The Zone is Pretty Comfty

There are times when you need to step out side your comfort zone.  And right now I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to take that uncomfortable step. 

There is a call out for an exhibit in my area at the beginning of March and I'm trying to decide whether or not I should take the leap and participate in it.  I have never done anything like this before and the type of work they are looking for is something that I have only done while taking the course about 3 years ago.  The weird thing is that over the past few weeks I had been thinking about trying my hand at this craft again and when I got the email about the show last week it was almost as if the universe was trying to tell me to get off my butt and do it already.  

Now here's the dilemma, (1) I haven't done this in years, so it's about brushing up on the process and trying to remember how to do it properly again.  (2) I need to come up with some new pieces/designs in a very short period of time. (3) This would be good exposure and a great learning experience, but waaayyy scary to put my work out there like that.  (4) Is my work even good enough to show? (5) It's only a month away.  (6) It's only a month away and will be waaayyy scary to do.  Oh sorry, did I say that already.  :) 

So I think I'm going to take the next couple days and really try and figure out if this is doable.  Doable in that I am able to show work that I'm proud of and at the same time not turn into a complete raging crazy woman trying to get it all done in the next month.  My zone is pretty warm and cozy right now, it's hard not to want to stay here.  Decisions, decisions... 

I'll keep you posted.

A Peek Inside

I have to say that moving my craft room from the basement to the main floor of the house was one of the smartest creativity inducing moves I've done over the past couple years.  Even when I'm not crafting I spend quite a bit of time in here.  For instance, right now I'm sitting in here in my lazy boy writing this post.  It's also my go-to place when I need some quiet me time.

So, since this is 'where all the magic happens' I thought I would take you on a little tour of my crafty space.  :)  Although I am continually moving stuff around and reconfiguring working space depending on what craft I am working on, this is the general layout at the moment.

Welcome...

Your view as you first walk in the craft room from the front hallway of our house.

My wonderful Ikea cubby unit which houses a great many crafting tools and supplies.  To the right, my new photo box (the perfect Christmas present from my hubby and son) which I am learning to use to take pictures of my creations.

This second door leads to the kitchen where I can grab a quick bite and refreshment when my energy needs a little boost.

My wonderfully comfy lazy boy chair where I can sit and relax or work on my laptop while enjoying the beautiful view outside.  Behind the chair is where I store all my supplies that I don't use on a regular basis - yes there is a lot of that.  Too many years of too many different crafts.  ;)

More supplies...and a view of my front yard.

And almost back to where we started.

A New Year, A New An Artistic Bent

Three Years!?  Has it really been that long since my last post?  Wow, the time has definitely flown by.  Unfortunately the only excuse I have is to say, life happened.  Not a great excuse I know, but there it is, all it's cliched glory.

There has been a lot happening, both crafty and personal, since I last posted.  During that time I realized that I had too much on my plate and that something would have to go in order to save my sanity. Unfortunately what had to go was this blog.  Although I knew I'd be back at some point, I just didn't know when.

So, what have I been up to in the last three years you ask?  Well here's a very short synopsis:

• My good friend Holley and I became demonstrators in 2009 for a rubber stamp and paper crafting company.  We now sell our ready made cards, teach monthly cardmaking classes and have a wonderful clientele.  www.stampindivas.wordpress.com
• My husband and I went through multiple rounds of IVF and in February 2011 I gave birth a beautiful baby boy named Kieran.  He has blessed our lives and I can hardly believe that he is going to be a year old next month.
• For the last year I have been at home on maternity leave and loving every busy minute of it.  Whoever said that stay at home Moms don't 'work' has never done it. 
• I moved my craft room out of the cold basement and in to a beautiful sunny room on the main floor.  Even my husband says it's the best piece of real estate in the house.  :)
• Figuring out my professional bliss - still a work in progress...

