Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Monday everyone!  I know lots of you are home from work on this national holiday, having a barbeque and visiting with family, so i hope that it is a lovely day where you are! We , of course, are working on creations! Not only is it our "job" it is our love.

We took a little drive to Wyoming last week to what was supposed to be the Antler-fest and Mountain man rendezvous....evidently there were some problems and it wasn't exactly as we had hoped..but it was a lovley break, and inspirational as well. Jackson Hole is an interesting town, and we saw TONS of antler art. I was so awed by the size of some of the elk antlers that i forgot to take pictures of them..a few were the size of Stacys arm!!! but we were looking more for deer tines to use in our hair art..so no acquisitions in the antler department. But i am putting a few pictures up of the beauty on the drive. Wyoming is beautiful. We saw hundreds of pronghorn antelope, lots of deer and a few elk, no moose though.

In the first picture that is the Teton Mountain range off in the distance. The second picture is of 2 antelope in a field, there were groups of lots more but these were the only ones i was able to capture from the road. and the next picture is just a beautiful turn in the road.

We are carving lots of new shapes on our antler hair sticks, as well as having some tulip wood forks coming up..we finally found a piece suitable for hair forks. It is not easy to find a nice solid piece of tulip wood. We are also looking for some pink ivory, so hang in there those of you looking for those 2 woods.

THe hurricane wood we cut up turned out to be fantastically beautiful inside, but we have no idea what species it is! there is only a few of those coming, the wood is VERY yellow, for yellow lovers.

SO, for now thats all the blabbing i will do, keep watch at the studio for new inlays and woods, and please feel free to convo us about anything! we are always here to help and we love custom orders as well.

Much love to you all, Kimi

Wonderful Thursday! Make something that starts with T

Positive thoughts for today!

Never think or talk lack for in so doing you are decreeing lack. Stress the thought of plenty. Thoughts of plenty help create plenty.


Don't let another day go by without verbally and physically expressing to your family how much you really do love them and how much they mean to you.


It's a great idea to do a favor and not ask for, or expect, one in return.

If you have not heard of or do not read the articles in Handmade Spark and you are an artisan selling your craft online, you should. The articles are wrtten by fellow artists and address the special issues of living a creative life. I  have found many smiles reading an article addressing an issue i felt i must be the only one in the world who has this problem!

Like what, you may ask? well, being so focused on our craft that it is almost impossible to seperate ourselves from what we do in coversations with others....not knowing how to manage the time of working from home properly for everyones health and well being...things like that. Plus they give great tips on photography, SEO, sales tips,customer service tips...all kinds of good stuff.

I personally, love to support fellow artists and when i am looking for something and i buy from your shop, i would really appreciate a note that you got the order, thanking me for shopping at your studio, when it will be shipped, or anything else, just acknowledge that the order was seen and is being processed! i hate to order something and a week later it has not shown up, i haven't heard a word from the artist and i have no idea whats going on, so i have to go to you. I find that to be poor customer service. None of us shopping handmade mind waiting a few days for the order, or even weeks if it has to be made..but just send a quick convo, tell  the customer , hi, nice to meet you thank you, i got your order and appreciate it, it will be shipped...whatever...They will appreciate it, believe me. I am one of your customers as well as a seller!
Ok, thats my soapbox issue for today!

I hope and pray that you each have a blessed, and full life today, that you live your day on purpose and speak plenty into your day..and that you have a chance to do something kind for someone without them asking first!
Much love to you all
Kimi

Handmade Spark - Grah-Toe Studio

Handmade Spark - Grah-Toe Studio

Positive thoughts for a Tuesday,and everyday!

"Practice creative listening. Get quiet so that insights can come through your mind.

The attitude of gratitude is truly beautiful, Express it often, and the chances are good your eyes will be opened to more things to be grateful for.

Any task, when attempted with a quiet mind is substantially easier. Without the distraction of busyness, chatter, and confusion, you're usually able to accomplish a lot. You see what needs to be done much more clearly."

This is a quote from my PTFTD newsletter that a dear aunt sends me..and in the last few days i have seen several things that are telling me to slow down and relax....on http://www.kindovermatter.blogspot.com/ they had a post about uni-tasking...my Mom used to call it "DO one thing at a time so you don't screw it up then move to the next." then it became multi tasking, now is called uni-tasking....i don't know about any of you but i do NOT do well when i am trying to do several things at once. Perhaps i lack some brain chemical that allows others to do this but for me it always becomes "screw-up".
 "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get ".. another Mom-ism that is so true. Isn't it funny the twist that things go around, like a mobius loop...never ending..
i heard a cute story a while back.. a little girl noticed that her parents were always hunting for the cordless phone...wheres the phone, who has the phone.....well, she said to her mommy, " mommy, i saw this really cool invention that willhelp us alot, i think we should get it, theres a thing called a cord and it attatches the phone to the wall so you never lose the phone again!"

