Years Ending Notes and Musings

Welcome Back Loyal Readers,

      As I look back over the last year I can honestly say that I have never felt more accomplished in my life. This past year was a big one for me personally and I made several strides with some help from my wonderful Husband as well as friends and family that I can say I probably would never have had the courage to reach for on my own. I took the leap and started my own business making and selling Jewelry and other Handmade craft items. I have had several successful shows and have met so many unique and interesting people. The crazy thing is that it all started as a pipe dream from a very young naive girl who just wanted to do something different with her life.

I have overcome so many obstacles this year some made from myself and others of outside influence, I still admit that I have so much to learn when it comes to running a successful business and keeping in touch with you my patrons and followers. I hope you will bear with me as I forge my own path through the mire and darkness. Things I am looking forward to attempting this coming year.

I have several goals I am looking forward to trying to achieve this year in particular,

To start with I plan on in between shows picking up a Blacksmithing apprenticeship at Union Mills Home Stead.

I will be starting to work with PMC or Precious Metal Clay in order to make my Own jewelry pendants.

I will endeavor to show more of my woodwork and paintings on here as well.

I am also looking forward to attending as many shows as I possibly can. All of my shows will be posted on here as soon as I am confirmed for attendance.

There are so many things I am interested in making that I wish I had some way to clone myself so I could accomplish so much more. Alas I cannot however so I have to pick my projects carefully.

That being said I wish all of you a Happy New Year and an abundance of blessings.

Sincerely
Andi Ward
Chaos Creationz Propreieter

ChristKindlMarkt and Future Prospects

Well Makers another successful gig has come and gone.

We at Chaos Creationz want to thank all of our lovely patrons for another lively and fun event! We had a blast at Union Mills ChristKindlMarkt, it was lovely seeing some old faces and several new ones. We can't do it without everyone's support! Some things to look forward to coming down the chute.

 Some things to look forward to coming down the chute.




We have the Taney Town Tree Lighting Festival- Dec.7,  3-7pm.
and 
Karma Fest Winter Solstice Celebration- Dec. 21-22 
SATURDAY DECEMBER 21ST 11:11am – 11:11pm
SUNDAY DECEMBER 22ND 10:10am – 8:08pm
At the Holiday Inn in Timonium
This Is a FREE EVENT! 


At Karma Fest we will also be doing a Meet the Artist for an hour or two with Terri Fabula, our lovely provider of Fabulous Prints by Terri. She is a writer illustrator and an all around amazing watercolor artist.

       We will also be launching into making our own unique pendants using silver here soon. So keep an eye out here for updates on our works in progress.

We have also launched a Facebook Page and Twitter Feed in case you can't check back here. Links are below. We also soon hope to launch our Email List  The Chaos Club if you sign up you will have access to exclusive deals that can be redeemed in person or on our Etsy page.

https://twitter.com/ChaosTerminal5

https://www.facebook.com/chaosterminal0/

We will be back soon so stay tuned!

It's Official! The Chaos Club has been launched!

Hello all you makers out there!

Welcome back to the Daily Maker,
        We have some welcome news from our progenitor Chaos Creationz! They have officially launched their store on Etsy after much hemming and hawing over it. Inventory is small at the moment but keep an eye out over the coming weeks for more unique items being added! They will also soon be launching an email list coupon service called the Chaos Club which will offer exclusive discounts to those who sign up!

     We here at The Daily Maker and Chaos Creationz value our customer and reader input and would love to hear from you as to what you would like to see featured most both on this blog and in the shop!

     Now for some more news for you readers, we will be out and about in person this weekend on November 16. Chaos Creationz will be taking to the road and attending two different festivals. We will be at the Union Mills ChristKindlMarkt from 11-4.
https://unionmills.org/events/christkindlmarkt/

     We will also be at the SCHS Craft Fair fundraiser from 9-2! All proceeds from this Craft fair go to support the SCHS Stagelighters! This craft fair will be held at Mt. Airy Middle School in Mt. Airy Md. Look for the blue or orange covered tables and you will find us!

     The following is but a small sample of the wares we will be showcasing at our up coming events!

 Our goal is to introduce a number of our handmade wares to the public and hopefully inspire other like minded folks to showcase what they have to offer the world.

 We ourselves work with Leather and partner with Cobblers Den and Burning Angel Armories to offer a variety of leather goods, we also accept commissions!

 We also carry a variety of beautifully made wooden cake/ plant stands. We also work with a local maker JP who runs It's Knot Fantasy who specializes in reclaimed wood decor!

 Everyone has a dream and we feel it's our job to highlight how very different those dreams are with a variety of eye catching dream catchers!

