My day at BlogHer

Wow. What a day. The only way I can describe it is totally shine-a-delic. Hi gloss funorama, baby. We all caught a cool buzz, and that is without any craft fumes!

My advice to bloggers out there: go to this conference next year, and bring cards! It's all about networking, sharing stories, ideas, and inspiring others - and getting all of that in return.

When I got on the shuttle this morning, there was one other lady (I'm bummed I didn't get her card) and she gave me the 411 of what to do as soon as we reached the Navy Pier (conference location). She was so sweet, and I remember thinking how nice it would be if everyone there was like her! They were!

After I picked up my badge, I went into the lunch banquet room, and sat with some lovely ladies from Global Voices. I finished my chicken wrap and pasta salad and left for my panel room. I was 20 minutes early, and almost all the seats were full! That's because everyone was excited to see Amy Sedaris, who was one of four panelists. She is a rock star in the craft world because of her passion for kitschy crafting! Next, the radiant Leah Peterson came to serve as the moderator, followed by Natalie Zee (Craft Magazine editor andblogger), and Kristin Roach of the super-clever site, Craft Leftovers.

By then, the room was filled to capacity with lots of creative-looking people (yay, red hair streaks!). We shared our stories, and the audience asked really good questions about pricing, inspiration, product descriptions, and more. Amy kept the discussion lively with her quips. She told us how her dad came over to her house and wanted a snack. She offered him a bowl of peanuts that had a set of googly eyes glued on each one. I suggested everyone in the room should glue eyes on something, and post in their blog in honor of Amy. I plan to do it! Seriously. What other movie star would come to a conference to talk about crafts? Amy rocked it, and lived up to her reputation. I was also blown away by Natalie and all her knowledge of creative arts, tech stuff, and the magazine world - and fashion!! She demo-ed how to make cute coffee cup cozies. And then there was Kristin - girlfriend is only 24 and already has a killer web site!! I wished I had that knowledge when I was her age! Anyway, BlogHer is supposed to post video of the panel discussion on their site. Don't forget to check it out!

After the panel, we went upstairs for our book signings. I was right - Amy had a LONG line, not only to buy her book and have it signed, but also to buy some of her crafts that she brought to sell. I was so bummed that by the time I got up to her table, the $20 concrete birthday cakes had sold out :-)
But I did get some jars of her lotion, and a calendar. I gave her my earrings! She is so dang petite that my earrings would be too big. "It's OK", she said "I'll hang 'em on my lampshade!"


(Pictured: Amy with my earrings!)

I sold some books too! I made little Crafty Chica resin pins to give away to people who bought my book or mentioned my site, and I don't have any left. I also ran out of the beautiful postcards Duncan sent me to pass out!

As if the day wasn't awesome enough - Amy BOUGHT ONE OF MY BOOKS!!! She is so funny, she throws out silly wisecracks for everything. I signed it, and she took it to the cashier to pay. "$27 dollars??" she hollered in shock, when the girl rang her up. "Crap. And now I have to buy it because she signed it! I can't even sell it or give it away because she wrote my name on it!"

Afterwards, she gave me a big hug and we (the panel team) went to eat an early dinner. After that we went to the BlogHer conference party to drink wine, watch people cut up T-shirts with Chloe Dao (winner of Project Runway Season 2!), we ate pudding out micro-sized plastic cups and drank more wine. And met more people!


(Chloe Dao showing people how to cut up a t-shirt)

I took a few more photos with my cell phone, but they are not coming through tonight. Luckily, Natalie did a lot of snapping and said she share, so I'll post more pix soon. I'm about to go to bed, I have an early flight in the morning, and I'm so sad the day is gone. There were all kinds of other events going on, one day was not enough time. I got to chat with all kinds of bloggers who write about food, crafts, kids and more! There more than 800 people!

The whole scene was about trading business cards. I learned about the Flickr Mini Moo cards! They are so cute, and you can use your photo on them. As soon as I get home, I'm going to buy a huge box of them!

Here are some links of people I met today (forgive me if I missed anyone!). Thank you to everyone for all their kind words, I appreciate it soooo much!! Keep on bloggin'!!


