September Sales Event Starts Today!

Happy September!

I've been recuperating from a recent illness and taking some time off to allow the muse to rest and rejuvenate.

The g-kids are all back in school now and the pace here at home is a lot slower during the day. There are actual long periods of time where there is NO sound at all. It's amazing.

While I was resting, I joined a group on Facebook. The CREATIVE CRAFTWORKS Group is a collective group of handmade artisans. I've just joined and already feel part of their family. It's a wonderful feeling!

The vendors (myself included) are having their monthly Sales Event and I wanted to share the info with you here.

Running from this afternoon, September 8th at 4 PM EST until September 10th, this Sales Event is pretty cool. If you use Facebook, please consider joining the group and visiting the event.

Here's some items that will be for sale created by the vendors in this group.

And here's my contribution!

It's always a great time to shop for someone special or for yourself because you're special too!

Head on over to the Facebook Group and join in the fun!

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

My Etsy Shop To Re-Open --- Coming To You Soon!

Taking some time off this month to reflect and not do much work has been good for me. I really needed to stop and make some decisions about my online presence. And I really, really needed time to recoup from a visit to the Emergency Room due to a bad bout with Vertigo! I'm much better now, but have decided to just relax and enjoy this time away from the madness that creating and clogged up ears due to sinuses/allergies can cause. It's good to recharge the old creative batteries once in a while. Wouldn't you agree?

To take stock in what I'd like to do for my online business from this point was necessary too. What did I want to change? And how did I want to once more grow and flow? I definitely still want to have a dedicated studio space and workshop next year but as far as online business ... what did I want?

First order of business: I decided to re-open my Etsy shop. My 62nd birthday is September 22nd and I think it would be awesome to open it during my birthday week but I'm not sure how that will work out just yet. It's a goal and if it doesn't work out, I'll shoot for October around the same date. After being away for an entire year, I'll admit it, I still miss Etsy!!!

When I decided to close it in 2015, I was hoping for more than Etsy could give me. I was comparing myself to others' shops and trying to do what they did to make sales and it was exhausting. It wasn't me or what my journey was all about. Honestly, I tried everything everyone else was doing and nothing worked for me. I had sales, I offered promotions, I joined every team and shared every item on every social media site I had. Daily for 8-10 hours a day for months. I gave up in frustration because I just couldn't afford to keep it open if I wasn't making any sales. And I was being taken away from the creating part which is a necessary part of my life. I denied my creative muse the outlet it needed and I suffered in all ways because of it. I was in bad creative shape at the end of 2015!

Now that I'm a whole year older and maybe slightly wiser, I realized the things I loved the most about Etsy besides making a sale (always a thrill!!) are still there. I used to LOVE making and being in Treasuries and that feature hasn't changed. I'm happy about that. I enjoyed chatting with team members through Etsy Teams once in a while. They are still available should I want to join in. Etsy changed a lot and as far as I can tell, they are still different than they used to be. But the things I loved about the site have not changed. And I missed that.

My focus on making money from my art has changed. I enjoy selling my work so much and enjoy even more the responses from customers when they receive what they ordered. But what makes me create mosaics? It's because I love what I do.

At the time I closed my Etsy shop, I couldn't keep it open without making sales. I used the money I got to ship items and keep listings renewed. I had no budget. Once sales stopped, I had no revenue to keep it open. That situation will soon change when I start receiving retirement benefits at the end of November. Keeping a light load of listings on Etsy is another thing I will surely do to keep myself within budget because although I will get a monthly stipend, it won't be much until the debt I mentioned in many other posts through GoFundMe is completely paid off (estimate of April 2017).

Knowing that the basic things I loved about Etsy are still there, means I will be welcomed back and will once more enjoy them. Even though I might not make any sales, I also might. And everyone who asks me where I sell my work online ALWAYS says: "Do you sell your things on Etsy?". Now, or soon enough, I can once more say: "Why, yes! Yes, I do!".

I'm not leaving any site where I now sell my work. Etsy will be in addition to the other wonderful sites, including ones I haven't yet tried. I like to find new sites to share my work on and have many I don't promote just because there isn't much different on one site as another. It's mostly the same things on many sites but the people on each site are different and their art is different as well. I like that. Finding new people on each site I sell my mosaics on has always been the most fun. For me, it's about making the art and sharing it. I had forgotten that when I tried to do what others did to make sales. I had forgotten that I make mosaics for me first because I love what I do. I've always said, if I'm not having fun, I wouldn't be doing it. I forgot that for almost an entire year!

I will always make mosaics whether they sell or gather up dust on my shelves. If you like what I create, that's awesome. If you want to buy what I create, I'm always grateful as it will help keep listings active. But it's now not the most important thing. It never really was, but I allowed myself to get caught up in an ego driven race that ultimately I could never win, in any case.

I've been blessed with a gift and I will use it in the best way I can.

I'll keep you all posted on when the shop is officially open once more. Also, those who sell on Etsy now, if you belong to any teams you think might be awesome for me to give a try, please feel free to share or ask the Team Captain's to send me a request. I would love to find some new people to share my work with and get to know them and their shops as well for future treasuries. Thank you!

Meanwhile, check out the banner! It's kinda classy, don't you think?!

