Happy Christmas!!!

I plan to use my final few job-free days to take a short technology break (other than a once daily email check). I am looking forward to doing some nesting, enjoying spending time with the kids, cooking huge dinners for friends and neighbors who we will be blessed to share time with, and finishing up some personal Christmas crafting. Before I log off, I would love to share a few photos I took this morning of our home, finally all decorated for the big day on Thursday! :-)

These super cute vintage felt carolers sit in my kitchen window. They were thrifted by my husband, who clearly knows my taste very well! The sweet green bottle brush tree was an Esty score from the always fabulous Magpie Ethel !

I kept it pretty simple in the parlor this year, only adding a slender tree full of my favorite vintage and handmade ornaments and a ponsietta garland or two.

Some of my favorite ornaments include ones I inherited from my grandmother.

An apothecary jar in the dining room holds homemade sugar cookies my daughter and I whipped up yesterday. They are almost gone already!!!

The dining room table is set with mismatched Homer Laughlin and Ridgway Staffordshire china that I also found in a local thrift shop. Even the lovely glass glittered star that hangs from the chandelier was thrifted. A closer view below....
Before I sign off, I wanted to share one more cool resource that I came across on the WWW... archive.org. Check out this cool antique Dennison Christmas Book available to download (there may be restrictions on this outside of the U.S.) If you love vintage style decorating, you'll find some of these ideas truly timeless!!

Happy, Happy Christmas to you all. Thank you so much for all of your kind words and thoughts over the past year, and especially in this last difficult month. I am so blessed by you. ((((Hugs)))), good wishes and see you next year!!!

Vintage-y Christmas-y Thrifty Finds

I hit the jackpot last weekend at the St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store in Flagstaff. They had all of their Christmas Goodies marked down to 50% off, and I was blessed enough to happened upon a huge bag of Ornaments (only .50 cents for the whole bag!!!). Some of my favorites are pictured below....

The Snowman pictured above is made of a very hard plastic, almost like bakelite... so charming!

This guy cracks me up! Look at the sweet little mini bottle brush tree in the back of his sleigh.

Okay... wheels are turning in my head now... this has got to be an Alice in Wonderland inspired goodie!

Love vintage deer...

The creme de la creme! How cute is that Santa on the right... is he playing cymbals and skiing at the same time? That's one craaazy multitasking Santa! And the chenille elves look easy to replicate. I think I'll try to make a few pixie-fied versions. :-)

Most of these will wind up as package tags or be incorporated into collages to hang on my studio wall. I love what some of these fabulous artists, like the mega talented Magpie Ethel, can do with their vintage finds. Also Check out Sea Dream Studio's lovely Fairy Shadowbox made from vintage elements here. The talent of these ladies and so many others out there blows my mind!

(((hugs))) everyone! :-)

Going Fast....

These Sweet Little Snowpixies, which were added to the Lollishop yesterday. As of this morning there are only 3 left, but I will be making more for the Valentine Season (With a more valentiney theme) in January :-)

New Blog on the Block!

Please go give a warm blogland welcome to Michelle who has just started a very sweet new blog!!! Click on over here and say hello! :-) http://www.vintagesquirrel.blogspot.com/

((((hugs))))) everyone!!!

The dreaded pink slip....

... made it's arrival on Tuesday for me and 7 of my co-workers. I don't like to get too personal on my blog, but I thought I owed some explanation to my frequent and long absences here lately. Work has been very stressful for quite awhile now, and I have been doing my best to balance it, along with family commitments and to spare some time for pixie making too.

So for most of us, and for me, work is a love/hate relationship. As far as my layoff goes, I saw it coming, and in many ways, it was a relief, but emotional I am, and therefore, this week has not been without much sadness and tears as I said goodbye to beloved coworkers and a program I gave 110% to. I did my best, I gave it my all, and my job was still lost. It hurts a bit, so I am adjusting still. Please bear with me as I take a wee bit of a blogging break.

Thankfully, and I am so grateful, that I was offered a new job at a different organization which I plan start in the new year. I did a lot of soul searching before accepting the offer as it will require a bit of modifying (and an added 1 and 1/2 hour daily commute) to my schedule. I really need to clear my head over the next couple of weeks before jumping in full footed.

In happier news....I am busily working away on the winner's snowpixies, and will make a few more to add to my Lollishops. Also: Look for the lovelies pictured above (available on Monday in my Lollishop) in the Somerset Life ad coming out this month (whoops! ad coming out in the Spring issue!) to subscribers, next month on the newsstands.