Think on that for a minute then belly laugh your guts out, i did!

We are in a treasury of mermaids..

I think the treasuries on Etsy are so fun, and to be featured in one is a real thrill to me!!! i know for some, its common every week stuff, but i take every one as a real compliment!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bf5a733100a8eefcb5841d0/the-mermaids-tale
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bf035ba4d168eefe598ece9/positively-medieval
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bd9da6487808eefcb739aea/be-a-queen
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bd36ff4511a6d91ff9d2fb2/once-upon-a-time
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4a85ea1df0e0c84b2d63f000/eye-think-eye-can
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bf52dae574b8eef0bdc4ca8/dreadlocks


The eye one, I actually created...I hope you enjoy looking at all the lovelies you can find on Etsy, and that you take some evening this weekend, even though it is beautiful outside, and share some handmade love with your favorite etsians!! We miss you shoppers!!!

More new woods coming right up!

WE know that you all like to see new and interesting woods in the hair fork/ hair stick market and we are always on the look out for something interesting and suitable...when we found the spalted holly we knew that we had a hit! only 4 forks have been released with this beautiful wood so far but more are on the way out this week!  IT is a beautifully white wood, that has blues, greens, blacks and browns flowing through it in all kinds of patterns! OUr forks have been a little slow this week as we have been focusing on a custom order that was quite detailed but we are back to fork production and they are on the way!
WE hope to see you over on our facebook fan page for other updates. PLease feel welcome to leave appreciation photos of any of our work in your hair, we would love to have you share that! also, there are a few good links to you-tube videos with demos on how to use our hair forks and antler hair sticks!
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Grah-Toe-Studio/202833224024

The Desert does bloom!

Before we moved west 5 years ago i always thought of the desert as a mostly prickly place with no green or color to speak of. I was so wrong. The green and the color in the desert is much more sublime, small, and alot less frequent, but there for sure. Today as we went out into the wilderness i noticed lots of wildflowers and got pictures of them to show you, the desert in bloom! i have no idea what these plants are..they were not cacti, which also bloom , incase you were unaware. But they are beautiful, delicate flowers full of color and life. It was a fabulously sunny and blue sky day. I hope that you all had one of those kind of days as well!

Much love to you all,Kimi

which do you like better?

So the question is, which one of these things is not like the other?! we got a mannequin head to use at shows for demos and i thought that it would be fun to use her in action shots of our hair forks..but it kinda looks like a floating head! well, it is IS a floating head!:D BUt which do you prefer to see in an action shot? I assure everyone that my hair is always clean when we use me as a model and the forks get polished after they are worn as well. I would love to hear from you about which you prefer to see in the shop!

WE are on 2 blogs today!

 Oh my gosh, what a Firday for us! we are featured on 2 blogs today!
http://kindovermatter.blogspot.com/2010/05/we-love-our-sponsors-grah-toe-studios.html  Kind Over Matters blog and..
http://ramblingdesigns.blogspot.com/2010/05/feature-friday-grah-toe-studio.html Here too for feature Friday! WOOT!!
These are both blogs that we love to read and follwo as well, so thank you so much for having us as your guest and sponsors.

My Birthday is next week and i got a beautiful surprise in the mail yesterday from a cherished and dearly loved Aunt, this beautiful necklace! I had to take a picture to show her how lovely it looks and since i was feeling so happy about it i wanted to share it here with you too! Beautiful new necklace on an old gal!!:D
Hope everyone has a beautiful weekend, enjoy the weather, whatever it may be!
Love to you all
Kimi

Some Flowers for Thursday

Today i just wanted to share a bouquet of flowers from our backyard with you! Love to you all, Kimi

Wednesday..Relax....

Another Great message from my Positive thought for the day letter....

WEDNESDAY'S WORDS - AND TODAY THERE IS ONLY ONE WORD - RELAX

What does it mean to relax? Despite hearing the term thousands of times during the course of our lives very few people have really considered what it is all about. Most people would say that relaxing is something that you plan to do later---you do it on vacation, in a hammock, when you're retire, or when you get everything done.This implies. of course, that most other times (the other 95 per cent of your life) should be spent nervous, agitated, rushed, and frenzied. Very few would come out and say so, but this is the obvious implication. Could this explain why so many of us operate as if life were one great big emergency? Most of us postpone our relaxation until our "in basket" is empty. Of course it never is.

