the wit and wisdom of whirleygirl

(matryoshka doll inspired wands)
 

(Hand Painted Girly Robot Picture Frame, $30)

Here are some new lady friends that will be hanging out with me at the D.I.Y Trunk Show on Saturday - you should come by too and say hello!

( i also will be at the AMIT CHANUKAH BOUTIQUE on Sunday

11 - 4

 Or Temple - 3800 Dempster in Skokie)

the countdown is on! 4 days and the

grand opening of Kooky is here!

Come in and  see all the fabulous goodies!

what is Kooky you may be wondering?

Kooky Children's Shop is a "pop-up" seasonal co-op, brought to you by twelve Chicago area childrensware designers for this holiday season. Featuring high quality products, Kooky will capture the spirit of the season while showcasing some of Chicago's best talent in kid's designs.

The store is located at 3447 Southport Avenue and will be open from October 24th through December 24th.

There are scheduled musicians, magicians and even visits from Santa to entertain the kids as you shop. 

The Grand opening is today Saturday Oct. 24th (10 - 5) yay! - stop in sometime and look for some fun whirleygirl designs picture frames, mirrors, and wands - many styles that i don't even have on-line yet!!

 **oh yeah, you may see me there too :)

let me know if you are planning to stop by**

Here is a Kooky website to keep you up-to-date on all the events: 

http://www.chicagokids.com/kooky/index.html

as always, thank you SO much for your support!!

 

 

 

Hippity - hop , it is supposed to be Spring but....the weather here today in Chicago is telling us it's still winter!! Oh, well...guess we all have to find other ways to bring a little bright spot into out lives!

Here are some fun things...

 - Come on over and say hi!

Chicago Kids Spring Trunk Show & Sample Sale

Saturday, April 4th from 10 - 6

Belle Plaine Studio

2014 W. Belle Plaine, Chicago, 60618

Check out the website - www.chicagokidsshow.webs.com -  to get all the details and see all the talented designers that will be participating - Looks like quite a fun mix of goodies!

I will have a lot of old favorites and will be introducing a few new items as well! My bunny and chick wands (above, $22) will be making their debut .....they are very excited and would love to see you!

-Great new website "Chicago Crafty"....a great source of information on upcoming craft/art shows in Chicago as well as has a fab directory of crafters from Chicago!

Think Spring and keep creating the life you have always dreamed of!

Good News, Good news!

As some of you may have heard, the Consumer Products Safety Commission has granted a one year stay of testing and certification requirements on many items for children 12 and under, including those that are lovingly (and safely) made by hand by myself and so many other independent artists. This is good news, as it allows many to stay in business, as well as gives "the powers that be" a bit more time to come up with regulations that, dare i say, make more sense .... Not to worry, every whirleygirl designs creation meets all safety requirements and are created using ONLY non-toxic materials!!

Cool Mom Picks has once again written an oh-so eloquent blurb on this that is the worth the read here.

Thank you for your support!

 

Happy New Year! This may seem a little overdue for some, but with Obama's inauguration tomorrow, i do feel it is REALLY a new year! And ooohhh what a time for change!

As many of you may have heard, The CPSIA  (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) has put new regulations in place regarding items intended/designed for children 12 and under. Although, the concept for this new act - keeping our children safe - is a fabulous one, the wording of the new laws will put many, many, many small businesses such as mine either out of business or force them to shift their business focus. There are articles and info about this situation all over the web - this is a very good overview: http://coolmompicks.com/savehandmade/ . Also Forbes magazine a had a good article recently, you can read that here. Personally, here at Whirleygirl Designs, i will continue to mural away but in regards to my product line and etsy shop, there will be no more hand painted goodies after February 10th, 2009. (That is unless the regs get reworded so that many of us can continue to do what we love ... check out Endangered Whimsy to see many of the businesses that will be closing) I do have a secret plan that i am very excited about in regards to offering my art in a new format...stay tuned!! :)

Now how about some good news!

As i have  mentioned, I AM excited about Obama - i am looking forward to watching the inauguration tomorrow!! (i will probably cry like a little baby!) I think it has been very neat to see the way children have been encouraged to become part of this history making day. Alphamom.com has some fun  Inauguration Party Ideas that would be perfect for kids of all ages (and of course cupcakes are involved!!)

I also want to send a big thank-you to Lynsey over at cuteable.com for highlighting my bluebird wand last week!! Thank you,thank you, thank you, you cheeky chicken!

So many great new things are ahead for all of us in 2009! As for this blog, i still will continue to share with all of you my new work, inspirations, and discoveries. I also get quite a few emails in regards to decorating children's rooms so i think i will start to answer those through this blog as well. If you have a question in regards to decorating your child's space, feel free to email me or ask  in the comment section!

Happy New Life!