Silly Bahraini Girl
ScrapBlog
Snigdha Sen
Caribbean Free Radio
Afromusing
Craft Sanity
Ruth Dynamite
Cynthia McCune
Anali's First Amendment
Kelly Reising
Renee Blodgett
Simply Recipes
The Finery Shop
Purse Stories
Kyran Pittman
Felicia Sullivan (Hi, girl!)
Simply Hired
The Wonderful World of Des
Judy Perez
LJC!!!
Kung Foodie
The Dream Shop
Red Stapler



***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Back in the Windy City - BLOGHER!

I'm back! I got to my hotel room at 4 a.m. this morning. As soon as I'm done with this post, I have to hustle to get ready for the BlogHer conference that is going on. Duncan made me some stunning postcards, and I made some mini-swag goodies to hand out for those people who say "I've seen your web site!"

Later on today I have a book sigining along side AMY SEDARIS!! I'm thinking my line will be pretty short because everyone will be in hers. That will give me more time to rest my chin in my hand and stare at her, in awe. I hope she brings googly eyes. I don't want to look like a complete freak, but I went ahead and made her a pair of Crafty Chica earrings. They kinda look like fried eyes busted out from inside of a pinata. Hope I have a moment to give them to her. Although I know everyone probably made her something!!

OK! I gotta jam so I won't be late!






***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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PROJECT: Coloring Book Pillow

Coloring books have that cool old-school look about them. That's why when I first discovered fabric markers, I immediately thought of using that theme for some cute pillows.

This project screams "kids," but you can change it to fit your style. This idea also will work for a unique spin on a gift for a baby shower or child's birthday party.

If you don't want to make a toss pillow, use the technique to add a slash of bright color to your fabric collages, sewing projects and even scrapbooks. You could even go with neon colors for a funky Andy Warhol-inspired vibe. Regardless, any option is an easy and entertaining time-passer.

Click here for directions.
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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BlogHer 2007

I'm heading back to Chicago tonight to speak on the crafty panel at this year's BlogHer Conference in Chicago!!! Come check it out!! I'll be joined on the "Art of Craft" panel with fellow crafters, Natalie Zee of Craft Zine, Kristin Roach of Craft Leftovers, and Amy Sedaris of I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. All this will be moderated by the fabulous Leah Peterson.

Here's a bit about the session:

The CraftBlogging community is diverse and large, covering everything from scrapbooking to knitting to other handi-crafts. They use their online communities to collaborate, to provide critiques, to engage in commerce, and simply to learn. How do you find your piece of the CraftBlogosphere? And yes, we'll also talk crafts...our favorite solo and group projects. Leah Petersen moderates the conversation with Kathy Cano Murillo (aka Crafty Chica), Kristin Roach, Natalie Zee Drieu and Amy Sedaris.
Find out more about the BlogHer conference held at The Navy Pier in Chicago, IL and how you can register from the conference web site. - Link.

Hope to see you there!
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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PROJECT: Domino Shrines

I *heart* making shrines from small objects. Dominoes are perfect because they have a smooth surface, which begs for embellishment. For these little puppies, I used some hologrpahic saint stickers I bought on Olvera Street last fall. Sigh... I miss Olvera Street.

Anyhoo - they were the perfect size for the dominoes! One one of them, I glued a hinge, and the other one I glued standing up. You could do all kinds of things with them - stamp on them, emboss, etc.





***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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PROJECT: World Traveler Hanging Mobile

I've had a couple of requests asking for more craft projects, so here is one I can post right now. I'll have two more coming this week. I know... I've been slipping! This is the main reason you all come here, so I better get on the ball and post more projects!

This is a project I did for the book Collage for the Soul: Expressing Hopes and Dreams Through Art by Holly Harrison and Paula Grasdal. If you like altered art and dimensional collage, you'll love this book.

My project is the World Traveler Hanging Mobile. The idea behind this is to decorate a CD for a different culture. And then you can make the mobile and hang it in your room to remind you of how big of a world it is out there - and that you should visit as many lands as possible in your lifetime!


