Yee Haw Happy New Year Yall!! Its our Contest time!!!!

Rose Pen Hand Turned and carved From JmMCoy

Earrings from TheGemmedGiraffe



Individualized carved key chain from CNewcomb

 
Contest 

As yall know, our guild is becoming more vibrant and active, so we thought we would do a little contest to set things off for the New Year.


Our Guild Roster

 

Our members are participating in a scavenger hunt of sorts and we have fabulous prizes for the winner!   It's a collection of products from some our talented and generous Texans.

The way this works is YOU have to find the six flags that flew over Texas in our rebellious past.  They are flying as a widget/flag in the front page of 6 shops out of all of our guild members.  See roster here.    You have to submit your answers to us by January 31st.

BUT they have to be in order and which shop is flying that particular flag  (ie  cctexan3  _____flag) IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.  So I reckon yall are going to learn a little Texas history while you are at it. 

Submissions should go to the Guildmaster in Artfire

We will keep them and  if there are more than one correct answer, we will randomize the submissions and let the computer draw the winner.

Please feel free to blog about this in your own blogs and twitters and facebook, we love attention!  let us know who you are and we will try to follow yall in kind.

We wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!  God Bless Texas!!







lampwork and black beaded cha cha bracelet from cctexan3

Hemp Dog Collar from SonoraKays

Update on our Texas Contest for January

Final touches are being made for the contest!!

we need a widget maker badly! I cannot do widgets for the studios.  please email me via my artfire studio
http://www.cctexan2.artfire.com/   if you can be our superhero! thanks

Just a quick tease

er, that came out wrong.  However yall know me, foot in mouth.

Our first guild wide contest will begin Jan 1.  Members: go to the yahoo group for details.

Readers, we will run it month long.  We figured yall would like to combine a scavenger hunt with a bit of Texas knowledge and why we love Texas!

In early January, certain shops will be flying something and you have to go look for it.  when you spot all 6, you have to put them in the chronological order of both the item and the Shop flying it.  Check back on this blog for the items.



We will have prizes for the first and second place responders. We will randomize all the correct responders and draw from there. 

  Pictures to follow soon, but they are all handmade by some of our talented Texas artisans.  We thank them for being so gracious! 

Hey Yall, need some followers to the Texas artisan blog

Hey Yall, need some followers to the Texas artisan blog

Yep its a pity posting.  We have only 14 followers of our ginormous blog about the art scene, selling online, helping others and contests where you can cool prizes of hand crafted items like burled oak pens, gem stone jewelry, leather  cuffs ( dont ask) and other snazzy things.

 

We would love to have more followers, retweets and shares and I am not shameless when it comes to promoting other artists.

it is here , where ya standing reading this right now...hehe

I will personally giveaway a piece of my jewelry to one of the supporters of that blog.  You wont know what number, but we will put it in a randomizer and draw a name.  Goal is to get to 300 who are serious about life online selling, networking and who can read. LOL


Help us get there! Purdy Please.

there is a separate contest for who comments the most in a two month period.  Guild members are not eligible.

thanks yall!!

Stress over the Holidays

As a self emlpoyed artist, the stressors of daily living seem to pile up real quick: family, work,  doctors visits, children ( they seem to always need to eat dont they?) car repairs, cleaning, creating, managing, promoting your craft, craft shows, learning new techniques ad infinitum.

So whats a gal to do?  I prefer to continue to work until I am so exhausted I bite everyone's head off or fall into exhaustion.  I realised last year this was not the way to handle it ( for me)  It may work for you though heheh.

I have learned to break projects into manageable bits  and write them on a day planner so I can see progress.  If it is all swirly in my head, I get confuddled and make mistakes.  I also have a stressor on a subconcious level.  Therefore, writing it down takes the stress away.

Meditation is another way that I relieve stress.  Even if you do it for five minute increments throughout the day, it helps you focus on your breathing, lowering your heart rate and becoming in tune to the world around you.   I have visualized  a dark crevice and go there, feeling and being one with the world even if for a bit. Amazingly refreshing.


I try to avoid toxic people or snarky threads cus I get sucked into those always.  I am a wet paint toucher.   I find that not letting my expectations exceed my limitations helps as well.  "an unexamined life is not worth living"  is a truth I believe in.  I know that today is going to be my past tomorrow and I will not get it back. How do I want to spend those precious 24 hours?

Sales are important, but not to the point that I cannot create.  I have spent more time lately promoting and working with others than I have in solitude with my gems and metals.  I  am planning on spending more time with that and listing ( I go in spurts) Unpacking my studio after the move, I was so excited touching the stones .... that is sad that I have neglected my friends.  They give me purpose and comfort in creating.  So that is what I focus on in these times.


So how do you deal with it?

Texas On Fire At Artfire

Texas On Fire At Artfire

  Curated By: Divine-Defini...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

More New Members! Welcome!

This is so exciting!  More new members to our Texas ArtFire Guild!

1.  Roxy And Things - Roxy says:  "I provide handmade, handcrafted, bridal, custom, vintage and vintage redesigned pieces to customers like you. All of my jewelry arrives at your door in special packaging, whether a gift for yourself or someone else."

 

Checkout these beautiful 14kt Gold Filled Earrings with Chunky Adventurine!

How about this one - Glass and Gemstone Multi-strand Neclace!

I absolutely love your 'torso' display!  I want one of those!

Lovely - Sterling Silver Breathe Bracelet!

2.  Polkadot Toadstool - Cherie says "My art is mostly in creating of characters in the form of art dolls, fantasy, or anything else I feel inspired to give a personality to:-) Recently I also started making miniatures."

Ohoo, how lovely - Dollhouse Doll Miniature Child in 1:12 scale one inch scale

So pretty - Fairy Queen or Goddess necklace in tan with some sparkles

 

Oh, no, the space aliens are here!  Miniature Space Alien in his spacecraft

3.  Dougal's Doo-Rags - Bio reads "My dogs love their bandanas, and soon people noticed the cool patterns and fabrics. I started making them for neighbors, friends and co-workers, and now I make them for you! I also make catnip pillows, using organic catnip. Kitties like to huggle the pillow while on a nip trip."

 

What a cutie this one is (dog and bandana)!  Snowflake Dog Bandana with easy Velcro close

 

 My cat would love these!  5 Animal Print Catnip Pillows

 

Love this one! Patriotic Flag Dog Bandana with east Velcro Close

4. Sonora Kay's Creations - Bio reads "I have been weaving dream catchers for about 10 years now, of all shapes and sizes. I also make jewelry from hemp, and I have recently taken up playing with beads and wire, which have been incorporated into my designs.

The dream catcher earrings and pendants are all hand woven with beading thread. I have been creating and selling my work for close to a decade now at craft shows, consignment shops, online, and by word of mouth."

These are so beautiful!  Holiday Pearl Necklace

Picked one I would love to own!  Antiqued Copper Earrings with Green Accents OOAK

 

Wire Dream Catcher Earrings

Well, I picked all the ones I want, now you go visit their shops and pick the ones you want!  Have fun visiting and be sure to add their studios to your Market.  And tweet those items you really love!