heading out soon

I'm out of here early Thursday morning, heading over to Danbury, Connecticut for Art-is-You; where where i am teaching and playing! i get to see a bunch of old friends, which is the funnest part. So I won't be posting til i return.

But in the meantime, if you missed out, please check out my pending blog hop, "Top Hat Derby Hop". i think it's going to be really fun. you can read the details here.

talk to you soon,

kecia

Top Hat Derby blog hop!

i think you all know me by now that I am drawn to hats. i love them and love to wear them. hats beat a bad hair day anyday! (i have very fine, persnickety, fly away annoying hair......) so i'd like i'm excited to tell you about my blog hop, "Top Hat Derby".

This summer when i was at a flea market, i came across a top hat and i was psyched! they are very hard to find and often quite expensive. this one was collapsible and not in the best condition. still for $20, i didn't care. i bought it and immediately began planning how i make alter it and give it new life. this is how the hat looked as i found it (you can't really see how bad the top is)



after decorating it, i thought it'd be really fun to have some sort of blog hop where we decorate a vintage style hat. I took my hat to The Creative Connection and on a whim threw it on a display in my booth as decor. WELL! you would not believe all the people who either wanted to buy it or have their picture taken with it - so that's when i knew that this would be fun!





I wore my top hat one evening while at TCC along with my special birthday dress and i felt so fun and fancy! many photos were taken of me in my finery and it just made me think of how in the olden days, wearing hats was part of the outfit; part of the package. I wish we all had more opportunities to dress nice and feel as special (and couture as someone else described me!)

here is a side view of my hat:

so here's what we are going to do:

I wasn't going to introduce the hop til Nov. 1, but decided to do it now for a few reasons. first of all, as i said, top hats are hard to find. if you do come across one that fits you and it is under $60 then snatch it up! (if you see one antiquing, flea market, etc.) But what i was thinking, with Halloween right around the corner, costume top hats are going to be plentiful and using one for the hop is totally acceptable. i've been looking at stores the last few days just to get an idea and i've seen some super inexpensive plastic ones for a few bucks, to a nicer one that was $20. so by letting you know about it now, the better chances you have of finding something to use.

you can also look online, ebay, etsy, costume shops, etc. i've been researching online as well and they are out there. i saw one just yesterday on etsy for $35 (gone today though!) there are some newer ones on ebay for "buy it now" at not so bad prices ($45 ish)- but again, you are welcome to use a costume top hat.

The unveiling, or actual hop, will be Friday, Dec. 3rd ; that gives you 2 months to get ready! i will have a linky set up that morning where you can come to my blog and add your link to your post. i'm doing it that way because it'll be easier not to have to remember if i've emailed you that you are signed up, etc. so the responsibility is up to you to remember to come back and link up. i've told so many people about this hop, so i am hoping it will be a good one and fun! feel free to leave a comment here though, so i can gauge the interest.

Now, the best part! I will be picking a winner for the best in show (prize to be announced later) - so decorate your hats, go over the top, use your imagination and have fun. on your post, i'd really, really like it you also showed us a picture of you in your hats, which is going to help me in the judging. Please ladies, don't be shy, be proud and model your hat! i too will be playing along and decorating another hat - the ideas are flying! think feathers, think fou fou, think dolls, think outlandish!

I will keep posting reminders about the hop and there is a button you can grab for your blog to help remind you. feel free to blog about the hop and get the interest going!

p.s.

a big thanks to Christine of Dollybelle Peepshow for designing my button EXACTLY how i wanted it (please note that she actually used my hat in the photo!) and to my ever so techi friend, Gail of Shabby Cottage Studio for creating my "grab this button" for the hop.

this is so fun!

Christine and I took a class together in California a few years ago and then reconnected recently at The Creative Connection (how appropriate!) we did some serious bartering with each and I really enjoyed her company. So it was a lovely surprise when she told me that i was her DIY Glamour Girl Miss Oct. . be sure to stop by her blog, not only to see the post, but also check out her wonderful creations (jewelry, clothing, cuffs and more!) she's a real sweetie pie, a keeper in my book! thanks, Christine!

and also, Christine has designed the button for my new blog hop, which i will be announcing soon, so stay tuned!

