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"All I want for Christmas is my two thousand dollars!!"

If I stumbled upon a cash-only genie and he/she granted me one money-giving wish of any amount, I'd only want two thousand dollars. Then I'd humbly thank the blue sassy genie, voiced over by robin williams.
To share my wealth, I'd drop a ten in Homeless Bob's "Ninjas kidnapped my wife and I need money for her ransom" donation box. I could tell Homeless Bob about the money-giving genie only a block away from his cardboard home, but I question Bob's sanity. I mean, what would happen to the world if a crazy alcoholic, with outrageous opinions based on his insanity, came into a huge sum of money? Well, ahem, politics....

Why just two thousand dollars, you may wonder? Why not two million dollars? Or two billion trillion guhzillion?... Well, come on now! I'm not greedy! ;)

Seriously though, if I had at least two thousand dollars I could buy everything on my wishlist for the year 2012. My wishlist consists of everything I feel would help me progress in my pursuit to be a self-sufficient self-employed visual artist. But with the luck I've had during the holiday season art shows, I may never make enough profit to actually progress... sigh...

Why not get a small business loan?

Well, for one, I have no credit. Most businesses wont trust a young artist like me (with absolutely no credit history or co-signers) to pay back a small business loan. I have no credit for the same exact reason I'll never want to receive a small business loan; I'm... wait for it... debt phobic!

What?! An American debt phobic?!

Yes, yes I am. Debt phobia is the reason I didn't go to college for art. I've met too many art graduates working at coffee shops forever paying for their education. Btw, I see nothing wrong with that. An education is very important, I just choose to give myself an unstructured, unconventional, cheap, more-lazy-than-not art education...

Slammin' Wishlist for 2012

Canon - EOS Rebel T3i 18mpx DSLR

This would definitely take a huge chunk out of the 2k budget! Ok, to be absolutely honest, I'm completely camera dumb. But I have a feeling this is a badass camera and I'd be willing to take a college class on how to use this baby. But, in reality I'm good with any great digital camera capable of capturing perfectly detailed images of my products for my etsy shop and portraits of people I'll use as references for my art, and the ability to record Full HD so I can market myself on youtube by up loading tutorials and such. If you have a cheaper suggestion, please let me know. :)

EZ Screen Printing Kit & Shirts

A major plan I have for next year is to put my art on tshirts! I live in a small 1bdrm apartment with an 8x8 dining room turned art "studio" area. I dont have a lot of room or resources to make my own screen printing frames and chemical clean up that goes into diy screen printing. So I came across this nifty way to screen print without all the prep mess. I've never used it before but I've read pretty great reviews and watched neat youtube videos. I don't plan to go all corporate with my shirts, probably only making a few shirts of a certain design at a time, so this seems like it'll work perfectly. :) The refill sheets may seem expensive but when I take into account how much I could potentially sell tshirts for with a design from just one sheet, I dont mind paying extra for the convenience of using these sheets over making my own stencils from picture frames, mesh, and emulsion. Plus, I'm a screen-printing virgin so I need to be led gently into the world of soft cotton, dimmed lights, gentle touches, heavy scraping, careful exposure, hot heat, and messy clean up.

Art Show Booth Setup Materials & Supplies

I searched and found a reasonably priced canopy at Walmart.com that I really love. It fits the style I imagine my booth to look like. :) The rest of the remaining 2k would be spent on marketing and DIY projects I'd do to save money on the booth setup, like using white painted tree branches as clothing racks and thrift store shopping for table cloths and other misc decor.

I'm sure when it's all said and done, I'll have enough left for a sandwich. I'll ask for a small smoked turkey combo, no mayo, at Schlotzky's. Then I'll open my wallet to retrieve a ten dollar bill to pay for the expensive $9 small combo and realize I have no money left. I'll turn to leave the building and see Homeless Bob eating a turkey combo with the sassy blue genie, flipping me off...

Quick Tip: Cheap Art Print Sleeves!!!

Photo courtesy of Bre Williams

Just a quick money-saving tip I thought I should share.

When you are looking for some protective archival safe, acid free, clear plastic bags and sturdy backer boards for your art prints, go to your local comic book shop. They'll have plastic sleeves and backer boards of different sizes (basically standard comic book size up to magazine size) on the cheap. I bought 100 archival safe, acid free sleeves for just $6 and 100 thick 24pt back boards for about $10

Yeah that's right. 100 8.5x11 bags for only $6 and 8.5x11 24pt backer boards for only $10. That totals to .16 for each art print you protect. Awesome right?!? If you've ever bought art sleeves and/or backer boards from the mega chain craft stores you will know how great that is. :)

I think the only down side to saving that much money is the bags don't come with a strip of adhesive on the back of the bags to keep them closed (at least the brand I bought doesn't, but some might), but it's nothing a little strip of scotch or masking tape couldn't fix. :)

Happy Creating!!

