One more day til National Craft Month!

While on one of my many interweb adventures, I found the blog post from Fusion Beads about March being craft month. This was very exciting and very timely. Fusion Beads has a daily craft challenge posted on their blog, and one reader has pledged to have their craft room cleaned to kick of National Craft Month. I am in the middle of cleaning my room, I want to have mine clean too!!!! Now the pressure is on, because I technically have today and tomorrow to have this accomplished.

This week has been cleaning, purging, organizing, whining, donating, whining, oh - did I mention whining?

How have I accumulated so much crap?!?!?

*stands at the microphone*

Hello, My name is Tish McDermott and I am a craft hoarder.

*applause*

It is so true, and I have come to understand this and embrace it. I even recently said no to an offer of a big stack of magazines. heh - you should have seen their face when I said no - EVERYONE knows they can off  load their items on me. Not today Buckco!!

There are several things I like to do, of which you have seen pictures. My top three are jewelry, sewing and painting. My workspace, as is, will not accommodate all three. Well, I take that back, it would if I did one at a time, but I don't. I have all three going at once. That is what spawned the big clean.

I wont' post pictures yet. Some will gasp in horror, not being able to understand the tragedy of my room. Others will gasp, but inside they will be pleased. Then there one those who will cheer and scream and laugh, because they are not alone in their hoarding, AND I will make them feel good about themselves :)

Til then!

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“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” — Mary Anne Radmacher

Bedazzler - I haz one

Over the weekend I started my yearly clean and purge of my studio. This year, I had committed to the BIG clean. Going thru each tub, as opposed to just restacking it in an orderly fashion so it appears to be clean.


During this clean I found:

This has been an ongoing joke for the last two years between my dad and my daughter. My dad found this somewhere - flea market, thrift store, yard sale (this is where I get my hoarding from ) and he thought - Hey! Tish is crafty, she needs this..... Thanks Dad... I must have kindly accepted it, brought it home and tucked it away in my room. 

Outta sight, outta mind

A looong time later, my dad had asked me if I had done anything with the bedazzler. What bedazzler? I had already forgot about it. My dad was sure that he had given it to me, and I was sure he hadn't. I told him he must have given it to Leigh, my daughter - his favorite granddaughter. He thought for a moment, and he too agreed.

Now Leigh was a different story. Between Pop and me, we have asked her 100 times bout that bedazzler. Pop wanting to know if she had it, and if she liked it, and what she has made and me saying TAKE IT TO THE GOOD WILL!!!! She insisted she didn't have it. I told her, being the mom that I am -  check the garage, you still have packing boxes in there, you may have over looked it. MA! she says - I don't have the bedazzler.

Yesterday - I found it. I pulled a nondescript box from the bottom shelf, dusted it off and opened it. My shoulders slumped when I saw what was in the box, and a hiss of obscenities escaped my lips. I was defeated.

I straightened my shoulders, gathered my strength, because I knew what I had to do. I posted it on Facebook.

My daughter rejoiced! She was triumphant, she finally had proof she didn't have the blasted thing. 

it went something like this -

Leigh I KNEW YOU HAD THAT BEDAZZLER
Just A Tish Jewely Designs PAHAHAHAHAHAH - When I found this - besides the stream of obsenities - I laft and laft! All this time, pop has been saying, i knew i gave you that bedazzler, and i have been telling him, no you gave it to her- and you are saying - Ma, i know you have it!!!!!!!
Leigh I KNOW!! you call pop right now and tell him you have it!!
Leigh hehehheheheh
Just A Tish Jewely Designs Leigh Reidelberger you can't make me!
Leigh oh huh.
Just A Tish Jewely Designs and what' funny - i just got off the phone with him, and didn't tell him
Just A Tish Jewely Designs He butt dialed James

I am sure there will be more fun today as I continue my quest to get that room done before March 1, 2013. Wish me luck!

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“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” — George Bernard Shaw

March is National Craft Month- March Challenge

March is National Craft Month, and Fushion Beads has offered up a daily challenge for the month of March to help keep your creativity flowing.

Go to their blog for the challenge list and get your Create on!!!!!

The first is organizing your work area....I am embarrassed to show mine, but I will accept the challenge, will you?

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“Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” – Les Brown

Storage and Organization

I was excited to go to The Scrap Exchange yesterday. I had braced myself for the creative e-pif-any of all e-pif-anys that I knew would hit me as soon as I walked into the door.

Did it happen?

No, but it was so much fun. It was overwhelming. So much to look at, and so many things to touch, and ponder. I need to schedule an entire day there just to poke around.

