Come Out and Support Local Artists

Get yourself out of your house and come on downtown to the L.A. Historic State Park and enjoy the sights and sounds.

Buy handmade items from local art and crafters. There is no better way to support your local community.

Hope to see you there.

http://www.lmafest.com/

Ornament work continues

Some will be stuffed, some won't, will all be ready to hang on the Christmas tree, mantle, door knob or anyplace else you desire.

Be a part of the handmade movement this year and support local artists and crafters and help boost the local economy at the same time.

Christmas is coming!

This year I decided to trim the tree with handmade ornaments, so I am busy designing, cuting and sewing.

Making stockings and garland to hang in the windows.
Will post more pictures as soon as I am able.

Skellie Heads

New Skellie heads will be available at the next Artpark:

Thursday October 14, 2010, 3pm-11pm.

Come on down and enjoy a night out!

http://www.downtownartpark.com/

Artpark is On

So much drama has unfolded over the last few weeks with the Downtown Artwalk in Los Angeles.
We all thought everything was going to be cancelled.

Luckily all seems to be resolved at least for the time being and the Downtown Artwalk and Artpark will still happen as planned. This event is something that so many people look forward to attending and it would be ashamed to have it taken away.

I just hope that in the coming days all the parties involved will be able to work out the kinks.

http://downtownartpark.com/news-102410.html

http://artwalkla.org/

Smiling Soul featured in new Etsy treasury

Check out the new etsy treasury featuring one of my Smiling Souls!

Thanks to Barefoot Maiden on etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ca6802363448eefe1d391c7/wicked-fun

Newest Skellies

Having a blast creating these colorful, decorative skeletons. The pattern ideas are endless.

I am going to create a skell a day until the next Artpark event!

(http://www.downtownartpark.com/)

Featured in New Treasury

Oh Sew Tru's Warrior Women piece has just be featured in a new treasury on etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c8e4305d7726d91df10b71f/with-his-hands-in-wood

Article by Diane Blahut, Woman's Day

I  posted a similar article in an earlier post:


Is That Plastic Container Safe?

By Diane Blahut, Woman's Day

Thu, Sep 02, 2010

Our homes are full of plastic, and the kitchen is no exception. The problem: Chemicals in plastic containers and other kitchenware may leach into the foods or drinks that they're holding. Scientific evidence suggests that some of these chemicals may be harmful to people, especially infants and children.


The two best-studied offenders are bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. BPA mimics estrogen and has been shown to disrupt hormone and reproductive system function in animals. Research by the National Toxicology Program found a moderate level of concern about its "effects on the brain, behavior and prostate gland in fetuses, infants and children." Phthalates have been shown to disrupt the endocrine system and have led to malformations in the male reproductive system in animals. Studies in humans have found associations between high phthalate exposure and a variety of health concerns including low sperm quality, high waist circumference and insulin resistance.

Researchers are still debating whether phthalates and BPA actually cause these health problems and, if so, how much exposure is necessary to trigger them. While these issues are being figured out, some experts recommend taking a preventive approach: "Minimize contact of food with problematic plastics as a precautionary measure to protect your health," suggests Rolf Halden, PhD, adjunct associate professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Here are six simple tips for reducing your exposure to the potentially harmful chemicals in plastics.

1. Know the code. Look on the bottom of your plastic to find the recycling symbol (a number between 1 and 7 enclosed in a triangle of arrows). The code indicates the type of plastic you are using and can give you important clues about safety. "We generally say 1, 2, 4 and 5 are considered to be the safest," says Sonya Lunder, senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group. Try to avoid using plastics with 3 or 6, as these leach chemicals that may be harmful. Number 7 is an "other" category that includes BPA-containing plastics called polycarbonates. These plastics, which you should avoid, will have the letters PC printed underneath the 7.

2. Reconsider the microwave. Heat can increase the rate at which chemicals like BPA leach from plastic. Containers labeled "microwave safe" have been tested by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and found to leach extremely small amounts, which the FDA has determined to be safe. However, some experts advise people to keep plastic out of the microwave altogether. "I don't microwave anything in plastic," says Lunder. "It's really easy and fast to put my food into a ceramic or glass container and heat it that way." And never put plastic wrap on top of your food in the microwave, since it can melt. Use wax paper or a paper towel instead.

3. Use it for its intended purpose. Plastics that are designed for single use should only be used once. "Plastic breaks down over time," Lunder explains. "Some aren't designed to withstand heating and cooling." Most plastics with recycling code number 1 are intended for single use, such as disposable water bottles. And that takeout container from six months ago? Toss it. In general they're fine for refrigerating leftovers, but aren't designed for heat exposure or long-term use.

