Laughter is the Best Medicine!

I think you have figured out by now that I Really like to have fun and to me laughing is a sport that should be played daily if not hourly. I think when we grow up we are taught to be serious and that being playful is considered immature. I can remember when I was in my 20s a friend told me (quite seriously) men don't like funny women. If I wanted to catch a man I had better stop acting like a clown... well... in my opinion... if I can't be myself with the people I love, who can I be myself with? I like to be around funny people and watch funny movies and buy fun whimsical things. I think life is much too important to be taken so seriously! What if the world's soldiers were supplied with silly string, whoopie cushions and (my favorite) cream pies? Well, I know that probably won't happen anytime soon....so I will conduct My life as a clown.

With that said, I want to introduce you to a shop owner at etsy who creates the cutest little pixie dolls she calls Sugarcookie Dolls. I mean I haven't seen anything like these... I mentioned in an earlier post that I don't like dolls... BUT these got my attention... they really made me laugh and you know how much I enjoy that! Toni Kelly is a stay at home mom and breast cancer survivor. Her grandmother passed away around 6 years ago... her positive attitude, her sense of humor, the way she dressed and the way she lived her life really left an impression on her... while helping her mother clean out her grandmother's closet, she had an Ah-Ha moment and with her newfound inspiration, she started incorporating bits & pieces of her grandmother's jewelry into her creations... that led to starting Sugar Cookie Dolls in honor of her grandma Cookie. In the summer of 2005 she was diagnosed with breast cancer... which gave her creations a new focus. Her words of advice are...GET A MAMMOGRAM!!!

I'm sure Toni will agree with my phiolosophy... Life is short - so have a blast while your here! and check out out her shop www.sugarcookiedolls.etsy.com/ Toni can also be found on a new online shopping site www.lollishops.com/ I bet you will find a fun Valentines Day gift... oh, and check out her daughters artwork of their English Bulldog... adorable!!!

Have a fun day and don't forget to laugh outloud!

xoxo Inge

P.S. I found a man who appreciates my sense of humor and silliness... that is what he loves best about me. We will celebrate our 11th anniversary this March.

I admit it...

I'm a crazy about my doggies... ok, all doggies... well animals in general. I love those four legged babies, birdies, and throw in some fish and reptiles... actually I can't hug fish and reptiles... comfortably anyways... but I still love em! and will go out of my way to rescue anyone one of these creatures when needed. When I was a kid, I didn't like dolls... still don't... they give me the creeps... so I put clothes on my stuffed animals and continue to do so today.

I am always looking for accessories for my Chihuahuas... leashes, collars, harnesses, clothes... and I found a great online shop that makes handmade leashes, collars, and harnesses. They are so fun and cute! Olive, my Chihuahua wants one in every color... she is such a fashionista!

The owners at http://www.thecoolpuppy.com/ / began their love affair with pooches with a puppy named Lili Sushi... she was a Valentines Day present... then six months ago they decided to leave their corporate jobs and created "Cool Puppy". All their products come from their dedication and love for pets. You can also find them at www.thecoolpuppy.etsy.com/

I know the holidays can be hectic... and this year money is tight, but their doggie accessories are so unique and reasonably priced you can afford to buy a few for you four legged friends. I think Olive will look great in a pink collar.

I better get to bed... hope you have a restful sleep... If you are living somewhere that is going to freeze tonight (like Northern California) don't forget to bring your pets inside they need a warm place to sleep too!

xoxo, Inge

Fall is in the air

and before you know it...the holidays will be here! Time to start thinking about decorating your home and giving gifts to those special people in your life. I don't know about you but I enjoy buying my gifts and just about anything special for that matter from artists. I just don't get excited about anything I see in the malls anymore, which brings me to my feature artist. Her shop is on etsy, www.OliviaMae.etsy.com/. Her specialty is handmade one of a kind fabric wreaths (she accepts custom orders). In my opinion a handmade wreath is eco friendly and can be used for many years to come.

