In The Studio - Part One

I wrote the below yesterday on my Facebook Page and thought it was good enough to share here too.

Getting the weight of one of my mosaic bowls before listing it on H@A

I know you've seen this bowl a lot lately. It has made me smile every day and I hope it does the same for you. So much goes on behind the scenes when you are an artisan. If you're like me, a one-woman show, so to speak, it's much more than having an inspiring idea and creating a mosaic, drawing or painting. For mosaics especially, there are the hours it takes to clean and polish a mosaic after grouting, getting decent photos to show exactly what the customer is getting, a fair price to make sure I am paid for my time and talent, measurements, weight, consideration on how to pack it up when it sells. I would love nothing more than to just do the creative part and sit in a big room all day and nip glass, glue it onto things and listen to music and let others do the rest. The truth is the creative part is only a small portion of what we do as artisans. And those who don't appreciate it, really should think about what it means. If we're lucky, we have help. If we aren't we do EVERYTHING ourselves. We don't all have dedicated studio space; we work around the kitchen table or in my case, on a TV tray. Often I'm sitting on my bed with a tray in front of me if the mosaic base will fit, if not it sits on an old sheet as I work, hoping the glass I'm nipping with a handheld tool doesn't fly away as I do so!

Next time you squawk about the price of a handmade item, take into consideration what it is you are actually buying. In my case, you are buying a true handmade item from start to finish. At one time, this Green Apple Mosaic Bowl, for example, was sitting on a shelf in a store looking very uninspired as just a yellow bowl. Pretty, but not really art. It took someone like me to see the colors that should go into it, the pattern, the design, the materials to use. Then a little time to find the money to gather the materials I wanted to use. That is hard because I use the money I receive from my sales to purchase more materials. There is a little bit more than a lot of talent that goes into creating art and I charge a fair price for each piece I create.

Remember to appreciate the handmade artisan. What you purchase from my shop(s) isn't just an item. It is a little bit of me, my thoughts, my hands at work, the time involved to get the job done. It takes a few weeks to get the design just right, it takes a week or sometimes two to place the pieces in a specific pattern. Sometimes it is easy and the pieces just fly from the nipping tool to the substrate, gluing it down like I am possessed. I believe the Mosaic Muse that lives within me knows what she likes and becomes awake and energetic when that happens. But it doesn't always happen. Often it takes weeks. And then sometimes months.

Grouting is time-consuming, messy and yeah, I'll admit it, fun! I LOVE to grout. I see my mosaics getting pulled together into a cohesive piece of art by using grout. I do believe I will always use grout. I just love it!

I am taking some time reading through the materials for H@A and thinking although it is a wonderful opportunity, it will get bombarded with artisans trying to outshine each other. I'm not working too hard to be among the top sellers. I don't have the energy for it. On the other hand, I am grateful for the opportunity to set up shop with this well-known company and will make sure I get my items in this new shop on the site set to their specifications so it can be found and appreciated by a whole new group of customers.

Meanwhile, I have Storenvy to take care of and the newest addition, Aftcra and will happily oversee them all because I don't have help doing these things. I am happy I have the energy and time to devote to all the shops, my art and my family. Not necessarily in that order!

Have a wonderful day and remember: Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year.

Thank you,


Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

Promo Blast!

This week I'm sharing a new shop I just opened a few days ago through Aftcra. There are only two items in there so far, but I'm adding a few more each day this week AND working on the Handmade at Amazon shop too. Busy week ahead!

Bookmark my newest shop through Aftcra and visit often.

Expanding into two new venues is going to keep me out of mischief, we hope, and will keep me from working on any new mosaics for a week or two. However, be sure to come back to the blog to see how everything is going as often as you can!

I'll be writing the normal posts on Wednesday and sometimes Friday (it's always hit or miss with that one) but may add a few extra posts as H@A launches and my shop on Aftcra has more listings.

I'm excited to be starting a new journey with these shops. I hope you'll come along for the ride. It's going to be fun!

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Cindy

In The Studio - Part One

Happy First Day of Fall! I love the changes in season here in PA and I'm really excited to watch my favorite tree's leaves change into all the beautiful colors of autumn.

Here are a few photographs I've taken over the years of the maple trees in our courtyard and walking around the apartment complex. I really hope I can do that again this year but right now I can't manage to go down the stairs to get outside. Fingers crossed that will change soon.

Yesterday was my birthday! I turned 61 years old and to celebrate, because I had a quiet apartment all day (grandkids were in school, their parents were at work) I decided to put on some peaceful music and work on the mosaic I've neglected for 3 weeks.

