Cowgirl ATCs

I just finished up participating in an ATC swap over on Roses On My Table.  The theme this time was Cowboy’s Sweetheart.  I decided that I would go the Cowgirl route with my cards (plus, have you ever tried finding images of women from the Old West that were not Cowgirls?).

Since the cards have all been sent in, here are the 6 ATCs I made.

  This one was a gift for the hostess.

These are the best I feel I have ever done.  However, they were not the easiest to come up with.  Trying to find the right combination of papers, findings, and trims was hard, but so far, they’ve been a hit.

I also recently participated in a “I See London I See France” tag swap.  Those will be in another blog post.

Just out of curiosity, are they any suppliers of digital images and/or findings that anyone can recommend?  I’m having a tough time with both, especially all the findings I use to accent my pieces.  The filigree items, charms, etc.  are difficult for me to come by.  Any help would be greatly appreciate.

Well, off to celebrate my MIL getting a part-time job!

New Frills & Fancy Ezine for Miniature Doll Makers

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted.  I’ve been struggling with multiple surgeries since August, but think things are starting to look up.

However, I was so excited about this I just had to share it with everyone.  The new Frills & Fancy Ezine  from Dana Burton is now available for subscription at http://www.frillsandfancyezine.com/.  Cost is $5 per issue or $30 per year (there will be 6 issues). 

The first issue is 23 pages chock full of tutorials, how-to’s, tips, tricks, & doll artist profiles.  Once you pick it up, it’s hard to put down!

Here is the cover page of our first issue.

    

If you like Miniature Dolls, why don’t you also consider becoming a member of  MSATMiniDolls, a Yahoo Group dedicated to the love & creation of 1/12th scale dolls.  We’ve got a wonderful, fun, helpful group of people over there.  Our companion website, MiniDollList contains back issues of previous Frills & Fancies (from before we went to a subscription model), tips, & help.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Black Friday / Cyber Monday

Starting today, Friday November 25th and going through Monday, November 28th, I’m having a sale in all my Etsy stores. 

Just enter CyberMonday when you checkout and save 10%.

The sites are as follows:

www.MSEsoteria.etsy.com

www.GhostlyTreasures.etsy.com

www.BookandAlbumCorner.etsy.com

www.TheCreativeCloset.etsy.com

www.TarnishedRose.etsy.com

A Great Find

A few weeks ago, I attended my first estate auction of the year.  Since very few real estate auctions are held where I live (mostly it’s estate sales where every thing is individually priced), I have to wait until I’m visiting my parents in order to attend any.

The day started cold, but there were a few items of real interest to me.  I’d perused AuctionZip.com a few days before heading to my parents’ in order to see what was up for auction.  However, the best find of the day wasn’t even on the site for the auction.

The find was two boxes of Scrapbooks.  Not just any scrapbooks, but Playbill Scrapbooks.  I had never heard of them, but immediately fell in love at first site.

   There were two boxes of these, for a total of 31 books.  Patiently I waited (well, maybe not so patiently since I went and asked the auctioneer during a break when they were going to be up) and slowly began to lose hope.  Things were going for outrageous prices (especially in the middle of Nowhereville, Arkansas) and I’d already been outbid on one of my “must haves”.  When bidding hits $100 for a stack of old photos, I must admit defeat.

So finally, the time arrived and the bidding started.  As the price climbed, the few bidders began to drop out, leaving me and one other lady (who was obviously a “dealer”-usually I can spot them a mile away).  I began to lose hope as my mother was going to foot the bill for these and I didn’t want to go too high.  Well, at $25 a BOOK, the other bidder dropped out and they were mine.  Now, no way was I going to be be able to grab all 31 books, not at that price.  My mom came to my rescue and said I could get 10.  Okay, a fair number and to be honest, I had no room for all of them.  KNOWING the back-up bidder would take the rest, I slowly made my choices.  I was ecstatic.  I selected my 10 and with hardly a twinge of remorse, I watched the other bidder snap up the 21 that were left. 

Here are a few pictures of the insides. Oh, the years?  They started in the teens and ran to around 1935.  I got a good selection of the years as I was more interested in ones with lots of pictures and clippings than I was in the playbills.

  This particular book dated from 1922.  This is the page where the title of the play was listed along with it’s date shown and newspaper clippings about it.

  The Playbill

  Newspaper pictures of the major players.

  More clippings

  The two major actors.

  Another clipping.

I love these books.  This is just information from one play!  Now that I’m home recovering from my second carpal tunnel surgery (this time the left hand), I can flip through them at leisure.

Well, hard to type one-handed, so until next time……

I Can’t Find a Darn Thing!

