I Love Custom Work!

I get very excited when someone contacts me with a custom sign request. I love taking their thoughts, their imaginations, their ideas and turning them into something they will cherish! I wanted to show some of the custom work I have done.

First is an outdoor sign to be hung on a gate. She wanted it to say Welcome To Our Home on a dark green background with red hearts. I was thrilled when she showed me our mutual creation hanging on her fence.

Another custom was so cute, I have it listed on both of my websites. It is entitled Dust Is A Country Collectible. My customer chose the colors and it came out perfect!

This sign was created for a customer's parents who were moving to be closer to their grandchildren. I just love the ideas people come up with!

Another cute custom I did will look great hanging on the wall with family photos.

I welcome custom requests! Bring me your ideas! Visit me at http://www.bedlamcountrycrafts.etsy.com/ or at my new home (which I am very excited about) http://www.bedlamcountrycrafts.artfire.com/.

Thanks for visiting!

Finally slowing down...

I can't believe it has been over two weeks since I wrote on here! Time flies when your very busy I guess. I have been selling signs like crazy - on Etsy, to friends and at craft shows so needless to say I haven't had a moment to relax.

My husband made me up a lovely display for the craft shows and I was so happy with it that I talked him into making me a second one. The one shown is the first one, now I have double the size!

I have been keeping him running - John I need this cut to this size and sanded and can you paint it burgundy? Also, I need....I am driving him nuts I'm sure but he has been gracious and very helpful.

So, if you don't know this, I also do cards and invitations and I was running a buy 2 get 1 free promotion on personalized cards and it went kind of crazy for a bit. So I was pushing print on my computer and then racing off to paint and back and forth.

Finally, it is slowing down and I think the Christmas rush is over. I still have last minute orders to do but I am not all over like I was. I need a little break to finish my own Christmas shopping.

I am very grateful to gilliauna who blogged about my shop:

http://gilliauna.blogspot.com/

She did a lovely job and I thank her!

I hope everyone is enjoying the season and looking forward to the New Year! I better get back to work. Thank you for stopping by!

Carla

End of Thanksgiving Weekend

Why do four days off fly by and four days of work drag??? I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, I certainly did. Lots of food, wine and laughter. I have a loud and funny family.

I have been extremely busy between making signs and filling invitation orders. (I also have an invitation business on Etsy). I enjoyed my long weekend but I am literally exhausted. I am nearing 100 signs listed on my site and I am feeling it.

Short post, I know but I need to rest.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

I'm Back!!

Okay, so I have totally neglected this blog for many months! I was trying to do too many things at once and now I have taken a step back to look at things and what I need to concentrate on.

Soooo....I am going to try to update my blog at least once per week if not more.

I have been extremely busy sanding, painting, staining....my etsy shop has much more to choose from now and I am proud of my progress. I just added my first game board and I plan on doing more of those. At some point I would also like to do hat boxes....but here I go trying to do too much at once again!

I displayed my signs at a craft show (The Mistletoe Market) in Simsbury a few weeks ago. I was quite happy with the turnout of people and I did well so I was thrilled. I have another one this weekend in Bozrah and in a few weeks I have a much larger one in Tolland. I am a little nervous about that one as I am pretty much new to this. But everyone has to start somewhere, right? So I am brainstorming ways to make my display look great. I want the homespun farmhouse country look so I am looking for antique wood crates, old milk crates, something to display my signs on. I am planning on dressing up with garland and greens and lights and perhaps a small tree. If anyone wants to contribute any ideas for displays that would be great!

Okay, I'd best get back to work. I'll keep you posted. If you live in CT, stop by one of these shows!

Early Dismissal

I woke up this morning realizing that the promised snow had not arrived and I had to get up and go to work. I knew what this meant. The snow was going to start in the middle of the day which would result in an early dismissal at the middle school I work at. I know, I know, what's wrong with that? I get to go home early. What's wrong is called mass confusion and stress.

I had not even hung up from the loud speaker after announcing that school would close early and all afterschool activities would be cancelled when the fun began. The phone lit up like a Christmas tree, every light blinking. The door to the office swung open and the attack began. It is unbelievable how many parents do not discuss BEFOREHAND with their child what to do in the case of an emergency closing. So kids were calling asking for an outside line to call mom or dad, parents were calling asking what time we were getting out even though it is in the handbook, on the website, in letters sent home and in the message I had JUST SENT TO THEIR PHONE what time an early dismissal is. It's the same time every time, it doesn't change. Teachers who had been there for several decades wanted to know what the schedule would be for the rest of the day. Moms, Dads, Grandmothers, aunts....everyone calling letting us know what to do with their child. Do you know what it is like to be responsible for that many kids?

