I’ve been feeling particularly scattered lately. I think its a combination of spring fever and planning out trips and adventures over the summer months. Clearly I need to make a list. If you need to make some lists too then here are some styling ways to store them.

vibrant color and flowers inducing a state of spring fever.

barefoot hippie print by stephanie corfee

paper collage print by 111 collage design

art quilt by andrus gardens quilt

all handmade in pennsylvania and found through the HiP flickr pool.

This week I am excited to feature Lynn of UnaOdd. Lynn makes resin, clay and acrylic jewelry which features her love of nature. Lynn is also a busy mom involved with her children’s school. Enjoy a day in her life!

6:30 a.m.  The alarm clock goes off.  Today I only hit the snooze button twice so I’m up at 6:38.  I quickly check my e-mail for any overnight sales or conversations from my Etsy shop, UnaOdd.  Nothing  this morning.  While my children are getting ready for school I shower and dress, then wash up the morning dishes.

8:30 a.m.  I drive my children to the school bus stop, then do a quick grocery store run.  I am home by 9:00.

Tonight is a fundraiser at my children’s school.  The Arts Day Committee that I am on is running a talent show, bake sale and art sale.  We are raising funds for our Arts Day Program which brings artists into the school to demonstrate their artwork to the students.  Our PTA informed us that there is no extra money in the budget this year, so it’s up to us to raise all the money we need.  I’m donating my time, artwork and two loaves of banana chocolate chip bread so I  need to start baking!

9:45 a.m. Banana bread is baking so I take a break for breakfast - finally.  While eating I check my shop and read up on a few blogs and  Twitter.  After breakfast I clean up the kitchen.  The bread is baking and the house smells heavenly.  Too bad both loaves are going to the  sale.

10:30 a.m.  I start painting some posters for tonight’s show and sale.  Good old potato stamp technique comes to the rescue!  While the  posters are drying I realize that the light is wonderful so I do some  product photography for later listing.  I have a very simple set-up,  but it relies heavily on good natural light.  When the light is favorable I try to be ready to shoot.  A gauzy curtain, sunshine and a  home-made multi-colored board backdrop are what I use the most.  I  made the backdrop in different color blocks so I can move my pieces  around to the color that suits them the best.

12:00 noon  Lunch!  I take a half hour to eat and check on my accounts, answering a few conversations that have come in. After lunch I work on a submission of some photos for Lark books, do some photo editing and a few loads of laundry.  The mail arrives with a supply delivery -always exciting!  Everything is as ordered and I spend a little time playing with the supplies, planning out what I’m going to make with them.

3:30 p.m. I’m off to my children’s school to help set up for the evening’s event.  The team works hard and well together and we have  the show set up by 5:00 p.m.  It doesn’t officially start until 7:00 so I run home to make dinner, then back to the school by 6:15. The Talent Show is wonderful.  The kids do a great job and really seemed to have a great time.  The art and bake sale does really well too.  We bring in almost $1,200 for our Arts Day program!  Breaking down and cleaning up takes a little while.

10:30 p.m. I just got home from the sale.  I have a glass of wine and check my shop.  No sales on Etsy today, but I feel really good about the hard work we all put in and the great artists we can now bring in to inspire our children.  I visit and comment on some blogs.

12:06 a.m.  Finally off to bed.

Michelle is a graduate of Albright College with a B.A. in Visual & Apparel Merchandising. After years in the fashion/ retail industry, she is now a WAHM. Michelle is a self-taught jewelry designer and owner of Michabella Creations.

To end the week on a light note. Many of Poor Dog Farm’s paintings and ACEO prints start off as a simple concept: take an animal (generally a bird) and put them in a hat. Sometimes matching hats with birds or mammals or even amphibians can end up being to cutesy.  Not these paintings. These are the right blend of serious and comical. Enjoy.

These new Tribal LEFTZ (pronounced le-ft-e’s) toys stopped me in my online tracks.  Whoa! They’re perfect for building a Utopian civilization, catching a tasty fish or discovering the mysteries of fire. Look how cute they are. You will absolutely love them. Plus they’re made right outside of Reading. The etsy shop explains:

LEFTZ are plush softies made with upcycled material from yard sales, thrift shops, or family. These eco friendly plushies are stuffed with recycled plastic shopping bags and are unique in their own way.

Aren’t they great? I want the whole tribe. Where to find LEFTZ by ArtTales (Mary Casher)?