(p.s - as a little art exercise, i have begun to do small daily paintings that take about 1/2 hour to do, just to keep my art mind "free flowing"..the above painting is called "meatballs!" - the inspiration came from my dog Gilbert stealing a meatball from me the night before - just silly fun!)

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I ate way tooooo much but had a great time with family and friends that i am VERY thankful for....and today i returned to a very SNOWY Chicago today!! After taking the dog for a snow filled walk, i made a pot of turkey chili - the perfect way to spend the first wintry evening!

Now to catch up on all that is good!

*For the rest of this week, ALL of my dress-up picture frames in the etsy shop continue to be 15% off. Remember , to guarantee delivery before Christmas, all orders need to be place by December 12th!

* Reading... "The Late Bloomers Revolution"  by Amy Cohen - cute, slice o' life.

*Listening to Pandora Radio on-line- not a new site but one that i love! You can pick a musician and Pandora magically plays songs by that artist and others with a similar sound. It's a great way to discover new music..(In my mix now...Muse, Regina Specktor, Q-Tip...and yes i will admit - Pink :) )

*Savoring over...this Butterscotch concoction (via the fabulous Bakerella)

* Adoring...the colorful prints by artist (and fellow etsy artist) Nancy Tobin.

Let me know what you are loving today! Have a great week!

 

Don't be a chicken- get out and vote today!!

Hope everybody had a relaxing and rejuvenating long weekend!

I painted, painted, and painted to get orders filled and prepping for the Evergreen Invitational. I will be participating in the Promenade of Shops - I'm very excited to be part of such a grand event that benefits such a great cause!

I have some fun, new designs in the works that i will be previewing soon - so excited that Halloween is just around the corner - it gives me a great excuse to create some whimsical skeletons and funky pumpkins. Will keep you posted!

Have a great day!

(Starfish door sign above, available here at the main shop - also available in pink!)

Have you been watching the Olympics? I love the fact that there are those that are so stoked that the summer games are going on and then there are those that don't even realize they are going on. I'm a definite fan. Wasn't always but I was sent to work at the 1996 summer games in Atlanta (don't laugh but i was security AND i drove IOC members around....the fact that i was any sort of security is humorous enough - but if you have ever driven in a car with me you know that is a sitcom segment waiting to happen!!) Anywho, after that summer i had a totally new appreciation for the athletes - their determination, their will, their strength - absolutely awestruck. I love the mindset of an individual who puts themselves out there and tries their very best no matter what the outcome may be. What is even cooler to me are the Paralympic games that follow the regular games - these games  don't get the same coverage but I feel these athletes are even more inspiring (if you can imagine that!) Keep your eyes open for whatever t.v. coverage they may get this year - time well spent!

I know i shouldn't be encouraging children to watch more t.v. but i think there is so much to gain by a child understanding all that the Olympics are - from unity to achievement - and everything in between.

Parents magazine has a cute idea for an Olympic themed party for kids  - here is the link.

Or...make your own gold medal..here's a link to a snazzy how-to!

Personally, if i were to have a medal made for my achievements, i think i'd go for one made out of something deliciously edible and sweet - perhaps a chocolate chip cookie...hmmmm...what would your medal be made out of ? :)

Gold medal or not - we are all superstars!

Oh, hello again....

It has been way too long since my last post! I'd like to thank those of you who have noticed this and checked in on me to see if all is OK - you are sweethearts! All is fine, life has just been all about change, change, and more change lately and dealing with this change is eating up my time!!

So here is the news...(drum roll please - and no I'm not pregnant ;)  )...Mr. Amanda got a fabulous promotion (crowd cheers) but unfortunately, it is in Boston (crowd boos). We found this out a few weeks ago - he has accepted and his first day was this past Monday. We have not decided how quickly the rest of us will be joining him in the city of baked beans but plan on making a decision this weekend. We have spent the last two weeks decluttering, repainting, and staging the house (i call it "blanding" the house - too many neutrals for my taste) and have been emotionally and physically drained. Most likely, i and the fur babies will be here till we put the house on the market in the spring (with many trips to Boston planned in between). So no worries, all scheduled murals will be completed!! :)

It is sad to think about moving - all the great friends we have made here, ALL my great clients (I'll miss going out for pancakes and running into a family with a 3yr old, that i painted the nursery for as a newborn!!), the quirky check out lady at the grocery store that always tells me bizarre stories about her family because she is convinced she know me from somewhere, all of Gilbert's playmates and their masters at the dog park, and just the comfort of knowing a shortcut to the coffee shop. Thank you to so many out there that have helped us make Illinois our home!!!

Enough of all this sappiness!!Life is all about adventure, right??? 

P.s. - all orders will be filled as usual unless otherwise noted on the website or etsy shop. Please keep them coming - painting all my goodies for you guys is what is keeping me sane!!! :)

P.s.s - don't forget, there are still a few more days for the July giveaway! Just leave me a comment and let me know why you feel lucky and an original fortune cookie painting could be yours!