4. Wash by hand. Only put plastics into the dishwasher if they have a dishwasher safe label. If you want to be extra-cautious, wash all plastics by hand or use only glass and ceramic plates and dishes. In the dishwasher, plastics are exposed to detergents and heat, which may accelerate the leaching of BPA from food containers.

5. Do not freeze. Only put plastics in the freezer if they have a freezer-safe label. Freezer temperatures can cause plastics to deteriorate, which increases the leaching of chemicals into the food when you take containers out of the freezer to thaw or reheat.

6. Don't panic. Cutting down on exposure to potentially harmful chemicals in plastics can benefit your health. But as Dr. Halden reminds us, "Many things in your life pose a much higher risk than exposure to plastics, such as smoking, poor diet and even driving a car."

Mystic Mood Music

Check out some of the great artists on etsy; featured in this fabulous new treasury that I have created.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c8aee392f306d91787d778f/mystic-mood-music?index=0

Branding

Business cards and labels are a very important detail for all art/craft businesses.

Branding is very important. Make sure people always know how to reach you and when a purchase is made; having a label will help them remember who made it.

Search the Internet for deals on labels or cards. There are so many sites, you will surely find something affordable.

Some sites require minimums and others are happy to offer small runs on labels.

If you are just starting out there is no reason to pay alot of money for cards or labels. As your business grows and money comes in; you will be able to upgrade.

Just keep in mind that your business name needs to be on everything: branding, branding, branding.

Stocking Up

Decided not to vend at Artpark this month; I will be there buying art!

Artpark is so much fun I want to be able to enjoy all it has to offer: the food, the art, the people, the music.
I can not wait until September 9th.

If all goes well I will be back as a vendor in October.
Here is a sneak peek of the new lightswitch covers and table napkins that will be available soon!

Artpark Los Angeles

The Downtown Artpark was absolutely fabulous. The people were great, the night was perfect: bands, Dj's, food, smiles, what more could you ask for?

Did I mention food, the food was excellent!

I can't wait until the next event. If you have never been to the Downtown Los Angeles Artpark, I highly recommend it. Be prepared to walk alot and be ready to have a wonderful time.

I really wanted to take more photos but once the crowd hit, it was all over for the camera. Here are the only photos I got to take-- just as the event opened and people were starting to arrive.

The entrance to Artpark, which is held inside a gated parking lot.

The neighborhood

New Food truck

As night fell, the crowd came pouring in, this shot is a bit blurry but I tried to get at least one crowd shot. Had to do it quickly my booth was packed!

Kitchen Towels

Here is the first set of Day of the Dead kitchen towels that I am hand embroidering.
Aaaahhh, such a loving couple.

Downtown Art Park

Oh Sew Tru will be vending at the Downtown Artpark in Los Angeles.

The event happens every 2nd Thursday in downtown L.A.
KCRW DJ's spinning music, food trucks, and art.

What more could you ask for? The event has estimated crowds at 18,000!

Check out the website for more information:

www.downtownartpark.com

Alternative Uses for Coffee Filters

Found this helpful bit of information on Yahoo today.

If you really think about the items around your home and use a little imagination, who knows what you can come up with as an alternative use.

Click on the title heading and you will be redirected to the article.

New L.A. Fleamarket

Just a reminder if you are in the L.A. area the, please come to the L.A. grand opening event of a brand new flea market at Dodger Stadium.

Schedule time:
 9am-5pm Sunday July 18th.

Should be a fun event, bring the whole family. Have some food, listen to some live music, purchase some great handmade items from the vendors. Support the local economy. Hope to see ya there!

http://www.thelafleamarket.com/

Someone Hearts Me

Just thought I would congratulate myself for receiving 100 "hearts" on etsy! It's good to know that somebody out there appreciates my work. I will keep working hard to improve and hopefully receive many more "hearts" along the way.

Hard work and improvement are never done. Trying to get the site off the ground truely is a 24hr job. I could spend all day everyday working on the site and still not be done. Hard work and dedication will pay off one day. That is the goal to keep working hard, keep creating and make a few new friends along the way.

Why Not Reuse Everything

With all the sewing that I do I always have scrap pieces of fabric, embroidery thread, etc. I figured why not use all of it in some way. So, I made some cool fabric cuffs and some clear vinyl heart shapes, with thread pieces inside the clear vinyl, that I can use as  single ornaments or string together to create a decorative wall piece.

Go Green Means Think

Deciding to go green is a wonderful thing to do but you do have to remember to think and look at all products and realize that not all containers and plastic bags can be re-used safely.

