Until My Most Auspicious Return!

Hello!

This will be my last post from Cincy, I have friends meeting me tomorrow and Friday nights and there's no WiFi in the studio. Have I whined about that enough yet? I'm not sure...let's see...maybe I should whine about that just one more time...

I get a truckload of email daily and most of them require "immediate attention" so when I wait all day to answer, it's a daunting task to say the least.

It's really tough not having WiFi in the studio, I spend two hours every evening in my hotel getting caught up. It's really, really hard. I also hate typing on this crappy laptop because I almost screw up the post by hitting a random key every few seconds...

Please feel free at this moment to break out your tiny violins.

I had a major (forgive me in advance) "a ha" moment today based on a meeting with sales when we talked about my having THREE books on a special display in the bead aisle in Michael's this is beyond HUGE. Because any one publisher only has a certain number of titles there at any given time and it is the biggest fish in the crafty pond. I also found out that my books have strong cross over sales, meaning they sell well to the trade and also in general places like Amazon. So...this was some very good news. I would have Snoopy danced, but they think I'm relatively cool and I'd hate to blow that. So I just Snoopy danced in my mind.

We still have six more projects to shoot and the opening material, so I'm afraid we won't get our usual final day "research" field trip in. (Meaning a trip to see the Zoo Babies or a day at the Art Museum with the world's coolest editor ever Jessica Gordon. ) She was my default editor on my first two books and since then we've become a pretty damn good team.

I'm feeling that I may be getting whatever the heck my kid had before I left for the shoot.

Ergh.

So I'm resting and watching my secret guilty pleasure, American Idol. I'm a big fan of David Cook. Yeah, it's true. I don't really watch TV...but I got sucked into this show this season and have hung in this long so how can I look away now?! My guess right now as the Jonas Brothers are singing in the background, Archuletta. I didn't see last night, galdangy. I heard Archuletta kicked some booty. So based entirely on rumor and conjecture, I'm guessing David A. is taking the prize. He is so getting a Disney Show, am I wrong?! He's the Davy Jones of the New Millenium. If it was my choice, it'd be David C. Honestly, I always sorta want my favorite to come in fourth so they don't get stuck in the crappy contract and have to make some horrifically cheesetacular debut album.

I may not dig Reality Shows, but as a vocalist I can't help getting sucked into this one. I've been watching it on and off since the first season. It used to run on Poker Night, and that worked well, now we all watch together. Yes, I'm a card carrying dork.

Until I get back home again, craft on with your bad selves! I must away!

xoxo
Madge

[get this widget]

My New Book and Book Shoot Updates!

THE MOST AUSPICOUS DEBUT OF MY NEW BOOK COVER! WAHOO!

Hello My Little Bloggies!

I'm here in Cincy at my new book shoot. Wanna see my new book cover?! Here it is and it's on Amazon! Just go here: http://tinyurl.com/6x9xl4! YAY! You can pre-order it, but since it doesn't come out until February 2009 you may want to wait.

This morning, three projects in, I was working with a new soldering iron. I didn't realize the entire shaft got super hot, my tool at home only gets hot on the tip. So I grabbed it with my left hand and basically branded my thumb, forefinger and middle finger. Insert string of expletives here.

Stupid Soldering Iron.

No, it was not user error.

Okay, maybe it was. ARGH.

I don't have WiFi at the shoot, so I can't answer emails, approve comments or blog during the day. I'll catch up with it all in the morning and evenings. I miss mi familia, this first quarter has been tough with the travel! I really, really, really don't like being away from my daughter. Plus the dog and the pigs get mad when I leave them. Sheesh, sorry!

I'm on with Brini tomorrow at 11am for her NPR Podcast. I'll try to blog a link if I can in the AM. I don't yet know if it's live or recorded, so I'll let you know.

Love and kisses,
Margot

[get this widget]

Tastylinks™!

