A Whole New World

Hey everyone! Yes, I'm alive and well and still living in Nowheresville, TN. But thankfully so now that we've got this crazy virus spreading across the globe. I guess it's sort of good to be down on the farm afterall.

I have to admit I'm a tad freaked out. I'm worried. Worried for the whole world, not just me, my family, or friends. The whole world. I've got relatives in France who are quarantined as well. My one cousine, I mean cousin, Priscilla, is a nurse. She said there is no protection in her hospital where she works. No masks, no alcohol or santizer. She just got over a desperate bout of pneumonia a month or so ago and she has a baby and a family. It's a bad situation. She wants to stay and do her part and help people, but she's also torn on what she needs to do which is stay home, stay healthy so she can care for her son. It's hard, it really is.

Yesterday I was laid off from my job due to this virus. Working for a small construction company, we're dependent on our projects. And of course with Nashville pretty much shutting down, so did our projects. I was only hired about 2 months ago, and I know my job is expendable because project managers can do estimates and get quotes themselves, they don't need me when we're not busy. They're hoping things will ramp up in a few months and they'll be able to call me back. I hope so too. Not just for the money but also to be working, and contributing.

Well so I'm home now then. I'm going to use this time to do a lot of art. I mean a lot! I'd already been doing that a few months ago before I got that job, so I'll get pick up where I left off. Hopefully I'll sell some more orders. I've found some wonderful customers via Instagram and they've reordered multiple times. It's a great feeling, not just the money, but that they love what I do, which is why I keep on doing it!

Anyway, I just wanted to check in with everyone. Stay safe, stay well!!

A New Year Begins Today!

Throughout the year, at different times depending on what's going on with my life, I have what's called a "regroup", it's a time where I sit back, examine, chill out, or whatever, to get it back together, to recover from something that is currently happening or has happened, that didn't make me very happy and caused a blip in my universe. That's what a new year is all about to me; a BIG regroup. So let's get on it!

I'm NOT making any resolutions that's for sure. I'm continuing on with my previous year which is to accomplish a number of goals I set out to do;

• Get healthier through exercise and eating very well
• Stay positive no matter what
• Forgive and forget all the negatives
• Weed toxic and dark souled people out of my life
• Find joy in something every single day
• Move forward with my goal to relocate back to the NW or Utah, and pursue my ski instructor job, something that I love more than anything!
• Focus on my art business by creating more and having a business plan

I know for me it's very important to have goals and dreams and never give up on them no matter what, no matter how "old" I am, or what shape I'm in. Dreams and goals are what keep me going.

Cheers to the New Year!

Oh My Gosh it's 2014! Where Does the Time Fly???

How about making a New Year's Dream jar? Cute huh?

I remember when I was a little girl, probably about 10, I'd wonder what year it would be when I turned 44.  I don't know why 44 was the magic number, but for some random reason it was at the time. Oh I know - because I was wondering how old I'd be in the very far away year of 2000. It was 44.  I couldn't imagine being that old! LOL! Now I wish I was that young!

Here we are now in 2014...I really want THIS YEAR to be MY year. I've been saying that for about the past 5, and so far no such luck. Maybe if I don't pronounce it as "my year", then maybe it will be my turn.

I've got lots of things in the works for this year. Some are top secret, so I can't say yet, but they are BIG! HUGE! GREAT! And I can't wait!!! The others are equally great, but not quite to that degree.  You just can't help but plan and hope and dream when a new year rolls around can you?

What are all your dreams and wishes for 2014?

Book of Possibilities 2013

I saw a movie a few months ago with Queen Latifah (who I think is FABULOUS by the way!) called "The Last Holiday", and in the movie, she had created something called a "Book of Possibilities". In the book was places she wanted to go, things she wanted to do, etc... Ever since I saw that, I've been wanting to do one of my own books.

I've been gathering up bits and pieces, clippings, articles, pictures, drawings, and various other pretties and tacking them on the bulletin board in my art studio but it's not all neat and tidy and gathered together. I want something that I can open up, flip through, delight in, dream over, and add to any time I want. Kind of like the one above maybe...

For the design of the book, I'm considering something like a binder so that I can add pages in, but I also want something handmade, not a vinyl D-ring binder. I might even use a scrapbook with a cover that I can customize and make my own.

