Debbie Overton Designs

Dreams Unfolding......

For months I have eluded to a new business venture I have been working on and many of you reading this have been searching for clues within the posts here.....some of you were given some of the details several weeks ago and it didn't take long for word to spread.  Some of you found the new badge posted on my blog a few days ago and have spent countless minutes visiting the new sites.....and I thank you for your interest.

I am proud and excited to share with you....the MMCA Marketplace and Blog!

Even though it is official, the marketplace is not open yet, but it is getting very close.  The blog is up and things will be posted there as we progress.  You can learn more about the marketplace by visiting the blog.

This is not something that just came about a few months ago.....over 5 years ago I did research, bought the domain, started building the site....but as with anything there are things you don't think of....as things began to unfold I realized the timing was not right....there were legal and accounting issues I needed to investigate further.  I spent the next several months meeting with our attorney and accountant while I continued to work on the website....then life decided to throw us a few loops and I made the decision my dream of a marketplace would have to wait....the timing was not right.  There is a time and place for everything....sometimes just not on our own schedules.

Back in 2005 when I started MMCA I envisioned more than just a place for a group of artists to meet and share....I could see in time my dream of an online marketplace for artists and crafters just might work.  Without saying anything to anyone and that even included Steve, I pulled out all the research I had done years ago and began doing some more homework.  After putting my plan to paper, I decided it was time to run my idea by Steve not sure of what he would say.  He was thrilled and suggested I call our attorney and accountant and move forward.  The initial visits went well....they both sent me home with a list of things to do. 

Life still continued and I had an idea in the works that I couldn't share just yet.  After countless hours....well the accountant and attorney knew how many hours I was spending with them...funny how they don't miss a thing, I was finally ready to share just a wee bit of info with the MMCA group and mentions of a new venture here and there.  Never giving way to what I was actually working on.

If was no secret to the group that I envisioned bigger things for us and on April 16th, I made the announcement of taking MMCA to the next level with the marketplace and blog.  I was immediately greeted with support and questions which I did answer within our private forum.   I kept them updated as much as possible with the details....and on June 4^th; I posted the links to both sites. 

For the past months, I have spent more time with the accountant and attorney taking care of all the legal issues.  The past few days have been spent tweaking the application and Seller's Agreement hand in hand with the attorney. Information on how you too can be a part of the MMCA Marketplace will be posted to the website and blog soon.

Some of the questions that have come up....

Is this for members of MMCA only?  No not at all......all artists and crafters are welcome to apply for a shop within the marketplace.   Like any other gallery, shop or brick & mortar there will be an application process that has to be fulfilled prior to acceptance into the Marketplace. 

How will the applications be processed?  I have recruited directors of the local arts associations and owners of some of the local Brick & Mortar shops to assist me in making this decision.  The way I see it who better to seek the advice of than the people that do this on a daily basis.

Are there any benefits of being a member?  Marketplace members will have their own shop to showcase their artwork and be part of a national ad campaign in at least one well known publication to name just a few.

Where can I find the application?  The application, fees, benefits and guidelines will all be posted to the website soon.  If you are interested the best thing to do at this time is to keep a watch on the marketplace blog as updates will be posted there.

Can I share about the marketplace with my art friends that might be interested?  Yes, please give them our website or blog address.

I know there are a lot more questions and I promise in time all of them will be answered....everything you need to know will be on the website soon and updates will be posted to the blog.  I already have a list of artists and crafters interested and I would love to have you join them.   Many of the MMCA members have already put the badge on their website….thanks girls!

As my dreams of owning my own online marketplace unfold....remember dreams do come true!

Free to Fly

I received one of the nicest emails this afternoon from Enzie at World Market Portraits.  She received a small package from me yesterday and is using the inspiration from one of my notecards "Free to Fly" to start a wonderful project....."GIVE CREATIVITY WINGS TO FLY".  Click on the link above to read all about it and while you are there take a few extra minutes to view her gorgeous paintings.  I look forward to each morning finding a blog feed from World Market Portraits....It is such a wonderful way to start the day.

KC and I hit a few antique shops and flea markets a few days ago....she is okay with the antique shops, but those really old dusty flea markets like the trading post pics I share with you a while back....she does not care for.  As we were wondering through one Monday she could not get out of there fast enough....so I will have to return without her as it was filled with hidden treasures.  I was able to grab a few things before she bolted when she thought she felt something run across her foot....told her not to wear flip flops!!!  But what do I know!!!

