The Small World of Char-Latte Creations

2011-12-30T03:48:00.001-08:00

Gingerbread House Success!

2011-12-13T12:54:00.000-08:00

We participated in "Christmas Under the Stars". Our booth was by far the cutest booth and highly popular. The recycled cardboard, paint, lights and wood, clamps cost less than 35.00 all together. The main expense was the candycane lights that we found for 20.00, and the 2x4's. Our free activity was allowing people to use their camera phones so kids would take pics in front of our booth, and we had free "Letters to Santa", which they would then place in the little (Valentine's recycled) Mailbox. It was an adventure for the smaller kids to come find the mailbox. We also sold popcorn (with 15 flavors) and small Christmas snacks.

Door Decorating Contest Ideas

2011-12-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

Here are so WAY cute ideas that were at Family Services Center. The fire on the first phone has lights hooked into it and flash off and on.

Photo Booth for Parties

2011-12-12T17:23:00.000-08:00

What an excellent, inexpensive and fun idea!!! I used the concept of the polaroid frame and added a Christmas message. This was made from foamboard. The mustache props were also cut out from foamboard and glued to popcicle sticks or tiny dowel sticks. Our party goers all had a go with this fun free memorable photo booth. The backdrop can be from curtains, or in our case wrapping paper, which you can get really cheap right after Christmas. Great for birthdays, retirement parties, weddings, showers. Another idea is using speech bubbles on foamboard covered with chalkboard paint, and party goers can add their own messages. Mustaches can be found on a google search.

Gingerbread backdrop for a Booth

2011-11-17T11:53:00.001-08:00

This is a 6 foot tall gingerbread house for a Christmas booth at work. Very easy... Used an overhead projector and copied the house I liked onto the cardboard. Then used acrylic paint to add color. I also found some great free clip art and printed it off to add more candy detail

My new addictions

2011-11-17T07:50:00.000-08:00

Whew!! Long time off!! I forgot I even had this blog.....
I have become a new addict to a couple of things on the internet:

Pinterest...yes, that is www.pinterest.com and so many of my "pins" come back to blogs. If you love to surf the internet, this is one place where all of those things come together. You build a "board" which is basically like a file, and you add certain things you like in each board. When you put them in your board this is called "repin" or "pinning". In other words, you take what someone else has found and pin it into your board. If you are familiar with Tumblr, its like that idea, only different.

Tumblr: I love tumblr!! www.tumblr.com Great for quotes, pictures, ideas etc. It's all about retumbling what you find.

Facebook. Need I say more?

Why Do I Have to Work When I Only Want to Create

2009-02-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

J O B. sigh.

I am currently trying to come up with this grand idea of how I can make enough money to pay all my bills while designing jewelry insteading of having to go to my J O B. I just such enjoyment from being in my studio, and just being left alone so I can get my creative juices flowing. It seems so far and few between that I can actually do it. Lucky me, I will get to teach a class at the upcoming Paper Cowgirl Retreat in June. This will give me something to look forward to. I am even getting out of the house this weekend and going on a "quest". Antique stores, here I come. Planning on heading out to Canton the following weekend.

I am currently designing a pocket watch collage to be donated to "The Ark" a shelter for physically and sexually battered individuals. They are having their big fund raiser coming up, and like last year I will be donating some pieces of work.

I just read about a lady and her family of four trying to live the rest of the year out on $1500 for their groceries, personal items, and their medical co-pays. She has two toddlers, and for a year their milk alone is $611.00. I have actually subscribed, or RSS'd to her blog. I figure if she has time at home to find all the bargains, coupons, and deals...I'd be dumb NOT to read her page from time to time. You can find her at: http://www.livingon1500foroneyear.blogspot.com/

There is more to this story as to how they are doing it, but I will let you read up on that.

Changes changes changes

2008-10-17T03:11:00.000-07:00

Ok...my life is constantly in a whirlwind lately. The short of it all, after seven long years of being a college admissions advisor I took a job with an oil company. HUGE change I know. When you have accomplished all that you planned to do in a career then it is time to move on. I am the type to shoot for the stars.

I will be in Dallas this weekend at the Susan G. Komen Walk for a Cure. We have a team of about 13 people all walking to support the fight against breast cancer, and all walking in memory of my sweet little sister, Cynthia. (Picture below with my mom

Paper Cowgirl update........girls I am buying glitter, and ribbons, and STUFF. I am working on "THE BOX". I was in awe of all the rolling boxes filled to the brim with "treasures".

One more thing I will be at the Texas Country Reporter Festival on Oct. 25 at Waxahachie (feels like I have been there before). I have been working like a warhorse designing beautiful pieces. Some I find to be very unique an different, but I am not one to be complacent.