I do this sort of thing already with an "idea" book for art. I've got one of those hard bound sketch books and I either sketch directly in it, or I might cut out little doodles that I've done on other paper and paste it into the book, or I'll take a pic of pieces I've created and tape it onto a blank page then write a description around it. Just with the small amount I've done, I find I enjoy looking through and back to see some of my scrawlings or ideas. I leave it by my bed sometimes so if a thought pops into my head, I can write it/sketch it really quick before it evaporates into la-la land forevermore.

Being a Halloween fan and artist, of course this one is my absolute favorite! Note to self: Get started!

13 is my LUCKY Number!

Happy New Year (almost) everyone! I'll be busy getting ready for my Memphis trip on January 5th, so I probably won't be posting this week, but I wanted to make sure and toast y'all before I leave!

And since we didn't all die on 12/21/12, I guess we can go ahead with our plans for the new year right? What's yours?  I'd like to say I was going to make resolutions but I'm not. SO done with that stuff! And we never stick to them anyway right? So why not just make some small, or big, positive changes and affirmations instead? Or maybe jot down a few items on our ever-growing wish list? Or maybe add to the bucket list?  I got a few that I'll share:

1.Time to leave all the past stuff in the past and enjoy every day!
2. Exercise! YES!!!!! I need to use the gym membership I bought 2 years ago for crying out loud!!! And get strong and flexible. Heck with being a size 6.
3. Ride my horse even more this year. Love that boy... He's my man-love. (another story...).
4. Not cut my hair. Why? I don't know. Or maybe I will..hmmm... I'm such a Libra!
5. Buy new ski boots.
6. Ski more.
7. Plan a trip to Colorado or Utah to go ski. Or better yet just move there!
8. Downsize my house. Do I really need 4 bedrooms? NO!
9. Donate to St. Judes and Pasado's Pet Sanctuary more.
10. Treat myself like the Queen that I am! LOL!

Thirteen has always been my lucky number which makes this year, 2013, my lucky year! And what better way to ring in my New Year than going to Elvis' house!! So I'm headed back to Graceland for Elvis Week on Jan 5th!  More about then when I come back.... See you soon and CHEERS!!!

And I Thought I was the Queen O' Crap!

I am obsessed. I really am. I am totally in love with The Junk Gypsy's. Or is it Gypsies? Either way - LOVE these girls!!! They inspire me and make me happy just to watch them in action.  I love how they dress; sorta cool, cowboy, rock, funky, romantic, eccentric with torn up jeans, awesome cowboy boots, gypsy t-shirts, sorta goth-meets-rock jackets....love it! These girls are sweet too - the kind you want for sisters or best friends. I even want their parents! And that dad -so darn handy to have around!

Ok so on to the nuts 'n bolts of WHY I love them.  So for years, I've loved decorating my house, porch, just about anything really. If I went a little edgy, I'd rein myself back in thinking that's NOT how you're supposed to decorate a home! But then, enter the Gypsies... they do all the stuff that I wanted to do 20 years ago! The result: gorgeous rooms bustin' with personality and kick! And they use the neatest pieces of dare-I-say "junk" to really showcase the personalities of each of their clients.

I think my fave room so far was the bedroom they did for this cowboy couple. The headboard was this barn gate, and the draperies were muslin drop cloths trimmed in torn up wedding dress lace. Love that girls!!! Soft dusty pink paint on the walls, then lots of shabby chic stuff all over. And of course, there's always the chandeliers - very blingy and most definitely unique.

Ever since I saw my first episode, I've been dreaming of doing my family room a la Junk Gypsy. Pull out all the stops. Decorate with things and colors I love. Heck with what's "proper" decor. Get rid of that dull, boring chandelier and bring on the bling!

And here's a die-to-attend-event! The Junk-O-Rama Prom!!!! Wear your old prom dress or head off to the nearest Goodwill or local thrift store, buy yourself one fancy formal, put on your favorite cowboy boots, and don't forget your tiara, then drive on down to Texas for an evening you won't forget! And for sure you won't, cause you can take your pic in their awesome photo booth. I definitely have put this event on my bucket list! 