Gotta Have It! : Portable Credit Card Machine

Of course everyone knows that the traditional US currency, made up of linen and cotton fibers portraying legendary Presidents (that look like they may have been as wrinkly in real life as their printed image on the crumpled up bill found in the pocket of my washed then dried jeans), is slowly but surely being replaced by plastic gold. I say "gold" because it seems credit cards are what Leprechauns are hiding in their pot of gold and too many people have found their way to the end of the rainbow, indulging in the seemingly endless amount of money that is... well, not technically theirs.... Unless of course it's debit...

Anyways, knowing this, it's always a good idea for artisans to be prepared for those customers who choose to pay with a card. Since not every artist can be so lucky to pick a display spot right next to the ATM machine, the only other option is to have your very own portable credit card machine.

Now you can rent one of those bulky credit card machines you'll see at retail stores. I'm not too sure of all the details of how to obtain those since after doing only a little research on prices I quickly exited the web tab.

My best advice, (which you definitely should always take with a grain of salt since I'm no professional but just an opinionated rambler) is to first get yourself an iPhone. I'm not sure if these options which I'm about to show you are compatible with other smartphones or if there are different options for the other smartphones, but I do know that the iPhone has been a business savior for me. In all candidness, if you ever considered renting one of the bulky credit card readers, you might as well buy yourself an iPhone and save money.

Once you have an iPhone or have always had one, here are two options that I know of that are FREE small compact portable credit card readers that plug right up into your phone!! There no monthly payments and you only have to pay a small percentage of every sale, (maybe 2% but don't quote me on that).

Square



I don't personally use the Square, but most of the artists I've seen who have this type of credit card reader use this brand.

Intuit GoPayment



This is the brand I use. It's bulkier than the Square, but I like to think of it as being sturdier. Also, the lanyard is a definite pro since it's super easy for me to lose things.

Just click those links and do a little bit of your own research and figure out which one tickles your fancy. I remember the application and registration process being pretty straight forward and easy. Intuit called me to make sure I am a real person with a real reason to have the card reader, so I can say they are legit. I received the reader within two weeks and they also included window decals showing the major credit cards I accept. As of right now, I have no complaints. I see all types of small businesses, from freelance artists to food trailer vendors, use these handy little devices.

It's up to the individual to decide if a little card reader is worth it. But honestly, who has a decent amount of cash in their wallets anymore? I'm sure there are still people walking around with fat wallets protruding from their back pocket like a lumpy target for thieves or gold-diggers, but more than likely anyone wanting to carry that much heat rather have it all in one secure and humble place. I always feel bad when I see the little cub scouts and girl scouts camped out in front of Wal-Mart looking up at me with those darling freckles and cute buck teeth and asking if I'd like to donate money. Sure, they'll make sells and probably a lot of sells with their arsenal of cuteness equipped with guilt guns pumped full of morality bullets. But can you imagine how much more sells they'd make if they took credit cards??? If they could guilt you where it counts, your plastic gold?!?

I hope you found this post somewhat helpful with the couple of tips I threw into a sea of ramblings. :D

Happy crafting!!

Hi. I'm Sarah. I'm an artist...

I've become comfortable with the idea that I thrive from chaos. Clutter and I go hand in hand like Lindsey Lohan and court dates. Buy me a weekend at a clean four star hotel room with a box of arts and crafts, leave me alone to dwell in my artistic madness, and you will return to confetti covered floors, glue sticks stuck to appliances, bed sheets strewn across the room, walls covered in magazine clippings, coffee burning in the coffee maker, and scissors and xacto knives resting so perfectly open on the floor just waiting for uncovered flesh to slice... An observer would see the destruction of 4 star quality into what you'd see at a run-down crack addict hobo motel. But I will stand up, look around the room, seeing only perfection, and feel at total peace...

I see my craft room like a dream catcher, I clutter my web with things I admire to keep the good energy around me and the negativity away. Mr. Psychoanalyst, is it an insecurity to surround myself with a cluttery chaos, building random obstacles of yarn, paints, xacto knives, and mounds of laundry (usually clean :\)? Don't get me wrong, I dont live in squalor. I don't have trash and rotting food laying around my house, nor do I have bugs infesting my place. It's 100% just clean clutter, aside from the occasional lack of dish cleanliness.