(click on photo for a bigger picture)


Supplies:

6 CDs
assorted papers
assorted stickers, stamps, etc
6-8 strings of Mardi Gras beads
clored glass pebbles
16 strips of bright colored ribbon
1 dowel, 16"
2 dowels, 8" each
spool of twine
spool of copper wirew
lage metal ring for hanging
handheld drill or Dremel
wire cutters
needle nose pliers
hot glue gun, extra strength adhesive
basic collage supplies

Directions: Cover the CDs on both sides with collage art. Drill a hole at the top and bottom of each one. Drill a hole in the center and at both ends of each dowel. Cut two 30" pieces of twine. Thread thru the hole in the long dowel, leaving 10" dangling. Knot the twine on both sides of the dowel to hold in place. Bring the longer pieces up, knot them together at 10", and tie them to the ring for hanging. Thread a dangling end through the center hole of each short dowel, securing with knots, to attach the short dowels to the longer one.

Cut a 15" piece of twine. Thread it through the center hole of the long dowel so it hangs down, and secure with knots. Cut four 8" lengths of twine. Thread them through the four end holes in the short dowels., secure with knots.

With wire cutters, snip 18 4-5" strips of copper wire. Bend them in decorative "s" shapes. Hook the swirls through each hole inthe discs. Attach the discs to the dowels. For the centepriece, add an extra CD. Tie ribbbons at the bottom of the CDs, hot glue Mardi Gras beads.
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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PROJECT: Charm Necklace

Every time I'm cruising the aisles at the craft store, I can't help but stop and admire all the tiny scrapbook charms. Recently, I bought a handful - not for my scrapbooks, but for a Scrapbook Charm Necklace.

This project will fit any personality or body frame because you can adjust it to fit your style.

To give the necklace a more dimensional look, I used three textures of chains. Of course, you can always visit the jewelry section of the craft store to find other charms or, if you are like me, search through your jewelry box for long lost earring strays.

Thank you to Margot for sending me the pretty moon crystal!!!

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE DIRECTIONS

***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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My novel sold! Let's party in Chicago!

I'll get to the book sale in a second...

I'm here in Chicago, gearing up for the Summer Craft and Hobby Convention. This is the first time I'm here as a designer, instead of a media person. Of course, I'll still be scouting out new goodies to write about in my craft column, but first and foremost I'm here to represent Duncan!! We are going to be demoing an altered tin clutch, and helping booth guests make them.

Here at the hotel, the place is buzzing with creative energy. Lots of designers, and people to chat crafts with. Today I had a late lunch with Leslie Ohnstad, owner of Luminarte Inc and inventor of one of my favorite products ever - Twinkling H2Os! She told me her story of going from a car dealership finance manager to inventing a line of high intensity paints - and ultimately several other product lines. Now she has a crafty empire, everyone loves her products, and like me, are addicted to them.

I like to share success stories like Leslie's because it proves that as long as you have an idea, and focus on it - find resources, etc - you can make it happen. Maybe even make a living off of it. Swear to God and cross my heart. Twice. It doesn't matter how crazy or insane that idea sounds, go for it! You will feel so good once you finish.

This week, I'm proof of that too! My novel, "Love Shine", sold today! Not only one novel - but TWO! My agent and I officially accepted a dream-come-true-somebody-pinch-me-please two-book offer from Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner Books). It was a very long, but exciting process that began last week. I'll share more as details develop.

It did not come easy. I spent many, many hours for this. I sacrificed time with my family and friends. I bet I got extra grey hairs and wrinkles from the experience. But they are wrinkles from smile lines!

I started my manuscript in November of 2004. It was the first fiction piece I ever wrote (not counting grade school and high school), and I had no idea if it would sell. I didn't care. I wrote it because I loved the characters and story. These days, I like to look at my past blog entries during that time. At one point early in the game, my agent had me go back to the drawing board. I shed tears. I could have given up. But instead, I spent the next year redoing the book. Recently, I had my friend, Kathya, read the entire book (she also read my first manuscript back in the day). When she gave me back the manuscript this time, she said, "This is it Kathy. This is your book." My amiga, Yoli, read the entire thing too, and said the same thing. Thank you, ladies! I love writing, period. Now I get to do more of it, and use words as my glitter and varnish.

My advice if you have a book idea: follow through, baby!!! Do not look for agents or editors, or bounce your ideas off of anyone. FIRST write your book. That's all. Don't do it for any other reason other than that you want to do it. If it is meant to be, it will come together for you, it will be rough, but stick with it. Again, finish your book! Or if it is non-fiction, write your proposal. Read, read, read. Let it consume you, stay up late at night if you need to. I wrote my book between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. several nights a week. Sometimes during the weekend too.