Its useful to think of relaxation as a quality of heart that you can access on a regular basis rather than something reserved for a later time. You can relax now. It's helpful to remember that relaxed people can still be super achievers and, in fact, relaxation and creativity go hand in hand. Being more relaxed involves training yourself to respond differently to the dramas of life---turning your melodrama into a mellow-drama. It comes in part, from reminding yourself over and over again that you have a choice in how you respond to life. You can learn to relate to your thinking as well as your circumstances in new ways. With practice, making these choices will translate into a more relaxed self.

Richard Carlson, Author of "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff"...and it's all small stuff

RELAX...AND HAVE A GREAT DAY!
I am having trouble with this so i have to keep telling my self!!! I hope this little message can give you some help in this area as well..

On a shop note, we are working up a new batch of hair forks after a long run on Mermaids Tails, and we have some new,rare,beautiful, Spalted Holly Wood coming right out!  Our sales have been slow this week so we are catching up on creating and on our custom orders, ....I know the God allows slow times for these things to get done!!!
Love to you all!

I Hope you will enjoy visiting Kind over Matter as much as I do!

"The secret of life isn't what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you.

In a world where so many people are constantly being "put down,' where negativism prevails, sin abounds, and discouragement surrounds some members of the family, your note or word of encouragement could make a world of difference.

Becoming more mindful allows you to be more touched by life, more grateful to be alive."
 
This is another message ,above , from my PTFTD newsletter...once again, very poignant and timely!
I would also like to direct you to a blog that i am getting a great deal of encouragement from, if you don't already know of it...Kind over matter.
THis little video a guest blogger did for them is wonderfully encouraging and i would recommend watching it!

http://kindovermatter.blogspot.com/2010/05/kind-kindred-jamie.html
 
In fact, i think i will go watch it again!
 
WE are hoping to have our computer back today so we can list some of these new beauties we have waiting here for your hair to love and embrace!

Some advice from "positive thought for the day"

Don't tense up no matter what, for you only close off creative power when you do.

Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do them beautifully.

While you might not have as much control over which thoughts come to mind as perhaps you'd like, you do have a great deal of control over which thoughts you give significance to---and which ones you invite into "your house."

WEll this was my quote for todays post and i woke up and checked the computer stuff and it CRASHED on me!!!GAH!! now i cannot list anything new until i get it back!!! so, if you are shopping and looking for new hair stuff convo us, becuase we have aline up that was due to be listed today and now computer has to be at the doctor, probably for a week and more than a pretty penny...SO, i must take my own advice,  and don't tense up NO MATTER WHAT , and continue on in love and joy! good luck with this, Kimi! I post these things for ME as well as to share them with you, becuase i don't handle stress well alot of the time, i have to ACTIVELY be calm and carry on, and i try to do it with joy but it doesn't always work!
So i hope to hear from you if you are looking for something and i will keep you all posted about the computer! Love to you all, Kimi

Renaissance Affair...

I got my first snood yesterday!! We went to a renaissance faire, not a very good one, but the only option even close to us (4 hours). I actually got this one, a marroon and a brown. I never wore one before and was quite happy with how comfy it is! the thing that is wierd about it is how to get my hair to lay right inside it..i think maybe it needs to be bunned instead of loose? Does anyone have experience with wearing a snood? i think they look very pretty, and since i like to cover my head in public i thought it could be a fun option for summer, lighter and cool...but someways that my hair lays in it , it looks like i have a sausage in there!  

ALl in all i am happy with it though and am glad that i waited to get them there, they were 3 for $10! the Renaissance faires in Fl are  SO incredibly elaborate and amazing, this was fun, but i suppose we are jaded...

Love to hear any advice on snood and the wearing of them or your experiences!

Love to you all

Kimi

computers...

I have to first say thank you to the kind posters of my last babble...i really needed that encouragement and i thank you from the bottom of my heart!
NOw, i wake up this morning and i can't get onot etsy at all, from anywhere. Obviously everyone else can get there, twitter is aflutter with treasuries and links...i hate computers! i don't know what happened, i went on before bed last night, woke up and it says to clear cookies, i do it, it still won't go....GAH! other than following direction, i really don't know my way around a computer at all and i am VERY frustrated! i need my morning Etsy fix! i have messages to get to, products to lst..what to do! i restarted the computer 2 times...great start to my day...
Well, we are planning on making a bunch of stuff today..customers with messages to me, hang on, i am trying to figure out how to get there!!

