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Transitioning to a new career is a tough climb.
I'm doing my new uphill climb at a turtle's pace as my vinyl world still pays all the bills. But each day, I chip away at something new, learning new skills on an hourly basis. The pace is grueling, but rewarding all the same.
What have I been up to? Most of you know me as a vinyl signmakin' kinda girl. But I have abit more creativeness booming inside and have been tinkering with decorating.
Having no funds for this venture, I've been forced to find my 'stock' at thrift stores, the curb, you name it. If it's cheap or free and I can do something with it, nothing is safe. Ask Dan when I waltz through his boneyard on occasion.
So I started a DIY decorating blog and have grown my follower base to the point of now earning some advertising income and getting my work out there. Cool.
So then came along a little decorating contest. I entered it going up against 10 other decorator blogs for weekly projects over 10 weeks. Each week the low scoring person gets voted off.
Me, vinyl/junk girl against those that decorate beautifully and normally?!? Like jumping off a cliff! But oh well. I said yes anyway. I wanted to test the waters. It's one thing to hear "Wow cool" but a totally different game to hear how you rank against others.
The ongoing contest is called So You Think You Can Decorate. And it's been quite a trip!
This win has given me immunity from being voted off next week. Each Sunday a new project starts up again, so on I go.
I admit, I struggle with each new entry as I have to find the time, relearn a new tool, and generally 1000 new applications in order to create something outside the box that will yet again grab interest.
It's a wild ride but no one said the climb would be easy!
I just wanted to share my #1 place with you in case it was my only one. Maybe this vinyl sign chick does have another future career one day... we shall see!
Although I have NO TIME for play and such, I'll admit this shindig is pushing me to try new things and get stuff done as I'm part of the Yarrow Studio Tour for only the entire town to tour my home decorated up with.. trash. No guts, no glory people!!!
So, on I go to dream up something fantastical with (gag)... fabric. I don't do fabric. Not junky enough! How does one rust fabric anyway?
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Congrats Donna! I knew Donna when she wasn't nearly so famous.
I have plenty of shop rags with every color paint on them imaginable... and they are headed for the dumpster... that trashy enough for you?? I know you are creative enough to do something special with them.
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Congatulations Donna. You have within you some very unique talents and you are just now discovering them. I can hardly wait to see how far you go and how famous you become.
When I was there I told you that you were a very special person...see...now you are proving me right.
You are certainly an inspiration to the rest of us. Mostly, we are waiting around for something big to come along and you are proving that you make your own luck and contribute to your success a little every day.
For one, I'm very proud of you.
-------------------- Chapman Sign Studio Temple, Texas chapmanstudio@sbcglobal.net Posts: 6306 | From: Temple, Texas, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Bravo! Bravo! A standing ovation from Tacoma. I bet them other decorators were sooo jealous when they saw your work. I could just see them with a blank face glarring at you piece, thinking to themselves, with hands on their hips, "Who she?.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3813 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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Really happy for you Donna, I know you've been having fun, glad that its paying off in form of some recognition.
I was in here today http://www.butikraja.com/ this is a great store, but expensive, have a few lovely pieces from here, that I have bought over the years when I have saved enough, some great door/window frames etc.
In the summer over here there are tons of fleamarkets in barns all over the coutryside here, can find some amazing stuff on a shoestring.
When I was back home in the UK last I visted a few specialised building "scrapyards" full of great looking doors, cast iron chimney pots windows bathtubs all sorts of finishing products etc. Even if people aren't restoring old properties there is a big market for interior decorating.
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very neat ways of "seeing"- something I am certainly working at learning! Good for you- keep us updated!!!!
-------------------- Catharine C. Kennedy CCK Graphics 1511 Route 28 Chatham Center, NY 12184 cck1620@taconic.net "Look at me, Look at me, Look at me now! I't's fun to have fun, But you have to know how!" Posts: 2173 | From: downtown Chatham Center, NY | Registered: Feb 2004
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You guys are awesome. Thanks for the kudos!
Alicia, the decorating blogworld has worked out much like Letterville. They have become supporting friends and extended family just like over here I'm happy to say. We big time give kudos to each other no matter what. As far as I know, there's no envy thing happening. It's not like I'm winning each and every week.
Thanks for the kudos, gang! Thought you may enjoy peeking in to see what I'm doing in my 'non existent spare time".
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Very very cool, Donna... my wife and I just spent all day at the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival... it's the biggest and best in our area and I'm always blown away at the things some of these people dream up.