So this scenerio continues for about an hour to an hour and a half. The last child is crossed off the list. Big sigh....everyone has been contacted. Only one hour to go and they'd all be on the bus home. No, it is not over. One minute before dismissal to buses a teacher calls to let us know little Johnny doesn't know where he is supposed to go. I made the announcement 2-1/2 hours prior and now he confesses he doesn't know where to go. Hold the bus, start making calls. That taken care of, little Johnny off to the bus and the quiet falls over the school.

The snow has begun to fall steadily. I had called earlier and cancelled a dentist appointment I had for myself and my son. We both had cleanings at 4:00. It is now 12:30 and the snow is supposed to continue all night. The dentist's receptionist calls to inform me that if I cancel they probably couldn't get us in until summer and that I was the only one who had cancelled. Well, I am not going to drive home in the snow, pick up my son and drive back to the dentist and risk sliding off the road. So, it's cancelled. If they can't get me in until summer, oh well. Although I think it is ridiculous that you can't get an appointment unless you schedule 5-6 months in advance.

So I am happily at home. I worked on a few new signs I am making, cooked supper and played Mario Kart with my son. Now it is time to blog, check out my Etsy shop and maybe hit twitter for a bit.

Tomorrow will probably be a late opening for school so I get to sleep in. Working in a school does have its benefits.

Saturday Events

I haven't blogged in a few days. I have been so busy. I had to bring my son to Civil Air Patrol this morning. They were going on a trip to Cabelas. Of course...Michaels is right down the road and I did have that 40% off coupon. I figured I'd just run in, use the coupon and leave. Twenty items later and much more money and I was on my way. I figured it out..the 40% coupon is a marketing tactic. Get you in there with it and your bound to buy more. I have every time. My significant other hates going there with me. Bores him to death. I was talking about this with a girl I work with and she said she was there last weekend with her husband. Until he said he'd had enough of this place, let's go! What's wrong with men? Don't they know what is fun?

So brought all my stuff home and took it out. I was excited, so much to do. By the time I sorted it and decided what I wanted to do.....ring...time to go pick up my son. So much for creating in peace.

All in all, it was a good day. Tomorrow I am definitely going to create! I have most of the day free, except for grocery shopping which I hate. My other half, John, did it the past three weeks. He always spends twice what I do. He actually had the nerve to make it sound like he did me a tremendous favor by shopping the past three weeks. While it was a huge favor, saved me a lot of time....who did it for the past ten years?????

Well, my friends are on their way over to play setback. Men vs. the Woman. We need to kick some butt!

Thanks for stopping by!

Snow Day!!!

Last night I stayed up until midnight happily anticipating a snow day today. I work in a school (no I am not a teacher) so any time school is cancelled I get a day off. I was awakened at 5:15 a.m. to the vibrating of my cell phone. I knew what that meant! A recorded message...no school today. Ahhh, back to sleep for a few more hours.

When I finally crawled out of my warm nest, I was off for Donut Shop Coffee from my Keurig and to start up the laptop to see if anything had changed in my Etsy shop. Nothing. Sigh. I had my first sale a week ago and have been anxiously waiting for my next. Okay, hurry up, load the dishwasher, feed the cats, fold some laundry. Now I have the day to do whatever I want. I sat on the couch for a while doing a crossword. Then I joined a thread on the Etsy forum about how handmade items had to be...here is the link http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6018021 it was informational but amusing as well.

I finally decided not to waste the day on the couch. I pulled out my cardmaking material and drew a blank on what I wanted to design. After putzing around on the computer some more I finally began. The hours passed and next thing I knew it was 4:00 p.m. I was proud, I had made six cards. I love cardmaking but I hate the cleanup. Glue on the counter, paper scraps everywhere, little pieces of this and that on the floor. What a mess.

Amid all of this, my son went out to pick at the icy driveway and brought in the mail. There was an envelope from the technical high school my son applied to for the fall. I nervously opened it as his grades were not exactly up to par....YAY, he was accepted. I am so happy. I do not like the local high school and really wanted him to go to a technical school and learn a trade. He applied to two. We are waiting to hear if the other one accepts him and then he will have to decide which one to attend. I am so proud and happy for him.

After what seemed like forever of taking and editing pictures, I listed a few of my new cards on Etsy, but not all of them. I like to have new stuff to put on every day so I'll save some of them. So I went off to list on my other shop on http://www.shophandmade.com/ and when I came back to Etsy.....YIPPEEE I had sold two more signs. I was so happy I wanted to dance. I am very optimistic that I will succeed even with the economy the way it is. I will survive, I will survive..hey, hey!

Thank you to those of you who have recently joined my following. I am also building up my list of blogs I follow. Have a nice night!