{creating myself}

Upcoming Shows...

It's been almost a week since I've last blogged, and I don't think I've vacated this space for that long a time since The Spring Break Hangover 2009.

I've missed you.

The main reason for my absence, I suppose, is that I had a show this weekend. Which brings me to my future apology of absences, as holiday time is quickly approaching. And all my fellow crafters know... that means work.

Holiday time means craft shows. And I'm booked almost every weekend. As of right now, here is where you can find me as a vendor: (stalker alert!)

- Boca Town Center Mall
September 25 - 9am-9pm
September 26 - 12pm-6pm

- Coral Square Mall
October 2 - 9am-9pm
October 3 - 12pm-6pm

- Indie Craft Bazaar, Ft. Lauderdale
October 17
info here.

- Boynton Beach Mall
November 6 - 9am-9pm
November 7 - 12pm-6pm

I'm constantly adding events, so check back!
If you're local, I would love to meet you!



And now...
Amy's Five Great Reasons To Attend a PLC Show!
...or any craft show!!!


Five: I offer huge deals & discounts to my shoppers. This weekend I knocked 40% off all original art. Mention my blog for a free gift!




Four: I often have a ton of products you can't find on my blog or shop like these awesome agendas, bracelets, postcards, and holiday card packs!










Three: Meet some of the great people in cast of characters in my life! Here's my friend Melissa and one of my dad! Thanks for helping :)







Two: New art! I always spend hours/days/weeks creating new paintings and designs for a show (I'll share them on Etsy soon :)




ONE.... Come say hi!! I LOVE new friends, especially blog readers! Mention that you're a reader for a free gift :)



love, amy.

Vlog! Makeup Tutorial, Segment Two

Whoa, freaky angle.

This is the second segment of my Makeup Tutorial. I hope you enjoy it! It focuses more on achieving a smoky eye, applying mascara and liner the right way, and fixing brows & lips.

Here's a closeup of my after face:






Thanks for watching! And thanks for the help, Alexa! :)

testing...

trying a new blog layout... testing some text and photos... what do you think? :)



PS... does anyone know how to chnge what is written in a module? for example, at the top right under "hello, friends..." I would like to change my introduction. I'm not 23 anymore. :)

Vlog! Makeup Tutorial, part one.

Hello, friends!

I often receive questions re: my favorite products and the steps I take to achieve my going-out face, aka flawless cheeks and smoky eyes. I promised some friends I would post a tutorial, so here it is. If you have product or technique questions, you can ask them here.

Here are some of my favorite makeup faces I've done...

















This is segment one of the makeup tutorial, which includes foundation and cheeks. Check back tomorrow for segment two, eyes, brows, and lips (& more favorite faces!).

I realize that this video is awkward and funny at times :)
I'm not a professional makeup artist nor am I a professional videographer. :)

Sometimes, life is best told through the eyes of a Blackberry.

How cute is this family of ducks that have chosen to inhabitate outside my front door?


Hello, scrapbook time.


iloveyou, pumpkin spice latte.


Here's what our South Florida days have been looking like...


Followed by our South Florida nights.


In case you can't tell, that's a casino voucher for $97!


And here's my friend with her $7 one! :(


love always, miss amy

where was my warning?

Damn.

Sewing granny squares together is annoying. Especially since I'm winging it and have no clue what I'm doing.

I'm using a lot of the squares from Operation Granny Square (so if you see your square here, shout out hi!) throughout which I raised $30 for the American Red Cross! So cool.

The plan s to make a table runner for my coffee table in the living room. So far, so good.







Do you have any tips or tricks on how to sew these things together?!

hello, inspiration.

Here is what I'm super inspired by right now...


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I'm working on a new line of paintings "carnival-inspired"... bright and flashy colors, graphic geometric designs, yummy food, fun rides, shining lights at night, loud music... what's inspiring you right now?

art journaling makes my heart happy.

Now that Fall is quickly approaching here, I suppose it's a good time to share the last few pages from my Summer art journal. This Summer of Love class was so incredible... I highly recommend it :)

All page elements can be purchased here in this kit.










loooved this prompt. What or who was the spine of your summer?






What or who is in the shadows of your summer?




also seen here.













xo, A

Guess what I've been doing?

scrapbooking!!!!!

Yeeeeah. That's right. The past two two nights, I've taken to my studio and made a few layouts. It's been relaxing. Fun. Creative. Heartwarming. Inspired. And it's hard to put into words, but whenever I scrapbook, it feels like going home again.


I'll photograph my layouts tonight and share them here, but for now, allow me to share some of my favorite scrapbooking inspiration with you.
These are all from my inspiration folder on my desktop... I think it's cool when I can see a layout of someone's and know exactly who made it, immediately. That's the case with all of these lovely people. :)



Kara. Kara is a dear friend, and her layouts covet a good 75% of my inspiration folder. I'm pretty sure I've bookmarked every thing she's ever made. Plus she is a freakin' frackin' sweetheart.


Jeremy seems like such a sweet guy, and has such a great eye for design. I always love what he does for The Dares.


Christina is the queen of minibooks. I love her funky style and bright mix of colors/elements.



Vee. Sprays, mists, sewing machines, great photos... need I say more?



I know I've blogged about my friend Julie before, but her scrapbooks and art journals and quilts are the most creative things in the world.




Kristi has been one of my favorite scrapbookers since the beginning of scrapbook time. You can still see some of her amazing work here.