Ce Que Vous. Copyright 2008 Margot Potter

I’m off to Cincy for my book shoot at noon. Therefore I am racing around like an idiot trying to get ready. I should be packed and ready to go, but instead we made a new The Impatient Crafter™ video yesterday and my hubby is working on edits this week. He upgraded his editing software so there's a new learning curve. Have I mentioned that my hubby loves technology? Now he needs a Mac. Yeah, so do I buddy! Ha ha. I’ll be sure to let you know when we post it. I had to change my project smack in the middle of the shoot, which is so typical me, but it all worked out. Even if we did suffer a few full family meltdowns in the process!

Here’s a new necklace in my new glamour girl series using the glass frames from HHH Enterprises. I’m so loving these! The beads are vintage, so this is a one of a kind folks. I hand picked the red beads out of a giant bin at the flea market in Paris, the blue glass beads were a gift from a friend and the yellow Lucite beads were purchased at Bead and Button last year.

I’ve moved my Tastylinks™ over to a new group of Crafty Bloggers in my expanded blog initiative here. Open wide and say “Crafty!”

I'll try to stop in this week to say hi and I'll let you know the details on the NPR podcast with Brini as soon as they're confirmed. Until next time, craft on with your bad selves.

xoxo
Madge

Craftside- A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world Over at the Craftside blog there is a chance to win a copy of Retro knits and 1000 Artist Trading Cards, a beaded butterfly pattern, and more spring crafty goodness.

Crafty Princess Diaries What does Jane Austen have to do with craft trends? Tammy tells you what we can learn about crafting and following trends from Dear Jane.

Layers Upon Layers Cyndi has compiled a list of her tutorials on mixing digital work into your mixed media!

Sweater Surgery Stefanie updates an old pin cushion project and makes an eyeglass case out of old felted wool sweaters, paints a rock and gives you an inside peek at her creative space.

The Impatient Blogger Madge shares some photos and impressions from her recent trip to Tokyo for CHA to HAJ.

[get this widget]

Brini Likes Me, She Really, Really Likes Me!

The Fantabulously Fabulous Brini Maxwell

We’ve got a full plate today. I’m off to Cincy tomorrow for my book shoot, I have a mountain of laundry to wash and we’re doing a new The Impatient Crafter video. Of course the actress in me has fantastical ideas and story lines, but if we want it to be engaging and five minutes long (about as long as anyone is going to watch an online video, let’s be real) we have to cut the excess fat. That means keep it rolling and stick to the point which is the uber cool project. Don’t fret, it’s going to be wicked good fun, just short, sweet and to the point. Though if I ever get a real show, I’ll incorporate these grand scale concepts.

When I was a little kid my favorite show, besides Julia Child (seriously I was obsessed with that woman), was a local Philly area show called The Gene London Show. He was a genius and he did these fabulous sketches with costumes and stories and drawings and he understood that engaging kids didn’t mean talking down to them. He collects vintage clothing like I do (okay way more than I do because his collection is legendary.) When the Philly Art Museum did a phenomenal Elsa Schiaparelli exhibit many of the clothes were from his private collection. What would I give for an original Schiaparelli...man oh man! Now I’m just guessing here, but I think he may have been my first best gay friend.

Yay for gay friends! Yay for California! What the hell is the problem here? Can people just focus on their own transgressions, please? Remember the parable of the mote and the beam folks? I do not get the vociferousness of the attacks on the concept of Gay Marriage. It’s ludicrous. If two people are foolish enough to want to spend the rest of their lives together, who am I to stop them?! They should have all of the same protections and rights as any foolish married couple. It’s none of my damn business what other people do unless it directly affects me...love they neighbor as thyself folks. I say verily unto thee: Go for it! Best wishes! Rock on with your bad selves!

WWJD? He’d accept people, he’d love them, he’d forgive even those who judge them so harshly and he’d show us the power and the infinite beauty of unconditional love. Yup, that's what he'd do.