In The Studio - Wednesday

A little grouting happened this weekend. I always love to see the final results, of course, of my efforts but sometimes as I start to clean off the grout, I can tell just by looking at a small section, that it is going to be amazing.

Such was the case here with this mosaic stained glass plate.

This is about the point where I started to smile with happiness at the results.

After the first cleaning (2-3 more to do) and already it is gorgeous!

This plate is available for sale and will be placed in my online shops if no one snatches it up first! I love it, so if it stays with me for a while ... I'm okay with that.

I grouted the funky crescent moon I made using dish shards.

I haven't yet gotten a hanger on the back, but once I do, I'll take some photos and get it listed.

I worked on the 3 inch glazed pots. I have to say, glaze and grout do not like each other much and it's always a bit of a struggle (sometimes a full blown war!) to get the grout to stay put. This time, I won the battle and I'm happy with the results.

Each sold separately.

2 sides have swirls, 2 sides have waves.

My daughter handed me a few wooden wall sconces to put some mosaic magic on. That always makes me happy when people gift me with more substrates because I always find a way to use them!

Patiently waiting for some mosaic goodness!

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

 

In The Studio - Friday

As promised, I have more to share from In The Studio this week. I've noticed 2 weeks in a month are very productive, the rest of the month requires some thought for new projects, allowing the muse to slumber a bit and to generate a renewed energy that I need to create.

I used some odd pieces from the cutouts I had leftover from the Celestial set I made and created an "M" and a funky looking crescent moon.

"M" is for my grandson, Malachi and stands 3-1/2 inches.

Funky looking 9 inch crescent moon but I love it!

After a few days, I decided to tile around the edges of each shape. The "M" has a colorful array of tiles, the moon is surrounded by blue.

I also continued work on the custom order and got tiles on the moon and sun.

Now they all need to be grouted, including the 5 stars I've got. The custom order won't be headed out to its new home for a bit but they will be ready to go when the time comes to ship them out.

I created a donation piece for a collaboration which I cannot share here just yet. I call this working in the "Super Secret Mosaics Lab". As soon as I am able, I'll share what I made, why, etc. It should be toward the beginning of September, possibly.

I put some mosaic magic on 2 small pots, 3 inches high. I wanted to keep them as a set but the stained glass supply right now is dwindling and I didn't have enough in orange to do both. The designs are the same on both, the swirl is on 2 sides, the other 2 sides have a wavy line which I'll share another time.

What a productive week! Look for a few of these items to be listed once I get them grouted and their photos taken. Woo-hoo!


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

In The Studio - Wednesday

I didn't really have much going on last week, so I just let the entire week go by without blogging.

This week, I have a good amount to share and will split these posts up into two like I used to. So it all works out, good for me and for those who like to see what's happening In The Studio.

The stained glass plate I was working on in the last post is finished and glue is slowly drying.

My goodness I love this mosaic so much. I'm really excited with how it turned out and once grouted, I will list it but won't be sad if it, like so many other mosaics I make, stay with me for a good long time.

The custom work is just about finished. I grouted the sun and moon and then after the fact, decided I wanted to put tiles on the sides. I am now waiting for those to arrive and will continue on them when they do. And the sides will get grouted after the tiles are placed on them. Double the work for me, but the end results will be awesome. Always worth it.

The stars weren't grouted when I decided to add something to the sides. These stars were given gold and silver mirror and I think they look much better. They are waiting for grout now.

I have a few more things to share but will hold off and post them on Friday.

Until then, do something fun and creative and enjoy the moments!


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

In The Studio - Wednesday

In between spending time with the family, I have managed to get some mosaic work completed too. It's a slower pace during the summer months, and having the Little Dude home every day with me is a lot of fun.

The celestial set is in the "to be grouted" pile.

I used stained glass in dark blue and various iridescent glass. I really do enjoy making celestial mosaics a lot.

I've started on a new mosaic. This is a discarded microwave plate (the last one in stock!) and carries over with the celestial theme.

I took a doodle I did last year that wasn't in very good shape (ink smeared, some of the drawings were off by a whole lot) and cut it out and taped it to the bottom underside of the plate. I can't do the specific details from my drawing because they are too small, but I can use them as a guide.

There's not a lot of planning here, just going with the flow and using the doodles as a guide. The flowers will no doubt become stars. The rays of the sun are probably going to get another color added to them.

And have no fear, once the doodle is no longer needed here for the plate, I will save it and use it for a mixed media project with paper or add it to something else at some point in the future. It's uses are endless!



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

 

In The Studio - Wednesday

Wowie, am I busy this week! The muse is in full swing and I am working on the custom celestial set. This set is fast becoming one of my favorite projects. What do you think?

This was the hardest one to cut out mostly because of my arthritic fingers.

Crescent moon and sun measure 8-9 inches.

stars

Celestial set

A treatment of grout/glue/water was added to the back and sides for added strength and aesthetics.

Same treatment on the back and sides of the stars.

The fun part!

In the sun, this beauty shines.

Late at night, lamplight, I had to get a picture of it when finished and awaiting grout.

Messy from glue, it's still gorgeous in sunlight. Now in the "to be grouted" pile.

Started this moon right after I finished the sun in the evening.

Continued into the late evening working on this. Tiny pieces of stained glass were cut to fit.

With each crescent moon that I create, if it fits in this space, I have to document it in this way. It's a tradition!

Time to start on the stars!

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