Blackbird Creative: 2010

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Turkey Day or Thanksgiving Day?

What do you call it? I used to thoughtlessly call it Turkey Day, myself. A day to get together and eat? (Being a foodie, you know that I'm there!) But in recent years I've had a complete turnaround on that thought. This year I am thankful for so much and I want to give the day it's proper due.

My family will be sharing dinner with a new group of friends and I'm excited to share this yummy dish (an homage to my French heritage); Sweet Potato gilette. I got the recipe from Epicurious, but here is a picture of the galette (pre-baked). I will report back on how it tasted, but I'm guessing it's gonna' be delish!

As far as gratitude goes, well...there is so much! I'm thankful for my fiance, Barry, who is a never ending source of support and love. I am thankful for my kids--each and every one of them--and I am thankful for my granddaughter and soon to be second grandchild! I am thankful for our health, our house (be it ever so humble, it is HOME!) and thankful that I live in a country that allows me to practice my religion without fear of imprisonment. I am thankful for my mom and my dad, for my grandparents (even though they have all passed on I know they are still with me!), for my numerous aunties and uncles who offer support and encouragement and intelligent conversations! I am thankful for my extended family and distant cousins, who, even though we don't get to see each other very often, are all present via the Internet and Facebook! (love it!). I am thankful that I am able to go back to school after all of these years and further my education and pursuits of career, dreams, happiness. I am grateful that, as a woman, I have a choice in career options. I am ever grateful for all the blessings my God and Goddess bestow upon me and my family, however small they may be, however ambitious they may seem...for this and for so, so, so much more, I am grateful.

And so now you might understand why I choose to call the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving Day instead of Turkey Day. If we are to be relegated to one day per year, then I will give this day it's proper respect and address it with a "Happy Thanksgiving Day!"

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Griffin is Going to the Coast

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Aromatherapy by Blackbird Creative

Today I did a test run and made my first batch of massage oil, called "Dream by blackbird creative." Amelie was so impressed that she asked if she could have it. I gave it to her because this child needs all the help she can get unwinding at night and going to sleep. But also, too, because I wanted to test out this batch before making any more.

Instructions: Massage a drop of oil onto your pressure points before bedtime. Top notes of lavender with sweet orange on the back end soothes the mind, allowing you to settle into blissful slumber—perfect for dreaming the night away. Dream Oil can be used to scent sachets, on lamp rings, or pour a few drops in your bathwater for a relaxing spa experience.

I will have more scents available in the coming weeks. I haven't listed these for sale yet because I want to create the other scents and make a bigger batch (small, still, but bigger than today's test run.)

And, by the way, if you are a family member, yes. You will be getting this for the holidays!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Out with the Old...

It does seem a bit early to be singing Auld Lange Syne, but I feel like I need to get a head start!

Blackbird Creative is having a clearance sale...check it out!
www.blackbirdcreative.etsy.com

We need to clear out our old inventory because we have a ton of new, cool vintage stuff to list...look at our finds!

Friday, July 30, 2010

Can you feel the ETSY love?

Thursday, July 15, 2010

You have this fantasy of living in a Pottery Barn catalog, sipping iced sun tea while lounging on the day bed on the sleeping porch. A gentle breeze blows through and your bunting flags wave overhead. In the corner there's a wooden box filled with dominoes and a deck of playing cards sits on the table, aching to be shuffled, waiting for a game of solitaire. The scent of lavender and mint and onions from the surrounding fields fills the air. It's hot outside, but a dry heat that you know will cool to a more temperate air later in the evening and you'll be able to enjoy a delicious meal outdoors. But for now, you just want to sit and read a book in the shade, sipping on your tea.

Here it is, the middle of July, and I feel the summer slipping away from me. Those lazy days of summer. Just can't get enough!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Stressed Out/ Blissed Out

When life gets overwhelming, it helps to get back to basics. I learned this lesson a long time ago, and I feel that lately I may just be reliving this experience.

When I was a freelance writer, I had a pretty tight schedule. Since I also held an office job, was a single mom of four children and a first-time home owner of a 100 year old home (read: much maintenance--on my own!), I had to be on top of my game.

So, my days would go like this: wake up at 6:00 am and do an hour of yoga, get the kids up and ready for school, head out to the office, put in my 9-5 and then get the kids from after school care. We'd all get home, I'd cook dinner, help the kiddos with homework and chores/ baths/ night time rituals and then I would sit down to my computer to begin writing. Often times, I'd be up until midnight or later working on assignments.

