A New "True" Home For My Totes

I have totes that I sell at craft fairs and I have totes that I sell at Underground in Smithville. Now some of my t-shirt tote bags will be at True Jersey in Tom's River. Like them on Facebook, or support their store online.

What's That Up There?

These are my duct tape flower hair ties. I sell them at craft fairs:  $5 each or 2 for $8. They are fun to make, and I have a near-endless variety for sale. But these are only a small sample of what I make. You can see more at my Facebook or Flickr.

Getting Ready For Grave Rubbings

 Some of the headstones in Stonington, CT.

I have been researching interesting grave sites in New Jersey. I got the idea, oddly enough, while I was in Stonington, CT. There was a small graveyard there with beautifully engraved headstones. Later that same week, there was a lecture about the history of the graveyard and the people buried in it. These engravings interested me so much that I started thinking about doing grave rubbings. The stones in Stonington were too delicate for me to try on them, but I thought about doing ones in New Jersey because we have some pretty interesting people buried here and it might be more fun for me to explore the graveyards of my home state. I will be charting how my progress goes, and I will be selling the grave rubbings at Smithville's Artwalk on September 8th this year.

Upcyclers Unite!

Yesterday I went down the main street in Westmont to check out the Creative Reuse Center. It's a tiny storefront filled to the brim with pre-owned things - bits and bob that would normally end up in the trash can like leftover craft supplies, partial bottles of glue, games pieces or games with missing pieces, and obsolete teaching aids.

My first purchase from the Creative Reuse Center

Nothing has a set price, you just pay by donations. I am thrilled to have this as a resource and I expect to go back frequently. If you are ever in the Westmont, NJ area you should check it out :  134 Haddon Ave. Or if you can't make it to my special part of the Garden State, check them out on the web at www.gardenstatecreativereusecenter.com and see how you might make a similar home for creativity in your own town.

BRAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNS!!!!

As my friend at Silver Cicada Designs reminds me, it's not too early to start preparing for Halloween. That goes double for me because this year I'm making Halloween products in preparation for Smithville's second annual Zombie Walk which is run by my friends at Underground.

Sewn Back Together Wrong

This wacky shirt is called "Sewn Back Together Wrong" inspired by the first Metalacolypse episode in which the band members of Dethklock (totally fictional and brutal to the point of absurdity) try to bring back their cook by sewing his dismembered pieces back together - wrong - and write a song based on it which plays during the closing credits.

To make this shirt, I cut the shirt from the middle of one shoulder seam to just under the opposite armhole then I twisted this top part to put the armhole where the neck hole should be and the neck where the armhole should be. Then I punched small holes along the cut edges and sewed them back together with strips cut from another tee shirt that I stretched into cords. I cut off and reattached the opposite sleeve in the same way.

This is the shirt I will be wearing, but you can see more as I make them at my Facebook page, and please come visit me at the Zombie Walk on Sunday, October 28th. Learn more about the Zombie Walk on their Facebook page.

A Web Store Home Of My Own

Last night, I finally made myself a web store. I only have my Tarot prints up on it right now, but if all goes well, I will add T-shirt tote bags and purses made from upholstery fabric. Check it out at www.phoenixrefashioning.bigcartel.com.

Canvas Mixers

For my birthday, my mom took me to Canvas Mixers in Collingswood. With instruction, you can go from blank canvas to finished acrylic painting in three hours. Here is mine:

 A Bird of Paradise flower

You can find out more about Canvas Mixers on their website.