If you must use a microwave think about the containers you are using. Take for example containers such as yogurt cups, butter tubs, or even microwave food containers these are meant to be used only once. Some microwave containers may be made for multiple use; check the container to see if it states "multi-use" on the packaging.

You can, after washing, reuse them for "containing" items such as buttons, paperclips, nails, etc., not for reheating as the plastic will break down and who knows what is seaping into your food.

As for plastic grocery bags, you can reuse these bags but be careful with the types of foods you are carrying in those bags. If you carry meat in those bags and later reuse that bag to carry other items you may risk cross contamination. Consider using cloth bags that can be washed inbetween uses. Cloth bags are much more stylish and why not show off your sense of style and imagination.

Now to styrofoam: we all like to order take out food every now and again, wish the restaurants would use something other than styrofoam, but alas that is a whole other issue to tackle. Do not reheat food in styrofoam as it melts rather quickly and may give off noxious fumes.

Going green does not have to be a health risk but please do "think" when going green.

Check out The Green Guide for Everyday Living:
http://www.thegreenguide.com/

Here is a piece on BPA and plastic containers:
http://www.uabhealth.org/61158/

New Etsy Treasury

I would like to thank Birder1 for including one of my "creepy crawlie" hand-twisted spider necklaces in her recent etsy treasury.

Check it out:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c2ba68231ac8eef62f5b176/someone-left-the-door-open

You can visit Birder1 at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/birder1

FB Fan Page Short Cut

This is the link to change your Facebook Fan Page Username to get rid of the long #'s at the end.

I thought I would share.


Go to:

http://www.facebook.com/username/

then at the bottom click "set a username for your Pages", and then you get a drop-down menu that lets your choose your fan page.

Apparently you can only do this once, and there is no fixing it after.

Wrap Up

Wrapping up ends for the July 18 Grand Opening of the L.A. Flea Market at Dodger Stadium.

Here is a sampling of the (pillow included) hand-embroidered pillows and the envelope back pillow covers (pillow not included) that will be available at the event:

Change is Good

Had some time to change the blog layout design.  So far so good, with so many options it is difficult to decide which to use. A work in progress...

My First Curated Treasury

 I decided to try my hand at creating an etsy treasury.

Here it is: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=134261

Treasury East: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c098c4144f06d912ce7d164/azure-and-crimson-dreams

Wire Weekend With The Masters

Calling all aspiring jewelry designers; here is an event in Dana Point, California you might want to look into.

Great thing about it is you can sign up for only one class or more if you have the cash to spend.

http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=3bd57e87-6be1-44ca-a4d2-293a644fcc1e

On A Roll

Oh Sew Tru had a wood burned wall plaque featured in an etsy treasury thanks to Simply Suzula.

Visit her shop at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/simplysuzula

To view the etsy treasury:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=134169

Featured in etsy Treasury

Thanks to Martha from Estudio Martita for creating this sacred heart inspired treasury and including a broken mirror mosaic wall piece from Oh Sew Tru.

Check it out:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=133939

Visit Estudio Martita:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/estudiomartita

Keeping Hackers At Bay

Unfortunately, it is becoming harder and  harder to keep hackers at bay. We have an element out there who are constantly trying to rip us off or shut us down using fake ads, log in pages, etc.

How are we supposed to know what is real and what is fake? Like the current Facebook, "Hilarious Video" post asking you to "click" to add a video player so that you can see the "Hilarious Video". Do not click on this if you see it on your Facebook page. It is a scam to add Malware on your computer.

I found this article on the finance page on Yahoo and thought I would pass it along; contains some useful information and food for thought.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Five-Ways-to-Keep-Online-nytimes-705997581.html?x=0&.v=1

Fabric Necklaces and More Pillow Covers

Busy getting ready for the Grand Opening L.A. Flea Market.

Next on the agenda: Hangtags, handmade of  course!

Creative Reuse

Paid a visit to the Long Beach Depot for Creative Reuse yesterday. Needed to get a few things. This place is full of surprises you never know what you will find.

I found some great cardboard cutouts that I will redesign into Oh Sew Tru hang tags, got some safety pins, some rubber strips that I can use as handles for totebags. Found some small bags for jewelry and other small items, a couple of yards of red fabric to use on one of my tabletops, plastic wrap to put my new pillow covers in, leather scraps to finish out the wallets I have started, a couple of great vintage zippers, some rubber stamps, some hardware to hang necklaces, some plain white gift boxes and a couple of magic tricks. All this for only $7. Most items are in multiples.

Also, got a surprise box from the owner, and low and behold it had some wood scraps in it! Perfect for turning into handpainted or wood burned necklaces!

If you are in Long Beach you should definitely check this store out. I posted the link in an earlier post but here it is again:

http://thelongbeachdepot.org/