Muggy Monday in June 2009

Rain rain go away we want to get out and play. We have had high 60's and nothing but rain, a bit of sunshine this past weekend. Of course it is great for the gardens and plants outside of Glenna's Garden. We are closing out one month and getting into July 2009 here soon. July means the midpoint to summer up here in Manchester, NH. Our farmers market is open on Thursday afternoons from now until October. Every year I look forward to trying new varieties of fruit, veggies and herbs. Talking to the farmers and just in general enjoying the atmosphere is always a highlight. Buying goats milk soap a necessity. Listening to good music and meeting new neighbors in an otherwise large city brings a small town feel to this event. I don't have any pictures but I promise to take some when I go on Thursday to take some pictures and share them. I believe that the shop at Glenna's Garden http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ has done fairly well even in this really tough economy and I expect it to grow. As we phase out some of the older products and introduce new ones I expect to see our sales grow. The pink roses are done with their pressing and drying process. The petals are the softest I have ever felt. Those were the roses I blogged about in my earlier blogs that were a 5" inches across in their blooms. We made potpourri with some, have 5 beautiful dried rose buds and numerous pink petals for design now. Very pleased. This is the time of the year when a lot of flower pressing and drying is going on here at Glenna's Garden. We did orange day lilies the other day. They make for a beautiful specimen to work with and become almost transparent when pressed except for the colors and striations. I have a picture or two of the lilies I will post them today. With them it is on going process because you have to catch them just right as they bloom and die in one day thus the name. I have generally 6-8 blooms on each bunch just in what has been picked on a daily basis to assess and then they are split and ready to be pressed. Being a somewhat fleshy plant they take a fairly long time to dry possibly up to six weeks whereas some other flowers a week or so. I use all kinds of flowers in my art work and especially in custom orders check out some of my art work available in my shop at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ also my art gallery is at www.putiton.com/glennanormyle and some of my art is available for purchase there too.

My Sewing Basket

I am 50 and I have had this sewing basket since I was around the age of 5. It was a gift to me from my grandmother, my mother's mother. So that makes it approximately 45 years old. It is a relic and still usable. Nice big pincushion on the underside of the top. It shows some age and wear but that is just character. I am so excited to have a new sewing machine now to go with this cute little girl's antique sewing basket. Check out http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ especially on July 3, 2009 when the shop owners at Etsy are going to be having our first ever firstfridayartwalk. From then on every first Friday of each month there will be a firstfridayartwalk open to everyone stop by the participating shops who show this nicely made banner and check out our sales just for the firstfridayartwalk.

Rainy Monday

We just can't get a break from the rain this summer. It is cool out too. The plants are loving it. Veggie gardens are coming up nice. We have two large ones outside Glenna's Garden http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ Sales were really good through the YART SALE this past weekend. I have everything ready to go out to my customers. I got my sewing machine last night from a friend and for free too. It is a Singer Super Elegance Model 9461 I was like a little kid at Christmas early this morning looking it over. I found the manual for it at the Singer Company website and will have to order it next month. I have a nice collection of fabrics to work with and really just need thread in different colors. I am not sure what I am going to make to sell. I do know that I love to sew and I am very excited to get back to doing it again. The picture I have chose for today is one of my art pieces it is an ACEO with a vintage playing card attached to it. I have done three of these and they will each be done in a very limited quanity. Get in touch with me if you are interested. My art is on display in a gallery check it out at www.putiton.com/glennanormyle

Super Sunday

Up this morning early. I am checking on my sales for this weekend and I have 5 orders so far. Big worldwide YART SALE until midnight tonight and then it ends go to http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ and check out the last day deals. I am so happy to be doing so well business wise. Stop by http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ for unique gifts from original art to vintage. I started a website at http://www.glennasgarden.webs.com/ and we are now on Facebook search for me Glenna Normyle. Also I joined http://www.putiton.com/ and there you also do a search for artist by name Glenna Normyle, that's me. The beautiful large pink roses I blogged about earlier have been dried whole and pressed now. I even have some leftover to start a pottpouri. The rose petals smell so good right now. I took a bunch of pictures of these huge pink roses for my photography. All five buds opened slightly and are now hanging to dry. I thought there were three but there were actually five buds. These will eventually make there way to a dried floral bouquet or on a wreath. What a success! Rain and more rain at Glenna's Garden, it stormed and poured all night long. 7 AM Sunday morning and it has stopped for now. The plants here at Glenna's Garden in Manchester, NH are loving this cooler and rainy weather. I am finding that all of the indoor plants here at Glenna's Garden need to be watered every other day. The ACEO Artist Card Edition and Original is an original that is for sale. It comes with a proteective plastic sleeve as well as a 4" by 6" photo of the pomagranate plant that produced one flower. I preserved itthe lone flower and now it is the clothing for this little boy. It gives me great satisfaction to be able to do this and also share my art as well. I am hoping that with some good luck, well I do have a green thumb, that this indoor pomagranate plant (bush), it is very young yet, will flourish with my care and produce more blooms for me next season and fruit would be fabulous. Visit Glenna's Garden www.gnormyle.etsy.com