Don't y'all just love that spunky Miranda Lambert!?? Well she's wearing a JG t-shirt in a lot of her videos. Pay attention next time. The Gypsies even decorated Miranda and Blake's (Shelton) wedding reception. And you wouldn't believe the Airstream trailer they decorated for Miranda!

So yep, this ol' Bags wheels are spinnin'! On my wish, or rather to-do list for the coming New Year, is to maybe expand By Way of Salem into some junkin'!  You know the old saying, "One's man trash is another man's treasure."  In my case it's more like, "Wouldn't THAT make an adorable table?!!!"

Summer in Salem....By Way of Salem!

Hi y'all! I hope your Summer is going great so far. Up here in Washington, our summer has just begun. The weather has finally gotten warmer and the sun is peeking out now and again. The temps are hanging around the 70's for the most part, but last week we got up to the high 80's which was really nice for a change. We've had a pretty wet and cold winter and spring, so the heat felt great! I've even got a tan!


What have I been up to? Besides NOT making art right now? Well I've been riding my amazing horse Simba. THE most brilliant Arabian ever! And of course finishing school. I've JUST graduated cosmetology school and am set to take my State Boards exam next week and get my license. Yay!!! It's been a tough, and oh-so-very-long year. I thought it'd be a cake-walk. I had no idea "beauty" could be so technical!

After that, well it's onto a job finally. I've already had over 9 months on the "salon floor" at my school, so I feel totally ready to be out on my own and in the real world. Someday I might even have my own salon.....

At school last week, a few of the girls happened to spot my art through a link on my Facebook page and were raving to me about my Halloween creations. I can't tell you after being away from creating for so long, how great that felt! It gave me the boost I needed. I thought - what am I doing? Why aren't I sculpting/painting, etc? I really do miss it so much. Honestly though, school just sucked the artsy life right out of me. But I know that once I'm out, I'll be back at it. I did try to get reinspired throughout this past year and create a few things, but it really wasn't working for me. With all the distractions of school, I just couldn't focus or let my inner Halloween-ness venture out.

This year I'm planning on participating in some craft shows, as well as stocking my Etsy store full of new whimsies. I've got a ton of new ideas for either sculptures or paintings that I've been sketching out and saving and I'm excited to be starting on them soon too. It's kind of going to be a new re-launching of By Way of Salem!

Thank you all for staying loyal fans on my blog as well as Facebook and Etsy. Your support really makes a world of difference to me and gives me the encouragement and reason to keep on creating.

Love, Jeannine

Creating your Crafty Space

Life is good, my mind is clear, and my heart is happy, so I'm ready to get back into creating again! Making art is such a huge part of who I am, that my studio needs to reflect my personality and be a place where I just love to spend lots of time. So with that, I've been looking at ways I can freshen up my favorite spot!


Sweet a la shabby chic
While I look for inspiration in all sorts of places: magazines, books, my favorite blogs, craft stores, just anywhere where I can get the juices flowing, I also look to my creative space. Here are just a few of some of my favorite art spaces that I've been collecting. Maybe you too can use some of these great ideas to incorporate into your own creative haven!


When designing your creative space, I think the first thing to think about, at least for me, is will this space inspire my creativity? And speaking for myself, one of the most important elements is ambiance. Being surrounded by beautiful things; a chandelier perhaps, or maybe jars of gorgeous beads, even some twinkly lights trimming a window or ceiling. And color. Lots of brightly displayed color pencils and markers, glitters, paints, fabrics, ribbons. You get the idea! Don't forget wall color. Paint the space with your favorite colors! I've seen incredibly luxurious studios with delicious shades of peaches and creams, or fun spaces with turquoise, lavenders, and pinks. Whatever your heart desires!
So colorful!



Let's talk about organization for a minute. Another reason you are even creating this wonderful space is so you can find things. Am I right? Invest in cabinets, shelving, little boxes, jars, wire baskets, wicker baskets, cork boards, decorative hooks, even garden pots that can hold brushes or pencils. I love those new slim "ledges" - mini versions of shelves, that can display collections - another great source of inspiration! Garage sales and flea markets are a great place to find old hutches, desks, bookcases for your storage needs. And don't feel you have to have everything match either. That's the fun of creating a space just for you! You can do whatever you love.



