Artist Renee Mak

Black Friday Purchase!! I know, most people ran to the malls and department stores on  Black Friday... but I had something entirely different in mind. We've been very fortunate in Iowa this year because the weather has been great.  However, I know from experience that extreme cold is on its way!  (And has finally arrived!) And so, remembering last year and getting snowed in several times, I wanted to make sure I had a nice studio space to work in when the  first blizzard hits!  I also wanted to rescue what is left of my dining room table from any additional glitter and glue from  future projects! Armed with hammer, saw and nails, my Thanksgiving guests   (Dad and step Mom)  helped me transform my lower level into the perfect snowy day studio! We lowered the lumber and two counter tops in through the egress window.  The lighting is made up of extra curtain rods I had laying around, bungee cords ...

Traci Bautista Here's what Traci Bautista does: "Creates vibrant handmade journals...  REVAMPED vintage wearables & handbags... collage paintings...  painted papers & stitched fabric.... “girlie glam” graffiti drawings... &  free style lettering." She also travels extensively and offers     creative classes and workshops!!!        I LOVE her  work and career...   the bright colors and free flowing marks are totally inspirational!  I had the opportunity to take one of her workshops at The Creative Connection 2011  and was amazed by her accomplishments and her down to earth, easy to understand teaching style.  If you have questions about being a mixed media artist, the business of art or making a living as an artist... I highly recommend taking one of her workshops ! She has been widely published in many online articles, magazines and has written two books. Traci sells online and on...

As many of you know, I just attended The Creative Connection Event  ... where creative women and women entrepreneurs came together to connect, share and inspire each other onward and upward! Creative souls from all over the world converged on the Crowne Plaza in St. Paul, Minnesota and shared in an  almost tangible, electric energy that will inspire us for weeks to come. When it was over, I packed my Jeep full of fun Market finds, free giveaways and my overstuffed luggage and headed home.  It only took a few minutes to realize the fun was over... at least for another year. My mind wandered over the new friends I had made, the cards I had collected and the shear talent I had encountered.  I glanced at the cars around me and wondered if these were "my people"... a phrase I heard repeated all weekend by so many who had discovered, perhaps for the first time, the emotional high of finding others who think like they think.  I thought of cars and planes going out...

This weekend, I packed up my bright red Jeep and headed off to St. Paul, Minnesota to attend The Creative Connection and have had a blast!   It truly is a place where creative minds get to meet and connect.  The inspiration has been flowing like a river and the vender booths have been a great "icing on the cake" for future Fuss It Up! items! I've learned how to advance my creative dreams in business and personally... I've met and chatted with artists and authors I never dreamed I would... and I have a new vision for the future of Fuss It Up! Today is the wrap up and I'm so excited to attend the VIP Breakfast featuring Women Entrepreneurs like Kelli Rae Roberts... who I chatted up last night! After that I'm face to face with the lovely Traci Bautista in a 3 hour creative workshop... (YAY!) today, life is grand ! I'll have much more about this conference and it's impact in posts to come. See you back at Fuss It Up! Designs Sunday for the Historic Valley ...