I never thought I could do this. "I can only write craft books and entertainment stories", I thought. Who says I can only do that? No one but ourselves. We can do whatever we put our minds to. I always dreamed about someday writing a book about hipster Latinas. And then Alisa came out with The Dirty Girl's Social Club and my jaw dropped. I read that book cover to cover in days, and was motivated to read other novels. Here are some fun author suggestions: Mary Castillo, Marta Acosta and Lynda Sandoval (look at their links for other authors!).

Eventually, the writing bug bit hard.

It was the best feeling to tell Patrick and the kids about my book sale, because they feel like they own a part of it. There were times when I sat them all on the couch and read them chapters and they offered input like, "Make Star's eye twitch when she tells a lie, Mom!"

Well, I need to get to bed so I can wake up bright and early tomorrow. Today at the Phoenix airport, I decided not to check in my little overnight case. Bad idea. They confiscated my beloved Victoria's Secret lotion and worst of all - *bites knuckles* - my hair smoothing cream!!! At this moment, I have a fro big enough to hide a cherry danish. Or two. I have no idea how I'm going to fix my hair for tomorrow. I don't to look like the Wild Woman of Barcelona. i jsut want to look normal.

Have a nice night!

***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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For quince sake? Why can't I do pretty?

(NOTE: I don't know how to do the tildi over the n, sorry!)

I never had a Quinceanera, but my little sister did. It wasn't a traditional one though. She particpated in a fancy upper crust Latina ceremony with other girls at a ritzy resort. I swear I went, but my mom says I missed it. It was a long time ago, I don't remember. Geez, I haven't even seen that movie yet, but it is in my NetFlix queue.

Bad, I know. As a third generation Mexican-American, shouldn't I know all about this backwards and forwards? Especially the crafty opportunities. Every year at the craft convention, there is always a "Hispanics & Crafting" panel (current research shows that more than 50% of Latinos craft on a regular basis!), a few of which I've sat on. The topic of Quinceaneras ALWAYS comes up - "It's just like a wedding, and just about every Hispanic household has one if they have a daughter! There is oodles of money to be made!" Part of me cringes because in my world, Quinceaneras aren't around that much that I know of.

So imagine the fear that came over me when I was asked to help with the Quinceanera tablescape at the Designer Showcase at this summer's craft convention. Part of me wanted to admit I'd be better for a beach theme, or maybe a rockabilly roller girls theme. The other half of my brain (and spirit) told me to be thankful for the opportunity, and to stretch my skills. Especially because of the theme!

I went with the latter.

I got down to business. Quinces are formal, like a wedding. It's a time for girls to crossover from Hannah Montana to Hilary Duff. It has to be classy. And ultra pretty. Did I say elegant? Yes, elegant too.

Before I even started to sketch, I read a copy of this new hilarious book called, Fifteen Candles: 15 Tales of Taffeta, Hairspray, Drunk Uncles, and other Quinceanera Stories by Adriana Lopez. i love it because it is a collection of essays from various writers about their quince nightmares. For once, I felt like I was semi-there!



I'm stalling. Let me get on with the story. The theme for our tablescape is butterflies, and color scheme is blue, silver and white. I was assigned to create a table cloth, napkins, and a seat cover. Sounds pretty, huh?

Ugh! OK, that's my problem. I can't do pretty! I've tried in the past, and I always stumble. Blue and silver are chuckholes in my artsy road of life. My crafty Kryptonite. I'm crippled without my hot pink glitter!

*Deep breath*, I can do this. Pretty, classy, elegant, I chanted to myself. (Breathes hard, like a pregnant lady in labor.)
Pretty. Classy. Elegant.
Pretty. Classy. Elegant.

"Focus...focus...", I thought as I began my sketches. I'm an official "professional craft designer" now, and I have to be able to whip out anything on the spot, and make it gasp worthy.

Pretty! Classy! Elegant! Yes. Yes...YES!!!

Sigh.

I did tie dye.

WAIT! Before you shake your head in shame, let me explain. I was cruising through this super cute site called Quince Girl. And lookie! They have a BEACH theme! Those pictures of the coconut drinks gave me full on liberty to interpret "blue" as "Caribbean Blue" - which is actually teal. I can do teal! And teal looks awesome with hot pink, purple, and - yes...SILVER!