Speaking of favorite TV personalities, segue supreme, the FABULOUS and LEGENDARY Sensational Style Guru Brini Maxwell has asked little ol’ me to be on her PBS Podcast this Tuesday at 11am ET. YAY! If we get all of the details nailed down, I’ll be live from Cincy dishing the crafty dirt with one of my all time favorite style mavens. Brini is amazing and I’m honored she’s invited me to be on her show. Honored. Deeply. I need to make her a fabulous thank you gift! YAY! You simply must tune in to hear, it’s going to be an absolute hoot in a hand basket my friends!

I must away to whip up another tasty The Impatient Crafter™ video for your viewing pleasure, until tomorrow when I share my new Tasty Links™ from the brand spanking new Crafty Blogger’s Group, may the muse be with you.

Craft on,
Madge

[get this widget]

A Tangential Experience

TGIP!

I’ve been working on the HHH Enterprises Blog this morning, which has proved to be frustrating because the images will not load. That’s the thing about blogging, when it all sails smoothly it’s time consuming but rewarding, when it doesn’t it’s just a big ol’ pain in the a**. (Read a star star, har har.) Missing posts, runway comments, screwy photo uploads, scheduled maintenance black outs, computer glitches...there are a litany of things that can and will go wrong at any given moment and turn the joy of blogging into a nightmare at the drop of a hat.

Did you ever wonder where that expression came from? The drop of a hat?! It’s funny because besides baseball or cowboy hats, we mostly don’t wear hats anymore. I think that’s too bad. I rather like hats. I have a nice collection of vintage hats I never wear except once a year when we attend the Point to Point Races. It seems a shame, they’re so jaunty and ladylike. We don’t really wear wigs or falls anymore, again a shame. A nice fall or phonytail can be a quick and easy way to get your “do” on without maximum stress. It also keeps your hair from frying off of your head, particularly if you, like me, enjoy changing the color as often as you change your shoes. Dolly Parton always wears wigs, did you know that? I wear wigs...and I know you know that. I’ve been sporting wigs since I was 20. I remember the first time I went into a wig shop and started trying on wigs, I was hooked. I’d already been wearing my mom’s 1960’s human hair Vidal Sassoon fall so it wasn’t that big of a leap. The cool thing about wigs is that they immediately transform you. I have a nice collection and I am not the least bit afraid to wear them. I’m particularly fond of my candy colored bob collection, they are wicked good fun to wear. I think women should wear wigs and hats more often. Why must we all be slaves to the whims of humidity, wind and overpriced hair care products?! Most of us are so not Marcia Brady. Can’t we have a reprieve?! If you don’t have a wig, get one. Seriously. Even if you just wear it while you vacuum with a pair of Malibu slippers sista, you’ll feel like a new woman. A saucy minx, a dominatrix, a supermodel, a Swiss miss...every wig is an opportunity to explore another facet of the endlessly faceted fabulosity that is you wonderful you.

Now that, my friends, is what one calls a tangential experience. I was trying to take my mind off of the blogging issues. I’m sorta fuzzy today as I stayed up late annoying the ever loving crap out of my husband with ideas for the next video. I got on a bit of a roll there with concepts and characters and marching bands...okay not marching bands. Speaking of marching bands. A few years back we were at a 4th of July parade in a local small city. They had bands followed by girls who did step formations in costumes. Well, this one group was a total mess and one of the girls just had a full metal meltdown in the middle of the parade. It was hilarious. The entire parade came to a stand still while this girl threw her hands in the air, started screaming and freaking out and stomped off of the street in a huff. Why didn’t I have a video camera?! Once she fell out they all fell to shit. Yes shit. Not ship. And not s star star star either people. Had they fell to ship we’d have had to be near water, which we weren’t.

Am I clear?! Is anyone keeping up? I’m giving you a test later, I highly suggest you pay attention.

That’s my ball of confusion for today. Until tomorrow...rock on with your bad selves.