Last but not least, the amazingly talented Mandi. Does this girl have an eye for vintage design of what?



puh puh PLEaSE link me to some of your favorite layouts or scrapbookers/art journalers!!

xoxo

Crafty Potluck, installment one.

My friend Hollie and I threw our first monthly Crafty Potluck this past weekend, and it was a huge success! Even more successful than I expected. We had eight girls in total, which seemed like a perfect amount. Each girl brought her favorite crafts to work on and a dish to share (fruit salad, chicken wings, pasta, and of course, cupcakes!) We used my home, which I was happy to share. It was so wonderful having so many crafty friends in one place.
And we already have our next party planned for October 23rd!
You are all invited! ;)

Here are some photos of our amazing day...
















 

You can see lots more of our photos here.


Here are some tips for throwing your own crafty party, as written by Hollie...

First and foremost, friends ask me how and where I meet such awesome crafters. The answer is very simple: Craft shows! When I attend or vend them, I go with the goal of meeting and networking with artists and crafters that really stand out to me. It's the perfect opportunity! All the local geniuses at one event!

So when you hear of a craft show, or other crafty event coming up, plan to go! Put on your brave face, smile and meet every single vendor there. Take biz cards, and when you get home, add them all as Facebook friends and follow their biz pages and blogs. Keep in touch, and stay connected. The more ppl you friend, the more awesomeness you'll be in on. As indie creators, it's important to view other creators as family. So connect, be real and enjoy the fun that comes from it!...

You can read the rest of her awesome advice here.

If you're local and you'd like to join in on our crafty fun, email me via the link above. If you have questions or comments about throwing your own crafty potluck, leave a comment here! :)

xo.

I'm not sure if I'm more inspired or more busy.

Let's see.

Today will be filled with work, a funeral, helping my friend make a baby gift, a spray tan appointment, and Friday night (which usually consists of great friends and music, heels, dresses, & vodka/sodas.)

But today is also filled with a ton of inspiration.

this sentiment.

+via


this beautiful girl. WOW. is anyone else as obsessed with this show as I am?

+via


this fall trend of skinny jeans, baggy tanks, and boots.

Untitled by hil34


the new cupcake.

+via


the greatest guacamole ever. which I made.




this necklace. and the way it came packaged, to my door, within days.

from The Shabby Apple

yes, inspired.
happy friday.

"She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain." -Louisa May Alcott

Dear Labor Day Weekend 2010,
Thank you for providing me with three days straight of reconnecting with old friends, spending time with new friends, and in between, lots & lots of time with the printed word.
love, amy.



 
I started reading this book by Jodi Picoult. JP is very hit or miss for me. I really love the plots of her stories, but usually don't love her books. They are sad and slow for my taste. In an effort to get through many books I love this year, I put this one down and opted to rent the movie instead. I've never done that before. Have you?



Instead, I picked up this book, which I probably read when it first came out in 2002 but I forgot about. I usually don't re-read books, but I didn't remember this one and I wanted a quick, one day read. It was only okay.



But then I received a 40% off coupon from Borders, and I bought this. Now I'm only about 20 pages into it, but I must say that so far, it's just as fantastic as everyone says.



And after Little Bee, I plan on trying this one. Because I saw it featured yesterday at Borders and it looked really, really good.



And don't think I forget about this book. I will never forget about this book. I plan on doing an extensive review in the near future. I want to make it good.

Ah, book updates. One of my very favorite kinds.

something I think you might like.

I thought it would be fun to share some of my craft show photos. I always love seeing the way artists display their work at shows, especially the table set-ups.
So this is the way I set up my extravagant delight.

I adore questions and suggestions...









Some advice I have on setting up your front:

• group similar items together
• be visually inspiring
• have a small price list handy. people don't like asking for prices and may walk away from your table if they aren't sure.
  
• reflect your brand. creating a brand is equally important for your online store and your real-life store front or craft show front. When people see my table, they recognize me as bright colors, graphic lines, pretty designs, emphatic black handwriting, and always a smiling face.
  
  I hope you enjoyed these tips! Please feel free to share some of your own.

love, amy.

I have an important question.

Is anyone in blogland not obsessed with the pumpkin spice latte?
(ps, I tried a sample of the pumpkin scone yesterday and it was to. die. for.)

Okay, so.
Labor Day weekend plans.
This weekend is jam packed.

As in, I double-booked every day. Plus, I have things to do. So at the risk of sounding cliche and annoying, here is my to-do list. I don't know why I think you'll be interested in reading this, I guess it will just make me feel more organized having posted it.

Friday:

• work
• financial aid office at FAU re: tuition and loans
• clubbing for my friend Jen's birthday

Saturday:

• crafty potluck with some wonderful local girls that I've met through shows, blogland, and facebook. it's at my house, and there will be about ten girls all bringing their favorite craft supplies to play with and dishes to munch on! Hollie is helping me plan, which is so fantastic! She is ridiculously talented.
• clubbing for my friend Ian's birthday
  
  Sunday and Monday will be full of things that I committed to that I can't seem to find the time for...
• spending time with other out-of-town and new friends
• two custom (huge!) works for Melissa and Megan
• finish my "I craft at night" painting (reserved for Lindsay)
• have car fixed
• relax?? sleep? err! (^%@#*!@^!@(!*#(<<>@#&@$^!*-**

 

lovemuffins.