My Brain Is Going in Too Many Directions

This week has been so busy! Of course, there are a lot of weeks I say that now that I have three kids in school. Which reminds me that I wish the "Now" me could go back and tell the "Then" me that it was true what parents of older children warned me about life being busier once kids start school. Seriously, I thought having the kids in school would free up all this extra time for me to have to myself (and in some ways it has) BUT it also means that the time outside of that is FULL OF STUFF. Appointments, field trips, parent/teacher conferences, not to mention the other stuff I'm involved in - which I try to keep to a minimum, but it seems that this year in particular, things are just getting out of hand AND MY KIDS AREN'T EVEN IN SPORTS YET. I just don't know how other moms do it! Of course, I've been assured that those other moms are saying the exact same thing about all other moms too.

Mostly, I just feel that there are all these things I want to do, that even when I have some free time to do something, I don't even know which thing to do first, and I get overwhelmed and end up doing nothing - just waste time playing a game on facebook or reading an actual book. Or a book on my Kindle, which is a real book, but not an ACTUAL book. All you avid readers out there will know what I mean.

[side note: I love my Kindle. I was afraid it would detract from my enjoyment of holding and reading an actual book, but it hasn't. I still read actual books - now I just have the chance to read MORE books because I can buy the actual books that I really want, and I can ALSO get cheaper e-books to sample new authors or genres. Since I have a hard time allowing books to leave my shelves (even ones I didn't love all that much) this has also helped the space issues we have in our house. I mean, a person can only physically store so many books in her home before her children start asking for their closet space back...]

All this to say - I wish I had more time to devote to my many interests and passions. One of which is photography and photo-enhancement/alteration. I play around and I love it, but I lose all confidence when I see the spectacular work that is out there. Trolling etsy, looking at photography, I alternate between "wow, that person is SO talented, I'd be wasting my time listing my stuff" and "wow, my stuff is definitely better than that, I should list it!" Which sounds extremely rude and pretentious now that I've typed it out, ha.

So, before I bore you to death, here is my Red Dahlia.

Orange You Glad?

So, I have a bazillion things on my to-do list and what do I spend an hour this afternoon doing? Creating a  treasury list on Etsy, of course!

I just needed a mental break and putting together a treasury list is a lovely outlet for my creativity and love of window shopping while (very) marginally fulfilling my online promotion quota. Ok, that's probably a real stretch, as I don't think many people who view my treasury lists ever actually visit my shop, but I'm too tired to quibble with my non-logical side today so I'm letting it go.

Now, without further ado (because the previous ado was more than enough and it is time you get to witness the creative magnificence I have assembled) - here it is!

No, no ... no applause necessary. Just click on the picture and go click and comment on my treasury. That will be thanks enough. ;D

Did You Know I Like Moss?

I like moss. It is a staple here in the Pacific Northwest. My favorite color is green, and I believe this is heavily influenced by my love of moss. Also, I love the word "moss." Moss, moss, moss.

If you say "moss" enough times, it ceases to have any form, function, or meaning.

However, this treasury remains pretty! Click it, and you can go see it on Etsy, and click through to each item to truly appreciate it (maybe even buy it!)

Aqua and Red Together Again

This is another classic color combination - it is fresh, fun and cheery!

Artistic Ability Runs in the Family

My husband is an amazing artist. It is the first thing that drew me to him, in fact, as he wasn't my usual type. My mom was trying to set me up with his best friend, in fact.

I'm a very creative person, but unfortunately my artistic talents lag behind my creativity. Thankfully between the two of us, we passed on both creativity and talent to our children. Well, 2 1/2 year-old Miriam is still an unknown, but our boys both spend hours (hours!) each day drawing. I go through a 750-sheet pack of copy paper a month, no joke. (Yay for Target and their cheap paper!)

Thaddeus just turned five early this month. He has outstripped his older brother in love of drawing, I think, and easily churns out two to three times the artwork. His favorite thing to do is draw scenes from cartoons that he watches. He'll copy out scenes off DVD cases and inserts, or just from memory.

Here is one he drew of Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner.

 Although I prefer the creativity of his made-up pieces, like this one of a train driving off a broken bridge into the water with an alligator jumping up to scare it, while two floating rubber duckies look on. Is it just me, or is that the most awesome alligator you've ever seen?

