Happy Spring!

So far this season, we have had amazing weather in Flagstaff. I say this with slight trepidation, given the fact that it is not unheard of to have an insane snowstorm bombard us in mid-April. 

April is one of my favorite months.... it's a beautiful time of year in the desert where I grew up; Ah yes, Spring in Phoenix, where we clung to the the last sigh of sweet weather before the hot breath of summer melted the lip balm right off of our mouths. While I do miss those mild winters, I'll never miss the necessity of having to use oven mitts to buckle my seat-belt  in July (true story). So bring on the the April blizzard if I am to be rewarded with 75 degree temperatures on Independence Day...

This April will also be the month I turn 40...and hopefully I am going into the next decade of my life a kinder, a stronger, a wiser, a less awkward, and a more courageous person.  After reading that,  it sounds very much like I need to pay a visit to the Wizard.  (Which by the way, who else has seen the new movie? I loved it, but it's possible that I might have been slightly mesmerized by that high wattage James Franco smile :-) )

For those of you that celebrate, Happy Easter! And lovely weekend to you all. If you are lucky enough to enjoy a bit of sunshine, I hope you have the time to get out there and collect a bit of vitamin D.

 I'll post more soon about my forthcoming classes at Whimzy and Paper Tales.

Valentine's Day in my Etsy shop, discount code for blog readers

I've been busy in the studio....

these guys (and a few others) have been freshly listed in the Etsy shop here:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/thepolkadotpixie

25% off with this coupon code: FRIENDSANDFAMSALE

And here we go again....

Off to Halloween and Vine in Petaluma, California!

Some of us will be quite upset if you cannot be there to join in on all the fun!

We'll leave the light on for you....

Regular blogging to commence soon!

Lets Go!

Anybody else start singing the old Ritchie Valens song anytime anyone someone says that to you?

I will be singing all day as I head out for the 740 mile drive to goregous Danville California for the 5th Annual  Tinsel and Treasures show!!!

I have a few friends coming along for the ride....

(my husband say this one should be called "he was asking for it". He was inspired by Denslow's 1903 version of the classic Nursery Tale )

If you are in the area, I'd love for you to come and say hello!

Work in Progress weekend

Recently, on any given day one could come to my happy little townhouse here in Flagstaff at 3:00am and  find me plugging away in preparation for my 3 upcoming Fall Shows: Tinsel and Treasures, Halloween and Vine, and  Glitterfest!


My studio in the wee hours. Just me, my clay and some tunes on the IPhone.

I am mostly still in my "sculpting phase" of the process.

For efficiency's sake I will sculpt a collection of work, let the pieces dry for days, and the proceed to my gessoing and finishing process.
Here's a small sample of this year's Halloween Collection, still waiting for paint!

With the countdown clocking ticking away to my first Fall show in less than 3 weeks, wish me luck in getting it all finished in time!

A Business Vision for the Pixie Maker

Hello everyone! Since I have blogged last I have had so much happening personally and business wise. I have also had the opportunity to do a little reading and lots of thinking abut where I want to take my little folk art business. (Check back in a few days for a pics of my latest works in progress)

 Helping me to get some clarity with that is a business mentorship course I have been doing with Jennifer Lee, author of the wonderful Right Brain Business Plan book (check it out at Indiebound... or buy from your locally owned bookstore-- support your local booksellers folks!).

 One of the first things Jennifer encourages the artistic entrepreneur to do is to lay out her or his "Big Vision" via collage. Like other vision board exercises lots of people approach this by cutting inspiring images and texts out of old magazines. Since I approach art making with a vintage aesthetic, I decided to select from my huge collection of pre-World War 2 magazines. Don't worry, no magazines were actually harmed for this project, I forgo-ed the scissors in place of my digital camera and the photo editing and collaging tool in Picasa. And here's what I came up with!:

 Let me know what you think :-)

A little bit of Christmas...

in my kitchen....




Well actually, its a dining nook ;-). But never-the-less....

I love lots of warm and happy colors. Most of the ornaments sourced from thrift and antique shops.






Happy Christmas everyone!