I think this is a great use of space; re-purpose the closet in your craft room or studio into another working space. Say for sewing, or scrapbooking. Add shelving, maybe a cabinet, a flip down table onto the wall, and voila! another space-saving working area.

Great closet space
A few ideas that I've used: I bought a large cork board and painted the frame red with white polka dots (festive!). I'd been gathering ideas; newspaper clippings, photos of cottages I loved, gardens I wanted to recreate, pictures of gorgeous bracelets I wanted to try making, cute note tags I received with gifts, postcards, patterns I wanted to buy, etc. All this "stuff" I put into a manila folder. Now I just pin them up to my cork board and look there for added inspiration. So great!

Another idea? For my last craft show, I made some displays for my wood Christmas ornaments to hang from. One of them was a section of chicken wire framed with 2x4's and mounted on legs. I took off the leg portion and mounted the framed chicken wire section on one of the walls to display some of my finished items or things I am currently working on. I use little wooden clothespins to hold things onto the wire.

For me, my favorite craft rooms seem to be the ones that resemble kitchens. Not sure why that is? But I love all the cabinetry and countertops. I love everything to have it's spot, so I think it'd be a dream to have a space like that. I am also a BIG fan of recessed lighting. I think how it illuminates my kitchen work area so well, that it would be wonderful to have it in my craft studio also. (Note to self: Add to bucket list!). Take a peek at some of my favorites:






Gotta love the chandelier!


Other ideas to incorporate:

Wall words or favorite sayings: Create, Dream, I Make Things......
Collections (I have my snowman collection on the top of all my bookcases that hold my supplies)
Good music
Twinkly lights or fun novelty lighting (I use pumpkin lights during the Fall)
Candles
Chalk board

October Happenings...

Hi gang!

Here we are in October already. I love Fall don't you? It's so beautiful. Normally here in WA, we've got a lot more of the Fall-look going on, but I think the strange weather of the earlier seasons has seriously confused Mother Nature, so it's not quite typical here right now.


What else is going on? Cosmetology school (Gene Juarez) is going really well for me. The first day out on the salon floor, I have to admit I wanted to quit! I was scared to death and just dreading taking my first guest. It's not that I don't know the stuff, but doing it on someone who can talk back? That's a whole other thing! My dear friend, Amalia, aka "Blake", who sat next to me in Design (cutting), and is next to me now on the floor, told me "J-nine, you need to calm down! You're freaking ME out and making ME nervous!" Honestly, I had no idea I was giving off that vibe. Well she was right. So for the next day and a half, I regrouped and just thought, ya know - this is IT. This is what you've been going to school for. Get it together girl! My next salon day, it was like I'd been doing it forever. And ya know what? I LOVE it!! Nothing scares me. I look forward to meeting my guests, and love the challenge of creating something new for someone and turning them into fabulous Divas! I've done haircuts, foils, colors, and each one has turned out great. Why? My attitude. I love what I do and so I think it comes out in how I do it. I love my guests too. They come in for a 5-star service and that's what they should get.


This month was also my birthday, October 2nd. And what a GREAT birthday I had! The girls at school surprised me first thing in the morning with a big balloon bouquet, flowers, cards, gifts, and lots of hugs and birthday wishes. They're not only my "support" with salon-life, but also dear friends.

For myself for my birthday? I bought P90X! I've seen what it can do for a body. And lordy - does it work! It's 13 extreme exercise videos that don't quit, including doing pull-ups. When was the last time YOU did a pull-up? I'm predicting I should be able to do ONE by October 2, 2011! Anyway, since my surgery last October, I've lost 25 lbs just from being off pain meds, staying away from most carbs and being more active. I thought it was time to give myself the gift of health and fitness. It's good for the mind as well, and for those of you who know me - well you know I need that! LOL!

Speaking of art and getting back to business. I'm working on an order for snowmen right now for a store back in Rhode Island. Obviously I haven't been doing a lot of creating because of my school schedule, and that'll still have to wait pretty much till I'm done. School demands and requirements get harder as you progress so I have to give that my full attention. I will try to create here and there as time allows, and I'll keep you all updated at least monthly on any news.


Happy Fall everyone!
Jeannine

Warning: Witch's ahead - Travel with Caution!