I'll have to dig out some of my favorites from Isaac too! One of these days, I might even get around to showing you some of Aaron's awesome artwork. After all, my house is completely decorated with it. :)

Photographers of Etsy!

The POE street team (Photographers of Etsy) have started up a blog! Check it out:

http://photographersofetsy.blogspot.com



As anyone who knows me can attest, I am a photography nut. I am a huge admirer of the talent other photographers possess as well as quite click-crazy myself. With the advent of the digital camera age, photography is being stretched and pushed into new dimensions as well as old ones with a new twist. My husband is an avid photographer as well. See our photography for sale here. We are members of POE!




Please stop by the blog. Then go to Etsy and search for "POE" - prepare to be amazed! Photography is a great way to add character to a wall. Choose the right piece for your house, and it is like having an extra window. One that bugs won't splatter themselves against!

My biggest tip? Get four to six different photographs, all the same size and frame them the same. Then, every couple months or so, you can "change the view out your window"! Of course, this does require you have a place to store the other framed photographs. I use the back of my closet, leaning up against the back wall with an old bed blanket draped down between each piece.

Happy Photograph Hunting!

Etsy Seller of the Week: Aquariann

This week's featured Etsy seller is the talented artist, Aquariann! Read all about her here and then check out more of her work, because she is offering 10% off to any buyers who mention "Rainy's Blog" in the notes to seller at checkout (wait to pay, she'll email an invoice) - offer ends next Monday, Aug. 18th.

How did you find Etsy?
My mom and I were sharing a table at a small, local strawberry festival. Another vendor was impressed with my work, and thought I would be a hit on etsy. She (Aimee of Jewelstreet.etsy.com) had such amazing jewelry and was so enthusiastic about the site that I just had to check it out. It only took a few days of listing items and fluttering around the forums to make my first sale. It was a huge boost of confidence, as I had just started to try to sell my artwork and hadn't had much luck.

What do you love about Etsy?
The incredible amount of talent and support! I still do a happy dance every time I make a sale ... and every time I buy from a fellow Etsyian! I've gotten so many fantastic presents for my friends, family, and myself, of course.

What is your favorite dinner?
Pasta! I devour it all - spaghetti with meatballs, fettucini alfredo, stuffed shells, lasagna, you name it.

What would you like us to know about your craft/shop?
Where the name comes from. My birthday is February 8th, which makes me an Aquarian completely and utterly. My middle name is Ann, so Aquariann works wonderously.

If you could take an all-expenses paid trip anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Definitely Japan. Its culture just fascinates me. Anime has been a big inspiration to my work, too.

What do you love about what you make/sell?
I get to share my imagination - if it weren't for drawing, I would probably go mad not being able to let my visions escape. My drawings are flickers into the fantastical world that dances within my mind.

What is your favorite way to relax or unwind?
Just hanging out with my boyfriend, especially when there's massage involved. A pomegranate pear martini helps, too. Yum.

What do you like to shop for on Etsy, even if it is just browsing, not buying?
Other fantasy-inspired items. I'm a member of the Fantasy Artists of Etsy team, so I just type the tag word "FAEteam" into the search and stare captivated at all the beautiful creations.

Where can people find your work?
Besides http://aquariann.etsy.com, my personal website is http://aquariann.com and my blog is http://aquariann.livejournal.com. I'm part of many networks, including flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/aquariann/, myspace http://myspace.com/aquariann, facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/aquariann/29929765133, deviantArt http://aquariann.deviantart.com/, ArtWanted http://www.artwanted.com/aquariann and Ning http://faeetsy.ning.com/profile/aquariann .

Prepping for Fugly's Grand Opening!

I opened a 2nd shop on Etsy back in September. Yeah, I know - like I don't have enough going on!

But, I wanted to streamline my RightAsRainCreations shop into just my fabulous Bath & Body products.

So all that other stuff I just love making had to go somewhere! And so it did - check out my Fugly shop! I am still adding new items. I plan to have a grand opening in just THREE days! Friday February First, in fact! :)

http://fugly.etsy.com

Art, jewelry, knitted goods, paper goods, note cards, and MORE!