It's been awhile.  Life events have kept me away for two years.  My health is improving.  My first surgery went well, and I am getting ready for the second.  Can't say as much for the critters.  The guinea pigs reached the ends of their very happy lives, as did the hamster.   The coyotes got the cats.  Someone stole the chicken.  However, Luc, my 16-year old cockatiel, is just as spoiled rotten as ever, but he doesn't go outside much. 

We have finally gotten moved into the new-to-us house.  Some things are still in boxes, but the new carpet is down, the paint is on the walls, the pictures are hung, and, most importantly, the computers are hooked up (and the bills paid)!

I have not yet gotten back into the clay work, but I have been doing some really beautiful hand embroidery.  I posted on both my Artfire and Etsy sites yesterday, and would like for y'all to take a look. 

I have put a couple pieces up on a site called Zibbet.  It looks promising-- you might want to check it out:  lots of cool stuff!  It feels good to be getting back into the swing of things. 

Joy and Happiness always,

~~Kathy

Greetings y'all. This is a bit past the Solstice but the heartfelt wishes for a grand and glorious season are the same. Things here at casa Summers are moving along. We have tackled the huge job of clearing the attic. So far we have only gotten in one day, one long, hard, productive day. The wet weather and the heat have slowed us down a mite but we are hopeful of getting the job done.

I thought I would get involved with a polyclay group over on yahoo groups. Not a great experience. Perhaps I'm just overly sensitive about censorship. In any case it didn't work. So, I've subscribed to a polyzine and joined another group hopefully with better results.

I now have a Flickr account . Lots of pictures there of my work.

I've got several new pieces in the works and a show coming up this weekend. InConJunction is where I got started selling my work at conventions. I think it will go well. I'm only taking a dozen pieces about a half tables worth.

I'm sitting here looking at a new piece and have decided just what it is about my dragon wings i don't like. I've been unhappy with them for awhile but couldn't put my finger on the problem. They are flat. they have impressive veining but no depth. they are the same thickness all over. No dimension to speak of. the rest of the critter is quite nice. So I'm going to start working on designing the wings with a bit more detail and realism.

And now the part you've all been waiting for. The sharing what I've found. There is an artist that carves cameos, from Oreo cookies! They're awesome. And the condiment art is terrific as well. Check it out here:

http://jgklausner.com/work/oreo-cameo

Thanks for staying with me 'till the end.

Joy and Happiness Always

Kathy

I just had to share this! Enjoy! Joy and happiness always. ~~Kathy

Happy May! Blessed Beltane! Welcome Spring!

I'm happy to see no more snow and ice, however, the rain is beginning to wear a little thin, That's okay 'cause soon we can all

complain about how hot it is.

I just put ten new works up on my artfire site..I also put them in my etsy shop. Somehow I've managed to get 40 pieces on ArtFire but only 36 on etsy..:0/

Another bit of info is that I'm not going to have a table at GenCon this year. They are already full up and have a rather large waiting list. So I'll be looking for a new August venue, at least for this year.

I'd appreciate if y'all pop over to artfire and take a peek at the new goodies.

Thanks for staying with me thus far. I'll have more for you later.

Joy and Happiness always. Kathy

Well, friends, eBay was a bust. Ppfftth! There were 23 views on one baby fairy, and that was the most views of any piece. I am saddened and somewhat irritated. What's wrong with these people? LoL Just wanted to take a moment to share. Feedback would be nice, y'all. Comment on these pictures... tell me wonderful things! Thanks for reading. Joy and happiness always! ~~Kathy

I have been sitting here just claying away. I have my "in transition" shelf quite full. Baby fairies (still available on e-Bay BTW), potted baby dragon, resting fairy that is available on FAEBAE and several pieces listed on both etsy and artfire. I have a new piece that I have fallen in love with.There are pictures to follow. All in all I have been a very busy girl.

On the personal front Marty's unemployment has finally hit the wall. It's all used up, kaput, no more, all gone. We thought this was gonna really mess up our getting to Conglomeration in Louisville, KY at the end of the month. (Oh yes, Happy April!) but with some creative accounting I think we're gonna make it. I have a dealer table there and hope to make a bit of change to offset the cost of going in the first place.

