Crafty Chica event in San Antonio, Nov 20-22!

I'm excited to announce that I'll be doing three days of demoing at a Michaels location in San Antonio, TX. I'm going to show 10 different ways to use a Crafty Chica flocked iron on (new designs!), and we are going to do hourly drawings where I'll give away things I've made. Could be a flower pot, could be a purse, you'll have to come and see!

I've never been to San Antonio, but have heard so many wonderful things about the community, the art and culture - I am stoked beyond the sparkle of the brightest glitter flake!

I'll have more updates as the date gets closer! I just got confirmation yesterday and wanted to share the news!

In the meantime, the display will be up by next week, so you can go shop!

Random observation: I just realized that I sure do use a lot of exclamation points...

WHERE:

Store # 8794

San Antonio/Culebra RD

5347 W Loop 1604 N, Ste 103

San Antonio, Tx 78253-7301

The phone number is 210-647-8611

WHEN and WHAT:
Nov 20 @ 5-7pm: Meet'n'Greet with Kathy Cano-Murillo, the Crafty Chica...the first 18 fans will receive a signed Crafty Chica Bobblehead

Nov 21 @ 9am-9pm: Live Demonstrations by Kathy Cano-Murillo, the Crafty Chica...visit the demonstration to enter the hourly drawings for Crafty Chica original art

Nov 22 @ 10am-7pm: Live Demonstrations by Kathy Cano-Murillo, the Crafty Chica...visit the demonstration to enter the hourly drawings for Crafty Chica original art

Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

P.S. Check out my new book and product line!

INSPIRATION FRIDAY: Lupe Flores

This week I'm spotlighting one of the busiest painters around, Lupe Flores. I've been following her work for a few years now, and am thrilled/honored that she is now part of my Inspiration Friday series!

Lupe has mastered what so many artists strive for - a striking signature style. Combine the eeriness of Tim Burton, the doe-eyed innocence of a Blythe doll, delivered with the power of a saucy Lola Beltran ballad...and you have scratched the paint palette of Lupe's work. Well, in my opinion, anyway.

Lupe always has an exhibit going on somewhere and I'm excited that Arizona is on her list. This Saturday is the closing reception for the Vision Gallery's Dia de los Muertos exhibit, and Lupe has four paintings in the show. (I also must mention that there is a muertos fiesta that day too, as well as another exhibit at XICO. So you can come down and see dozens of Arizona artists' work, eat some pan dulce and enjoy the beautiful weather!)

OK, now on to Lupe! In the interview, she shares insight, inspiration and tips for us all. Visit her web site at ArteByLupeFlores.com, and her Etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/artbylupeflores.

CraftyChica.com: Lupe, if you had to describe your artwork in three movie titles, what would they be?
Lupe Flores: The Addams Family meets Frida meets El Ataud del Vampiro.

CC: You have such a defined signature style. When did you discover it and how did you make the most of it?
LF: Since I was young, I knew what kind of art I wanted to do. My interest in the unusual, unique and insipid inspired my creative bugs… That I started expressing myself in any way possible. My art style has been refined with time and I have enjoyed the my evolution process.


CC: Do you ever hit a creative block and if so, how do you break through?
LF: Yes I do, and when I do I just take a break to let my creative mind refresh itself. I keep a small sketch pad with me where I draw quick doodles, sketches and write down ideas so when I do get blocked I have my lil sketch book to turn to.


CC: What is the message you want to share through your art?
LF: I want to share a piece of me... my soul and give them a sneak peek of what’s inside of me.. my culture, traditions, inner thoughts.

CC: Do you celebrate Dia de los Muertos in your home?
LF: Every year at home we do a small altar with pictures of our dearly departed and decorated with ofrendas. During Day of the dead we pray el Rosario at night and afterwards we enjoy some delicious day of the dead bread from our local panaderia. Day of the dead is a day to celebrate not mourn… Is to sing and celebrate the dead to honor life.