 Did you ever wish for your own wings? Well while our feather charms can't grant you flight, we can always hope they will make you feel just a little more light hearted. Hand painted to look like the real deal each one is crafted lovingly out of leather and made to adorn any key ring purse or bag of choice. Perfect for the bird lovers in your life!

 Last but certainly not Least are my Husbands awesome 3d Prints! Got a gamer in your life? Need a unique gift? These durable 3D models are a perfect gift for anyone into collectibles or tabletop gaming. Easily paintable with model paint or even basic acrylic paint these lovelies are certain to inspire a world of fantasy!

Again, We hope to see you this weekend at either event please look forward to upcoming updates and even some special expose's of local and upcoming Artists. Please feel free to leave reviews regarding what types of project walkthroughs you would like to see posted and we will do our best to accommodate!

Check Out our new shop at
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChaosCreationz

Happy Crafting!
Regards

Here's to Another Sucessful Day

Welcome back to The Daily Maker everyone!

       So today we at Chaos Creationz were set up at the Mt. Airy Senior Center Holiday Craft Fair. For a relatively small fair they had a lot of very interesting Vendors. I made several new friends and met some old ones today. The bake table had some lovely cookies and cakes for sale. Very reasonably priced too. Though I had a smaller display then my usual 10x10 we still sold relatively well.

Many of the crafts featured at my booth are created by yours truly. My Grandmother helps make some of my stock. She makes our flower crowns. We start with a base of honeysuckle vine strip it of leaves and weave them into different sized crowns. She has a great eye for colors and all of her crowns are different. Fun for all ages, just because your an adult doesn't mean you can't let fantasy touch your life.

 My daughter Alena and my grandmother both collaborate making the products for my daughters half of the shop. Alena's Happy Little Owl Shop. Owl bracelets for $5.00. Each bracelet has an owl somewhere and boy does she make a killing! I swear she puts car salesmen to shame with how much of a hard sell she is. It's adorable though and it's actually how she earns her pocket money. Though we're definitely being smart about it and putting a good chunk in savings.




 A recent edition to my shop are these fantastic prints done by local artist and dear friend of mine Mrs. Terri Fabula. She is a wonderful lady with an awesomely quirky personality. It really shines through in the paintings she does. With an awesome eye for color and subject placement all of her paintings are a joy to behold. She really brings a whimsical beauty to what she paints with pops of color in all the right places.

 Dream catchers, oh how we would all like to catch a dream and hold it tight. While unfortunately mine can't make dreams come true they can certainly brighten up the room. With vibrant feathers and stunning focal points each one is a joy to behold. I even create rustic ones with floral arrangements on the outside just for something a wee bit different.

 No family business would be complete without everyone contributing something. While not handmade my husbands 3D printer can certainly spin up some masterpieces. The cool part is that each piece is 100% paintable with regular acrylic paint.

Then of course last but not least are my staples so far. My jewelry and my leather work, both time consuming both entirely different styles and I absolutely love it. Soon I will be adding metal and wood work to the mix but for right now I have a little bit for everyone.





        Wrapping up for the time being I would just like to say, Here's to a successful show! Look for me next week Nov. 16, 11 am - 4 pm at the Chaos Creationz Booth at The ChristKindlMarkt at Union Mills Homestead on Rt. 97 towards PA.
Hope you have a crafty weekend.
Blessings Ya'll
Andi

Ravenwood Faire is in the Air!

Greetings Everyone,
     
       I'm back after a wonderful and windy Sunday at a small start up Renn Fest called Ravenwood Faire. It's held in Clearview Virginia about an hour and a half outside of Carroll County. They had a bunch of enthusiastic folk there. From one of the Tavern Tents you could hear shouts of Huzahhh! every time someone tipped them only to have it echo from other vendors across the grounds. They had a local Glassblower  Adam's Glass
from Reston, Virginia doing demonstrations and his work is very beautiful and durable. You can find him on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/adams_glass/

     He seems very passionate and enthusiastic about his work, his partner is also very knowledgeable and is able to answer questions and concerns thoroughly in regards to their product while he is busy demonstrating.

      We also stopped in over at Angels & Griffins Armour and spoke with Mr. Chad Patterson and his Wife. They are lovely folk, their wares consisted of Swords, Kilts and various Armor types. Chad does beautiful leatherwork. (I regret not taking more pictures, alas my phone was dead) you can reach out to Chad and his wife concerning their work through Facebook.
https://m.facebook.com/Angels-and-griffins-armour

     Then their lovely friend Mrs. Izzy who makes the most beautiful and fantastical Dragon quilts. (Sometimes I swear I need to be made of money or something) You can find her by her totally awesome wild colored hair. She as an equally wild and fey like disposition that is perfectly at home in this little Faire. A treat to talk to and a sunny smile for all who say hello she is an amazing artist with an amazing personality to match. You can find examples of her work on her website.