That is, usually, I was on top of my game. I shared custody with my ex-husband, who lived only a few blocks away. The kids were with me five days and then with him for five days, and during my "off" time, I did not always keep to my schedule. Because I didn't have the kids, I gained about five extra hours a day, essentially.

"This is great," I remember thinking. "I have so much time to focus on my writing!"

Well....not exactly. My once rigid schedule turned into this: up at 7:00 for an hour of yoga, ride my bike to the office. Put in my 9-5 or 6 or 7. Meet friends at the neighborhood pub du jour for a drink and a sandwich. End up staying until 10 or 11. Get home and tell myself I would focus on writing--- "tomorrow."

This usually repeated itself over the next three days and on day five, I'd really crack down, feel the pressure and produce my work. It worked. I produced. And it was good. But....I was not proud of myself for handling my schedule the way I did.

I would play mind tricks with myself, telling myself that, because I had so much "extra" time, I could wait until later to write that article/ do the laundry/ do my yoga. And now, I feel as if I am falling into this same mind trap. Since I've been a "stay-at-home" worker/ mom again, I haven't stuck to any schedule at all.

And now with looming deadlines, I'm starting to feel a little pressure, a little stressed out, if you will.
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This past weekend, we went to the Lavender You-Cut Festival at Lakeside Lavender Farm in Nampa. As we walked up the long drive, the scent of lavender wafted over us and I began to feel somewhat relaxed.

There were a lot people, for sure--mostly middle aged women living out their French Country fantasies and the husbands who escorted them (and that description fits me, too!) There were lots of bees, too, as you can imagine, with over 1500 lavender bushes. But the bees were happy and drunk on nectar and didn't seem to mind us chopping away at the flowers.

We enjoyed the day in the hot, hot sun, and with the humidity, it felt a little like Iowa to me! At the end of it all, we indulged in homemade lavender ice cream while we listened to the jazz-fusion band hired to entertain everyone. In all, it was a good day.

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Today I finished a project I've been working on...bunting flag. This one (below) is called "Bliss" because it portrays inspirational words (such as bliss, joy, hope, love...) on some of the pendants. Also because these little flags make me happy! I tell you, it's the little things in life that make it such a big deal!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

How The Other Half Lives

Barry has been busy, too! One of the things that attracted me to Barry was his frugality. He'd get up early on the weekends to go tag sale-ing. Little did I know that it REALLY meant he's a closet hoarder! LOL!

After years of collecting junk at tag sales, flea markets and auctions, he began tinkering with the stuff and was inspired when he read an article about a similar artist in my latest issue of Flea Market Style magazine. Suddenly all that "junk" lying around the basement and on his work bench in the back yard looks charming!

I set up an Etsy shop for him today. Check out his first listing: "iHeart BYBot."

You can check it out here: www.bybots.etsy.com

BYBots: Back yard robots. Made from found objects, JB weld, soldering techniques. What Barry does when not driving school buses or selling ads for Metro Woman Directory. (In fact, as I write this, he is in the back yard fusing together an old tea kettle and vintage welders goggles.)

Confessions of a Francophile

Phew...I've been busy these past few days! First, we've been asked to participate in a craft fair at a retirement community. Yes, it's a small deal, but it's kind of a big deal for us considering the craft fair is a Christmas in July event and I have no real Christmas inventory to speak of! So, I've been cranking out things like cards, gift tags and (hopefully soon!) prettily-scented pine cone fire starters.

Second, I've been scratching my Franco Itch. While it's true I can trace my roots back to the mother-land, it's not so much that I'm a Francophile. Seriously. (No, really!)

It's just over the years, I've seemed to amass quite a few French-inspired home decor items; an Eiffel Tower lamp and a wine rack, a set of Frenchie stamps, a good french recipe book, rustic french-country prints, etc... Either I like the way they look, or people give them to me as gifts. (It must be the vibes I'm sending out the Universe.)

And I look around on Etsy and other crafter's sites and see that French country is very popular right now. It is such a great look, I have to admit. Which makes it easy for me to indulge in this stuff.

I've been real excited about this weekend's Lavender Festival at Lakeside Lavender Farm here in Nampa. I've been talking about going for weeks now, and I've even driven by just to get a sneak peak of what we are in for. In the meantime, I've been busy sewing these pretty little sachets to fill with the flowers once I get them home and can dry them!

