Christmas Holidays

http://TigerWingsArt.etsy.com is officially in Vacation mode.

My last day of work (my day job) is tomorrow and I am leaving after work to head south to spend the holidays with my family in NSW. I am very excited as I am going to meet my two newest nieces for the first time. It will be a very busy couple of weeks catching up with my family and friends as well as celebrating Christmas, New Year, My birthday and my nieces Christening!

I will also be catching up with a fellow Duster, Linz (FaerieMajikk) and I will get to see her 4 boys (including her new baby Ollie)! I can't wait. Maybe she will let me peek at some of her works in progress?!

I will be taking plenty of photos and I promise I will post some as soon as I can. I also have several new items to add when I return next year.

I hope you and your families have a safe and happy Christmas and New Year!

Lily Mae

My final Niece for the year was born yesterday! Lily Mae - 7lb 4oz and 47cm long.
I can't wait to go home at Christmas to meet my two new Nieces (I met Tiah already).
Congrats Linz (FaerieMajikk) as Lily Mae is also her Niece!

My 2nd new Neice this year (One to go...)

Meet Sienna. She is my second new niece this year.
I have an older sister and twin brothers and they are all having (or have had) baby girls this year. Sienna was two weeks late and if it had been up to here she would have stayed in there.

Unfortunately I don't get to meet her until Christmas at which time I have going to have to work out how to hold a 6 month old, a two month old and a 3 week old at the same time. Plus occupy a 4 year old girl and two year old boy. I'm sure I can work something out. ;0)

My final Niece for the year will be born on 1st December. I can't wait to meet her either.

Who's to say what is and isn't Art...

I received an email today titled 'Dead Fly Art' and my initial though was "this is going to be disgusting". I was actually quite fascinated and amused when I began looking at the pictures and I started to think about the things that we call Art.

New Ideas - Serial Killer Inspired Art

It sounds a little sadistic I know but believe it or not this was the theme of my year 12 major work. I called it "Dahmers Innocent Objects". There were two oil paintings and some etchings of Fridges and chairs with funnels and test tubes in the background. The idea was that a simple object such as a chair could be used for such a horrific crime and you would never know just by looking at it.

I have always been fascinated with serial killers.

• What motivates them to murder other people?
  
• Are they born like that or was it that a significant event that caused them to change?

Can you tell that I studied Psychology? LOL.

So I decided that I would like to re-create my series in miniature form and sell it on Etsy. I have been thinking about it for a while and now I think that it would be a good idea to have some different options in my Store.

Wednesday Wishllist!

Anyone who has visited my Store would have noticed that I love paintings and drawings of African People. I can't explain the fascination, I just know that there is nothing more beautiful as far as I am concerned. So here is my wish list based on this;

Pink Turban

Nina Simone

Midnight

Black is beautiful

Thank You FaerieMajikk!

I just wanted to thank Linz for her advice regarding my "Captured Creatures". I was not going to sell them due to the fact that I had discovered another seller selling similar items however Linz reminded me most of what we sell on Etsy is also being sold by other sellers.

I will be listing them tonight and will also have a Competition to give away one of my "Captured Creatures" as an introduction to these items. Stay tuned and thanks again Linz!

Don't you hate it when....

A little while ago I blogged about a new product that I have been working on. It was something that I wanted to do even before I joined Etsy earlier this year. The idea was to make tiny Polymer creatures and place them in small glass jars. I searched Esty many times to ensure that no one else was selling them and they weren't. But then last week as I did one last search before listing my items I noticed that someone was now selling them.

I am pretty disappointed but I only have myself to blame for taking so long to do it. I just didn't want to list one at a time. I am not going to sell them on Etsy now but I was thinking I could give them away on my blog. What do you think?

My favourite poet Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou said this:

'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.'

‘I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.'

'I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.'

'I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life.'

'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance .'

'I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back..'

'I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.'

'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.'

'I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.'

'I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.'

'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'

New Products!

Okay so it may seem like I have disappeared off the face of the earth because I haven't been online, but things have been crazy busy. My Company just relocated offices so in between packing, moving, unpacking and still trying to do my job in there somewhere I have been too exhausted to come online. But, I have been working on some new things.

I have finally created some items that I had planned to make before I even opened my Etsy Store. I am literally just waiting for some good light to take some photos (which will hopefully be tomorrow) and then I will list them. I wanted to do more with Polymer Clay so I have started a new series which I will call "Captured Creatures" which are small polymer figures in a tiny glass bottle. They were quite painful to make but I am very happy with the result. I squashed so many little creatures in frustration trying to perfect them. The tricky part was trying to make them small enough to fit in the neck of the bottle but still making them "fill" the bottle.

I am so excited to be able to cross something off my list. I will post some pictures once I take some. I am looking forward to your feedback once you see them.

My new Niece Tiah

Meet Tiah - my 3 week old baby niece.
I went to Cairns for the weekend to meet her. She is my eldest brothers first child and she is adorable. She was fascinated by me and I came to the conclusion that it was due to the fact that I look so much like my brother. She woke me up every two hours during the night so I am exhausted but I wouldn't have had it anyway. I am more clucky than ever!

Now I am eagerly awaiting the birth of my brothers first child in September and my sisters third child in November. Christmas is going to be very expensive this year!

Christmas In July Sale

Do these words conjure up an Australian Christmas for you??

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos
(Torme & Wells, 1946)

No, not usually. Unless, of course, they refer to the Etsy Down Under Street Team (DUST) “Aussie Christmas in July” promotional weekend.

Etsy DUST members from all around Australia are coming together for one whole weekend, 12.01AM Saturday 25th July through to 11.59PM Sunday 26th July (AEST), to showcase their talents & stunningly handmade creations.

All stores participating will be offering a promotion to their customers - free worldwide shipping or % off sales; a selection of items at reduced prices or reverse auctions.

With so much variety, including jewellery, children’s clothing & accessories, art, supplies, vintage items, stationery & bags, you are sure to find something to suit each & every taste.

The DUST team will also be running giveaways for the entirety of the weekend, giving you the opportunity to win some fabulous prizes from Australian sellers. Poke your nose into the Etsy Forums during the promotion for your chance to win.

I encourage you to visit the participating stores, as well as our team website – http://www.dustteam.com/ – and support the handmade revolution sweeping Australia.

Stay tuned for more details as the weekend draws nearer...

Wishlist Wednesday!

Ok so I'll admit it. I am a HUGE Twilight fan! I read the books recently and I am already planning to see New Moon with friends. I am so excited it is ridiculous. So today's wish list was inspired by Twilight...

http://SimplyStickItDesigns.etsy.com

http://SouthwestSkyJewelry.etsy.com

http://HouseHoldWords.etsy.com

http://chickylovit.etsy.com