Sneak Peeks- oh my!

Quick! Clickie here to catch a glimpse of the premier Gauche Alchemy kits! Available for sale in only ONE WEEK!!! Yipee! Drop me a line of you want to reserve a kit of your very own-- we are releasing a limited set of 11 of each theme for the initial launch, so don't miss out!

Every now and again...

we need to know that we're not alone...in our struggles, in our successes, in our everyday activities. This is a post from a fabulous design blog, Decor8, that I read regularly. It is beautifully written and very inspirational-- please take a moment to read it. This particular post really struck a chord with me, as it speaks to exactly where I'm at in finding

my creative "place"
in the world. I find myself getting resentful towards the unfavorable circumstances before me, every obstacle small or large, and discouraged in general because of the amount of responsibilities pulling me in all directions. But **hello**, that's life! Life is full of hurdles, responsibilities and obligations that must be attended to. But it is also full of joy, magical moments, and blissful contentment if we choose to see those things. I think that if we could spend more time being thankful for all those wonderful things we have in our lives right now and less time wishing things were somehow different, perhaps that peace can wash over the chaos. I need to let go and focus on fostering creative activities in my daily life, and creating an environment that will allow my artistic career to develop, as opposed to trying to control every detail and getting completely overwhelmed in the process. My careerIS moving forward, and I truly believe that things will fall into place, but in the meantime, there are 3-year-old princesses to play dress-up with and a hubs that could use an extra smooch (or two).

~artwork: "we all flock to ruby" by Marisa at Creative Thursday~

Stay Tuned...

I promise to get things updated in the next day or so, but in the meantime, here's a cute child! In this photo, she has layered two (2!) pairs of pajama pants, her favorite bling cross necklace and a smile. She's a ham for sure! A very cute ham, but a ham nonetheless. Maybe she could be Mr. T or MC Hammer for Halloween this year...

The Unveiling

I'm soooo thrilled with our new logo for Gauche!! We discovered Kim Carter at Paper Heart Press on Etsy and immediately fell in love with her whimsical style. She really listened to our concept ideas and ran with it, creating something that is all at once girly, vintage-esque and a little off (in the best possible way). She incorporated a delightfully delicate cockroach which I think is pure genius! Thanks, Kim, for all your hard work. We love it! Our logo, blog and Etsy banners and avatar are just THE BEST.

Your Opinion, Please.

I, in typical Heather fashion, am having a little trouble making a decision. So, I need you help...
Do you prefer:
1.) MonkeyMine Creations
2.) MonkeyMine Originals
3.) Monkeymine Studio

I am leaning towards one of these, but would really like to hear your opinion, so please leave a comment! This would be the name for my website and personal business of custom scrapbooking, hip kids decor, portraiture and whatever else floats my creative boat that particular month.

Thanks, all! Hope your week is a good one so far!

New tush!

Here's a cutie baby tush for your viewing enjoyment! This one is going to be hanging in the fabulous consignment boutique HISSYFITS!

I promise some scrappy pics this weekend, but until then...

happy, happy Friday!

Introducing...

GAUCHE ALCHEMY!

I, along with my (other) business partner, Amy Wing, are tickled pink to announce the upcoming launch of our kit club, Gauche Alchemy. These darling scrapbook and collage kits will be full to the brim with vintage goodies of all sorts-- ribbons, children's books, buttons, sheet music, advertisements--as well as a selection of complimentary crafty supplies and scrapbook papers. Each kit will have a theme; something catchy, perhaps something slightly innapropriate, dark and always humerous.

We officially launch in the beginning of September [so soon!], but in the mean time, take a look at our blog to get a sneak peek. Make sure you leave a comment on the latest Gauche blog entry to be entered in a fabulous drawing!!!

Amy and I have had so much fun hand-picking all the amazing finds to include in these premier kits. We have spent months scheming (I mean planning) this business concept and doing all the legwork to get it ready. It hardly seems like work because it's just so darn fun! I can not wait to open our Etsy shop so we can share our treasures with all of you!

So, stay tuned for updates (and maybe some prizes!) If you would like to reserve a kit, drop me a line. We are planning on keeping the prices around $30+shipping. We will also have "grab bags" full of trims, fabric and smaller items for $10-$15.

Hooray! I'm so excited, I think I could tinkle!

What a Wirlwind!

Well, I have just returned to the office after spending the morning at the beautiful Tropical Mist Day Spa being interviewed for the Awhatukee Foothills news. I was joined by Jessica, the co-owner of Three Purple Pigs, Michelle, with Precious Wee Piggies, and of course Gloria of Maternity Keepsakes and Save My Tush. I can't even begin to describe how inspirational it was to meet and be surrounded by these mothers-- entrepreneurs, really-- who have created successful businesses AND are raising amazing families. I am SOO not even in the same league as them! After spending some time with them, and listening to parts of their interviews, I feel like I am suddenly a part of an incredible support system. We all have an artistic longing to create something, and to share it with other women (and their munchkins, too). I am feeling thouroughly encouraged to jump in and start my own business!

Thank you so much, Gloria, for believing in my artictic abilities sight unseen and encouraging me to follow my dream. Slowly, but surely, things are coming together; opportunities are being placed in front of me, and I know that I am on the right path.

Next on the calendar... a Women's Expo, a Children's Fair at the end of the month, my OTHER business venture, Gauche Alchemy {to be explained in detail soon, I promise}, a website (what do we think about MonkeyMine as a business name????? Or MonkeyMine studios?), a logo, business cards and a couple TV spots. Oh yeah, and there are several art projects in the pipeline, too. Does anyone have any brilliant ideas as to how to get more hours in a day?? I'm not sure how to fit this all in. Oh yeah, I've gotta quit my day job. (: Good luck with that, right? If anyone has any fantastic part-time opportunities, let me know!

I guess so

I just found out that Gloria and I will be featured in an article in the Awhatukee Foothills News. We will be interviewed next Tuesday. How crazy is that?