These sachets are made of muslin and are hand-stamped with said Frenchie stamp and different colored inks. Each one is unique. Some have liberty print muslin backs, others are plain muslin backs. Some have twine ribbon closures, others have fancy wire ribbon ties.

I wanted to share some photographs of what I've completed so far, just as a preview. I'll list them on Etsy when the time is right. But for now, I must get back to the sewing machine!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Burlap

I'm not giving up my sources, but man...did they come through today in a big way! I am now the proud owner of 12 burlap coffee sacks, and I just need to figure out what I can do with them...other than sell them on my Etsy shop. I was thinking of reupholstering my dining chairs--yes, the ones I just reupholstered less than one month ago with a very lovely chrysanthemum fabric.

The big trend I've been seeing with burlap is pillows. While I think they are cute and all, I just want to be more creative than that. I'll search the web and see what inspires me. Besides, burlap doesn't strike me as a very comfy fabric to rest my head against. At any rate, the burlap is great to have because it is so very trendy right now.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Pretty Memo Board

Ugh...it's so hot outside today. I've only stuck my head out the door, but I'm feeling the heat inside. I haven't turned on the air, yet, either. I've been playing a game with myself this summer to see how long I can hold out until I absolutely can't stand it any more. Thank God Idaho has cool nights--it gives me something to look forward to!

Anyhow, I saw a very cute idea for a memo board yesterday when I was out and about. Very simple, very functional and very, very cute! It's just a photo frame with pretty paper. The memo area is the glass and you use a dry erase marker to take messages and leave notes. See:

Isn't it adorable?? I'm thinking I can make a few for Christmas presents, birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers, etc...

Aw shucks! Now you know what you are getting for a gift, regardless the occasion! :) Enjoy!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Confessions of a Reality TV Junkie (Or, What I Wouldn't Give to Decorate Holly Madison's House)

I admit it. I'm a reality tv junkie! My current addiction is Real Housewives of New Jersey (followed by RHONY.) When I'm not watching the shows, I'm reading the cast members' blogs.

And tonight, while I'm supposed to be working on my school work, I'm actually watching the preview of Holly's World on E!. In case you are unaware, this is Holly Madison's show that follows her exploits in Las Vegas, after she left the Playboy Mansion. I <3 Holly! Especially after I learned two things about her tonight: 1) she has a love for vintage things; and 2) judging by the footage, her house is in desperate need of a decorator! Seriously, it's as bare and ugly as a frat house!

So I'm gonna' just throw it out to the Universe and ask, "Please pick me to decorate Holly Madison's house in Las Vegas!"

I'd come in with some vintage, Hollywood Regency glam style! I saw the little chickadee figurines she had, and I'd incorporate some of that whimsy into the design/ decor as well!

Now that the words are spoken, let's see what the Universe cooks up for me! :)

In other news, my Bicyclette Coasters sold today. I was happy they did, but also a little sad because I wanted to enjoy them for myself a little longer. Not that I was using them. I just liked to look at them...they brought a smile to my face.

And today had me working on other coaster designs, too, like my "Golden Age of Boxing" Coasters. Stay tuned for the vintage camera series, Gray's Anatomy series, and vintage "household items" series. Oh, and in honor of today's visit to the National Old Time Fiddler Festival in Weiser, I want to create a bluegrass series, too!

Anyhow, that's all for now!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Reflections and Fuckery

I don't know why it bothered me so much, but I recently saw a pair of shoes on Etsy that were being passed off as "vintage" when they clearly were not. I dropped a friendly convo to the seller of said shoes, to let her know that she may have been bamboozled.

I got a rather terse response back from her. I wasn't trying to start anything. I just wanted to point out that the average Etsy shopper is very savvy and knows their history. I didn't want her to have any trouble from a potential shopper who would see that her description was false.

Silly me for trying to be nice.

But here's the deal...Etsy is not Ebay. You can post anything on Ebay and auction it off for whatever someone is willing to pay. Etsy is a forum for artists, crafters and collectors. Etsy caters to a different audience, an audience who knows and appreciates the artist's way. I guess I was just trying to protect our little place on the web. That's all. I'm learning, at 37 years old, that I just need to let go of things like this and not to take it too personally. Crazy that I haven't figured it out yet. Oh well.

This is a nice segue into my latest project idea, though. I'm going to upcycle a bunch of mirrors I found at a thrift store. I must get to work on the sketches, and I'll post them here later. Ta for now.

