LET'S MINGLE!!!

I just LOVE Stampington magazines!! And I have been so fortunate to have been featured in a few of them....Art Doll Quarterly, Prims and Stuffed. So when Stampington had a call for bloggers to review their new magazine Mingle, well,I couldn't turn it down :^) So sweet Stampington sent me not one, but two of their gorgeous new mags...one to keep and review and the other for a blog giveaway!! YAY!!! Here's my apolgoy to Stampington and all of you...I was supposed to do this a month ago, but life got in the way for a bit. More on that later. Luckily, it's all good with the only bad being my personal laptop completely crashed. My hubby was able to retrieve my info onto an external drive. However, since my only access was my work computer (which does not allow me to do ANYTHING on blogger, facebook, etc. because of filters! yeesh!) But I digress!! Back to it, lol!

So, let me give you my take on Mingle and then I'll give you all the giveaway details...
The magazine itself is high quality, with a sturdy cover and thick pages. Reminds me of Artful Blogging in a way. Then again, all of Stampington's mags are very high quality so it was no surprise that Mingle fell into that category. I thumbed through it from back to front (yeah, i am weird like that, lol), then front to back, just perusing the articles and images, ooooohing and aaaahing, taking it all in before I started to read the articles. Oh the eye candy!!!! I couldn't wait to dig in!!!

The photos in Mingle have that filtered, dream-like quality that I just LOVE! I wanted to just jump inside each one! One article was about a Marie Antoinette gathering. OMG....I was in heaven!!! Marie is one of my weaknesses!! Needless to say, I came away with some fantastic ideas to host a Marie party of my own.
Another article was about an art retreat held inside a circus-like tent. Again, heaven!!! Being that I am a circus nut and all, lol!! So not only were the pics gorgeous, the articles were VERY well written, well thought out and of high interest to me. I actually found myself reading EVERY single article....which is something I typically DO NOT do. SO kudos to Mingle for that one!!

And oh!! There was another article about a lady who hosted a birthday breakfast for her toddler. Talk about COOL!! I am DEFINITELY considering that for my boys' next birthdays. My boys are currently 9 and 2 and their birthdays area day apart so that would work our really well :^)And besides, who doesn't love breakfast food?

Some people may skip over what's advertised in magazines, but I actually eat that stuff up. Quite frequently, I visit those artists/merchants/vendors sites....and I found myself doing that for what was advertised in Mingle. I enjoy the fact that the goods and services offered through Mingle's advertisers were pertinent to me as an artist, mother, business woman, etc. NICE!!!

Alright....so my final take on Mingle is how soon can I subscribe?!?!?! I LOVE, LOVE this magazine!!! Do check out this new publication!! And Stampington, when is the next issue coming out??? I'm biting at the bit here!!

Now the Blog Giveaway details!!.......
I am giving away a brand-spankin' new copy of the premier issue of Mingle....compliments of Stampington. Leave a comment here on my blog letting me know you would like to be considered for the Mingle giveaway...and tell me what your fave Stampington publication is :^) Also, please leave your email address as well so I can contact you if you are the winner. The drawing will be random....I will put all of your names in a jar and pick one...with my eyes closed, lol!!

The giveaway will end on Wednesday, December 14th at 11:00 am Mountain time. The winner will be announced that day!! Then I will ship your Mingle mag out asap so you can have a sweet little early Christmas present...or Yule or Festivas...or whatever you choose to celebrate :^) Good luck to you!! Woohoo!

Okay, now some AWESSOME news!!!!!!!!!!

My sister and I have resigned from our teaching positions (after Christmas Break) and will be opening a cupcake bakery!!!!! CAN YOU BELEIVE IT?????? The Universe has spoken and here we come cupcake world!!! Our bakery is called Once Upon a Cupcake and we hope to have our grand opening Valentine's Day week!!! We are BEYOND excited....and scared to death at the same time, lol!! But we know in our hearts that this is going to be an amazingly fantastic path we are taking. I'll give more info as we get it and post pics of our process as soon as we take possession of our building space :^) I am also working getting us a Facebook page and re-vamping our website to make it cupcake bakery saavy!