(This beautiful piece is made from a rose colored watch. I happened to have a 12kt gf gorgeous metal rose and designed this fun chain. It is going to my mother in law)Have you ever made a piece and are torn as whether to keep it or sell it. This is one of those few pieces. I just LOVE this one. An old glass brooch from the 30s-40s, hooked to a handle of an old spoon, an a small glass blue button (from my grandmother) place on the bottom.

This fun, unique, one of a kind piece is my big smile right now. I recycled an old locket and had a very old Kodak camera for the early 1900s. I dismantled the optics piece to this camera and added it to the locket. You can actually look down into the optics and see the images through it. More pictures are on my flickr with details.

http://www.flickr.com/charlattecreations

NEW FLICKR GROUPS

ONE more thing. I started to new flickr groups: Creating Pink for Awareness. It is for anything that you make that is promoting awareness of breast cancer. There is about 60 members in it now. http://www.flickr.com/groups/creatingpink/

The other group was created because of the Paper Cowgirl retreat. I have seen the groups for etsyDFW, and the Dallas Mafia, but there was no group for Texans as a whole. I love networking with other locals (yes that means Texas). I designed Artistic Texans as a place for Texans to show off their work, post marketing ideas, post up coming shows, weekend classes, art shows...etc. You get the idea. I would love for you to join. I would love for you to pass this information on to other Texans too. See you there. http://www.flickr.com/groups/artistic_texans/

My Jewelry Booth

2008-10-02T05:47:00.000-07:00

I have been working for months on my jewelry for this one month. I have been scouring garage sales, auctions, antique stores, flea markets, and retail stores for the past year all leading up to this month (I'll try to make it sound like it was a REAL chore ....... NOT!).

Everything up until now has been for the Texas Country Reporter Festival in Waxahachie the last weekend in October. I felt like I needed a test run with my booth (since I have never set it up), and a test run with my jewelry displays. I have dug through all the flickr photo galleries for craft booths ideas, and finally settled on what my heart loves best, romance. I figured with all the of the shabby chic decor in my studio that I could also incorporate that into my jewelry booth and therefore save some money. I must say I have very economically found enough displays, lace curtains, table drapes, etc. just by always keeping my creative eyes open at all times.

Some of the ideas I have had for displays: candlelabras to hang necklaces, old ornate lamps for necklace displays, a womans bust (found on 90% clearance in the garden center) for a single necklace display, old siver plates and bowls filled with either rice or black pebbles for ring display, an old window frame that still has it hinges and add tea cup hooks for necklace displays, just whatever I can grasp my little mind around. Ok, well that is my ten cents worth.

I am converted

2008-09-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was able to attend a Paper Cowgirl Workshop. Now, if you have seen my work you know that I am a jewelry/metals person. Paper has never really grabbed me.

I took two of the workshops. FUN FUN FUN! My sweet and precious (cough* hack*) cousin, Kristi was forced to volunteer to be my "paper partner". We had a blast. I am a true convert. I love paper. This workshop reminded me of vacation Bible school when I was a kid. Glue. Scissors. Stamps. More glue. and lots of laughing (we even got cupcakes). The worst part of all, is getting your palate wet, and then being put in the most wonderful scrapbook store I had ever seen, and knowing you couldn't buy everything you wanted. It's like a kid in a candy store. I even came away with a bumper stick for my (soon to be bought and new car-hence the wreck last week) "I know Jan Thomason". I feel so special now.

Update

2008-09-29T03:41:00.000-07:00

My television piece aired on Texas Country Reporter this past weekend. Some people were able to see it, some (such as myself) had their DVR set up to record TCR and got an older version of one of their other shows. I am not sure if the DVR "knows" that I wasn't home since I was taping it, and therefore will have to buy one of my shows.lol. Just seems to me, that anyone that wasn't home, and DVR'd that show, got an older show taped. sigh. Anyways, the piece was fantastic. The camera shots were fantastic. I have a huge gear clock that all the gears move. I kept trying to move the gear clock, I felt it was in the camera man's way. After seeing the finished piece (at my cousin's house) I understand why he wouldn't let me move it. It will be on www.youtube.com later. They have alot of their older shows on it. The show highlighted my pocket watch collages, and how I make them. It was very flattering for me.

Reminder

2008-08-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

I will be in the September 1, 2008 issue of Belle Armoire. Let me know what you think.

Summer is Slow

2008-08-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

Wow.....as busy as I am, summer is slow for me. I am so busy doing everything else, I seem to have little time for my jewelry right now, which only puts me under more pressure knowing I need to be focused on that. I will eventually get it all balanced out again.