We Had a Wild Wednesday

It has been gloomy and raining a lot for the past few weeks up here at Glenna's Garden, yesterday because I am writing this today and it is Thursday, roses were brought inside from outside of Glenna's Garden ~ 5 pink 5" accross roses and three buds. The photos are astounding and as I was photographing them this morning they were so perfect they did not look real. I got one for my work area and took some singles pictures I will share one day. As a group they are absolutely stunning. Ohhhh I just sniffed my single one and it is so sweet, delicate and oh so sweet smelling. I love to photograph mother nature at her finest before she fades. I am hoping I can show pictures of one of the 3 buds opening, we have a chance 1 in 3 that one will fully open. Check back as I try to blog on a fairly regular basis to see more stunning photos of the huge pink roses.....these are big 5 inches that is one inch shy of 6 inches which is one half of a foot wide. Spectacular! Superb! Primo! They will become pressed pink roses and be used in a project for Glenna's Garden. We never pick without preserving through photography and actual drying of some roses whole as well as petal by petal flat drying for artwork. See our shop section ACEO's at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ for ACEO's original art with pressed flowers not prints these are originals and very nice. Also in our earlier blogs there are examples of the custom work that was done recently using real pressed flowers and greenery and we have posted pictures of it on our blog here at Glenna's Garden.

YART SALE DAY ONE

It started the big worldwide YART SALE at ETSY http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ is participating with huge markdowns throughout the shop. The sale is on until midnight June 14, 2009. Keep checking back as things get marked down more things are added. Glenna's Garden has new projects to list every day if we wanted too whew personally I couldn't do that it would be too much to maintain. So if you don't see something ask we just might already have it. We love custom orders! Check out our summer specials summer tag sales at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/

I am destashing approximately 2 pounds of paper for $3.85 plus $4.95 shipping in the USA this is the greatest to have now that school is closing for the summer and there are going to be those rainy days indoors with the kids. You can whip out these papers, your own scissors and glue and it will entertain the children and probably adults too as well. Visit Glenna's Garden for unique gifts from original art to vintage pieces we are at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/

"The Girl of Life" Box

This is a beautiful box that I have made and it is for sale at Glenna's Garden http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/. I have been busy gearing up for the annual YART SALE at Etsy. So far I have tagged and labeled 12 items for the sale. I am excited and hopefully I can sell some more of my unique items. Sunny Sunday this morning and cloudy plus quite warm this afternoon. The Red Sox are playing the Texas Rangers. I am working on Glenna's Garden and gearing up to list a whole bunch of new pieces. I have more tags, bookmarks, ACEO's, vintage items and I could do a supply destash. Looking forward to a busy week with the YART SALE. Monday morning we are going to do a small destash for the event.

Sweet Saturday

Today was beautiful here in Manchester, NH. My shop was buzzing with buyers and I made another sale today. I sold one of my pieces of art called an ACEO Artist Cards Editions and Originals. I designed it using silk fabric over paper and layered. This is a picture of the ACEO layered in silk before I trimmed it. and the other picture is of the ACEO "SILK" completed. It is beautiful and I know that my customer will enjoy it forever. I am so happy to have found this art form ACEO's must be exactly 2 1/2 " by 3 1/2" and there are no more restrictions. They can be made with clay and wood too or like some of mine which are dimensional , the people I make with pressed flowers for clothing. Most of my ACEO's are for sale at Glenna's Garden http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ . My ACEO's are originals and collectible. They come with a protective plastic sleeve much like you use to protect the sports cards you are collecting. I prefer the hard clear plastic sleeve. Each card I make is signed and dated by me, Glenna Normyle, the artist. I collect ACEO's myself and have some really neat ones. For eample one of my favorites is "cow girls rule" that I picked up awhile ago. That's the country in me. I have been busy making more bookmarks, beaded items , more stuff for my shop and tending to the gardens here at Glenna's Garden. I bought cherries today $2.22 a pound now I know it's summertime. YUMMY! I finally figured out Twitter you can follow me at www.twitter.com/gnormyle next I will conquer Facebook. What a sweet Saturday.

Way Too Organized for Wednesday

Today was cleaning and organizing day to start summer 2009 at Glenna's Garden http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ . Projects were completed, pictures taken. Supplies all organized and life in general repurposed. Clothing destash reveals a nice Taz patch and Bugs Bunny and Folks patch too. The shirt was stained but the embroidered patches I cut out. They will make a nice addition to another piece of child's clothing. I am still waiting for a sewing machine I actually have located one and it is being given to me. Wishful Wednesday for the sewing machine day today. I have some great ideas and materials now to make so many neat items for sale at Glenna's Garden http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ . Here is the beautiful gourd bird who came to Glenna's Garden for repairs. It's beak is fixed. Now this cute piece of art will be an inspiation to all here at Glenna's Garden.