Love to you all! I promise to get on here and post more often....at least once a week if I can. And Christmas came a bit early for me....I'm writing this post on my sweeeeeet new laptop. Yummoooo!! :^)

Lazy days of Summer??

LOL!! I wish! There is sooo much going on and so much to show and tell with all of you :^) I just thought I would pop on for a minute to say that I am still here :^) I will get back on tonight and spill the beans (jellybeans are better, lol!!) about what's happening in my neck of the woods. Till then, enjoy your day in the sweetest ways :^)

xo,

APRIL BLOG BUNNY GIVEAWAY!!!!

Hello Sweeties!!!! As promised, I am holding a blog giveaway for the month of April!! I enjoyed making this Sugar Fae Bunny SOOO much, that I am considering doing blog giveaways every so many months. They won't always be bunnies....with me it's always the flavor du jour, lol!! So here she is...


She is created from all of the same magical art ingredients that I use for my other bunnies. But this girlie has little faux dragon fly wings (handmade by me)to help her get here and there faster :^)
So here's how you can enter for a chance to win her:
--Leave a comment on my blog mentioning that you would like a chance to win this
little Fae Bunny.
--Please leave your email address in the body of your comment.
--Please only one entry per person :^)
--The giveaway will end on April 18th at 9pm (Mountain Time). I will put the
name of all of the lovelies who enter in a jar, pick one, and annouce the
winner on Monday, April 19th. I will contact the winner (who will then give me
their address)via email and send out their bunny asap so he/she can have her in
time for Easter =:^)

GOOD LUCK!!!!

I will be shutting down my website near the end of April, so I am hoping to redirect all of my web traffic to my blog :^)

As promised, here is a pic of my candy jar work in progress....



I know she doesn't look like much at the moment, but just wait and see :^) There is SOOO much more to do with her yet. Check back to see her progress.

Have a sugary sweet day!!

NEW....Sugar Bunnies

Just in time for both Spring and Easter, I'd love to introduce you to my Sugar Bunnies! It's kind of funny...I needed to learn how to make a pom pom for a sock monkey hat. Then the pom poms turned into bunnies. And the bunnies turned into Sugar Bunnies!! Oh, they are so sweet, I just wanna pinch their lil bunny cheeks, lol!
These two girlies are posted in my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/your/shops/candicewirth.
Do come on over and take a look at them :^)

In the works are plenty more Sugar B's....and some Sugar Chicks and Sugar Kitties as well. I am so in love with making them!! I can't stop, lol!! And that's not necessarily a bad thing :^) They can fit into any holiday or season! Woohoo!!

And OHHHHHHH!! I will be kicking off April with a Blog Giveaway..... a Sugar Bunny!! More details to come on April 1st!!!!

On a more SOMBER note :^( ..........



Our beautiful, sweet, amazing, wonderful cat Gary has passed away. He was about 10 years old (the vet wasn't able to truly peg his age because he was an abandoned cat with bad teeth when we got him). About 6 years ago, a family from our block moved and abandoned him. We put food out for him two times a day for almost a year. My husband built a little box house (with a heating pad and all for winter!!) for him too. We tried to coax him to come close to us but no dice.

One day that dingy, dirty cat built up the courage to actually walk into our house--two big dogs that weighed 100+ pounds each and a wacky little 3 year old boy--and we have had him ever since. We found out he was diabetic and took care of things (giving him insulin injections, testing his blood daily). We had his teeth taken care of, had him neutered and bathed. Oh, what a pristine, divine boy! He never scratched a thing or a person, nor did he pee anywhere (except his litter box)in the house. I truly could not have asked for a more awesome cat. He was affectionate to a fault, incredibly vocal and slept with my husband and me every night :^) He kept the birds and squirrels company on the front porch because he was too lazy to chase them, lol!