Here is one of the postcards I picked up recently...I love the gorgeous flowers, but the back is what I fell in love with.......

August 3, 1913

Dear Wife............From your husband.  I smile everytime I read it.....if I were to receive a card today from Steve written to Dear Wife and signed From your husband.....I would probably ask which husband!!!!  Because mine would have signed his name!!!!

I want to finish up a few things tonight so I can pack up some pieces to deliver to the shop at Goodyear Cottage Art Gallery on Jekyll Island Friday and then some things need to be delivered to The Painted Cat Studio and Gallery in the next few days....Michelle is being very patient and waiting on me!

If you have not visited Enzie at World Market Portraits I hope you will hop on over.  Thanks Enzie for such a heartfelt email and the compliments you shared in your blog post.

Creatively,

Playing a Little Catch Up

My friend Sue at Artful Adventures asked to see some close ups of some of my new pieces on exhibit at Monkey Love....Here are two and I will share more later on.  The reception Friday night went well.  Two hours of chatting it up with old and new friends...laughter, music, wine, coffee, great food and lots of talk about my art.  What more could I have asked for?  Even Steve enjoyed this reception....although he would never admit some of the ones in the past have bored him to death....he had fun Friday night.  Thanks Britt for a great evening!

Someone recently emailed me asking for advice and in my reply to Ellen's email I included a few links to some of the resources I have used here on the Internet.  Of course you know I mentioned Alyson at Artbiz and the author of I'd rather be in the studio and I also told her about Luann Udell's blog....a wealth of business information.  I must give credit where it is due...Deb Trotter recommended both Alyson and Luann to me several years ago and I have referred to them many times.  Thanks Deb! 

Saturday and Sunday were spent working on the new business venture website and updating the MMCA website and forum.  Finally around 2:30am last night I called it a night, but couldn't sleep due to thinking of things I wanted to get done today....I watched the clock until Steve's alarm went off at 6.  Just as soon as he was out the door I jumped up, showered, dressed and started my day.   So far today has been very productive...follow up emails and phone calls are all made from my to do list and now I am ready to move on to finishing up a few pieces of art.

Creatively,

Happy Mother's Day

My friend  Sue at Artful Adventures posted some gorgeous necklaces on her blog again yesterday as well as some pictures her husband had taken.....then she challenged us to go outside and find some beauty in something that you've never paid close attention to before and share with our blog friends....so Sue here you go....a few photos of some of the flowers I have had since we moved in and a few from yesterday's plantings....I have always thought they were pretty...but when you really zoom in on the blooms the details are stunning.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's and mom's to be.  When I think of Mother's Day I always think of flowers....growing up my daddy always bought my mom a gorgeous fresh orchid corsage as well as sweetheart roses for my sister and I to wear to church on Mother's Day....and to this day my mom still receives one.  Now that us girls have grown and gone in different directions we don't get our sweetheart roses from daddy, but we get flowers from our own children.   

Right now I am enjoying my morning....overcast, windy and you can hear thunder in the distance....Steve got called into work due to a little storm that passed through last night...I hope he's not too long as his big breakfast sure would be good about now.....We may have to have it for dinner which is always a favorite here. 

I received a call from one of the shops over on Jekyll Island and she needed more journals, so after delivering her order we headed to the beach for a few hours.  Then Steve and I went flower shopping and came home with a truck bed full of flowers....wish I had thought to snap a picture before we unloaded all of them....but after spending time on the beach and then meandering through rows and rows of flowers in 92 degrees taking a picture was the last thing on my mind.

Seth and KC are still sleeping....I think I wore them out yesterday afternoon....we dug up plants, planted the new ones, replanted some of the old ones and at dusk we were all tired, dirty and thinking....why didn't we just call Lee our wonderful landscaper and let him come by one afternoon and do all this!  The kids were even willing to pitch in their share of the cost after about an hour in the 90+ temps.   In the end it was worth it and I know once all the blooms start opening I know it will be worth it to me.