Olivia Mae is a second generation wreath maker. Her mother taught her how to make them when she was a girl. After going to college and then getting married, she started making wreaths again for her friends who were having babies and got such positive responses she decided to open an online shop...where else but etsy! Currently she works part time at her craft and works full time in education!

Each wreath takes many hours to make and she is always on the look out for the perfect fabric.

Right now OliviaMae is focusing on creating several holiday wreaths ... Not only are the wreaths great gifts, but also a great decoration for your own home. If there are certain colors you are interested in -- just let her know and she would love to create a wreath that is created especially for YOU! She can make the wreaths with as many colors as possible. The wreaths in her shop have either two or three different fabrics, but she has made wreaths with as many as six different fabrics and it looked amazing! Just let her know what you want and she can come up with the perfect gift or decoration.

Monday is the fall equinox and the beginning of my favorite time of year! I adore walking through the leaves and hearing them crunch under my feet, sitting outside and watching the leaves turn colors...the sunsets seem to be more beautiful that time of year. I hope you are enjoying the last two days of summer and don't forget to create something wonderful for yourself!

Gave my shoppe a makeover!

I spent the afternoon giving my shoppe at the antique mall a makeover; changed everything around and added more merchandise. I want my vintage booth to reflect my etsy shop and eventually my shoppe down south. By doing this I will keep myself more focused and let my ecclectic style shine through! I will also attract customers who like my style and become my repeat business. At least that's what I'm going for...

If you are in Northern California, stop by Treasures From Paradise located on the Skyway and ask for booth CO15.

I bought a rubber stamp to use on my sale tags. I bought it at Terbear, a shop at etsy.com. If your looking for handmade custom rubber stamps, check out her store.

My weekend will be action packed...My son James has been camping all week not to far from here and he will drive to Chico to visit me for a day! Yipee!!! I also will be working for the Obama campaign on Friday, registering voters and on Sunday I will meet with Nancy from Vintage Funk...she is a wonderful collage/mixed media artist and has agreed to teach me more about collage techniques. I am really looking forward to that because I have been looking for a local collage/mixed media teacher. I read other artists blogs and there are many that talk about collage parties and classes but they are too far away for me to attend...there is a scrap book store in the area but no collage classes and the store environment is a bit dry for my taste. I will keep you posted about my meeting and show you what I made.

Hot August Nights!!!

and that means ONE HOT SALE in my etsy shop! For the month of August lots of my whimsical one of a kind creations and vintage collectibles are on sale...so stop in and get that special gift for...who else? YOU!
http://www.junkstylediva.etsy.com

New Blog Banner Bling!

Check out my new banner...I just love it! I just bought it from http://www.tiffanyjane.etsy.com.
I really love her work and she is definitely on my short list of talented artists. My weekend was fun and relaxing...a little housework, a little craft time, a little entertaining friends, lots of lap time for my furbabies...hope you had a great weekend too!

Groovy Saturday Afternoon

Well, after meeting the Chico Team etsy artists the other night I got my groove back! Artistically anyway. I spent the morning at the Chico cemetery taking pictures of the statuarys there...actually there wasn't a whole lot to photogragh...this confirms my opinion that there just isn't a lot of money around here. It has been my experience that one of the ways to tell the wealth of an area is to check out the local cemetery and look for elaborate statuary...and I don't mean plain headstones...I'm talkin angels, cherubs, family crypts, mausoleums, etc. One of the things I enjoy taking pictures of are statues and old architecture and I have found the best place to go for that is the cemetery unless I am in an older city.

Then this afternoon I started making jewelry pins out of old playing cards and collaging angels to them and adding charms cause I like dangly things! and any chance I get to dangle bobbles from art projects I do!

Now I'm blogging...listening to Jazz and plan to catch up with my favorite bloggers...have you checked them out yet? They are listed on the right side of my blog...take care and enjoy your Saturday!