So the crafty chica wheels began to turn in my brain, and I thought about doing something bright and fun with the butterfly theme. Tattoo-style butterflies to give my qunice projects a little edge. I sketched a design for Patrick, and within minutes, my honey made me this:



See why I love him so much? This butterfly, well, is super fly!

I printed a bunch of them on fabric sheets, and then made some ribbons, and printed out words on them that any decent 15-year-old girl should be thinking about at her party: courage, education, strength, family, love, culture, etc...OK, maybe not at her party, but at least the next day!



After I made the napkins and chair cover, I started feeling guilty, and worried that my stuff won't match the other designers items. They are fabulous designers. I'm so not worthy!! I'm stressing big time because everything needs to go together as one cohesive glamorous Quinceanera tablescape. Leave it to me, the only Mexican chick in the group, to throw everyone off track!

When it came to the tablecloth, I only colored the center and the edges. Just to be "normal", I left a lot of open white space. And that white space was killing me as the minutes ticked by. So I added more butterflies. And glitter on the butterflies. And spray glitter all over the whole damn thing. It still needed something else, I couldn't put my finger on it. I asked Patrick and he told me, "You should have just gone all the way and dyed the tablecloth teal too! Be proud and confident!" Of course, that was after he told me it looked a little too "kid" like.

Oh well. It's too late now. It's been sent out. Please do the sign of the cross with me right now. Thanks. I'm due to arrive at the craft convention Thursday, and I'll be biting my nails the entire time, wondering if my goodies pass.

All this time spent in Quince world reminded me that Maya turns 15 next year. As I slipped the rubberbands around the napkins, getting ready to dip them in the dye, I fantisized about throwing Maya a sparkly Quinceañera. A pretty, classy and, yes, elegant one! With a beach theme! It's a year away, we could start saving our pennies now.

Later in the day, I sat her down, and held her hands in excitement.

"Maya! What do you think about having a Quinceanera next year for when you turn 15? You know? To celebrate you becoming a young lady? I know all about how to do it! I'm a pro now!"

"Wow! Cool, thanks!" she replied. She then bit at the dark purple polish on her thumbnail. She does that when she is deep in thought. "Hmmm...actually, could I ask for something else instead?"

I scrunched my brows, confused. "Um, I guess...What did you have in mind?"

She hopped up. "Paris! Can the four of us go to Paris next year? It will probably cost the same, and it's something we can all do together! Please?"

The kid was right. DeAngelo graduates from high school next year. He deserves a coming-of-age fiesta too! Thanks to the Quinceanera tablescape, Los Murillos are planning a trip across the pond!

Viva la mariposa!

***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Day of the Dead Memory Book Class

Monday, August 6 - Full Day 9-12 & 1:30-4:30 (Lunch included 12-1:30 )
$135.00
Art Unraveled Conference: Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2532 W. Peoria Avenue, Phoenix.
Register here


I still have a few spaces left for this workshop, so I thought I'd let you know.

It's a scrapbook made of fabric!

Student Level: All skill levels

This is a vivid, sentimental fabric collage book dedicated to those we love who have passed away. We will make a 12x12 six-page book where each page or spread is dedicated to someone you love. For example, one spread could be your grandparents; the next spread your favorite artists and the last of your dog Fluffy who passed away. This book is meant to be a personal empowerment keepsake with pockets, charms, photos, trims, fabrics, patches and such to remind us of those who inspire us. We will use a variety of Day of the Dead and Mexican themed fabrics, as well many other embellishments. This is a Project workshop – students should complete some pages in the Memory Book during the w/s.

Students can send me up to four jpgs of their personal pictures and I will print them on fabric paper and bring them to class. No extra cost.

Kit fee of $15 payable to instructor at class time.

All supplies will be provided by the instructor. This is a fabric workshop, a sewing machine is helpful, but not required. There will be a generous amount of fabric glues for those who do not wish to sew. There will be a sewer on hand, or students are encouraged to bring their own machine if they know they want to sew their book. While there will be many pictures to choose from, students are encouraged to bring fabric images of their personal photos (see above).

You can ask any of my former student, I really load up your kit with goodies!! This one inparticular. I'll have gobs of interesting embellishments, fabricpictures of my husband's paintings, and way cool fabrics to choose from. AND this is the last time I'll be teaching this class.

Register here

Here are some more photos:




***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Shiny, Happy Wednesday

I have deemed July 11 as Shiny, Happy Wednesday.