One thing I saw that I really liked was some art made with material.... this guy did some paintings on pieces of wood. It looked like he had done it with spray cans and templates, similar to those street performer/artists you see in places like San Fran... on a lot of them the wood showed through, and the colors were somewhat muted. Then he cut pieces of material and had laid them down in the paint to help make certain objects... for example, on a rooster he had painted, the comb, tail feathers, etc. were out of material... it was embedded in the paint however, like he had painted back over them and it just added a little dimension and texture to the piece. He had all kinds of different things there like that. Then over the whole thing, frame and all he had splattered other colors of paint. It was one of my favorite things there, I stood there for a long time looking at them....
Sorry to post a bunch of stuff there, but I just liked those things so much, I thought I'd throw that out there in case it sparked any ideas.....
Good luck, and I'd like to go ahead and get my name on the list for tickets to be in your studio audience for your first nationally televised show.....
-------------------- Jon Jantz Snappysign.com jjantz21@gmail.com http://www.allcw.com Posts: 3395 | From: Atmore, AL | Registered: Nov 2005
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-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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Congratulation on finding a new venture. You definitely have the imagination and talent for this. When I saw your "before" photo I thought, what a lot of junk. Then I saw your creation and I thought "Wow" this girl's got talent. Keep up the good work!
-------------------- Jean Shimp Shimp Sign & Design Co. Jacksonville Beach, Fl Posts: 1266 | From: Jacksonville Beach, Fl. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Vey cool, Donna! For the fabric...how about burlap? Maybe find a coffee house that has some coffee bean sacks? Old clothes? I'm sure you can get creative.
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Oh boy. My son wants to see Avatar again today. Go stare at old clothes and create or hot buttered popcorn?
I've already started a photo shoot on an older creative fabric project so may have to go with the rerun on this one. It's a blog first and I invented it so it'll probably rack up more points/votes.
Honestly? To do right by this contest, one needs to quit work. It takes me a good week to implement an original plan, THEN find the stuff, THEN do it, THEN comes the photo shoot.
I'll think about it while I go watch a good movie.
-------------------- Jack Wills Studio Design Works 1465 E.Hidalgo Circle Nye Beach / Newport, OR Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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Donna! Wow!! I am so inspired by this post...and your talents are awesome! This junk stuff is right up my alley...and we have lots of junk. WE kind of dabble with this in our decorating for the restaurants, but now I am on to new thoughts and ideas...good luck in all your future creations, I can't wait to see what you come up with. I will be following your blog, you betcha' Kat of tomat >^..^<
-------------------- Tom & Kathy Durham House Springs, MO Posts: 654 | From: House Springs, MO | Registered: Apr 1999
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Oh, Donna. The excitement and enthusiasm you show for your craft reminds me of Mary Tyler Moore crossing the street,launching her beret, twirling like a little girl and smiling all the way. Congratulations for finding your niche.
-------------------- Mike gatlinburg Sign Crafters Posts: 1051 | From: Gatlinburg, TN | Registered: Oct 2005
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-------------------- Jimmy Chatham Chatham Signs 468 stark st Commerce, Ga 30529 Posts: 1766 | From: Commerce, GA, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Donna, thanks for sharing, that is way cool! Grampa Dan has some competition now, with inspiring the creativity in us. Please show us more of your stuff.
-------------------- Kathy Weeks Weeks-End Signs & Graphics Lake Elmo, Minnesota Posts: 249 | From: Lake Elmo, Minnesota | Registered: Mar 2009
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I'm an avid and enthuisiastic follower. Never thought I'd follow a blog with such interest, but Donna has opened the door to a whole nuther world online and truely inspires and stimulates the senses. She has turned me on to a lot of other really interesting blog sites too.
Not enough time in a day for it all for me, so I admire the way Donna is able to balance and incorporate her cyberworld with her real world.
You are number one in my book Donna!
-------------------- "When Love and Skill Work Together ... Expect a Masterpiece"
Kathy, I don't want to keep shoving this stuff in everyone's face if they don't desire to see it, however, since you asked, this is my latest entry in the WHITE division.
I call it my white trash bedroom. Everything is pretty much from the thrift, curb or dump. No budget to decorate makes you really push your creativity to make things happen it appears.
My blog is mostly built around the DIY blog type audience so you'll see alot of blog topics and natterings about DIY blog parties and such. However I do have plenty of pics and links to projects I've done and continue to actively add when I create something.
Perhaps I'll just update this link every so often when I create something new for those interested. So, only click here if you wanna see funky junk. I created a blog/world first for the paint theme so I'll be sure to post that if it turns out.
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