Another Trip To the Land Of Glee

We had plans this weekend to go to a local cider mill,

but the weather had other ideas.
It was cold wet and miserable,
so I decided to go to a place where I know the weather is always beautiful.
The Land of Glee.
Such a lovely place is the Land of Glee,
that I just had to bring some of it back with me to share with you.

Okay all silliness aside.
Because of the weather I stayed tucked away in the studio all weekend.
Longing for the colors of fall I decided to make
more trees from the Land Of Glee.

I just put them in my Etsy shop today.


So if your weather is yucky I hope this little trip to the Land of Glee
helped brighten your world.
xoxo,
Mary

Fall has arrived in the land of Glee

Fall has arrived in my imaginary land of Glee.

A while back I shared a sneak peek of some trees from the Land Of Glee.


And like some of my projects, they slipped to the back of the busy pile;
but have resurfaced in festive fall colors and decorations!

This tall fellow is made from paper pulp and paper clay.
Painted in bold colors of green, orange, purples, fuchsia and brown.
I also added speck of orange glitter here and there for whimsy.



The trunk is wood wrapped in green and brown polka dot fabric
with tattered edges.
Finished at the bottom with lime green glitter yarn.

The tree stands also contributed to the delay of the trees as well.
I wanted to create something unique and after several different ideas I like this base best.


In fact I like the bases so much I have been contemplating other uses.
Like chunky drawer pulls and decorative wall tiles with inspiring words, we'll see.

The tree stand is made of paper pulp and paper clay.
I painted it with complimentary greens that I antiqued with a Burnt Sienna wash.


Also made of paper clay is the plumpy little pumpkin that sits at the base of the tree.
A small polka dot heart and glitter yarn adorn the top of the pumpkin.

I am crafting a small tag to hang from the piece as well.
It will read "To live in the Land of Glee one must harvest joy"

I am quickly working on more trees and other surprises from the Land Of Glee.

Thanks for stopping by,
Mary

Mr. & Mrs. Flake photos

Here are more photos of the Flakes.....

Blooming New Ideas In The New Year

"Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your business grow?"

"Like a garden." I've always said.

To me, the cycles in business are a lot like the seasons in a growing garden.
First come the seeds of inspiration or ideas which you plant in a fertile environment.
You cultivate and nurture this environment(in this case with advertising).
You water it a lot, with your own sweat and tears!

Then you wait, watch and pray and pray....... and pray a little more.
Then one day you start to see growth; those seeds begin to take root!
Soon beautiful blooms appear and you begin to attract others to your garden.

Seasons pass and those few seedlings are now many. The garden is lush and beautiful.
You have mastered growing and caring for these blooms, yet those seeds of inspiration keep coming and coming.

Pretty soon the garden is more like a wild jungle that needs taming!

Like any good gardener I know it is time to prune my garden.

So with a lump in my throat and an ache in my heart I bid farewell to the past seasons in my business and prepare for a new season of growth; a season of branching out and venturing down new paths. Painful, yes, but necessary if I want my business to continue blooming, and thats who we are and what we do.

We bloom ideas...hence the name Blooming Ideas LLC.

We, my husband Guy and I, have been carefully planning and cultivating our new product line for some time. Some of our new ideas have begun to bud while others are still just seeds of inspiration, but I know our dedication and enthusiasm will produce a bounty of whimsical gifts and home decor.
Being an artist, naturally I am a very visual person and when I am embarking on a new venture
instead of making a task list, I think out loud through sketches. For me this adds dimension to the abstract, making it more tangible and real.

Here is a sketch of my vision for our new garden of goodies, these are just my first ideas.




I am sure it will change over time but this visual will help make it less overwhelming.
I hope.

The first order of business is to temporarily close the garden gate (our website) while we
prune the product line to make room for the new. Once the new ideas have formed into blossoms we will reopen our garden of goodies.

In the meantime I will be periodically posting and boasting about our new designs.
Your feed back and thoughts on these new products would be most appreciated.
So please comment!

We are preparing this new line for our first trade show this summer.
It is called Beckman's Handcraft www.beckmans.com it is held twice a year once in January and then again in July.

I have attended this show many times as a buyer, but now that the shoe is on the other foot it feels very strange. I guess I can chalk it up to growing pains,
and like the old saying goes "no pain no gain."

Well thats all for now from my little corner of the world.
Take care and thanks for stopping in.

Mary