My feverish little brain is always working overtime trying to come up with new ways to get "By Way of Salem's" name out there. So what better then to take the banner, (courtesy of Amybug.com) and what we do, and stick it on a moving vehicle!

I get the funniest looks, and I'm thinking, "WHAT are they looking at?!" Oh yeah, the witches on my truck. Duh..... Well hopefully, my self-promotion will bring in some sales too. If not, well it's all in fun...

Anyone else have some fun ideas for promotion?

You're Special!

In a recent post, I named 7 things people wouldn't know about me. Now it's your turn! I'm so lucky to have all these wonderful friends following my blog - I'd like to know something special about you. What makes YOU do the Snoopy Happy Dance? Would you share 2 things with me?

Arts a Flutter and Us!

In addition to our website, blog, and Etsy store, we're very excited to announce that By Way of Salem will be joining the gallery of very talented artists at Arts a Flutter starting on October 1st.

Our work will be displayed for sale among the other featured artists as a way to further promote our craft. Please stop by and see us!

Come to Bag's Corner!

The Bag Sisters here.....We wanted to invite you all to visit the newest addition to By Way of Salem; "Bag's Corner", our fun and frivolous eZine. Here, we offer a glimpse into our zany life; past, present, and future goings-on, share stories, provide some interesting articles, ideas, inspirations, and amusements. A bit silly, a bit serious. We've just begun, so hang on for a wild ride!

Welcome, Dearies!

Come take a ride with us into our world of charming and whimsical imaginaries.

This is our first post for our new endeavor... and we could not be more excited! But first, a few words on how this all came to be...

In the beginning, there were Clowns…
So very, very many Clowns.

Which is to say, this was precisely how Jeannine and I first met: Over an enormous table full of clowns.

It was back in 1984; a hazy, smoggy L.A. summer. I’d just gotten hired at a studio that produced 24-karat gold statuettes of Red Skelton clown figurines that were hand-painted and mounted on a block of onyx. It was a meticulous, painstaking type of production art job under less than ideal conditions (read: sweat shop), utilizing perfect hand-eye coordination, and a multitude of special acrylic paint colors. Jeannine took me under her wing by sitting me next to her, and showed me the ropes of painting these things, which was not as easy as you’d think. You were not allowed to ‘color outside the lines,’ so to speak, like adding any of your own artistic flair to them. Any personal touch was strictly verboten. They all had to be uniform, consistent, and perfect, or you’d catch hell from the horrible harpy who ran the front office; fondly referred to as "horse face." She took evil pleasure in tormenting us piddly little production artists.

To be honest, clowns kinda creep us both out now. I’m not scared of them, mind you. I mean, if a clown came up to me and tried any sort of threatening postures I’d be all over its polka-dotted butt in a flash! I just think they’re rather unsettling. It’s like looking at a beautifully-wrapped birthday present, with pretty bows and colorful, sparkly paper, then opening it up and discovering a writhing nest of poisonous spiders. EEEK!

But alas! I digress.

Jeannine and I bonded quickly. We discovered that we had a lot in common. We loved the same music, same foods, and were prone to bouts of hysterical laughter over silly, kooky things (too long to list here). We even grew to look alike. Everywhere we went, people always asked if we were sisters, and after a while, we just said, “Yes.” We became ‘The Bag Sisters’ after our term of endearment to one another (that we’re just a couple ‘o old bags, ha ha).

And in the long hours we worked at this hot, stifling facility (which shall remain nameless!), we further bonded and talked of how one day, WE would create our own business! WE would share our specialized, offbeat artistic vision with others! But in the meantime we sweat, toiled, and squeezed all of our brain’s creativity onto these clown statuettes, exhausting our own creative muse in the process.

Several decades and a continent later, we’re finally at the point where we can fulfill our dream! Thanks to the magic of the Internet, our reach is far greater than anything we hoped to achieve back in the dark ages (the 1980’s, that is). Our shared vision of all fun things to bring a smile to the face includes a plethora of Halloween whimsies, animal and human (sort of) characters, stitchings, lovely Prim items of all varieties, and much more. All items are lovingly created, and all are 100% hand-made!

So, from our heart and kooky inspirations, to your home. Welcome to our world!

So go on… send in the clowns. There have to be clowns.

Don’t bother… WE’RE HERE!