Gas Masks, Google and Low Blood Sugar

My life currently consists of the following:

• Email
• Crayons
• Crayons
• Babysitting
• CS5
• Crayons
• Etsy
• Sleep

In that exact order. Where does food fit in? It doesn't really... sometimes overlaps with Etsy and babysitting. So you can probably add "low blood sugar" to the list as well. In other words, I'm busy! And I LOVE it! Talks of books, galleries, and art shows has my head floating in the clouds. Though I'm sure part of it has to do with my consistent exposure to VOC's...

Which brings me to my favorite new purchase - a protective breathing mask!! Yay! No more spraying several pieces with lacquer and walking out of the room gasping for fresh air! I really hope I haven't killed too many brain cells from the times I've done this... I'm worried though because I keep mixing up their and they're - I'm becoming one of my biggest pet peeves!! Hopefully my brain will recover quickly. =/

Something else exciting? I'm officially a Google celebrity. At least by the standards of 6.5 and 8.25 year-olds. We had a Google venture today and I checked out "Crayon Art" and BOOM! Pages 1, 2, & 3 all have references to my work!

Go to "Images," and after seeing some seriously awesome art (sculptures made of crayons, who knew?!) I have three pictures on page 4! Awesome... 

Have you ever Googled yourself? It's pretty awesome seeing what others find when they type your name into a search. And it's also a good idea to check out what potential business contacts are pulling up when your name is explored. Hope you all are enjoying your August!

Facebook page!

At the request of a lovely reader, I have created a Facebook page for my art. It also imports all my blogs and I'll set it up to import any updates I make to my Etsy shop. Pretty cool, eh? So here it is: JK Create's Facebook Page.

In other news, this has been an intense week (to put it lightly). It started with the Post Office not keeping its word in regards to shipping estimate, which resulted in a piece taking WAY longer to arrive to my buyer than originally predicted. That has now been sorted out, thankfully, but this experience has somewhat robbed me of my security in the USPS. I would switch to another carrier, but in the summer months, ground carriers such as FedEx and UPS cannot guarantee any temperature control without a hefty shipping fee. With crayons softening at 105° and melting starting at 120°, I don't want to take many chances with the ground transportation and trucks that reach well over that melting point during the summer months. So, USPS is my best bet with their Air cargo, where the biggest temperature concern is it being too cold. I've just learned that meeting the delivery date of Priority mail isn't always a priority. Oh well, at least it's all worked out and the piece has been delivered to its happy home!

Then, tragedy struck again... as the lacquer on several of my pieces was drying, my air conditioning stopped working in the studio. Enter: humidity!! The new bane of my existence. Humidity is not an annoyance to lacquer once it is dried, so why is it so horrible while the lacquer is setting? Because when moisture gets trapped within the coating, IT CLOUDS. Not exactly appealing for a CLEAR protective sealant! I'm sure you can imaging the heartbreak when I walked into my studio and seven pieces were damaged. I don't want to think about it... luckily, the most important pieces (ones that had been purchased) were salvageable! One humidifier, and several acetone-soaked Q-tips later, those pieces were ready for re-lacquering and shipment. They'll be heading out tomorrow. Other pieces have to be remade, but that's alright. I'm debating what to do with the damaged pieces... I'd hate to throw them out, but they're beyond repair. Maybe I'll try to melt over them? We'll see. For now they'll sit in the corner of my studio, reminding me to make sure humidity is below 35%.

On a brighter note! I've started applying to be in local art shows that will be coming up in the Fall!! I hope to hear back soon with good news. (Cross your fingers for me!) I can't wait to start on fun fall-themed pieces. Autumn leaves and Halloween have my head swimming with ideas and experiments that I can't wait to try! I hope every one's doing well and you're all enjoying this final month of Summer (can you believe it's August already??), and if you have any ideas of what you'd like to see me try with my Fall crayon art, let me know!

It's up! It's up!

The long wait is over! My Etsy site has officially launched, and within a few moments of posting, I already have become a favorite by a few members!! I'm so excited about this site as it's a huge step in my creative goals. So go ahead and check out what I have listed. As a reader of my blog, you can get 15% off any order - including custom pieces! Enter coupon code C2OBLOG. Also, if you're within a 30 mile radius of Lansing, MI, I will deliver the piece myself for FREE! Just enter LOCAL30 as your coupon code. Here are a few highlights of what I listed, enjoy!

JK Create's Etsy Site