First, sorry for the long lapses between posts.  I’ve returned to work and LIFE has gotten in the way of my blogging.  Well, LIFE, Swaps, Family, you name it, it’s parked it’s rear in front of me.

Okay, so here’s my question.  How in the world do you organize your digital images so you can find what you are looking for (or might need)?

I have TONS of images stored on my computer, in some semblance of order.  However, when I’m designing an ATC, Tag, Inchie, whatever, I can NEVER seem to find what I’m looking for.

We aren’t talking looking for specific pictures here, but ones in general.  See, I may need a background, a foreground, words, images of people, images of inanimate objects, etc.  But when I go to my trusty laptop, I draw a blank.  I guess what I’m saying is, “IS THERE ANY WAY TO CATALOG THESE DARN IMAGES”.

I’m begging, pleading, cajoling, down on hands and knees asking if anyone knows a good way to handle this. 

I tried printing thumbnails of the files.  You guessed it!  The MINUTE I get ONE file printed, I add another image.  AAAARRRGGHHH!

 

So HELP!  PLEASE!

 

I Know I’ve Been Absent…..Again

Okay, I went MIA.  This time, it was for Carpal Tunnel surgery on my right hand.  I’m still recovering and since typing is slightly painful, I’ll keep this short and sweet.
For all of you who have hung around here through thick and thin (lately, a LOT of thin!), here’s a nice Halloween postcard print for you.

Hopefully, I uploaded it correctly and you can view and download by first clicking on the image then right click and choose Save As.

I Must Be Out of My Mind

Warning:  Few Pictures and Lots of Rambling!
Okay, ever had one of those “What in the he** have I just done” moments?  One that gives you anxiety attacks and keeps you up at night?  Well, I think I had mine today.
All I did was open a business account at my bank.  Yep, that’s it.  However, that’s the elephant everything else is hiding behind.
I now have a Federal Tax ID, a State Tax ID, and am in the process of getting a Parish Tax ID & Occupational License.  Have a lost my ever-lovin’ mind?  I think I have.
This means I have to file State sales taxes every month (well for six months until the State sees I’m doing less than $500 a month in sales tax fees, then it goes quarterly) or be fined & I also have to file “occasionally” with the Parish (whatever OCCASIONALLY means).
I now need a website/on-line store & email address.  “Official” ones.  Not an online store where I’m selling my personal odds & ends.  One were I’m actually selling a product I have purchased wholesale, tax-free, and with the sole intention of reselling for profit. 

I now need suppliers.

I now need RECORDKEEPING – AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!

And did I mention, I have a 40 HOUR PER WEEK JOB!!!!!
Yes, on top of this Sole Proprietorship I’m starting, I work full-time.  Weekends are devoted to playing around with my hobbies, spending time with my family, and trying to get my business started.
I set November 1st as my official anticipated start date of doing business, at least for State tax purposes.  If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I’ve been a vendor at an antique mall since July.  However, the owner of that mall collects and pays all sales tax for me.   No worries there as I am an “employee” for tax-keeping purposes. 
BUT, I have to file that income on my personal income tax return.

SO, to offset that additional, no-tax-withheld income, I need to file expenses.  Ergo, I’m a business.  I have income and expenses.  Therefore, I need a method of keeping up with everything, therefore I need a checking account, and a “official” business.  What a viscous cycle – and I WANTED this!  That’s the why of all the tax ids I now have.  WARNING:  It starts small and then EXPLODES on you.  All because I wanted I little “vintage” business & maybe a little “craft supply” business. 
So, all THAT necessitated the above mentioned Business Checking Account at my bank.  Which started this entire “I’m out of my every-lovin’ mind” mess.
All this for a business that doesn’t even have a net worth!  I’m doing this for zero dollars and am in the hole now.
Oh, and did I mention that while my official start date is November 1, I’m having carpal tunnel surgery in a week, basically incapacitating my right hand for 6 weeks and when that is healed I’m having the same thing done to my left hand?   So I will be virtually useless for 12 weeks.  How can you sort & stock incoming supplies and mail outgoing orders if you are limited to one hand?  Ain’t happening.
So it boils down to this:  Yeah, I AM crazy & out of my mind.  Wish me luck!
Wonder if it’s too late to stop the entire mess.  I’ll pray on it – really.  It’s going into God’s hands (as fast and as hard as I can give it up to HIM).  Say a prayer for me please.  I have no clue what I’m doing.

PS.  If anyone can offer direction, sympathy, etc., it would be GRATEFULLY appreciated.  I can't be the only one that has ever felt this way.