Now I'm back with a revamped blog and a new outlook for An Artistic Bent (AAB).  New outlook?  That's right.  Previously I was concentrating on anything sewing related as the original blogs had originated from my my wallet and apron creations.  But now I'm focusing on all things crafty, which if you know me and have seen my craft room makes much better sense.  I'll be sharing with you different items I make, beautiful things other people have made that I come across both in person and online, discuss different techniques and futher on down the road hopefully post some tutorials.  So I hope you join me in my new An Artistic Bent journey.  It may take me a bit to find my AAB footing again, but I'm looking forward it and I hope you are too!

And the Winner Is....

Comment #97 - Stacy!!! Congratulations Stacy!!


Thanks to everyone who entered!! I really enjoyed reading all of your comments and I hope you'll continue to follow me along in my crafting adventures.

I want to give a big thank you to Sew Mama Sew for putting this Giveaway together - it was a lot of fun! It was my first giveaway and I'm sure it won't be my last.

Thanks again to everyone who participated. Enjoy the wallet, Stacey!!

Follow Up

I just wanted to follow up with a few items with regard to my wallet giveaway below.

First off, I just want to say WOW, I'm am overwhelmed by the amount and positiveness of the comments I have received so far! Over 200 in the first day! Secondly, I just want to apologize for the the fact that your comments were not showing up immediately when you posted them. I had not realized that the blog was set so that I had to approve each comment before it was published to the blog - a blog newbie oversight. ;) This has now been fixed and I did a bulk approval so that each comment was published in the order that it was received. Your comments will now show up immediately, so keep them coming.

I also want to clarify a couple things and answer some questions I have received so far:
- The contrast fabric used in the wallet is a pink color. The pictures on the blog don't quite capture it properly.
- I currently do not have a tutorial for this wallet, but may look into it in the future. I'm not really experienced in tutorials, but may give it a try later on.
- The billfold will be posted to my website An Artistic Bent by the end of today, for custom orders. I don't have any of this design ready made yet, except the one I'm giving away, which is the first one. But will have some in the near future. Custom orders are welcome though. :)
- Unfortunately I don't know what the name of the fabrics are that I have used for this wallet. I've been able to find small amounts of it in the stores, but it never has the designer name on it. As soon as I find out, I will post. Or if any out there knows, please feel free to let me know.

Thanks again to everyone who has posted and don't forget to check out the other giveaways listed at Sew Mama Sew. I spent most of last night going through the other blogs and I'm not even half way through! There is some really talented people and lovely stuff out there!!

May Giveaway Day - New Billfold Wallet Debuts!!

Here it is! My new billfold wallet design is finally finished and I'm giving away my first one as part of the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day event.

The Billfold is made of 2 beautiful coordinating fabrics and has a snap closure.

A change compartment is located on the outside back of the wallet.

The inside contains 6 cardholder slots which hold approximately 16 cards,

two small compartments for receipts (beneath cardholder slots),

and one large compartment for bills.

So, how can you win this wallet, you ask? Well, leave me a comment on this blog letting me know what you think about the new design. I will then take the total number of comments posted from May 27th to 31st and input that number into a Random Integer Generator, which will provide me with the winning comment number. The person who wrote that comment will win the wallet. I know, I know, it's not creative at all, but I'm really tired right now and I can't come up with a creative question at the moment. I promise that if Sew Mama Sew does another Giveaway Day I will come up with a much more creative way to choose the winner. :)

The Giveaway will be open until May 31st, I will post the winner on June 1st and items will be shipped out to the winner by June 3rd. I will ship internationally, so come one, come all!

For more info on my wallets and aprons, visit my website - An Artistic Bent.

Also, free to check out Sew, Mama, Sew for all the other blogs giving away great handmade items.

New Design for May Giveaway?

May Giveaway Day is tomorrow! I'm really hoping to finish my new design tonight so that I can debut it as my giveaway tomorrow.

Tune in tomorrow to see if I was successful and enter for a chance to win the item!