Internet overload

Ok, so i have been reading blogs in the handmade scene and they are asking questions like how has the use of the internet affected or influenced your creaivity? how often do you go our of your comfort zone and visit blogs or places that are not insync with what you are doing/making? man, i have been thinking about these things and wondering who has time to think about this stuff, or do this stuff?! i barely get my hair art made, photographed and lsited and i am exhausted each day! i do the blog and facebook thing when i can becuase i must, but i really don't have the time to philosphize about all this stuff and it makes me feel like i am lacking some magical time turner or vision...We love making hair art and all this business stuff just has to be done, its not the fun part! perhpas we are in the minority of those who have gotten to do thier art full time and realized they love it even more now!  But we LOVE making, and i am going to continue reading these blogs and wondering about them, but really, i wish i could just hire someone to blog for me becuase i do not enjoy sitting still, trying to think of something profound to captivate everyone(all 3 or 4 of you) who reads what i write....in fact most days i feel iam writing on a sheet of paper and pushing the publish button is like crumbling the paper and tossing it in the wind....i have hair forks to design, sand, finish, decorate and then the photography and listing..whew....
If theres anyone out there reading this, give me a high five and let me know. If i ever say or give you anything to think about, please let me know, if you can feel the love of our art through our hair art, please let me know...we need some comments here to know we are not writing in the wind ...how do those other bloggers do this stuff all day?!?!?! i guess the wonder woman under-roos have long since lost thier powers!
Love to you all, and happy THrusday:D

Another burst of creativity strikes ...

I love glow in the dark stuff! i used to have my ceiling covered in the stars that glow in the dark..its just fun! well, i found a way to make our fork finish have glow in the dark qualitites!!! now my floating lady can glow in the dark as in the pictures above..or an entire fork can glow in the dark and it looks the same in the daylight as our regular clear finish! I think this will be especially fun on the little girl forks, or, if there is anyone else out there who is as crazy as me an wants, perhaps a secret message on thier fork, or a fun design,....we have several colors that glow, and i am so excited about it!
What do you think? leave me a comment and tell me if you think it is cool and fun also, or if you agree with Stacy that it is silly ...Love to hear from you!

Mothers day is almost here..and its my birthday month.

Well, this is one of my favorite times of year and not. I have always loved my birthday, becuase when we were little it was one of the only times in the year that you got gifts and a special dinner. As kids, our favorite birthday dinner was ...ready.....manwhiches on BUNS not bread, and tater tots..MMMmmMMMMMM

WE were not of the affluent kind of family , in fact Mc Donalds was a "restaurant" to me until i went to college. So anyhow, my parents were divorced when i was 10, and i had a wonderful Aunt and Grandmother who helped raise me...and now i have a lovley step mother as well as a friend of the family who was always like a mom to me as well as a Mom i love dearly..so i send out about 10 mothers day cards! Hallmark loves me. 

But the not side..i knew that i was unable to have children by the time i was 21. It was hard then, but now i know that the Lord had a great and different plan for my life! I could never have married my best friend and done art the way we can if we had children..

But everyone wants to wish me happy mothers day and i have to stay out of public around that day. 

And as a grown up, i get to buy my own birthday presents too and have whatever food i want for a meal :D Stacy and i ususally do something to celebrate my birthday so we have a memeory instead of more stuff in the house, and i am hoping to find a renaissance faire somewhere in driving distance this month. 

SO, i just had to share a bit of the dichotomy of the love/dislike  i have of the month of May .

We do hope that someone gets one of our hand mirrorrs for thier mom or self....we are making some smaller ones soon, purse size hand mirrors, some with a handle or maybe not... 

And i want to thank you for sharing life with me and our studio by reading our blog and shopping at our studio. We truly love what we do and hope that you can feel it each time you get a package from us or wear a piece of our hair art.

Inspiration from all dimensions..even nail polish

Sometimes accidents can cause a huge spark of inspiration...a piece breaks off of what we are carving..but the broken shape is fantastic..or we cut a pice of wood for a bowl and see this amazing grain inside....this bowl is made form a wood called Silk Oak. We collected it after a hurricane when we lived in Florida..if we had any idea how beautiful it was we would have collected a tree full! but inspiration also comes from words, colors, sounds,mirror images, movies, music, dreams.....i recently started to wear  dark green nail polish, that i had bought just to do leaves on little flowers on my nails..and i can' t believe how much i love wearing it on my whole nail! Ever since i was about 2 years old, my Aunt started painting my finger and toe nails and they have barely ever been naked since then! But usually on my fingers i stick to lighter, traditional colors...not now. This green is rocking my world!!! it  is making me feel bold and creative, kinda like how i feel in high heels..even thought they kill my feet and i rarely wear them, they make me feel powerful and bold. So anyway, this green nail polish has been making my hands just feel like they can do anything! well, my hands don't really feel like they can do it but my brain makes them think they can:0)