Starting Out As a Typical Tuesday

There are many birds at Glenna's Garden for inspiration. This first one pictured here is a gourd that is handpainted I have repaired its' beak as it came to me for free to receive an artists touch of love. I was able to repair it and will be putting the final gloss coat on this afternoon. It was a fairly easy fix and I will always cherish it here at Glenna's Garden studio. Tomorrow I promise close ups of the bird who got a beak repair last week at Glenna's Garden studio in Manchester, NH

http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ .

TODAY IS: Learning About ACEO

June 2, 2009 Manchester, NH Things are buzzing around here at Glenna's Garden today which has started out to be a busy typical Tuesday here at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ our site for the finer things in life, stop by soon and treat yourself....between working on the site, Flickr and blogging, there is always still time to create. Being creative is a form of therapy for me, it allows me to relax my mind. Today I created a Flickr Badge and we will be able to use it on our website. Speaking of websites that is a huge undertaking I have made one before. I would love to make another one again but I really don't have the time these days. Here are a couple of pictures that I took of recent projects here at Glenna's Garden. This is an ACEO I made it comes with a clear plastic protector too. It not yet up for sale to the public. These are collectible artists cards that the only stipulation is that they must measure 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" only. They can be dimensional and made in many different forms of art from clay to wood even. My ACEO's that are for sale can be seen at Glenna's Garden at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ please stop by my gallery soon.

Email me at gnormyle@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

Also there are many more pictures of the happenings at Glenna's Garden at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennasgarden/

JUNE FIRST 2009 Most Like Other Mondays

These are two pictures of an ACEO I made using silk fabric recently. This ACEO is for sale at Glenna's Garden in Manchester, NH http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ .Oh boy where do the days go I am catching up on here again. I really don't post enough I feel like I really want to do it more often but my time is devoted to http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ my online shop called Glenna's Garden. I was asked this question by a fellow blogger. How is that my shop is becoming successful and as I was blogging a nice long comment back to her my computer crashed and rebooted itself. All was lost. So here goes because I promised I was a Friend Who Shares. I promote my shop by typing in a link to it everywhere I blog, when I send a comment to another blogger, convo with http://www.etsy.com/ Etsy sellers (my fellow Etsians and shop owners like me) and especially with my Etsy buyers. I have this blogspot which I use as a journal to keep focused on my shop at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ , beleive me it all keeps me very busy in addition to the fact that I am always designing and creating projects. I like to post pictures of my art studio and even sometimes some of my work that is done but not up for sale yet at Glenna's Garden on this blogspot, plus it helps to set up a free account at Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/glennasgarden/ as far as Facebook, myspace and goodness knows whatever else is out there that I don't know about I honestly am not there yet. I have a Twitter account and I wish I could figure out how it works. I also am going to make an Etsy treasury based on my favorite color purple and the flower iris at http://www.etsy.com/ which is the host site for my shop Glenna's Garden http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ . I have been saving and favoriting many shops and several items in each of my favorite shops too because if you favorite one item in an Etsy shop you will lose your connection if the item sells so you have to favorite a few items and go back and check on them and buy from Etsians. This is how you connect with people on Etsy ~ other sellers. I have purchased most of my supplies from Etsy sellers and this helps you build up a good feedback score. I promote and devote a lot of my time to this as I do believe that Glenna's Garden at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ is going to be a success. I have PIF's which are items you list to attract buyers to your shop, the laws of probability tell me that the more people you can attract to your shop will equal more sales. My next step is to get a rubber stamp, develop a logo (costs money that I don't have), business cards are very important which reminds me I have almost gone through 250 in just a couple of months exclusively to my buyers here on the internet. I don't sell to my friends or give out my business card to my friends nor am I able to get to craft shows. I do go to the Etsy forums and listen and take notes. Some of this information I just told you about such as a stamp and logo is what I learned from an Etsy forum held in VA and I watched it in my studio here at Glenna's Garden in Manchester, NH live. They said the rubber stamp and logo are very important to your success so I thought I would share that bit of information with everybody. Next I would say is that my prices are really just about bare bottom right now and that is somewhat due to the economy. I am actually just starting a shop at Etsy during this bad economy and it is tough. I promote http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ Glenna's Garden Studio by tagging it. Tags are important. Just like we have tags here at http://www.blogspot.com/ and at Etsy http://www.etsy.com/ you also have them at Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/glennasgarden/ and I am assuming Facebook, Twitter etc......... I promote my shop in Etsy's chats. I meet people through Alchemy. I donated my first purchase to an Avon Breast Cancer Awareness benefit concert and it is going to be raffled off to raise money for breast cancer awareness. That event is being held June 26, 2009 in Laguna Beach, CA. I will be getting pictures back shortly after to share. Also they are going to be giving out my business card to people at the event. Etsy is by far the best though. I will go check out your Etsy shop for you and give you some feedback if you would like me to....just let me know? I welcome feedback any time. If I can think of anything more well then I will keep posting it here at Glenna's Garden blogspot so check back often and stop on by my shop Glenna's Garden at http://www.gnormyle.etsy.com/ . ETSY 101 by Glenna from Glenna's Garden