CC: What advice do you have for artists?
LF: Be yourself. Love what you do. Your style is by being yourself. If painting colored curvy lines is what excites you.. DO IT! Have fun. And don’t be scared if your art doesn’t look like that artist or that one…. Remember different is good it what sets you apart.

CC: What is the craziest commission piece you've had?
LF: I received an email from a Lady from Australia that wanted a headless rag doll. Not so crazy for me but it sure made my mom looked at me weird when I told her. I had fun chopping the head off.

CC: Do you ever have any reject pieces, what happens to them?
LF: Yes I do... I have a couple of rejects hanging around my art room waiting for their departure. Some of them find homes, others get to stay on my walls but sometimes others are reused.

CC: What do you do while you paint?
LF: It depends on what art project I’m working on. When I was painting for Vision a Gallery in Arizona for a Day of the Dead Art show I surrounded myself with festive, folkare music to set the mood. But sometimes I am so focused, the only thing I need to do is paint.
*IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE FEATURED FOR INSPIRATION FRIDAY - OR CONTRIBUTE AN ESSAY, POEM, PROJECT, ETC SEND ME AN EMAIL!*

Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

P.S. Check out my new book and product line!

Focus on the finish line. That's all.

(Paper mache mask, el Escritor, "The Writer")

Eh, getting stuck in writing my novel. I've picked up a new habit since I did NaNoWriMo the first time. I'm editing as I go. That REALLY can slow a chica down.

I've decided not to make "winning" NaNo (50,000 words by Nov 30) my priority, instead I'm focusing on writing a good book. If I reach 50,000 by deadline, cool, I'll print out the certificate and staple it to my inspiration board. If not, no worries, I'll still have my fabulous story to finish writing by the end of the year.

Tonight I popped into Twitter and read so many tweets from NaNo participants giving up because they are "already behind on word count." This makes me cringe. It's only 5 days in! How can it be so easy to throw in the keyboard?

The point is to keep going until you finish. The true reward is being able to say "I did it!"

Confession: This is my logic in everything except losing weight. I start diets and quit them all the time. I'm not perfect. My time will come for healthy eating, I know. But until then I'm following through with things I know I can conquer. Like writing a new book!

Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

P.S. Check out my new book and product line!

People are already shopping!

new Crafty Chica goodies
Originally uploaded by TíaBel

This is from TiaBel, she bought these from one of the Michaels store in California. I love that these stores have the display set early. Awesome!
These are flocked iron-ons, and they come two to a pack. One large one and one mini!

Thank you for sharing, Belen!

This week's family adventures (in pictures!)

Maya channels her inner Disney princess for Halloween.

Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

P.S. Check out my new book and product line!

Looking to interview...

1. A current or former health inspector.

2. Someone who has been to NY Fashion Week.

Anyone out there? Thanks!

Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

P.S. Check out my new book and product line!

Crafty Chica products returning to Michaels Stores!

Crafty Chica products are returning to select Michaels Stores this weekend!

The scoop: I’ve been hinting about exciting news and I can finally reveal it! I couldn’t breathe a word before because everything is hush-hush during product development. Plus, I was holding my breath and praying has hard I could that all the pieces would come together to make this happen!

The back story: In August 2007, we debuted 40+ items at 140 Michaels stores for a three-month seasonal test in Latino markets.

It did well enough (thank you, shoppers!) that now we are doing an extended run in non-Latino markets. [HERE IS THE STORE LIST]

The list covers the entire country, instead of targeted markets. I’m happy about this because now we can prove that the Crafty Chica style is for people of all backgrounds, ages, and gender. You, the readers of this blog and web site, have proven that!

The dealio: This time it is a “power panel” program. Here is a lesson in merchandising – power panels are the long, skinny displays that hang down the sides of end caps.

A call for help! I'm looking to build a street team to help get the word out on the products and help make the program a success. If you happen to live near one of the stores and are interested in helping by blogging, and checking on the display when you go to shop, please let me know. I'll hook you up with some goodies!

Coming tomorrow...the products!

Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

P.S. Check out my new book and product line!