If you are in the Louisville area and feel inclined our group is throwing a grand room party and we would love to see you. It's at the Louisville Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Airport. It's always fun and there will be posted signage as to what room #. This is Easter weekend and the party is on Sat. night. Starts around 9:p.m. and goes 'till we throw you out.

Okay now for the new artwork from ME! I found the Love Mug on sale and I put together the floral arrangement and made and added the really cute couple. My thought was that what gal wouldn't melt if she were given this by her sweetheart. Here it is:

Thanks for staying with me until the end. Joy and happiness always. --Kathy

Hello! After giving it much thought I decided to once again sell my wares on e-Bay. Today I put up four new pieces; Three baby fairies and one baby dragon.We'll see how it goes. Things over there have certainly changed.

I also put up some new work on ArtFire and have a couple more to get up there yet. I'm also into convention season so things should be picking up, business wise.

Now for the important stuff. Who sent Indiana all this cold weather?!! I thought spring was here and I was all ready to put the plants out when woosh! away blows our balmy weather and I have to get my coat back out. Enough already. The up side is my wind chimes (I love wind chimes and hope to one day have bass ones) are chiming their little hearts out. We did have to tighten up the hooks a bit so they wouldn't blow away and become someone elses wind chimes.

I have finally talked Charlotte into opening an ArtFire gallery. Now to just see it happen. But isn't a mother supposed to nag every once in a while? that's right. Thanks for agreeing with me.

Here are the links to the e-bay listings or you can do a seller search for barcy.

OOAK baby dragon with blocks :

http://cgi.ebay.com/OOAK-Baby-Dragon-Blocks-/190516656685?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5bad7a2d

OOAK Sitting Baby Fairy :

http://cgi.ebay.com/OOAK-Sitting-baby-fairy-/190516643807?pt=Art_Sculpture&hash=item2c5bad47df

OOAK Sleepy Time For Alexander:

http://cgi.ebay.com/OOAK-Sleepy-Time-Alexander-Baby-Fairy-/190516647713?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5bad5721

OOAK Baby Fairy Podling :

http://cgi.ebay.com/OOAK-Baby-Fairy-Podling-/190516654454?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5bad7176

Thanks for staying to the end.

Joy and Happiness always--Kathy

I don't know what to say about this other than WoW!

I am so impressed that I just had to share it with you. Enjoy! ~~Kathy

"Top o' the mornin' t' ye!"

"And the rest of the day t' ye!"

I have finally in spite of not having a computer of my own listed some new works at my ArtFire site. I've been doing most of my online stuff (like getting my e=mail, etc.) with my cell. I wanted to share some of it with you here. I hope you'll pop over to ArtFire to check out the rest. Have a happy St. Patrick's Day and remember to take it easy on the green grog.

I really like this guy! He is such fun. I flocked the dragon suit so it's a little fuzzy. Clever me. :)

This next one is also a fun piece. "When I Itches, I Scratches"

Thanks for staying with me to the end. Joy and happiness always!

Good morning, all! Convention season is upon me. I'll be in Bowling Green, KY, the 25th of this month, in Louisville, KY, for Conglomeratio n in mid-April, Woodruff Victorian Emporium, here in Indianapolis, in June, and July brings InConjunction (also here in Indy); August will find me here at GenCon , and September is Pagan Pride, always a fun show.

I don't know if I mentioned this but I have a new source for my eyes. I'm now getting this most important supply from Amanda at Dreaming Tree Studios . Aside from getting ready for convention, not much is going on here.

In my web crawling, I ran across this awesome performance I want to share with you. As my Xander is so into swordplay, this really caught my attention. Enjoy!

...and this actually was created and performed in the 1990's on Australian TV. Hope you enjoy!

If you enjoy the occasional off-the-wall cover of a traditional classic, here's one for you!

And another to come...

Happy Valentines Day! Hugs to you all! I hope the ice didn't adversely affect y'all. We chipped our way out inch by inch. Some didn't have quite as lucky.

Check this out...