www.izzyisms.com

     Of course no Faire would be complete without commenting on the Many craft Brews that they had flowing through the Tavern tents and while I personally did not indulge their I did go to the Meadery and have a taste of their wares. (I did not come home with a bottle .......nope sure didn't...) Misty Mountain Meadworks, Inc. based out of Winchester VA has some very interesting and very tasty Mead on tap, They have a very nice staple Wildflower Mead and then some more interesting flavors like Lemon Mead and Hazelnut. The staff were very knowledgeable and friendly to speak with and they can ship out of state if you don't live in or around where they are in Virginia. I can't begin to say how happy I am to have found a supplier of a Mead I actually like. So if your ever in the Winchester area stop in and try them out.

www.mistymountainmead.com

     A little closer to home one of the Vendors I met on my way into Faire is right here in Ellicot City MD. Dirtflower Crystals and Strange Things run by Sir Randolph Peters was there blowing bubbles at incoming guests and pulling everyone in with the gems beget by our Mother Earth. Fantastic Quartz and Labrodorite, Flourite and Onyx. Beautiful crystals everywhere and his walking staff would make any rock lover salivate. An amazing work of art worthy of Van Gogh himself.
   
      I can't begin to say enough about the Henna and Facepaint artist and her two lovely Daughters, One of her daughters is a self published Author at the wonderful Age of 12. Her book Sprinkles of Kindness is based on her own life story deals with the effects of living with a unique medical condition and the bullying she has endured and still does to some degree. While the book is not on shelves just yet she does however craft her own fairy bottles and fills them with resin and yes actual food sprinkles to spread her sprinkles of kindness message. It truly is amazing what just a kind word or two can do for someone.

 All in all I have to say my experiences here at Ravenwood had an amazing impact on me just from talking and listening to people alone. I would be here all day waxing lyrical about it. This is definitely an up and coming Faire to visit and next year I certainly hope to be a larger part of something so joyous and fun. The people were amazing and I can't wait to go back both as a Patron and potentially a vendor at this amazingly Unique event.

     There's something to be said for the magic that happens at these tiny Faires and to the joy and genuineness of the vendors and patrons. As fun as the bigger faires are we need to realize that back in those days markets were tiny and local and the people true and faire. We need more of that now more than ever in this day and age....


Blessings to all my viewers here with The Daily Maker.
Look for me this Weekend At The Chaos Creationz Booth In Mt. Airy at the Mt. Airy Senior Center Fall Festival.
Ciao

Goblins, Ghouls and Ghosts Oh My! Costumes and and the History of Guising

Hello All and Welcome back to The Daily Maker.
So it's that time of year again when ghosts and goblins abound. I'm talking of course of Halloween our lovely tradition of dressing up in the spookiest and scariest things and going door to door for candy. So this year I wanted to redo a costume from last year now that I have another years worth of Crafty education under my belt. I am attempting round two of being a Plague Doctor. My daughter thank heavens is content with her owl costume from last year as a purple rainbow owl and my Husband has plenty to choose from himself.

  
    This was last year and I wasn't too thrilled with how my costume came out. The coat turned out awesome for being a mash up of two old coat patterns I had lying around. My mask however left something to be desired. So after some research and a pop up from Etsy regarding a shop with leather patterns when I was looking into how to make boots... I found the shop DieselPunk. The guy has awesome leather patterns and he sells them for really reasonable prices too. I've included his link below.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DieselpunkRo

    Anyway, his patterns are suited to a standard printer and require some assembly with scissors and tape but the results I believe at least speak for themselves.

 

After getting everything cut out and all the holes punched assembly was extremely easy

just a bit time consuming. The whole process was very straight forward. The only thing I had to imagine was the stiffener for the brim. I used thin wire mesh, after stitching it together I made the hatband with a bunch of mini bottles I picked up at Michaels.

Yeah I'm being weird, but hey I honestly can say I love my hat. Seriously, I wear it constantly, look for me around town in Westminster with it. My mask turned out awesome too.

 

I didn't exactly follow the pattern provided because I wanted to put my own twist on things

but I like how it turned out much better than my first attempt. I also made some potion bottles and a pouch to complete the look, with the use of my old coat I figured I could pull off the look pretty well.

 Yes the pouch is rainbow.

Anyway I love everything about Halloween, it really is the most creative Holiday of the year when people go out of their way to be something different for a day or two or four....
However Halloween used to be something very different and the traditions that we follow for it come from quite the colorful background.

Let me take you back to a simpler time when beliefs were very different then those of today.

Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sah-wen). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Scotland, Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France,though there were many Germanic Celts as well.

