Holiday Open House: Success!

The Domestic Bias Holiday Open House was such a blast for me!  I'm sure that is due in part to the fact that I want these people to adopt me into their family so our total of 10 kids can play together and be over-the-top cuteness every day!  I love this family.  But I digress.  This is about me!  Being crafty!  Starting a business!  Kinda...

This was my display, so fashionably put together by Jaime from DB.  I sold the cards individually (in a fancy plastic wrapper!) and as Christmas four-packs.  I made a little money (but not a profit), and I have a LOT left over...which motivated me to send out Christmas cards to my own family this year (um, yeah...I've become a pretty big slacker with holiday greetings the last few years).  But overall, I deem it a total success for Chroma Aquatic.  This show pushed me forward into the production and business aspects of selling art.  And doing that has impelled a change of heart over depreciating everything I do.  Not only do I have a tendency to undervalue my art, or value one piece lower than another because of how long it took me or the ease with which it was done, but I am not a very gracious receiver of compliments.  To be honest, I am surprised by what comes out of me artistically, and I feel like very little credit should be given to me.  When I draw/paint something "good" I'm really not sure how it happened.  I just put my nose down and later.... "ta-da!" is on the paper.  It's weird to me.  So instead of nay-saying all compliments and hiding my gift, I need only to give praise to the One who fearfully and wonderfully made me who I am, and give every piece back to Him as an offering of worship.  So there.

I was astounded by the professionalism of this in-home craft bizarre, and of the marketable talent of my fellow mommy-friends and acquaintances.  Like these hair pins/brooches, made by my friend Lindsay:

I've never been much of an accessorizer, but seeing how they are made and worn by friends has changed my mind.  It's time to flower up...I totally want some.

And I know I can put together cookie mix myself, but when it comes to cute packaging, I start to stutter and forget who I am and what I was doing and then I just take a nap.  What I'm saying is, I won't ever do this, like Janine:

The thing I really wanted in my stocking was one of these beautifully hand-felted soaps by this amazing woman I know, Gretchen.  Do you know, the soap is just in there, and you rub it on your bod in the shower and the whole thing just felts tighter as the soap disappears and then you are left with a wash cloth thingy?  So hippy and I love it:
 

 Unfortunately, she isn't selling them online or anywhere public that I know of.  Fortunately, I know where to find her!

Now, I don't need any stuffed animals in my house.  To put it kindly, I'm not a big fan of the things.  And yet still, I found myself oogling and perhaps coveting these strange and beautiful creatures by OLBAPI:

Check out this very cool pendant jewelry by Gretchen as well.  Also, these killer candles by Courtney.  And the wood-circle journal on the left by Domestic Bias (love!).  Who knew these mamas with their busy lives were gettin' all crafty, making these wares like you see in shmancy boutiques?

These pictures do not do justice to the beautiful work that is Domestic Bias, but you can check out their Etsy Shop or visit them at the Portland Saturday Market:

 The jewelry on the left, which I didn't even try to take a picture of because I didn't think I would capture it's amazingness, is by Renee Tracy Design.  This was by far, to me, the most impressive art represented.  Having never worked with polymer clay myself, I was blown away by how beautiful, intricate, colorful and time-intensive these were.  Check out her blog to see how it's done....fascinating!  Tracy sells her designs to support herself as a missionary in the Dominican Republic.

I didn't get a picture of, but was thoroughly impressed with my friends Sarah and Emily, who are starting an Etsy shop too!  Keep checking back so you don't miss when At The Table opens!  They made cute hats, canvas bins, little girl dresses and little boy shirts, adorable felt hair clips and probably some other things I'm forgetting.  They are über-talented.

There were a few other vendors there, but they don't have websites and I don't have photos, and I've maxed out my blogging patience for today.  Over all, I'm so glad I did this and I realized that I love to paint and create illustrations and my eyes have been opened to career possibilities I have always taken for granted and not thought possible.

May my God look upon me with favor as I follow and honor Him!