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Good morning, Sunday’s Best

What a morning, week, month, year. Life has been crazy. I really don't even know where to start anymore. I am having one of those days I suppose. Where you feel like things are going nowhere and you start losing motivation. That sucks. That is one of the worst feelings in the world. A couple years back I started a Zine called M.A.D: Mae's Mad About Art. I guess you could say I kind of lost touch with it during all the stuff I was going through. It was definitely NOT real fun. It has been some of the best and worst times of my life. I guess I have been trying to find myself or figure out how I will be able to create things and survive off of them for life. I want to make this a lifelong goal and career.

I let go of the Zine for the time being because I had started school again and wasn't having any luck. I then did a publication for the school I was attending and even created the name for it. One accomplishment down in life. Now to pursue my own. To work at it and not give up. I received a submission this winter and was completely tickled. I then received a letter from the gal who made the submission. That letter was pretty inspiring. She told me she is, "ok with rejection; but is not ok with giving up". There are so many little things and signs that God has sent me now and it is time I use what he has given me. Enough putting it on the back burner. I want to be something and create an impression in someone's life. I want to do what I love. I want to help others in any way I can.

I am so sick of this crazy world and all of this depressing news and the economy and so on. We need to support each other. Be Self-Sufficient. Use our hands to create something out of nothing. Enough with all of the mass production and supporting people working in third world countries for OUR country. Make something that is worth something. Something that is created with your own two hands and knowing that you have put that together and crafted it with love. Something that will uphold a few uses and etc. I am just tired of supporting everyone else. We need to break that cycle. We need to support each other, buy handmade, create handmade, sell handmade. It will surely be a beautiful thing and eventually I believe that the economy will bounce back at some point. But I want to see things made in the U.S.A. not China, Japan and yada yada. We need to make our own things. I have nothing against other countries but we should support our own before we support someone else's.

So, please check out my Zine Myspace and add it. I want to be in touch with more crafty people, more artists. I crave that bond. I crave creating. I crave self-sufficiency. We may just start a chain reaction. It has to start somewhere! So, let's do it! Come on everyone! Take the handmade pledge!!!! I did. Feel free to follow me on my blog. Email me, lets chat and everything else. Email me your Etsy shop, I will visit it, and most likely heart it and hopefully it will bring in more people to your site.

Facebook for Mae Creates

http://www.facebook.com/maecreates/

Twitter for Tweets

http://www.twitter.com/maecreates/

Myspace for Mae's Distro

http://www.myspace.com/maesmadaboutart/

Mae Creates Blog

http://www.maecreates.blogspot.com/

Indie Public for Mae Creates

Not sure of my address there but my username is maecreates

I will figure this out and post it at a later time!

Check out Mae Creates Etsy Shop

http://www.maecreates.etsy.com/

Check out Designs by Shanda

http://www.designsbyshanda.etsy.com/

Drop me an email, request a tutorial, I will find what you are looking for!

Mucho Love Amigos!

♥

Mae.

maedistro@gmail.com

The Holidays

This blog will be short. This past week has been very crazy. I have spent 11 hours in the car on our drive to Minnesota to see family and are soon to spend another 11 starting at 6:30 pm this evening on our drive back to Illinois. What a trip. The weather has been beautiful and the company of family and friends have been even better.

We finished our customized baggo board games and will be posting pictures when we return. Then it is back to building and sewing; creating new items. My bags will be showcasing this week on the 7th. I am pretty excited.

I have also been working on a blog agenda you could say. More to come tomorrow afternoon.

We are going to do a little fishing before we take off and have one more meal with my family. Always sad to go. I miss being near them but time will fly and soon enough we will be back to visit! :)

Hope everyone else had a great 4th of July holiday! Take care and you will be hearing from me soon! :)

♥
mae.

Good Morning!

Thursday, Thursday! The weekend is almost here! I am excited. That means it is that much closer for me to see my familY! I am looking forward to relaxing! Thank goodness my mother has a sewing machine because then I can just bring my fabric instead of having to bring my sewing machine all the way up and taking up room in the car. My boyfriend gets a little upset when we have to lug so much stuff around! But leave it to me!! That is why my grandmother calls me the bag lady! I always have bags of stuff and millions of bags with me!

Today I have an interview at 11 so my sewing has been delayed until after my interview and all of our running around is taken care of.

I have been digging for resources online! I have been finding quite a bit and will be posting them! There are a lot of things out there you can do on your own instead of going to a store! I would much rather have something that was crafted by hand and made with love than a factory machine that has put it together! :)

Yesterday, my little girl was grounded because she was so naughty the night before so she had to stay in all day with no t.v. and no friends! So, she did something productive and crafted! I will post pictures tomorrow. :) She will be a little artist just like her Mama yet. I love her.

A few good blogs to follow!
juanitas handmade
http://www.juanitashandmade.blogspot.com

everyday beautiful
http://www.everydaybeautiful.typepad.com/

girlscantell
http://www.girlscantell.typepad.com/

You can follow me here on blogspot for updates and give aways!
http://www.maecreates.blogspot.com/

Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/maecreates

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/maecreates

Etsy Shop
http://www.maecreates.etsy.com/

You can also find me on AIM if you have a question or something!
maecreates

Follow me!