I know a few weeks back I had promised some tutorials, and I will indeed deliver on that as soon as I can motivate myself to photograph and describe some of my creative process. In the meanwhile, Below is a list of some tutorials on other blogs that I have found to be wonderfully inspiring. Go check 'em out!

Make a Lovely Vintage Holiday Corsage with Elizabeth Holcombe

A Cottage Industry's Joy to The World!

A Multitude of Cute Tutorials at Glitterville TV

Make a Garland Wrapped Letter at Thrifty Decor Chic

Snowy Day Gifts your kids can make on Activity TV

Thanks so much for your patience with me at this time in my life where I seem to be at a sort of "crossroads". Again, I am so very grateful for the love and support I receive from you via comments and emails. I'll pick myself up out of this slump soon. I am so blessed by all of you.

Edited to add: Spooky Time Jingles Updates tonight! Go check all the wonderful handmade goodness by clicking here !

We have some winners!!! And More wonders of the world wide web

According the the free random number generator, comments number 34 and 7 are the winners of my giveaway!!! Woohoo! That means AwtemNymf and AlbasWorld get a sweet little snowpixie custom created just for them! Ladies, please email me with your requests and I will have your pixie ready in about two weeks.

Thanks everyone for all the lovely comments. If you would like a pixie but you didn't win, please check out my brand spankin' new Lollishop. I only have a few guys listed in there right now, but I'll be listing few wee snowpixies as I get them finished and will be adding all kinds of inventory there over the next couple of days (Snowpixies will be listed by Sunday).

For those of you who commented on my lovely new banner... I am so happy to recoomend Dale MClain of Sea Dream Studio as the designer along with my new Lollishop banner. She does an amazing job and is such a sweet peson too!
In other wonderful world wide web news....

(Image above obtained from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division )

The wonders of the internet never cease! First all these awesome creative blogs, essentially replacing my need for magazines (well, not really.. still a magazine junkie), then, the AMAZING Pandora (thank you Dani for the heads up on that), totally replacing my need for regular radio, now Classic Cinema online. Did you know about this... it's a free website that plays a variety of classic movies and tv shows! Like one of my favorites... the 1937 version of A Star is Born.
So go get some popcorn and watch one of the oldies but goodies, My housework is never getting done. Ever!

A Grateful Giveaway

I am so touched by the many responses to the post I wrote last week expressing my pledge to buy handmade. Thank you so much for your comments and emails. I am constantly amazed at the warmth and kindness of the blog community.
At my job on Monday I received some pretty sobering news about possible budget cuts that has myself and my coworkers nervous and keeping our fingers crossed. It's been a stressful week, but as I settled down into bed last night and looked around, my heart was utterly overwhelmed by gratitude. We are safe, we are warm, our house is filled with love.
This next week in the USA we celebrate Thanksgiving. While there are many things I have to be thankful for, there are a few (in no particular order) that I want to mention specifically here:

• My family- As mentioned in this post, it's been a rough past few months for our close knit family. I am so thankful that I get to spend Thursday with my beautiful sister in law who has her last chemo this week!!! Woohoo!!!
• This little space- It was a chilly fall afternoon when I was sitting in a messy unused loft/landing space in my creaky, drafty beloved old house and was blessed with the idea of turning that space into a long coveted "room of one's one". A little bit of planning and small storage furniture purchases later, I finally had my own little studio. It's perfect for pixie making, and nobody cares how messy it gets. Here, paint spills and glitter catastrophes are encouraged!

• You!!!- Although I haven't posted as much as I would have liked to this year, and definitely not have commented as much as I should of, I am so grateful that I have this blog and for my friends that visited it. I am especially grateful to Jenny, who encouraged me two years ago to "go get a blog", and when I did, she posted about on her blog and sent lots of lovely people over here to welcome me. If you are reading this and you haven't started a blog yet I really encourage you to do so.

What are you grateful for? Please leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a custom mini Polka Dot Pixie Snowman like the tiny ones displayed below. I'll chose a random winner next Saturday. Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

This holiday season.....

I have made a personal pledge this year for gift giving. Handmade (meaning made by another Artisan), Homemade(made by yours truly) or Vintage ..... (and cash for the teen set, the 15 year olds in my life just don't appreciate vintage hand crocheted potholders, for some reason).
Here's my why...