Since finding the love of my life and thus becoming an at-home-girlfriend/artist, I'm having trouble finding the comfortable balance of being a chaotic artist and being a Susie Homemaker. The first couple of months living in our first apartment together, I cleaned everyday as a routine. I knew my love would be home at 5:30 so I began cleaning at 2:30pm, had dinner started at 4:30pm, and showered and dressed up before he got home. Not only did I want to be presentable, but I wanted him to know I was at home doing "my part". I assume this is what happens to newly weds, at least to those who have one who stays home to do the house work.

Months later, finally feeling comfortable enough in my own skin to pursue my love of art, everything began changing. Slowly Susie Homemaker let go of her responsibilities, first starting with the dishes, letting them pile high. But, gosh darn didn't her art look amazing. Then the laundry became neglected, starting as small piles in the corners to then evolving into a sea of cotton and polyester. The more and more I dwelled inside the chaos of my creativity, the more Susie let herself go.

Now my art is beautiful and really taking off, but my house has suffered. I'm not only in the pursuit of my happiness, but in pursuit of the great almighty balance of life.

Ironically enough, the clutter has finally taken it's toll on me and is sucking the motivation right out of me. The part of me that feels guilty for the clutter is clashing with the part of me that thrives from it. The mess in my craft area is getting in the way of creating art. I've let myself dwell too long in my creative chaos and it's time to allow myself to resurface for a breath of fresh air.

It still amazes me how two adults can trash a place so easily. I guess the lack of motivation stems from when I do have the energy to clean it only take my boyfriend and I a few hours, not days, to have it cluttered up again!!! Plus, I also realized I have slight hording tendencies. My goal this week is to go through all my old crafts and clothes and get rid of or donate all of that which I never use.

Ya know, I guess there's nothing wrong with being both an artist and an at-home-lover. In my mind, I'll just spice up the old Susie, maybe spell her name with a "z" (Suzy), take down her beehive hairdo and make it into a messy bun, and splatter a bit of paint and dirt on her otherwise bleach clean apron. :)

Crochet Crazy - Dog Sweaters!!

Cold days are finally pushing their way through Texas, giving some much needed relief after a sweltering summer of more than 70 days of triple digit heat! I actually don't want to throw a temper tantrum every time I see the weather forecast anymore! There are days that are actually under 80!! But, it's finally dropping to 60F and below, so it's definitely sweater time!!

The chilly air got me inspired to crochet my dog a new sweater! Luckily (for me, not her) Tootsie was a winter baby so before I even got to have her I was already crocheting her some super fab sweaters!!! The first two sweaters I ever made for her were so adorable. One was colorful and fun with a cute little frilly skirt and the second was black with a fuzzy white trim hood!

Look how effin cute she was!!!! SO adorable. She's still a beautiful dog, but man nothing warms a heart like those cute round puppy eyes and tiny little paws!! hehe :D <3 I tell ya, one thing I sure don't miss is all those little accidents in the house. O.o




A year later and Tootsie is a much bigger creature. Although I wish I could pull out those old cute sweaters, unfortunately her head wouldn't even fit through it.


So, this year I decided to make her a "chic" sweater, or I atleast tried to.
(Don't be fooled by her melancholy look. She's super spoiled!)

I'm by no means a fashionista, nor am I even aware what fashion is, but I tried. I wanted the hood to be full instead of the traditional half circle type hood. Make sense? The hood is wide enough to be rolled back onto her shoulders, creating a super cute collar. The skirt I went for a more subtle wave other than the tight frills of her older sweaters.

She looks so cute in it!!! I love it on her!

Here's another sweater I made for her. I wanted to make her a Cheshire cat costume for Halloween but I was overly ambitious to think I could get it all done, start to finish, on Halloween day! So instead, she just has a cute striped sweater!!





And finally, here is my creative, overly dramatic interpretation of how embarrassed she would be if pups really did care about such things as home made crocheted sweaters made by momma!!!

2012 Calendars!!!!!

Now for sale!! I'll have them up soon on my online shop!! I'll be selling them in person at every event I'll be apart of now until the end of this year :D
The calendars are printed on 110 bright white heavy card-stock.


Each calendar month's art is designed to allow re-purposing of the art after each month is over. Just clip off the art and frame! :D


The calendar has a single small hole punch at the top of every page where two loops are attached for hanging. The biggest loop (the main hanging ring) is a book binding ring so it's easy to detach, allowing the passing months to flip easily over if you rather keep the calendar together opposed to re-purposing the art.


I'm selling these calendars for $20. :) <3