We are truly grieving over his passing and our little family seems a bit different now without him around. Before we found Gary, we didn't plan on ever having a cat. Come to think of it, Gary was more like a dog in a cat body. Truly :^) Now that he's gone, the desire to have a cat, well, that's gone too. I can't say we'll never have another cat. We will not go and adopt one or buy one just to replace his loss. But you never know when another cat just might stroll into our lives :^)

Have a sugar sweet day!

Oh Sugar Sugar...

 

Candy. I can't live without it. I LOVE it. It's in my namesake :^) It has been showing up in my art more often than not. Need I say more? Lol! On that note, I found an awesome lady on Etsy(Dreamlikemagic) who just created my new blog design. Yummm, I could lick the computer screen....but I promise I won't. So if you are looking for something new for your blog or Etsy shop, take a look at her work. She's very sweet to boot :^)

Just a few of my favorite things in the above collage (from top left)...
1. Artwork by my 8 year old son. He draws on anything. I found him doing math problems on his wall. Sigh. Lol. 2. Pile of sweet, sweet treats from a crafty night in December. Yeah, I know, I am behind on this. 3. My tiny, tiny reclaimed studio space...in my 1 year old's room :^) 4. Lalaloopsy's Crumbs Sugar Cookie and Blossom Flowerpot. I am SO in love with these dolls! And since I don't have a daughter, well, I'll have to play with them myself :^) 5. Not only do I love to eat candy, but I sure as heck love smelling like it too!! Hehehe! Body Fantasies' Cotton Candy body spray is my all time favorite!! And you can get it at Walgreens for about $7. 6. Giant lollipops from the Dollar Store. They make excellent party favors...or you can stick a bunch in a short vase as a centerpiece. It'll brighten up your space for sure :^) 7. Cadbury's Eggs...I wait all year long for these babies to come out!! I can't lie, I buys these in bulk because they need to last at least into early summer. 8.Candy bracelets...who doesn't love 'em???? I wear them as jewelry typically, but especially when I work on my art. It's almost like a ritual....weird? Some people light candles, I wear candy :^)9. More Lalaloopsy dolls....mini ones :^)

I am working on three new girls for the Fall issue of Prims magazine. Even though they are only in the beginning stage, I am SO excited about them because they are going to function as candy jars. Actually, they are folk art fairy busts attached to apothecary jars. And they are luscious and sugary and oh so sweet!! I'll add pics of works in progress.

And lastly, I just wanted to mention that I am going to be kicking off April with a blog giveaway!!! Hooooorahhhhh!!!! So check back often for details :^)

Until then, have a sugary sweet day.
xoxoxo

Happy New Year!

I just wanted to wish everyone a beautiful, blessed, amazing New Year. May 2011 bring fantastical things your way :^)

As you can see, I have been dabbling with the sock monkeys.....I can't help it. I LOVE them, lol!! Being that the sock monkey sculpts and dolls are easier to create, I find that it has given me the time away that I needed from my more intricate sculpts....like my fairies.

But as the new year opens, I feel that I am once again drawn to them. I suppose because they have been whispering that they have missed me :^) I have so many ideas swirling in my head and I am excited to get started on them. My art will be taking a little bit of a turn....I am going to be moving away from full body sculpts a bit. And I will be incorporating the chakras into my new pieces.

For those of you who do not know, I have been having issues with my hands for years--burning, numbness, pain. So much so that sometimes I cannot even work on my art....and to me, that is suffocating :^( Ahhh, Western medicine. They have run the gamut from carpal tunnel to neuropathy. I have tried it all. I am also doing chiropractic, massage therapy, rolfing, herbs, the vitamin B complex, yoga, trigger points,a theracane,etc. Relief is intermittent. So on that note, I WILL get to the bottom of this all. It will just take time, patience and awareness. So I will be creating as much as I physically can....and I always welcome your prayers :^)

My first new girl of the new year is for the Winter Challenge on Jane DesRosier's ning group Cloth and Clay dolls. I am really excited about it and will post pics as she progresses. I can envision her already :^) Let's see if that's what she wants to be :^)

So, I send love to all of you. Create to your heart's content! Be well!

Namaste,
Candice