It started with a heartfelt convo with my dear friend Margot (I love you too, chica!). We only get to chat every so often, but when we do, I get so inspired. She is one of those people living her dream by way of crystals and needle nose pliers! She has a busy crafty career too, and it's fun to compare notes. Oh!! Don't forget to check out her new book, Sparkletastic!

I then went into work, and continued writing my product instructions, which sounds boring, but is actually entertaining in weird way that I can't explain. I'll try. I envision people at the store, picking up the package, and reading the directions. My goal is for them to feel a connection, and hopefully try it out!

The weather here is 10 degrees lower than Phoenix, and I'm diggin' that. tonight it was actually chilly! The week is going by much faster than I expected. That's because the team at Duncan is above and beyond kind. They've got my back. It's almost like they subconsciously know how much I miss my family. A few of us went out to lunch today, and we're doing happy hour tomorrow. Anything I need, they are there to help me find a solution. If it weren't for that, I'd be a basket case!

Tonight Devoya, Estela and the rest of the Hella Crafty Fresno crew made me feel at home at their monthly meeting. They even took me for a spin around the Tower District - an artsy area of the city. Talk about organized! Hella Crafty had a typed agenda, plus plans for all kinds of crafty events. The artists in the group know how rock it, one of them, Kim, made me a dangly necklace that spells out CRAFTY.

Now it's almost 1 a.m. and I'm gluing mini pictures to pendants for a photo shoot tomorrow morning. Today I saw even more completed prototyped items. Everything looks drop dead fabulous. Bright, shiny, cute, sassy - it will put a smile on your face. I'm so proud of it all, and thank the crafty gods that the staff is feelin' the chica vibe!! They know how to take an idea and bring it to life.

OK, I'm off to finish up these pendants so I can get to bed. Tomorrow is a new day, and I'm ready to roll. I'll post pictures, and new craft projects when I get home to Phoenix.

Peace out, and craft on!
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Come see me at BlogHer 2007

OK, I'm being lazy. I totally lifted this from Natalie Zee from the the wonderful Craft magazine blog. I'm speaking on the crafty panel at this year's BlogHer Conference in Chicago!!! Come check it out!!

Hi Crafters! Just wanted to let you know that I'll be in Chicago for the BlogHer Conference later this month from July 27-29. I'm very excited to be speaking on The Art of Crafts panel on Saturday, July 28 at 1:30-2:45pm with my fellow crafters, Kathy Cano Murillo of Crafty Chica, Kristin Roach of Craft Leftovers, and Amy Sedaris of I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence (but does she really need any intro?). All this will be moderated by the fabulous Leah Peterson and just know that in addition to crafty goodness, I'm sure we'll have lots of laughs!

Here's a bit about the session:

The CraftBlogging community is diverse and large, covering everything from scrapbooking to knitting to other handi-crafts. They use their online communities to collaborate, to provide critiques, to engage in commerce, and simply to learn. How do you find your piece of the CraftBlogosphere? And yes, we'll also talk crafts...our favorite solo and group projects. Leah Petersen moderates the conversation with Kathy Cano Murillo (aka Crafty Chica), Kristin Roach, Natalie Zee Drieu and Amy Sedaris.
Find out more about the BlogHer conference held at The Navy Pier in Chicago, IL and how you can register from the conference web site. - Link.
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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greetings from fresno

i have so much to blog about, but very little energy. i can't even hit the shift button, i'm so out of it.

i'm here in fresno for a week long writing marathon. i'm writing all the copy for 108 crafty chica product packages. i want each and every one to be happy, and inspiring, so of course lots of coffee is involved.

i had a bad week last week. i crashed and burned on a very important freelance craft assignment. i wish i could crawl under the table right now out of shame. i tried, i really did, and you all know when i put my mind to something, some how, someway, it happens and comes together and everything wroks out. it was such a reality blow to see that things sometimes actually don't work out that way.