I have almost everything ready for the Texas Country Reporter Fair to be held October 25 in Waxahachie. I am going with a shabby chic theme/roses/antique/silver (slash slash slash) lol. I hope it will look great. I see the picture in my head (scary thought), but I am confident it will all be fine. I have a great team of friends and family that have volunteered to assist me that day. Now I have also heard that some of my volunteers are planning on shopping too, not sure how that is gonna work out, but I have some duct tape and rope packed if the situtation calls for it.

I have this massive check list for the fair, once I find that massive check list I will be able to add more items to take, and keep all things in order. I am beginning to think I need to put the check list on my computer that way I will know where it is at (wink).

I am kicking around some other art fairs. If you know of any, please shoot me an email.

2007 versus 2008

2008-07-18T09:55:00.001-07:00

2007 was the worst year of my life. Numerous personal issues were going on in my life which was compounded by the diagnosis of my sister Cynthia having breast cancer.

We lost Cynthia in August 2007. The moments leading to her death were full of very little laughter, being scared, being terrified, praying for God to save her, then praying for God to take her quickly. Her suffering at the end was something I never care to see again. In retrospect, I realize she was in horrific pain that only morphine could try to tame, but it was us as a family that was suffering. Cynthia's belief in God was unwavering. Cynthia knew she was not dying but transitioning to a better place. She never showed fear, she never showed saddness, she never showed remorse, anger, or questioned why God had chosen her. All of the very things that I, myself would have been guilty of. My sister was an inspiration, a rock for all of the lives that she touched.

The year anniversary of her death is fast upon us. I try my best to stay very busy, for it is in those times that I slow down that I am stabbed by the pain of our loss, and it all comes slamming against me.

I have never been so happy for a New Year's Eve as I was to see the dawn of 2008. Closing 2007 was closing a chapter of a horrible book that I had been reading way too long. I knew that 2008 had to be better, I expected it to be better.

For me 2008 has been a year of growing up, getting in touch, and realizing the importance of life, and how truly short it is. 2008 has been good to me. I have enjoyed my new ventures and my new business success, and I know there is but more to come. I know that her death has put me in the place I am now, but I would give it all back just to have her for one more day.

Cancer taught me that things get bad in life, and with cancer just when you think you have seen it as bad as it can get, it will get worse. I have also learned that things will eventually get better. It's all in your attitude and wanting something better, wanting something more. I am excited to see what 2009 will bring.

Abilene Reporter News

2008-07-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

This sunday, on July 20 my jewelry will be featured in the Abilene Reporter News in the Lifestyle Section. www.reporternews.com

Texas Country Reporter News

2008-07-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished my television interview last week. They were at my studio for 5 hours. The piece will air some time in October 2008.

What fun!! What a great team of guys. When they left, I literally passed out from exhaustion. Ironically, they left me, and headed towards west Texas where the skyline is full of wind towers. Earlier that day, when the discussion of wind towers were brought up, I started rambling off wind tower statistics. As I told them, being at Texas State Technical College West Texas for seven years, and being the college recruiter knowing all of those statistics is part of my job.

It was fun. I am afraid I will probably look like a complete dork, but I guess that is everyone's fear when being on television.

My Jewelry Studio

2008-06-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

For those people who know me, I live on my families ranch in rural west Texas. My family has lived here for the past thirty years. I moved back to SA in 1999, and currently live in an old farm house built in the 1930's.

My house is a nice house, has a nice view, but it is small. We have a two bedroom, one bath. (AHHHHH!) When I started this new jewelry venture back in September I quickly started to consume what limited space I had. Within seven months I was consuming all rooms with my "jewelry supply stash".

I ordered a custom building 32x14 for my jewelry studio. It has a sweet little front porch. I had it moved into my backyard, easy access from the house. My studio doubles as a guest room/studio. With the help of my loving parents, I now have beautiful cabinets and bookshelves throughout my little building. I have had alot of people hoping this will be my "public shop". I am sorry to say that no, this is just my private little place to harness my creative juices and take it all out of some poor non-working watches.

Trying Out The World of Blogging

2008-06-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

I am a woman who tries to stay up with the times. I have a MySpace, I reluctantly have a Facebook account, I am on Flickr, Ning, Etsy Steam Team, Etsy, and now I have decided to try my hand at blogging. I feel the main reason is so many things are changing in my new company that I need to update people somehow, someway. I do short blogs on MySpace, but not everyone has a MS account.

Anyways, I have came across some fantastic artists over the course of 2008. I plan to highlight some of their work, discuss some of mine, and just muddle my way through this world of blogging.