Flea Market Friday - join in!

Hi and welcome to flea market friday. We show off our goodies the first Friday of every month and the rules are simple:

1) post about your flea market, antiquing, thrift store or garage sale items
2) link your blog post back here to flea market friday.

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So having just returned from 2 weeks on the road where i was hauling a trailer with a wee bit of spare room in it, my friends and i decided to hit as many antique, flea markets and thrift stores that we could pack in. Wow, did we go to a lot. I think i wore my friend, Pam, out! It was fun to take pics of all the stores we went to.

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my favorite purchases were these:

this is an old Revlon drug store advertising display. I'm sure at one time it must have held packets of eyeshadow. it is so cool and the light on the top actually works. i bought it for a steal at $50 -i thought it would be the coolest way to display jewelry.

my other favorite purchases were these vintage dresses found in Michigan. for the most part, they are in great shape; just need a good cleaning! another steal at $10 a piece!

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being brave

Recently I returned from being on the road for almost two weeks. I rented a uhaul trailer and left New Jersey to make my way to Minneapolis where i was to sell at The Creative Connection. I stopped at stay with friends along the way to break up the driving.

As i pulled out the driveway with the trailer attached to my car, I was a little nervous. Sure, I've driven across the United States twice alone (and once with a 14month old baby!), but I'd never pulled a trailer before. Things that I use to do without a thought as a younger girl, now as i am older, i spend more time thinking about what i am doing and wondering, "can i do this"? i'm not sure why or when we start to question ourselves now that we are older. is it because society confines us to certain rules and we get caught up thinking that we can't wear something because magazines say that "at this age, you should be dressing like this"? or is it because other people look at you and say "wow, you are crazy, i'd never do that" "or how can you stand to be alone for that long". (btw, the alone time - i LOVED it!) I do believe that society does put alot of pressure on us to behave in a certain way.



We were going to do some practicing with the trailer before we left (as being a Virgo and ex GirlScout, I like to be organized and prepared!), but there was no time. My husband tried to give me some pointers, but i was to busy trying to get on the road to actually process them. I was nervous for a few miles as I got use to the trailer and remember some of the things that he had told me. I started to think about what was making me so nervous and the more i drove, the better I felt. I like to sing a little mantra do myself when i am doing the self doubting thing. It's from "Finding Nemo" when Doree says to Marlin "just keep swimming, just keep swimming" (try it, it works!)

i think one of the reasons i was nervous was because pulling a trailer was a first for me. however as i began to drive, it occurred to me that the other drivers did not know that i was nervous and to them, i probably look like i knew what i was doing - so i started practicing what i like to refer to as "perceived confidence". Growing up in the military (Navy brat, thank you very much), there were many, many times were i was the new kid. that kid walking into the classroom where everyone knows each other am they are all staring at me. So even at an early age, i would walk in those situations with my head held high and "act" confident. they didn't know i was nervous and i certainly wasn't going to tell them. At the show, I worked hard to introduce myself (not my favorite thing to do), to talk the talk and walk the walk). i grabbed "power women" and promoted myself and my work. Not an easy thing to do, that "promoting yourself". it takes confidence and the ability to tell yourself, "i have nothing to lose". even if none of it ever pans out, I gave it my best shot.



the same can be applied to getting started as an artist, starting to sell your art, becoming a teacher and more. The more confident you appear to others, the easier it gets (in my opinion). I think it's more flattering as a person to exude confidence then to ooze self doubt. sure it's a lot of hard work. i've worked my butt off over the last 4 years, but my confidence and fearless attitude is starting to pay off. As I left a new friend on the last leg of my journey to come home, she said to me "you are so talented and fearless. I find it inspiring". As i hugged her goodbye, I left with a smile on face. That's what i want to hear - I want others to know that you can do it if you try.




It's easier than you think.


p.s.
i totally forgot to mention one harrowing parking incident. I could see quickly that it was not a situation I or my friends could get out of, so I immediately took charge (as it was a young, not-so-smart parking attendant who got us in a pickle). Another part of being brave is also knowing when to throw in the towel and demand help immediately!