Things here are moving along. I've got some new work that needs photographed and posted. I have several convention shows coming up, and I'm rather excited about them. My friend, Seth, is a website designer among other things (what a talented guy!) and is putting together a new website for me. That's exciting news! And I thought I would share with you my yesterday -- the microwave oven died of unknown causes; we had an accident in the Wal-Mart parking lot getting a replacement; water leaked from something somewhere ALL over the kitchen floor (we found it in the wee hours); and my guinea pig died! Hope your yesterday was somewhat better!

It's been a whole year, WoW! I wish you all the very bestestest of everything in 2011.

I want to share with you some awesome photos of the World's Largest Cave ! soon to be featured in NatGeo's January 11 issue. I was totally blown away by this. Joy and happiness always, ~~Kathy

This has been a most busy year, and there is much for the Welcome To My Whimsy family to be thankful for. True, sales are down; true, discretionary money is very discrete, and sometimes our healthy is spotty; but there is the love of friends and family -- for that I am extremely thankful.

Of course, I can't forget those of you who after all this time are still reading my less than frequent musings. Have I mentioned how time-intensive blogging is? I can play with my clay or blog. I'm having trouble doing both, but I'm sure you noticed.

I have listed some new critters on both the ArtFire and Etsy sites and I'm doing a few more shows than usual this season. Daughter Charlotte is even doing the next two with me.

The jewelry market is rather glutted with many lovely designs and materials, so much so that Kathy Ann has given up her ArtFire and Etsy shops. She is still doing shows, and custom work. So if you want something special, feel free to e-mail me and I will put you in touch with her. Together you can design something incredible.

I have a couple of sites for you to check out. The first one is brought to you by Mother Nature, and I don't think she was in a good mood, but it's definitely worth looking at.

Click here . The next one is one of my favorites: if you are a movie buff or a dance afficionado, then click here .

Thanks for staying with me to the end, and hopefully I will get back to you before Christmas.

Joy and happiness always, Kathy.

I'm so embarrassed to have been away this long. Many things have happened these past months and I'm sure it's the same with you. ( can't tell if I put a period there or if the screen is just dirty. hmm :O/)

I have given up doing my own web site. I wanted to and I have the skill but most of the time not the inclination. So check out the new site.

We will be adding pages later, pictures of my older work etc. I will try to keep the artfire and etsy sites up to date. This is show season and so keeping up is slow. By the time a piece is finished and i get it posted it's sold and I have to take it down. I do, however, have LOTS of new stuff to share. The "Alice" series is really hot and moving. My dragons always just fly away and the gargoyles are getting a fair bit of attention. Since I am doing shows that also cater the more mundane among us I have added kitties and bunnies and mousies to my troupe. I'll try to post a few pics for you. The knot work is also doing well but I did not take it to Gen Con this year. Last year I held little workshops/make-and-take classes that REALLY went over big. This year I went over big in the art show. Was great fun!

So here now, are some pics of new stuff. Enjoy.

If ya can't dance at least give a happy hop!

This next work was inspired by Ursula Vernon, an incredible artist and a lovely person too. It's based on her Cuthulu's day out.

I have found many new things/places to share with you in the coming weeks. That should inspire me to blog and you to await my blogging.

Joy and Happiness Always --Kathy

WoW! Happy New Year to you all!

2010 already. I just love living in the future.

I hope your Holidays have been lovely. I know mine have been wonderful. Friends, family, food, all the things that make life worthwhile. Well, lotsa love and clay help too.

So before I share my new work I want to give you a little update on the life and times of me.

Mr. Nibbles had a stroke and we lost him. :O( sadness) We have a new kitty, Seamus. He is an orange tabby rescue. He is such a well mannered fellow. He lets us know when he needs to go out--no litter box in the house. He knocks on the door when he wants to come in. He is very vocal about little things like food and water or lack thereof. Are you ready for this one? He stays off the kitchen table and the counters! Who wouldn't want a kitty like that? :O/ Well, whoever went off and left him really lost out 'cause he's ours now.

I took a break from the clay and made some really nice knot work jewelry. It can be found on both Etsy and ArtFire . I donated quite a bit to the the Santa Shop at the elementary school. I thought it would be a nice change from the Worlds greatest Dad mugs and faux Precious Moments figurines. I love the Santa Shop. No child is kept away. EVERY child can get gifts for their families regardless of if they have $$ or not.