i'm realizing that there has to come a point when, no matter how much you are honored by a new project opportunity, you have to learn to pass if you truly can't fit it in. willpower is one thing, so far, it has carried me very far, but fitting more hours in each day is impossible. one little pebble is dropped and the whole house tumbles. it was a sracpbook project that i should have been able to make in my sleep. instead it became more difficult than when patrick and i used to have 300 accoun ts to serve. you know when you get so flustered, you don't know which way is up? patrick tells me when you keep hitting a brick wall, maybe it is time to go in another direction. so i gave up and cried uncle. that's a new one for me. it feels so awful to suck. sigh. i haven't been able to hardly make anything since, i'm so bummed with myself. but we dust ourselves off and live and learn, right? hopefully the crafty magic will return soon. it *has* to..i have a tablecloth, seat cover and napkins to finish for the craft and hobby show tablescape display next week! plus three craft columns to write!

in the meantime, i'm here in cali, writing my copy. it's so lonely without patrick and the kids. today is my sister's birthday and i missed it ;-( i've been eating out alone and last night i went to a movie. today was nice because one of the designers at duncan went to dinner with me! afterwards, i went and caught a screening of "waitress" (cute film!!). tomorrow the crafty crew from hella crafty are taking me out for a night on the town!



i'm sorry to sound so whiny. i have every reason to be upful and grateful. recently i mentioned a big cable channel that was interested in me - well i found out last night they approved a 12 epsiode crafty chica webisode series that will debut this fall. and this week at duncan offices, i've been able to see all the crafty chica prototypes come to life. this week there is a photo shoot of them for the packaging. it is all so amazingly cool. the long hours and hard work are paying off.

special thanks to everyone who came out to the phoe nix fridas event last saturday. we had close to 200+ people! i'll try to post pix soon. next week i'm in rosemont, il for cha, and then, then i come home and then i fly out to chicago for blogher. so i better go to conserve my energy!

go be crafty! sorry for any typos!
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Crafty Chica product line update

Here are some sneak peeks are the packaging and new logo design. Remember last month I posted a bunch of sketches to choose from? We took all your feedback and came up with this look.

Like it? Isn't she awesome? Personally, I hope to have her abs some day. I love the roses with the scissors too - credit goes to the fabulous Duncan graphic design team for these!

I've been working on this project of a lifetime for three months now. I can't believe how fast the days have clicked by. You would be amazed at what goes into launching a product - much less an entire product line! I feel sorry for Lauren, the direct import goddess, who has held my hand through this whole process. She has the difficult task of nailing down the logistics of my ideas, and getting them sourced (finding someone to mass produce them), and then made in time for the deadlines. God bless her for making the magic happen!

I want this product line to be over-the-top, and oozing - no, make that, vibrating - with Crafty Chica goodness. On second thought, I want it vibrating AND shooting out rays of microglitter. Yet at the same time, I want it to appeal to the mass consumer so everything will fly off the racks. I really need to make a shrine for that purpose. *Jots down on to-do list*

The other day I was in Michaels, and was shocked to some of Martha's items on clearance already!!! What's up with that? I would just die to see mark-down stickers on my merchandise. I would need therapy for a lifetime, plus chocolate! That's why I'm putting 100,000,000,000% energy into doing this right.

It's been hard. Much harder than anything I've done before. Time is a big factor, so I've had to become a crafty ninja. Like The Bride in Kill Bill, except with craft supplies instead of samurai swords. I've had to learn how to come up with an idea, break it down on paper, make sure it is cost effective to produce, and then create a killer sample that will glisten more than Fabio's hair on a romance novel cover. And in a matter of days. Even when things get stressful (I had a mini-meltdown over a font the other day), I'm still loving every minute.

I've learned to stretch beyond the norm, actually I've forced myself. All I keep thinking is "everything has to be different than what is out there!" At Duncan, we call it the "chica factor" - going above and beyond on each and every item. For example, if I want a wood box for people to decorate, why settle for a normal boring box? Why not create a new type of box? I sketched it out, made a prototype, and there it is! Ready to be manufactured! My goal is for people to see something from afar, and say, "Oh, wow! That's a Crafty Chica box!"

OK, I bet you want to know the hard and fast details. There are about 80-100 items on the line. Bright colors. Glitter. Glue. Stencils. Iron ons, Appliques. Paint. There are a lot of original illustrations from Patrick, and even some from me (actually a lot from me!). Everything has the signature Murillo style. Yes, it is Latinocentric, but there are other aspects as well. The specfics are still underwraps because there are some incredible, clever, juicy kits that are our golden tickets. I scoured the crafty landscape to ensure there was nothing like what we're producing. Or at least nothing close to it.