• LEFTZ on Flickr
• LEFTZ on Etsy
• ArtTales blog

Amber Kane, of Fabricated Ends, found her voice by following her passion.  A graduate in 2007 of Messiah College, Amber has been determined to meld her process of weaving with her personal style.  As she says:

Weaving as an art form is very specific and organized, which ironically is the opposite of my personality. I tend to be free and rather disorganized, so I felt a need to find a way to marry the two while keeping a high level of craftsmanship.

Last summer she decided to not work and to not go back to school. She was determined to merge her work and voice into a weaving style she could call her own. Her days were spent riding her bike 20 miles, and then spending the rest of her day in the studio. During the early morning bike rides Amber began to be mesmerized by the fields of crops she passed daily and the scenery began to impact her work.

I felt that there was a great deal of beauty in these fields that most people were missing, and I wanted to find a way to bring it to them. Through the journey of transforming the fields into functional accessories I was able to bring together the craft of weaving and my free flowing personality.

Amber explains her process:

Each scarf is created by weaving 6 yards of fabric. After the piece is woven I take it off of the loom and pull on the weft strings to create the texture. I pull until I am happy with how it looks and how it feels. I also enjoy watching the scarf transform as each weft thread is pulled. As I left go of following strict patterns and specific rules, I was able to bring myself to my weaving and my weaving began to bring life to me, creating a wonderful partnership between the maker and the created.

Where can you find Amber Kane’s Fabricated Ends?

• Village Artisans Gallery in Boiling Springs
• Orris House Inn and Bed and Breakfast in Mechanicsburg
• her etsy shop Fabricated Ends

She’s also part of the Mechanicsburg Museum called A Craftsman’s Journey- Enhancing People’s Lives. Some times inspiration comes in the most unlikely places.

Work by Angela Davidson (Philly).

Okay, okay. Enough is enough. Here’s a collection of handmade goodness that represents all things that are not snow, white or cold.  So draw your blinds and block out the memories of shoveling endless mounds of white and enjoy a taste of spring.

distinctive valentine’s day gifts for the animal, insect and bird lover

animal lover scarf by xenotees

ruby beetle mechanique by 19 moons

cedar waxwing watercolor by sixsisters

all handmade in Pennsylvania and found in the HiP flickr pool.

After a short break, I am back this week with fellow jewelry artist Jodi of Tubby Tabby’s Jewelbox. I’ve seen Jodi’s work up close at The Hodge Podgery where we both have items for sale, and her designs are both unique and creative. Jodi uses dominos as a backdrop for many of her pendants. Recycling at it’s best! Enjoy a day in her life…

As a self-employed graphic designer, I work from home and therefore my day can start anywhere from 5:30 am to Noon. A typical day for me is spent in my pajamas at my computer.

After I drag myself out of bed and loosen up all my stiff joints, I pour myself some iced tea and go directly to the computer. Checking emails is my first priority (after the iced tea and cigarette). I love checking email as I am always looking forward to that overnight Etsy sale or new graphic design assignment.

12:20 p.m. Next step, twitter. Ah, the twitter, where I can find comfort knowing I’m not the only one who’s suffering with boredom or financial woes. After a few minutes (really hours) of tweeting, I realize I have to get something accomplished today. I begin to think about my new jewelry designs. Mostly, my design process, for the jewelry anyway, just comes to me as I begin to make things. I have certain ideas in my head, but they always turn into something totally unexpected. I will usually work on jewelry for a few hours until I end up with at least a few pieces I am happy with. Yippee! I’ve accomplished something for the day! Now to get SOMEONE else to think it’s great and buy it!

3:30 p.m. I’ve now realized I haven’t eaten all day. When I get involved with something, it’s usually very intense and until I’m finished, I’m usually not aware of my hunger.

3:31 p.m. Eat something, anything, cause now I’m starving.

3:35 p.m. (note the time) I said I was starving! I now have to photograph my new creations (if there is still light in the window) I will photograph, make adjustments in Photoshop and begin my new listings.

4:00 p.m. Woohoo! Received a call from a customer. A design job is coming tomorrow, that’s wonderful!

5:00 p.m. Wait for David (the significant other) to make dinner. I am not the greatest cook.

5:45 p.m. Eat dinner, watch TV, play games on the computer.

6:30 p.m. Check in with my tweeps!

8:30 p.m. maybe play with more jewelry designs, watch TV, pay bills.

9:30 pm. more of the same (I am guessing now this boring life is not what you signed up for when you started to read this story).

More of the same and so on and so on until…

3:30 a.m. maybe now I can sleep…oh wait, here comes another hot flash! Damn menopause!

Michelle is a graduate of Albright College with a B.A. in Visual & Apparel Merchandising. After years in the fashion/ retail industry, she is now a WAHM. Michelle is a self-taught jewelry designer and owner of Michabella Creations.