We've all had our share of the winter illnesses but seem to be doing okay in spite of it all.

Marty is still in the market for a job. But we're hanging in there. I don't care much for the other choices so hanging in it is.

Charlotte has the promised paper dolls about half done. They are SO cute. I hope that one day you will be able to see that for yourself.

I did not "take advantage" of the Online Stores, Inc very expensive offer of marketing my wares/website. But I did get lots of info at their workshop--and for a lot less money, I might add. So I am in the process of implementing some of their suggestions.

Now, it is time for the self promotional part of our program. I have wanted to do Alice in Wonderland figures for ages and I finally have. So far I have five finished. I noticed that Artfire. . . or was it Etsy? had Tweedledum and Tweedledee on the front page this evening and they weren't badly done either.

My Alice guys can be found on both my Etsy and my ArtFire sites. Here is a preview of 'em, though.

The Dormouse

White Rabbit

Cheshire Cat

Mad Hatter

Catterpillar

you can't see it here but this fellow has long curled antennae. It is so cool looking.

thanks for staying with me until the end. I wish you all the best in 2010.

--Kathy

Mindblowing Pop-up Lego Buddhist Temple

This is just so cool. Xander is ALL into lego Star Wars the Clone Wars. So right now our house is a clone trooper fortress. Hope they let Santa in.

Hey I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Perhaps I'll get an actual updated post on here after Christmas. Provided I haven't foundered on holiday goodies. Oh! How they abound, fudge, maple, peanutbutter, chocolate. Cakes and cookies and pies Oh My!

We have been trying to share the wealth. We've sent blankets and pillows and food stuffs to the shelters. This is such a sad thing. I am so thankful for all of you and my family. And my warm, toasty, tight little house.

Again I wish you all a very merry holiday whichever one you celebrate.

Joy and Happiness Always

--Kathy

Hey Y'all. Sorry for the great expanse of time since I was last here. I was really good out of the gate but as with most blogs and bloggers the novelty fades and other things tend to take precedence.

Let's see, Xander's had pneumonia, as has Marty, only Xander can go to the Dr. and get meds.

I am gimping around more than usual 'cause I did somethin' to my knee. Doc thinks it might be tendinitis. I got a shot of some kind and if it worked, oh my! because the pain only eased a little bit.

There for a while I couldn't walk on it at all. Bummer! It's a bit better and I'm getting used to it 'cause I don't cry nearly as much. LoL what a baby!

Mr. Nibbles has had a stroke. I don't really expect him to pull through but all the same I'm feeding him (yogurt and baby cereal mostly) and making him take water (drops through a straw). That's the thing with pets, you get all attached and when they get ill it breaks your heart.

Oh yes, the powers the be sent Charlotte a kitty for her birthday. He was a rescue, abandoned.

We don't understand it at all. He is so well mannered, declawed, neutered and beautiful if a bit on the scrawny side. He was going to be an outside kitty but he seems to be spending an awfull lot of time inside. We all love him, even allergic Marty. We named him Seamus.

The holidays are upon us. If any of you desire a critter of my crafting let me know. I don't usually need a lot of lead time but with Christmas it's a bit different. It gets really busy both here and at the post office. I currently do have dragon ornaments available on Artfire .

When you order, either via e-mail or by phone, let me know you're a blog follower and I'll knock a bit off the price. Remember, too, Kathy's beautiful jewelry . I know I would love to open a box at yule (or any other time) and find one of her gorgeous pieces in it.

Another idea, if you have a gamer on your list, is a rendered portrait of their game character.

Or a caricature of themself, or their character. Charlotte's couple caricatures are really awesome, too. Samples are available for the asking (and you don't even have to say please).

Again, my apologies for my tardiness in writing to you. I leave you with some cool links for pumpkin carving.

ReallyCool Site! http://www.zombiepumpkins.com/

Here are pics http://www.zombiepumpkins.com/galleries.php

Virtual Pumpkin Carving Tool - Carve, Print & Email Your Pumpkin from Better Homes and Gardens.