This mosaic is on a 15 inch microwave plate. It's the last plate I have right now, so I wanted to make sure to do something really special on it. Behind the plate I taped about 6 photographs of mine from my favorite trees; one or two are shown above. Using them in an abstract way, I placed glass in sections following the colors of the leaves and the tree branches.

It took about 3 hours, to do that one last small section, but I did it!

Once this is grouted it will get placed in the window so we can see the pretty colors of autumn all year long. Right now this mosaic is for me, but eventually when I'm ready to let it go, I will list it in the new shop I'm working on through Handmade at Amazon.

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Cindy

Promo Blast!

I'm sharing some pretty glass-on-glass mosaics I have available through Storenvy this morning.

Holiday Mosaic Stained Glass Vase and/or Candle Holder - Green and Red - FREE SHIPPING Within US - $65.00

Hot and Spicy Mosaic Stained Glass Trivet or Candle Holder - Red, Orange, Yellow - FREE SHIPPING Within US - $40.00

Brown Stained Glass Mosaic Candle Holder and/or Vase - FREE SHIPPING Within US - $50.00

Sun Flower Mosaic Stained Glass Trivet or Candle Holder - Orange, Iridescent Amber, Yellow - FREE SHIPPING Within US - $40.00

These mosaics were all made using hand cut stained glass by the artist (that would be me!). Dimensions of each are provided in the descriptions on the site. Click on the links above to take you directly to each mosaic to read all about them.

Any questions please feel free to ask!

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Cindy

In The Studio - Part Two

The end of week brings a little more energy. I'm hoping to get back into mosaic magic making very soon.

I'm very excited to announce a new opportunity opening up soon for EarthMotherMosaics! Handmade at Amazon has accepted my application to open a store on their site which has yet to launch.

The registration email just arrived a few days ago and over the course of the next few days I will be doing as much as I can to get my shop up and ready to go. I've got to read through a lot of information, take new photos of the items I'll be listing and generally preparing myself for what could be a busy time for me. I'd like to make some new things to place in the new shop. I'm looking forward to it!

I'm still struggling a bit with energy levels physically which means it's going to go slowly for me. I'm resting a lot but it's necessary. The more I rest, the stronger I get to prepare for the new adventure I'll be starting soon!

I'm going to try to get this banner below onto the new website because it's one of my favorites. I've yet to figure out how to do anything but I'm hoping this will work out. I do like it a lot!

I'm very pleased about all of this. I'm grateful that I'll be able to share my mosaics with a whole new customer base. I'm feeling very blessed!

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Cindy

In The Studio - Part One

The studio part of my living quarters has been closed for a while due to illness. I'm getting my sea legs once more and becoming more aware of the fact that I'd like to get back to what I perceive as normal. That's a good sign.

I managed to get a summer cold just before the kidlets started school here. Add to that a very large sebaceous cyst on the back of my neck that I've had for years decided to drain. Gross as it is, after 2 weeks it has reduced in size and is still draining. I'm glad the danged thing is getting smaller and because I've been through this before, I know it takes time. What I didn't anticipate was the effect it had on my immune system which has always been low. Wow. Having a cold and this cyst doing its thing at the same time really took its toll on me. I'm taking good care of myself and resting often spending long hours in front of Netflix. That reflects the healing powers of both.

Before I got sick I started a mosaic on a microwave plate. This plate is 15 inches round. I printed out a few of my favorite autumn photos I've taken over the years and cut them into pieces. Then I taped them all together and placed them on the back of the microwave plate.

Using the new box of scraps, I grabbed as many autumn-inspired colors as I could to use for this mosaic. Following the general design of colors in the photo, I am making an abstract that once finished will have a beautiful array of fall colors.

I'm really hoping to get back to it soon.

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Cindy

Promo Blast!

Lotus Sun - Dot Painting on Canvas - Acrylics - 5 x 7 inches - FREE SHIPPING Within the US - $50.00

Bohemian Lotus Sun in orange, red and yellow. Lots of awesome dots on this beauty. The method I use for this is to paint the canvas in 3 different colors and let it dry. Then start the process of painting a design over it. Once that is dry, the dots are added. I use small wooden toothpicks, cotton swabs and the plastic tip of a paint brush whose bristles are no longer in good shape to get the dots.

Measures 5 x 7

Painted on canvas and ready for mat and frame of our choosing.

Looks quite similar to a tapestry or textile art.

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Cindy