(Any artists, illustrators or designers or friends of artists, illustrators or designers need to go RIGHT NOW and sign these letters to your representatives about The Orphan Works bills. If they pass, and it’s looking rather likely at this point, we’re all seriously screwed. These letters make it super simple for you to get your voice heard! Go! GO!)

xoxo
Maggie McTangent

[get this widget]

The One Trick Pony Theory

Sporty Girl. Collage Pendant Copyright 2008 Margot Potter
565. Collage Necklace Copyright 2008 Margot Potter
He loves me, he loves me not. Collage Necklace Copyright 2008 Margot Potter
Tres Chic Mixed Media Purse Copyright 2008 Margot Potter

(Click on images to see close-up)

Crafty Advice from The Impatient Crafter™
The One Trick Pony Theory
Copyright 2008 Margot Potter

I’ve really been working lately on expanding my repertoire. It’s easy to get stuck in a creative rut and keep doing the thing you know works, but I find it far more interesting to keep challenging myself to try new mediums and to learn new tricks. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, a one trick pony’s days in the circus are numbered. Everything that’s “hot” will eventually cool down and working at QVC has taught me how insanely fast you can go from Superstar Product to Yesterday’s News. So what’s your next trick, Pony Girl? The more you can do and do with skill and panache, the more likely you will be to always find work as a designer. That being said, there is value in finding your niche and for many people that niche is the thing that propels their career. It’s a bit of a Catch-22 isn’t it? How do you find and maintain your niche while continuing to expand outward? How do you find the balance between being fresh and innovative and being so all over the map no one can figure out exactly what you’re good at doing, including you. I think the key is to have a core that drives everything as you expand outward.

Well, my fine friends, you need a branding initiative. You need to sit down and think about what makes you uniquely you and what you can bring to the party that no one else can. My brand is The Impatient Crafter™. The concept behind what I do is making designs that look complex but are quick and easy to make while being very stylish and appealing. I make designs that are just nanometers shy of totally over the top, because I don’t want my jewelry or accessories to wear you, I want them to accentuate the beauty of who you are and make you feel like your very best you. I don’t want my craft projects to be so out there you can’t imagine living with them, I want you to feel as if you could make them and proudly give them as a gift or keep them in your home and they’d be lovely and lively and fun. I try to make things that speak to your soul and have lots of heart and a slyly subversive sense of humor. That being said, I love kitsch, so everything I make has a little edge and a little funkitude.

The designs I’ve been working on as of late are far more resonant with the core of who I am. I love vintage things and I’ve collected vintage clothing and tchotchkes for 26 year. I love accessories and jewelry because I think there’s no more efficient way to refresh a wardrobe than through brilliant accessorizing. I’ve been making things for my home as long as I’ve lived on my own out of necessity due to lack of funding and a deeply rooted desire for beauty. I love jewelry making, but I love all crafty expressions and I’ve been feeling a little stuck in a rut and wanting to break out of it. So I’m exploring new techniques, old techniques and creating a few of my own along the way, playing with inks and stamps and paints and scissors and glues and laminates and heat tools and layers and textures and dimensions. Oh my!

Here are a few things I’ve made recently that I’m totally digging. The necklaces are prototypes for a retail jewelry line I’m developing. The fabulous frames I’ve used here are from HHH Enterprises and I truly heart them because they’re substantial and extremely well made. Seriously, of all of the frames and glass items I’ve seen and used, these are my favorites and I’m not just saying that. The little side latches are a great touch and the glass is not microscope slide thin so it’s super sturdy. I particular enjoy the soldered look without having to solder and also the versatility of being able to reuse it if you get bored with the contents. I glue the images down so they don’t slide around in the frame and I’ve been using a combination of old paper, scrapbook paper, inked backgrounds and scanned images.

The purse was created for a magazine, this is a photo sans handle and hardware, but you get the idea. I added multiple layers of paints, stamps, inks, vintage buttons, a vintage image and I figured out how to make a beeswaxesque finish that I’m seriously loving. This is the purse that was kicking my arse recently, I can’t wait to get it back and sport it now!