Here are links to LOTS of free pumpkin carving stencils . 4 screens full of ‘em

Enjoy your Halloween and hopefully you'll hear from me before Thanksgiving. :O)

--Kathy

As the Brave Combo says, "Oh we'll have yule tide down by the pool side. This year lets have Christmas in July."

The guild of fantasy artists of ArtFire, of which I am a very proud member, are having a Christmas In July promotion. I'm excited about it 'cause most folks don't put out their yule work until the fall. This way we get a preview of the holiday goodies. However, my work can be displayed year round. LoL

I mean why not have a highly detailed, extremely colorful Santa sitting about in the summertime.

But I digress, just pop on over to ArtFire and put CIJS

into the search box and you're off! There are several folks having July sales and promotions. You might find that one perfect gift for your Auntie Grizelda. And you know how hard SHE is to buy for.

I got my new bright yellow ott-lite lamps! They were BOGO too! I am so impressed. WoW! I think I mentioned them previously only now I have first hand experience with 'em. If you take pictures and need to see the detail and the colors then you gotta have one of these. Just look at this pic. I did no enhancing or retouching at all. I just cropped it. I thought the bulbs a bit pricy but for what they are and how long they're supposed to last I guess they're not too bad.

Michaels on line says they carry them. Some Home Depots carry 'em too.

Charlotte

has just done some design work for a local business. They were quite pleased and want her to do more. They paid her! She has also been working on the two weddings she did the pictures for. One bride called almost in tears. She had seen the photos taken by some of the guests, like the grooms sister, who was always in the photographers way. She thought she looked horrible and too fat. Well, white satin is flattering to practically nobody but in the pics Charlotte took the bride looked radiant and beautiful. The bride was soothed and reassured and is eager to see the finished photos.

Marty is still unemployed but we made the mortgage! horray!

I've had a couple of sales and I made a couple of trades. I know, but I really LOVED these things. One was a beautiful necklace and the other a handcrafted black glass octopus.

The picture is a bit dark and doesn't show his little eyes but he was so cute. I put him on a black ball chain and I've made earrings to go with.

I have entered my spider phase. I saw a picture of a spider and got inspired. These are not natural looking spiders, well, one is maybe. I have a velvety pink one with a red heart on her back and AB crystals for eyes. There is a teddy bear brown one and a black one and a silver one (it has red crystal eyes). The black and the silver are both necklaces. I have very fine rayon flocking and it works great on these little guys. Pics comming soon.

For our parting picture I leave you with our little ratty, Nazumi. Don't be alarmed by his little swolen and scabby and bruised feet. Mr. Nibbles has really been a grumpus and a big bully of late. He has taken to biting Nazumi's feet.

Clean up the bleeding. Soak in Epsom Salt Water. Give a ratty dose of Children's Tylenol. I've been rat bit and it hurts! Could this be a territorial thing, Alpha male and all that? After all Nizumi is getting bigger and becoming a grown up vermin. Any rat behaviorists out there?

Joy and Happiness Always

--Kathy who has become a really good ratty doc.

*these pictures were NOT taken with my new ott-lite lamps. They DO need a bit of brightening up. LoL

Thanks for staying with me till the end. Take Care. --cks

Oh my, I didn't realize just how far behind I'd gotten. My apologies y'all. Things here are still

moving right along. Marty is still unemployed, Xander is indeed out of school for the summer, the ratties are doing great with minimal fuss and I did wonderfully at the Woodruff Place Victorian Emporium the first of June. However, the Horror Hound Weekend was canceled for here and moved to Cincinnati so we'll wait until next March for that one.

I've been crawling the forums at Etsy and have gotten some great info on making my stinko photos better. Ott-Lite light bulbs. One can get the lamps (kind of pricey) or just the bulbs.

Joanns has the lamps (on sale online) and Home Depot the bulbs. The picture I saw had not been enhanced at all and was incredible. The lights are designed for those of us who need to capture detail and color.

I have moved into a Fantastic Birds phase. So far I've crafted a phoenix and a fenghuang . There are several more in the offing and I am excited about doing them. I'll be even more excited if they sell.