Do not be afraid to heart my shop! Then you can always come back to it!
I manage my mothers shop for her and she does these cute earrings that I posted a couple days ago.
http://www.designsbyshanda.etsy.com

I hope to hear from you or see you guys around on here or any of the above listed social networking places.

Take care and mucho love to my friendships!

Mae.
♥

whimsical wednesdays!

Good morning everyone! Today is going to be another hotone here in the Chicagoland area! Yesterday was 100 degrees out!
Good thing we have air conditioning now! Darn, stuck insidea--leaving lots of time to create!

Since my little girl was kind of mean yesterday she gets to stay inside all day-no friends. So we have been crafting! She is going to be an artist just like her Mama! :)

I am cutting fabric for more bags! My goal is to have 8 new ones up online for my show case! 7 1/2 to go! :)

Hoping the showcase will bring me some exposure! So, be watching my etsy shop!
http://www.maecreates.etsy.com/

Until later, love for my dear artist friendships!

Mae.
♥

oh lovely manic mondays!

Let me tell you; it has been a crazy couple of weeks for me! I am currently unemployed and just opened my etsy shop! Of course I may be getting a little antsy! However, I did sell one of my bags!!!!! ♥♥ So that was a positive aspect of life this week.

Then we our water heater totaly crapped out on us! Then the following day we had NO water! If that wasn't enough my daughter's asthma was killing her because of the humidity and we didn't have any air conditioning and the 10 fans we have sure weren't helping us.

Things have just been so crazy and you get to a point where you are yelling at eachother just because you are frustrated and later bust out laughing! At least we have learned to laugh at our misfourtunes. Apparently God is trying to teach us something. How to appreciate more than we do, be thankful for what have more than we are, learn patience, and to keep our faith strong. Sometimes it is extremely hard to hold a smile when you feel like everything in the world is crashing down.

I did donate to the Handicap and as well as sell a bunch of clothes at a VERY discounted price so that they could take the clothes to Africa at my garage sale. If I had a job and was sitting at a comfort point which is easily attainable as long as I am working; I would have given the clothes to him for free.

God is there. He is constantly testing us! I just keep telling myself to keep being strong and keep having faith! I keep praying and crying to him. I know he has a plan for us. For each and everyone of us. He has something going on and I feel it soon will give and break through. It is keeping the patience and faith in God to make it to that point.

I think I need to listen to my Joyce Myers discs. It would probably help. Along with Pastor Murray. I am not sure if any of you have heard of these people but look into them.

My latest! The Breezy Lg Tote! Available in my etsy shop!

This economy is terrible and it is affecting EVERYONE! I am and have taken the plunge for selling my bags. However, I am going to start setting goals for myself! Starting at two bags a week. Start small and work towards big. So after a couple weeks of two bags a week I will increase it to three. By July 7, I need to have made at least 8 bags made! I have a spot on the showcase under bags and purses for that date!

Hopefully I will be sitting in Northern Minnesota on the border of Canada relaxing and enjoying the 4th of July with my family. I miss them terribly. Being 13 hours away is very tough with a child and not being able to plan family events as often as you'd like. I guess it depends on if I find a job by then or if I do not if I have money. HA!

We need to learn to humble ourselves. We need to learn to live simple. We need to learn to be self-sufficient!

Anyways, enough of my venting for this fine Monday morning! I have been stuck in a down funk for a while and I am trying to be a bit more positive. Love life! Live it! and Laugh at all the crappy things you encounter.

Follow me on Twitter for blog updates and new item releases. I am working on a contest. Unsure of what to do for one yet. If you have any ideas, let me know.

http://www.twitter.com/maecreates/

I manage my mother's etsy shop as well as take care of mine!

Check them out! She has some cute spinner blade earrings that were added yesterday! They are unique. I love them. I might just so happen to get those zebra print ones if someone doesn't beat me to them!

http://www.maecreates.etsy.com/

http://www.designsbyshanda.etsy.com/

She also has a new bouquet listed! :) Don't be afraid to add to the favorites and come back at a later time! :)

I have a facebook fanpage! I am working on creating a business page for it. It ended up on my regular facebook. So I have some figuring out to do!

http://www.facebook.com/maecreates/

Any ideas, articles, poems, requests for blogs, tutorials and so on---- send me an email! I would love to hear from you! I need more artists to communicate with!

shanna.olsen@live.com

Much love to all my dear friendships out there!

Mae.

♥

Good day! Manic Monday!

Good morning everyone!

Today I am going to upload some DesignsByShanda! I am so intrigued by her creativity!

The photos I am going to post are really neat for weddings, baby showers, bridal showers.... and I am sure if you had a different kind of need for it.. maybe a house warming party or even a birthday party--Shanda could most definately create something for yoU!

Shanda also does bridal boquets and the whole nine yards in the flower arranging category! She creates her boquets with silk flowers so they last a life time!!!! :) They are all made with material so they do not snag on wedding dressings! How great! If you would like to know more information you can contact her at shandahelen@hotmail.com or find her etsy shop online at http://www.designsbyshanda.etsy.com/.