We just finished listening to a webinar on Social Network Marketing with Tim Adam. It was a wonderfully informative class and we took several pages of notes! His blog, Handmadeology.com, is filled with so much information it will take me literally weeks to get through it all! He talked about Facebook, Blogging, and Twitter specifically, and in short, the importance of using them all together in order to grow your clientele. If you are looking to do some easy and successful marketing of your handmade items and art, go and take a look at his blog - you will not be disappointed.

Spring is here, and with summer right around the corner I will be focusing my attention to the backyard and the projects I have in mind for outside. These will include a new address plaque, candles for the backyard, recovering the patio furniture, faux finishing some old iron furniture, making a stone birdhouse, a birdfeeder, birdbath, beautifying an outdoor thermometer and refinishing an old shed to make it a pleasant site in the yard instead of an eyesore. I will also carry the summer fun inside with fun summer accessories for the house. There will be invitations for a BBQ and a pool party complete with matching accessories, picture frames, placemats, magnets, and serving pieces.

The fun is just beginning, so be sure to grab your supplies and get ready for a great summer!

Mosaic Stone Birdhouse

This is a quick and easy project which requires minimal tools and supplies. It looks great in a natural area for the birds to enjoy, or as a decorative accessory inside.

• Premade birdhouse
• Grout - either sanded or unsanded
• River Stones (available in the floral department of any large craft store.)
• Gloves
• Sealer
• Weatherproof Glue
• Moss
• Paints
• Small stick from yard

The birdhouse can be purchased at almost any large craft store. You will find some made of pine and some made of a lighter weight balsa wood. You can use either for a decorative accessory but I strongly recommend the pine birdhouse for outdoors. I have used the balsa wood houses outside in the past, and they have lasted several years, but the pine will provide a sturdier base for the stone façade we will be putting on these houses. The grout you can pick up at any large craft store as well, but for the price difference I would advise stopping by your local home improvement store and picking up a small bag of grout. It is much less expensive in this venue.

First thing to do is to firmly start wiggling the perch the birds will be using to loosen the glue and remove the perch. Take the perch with you into the yard and find a small stick that is approximately the same diameter. Take this stick and liberally apply glue and put it into the hole left by the wooden peg you removed. Leave the stick long until the birdhouse is finished, then you may cut down the stick as you see fit. If using the birdhouse outdoors remember to leave enough of the stick a bird can comfortably land and perch there.

Next paint any areas of the birdhouse that will be showing after the project is completed. I used copper for the finial and base, and painted the bottom of the birdhouse a mossy green.

Put on gloves before you start working with the grout (ok, so this is a do as I say, not as I do moment…). It is extremely drying if you do not wear gloves, and some grouts have made my hands itch in the past. Lay your birdhouse on its side and smooth out a generous amount of grout over a portion of your birdhouse. Take the stones and randomly place them into the grout. After these are placed take your smaller stones and fill in the gaps leaving as much grout as you would like to show. Do not worry is the grout gets onto your stones. This will easily be cleaned off later.

Continue working around your birdhouse in sections, making sure your grout is holding your stones firmly before you turn your house to work on the next section, or they may slide or fall off.

When your birdhouse is done take a damp cloth and start wiping off any excess grout from the stones and wooded areas of the birdhouse. Continue around your birdhouse until the stones are not hazy anymore from the grout and there is a pleasing amount of grout showing. Allow to dry completely, at least 24 hours. When dried, spray liberally with an outdoor sealer. I prefer Rustoleum brand.

After you have let the sealer dry, liberally apply weatherproof glue to the roof and carefully lay out the moss so as to cover the entire roof. Allow glue to dry thoroughly. When the glue is dried be sure the moss is firmly adhered. Carefully cut off any portions that are hanging off the roof.

Lastly, add any embellishments you would like to your birdhouse to make it your own, hang, and enjoy (you know the birds will).

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I love art, all art.  I love viewing it, I love making it, most of the time.  I have no certain medium that I work in, although I do have a few I work best in.  I find my must to be the ability to move from one type of project to another, to another, and then back again when I feel I am ready to continue with the first.  There are so many different types of arts & crafts that it is impossible for me to choose just one.  This mirrors my life exactly.  I can go from wallpapering the kitchen (Sadly, still not done) to working in the garden to painting a room or tea dying curtains for the kitchen.

Most artists and crafters I have heard speak say that found their one thing by accident and knew it the minute they started working or playing around.  Some say the took a class in order to learn something different and never looked back.  I cannot say this, at least not as of yet.  I work with Jewelry Making, Ribber Art Stamping, Polymer Clay, Warm Glass, Paper Crafting and Painting, using several different mediums to name my current favorites.

They are my salvation from the everyday drudgery of my job.  I sit at my desk and from nowhere, completely unbidden, ideas start to show themselves, sometimes with such force I find it hard to stay in my seat until  5 p.m.  I carry an art journal with me so when one of those overwhelming ideas do come, I can put them on paper.  When I do get to leave, it’s home to make dinner, spend time with the family, then some laundry and housework.  Hardly any time is left for my creative side, which is screaming for attention by this time.  Right now I am working with my husband to get the websites up and running (one of which you are currently at).  The technical aspects for the store alone are mind boggling!

I plan to be up and running, able to work from home by the time school starts in the fall.  I will be able to cater to my muse and my family.  I will have studio time while I am home alone, with limited interruptions and family time where I do not feel distracted by the many things that have been left undone.  In the meantime I will keep my drawings and ideas fresh in my journal.  This way I am in no danger of forgetting them. 

Stay with us as we grow.  Rest assured there will be growing pains, although hopefully mostly behind the scenes.  In the meantime, don’t forget to stop by and say a quick “Hi” at http://www.bellaonline.com/site/rubberartstampingwhere I am the Rubber Art Stamping Editor for Bella online.  There you will find lots of techniques, how-tos, reviews, and a forum for you to join in the fun!

During this recession, a lot of different types of businesses have been forced to close or file bankruptcy - not so for most arts and crafts businesses.  As the Allstate commercial states, and I am paraphrasing here, people tend to go back to basics, and crafting is one of those basics.  Whether you are the artsy type who enjoys making things for yourself and your family, or a more business minded person, who enjoys the challenge of running your own business, these days you will win.

 In this blog, I will cover both the business and the hobby end of things.  Some projects will be beginner level, but not short on impact. Some will be a more advanced stage, but easily do-able with a little effort.  As for the business end of things, I will cover both fear and fact in the art and craft business.As for the businesses that have found it necessary to close, I say a very fond farewell to Luminarte.  If you have ever heard of or used any of their wonderful products, such as Twinkling H2O’s,  you know who they are, and most likely you are not a light crafter or artist.  I think their main problem was not overpricing their product, as it was well worth the money invested, but the lack of exposure in the common marketplace for most crafters and artists.  Other companies have similar products more readily available to the general public.  We will be losing a truly promising line of products.On the lighter side, there is a neverending line of products - both new and old and proven. 

 There are also endless possiblities from looking at things in new ways.  For instance, I love going to hardware stores!  You never know what you will find that will be useful to you - in arts and crafts.  Office supply stores are another favorite.  Then there are the millions of products available online.  Never be afraid to think outside the box.  You will be surprised what you can come up with.