Charlotte , my darling daughter, has been doing a bit of graphic design work for some local businesses (hooray!) and photographed a wedding in May and another this past Saturday. I love her wedding work. She manages to make the standard poses softer and more natural feeling. I don't know if she has any posted on her site or not. Maybe I'll nag her 'till she posts some.

I have her working on a treat for you. Paper dolls, with wardrobe. They are sooooo cute. A little lolita type and a round chubby one. They should be done soon and I can get them posted here so all you have to do is Save As, print and play.

I'm doing this post on the fly and haven't any great new stuff for you to see this time. But thanks for being here. And again I apologize for being away so long.

--Kathy

I didn't realize just how long I've let y'all go without an update. The most important thing, I think, is that Marty has been laid off. He is now among the ranks of the unemployed and job searchers. I'm sorry he lost his job but it's been grand having him home. I'll enjoy the $$ when he is again working but I will miss his company.

Kathy-Ann and I will be doing the Horror Hound Weekend when it next is in Indpls. Kathy's sister-in-law thinks we would do well there so we're going to give it a go. She, sister-in-law Christie, and Charlotte are seriously considering a photo booth there as well. I have been trying to talk Charlotte into something like this for ages now.

The newest members of our household are Mr. Nibbles and Nizumi. Mr. Nibbles is a hooded, black and white rat who is about one year old. He is huge! Nizumi, on the other hand is only three months old, is a pale butterscotch color and is very small. Nizumi is a sweetheart and loves to cuddle. Mr. Nibbles has not been very well socialized and I hope is not developing a taste for human flesh. We've all been nipped at least once. He really loves to get treats and if his mouth is full (of treats not fingers! lol) he will accept scratchies behind his ears. Just do not poke your finger into the cage! But he has learned that treats only come from the open top of the cage and not through the bars.

I had worried about them getting along but Mr. Nibbles has imparted the rules to the little guy and as long as Nizumi doesn't sleep in the food dish they get along very well. Nizumi even sleeps atop Mr. Nibbles, draped across his neck or back or curled up at his side with Mr. Nibbles big-ol'-tail wrapped around him. ahhhhh.

School here is out the 29th of May. Then Xander will be home and we can have some lengthy gross out mommy time. he he he Xander has been playing soccer. His dad, Jason, is coaching again this year. He does a pretty good job coaching. Xander, however, is never going to be a pro soccer player unless twirling and skipping and mugging for the side line cameras becomes a plus.

Oh yes, I have a great new work up on both my Etsy site and my ArtFire site. There will be more to follow but I want to add a bit more slowly so I can take advantage of the forum promotion topic "what have you listed new today?" But I have some cool stuff to list so keep looking.

I think I have bitten off more than I can manage with the gallery sites. ArtFire and Etsy I am keeping up with adequately but FoundMyself and noBullART seem to be left wanting. I like the sites but am just not up to keeping them up and that makes me a bit sad.

Notice the new avatar? Ain't I a cutie nudie? Charlotte decided I needed an updated caricature, one that reflected the new, older me. lol Oh, and she does do caricatures for reasonable money. Just e-mail her twylightb@hotmail.com tell her her mother sentcha.

I shall leave you with my desk top wall paper. I have used it for years and I don't get tired of it. I have changed it a time or two but then I miss it and put it back. The artist is Donald Roller Wilson and he paints animals in clothing, in little scenes, portraiture.

I don't care for that type of subject matter even when it's well done but his work is such fun. And then "Cookie in the garden" stole my heart. Here she is:

That's about it for this time. I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day whether or not you're a mom.

Happiness and Joy Always

--Kathy

Well folks it was a sad day at Kathy-Ann's house. Her oven died. Never mind that it was older than dirt. So she's been depending on the toaster oven for oven things. That can get old, especially if you have a large family. So we went electric range shopping. Youch! Those can be expensive. So I suggested we check out

Freecycle

to see what they had to offer. I absolutely love IndyFreecycle. Trying to sell stuff takes so much energy. Energy I usually don't have or that I want to spend elsewhere. Freecycle is for giving away one's excess, helping out others and keeping stuff out of the landfills. No trading, no money, no barter. It's free. They also have a "Wants" section. This is not just a local thing. They have groups all over.

