It's been a good week so far.

I finally got the rest of the first batch of vintage miniature figurines listed in the shop this week. Taking the pictures of these tiny pieces took a lot of time! I was lucky enough to make a few sales, both online and off. I've gotten some new orders, too. (Maybe one of my best non-holiday weeks of all time in terms of orders!)

'Tis the season for all things beachy and ocean-related. I've had lots of requests for my handpainted lamps and lampshades featuring fish and shells so yesterday was spent basecoating a bunch of pieces, mostly lamps. I already have a few new shades in the works. Hopefully, I'll have time to do the detail work on some of these tomorrow.

Remember the little glass canisters with the apple indentations that I bought a few weeks ago? I painted them yesterday, too. Now all they need is some cute bows around their necks. My original plan was to give them to D. for her apple-themed kitchen but I'm seriously considering listing them in the shop instead. If they're still around when I need a gift for her, maybe she'll get them then.

Poor thing! As a child she inherited all the dolls whose handpainted eyes looked a little crossed or the bear that simply didn't sell after a full season of craft shows. Now, as a grown-up, she's still a fall-back for merchandise.

Then there were some custom orders to complete, too. Since they are gifts and the recipients don't have them yet, I can't share them with you at the moment. Maybe soon. Let's just say I had fun and am very pleased with the results.

While all that paint's been drying, I've been sewing a lot of lace onto all sorts of things. Some of the lacy items should be ready to show you by tomorrow. (Most of those also have some painted details.)

On Monday night, Queen of Sienna included one of my glass paperweights in a feather themed treasury on Monday night. You can see the entire treasury here. Be sure to take time to check out Queen of Sienna's Etsy shop, too. She has a really great eclectic collection of vintage pieces.


Then, today, June over at the I Sew Cute blog, featured my "I Speak Cookie" apron on a post about baking her way through the Betty Crocker Cooky Book. Sort of makes you want to jump up and make a batch of cookies. (Or, at least, eat some cookies!)

When you get a chance, stop in and see some of the adorable pieces of resin jewelry June makes and decorates with sprinkles, glitter and love. You can see her shop here.

I think I'm going to sit back, relax and do a little reading now. I've just started reading The Girl Who Played With Fire. it's one of those books, one simply hates to put down!!

Busy, busy, busy!

Seriously, I'm frantically working on a couple of orders that need to go out this week AND making lots and lots of Easter candy!!!

I really started the candy production late and now I'm rushed to get it all done. No time to write a long post.

I hope to get back to y'all tomorrow. By then, these orders will be in the mail and I'll be all chocolated-out!!!

Yes, Virginia, you can have too much chocolate!!

Busy, Busy, Busy !!

Once again, I've missed a few posts. While I miss getting the chance to chat with y'all it's been a good thing. I've been busy working on orders!!!

I was beginning to worry as business had been slower than I had anticipated but suddenly, folks started calling and a few etsy sales started rolling in and, all of a sudden, I'm quite busy!

Most of my repeat clients have wanted customized designs which have involved some real brainstorming and numerous test sketches. This weekend alone, I've had numerous projects in the works. I finally drafted a ride-on plush duck pattern that worked. (The first two drafts just weren't anything to quack about!) It's sewn, stuffed and painted. (That's him above. Just wanted to give y'all a sneak peek!) All that's left to do is attach the functional soft sculpture wheels tomorrow. (Okay, so nothing is easy!)

I switched gears and paint boxes and moved on to a couple of customized and personalized painted wine glasses. They're baking now. (The paint is a heat set type of enamel.) I've finished dying a onesie to the right shade of green and it's currently in the dryer. I'll be painting that in the morning.

I've spent the last hour sanding a wooden stool so I can do the first base coat before going to bed. The wooden pieces take the longest to paint as they need multiple layers of base coat and are shellacked before I even begin the detail work. There's a lot of "drying time" involved between coats.

Within the next few minutes, I'm starting to paint two custom design shirts. Both feature hamsters. These are my first hamsters and they aren't as easy to sketch as one might think. (Go ahead. Draw one. Does his personality shine through? Would a total stranger know it's a hamster and NOT a guinea pig or such?) It's a shame no one has ordered an armadillo, as that's what one of my early sketches looked like! Grandma has provided very specific details as to the proper coloring of each of the hamsters.

I'll have to post some finished pics for you tomorrow. For now, I've got to get busy!!

So, where are the pictures?

I’ve been fairly busy this week. Surprisingly, business has had a sudden surge both on and offline. So, I had quite a bit of painting to do and I’m still working on several orders. Friends have begun calling in Christmas orders but while it is comforting to know they are not in a hurry to receive those items I am getting them done as quickly as I can to avoid a time crunch later. I’ve had some gifts to make for family members as Fall is a fairly heavy birthday period for our family. Between the orders, I’ve been trying to create new merchandise to plump up my stock for the holiday selling season. Oh yeah, there was some laundry, housework and cooking to fill those odd moments, too.

Yesterday, I took time to get out of the house. (Okay, I had to go out. I had an order to deliver and some errands to run.) It was a beautiful but extremely windy day. The sun was bright and visibility was great. As I peaked a hill that I drive several times a month, I realized I had a fantastic view of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that crosses the outer end of the Baltimore Harbor. I’ve never noticed that view before and it struck me as absolutely beautiful at that moment.

Of course, the camera was home on the charging dock! For somebody that almost always has her camera in her purse, I sure have been caught without it a lot lately. I passed a few other great photo ops on that drive, too. Maybe it was just that I hadn’t been out of the house in a few days or the beautiful weather but I seemed to be noticing so much more than usual on this run-of-the-mill drive. I swore I’d drop that camera in my purse again as soon as I got home.

Today was another absolutely beautiful day. On my grocery run, I noticed the spectacular sparkle of the sunlight on the super calm water of the river (the wind died down through the night) as I drove along. This area does provide some great scenic drives on everyday errands. There were even a few herons standing in the shallow areas.

So, where was the camera? You got it! It was still home on that charging dock.

Where is it now? Right next to me, on the charging dock!!
(I'm sure it's charged by now.)

So, now you know why there are no photos with this post!!! Sorry.

Well, there’s always tomorrow (provided I put that thing in my purse NOW.)

See ya’ll!