Novel: 7,500 words in!

(My new novel is about a sewing group, so I chose her as my patron saint!)

What a difference an outline makes!

Last time I particpated in National Novel Writing Month, I made up my story as I went along. Every night I put my head on the pillow, closed my eyes and thought about what to do next. I even wrote ideas and scenes on index cards and posted them on a huge empty wall in my office.

This time? I jotted down pages of brainstorming notes. Next, I typed them, separated by character. After that, I created one long document and plugged everything in. I didn't add chapter numbers until the very end, that way I could cut and paste at will.

This method worked great. I could scroll through and add/delete or move sections. I sent it to my editor for approval (this book comes out in 2011). We went over it, and she loved it. At the end of our conversation, she said something that made my whole day...

"I love it! It is very different from your first novel - yet it is still very Crafty Chica!"

OK, getting back to writing! How are you doing? Anyone out there doing this too? If so, good luck, keep it going!

Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

P.S. Check out my new book and product line!

Tips for crafty vendors this season!

After doing two festivals last weekend, I picked up some tips for future shows. Here are some Crafty Chica tips for vending this holiday season! Please add your own to the comments section!

1. Adapt your items and prices to what fits best with the crowd. Right now, people do want to buy, but they are choosing wisely. Just because your crystal sculpture has always sold for $200, doesn't mean it will this year. So revamp it. Make a mini-version at a lower price point.

2. Have a good variety of prices. Our items range from $5 up to $100. This worked out really good because everyone could afford to buy something. Our $5 items are our wood magnets, they were a great takeaway for those who couldn't afford to spend more. Average shopper spent about $25., but we did get a several whopper sales too!

3. Take credit cards. It's OK if you don't have a merchant account or machine. PayPal now has a virtual terminal, and there are several iPhone apps you can sign up for, like iSwipe.

4. Mash it up! One day I sold my ornaments four to a set and wrapped in cellophane. They had a higher price because I wrapped them all pretty in a gift box. Another day, I ditched the cellophane and allowed people to pick their own set, and I gave the option of only buying one (as opposed to a set of four). Same with the magnets. People handpicked not just one, but often three, four and five ornaments. For my $5 magnets, I offered "5 for $20". This worked really well!

5. Surprise your repeat customers! If you are vending at a local show you do every year, come up with some NEW offerings. Competition is fierce, if people bought something from you last year and see the same things, they won't buy again. But if you have all new designs - not just new colors, but totally unexpected items, you'll keep their interest. That doesn't mean to copy what other vendors are making, push yourself to be inventive and come up with something totally YOU.

6. Bring tools. I brought my tools to make my bracelets larger or smaller on the spot for customers with skinny or thicker wrists. I also brought clip earrings to switch out the pierced ones.

7. Visit the dollar store for small frames and stands. Use these to display prices or features of your work.

8. Do mind control over your customers! Great each person by looking them in the eye and saying hi. While you are saying hi with your mouth, send them an ESP message of "Buy something!" Hey, every little bit helps! :-)

9. Don't just sit there, share your story! You worked very hard making your art. The big event arrives and you just sit there and softly smile at your potential shoppers? No! Stand up, greet people, throw out a factoid about yourself or your work. For example :"We came up with that idea from a friend of our who loved cats..." or "My designs were featured in XYZ magazine this month..." or my favorite - "I watched two movies while I made that shadow box!" People love to hear the behind-the-scenes. Don't go into overshare - "See this scar on my arm? I got it from making that item!" Keep it light and happy. Many times that is all it takes to make them say "Oh, I want it even more now!"

10. Don't unnecessarily overspend. I used to spend a lot of time and money on packaging, and I skipped it this year (except for the ornaments at first). I put the focus on the pieces themselves. Lower your costs (and your customer's!) by passing up the pretty printed bags, tags, cello wrapping, tissue paper, the color-printed backing cards. You are not Bloomingdales. You are an artist trying to make a living from your work. Skip the foo-foo details to save time and money. People are buying your art for the craftsmanship, not the packaging.

