Man, I Made alot of Ornaments...

Weather Vanes

Makin' Headlines....Not Really.

Yesterday's Daily Iowan (The University of Iowa's newspaper) included a special magazine insert called Off Deadline. It is a quirky, eccentric, artsy publication, so I guess I fit right in, Ha! They did an article on local Etsy sellers, and although I was not mentioned in the actual article, I was listed at the bottom along with "more Iowa City crafters!" They were nice enough to include a picture of one of my art brooches! Which, by the way, I still have 8 unique ones for sale in my etsy shop! You can read the entire article, called "Crafting an Emporium Online" here. (page 11 - clicking on the pages and the + and - will adjust the size of the print.)

{-Jill}

Little Ladies

I just finished up these ladies today. You can't really tell from the pics, but I used my woodburner on these. It was kind of fun. It was A LOT of work, but it was fun to do something new. Does anyone else think the girl on the bottom looks like Carnie Wilson? Or is it me?

Just Checking In...

Here's some things I've been working on. The first is a special order for a friend who's giving it to her bestest friend in the whole wide world - who just had baby #3. I love it when I get to be a part of stuff like this! The REAL piece has the kids' names and birthdays on it. But on the remote possibility that she's out there reading this, I smudged the names out, so that it will remain a surprise!
These others are for nobody in particular - just getting ready for our next shows...

2009 Paper Prayers Ornaments in the Works!

Every year I make a big batch of Christmas ornaments for our holiday shows. Here's a sneak peek of this year's limited edition, still in the works!

That Little Voice Inside You...

are you hearing it today?

Attention! All You Local-ish People!

MARK YOUR CALENDERS!

The annual Things With Wings Open House will be December 5. 10-5!
With an inclement weather date of December 12.

Several NEW ARTISTS will be joining us this year!

If you did not get a postcard last year and want to come, email your address to paperprayers@hotmail.com and we'll send you an invitation!

You won't want to miss this event - there will be GIVEAWAYS, yummy treats, and good conversation!

Stay tuned for info on our artists, giveaway pictures and details, and all the fun preparations!

Crazy Senior Artists!

My 84 yr. old dad is homebound with emphysema, on oxygen 24/7. He use to do lots of woodworking as a hobby, but like many activities in his life, this has been taken away from him. So I have been trying to take small unfinished wood items for him to paint to pass the time and keep him interested in doing what little he can. One day recently I bought him a new pair of tennis shoes, because he was wearing an old pair with no soles left and really shabby. WELL - next time I visited, here were his old shoes. He had painted them! What a funny guy! He gets a good laugh out of them and shows them off to everyone who comes. I am sure this is where my art talent comes from. Sometime I will try to show you some sketches he has done on some napkins. Maybe I should get him a sketchbook.
Sorry, but these are not for sale! (ha)

So THEN - Don's parents visited my parents, saw the painted shoes and next thing we see is that Don's mother painted her tennis shoes, too. The difference being she is on the go and plans to weather spray them and wear them! These senior citizens are so much fun!!!

New Look.

....bear with me. i'm trying to give our blog a facelift. Anybody got any feedback? I don't think I like it, but i'm done for the night.

Something Different

I thought I would try something a little different. My photos are lousy - as usual - you can't really pick it up, but I painted on the back side of the glass to give it depth. It was kind of tricky because you have to plan ahead (which I am known for not doing!) and do it backwards of the order you're use to. The mats and frames have been re-vamped, too. I think they turned out kind of cute.

Things We Make

I discovered Amy's blog, Things We Make through Amy at Mod-Podge Rocks. I think maybe Mod-Podge Amy facebooked about an inspiration image feature she did for Things We Make, so I had to go check it out, and man am I ever glad I did because Things We Make Amy is in Des Moines! It really is a small world after all - that's just a hop, skip and a jump from where we live in Iowa City - and we do a couple of shows every year there. (Valley Junction's Spring Art Market and the Beaverdale Holiday Boutique next month - which is not far off!)

Things we Make Amy was kind enough to feature us today, and we are honored! She is an editor and writer of decorating, entertaining, and crafting stories (currently on staff with ReadyMade), and her blog is full of inspiration. Be sure to visit and tell her Hi!

I wish my front steps looked this cute EVERY day....

Don't these guys look cute on my steps?!

{They are 5 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches and $41 each!}

Etsy Update!

Hi, guys! I just updated my Etsy shop. I'm going to try and add a few things each week. Rumor has it that my mother-in-law is already working away at her Christmas shopping, so it's NOT too early to be thinking about these things (hint, hint.) Here's a little peek at some things you might see over there.

First Assembly Showing is UP!

Our work is now officially up at First Assembly of God in Cedar Rapids! We'll be visiting with them for a 'meet the artists' reception during the 10:30 service on October 11. Things With Wings will be up through November 8.
This wall had a nice track system for hanging the pieces by cables. Nice lighting too!

On this wall we used the same cables, but used hooks to anchor to the ceiling tile gridwork.


Here's mother thing with winger:

At their request, we made up some "table tents" with our information on them so that although we are not selling these pieces through this showing, interested people know how to get a hold of us:

Green Girl made up title cards to go with each piece:

We hope to encourage and inspire people through this event and can't wait to visit with everyone next weekend!