thank you,
Terrie Hall

A little “Temporary Insanity” is good for all of us!

Temporary Insanity Blog

Temporary Insanity on Facebook

Thank you Terrie, for sharing your creative journey with us!

Bonnie & Rachel

A little history about yourself and your venture.

My name is Holly Ernst. I have been married for 15 years(on Sept. 9!) to my husband Dan. I have 2 kids, Noah age 7 and Karina age 2. I would have to say my mom has been my biggest influence in the arts and crafts. She got me interested in sewing and crafts when I was very young. I really just started a few years ago trying to sell some of my creations on Etsy. I started just to pay for my hobby.

One word that most describes you

Crafty

How did you get started making appliques?

I was doing a lot of scrapbooking at the time, with the birth of my daughter. I saw some flowers on a scrapbooking site that were made of fabric. They cost too much so I said, I can do that myself…and here I am today.:)

What do you like most about the craft you have chosen?

I like it because I can take my artistic style and abilities and them onto fabric.

What is you creation process, where do you derive your inspiration from?

I have always liked drawing and painting since I was very young…I am more of a cartoonist. I like to sit down and look at things and draw them into my style and think how can I turn this into an applique? One of my favorite artists is Mary Englebreit.

Do you work better in solitude or chaos?

CHAOS!! LOL

What is your proudest moment? or your biggest failure?

I would have to say giving birth to my 2 children would be my proudest moments!

How do you balance your home life with your Etsy shop?

Well I have to honestly say, I am still trying to figure that out!

What advice do you have for other Etsy Artists?

Find something you enjoy doing and stick to it…If it sells. If not…do something else you like. That is what I did. I just kept going with different things I enjoyed doing until I found something people wanted…

What is your BIG (crafty) dream? Where do you want to take this venture?

My dream is to just be able to stay a WAHM. But I would like to have my own spot to create. So I probably am working on getting a bigger house!

Thanks again for this opportunity! Happy crafting!

~ HOLLY ERNST

Holly Craft Blog

Thank you, Holly, for sharing your story with us! Tune in next month for another “Featured {Crafty} Friend” Interview. Oh, and a giveaway is also in the making…

K.K., Enjoy your fabulous cards!

Bonnie,
TLC Inspirations

We are celebrating the arrival of Autumn, on the wings of cinnamon, sunflowers and apple harvests. I, for one, would just like to shout a big “woohoo!”. Granted, the frolicking has yet to begin, as there are only scatters of leaves on the ground, but that won’t stop us! Here, at TLC Inspirations, we only need the tiniest of excuses to have a party, so let’s get on with it!

In celebration of the changing season, we’re finally Featuring our first Artist(s) and we’re so excited to be introducing Rosemary to you, co-collaborator (run by two sisters and an aunt), in the creation of Rosebud. They are an online card company who create and sell, you guessed it, greeting cards. Not just ANY greeting cards, though….

“Imagine the background hum of Christmas music, as your feet twirl you from the baking cupboard over to the mixing bowls, where your eager children await further instruction. Buttery goodness permeates the room to signify the final moments of sugar cookie greatness, the golden edge. You prepare the rainbow of icings, pull out the sprinkles and let imagination do the rest.”

THIS is what Rosebud is about. Not quite getting the picture? Here, let’s get a visual…

How long have you been painting? Is it self-taught?

What inspired you to sell your paintings in greeting card format vs. fine art?

We couldn’t wait until Christmas every year to decorate cookies, so we began baking and painting on other holidays; hearts for Valentine’s Day, bunnies for Easter, pumpkins for Halloween. As a way to share these goodies with friends and family, we photographed our cookies and sent them as cards for holidays and special occasions, with words of encouragement. Our creations evolved into a collection of paper goods.

Because a handwritten card is one of the simplest ways to brighten someone’s day, it made sense for our paintings to be sent in this format. However, we do approach our creations as fine art, and we found that we can express ourselves creatively while reaching more people through this format.

Are these designs from cookies you’ve actually made at home?

Yes! Every card in our cookie collection starts from scratch: baked in our kitchen, painted by hand and photographed before being printed on our high quality card stock. You’re seeing photographs of actual icing and sprinkles on each card!

All small businesses desire success, but how do you define “success”?

Because we began sharing our cookies and cards with a small circle of friends and family, we’re just excited to keep the circle expanding! It has been an organic and gradual process, and as our business evolves, we define “success” by surprising others (and ourselves) with new designs and continuing to create and share handmade gifts of love.

Rosebud would like offer you a choice of THREE out of the FOUR Autumn/Halloween cards pictured above (orange pumpkin, row of pumpkins, squash vine, pumpkin vine) as the prize for our…

☙✩∿⋰⋱☂⋰⋱⧽{ OctoberFest Giveaway }⧼⋰⋱☂⋰⋱∿✩❧

What do you have to do, you ask? Easy. Visit Rosebud Cards and then come back and tell us which one is your favorite! You can earn additional entries (up to 5) by tweeting, digging, stumbling and/or otherwise, shouting from the rooftops and hillsides (and don’t forget to comment with the link to your promotion). Giveaway only runs through October 7th. Winner chosen at random.