11. Bring a care kit. Pack a cello bag with pain reliever, antacid, band-aids, etc.

12. Come up with special offers. Offer coupons for your online store. Think like Sprinkles cupcakes and Twitter a secret word for a discount or free gift. Have a raffle.

13. Support fellow vendors. Make a swoop around to say hi and introduce yourself. Sometimes you can even do a trade. Remember, we are all part of one big community. The more that ALL of us succeed, the more opportunities there will be, and the longer we will all be able to make and sell our art!

14. Always be thankful. Even if people don't buy something, thank them for stopping by your booth and let them know about your web site. You want them to remember you fondly to make them a loyal customer!

15. Bring a notepad. Take notes of comments and questions your customers make or ask. Jot down problems and how you solved them. That way you won't forget at the end of the show.

More:
- Bring plenty of change, lots of ones, fives and tens.
- Allow yourself a certain amount to spend on other booths. I always give myself $20. That way I don't overspend!
- Always have a mirror if you sell jewelry.
- Make sure all your work is signed, bring a permanent marker just in case you forget.

Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

P.S. Check out my new book and product line!

I sold my first painting!!!!! First EVER

She is getting married tonight and using it for their new house!

La muerta at Mesa Arts Center!

YOUR favorite Halloween costumes!

Earlier this week I had a contest asking for people to share their favorite Halloween costumes. The entries were great, so I thought I'd post them. Maybe you can get some good ideas!


Nicole Maki said...
My favorite costume was the Bride of Frankenstein on her wedding night - negligee, huge shock hair, black eyes. Loved it. The best part is that I entered a best man dressed as a woman contest (I am in fact female) just for fun and only came in second. LOL.

Janet Happy Girl said...
My favorite costume ever was 54 yrs ago when I was a tiny, naked newborn baby....Halloween is my birthday...happy birthday to me

Raquel said...
My favorite halloween costume was when my mom and I both dressed as Raggedy Ann...

Gbklyn said...
one year i dressed my husband up as a picnic table complete with red check tablecloth, disposable plates cups and table wear etc... he wore it as we gave out candy at my nanas house...

LunaGraphica said...
It was just me and my Mom living together. I was about 10 and she had recently got divorced. She was working, but we lived on a TIGHT budget. She was really creative and I am sure that's where I got my own craftiness from. On a tight budget she took a bright blue trash bag and cut holes for my arms and legs and stuffed it with newspaper so I was REALLY ROUND (and I was pretty round to begin with. lol). She painted my face entirely BLUE (it was blue for days after) and made antennae for my head. She found some brightly colored striped socks and dubbed me - 'The Blue Beetle'. It wasn't as cool as going as a poular character of the time like, 'Josie and the Pussycats', but I WON a costume contest at school because of it. I can't forget that costume. I thought everyone was going to LAUGH at it. lol.

Michelle said...
My favorite was in 7th grade when my friend Erika and raided my mom's sewing basket for remnants and her mom's linen closet. We scraped enough change for a bottle of green Rit dye and died one of her mother's old white sheets green, the cut holes for out heads and arms. We used the remnants to cut out fish and other water creatures. We found dried moss in the craft basket and put that on for algae. We used felt to cut out and attach human forms with yarn for hair (black for me, red for her) as swimmers, as Voila! we were pond scum. The idea came because Erika often said the phrase, "it is growing on me like pond scum". We won second place at the sock hop. I think the prize was candy and McDonald's gift certificates.

Liz said...
I was a "lady of the evening" while in College and my date was Superman!!