I’m going to keep moving in this new direction as I expand my brand and we’ll see where it leads. I’ve got a book shoot next week in Cincy, which I prepared for before I left for Tokyo, thankfully. It feels good to be ahead of the curve (for once.) It’s going to feel good to get home and have a clear slate to fill in with new ideas and directions. Our first video has been kickin' booty and we’re going to work on another when I return along with a Tokyo Trip Montage. Speaking of booty kickin' videos I wanted to give a super shout out to Stacy McQueen The Craft Whore for her extremely gracious comment on my video on YouTube. She’s a class act. Check out her newest videos, they’re wicked good crafty fun.

xoxo
Madge

[get this widget]

Potty Mouth Madge Rides Again

Amazing Glass Bead Artist Lori Greenberg's yummy Pod Bead in Octopi by Margot Potter for Simply Beads June 2008 Copyright
A Celebration of the infamous female pirate Bonny Anne Bonny Necklace Simply Beads 2008 Margot Potter Copyright
Mother of Pearl open circles and stamped disc iPod/Cell Phone holder Antennae Margot Potter for Simply Beads June 2008 Copyright

Happy Wednesday Weebles:

I’m starting to feel human again, which is a bonus. I’ve got some manufacturer instructions to plod through before I go to my book shoot next week. Ask any designer and they’ll tell you, the instructions are a bitch.

Speaking of potty words (nice segue, eh?) yesterday I discovered that I can’t use potty words in my MyCraftivity blog. In fact, if a word has a naughty word inside of it, they’ll censor it. How dorky is that?! I mean...classes becomes cl*****. Are we really that afraid of the word ASSES?! I think you can even say that on TV. Sheesh. What the f*ck, Chuck?! Maybe I’m talking about a gathering of donkeys people. Okay, really I’m talking about CLASSES, which we’ve all taken at one point or another and not actually been scarred by most of them. Though a few teachers have left me with some small scars in my day.

Words only have the power you give them. Interestingly, most curse words fall into three categories, scatological words, sexual words and derogatory terms focused on women. Think about it. I did an entire performance art piece about this topic and it was the most powerful thing I’ve ever done on stage.

I happen to be a gal who enjoys a juicy expletive now and again...okay actually often and with feeling. I suppose I’m a little more PG bordering on R than I should be considering I work in the shiny, happy craft industry. My videos are G rated...but my blog is not. I simply can’t censor myself, sorry, salty sailor on shore leave talk is all part of the contradictory wondermess that is Margot Potter. Shiny, happy, sparkly, snarky, bitchy, loving, funky, funny, fabulous Margot Potter...potty mouth extraordinaire.

Some people claim that a potty mouth is the sign of a lazy mind. That’s a crock of shite. A potty mouth is simply the willingness to stop giving mere words extraordinary powers. Sometimes, my fine friends, no other word will quite express the truest, deepest nature of your feelings in a given situation better than a well timed naughty word.

When I was in 7th grade at Welsh Valley Junior High School we had an open classroom with a balcony above it. I’m not sure why I was up on the balcony yelling down to a friend when classes weren’t in session, but I was. I was yelling “Ship.” Seriously. “Ship.” Not “Shit.” Yet the filthy minded science professor sitting at his desk below refused to believe me. I got detention for yelling, “Ship” which he was utterly convinced was actually “Shit.” Actually, getting detention for yelling “Ship” is total “Shit” if you ask me.

Good fucking grief.

Which just goes to show you...might as well use the juicy word if you’re going to get a bum rap anyway.

And that, dear reader, is Madge’s sage advice for today.

The images above are from several projects I have in the June issue of Simply Beads Magazine, available on newsstands now! You can get my mother of pearl Antennae iPod holder online right here: Simply Beads Free Projects

Craft on with your bad selves,
Potty Mouth Madge

PS: Super shout outs to Craft 2.0 and Seriously No Seriously for showing my Impatient Crafter debut video the Linky Love! Thank you!

[get this widget]