I also was on a mission. My friend stores her beads in pe-tree dishes. (I spell SO  bad there is no spelling suggestions for me on this word, I tried 4 different times, and it always gave me Peter..) Brilliant!!! I got a couple stacks while I was there.

They stack nicely, they are clear, the are wide and shallow, so I won't tip them over.

The lids don't lock. That is tolerable, I just won't use them for traveling.

Coffee 'cans' - can we still call them cans? Tubs? Containters? I can't tell you how many I have.

They are great for storing, the lids stay on, they are durable. They have become a collect all........

The classic jars. Love them! They have their uses, but I will say they can be a bit cluttered. One thing I plan to do with baby food jars, is follow my grandpas lead. He nailed the lid of the baby food jar under a high shelf, then screwed the jar into the lid. The jars were at eye level, they were hanging out of the way, and you could see the contents. Love it!

And I have hardware boxes. I use these for travel, when I do shows, or classes, and I need a good sturdy case. They stack, the lid locks (but I broke this one already) and the yellow containers on the inside are removable. These stack up under my work table. Draw back - when I pack them for travel, I get back, slam them under the work table and leave them there. When I need something out of them, I lug them out, dig around, and I have no room to work, because this case takes up the whole table top.  *sigh*

I also have your classic craft store options as well. The small stackable round containers, compartmentalized boxes, tackle boxes and an assortment of tupperwares.

This is my effort to get organized.

What do you use for your storage and organization? I would love to hear!

Hope and Harmony Bracelet - Bid for Charity!

I made this piece to represent hope and harmony, after reading about Ark R.A.I.N. Wildlife Sanctuary.  I heard about them by a cross post from my cousin. They were doing a call for auction items to help their cause. As I read about what they did, I knew what I needed to do.

This piece came easy, there was no denying the combination. Hope, harmony, self love and more


Beautiful jewelry with a message of hope - does it get much better?

Affirmation Boards

I have started a new passion and a new line of goods that I am offering on my ArtFire store. I call them Affirmation boards. They are painted on upcycled wood with acrylic paints.

The intent of these boards is to put out a  one word message. A powerful word, one that you need to hear.

Some of the boards turn out like these. A bright, colorful impression of what I am feeling.

This one is titled Sunshine and Lollipops, named by my friend Zorka. It represents hope rising, and being warmed by the sun and then shone down on everyone.

Antomy of a Painting

It always happens in stages. Takes me about a week to do one painting. I start with something random. It is always very unassuming and boring to start. I always wonder, how can I turn this into something spectacular.

Then let it dry and add more color. I love to add color, then wipe it off. I take a wet paint brush, and remove color as well, working back down thru the layers

After the 3rd setting, I was happy with the layers and the colors

I call this "SoulFire"

Don't Wait - CREATE!

It's good for you!

Glass and Copper Heart Necklace

I am thinking ahead to warmer weather. Projecting myself into the end of March, the first of April, with the green grass, and budding trees. The colors in this necklace take me there. Bright and springy.

Lapis, Amazonite Pendant and Earring Set

A local non profit, C.A.R.E. NC, that works with rescuing dogs, training them to be therapy dogs, and working with seniors, had a fund raiser this past weekend. C.A.R.E. NC works with two of my favorite things on the planet, dogs and seniors. I wanted to be involved. I created a pendant set for them to use at their fund raiser as a raffle item. I put some thought into it, and chose lapis and amazonite. I based the design of the pendant on a paw print and wrapped small stone beads into the design.

The stones were chosen to represent a promise to those around us to always care. I chose amazonite because it is the stone of hope. This organization gives hope in their quest to rescue dogs, train them and share love with seniors in their area. Lapis was added to represent truth and teaching. As in their example they set in our community teaching all of us, there are second chances and we are all capable of making a change.

Friday Off Topic - Acrylic Painting

Painting is a fun way for me to clear my head. I call it a creative cleansing. Most artists I know are not 'exclusive' to their medium, and love to dabble in other things, if only for this same reason. It gives you a different perspective.
This was my attempt at an abstract flower garden with a summer fireworks display. What do you see?

This one is one of my favorites, and James favorite.This is a rain storm at the beach. Do you see it?

This one I did while I was on the phone with my brother, my biggest painting inspiration. It was so much fun to be talking to him, and mindlessly dabbing on the canvass board. I think I pulled him thru to the creative process. I sent it to him as a thank you, and he framed it and LOVES IT!!!

I love challenging my creativity, pushing my brain into overdrive and working with my hands. Lord help me if I ever try pottery :)