Softflexgirl said...
My friend Matthew dressed up as "God's gift to women". He basically wore a package with a big red bow and a gift tag that read "To: Women, From: God". It was pretty cute! :)

Patti said...
Favorite Halloween costume of all time had to be in about 1976, when I wore a gorgeous vintage silk kimono that my dad bought in Japan when he was in the Navy (late 1940's). My hair was in a classic bob w/ bangs already, & I did exaggerated geisha-style make-up and tottered around all night on vintage Japanese wooden geta (those sandals that look like wooden flip-flops on stilts), with a glass of champagne in one hand. Ooh, those were the days! :)

Juli's Jewels said...
One year, my parents forgot about Halloween. My big brother (who is 7 years older than me) took control of the situation and dressed my little brother and me as hobo/clowns. He used a combination of his and my dads clothes and our pajamas and then my moms make-up and a little burned cork to grubby us up. He then proceeded to walk us around our neighborhood trick-or-treating. All of our neighbors complemented our costumes and our "very nice" big brother for doig such a great job.

Bonney said...
Not very scary but my favorite costume was a store bought Little Lulu costume. I wore it for 3 years before I moved on to Minnie Mouse - also worn for 3 years. I love to see what people come up with!

Juli's Jewels said...
My favorite Halloween costume/memory was the year my parents forgot about Halloween. My big brother (he's 7 years older than me) took the situation in hand and with a combination of his and my dads clothes and my moms make-up plus a little burned cork, he turned my little brother and me into hobo/clowns. He took us out trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, and we received lots of compliments on our costumes and what a nice "big brother" we had. I was 6, my little brother was 5 and my big brother, Mark was 13.

Melissa said...
My best friends dad made her the most authentic looking darth vader helmet (before you could buy them). That had to be the best costume. It wasn't the best to go trick or treating with, however. It took FOREVER to get our candy because EVERYONE had to see the costume. So, lesson learned. Never wear a great costume when you are begging for candy.

Calamity Anne said...
A few years back I made a Statue of Liberty costume for Halloween. Being 5'10" you can just imagine how life-like I really was, especially having those rays coming out of the top of my head. This was by far the BEST costume I've EVER worn!!!

glorv1 said...
Actually I was Dracula once. hehehehe. I wasn't a kid either:DDD Another time I was Al Jolson. hehehehe. Have a great day.

Jen Minnis said...
i think the cutest i've ever seen/done was my 2 month old nephew dressed up as Yoda in a knitted/felted hat with ears.the yoda boy can be seen here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/esmecat/3355268565/ but when my parents dressed up one year in the 70's for a party, they really won my all time favorite award. when you first saw them, it just seemed like the had both cross dressed. he had a wig and gown... heels... etc. she was in a suit. but the real effect came when they turned and walked away. there was no back to the outfits! when they turned, you were treated to a view of their *ahem*unmentionables*ahem*, LOL!

Anonymous said...
I think I like this years the most. I am going to be the Quen of Halloween, and I'm making most of my costume. I even have the glue gun burns to show for it!After all the home-made costumes from when I was a kid that I hated, cause I wanted a store bought one like everyone else, its funny that I've gone back to home-made is best!

krissycupcakes said...
my favorite costume was a gypsy costume i had when i was about 9 or so. the reason it was so special is because my grandmother let me wear a bunch of her jewlery and scarves, and she made me this skirt that had coins and beads all over it. i was always dying to play dressup with some of these items, but they were fancier things and therefore forbidden for everyday play. i felt like the prettiest girl i had ever seen! mi abuelita has alzheimers now, and those memories are so precious to me. i also recently inherited some of those scarves and jewels and have vowed to save them to hopefully one day give my granddaughter the same beautiful memories!

Apron of the Month Club said...
I feel like we know eachother. I'm an arpon chica from deep south Texas. I'm love you stuff. Please drop by to to visit me at http://apronofthemonthclub.blogspot.com/ where "Mi Casa es Su Casa".Yoli Pena Kalkofen

Sylvia A.Rivera said...
My favorite was one year when my husband and I dressed up as tigers, it was so cute he look adorable! We had so much fun, I literally lost my tail that night at the party!! I had to turn in my costume the next day without the tiger's tail!!!

Carol P said...
I think my Favorite Halloween costume was a mermaid costume I went to a old costume shop and they were selling a mermaid tail and top for a few dollars . I attached seashells and beads decorations to the body and found an old fish net covered my head and to wrap around my body. I also added plastic sea animals to the fish net. Since my feet were enclosed a friend carried me into the party dressed as a fisherman.