1. The Economy: I have grown so tired of the talking heads on T.V. blathering on about how bad the financial crisis is, I have decided to turn it off altogether. I am not sticking my head in the sand, but I am not letting any more negativity into this house which is my family's sanctuary. Everything happens in cycles, things are going to get better, Call me an optimist, but what else can you expect from a doll maker who pours her salt and pepper out of a pair of angry grapefruits.
2. Artists and vintage vendors need our support: So buy handmade. You will not regret this. Everything I have ever purchased from an artist has arrived beautifully packaged, with a sweet note thanking me for my business, and it makes me smile every time I look at it....triggers a happy memory. You can't get that kind of service from a big box retailer.
3. The Globe:Handmade goods are typically produced in a fashion that has little environmental impact. In fact, many artists recycle goods to create their fabulous wares. And purchasing vintage is the ultimate in recycling.
4. The Love: I have nieces and nephews ranging in ages from 5 to 25. I know my sweet little niece will be delighted with her hand felted bear (waaaaaaaay cuter than a Bratz doll) and my 25 year old bachelor nephew will probably enjoy my homemade chocolate chip cookie dough better than he would a boring baseball cap that I picked up for him at "Whatever"-mart.

I will be posting a few tutorials over the next couple of weeks to share some handmade ideas for ornaments and gift giving (including a handmade stress management kit!). Next week I will also be having a giveaway, in honor of Thanksgiving, and in honor of how much you all have blessed my life through your encouragement and support.

I hope several others will join me in buying handmade and vintage this year.

Where I have been and Why glitter is never coming out of my hair......

www.flickr.com thepolkadotpixie's New for November photoset

Theres 34 more to see here... These guys will all be available for sale very soon.

Still here....

Happy belated Halloween.... The cold I mentioned earlier this (now last) month turned into a nasty case of bronchitis. Also, it's craft show season so the studio has been in overdrive mode. Even my DH has been getting in on the pixie prepping action. Check back in a few days for photos :-) In the meanwhile, here's a little glimpse of our spooky decor. Our house was built over 100 years ago, so she dresses up well for all holidays, but especially Halloween! (iF you click on the mosaic below, it will pop up with a much better quality view... not sure why it looks so blurry in the one below) And for those of you have asked, yes those are Disneyland Haunted Mansion Portraits from the Streching room (reprints, of course). They used to sell them at a Disney-owned Art Gallery outside of the park, but we purchased them from ebay). We leave them up year round. They lend a sense of humour to an otherwise stuffy Victorian parlor. :-)

The Worlds Smallest Snow Pixie....

Is now available here...

This month only... blog readers and friends recieve 25% off!!!! PLUS fee shipping!!!

Ugh!

I have caught an early fall cold... yuck. I hate being sick. Especially when the autumn weather is beckoning me from outside and there's so much fun stuff to do!!!!!

This cold started out on Sunday, so I pretty sure I must be on the mend by now (although in the mornings it doesn't feel like it). In the meanwhile, please go check out PFATT today. Lots of new goodies for you to see from some wonderful artists! The goofy guy pictured above is available too.

(((hugs)))) and happy weekend all!

Teaching!!!

I am bursting with excitement to announce that I will be teaching a "Regalo Per Me" as part of the the 2009 ZNE ConvenZioNE in gorgeous Pleasanton, California!!!

"Regalo Per Me" classes take place during Art, Paperie, and Pleasantries, May 2 and 3, 2009 - at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. They are open to the public and cost only $15 a session! If you are a ZNE ConvenZioNE registrant you can take this, or any "Regalo Per Me" class for free with additional "Regalo Per Me" classes for only $10 each!!!

I am so honored to join some of the other fantastic make "Regalo Per Me" Instructors like the awesome Sadie Lou, Donna Cook, Ann Denise Anderson, among so many talented others!


In addition to the teaching, I will also have a vendor table at the event where an assortment of handmade Polka Dot Pixie concoctions will be available for sale. I plan to have all kinds of promotions going on for this event!

And your jaw will drop when you find out who the other full and 1/2 day class instructors are. Too much talent to fit onto this page!!! Go check it out!!!! www.ZNEcon.com


Here's more info about the event from the ZNE Scene Blog:

ZNE ConvenZioNE registration is NOW OPEN, and class registration begins on November 1.

Registration includes full and half day classes with world renowned art instructors, 3 evening entertainment events, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, a sneak preview and discount at our vendor fair, and much much more.

I plan to post more about this event in the upcoming months. In the meanwhile, please go check out the ZNE website. Lots of cool stuff there!

Quick Announcement

My sweet friend and Spooky Time Jingles creator Dani Nelson will be interviewed on the Block Head Rod Internet Radio Show tomorrow (September 23) at 1pm EST (that's 10am for those of us in the Pacific area). If you miss the show you can listen to the archived show later on, but if you have the time, check it out. Dani will be chatting about her artistic endeavors and there will be prizes!!!!

You can listen to the show here......

Kitschy Kitchen tour

Wanted to show you around my tiny kitschy kitchen...