POST SCRIPT: I have recently been turned onto to www.regretsy.com and can't stop Belgian ROFL!

Take a look at this category; Things that clearly are not vintage

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Bicyclette Coasters

Today I made a set of four coasters, each sporting a different vintage bicycle image. They're perfect for the bicycle enthusiast, and have a versatile look to enhance just about any decor theme.

They were relatively easy to make, since I had everything I needed right in my possession. It did require a few extra steps that I was unprepared for, but I managed and they turned out great!

In case you haven't noticed, many of my craft projects are upcycled items.

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upcycling
The repurposing of a material into a product of higher quality. An example would be a purse made out of woven candy wrappers.
mslk.com/reactions/green-fashion-glossary/

So here's the thing. I am engaged to a man who built the house in which we live. With recycled materials. And items from Craig's List. We often joke that this is the house craigslist.com built. Needless to say, there are plenty of building materials left over that I can upcycle. I can't say what catches my fancy, but I'm sure that if I treated our house like a rummage sale, (especially the basement!) I could find enough materials to keep me going for some time now!

Anyhow, I have some smaller travertine tiles left over that we decided not to use on our bathroom. I'm thinking they'll make great refrigerator magnets.

But for now, my ADD is kicking in. I think I will go bake some cupcakes to show off the new cupcake wrappers I made last night out of Mexican bingo cards. :)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Provencal Menu Board- Upcycled Project of the Week

I am a believer in synchronicity. Just a few weeks ago, I was talking out loud to myself while driving in the car. I wasn't really paying attention, but I do recall that I said something to the effect of, "I need some wood that I can use to make chalkboards for the kids' rooms." Well, the next day, I was a yard sale and found an entire stack of cabinet door covers for only $5! I think by speaking the words out loud, the Universe answered!

With all the materials I have lying around the house, I thought I'd try my hand at making something a little more suited to the trends of the summer. I have about a gajillion cabinet knobs for use on my project, as well. And not just these, but a WIDE selection (see our shop, right).

And without further adieu, here is a look at my first chalkboard for Blackbird Creative. I have an entire sketchbook of new designs...can't wait to roll them out.

Our Provencal Menu Board is a one-of-a-kind piece. Perfect for summer weddings (as directional signs, for seating charts, or menu boards); for a bridal or baby shower or an outdoor dinner party. After, use it in the house as a family note board.

This item is for sale in our shop: $35. Items can be custom ordered. If you have a specific design in mind, just let me know! I'd be happy to collaborate.

P.S. We are not limited to black chalkboard paint, either! I can do ANY color! Just ask!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Brass Nuggets

What to think about these knobs? They are old, that's for sure. They have some vintage wear on them, and they are HEAVY! My fiance sat here and imagined, "wouldn't it be great if you found out they were really gold?" And then I thought, perhaps I should get them tested.... :)

Anyhow, these are going to be great on one of my chalkboards! I can't wait to get started!

Brass Cherub Lamp

Another French cottage find, I just love the way the lamp seems to have a life its own. I'm holding onto it until I can figure out what to do with the lamp shade. I think I want to go more modern with it. Maybe I'll cover the shade in burlap? Or maybe I should just deconstruct the whole lamp into other, more interesting pieces? At any rate, whatever I decide to do, I'll be sure an post photos.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Porcelain French Court Lamp

I love this boudoir lamp! It's so romantic!

I'm at a loss for what to call it. I immediately thought "French Courtesan Lamp." And then I looked up the definition:

cour·te·san (kôr

-z

n, k

A woman prostitute, especially one whose clients are members of a royal court or men of high social standing.

[French courtisane, from Old French, from Old Italian cortigiana, feminine of cortigiano, courtier, from corte, court, from Latin cohors, cohort-; see gher-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

WHICH....this could still work, except that I don't like the negative connotations associated with the word. So I will just pretend that they are members of Marie Antoinette's royal court, her friends, whom she enjoyed dancing with (and for.)

What I really like about them is the fact that they are more of a matte ceramic finish coupled with the antiqued brass base. It has just enough vintage wear to make it yummy! The creamy white matte porcelain and the antiqued brass base would really enhance a french cottage decor. It's got that timeless faded and love-worn look.

I'm thinking that I might even pull these from my inventory and use it in my own bedroom as a bedside lamp. The only reason I have listed it for sale is because I've got too many irons in the fire and no time to rewire it.