Like I've always said, you have to search high and low and "see" what has NOT been done, and then dive in, and commit! Find the gap and fill it. Once we finish this initial roll out, I get to come up with Crafty Chica products for Halloween and Christmas. This is still so surreal and I still can't believe it is happening to me.

While I'm here, I may as well update you on the novel! Thank you all of you who have written me about it, and those of you who offered to be test readers. I really appreciate the interest!!! I ended up going with a couple of my best homegirls for that. Anyway, my manuscript went out to 10 book editors recently, and now it is a candle lighting/finger crossing/marathon prayer session/waiting game to see if a publishing house will buy it. I think it is the cutest book ever - of course, I wrote it, what else could I say??? It has adorably kooky characters, love triangles, roller derby girls, crafting, Mexican food, reggae music, and of course, GLITTER!

So will it sell?

Half of me knows that many, many authors have never published their first, or even second, manuscript. I'm ready for that. I knew I was taking a chance when I devoted all those hours to it. The chances are slim.

However, the other half of me has this gut feeling that this was meant to be!!

I've had visions of seeing the cover of my book on the middle table at Barnes and Noble. I've been working on this project for the past three years, with no paycheck or guarantee attached. I'm a busy lady who has a family to feed. During those three years, I worked full-time, wrote my craft books, ran my online store, and did the whole domestic thing. Why in the world would I stay up until 2 a.m. every night to write a novel? I've never written a lick of fiction before. But I felt so compelled to do this. I don't know why. The characters just hopped out of my head, and followed me around in my daily life. Something in me, maybe an angel or an internal (fictional?) boot camp coach, made me follow through like a woman possessed.

It all started in 2004, when I saw an ad for National Novel Writing Month. Tonight I re-read my blog from that month, where I posted my progress. I would love more than anything to email NaNoWriMo founder, Chris Baty, and tell him - "My novel sold! Thank for having NaNoWriMo!"



Even if it doesn't sell, I feel so proud to have accomplished such a feat. Will I ever do it again? Probably. I have a couple other ideas for saucy reads. In the meantime, I'm still working hard on my craft books. My next one is for Random House/Potter Craft (they rock!), and it is a Crafty Chica sewing book. I'm so grateful to write craft books.

Today at Borders I looked for my books to sign. I couldn't find them anywhere. I asked the clerk to please look up my name to see if they had any in the store. She said yes, and we walked to the craft section to find a stack of them. I got a bit worried because I had signed several a couple months ago. For a second I thought, "How embarassing, these must be the ones I signed last time!".

But no.

It was a fresh pile of books. The others had sold! So, thank you to the wonderful Glendale crafty chicas who purchased them! It made my whole day!

Well, enough of me boring you with all this. Have a super rest of the week!
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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New paintings!

I have two new paintings going up for sale on Saturday as part of the "Viva Frida" (scroll down to read about it) exhibition that runs all month long. I honestly didn't think I would come through with these, I've had such a busy month with my new job, but some how, some way - I did it! Even better, I love them. When I did the Frida one, I was really stressed out and tense. It shows. Look at her expression. Despite the flowers, she does not look like a happy camper. But our Phoenix Frida motto is "we have pain. We have passion. We paint." That is very much Frida, so all is well.


The other one, Frida's Flowers, is lighter and happier. I made that one early in the morning while listening to '80s New Wave music on the radio. Ah, nothing like a little Adam and the Ants to get the glitter flowing...



***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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Glittered stars. Just because.

These are some pretty glittered stars I made with my gourmet glitter. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet, but I just love to look at them. Sometimes when life gets a little rough, all it takes is one sparkle to brighten things up. So, here is a gazillion of them.

This is for those of you who need a boost of shininess - even after the 4th of July fireworks!

Hope it was a nice one for you!
***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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'August Rush' is coming!

Time to break out the box of golden tissues. If this movie trailer doesn't make you tear up just a little bit, you have a heart of stone. Sniffle.

From imdb.com:

"August Rush" tells the story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and a sheltered young cellist (Keri Russell) who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger (Robin Williams), August (Freddie Highmore) uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth.

August Rush: Starring Keri Russell (yay!), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (yay!), Terrance Howard (double yay!), Freddie highmore (yay!), Robin William (eh.). Coming this October!


***
Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life ($19.95, Rayo Books, an imprint of Harper Collins).
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