Teesh said...
My Favorite Halloween costume was at our church Halloween festival a 40something man was Mr. T the had the mohawk, gold chains and ever thing it was awesome.

mechelle said...
I made a costume for a friends daughter, she wanted to be half angel half demon. We altered a vampire outfit pattern and made half in white material and half in red. We found a headband that had a red boa halo and little devil horns on it, and a set of white feather wings that we sewed onto the back. We made the bottom of the red side jagged to resemble flames. I never got to see her but her mom said she was a hit.

lajadedgrrl said...
My favorite costume was when my dear friend dressed up as a Yahoo Messenger status update. She has the yellow status for being online on the front and the grey status for being offline on the back. Her "status" was a smile when she was online and a frown when she was offline.

Lisa said...
My favorite costume has got to be my fallen angel one. I was soooo excited when I got this idea in my head to be it. I knew exactly what I wanted and was really happy when I found the perfect giant black wings(they looked like crow wings) that would fit me. I wore dark eye-makeup,fish nets and boots all in black...and the best part was an older guy who answered his door to give me candy complimented on how much he loved my wings.

my favorite costume was one that I put together myself. I wanted to be pippy long stocking! I know she's an unruly child, but I just loved her flipped-up braids.
I wish I had a piture. I used a coat hanger to flip my braids upward. I drew freckles on my face, blacked out a tooth and darkened my eyebrows. I wore an apron style dress (i made it) with a patch work pocket and bermuda shorts, different colored socks and my brothers hi-top waffle stompers (remember those).
I loved my costume! I had a little stuffed monkey with me too!
ahhh....... remember it, like it was yesterday.
- Debra

When I was an assistant principal, I was in charge of dealing with all the difficult cases at our middle school. The first Halloween I selected a nun costume. The kids loved it and it helped to soften my role. To this day I will see former students and they still ask if I am still a nun.
--Lily

The best costume I saw was this weekend. A little girl had the cutest costume, she was a very pretty little cupcake, with frosting and sprinkles, cupcake liner and all, but the best part were her parents dressed as the bakers! They had on these giant bakers hats, aprons and one was holding a large mixing spoon and the other a large bowl. So cute and different.
Happy Halloween!
Amanda

The best costume I ever wore was in the 6th grade. I wore a soft plastic gorilla mask, a big scarf and my dad’s overalls. No one in the class knew who I was. As a 6th grade girl it was very HARD to be quite so that no one recognized my voice.
The best costume I ever saw was “Mr. & Mrs. Jolly Green Giant”. This was at a squadron officers Halloween party in the 70’s. They covered leotards with felt leaves, dipped themselves in green food color and wore vegetable necklaces…very cute.
- Sharon


Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

P.S. Check out my new book and product line!

How to Make a Dia de los Muertos Altar

My sister made this ofrenda to Barry White and she added all the basic elements for Dia de los Muertos. Over at http://dead.azcentral.com, click HERE to see an interactive display!

Don't forget to enter our Day of the Dead shrine contest!


Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

P.S. Check out my new book and product line!

Disturbing Doormat (for Halloween!)

Any other time of the year, this idea would be sick. But hey, Halloween is all about the chills and thrills. This is a piece of canvas that I made into a doormat. It's a hit with our visitors, everyone gets a chuckle out of it.

Supplies:

1 piece of heavy canvas in the size of a door mat
Tulip Fabric Spray Paint (red)
Crafty Chica Tango Permanent Fabric Markers (black)
Rug grip for the bottom

Directions: Pour the fabric paint (I like this one because it is thin and leaves a good "stain") on an unwanted cookie sheet or paint pan and step in it. Step on the mat and roll your feet so it makes a good footprint. Drip more paint around, and then add whatever phrases you want using the black marker. Add the rug grip for the bottom.

Heh, heh, heh...enjoy!

Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

P.S. Check out my new book and product line!