   During this time of year Samhain was celebrated as the death of the old year, when the God who governed the sun and light died and left his Widow to mourn for him until his rebirth in the spring. It was also one of the two times of year when the veil between worlds was thinnest allowing for Sidh (pronounced shee) what we know as Fairies and spirits of the dead to visit the living. Many Celts thought that to appease the Sidh and Spirits they should offer food and hospitality. 

 They threw feasts and parties in honor of those past.

Children and teens to honor the dead would dress in the clothes of their dead ancestors (ie great grand parents and other dead relatives) and go door to door reciting verses and asking for food scraps to burn in offering. Setting were placed at family meals in household to welcome those who had passed.

Turnips not pumpkins were carved and placed outside the doors to ward off the mischievous Sidh who liked to play pranks or were sometimes down right mean. The cattle were pulled in from the fields and ritually blessed and cleansed to survive the winter. 

So all in all a very different time and belief system than what we know today. Anyway I hope everyone has something spooky to wear.

Happy Halloween Ya'll.

Regards

Andi from Chaos Creationz

Welcome To The Daily Maker!

Hello Viewers!
      Welcome to the Daily Maker, this has been something of a vision of mine for quite a number of years now. Since I am new to you let me introduce myself. My name is Andi maker extraordinare! Well not really but it's what I wish to become. My goal here with The Daily Maker is to help showcase different projects from inception to completion, inspire my viewers into trying something new and even if you don't wish to try it yourself but wish to meet the maker for a commission or two showcase local area venues that your makers are going to be at.

     I have three core values that I both live by and wish to share with you my viewer through this blog. The first is my absolute favorite of course.
I am talking about INSPIRATION!

    Inspiration can be achieved through the smallest of actions whether its contemplating some problem that needs a solution. Looking at the scenery around you and wishing to share the moment, even a small act of kindness for a stranger all of these can inspire in different ways. You never know how your perception of the world around you can change things if you just share them.

The second value is RESPECT!
   
    Respect is my second value here because as an Artist critique is common and to many people openly criticize and judge hastily. Yes everyone has an opinion and is entitled to said opinion but openly degrading opinions need to be kept on a short leash. They do nothing for the Artists and only show the ugly side of the viewer. No one says you have to agree all the time but civility is much preferred over discourtesy.

The third and final value is GROWTH!

     Everyday represents an opportunity to grow mentally, physically and spiritually. You never know what might encourage you to grow as a person. Myself well I have found a variety of things over the years. My daughter leading the charge on that one. Raising her is what got me out of the dead end rut I was in emotionally. Now I wouldn't say I am personally successful by any means. That's my end goal. However between her and my husband they have given me the drive to reach for the stars and I will get there and so will you my viewer.

The idea and inception of Chaos Creationz, my business.

    So a while ago I decided that as a mom the 9-5 Corporate world was not for me. I wanted to see my daughter grow up and working 9 to 14 hour days just did not sit well with me. I know that a lot of people do it and I commend those that do. It's just not for me, that said I sat down and started brain storming a solution. So I took a look at my skills, I've always been crafty and artistic and I was pretty decent at sales from years of Girl Scout cookie selling so I set about making basic costume jewelry and vending shows.

    The idea had been kicking about in my mind ever since talking to two vendors one Growing up, a lady bless her I can not remember her name. I met her at the Festival of trees in Timonium Md. She had the most exotic booth and her hair was always in dreadlocks. I thought she was the coolest so I befriended her. Her booth was the only one with dragons. Over the years of going I always looked forward to catching up with her she always reminded me of a modern day Gypsy. Jovial and kind she eventually let me help her when I attended. I always thought that I really want to do this on my own one day. She was my inspiration sharing with me the idea of a community of crafters from which she hailed. A communal living situation for people who balked at the traditional way of life and wished for a simpler path.

    My second inspiration was a gentleman who I met at Gettysburg Bike Week. He makes and sells Magnetic Jewelry. I was up there visiting my mother who works with one of the other vendors and was looking for something to do til she was done. This gentleman took notice of the necklace I had made and was wearing and complimented me on it. After I thanked him he set aside what he was doing and we started talking. He described how he had started what he was doing and how he grew to become one of the larger Jewelry vendors for bikers here in Maryland. But the biggest tip of his that I took with me was that no matter what I should never give up on my goals.

   It's funny how two people who both showed me a small kindness one humoring a child and the other striking up a conversation with a bored young adult, could have such a profound effect on my life. This year around June I launched my business officially and since I have vended at five different events locally in Maryland by the years end I will have done nine. The best part is that I actually truly enjoy what I am doing and have been invited to other events since. I never imagined the fanciful dreams of my younger self would ever hold water but maybe if you slowly plug up all the holes in a pipe dream one day it just might.

This is Andi With Chaos Creationz
Signing off for the day
Days Blessings Everyone