When we purchased this place a couple of years back, the cabinets were a depressing muddy brown and the counter tops a faux peeling butcher block. I painted both with a low VOC paint to freshen them up until we can afford to replace them. The vintage stove you see above is from the 1920's. I use the burners but not the oven (it's non insulated), thus the counter top oven pictured to the right. The pom pom trimmed gingham curtain hides an ugly microwave, circa 1983...


The Humpty Dumpty cookie jar was a Christmas gift from my husband. The record player is perfect for playing Fats Waller tunes to stir spaghetti sauce to! The fruity cake tin was a Rose Bowl flea market find. Only $9!!!


Found the miniature replica stove at this flea market last Fall. The veggie head potholders, funny head cookie jar and anthropomorphic postcards were eBay finds. The vintage egg carton is from the super sweet Lil Melfie. (see the other cool stuff she got me here... I use all of it!!!) I was lucky enough to have been her partner in a Vintage Kitchen Swap.


Legend has it that the swinging door (which leads to the laundry room seen here) once hung in a Hollywood Restaurant that was frequented by Humphrey Bogart. I am not sure if its true, but I like telling the story to our guests anyway! Lends the joint a little romance, me thinks :-)


I covet anthropomorphic salt and pepper shakers and condiment containers. Those angry grapefruits are my favorite, and have inspired many a not so happy Polka Dot Pixie guy.. Most of these were found in antique stores or on eBay. I made the pumpkin couple out of polymer clay a few years back.


If you can see the old fridge in the corner.. we found it in the yard of an antique shop, all battered and worn. A trip to a local automotive painter gave it new cheery lease on life. It works, but not well, so it stores dry doggy treats instead of people food. Behind the vintage tablecloth/curtain is a very messy desk, complete with fax machine, computer, printer and scanner. If we ever can afford it, I'd like to bump out that wall a bit to create a cozy breakfast nook like this one...



A closer view of my kitschy bluebird collection, all from eBay (except for the canary S &P which I found here). The milk glass cake plate was a thrift store find :-)

Hope you enjoyed the little tour! This kitchen redo was definitely done on a budget, and often we chose form over function when it came to things like appliances (see inefficient stove). But I am very happy cooking in this little space. Wish I could have you over for pie!

Spookytime Jingles Site is up!!! :-)

Despite a small technical glitch last night, the SPookytime Jingles Pages are up and functioning thanks to Dani and her team! Polka Dot Pixie Stuff is available here and here!! :-)

Thanks for your patience! :-)

And Premiering Tommorrow at Spookytime Jingles!!!!

Pumpkins and Kitties here....

Santas and Snowpixies here...

Thanks for looking!

Coming Soon to PFATT Marketplace near you.....

Available here at midnight tonight :-) Blog readers get free shipping!! :-)

A Spooky Trade!

Dani of Ambitions Designs recently concocted the spooky idea of hosting a Tombstone Trade to help usher in the spookiest of all seasons....


I was fortunate enough to be paired with the Marvelous Marie of Marie Patterson Studios. It just doesn't get better than this......


and this...


and this!!!!!
I love it!!! If you love Marie's work be sure to stop by her Etsy shop, or her page on Spooky Time Jingles! :-)



Below is the Creepy Creation I crafted for Marie....


The Polka Dot Pixie just can't seem to get out of Circus/Party Mode this year. Hop on over to my Flickr Page to sneak a peek at some new Halloween Pixies emerging from the studio...

See you there!

Felting Fun

I have sculpted in earthen clay, porcelain, paper mache, polymer clay, and even in salt dough and cornstarch clay. My favorite medium of all time, of course, is paper clay. But recently Jenn Docherty's AWESOME book has inspired me to try sculpting with something a little different.... Wool!!! :-)

Pictured below is a little bear using needle felting techniques I learned from reading her book Sweet Needle Felts: 25 projects to Wear, Give and Hug. (The cupcake that this sweetie is presenting was made from polymer clay a-la that fantastic You Tube tutorial posted a few weeks back).
The lovely lady whose birthday it was is a beginning sewer, so I thought I'd make this birthday party bear into a pincushion to make it more functional.

It was refreshing to work with a new material, and I have to say that wool is a a lot more portable than paper clay. Perfect for those business trips that leave me stranded in a hotel at night with my hands itching to do something creative.

Below is the birthday card that accompanied it.

The card was a used 1940's gem picked up in my last flea market trip. I was able to strategically cut it apart, and with the addition of a little scrapbook paper, fashion into something new, yet vintage... my "giftee" loved it!

Sigh.... I just love the graphics on this beauty. And the dimension on the little umbrella. So pretty!


Happy weekend everyone!!!