Too Many Pots on the Boil?

Like most artists I know (heck anybody probably, artist or not), I've got lots of things on the boil - some things that have been tried but come to naught (like my pirate knitter collage, alas).  Or I've got stuff that is percolating and not quite ready for prime time (like a wedding gift for a certain happy couple in North Carolina).

And there are the Christmas gifts and cards that are scattered all over my kitchen table.  Well, not really.  I've got that fairly well organized, it just seems like it's overtaken my kitchen table.

A page from the 1st calendar I ever made

The gifts are often handmade calendars that I have created for 5 years, I think.  They are so popular that each fall someone with pleading eyes will ask me if they're on the calendar list.  They get kept year after year for future giggles, which is a great compliment.  And new people do get added to the calendar list too.  I'm doing 10 this year.

Other special people in my life get other handmade gifts appropriate to their interests.

There's one family of cats (5) that is getting a set of small crocheted sleeping blankets, for example.  I figure the cats won't mind that I'm not the best of crocheters.

A select few will get store bought (mostly Etsy-bought) gifts that are carefully selected to suit their interests.

And everyone will get handmade Christmas cards.  And I hope that the non-calendar recipients know that I really appreciate and love them too.  When I told someone that I was doing 90% handmade this year they remarked that it was a good way to save money.  Hah!  Not true.

Getting back to the calendars, they're a hell of a lot of work to be frank.  My therapist (one of the calendar recipients) and others have urged me to make them for sale.  The amount of work that goes into them, however, makes that cost-prohibitive.  Just taking the time spent into account would make them at least $50 each and that's not even counting my materials.  I could try to have them printed but that's just too much work and, besides, I want to keep them special, one of a kind, just for the people I care about.

In this post I'm showing you the front of monthly pages from past calendars.  However, there are two special features that recipients love.  First, I include a list of anniversaries for the new year.  These are researched online and I choose a few that interest me or are a bit weird.  Sometimes they're serious anniversaries - this year's list includes the end of World War II and the anniversary of the ending of the Civil War.  This list is glued to the back of the front page.

The second feature, something that is especially anticipated by my therapist, is a monthly list of bizarre holidays for the month that I glue to the back of each month's page.  I don't include the whole month - that would be way too long for the size of the page - but again I select a few ranging from bizarre to serious.

So, I've included samples of past years' pages in various states of completion in this post.  I should note also that the bases for these pages are often upcycled postcards, either the free postcards one used to find in nightclubs, bars, and elsewhere (but seem to have disappeared), or watercolor paper cut down from large sheets.  And though the design may seem simple, it's still a lot of work.  And of course the completed pages contain the usual Rhodyart caption.


Even though they do take a lot of time (I start working on them in June, usually), I enjoy doing them, especially because I know how much pleasure the recipients get from them.

And that is reason enough for me.

later,
lin

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things Part ?

Regular readers of this blog will know that I like to explore Etsy to find cool stuff and share what I've found.  And also point you to cool stuff that you can give to yourself or others.  After all, Christmas is coming, there's always birthdays, weddings, and other occasions, and sometimes it's hard to find just the right, unique, gift for that special person in your life.  Thus, I invite you to check out these four shops, all selling intriguing vintage goods.

One of my favorite vintage and craft shops is BetsStuff, owned by Betsy Durham, which you can find here.  Betsy has a wicked sense of humor and one of the reasons I like her, of course, is because she likes my sense of humor.  One item from her shop that I particularly like is this vintage 45 single.  I've never heard of Peter Pan Records and this was just really interesting to me.  You can find it by clicking on the shop name below the image.

Betsstuff

Our next stop is Goshenpickers, run by Warren and Bev, found by clicking here.  Their shop is a treasure trove of finds that you can't find easily elsewhere.  They also have a great sense of humor.  One of my favorites is this terrific vintage check-writing machine that would be perfect for a collector of vintage office machines (and yes, they're out there).  You'll find other collectibles in this shop that are intriguing and different.  Check out the machine by clicking on the shop name below the image.

Goshenpickers

if you are in the market for fabulous vintage bling, you've got to check out Roxie's SoBejeweled, which you can visit by clicking on this link.  She's got 21 pages of wonderful, sparkly items that will surely please someone on your gift list.  Check out this pin by clicking on the shop name below the photo.  I love how the color is splattered across the leaf.

SoBejeweled

Last, but certainly not least, we're off to GirlPickers, (click on the shop name) run by Tina and Angie.  Home of shabby, industrial, and architectural home decor items, they've recently added a number of vintage Christmas ornaments that can grace your tree.  One trend that's hot right now is using vintage suitcases in home decor, and this is a great example from GirlPickers.  Click on the shop name below the picture to check it out.

GirlPickers

That's it for this week's shopping expedition.  Tune in soon for another installment, and do check out Etsy's vintage shops for unique items that not only will make great gifts but can be added to your home decor and be fun talking points.

later,
lin