So I scrolled through the "offers" section. There were kitties and a few dogs. Someone had five fancy rats that needed a new home. I asked for those. Charlotte , my daughter, was just telling me the other day how much she wanted a pet rat. The perfect pet for a perky goth. I hope they're not already gone. They would make an awsome surprize for her. There were also wooden doors without frames but with the hardware, older computers, audio and video equipment, clothes, toys, a toaster oven and two electric stoves, with working ovens I might add. I asked for one of those but as yet, haven't heard back anything. Keep your fingers crossed.

I've been checking my e-mail frequently to see if I've been chosen for any of the wanted goodies and found a note from one of my favorite sites ByHand.me

This site is terrific. Belonging is free. I use that word intentionaly because that's just how it feels. You belong to a caring, supportive group of artisians rather than having a membership in an online network. You don't sell from there, you advertise. Each artisian has their own profile page with links to all their shops and galleries and blogs. Here is the one for Kathy Summers . There is an artisian directory to help folks find you or for you to find others there. It truly is a community. Admin. is wonderful and really care about the site and are constantly striving to make it better for us. Promotion and networking and referals all in one great site. I really encourage you to check it out and also check out some of the incredible artisians. In fact become one of their incredible artisians. ;O}

And Last but not least, is Craft Lister . This site is a customizable listing of fairs, shows and events. It is a pay site BUT you get 14 days free to start out and 14 more for each person who creates a login account and uses you as a referal. barcyd@yahoo.com . Am I being a bit mercenary?... nah, not me. I intend to broaden my show schedule and this seems like the place to get the info I'll need. There are some nice benefits with a paid membership so it's worth looking at.

The photo for the day is one of my very favorites. It comes from Kay's Fairys. A wonderful artist who is getting some really nice exposure these days from Laura Ashley.

Joy and Happiness Always

--Kathy

Happy Day everyone! I am all revved up and excited. The 17th of this month Kathy-Ann and I will be teaching a clay class, making Mother's Day gifties, for underprivileged inner city children here in Indianapolis.It will be every Friday for four Fridays. We put together some really pretty projects. The kiddos can choose from a barrette, a pin, a pendant, and if there's time an added pair of earrings. I was hoping for a few donations from the Sculpey people (they were a tremendous help the last time) but they have changed their policies and can't help this time. :O( But if any of you want to help (hint, hint) we can use jewelry findings, colored polymer clay, little bits of prettys like rhinestones etc., to decorate the jewelry, chains/ribbon/cording for hanging the pendants. I have some things and Joann's had a really good sale on clay and I was able to pick up some. Get with me and I can give you the address to send wonderful donations.

It should be a great time and I look forward to helping the kids make lovely things for their Moms. Some have more than one and some have none but do have a grandma or aunt. The family dynamics of these children can be quite a puzzle.

And then, I was contacted by the events coordinator of GenCon Indy to see if I was interested in running some classes for their "SPousal Activites" program. You BetI Am! Since I'm not gonna be able to do their art show this year the SPA program will do, Oh yeah!

So if you're going to be at GenConIndy this year, August 13-16, stop by and say howdy.

Another neato thing is I am the subject of the artist interview on ByHand.me (a great site BTW)

yes, it is indeed all about me! ;O} I wanted to give you the link but apparently they are having a rare moment of downness. Once there http://www.byhand.me scroll down towards the bottom and there should be a link to the interview, Kathy Summers and Welcome To My Whimsy.

As I was crawling the forums there this a.m. I was pointed to the site of a graphic designer that I want to share with you. Her name is Erin and she is in Aurora Colorado. She is self taught and custom is her specality. She began about five years ago making signatures for folks on message boards.

Swieky Siggies graphic design is her Etsy shop and she also has a web site . Go ahead, take a look, I did and I just kept looking and looking. Each design so lovely I wanted to see more.

Thanks for staying with me 'till the end. Oh, I almost forgot :O/ I have some new critters on my Etsy and ArtFire sites. Stay well.

--Kathy