I have tried to finish this post for the past 30 minutes....remember above I mentioned overcast, windy and distant thunder....well that changed to hard rain and high winds and I have lost power twice for a few minute's each time....I just hope the hail they are calling for misses us......guess I better go check the weather since we have been under a tornado watch most of the morning.

I hope each of you have a wonderful day planned....I am off to enjoy mine.

Another snippet of one of the pieces on display at Monkey Love this month.  "They say we broke ALL the Rules....Maybe a Few!"  I had so many wonderful papers and other elements to work with thanks to two wonderful art friends Elaine and Patsy.   Elaine sent me a wonderful Secret Santa package this past Christmas and Patsy sent me an envelope filled with wonderful papers a few months ago.

Personally I like RULES!

Can you imagine the chaos we would have if there were no rules to follow?  Imagine coming to a major intersection and those with a Red light don't think the Red light rule STOP applies to them...you have one huge pile up of vehicles all because just one person thinks they don't have to abide by the rules. 

Just a little food for thought.....next time you decide not to play by the rules....Someone gets hurt and next time it may be you.

Have a Great day....we are off to the dentist for our 6 month cleanings!!! 

Are you staying in the Loop?

It is no secret I think "I'd rather be in the studio" by Alyson Stanfield is a must have book.  Several weeks ago as I was jumping around from page to page, excuse to excuse, action to action I came across her paragraph on Feedblitz....I got excited because I already had a Feedblitz subscription form on my blog....yeah!

I can already see some of you going what is Feedblitz!  Feedblitz is a free service that will deliver updates from your favorite blogs in one email to your inbox. 

To quote Alyson "If you were creating your ideal newspaper, you'd get to select the content from your favorite writers about the subjects most dear to you, determine the order in which it is laid out (to some extent), and when you read it.  A blog feed is very similar.  You get to choose what you want to read and when you want to read it."

I love it....even though I still have times when I don't leave comments to others...I still am in the loop with their happenings without jumping from one blog to another to find it has not been updated in weeks.

There are lots of ways to receive RSS (Rich Site Summary) feeds, my choice just happens to be Feedblitz.  So if you are like me and would really like to know when your favorite blog has been updated sign up for their updates and you won't forget about some of your favorite blogs.

Signing up for a blogs updates with a feed is not the same as signing up for their newsletter.  I have both on my blog.  If you want to know when I make a new post to my blog then you can sign up with Feedblitz for email updates (left column) and you can also sign up for my occasional newsletter (right column) that I send out every 1-2 months with images and snippets of news and updates to what's going on with Debbie Overton Designs.

Sign up is easy and quick.

Party Favors & Tax Day

I have 4 party favors ready to mail.....Enzie at World Market Portraits was the first to leave a comment with a direct link to her post on Gratitude.  If you have not visited you are missing a wonderful poem on Gratitude.  Roxanne at Roxi Designs is giving away a blog background and an original handcrafted notecard along with her words of Gratitude.  Miriam at The Doodler and Debra at Hop Hop Jingle Boo both shared posts of Gratitude.

I hope you will take a few minutes to visit each of these girls and see what they had to share.  Also many of the comments are filled with words of Gratitude.  After reading so many wonderful comments....I decided to include everyone that comments with a blog to the Party Guest List so all the fun places are easy for you to find.

As I posted this I was thankful for those that have visited and grateful to those that share the things they are thankful for.  And very thankful our taxes have been filed and we don't have to pay anything!!!!

Don't forget to come back as I will be sharing another recipe in the next day or so and will be drawing names for party favors from one of the posts.

And for the person that posted the snide remark to the comments asking if that was really my signature and why I started using it.....YES it is my signature created with Photoshop 7 and I have been using it on the back of my notecards for years and even in some of my older posts.  I guess there has to always be one in the bunch that just tries to stir the pot!  Sorry to those that saw the ugly comment before I found it.

The "D" List and More......

I made the "D" list....the "D" list you ask......

As I do most mornings I was reviewing my blog and website stats reports....there seemed to be tons of referrals from one blog in particular....so I had to check it out.  Sharon B's In a Minute Ago is a wonderful blog I found because she listed me in her "D" list today.  She is releasing a letter every couple weeks of some of her favorite blogs.  In a Minute Ago is a blog of online resources which relate to contemporary and historical textiles, embroidery and needlework, quilting and crazy quilting, fiber arts, paper, book arts and visual journals....and so much more.  I am looking forward to seeing more of what Sharon has to offer.

Steve and I decided to head out mid-morning for bunch and run a few errands....a stop at Artisans for a few Golden paints and supplies that I was running low on.....then before heading home we made a stop at Monkey Love....I know...I have mentioned Monkey Love many time....I just love the name....and it is such a fun place to visit.  Britt and I finalized the details for the exhibit and reception and we both left with a Banana Pudding Shake!  I wanted to go on over to the beach but I kept looking at that bag of paints and the paints won out....I think Steve was glad....he was ready to head home.....he said he thought he heard the sofa calling his name!  So I gave in after a promise that tomorrow no matter what we will spend a few hours enjoying the sun and sand.

I can not even begin to thank all of you that have taken time to leave a comment in the Let the Party Begin post.....it is filled with Birthday wishes, but most of all it is filled with words of gratitude.  We all have so many things to be thankful for and I am enjoying reading your comments and hope others will take time to read them too.

I leave you with Signs of Spring here in Southeast Georgia......

Let the Party Begin......

The Expressions of Gratitude Blog Party celebrating my 50th Birthday has begun and you are invited to join.  You can read all about it here.  Don't forget to turn your volume up so you can sing along with some of my favorite tunes.....Hey you could even get up and dance around the room if you're in the mood. 

Every party should have your favorite treats so here's one of mine and you can even make it a few days ahead of time.

Peanut Butter Pie ~ Debbie Overton

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 c. powdered sugar

1 c. crunchy peanut butter

2 (8oz.) Cool Whip

2 butter, graham or chocolate flavored pie crusts, store bought or your own.  I use the mini graham cracker from Keebler for parties.

Blend all together, except 1 (8oz.) Cool Whip; this is for the topping.  Blend until smooth with a spatula.  Pour into pie crust and top with Cool Whip.  Refrigerate.  Easy and Yummy!

Since my big day in on the 4th, the first 4 comments left with a link to their blog post titled Expressions of Gratitude will receive a party favor and if you are the first person to also add the Celebration Badge to your blog along with your Gratitude post there will be an extra surprise included.   

Please leave comments here under the Let the Party Begin so they will all be together.  And please don't forget to include the direct link to your Gratitude post in your comment.

Hope to see you during the month long party!

Spring is finally here.....

It's official.....Spring begins today....and I am so excited.  I have blooms popping out everywhere....just love to look out and see even the stray weeds that have come to life in the past week here.  Today is only going to reach the low 70's windy and sunny.....just a little let down from the mid 80's we had yesterday.....but clear blue skies as far as you can see.

Last week we had kids home for Spring Break....lots of fun....beach...shopping...eating out...beach....more shopping...late night movies...ice cream...beach...kids coming and going day and night...sand...flip flops...swimsuits and beach towels everywhere....but it was worth it.  Only a few more weeks and it will all start again for the summer!

A couple nights ago I decided to check in on a few of my favorite blogs and if you have not visited Nina Bagley's blog Ornamental lately you are missing some great reads.  Especially this one where she talks about spending time with her parents in their little cabin.  It was a perfect ending to my day....so whether you are starting your day or calling an end to one....I think you will enjoy it....I certainly did.

I finally finished another collage yesterday...actually the picture was taken while it was still drying....so please excuse the mess around the art couldn't wait to share....There are 18-20 layers of paints glazes mediums and papers....tons of drying time....I don't much care for that part....I'm not know for waiting long!  Have several more pieces in the works and will share with you soon.

A couple years ago I took an online organizational class taught by Alyson Stanfield....she has a wonderful website and her book "I'd rather be in the studio!" is filled with wonderful tips on self-promotion.  Now mind you....you actually have to do what she recommends for this to work....I already was doing some of it, but there were things I knew I needed to be doing and seeing it in black and white just makes it somehow easier to see the big picture.  So if you are looking for a little guidance in promoting yourself....take a look at what she has to offer.

I have a few things I want and need to finish up today as Steve is home for four days and as much as I enjoy his being home...I just don't get as much done.  I am counting on beautiful warm sunny days so we can work in the yard and head to the beach for a sunrise or sunset....maybe both.

Wishing each of you a wonderful Easter weekend.

Debbie