Get ready for Digital Scapbooking Day!

The first-ever Digital Scrapbooking Day (sponsored by Triscape, makers of FxFoto photo editing software) is coming up!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 3 and get ready for a crazy day of photo tweaking, layout designing and product sharing.

To celebrate, Digital Scrapbooking Magazine is hosting a layout contest at the photo sharing site Flickr. They are looking for layouts on the theme of "Why I Love Digital Scrapbooking." Upload your own and vote for your favorites--they'll have prizes for the most popular layouts, plus those selected as standouts by the editorial team.

Here's what you'll need to do to enter:

If you don't have one already, set up a Flickr account. (It's free, and takes just a few minutes.)Visit their Flickr page and click "Join This Group." Read our simple posting rules and join.Upload photos to your Flickr account. Choose the layout you want to enter and click "Send to Group" to share it with us.Thanks for playing--we can't wait to see how you will PURSuE Your Art! (Plus: check out the cute T-shirt designed by 2007 Digital Scrapbooking board member Clara Wallace just for the occasion.

You can easily design a PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse, using digital software. It's fun, easy and a great way to show off your photos! Order your purse today http://www.pursueyourart.com/

World Card Making Day

World Card Making Day is October 6th

Want to join in on the fun? Here are a few ideas to help you celebrate World Card Making Day in style!

Check to see if your local scrapbook store (LSS), craft store, or stamp store is hosting special activities for the day. If not, express interest in their doing so or join in the activities of an Official Retailer.

Gather with fellow card makers and host a party using one of these themes:

Holiday card making. Play some Christmas tunes, serve tasty holiday treats (such as cookies, wassail, and candy canes), and put on your favorite Christmas movie to have a holiday card-making extravaganza. There’s nothing so satisfying as knowing all of your holiday cards are made before the hustle and bustle of the season sets in.

Card swap. Choose a card theme or occasion and ask your guests to come with enough cards for everyone in attendance to trade. Be sure to allow plenty of time for those attending to create the cards in advance. If possible, coordinate your refreshments and decorations to match the theme.

Supplies swap. Refresh your collection of card-making supplies by hosting a trade. Invite your guests to bring enough supplies for everyone in attendance. Set at theme for the supplies (punches, stickers, etc.) and coordinate the treats to match the theme. For example, have a ribbon swap and serve ribbon candy, shoestring licorice, and blue-ribbon apple pie. Or swap chipboard accents and serve chips and dip. You may also theme the products you swap. So you can have a birthday themed product swap (where you exchange patterned paper, stickers, rub-ons, etc.) serve cupcakes

Take advantage of a 35% discount when you purchase a PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse 10 Pack purse class set for any of these theme parties! The two pocket style purse is perfect for showing off your "new" cards! Click here to place an order.

For more ideas and information please click here:
World Card Making official website

Craft critique reviews PURSuE Your Art!

PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse will be reviewed all week by Craft Critique. Craft Critique is the brain child of Sarah Moore, who is a Rubber Stamper, Papercrafter, blogger, mommy... artist type. She lives in Illinois with her Hubby Rick and 3 year old son. She spends her days avoiding housework and being a crafty mom.

Sarah and her staff are a collective of experienced crafters (some professional, most not) with strong opinions to share on the craft supplies you want to learn more about. The staff is entirely volunteer.

Would you like to be reviewed on Craft Critique? They want to inspect and play with your newly released wares. Experienced crafters and chatty bloggers from a multitude of mediums await! Experience word of mouth marketing for yourself. Email them today for more information. info@craftcritique.com

Craft Critique Reviews PURSuE Your Art!

Click on each staff members name to read their review.

Tuesday: Sarah Moore's Review & Stampin' Up Purse

Wednesday: Melissa Norris's Review & Pampered Chef purse

Thursday: Donna Lannerd's Review using Fiber Art

Friday: Amy Westerman's Review & showcasing Scenic Route paper

Saturday: Sarah Moore's one last design ...Punk/Rock and Roll meets renegade Crafter Bag

PURSuE Your Art! Featured in Digital Scrapbooking Magazine

It was such an honor to be contacted by Digital Scrapbooking Magazine editor, Molly Newman, back in January. She asked us to send her four PURSuE Your Art!purses so she and her design team could display their digital artwork and creativity in a never-ending variety of personal purse looks for an article they were working on .....get hip.

The featured story is about using digital scrapbooking skills and style to make personalized fashion accessories from handbags to hair clips! The purse design team was made up of Angie Pedersen, Martha Tredway, Tia Bennett and Molly Newman. Each of these talented ladies created a one-of-a-kind digital masterpiece.

To read the entire story and see photos, pick up the August/September issue. Page 60!

Happy Mother's Day

Mary created this beautiful collage
card for her mom for mother's day.

Erin's brag bag

My 3 sweet kids when they were little.

Back view of the original 8 pocket style purse.
Perfect for displaying artwork & photos.

Mary's photo purse.
Her 2 adorable furry, four-legged children

Back view of the original 8 pocket style purse.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms of two- legged and four-legged children.....enjoy your day. Hope you can find time to PURSuE Your Art!

Why God Made Moms
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you Your mother & not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer? Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your Mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goofball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between Moms & Dads?
1 . Moms work at work and work at home & Dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but Moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse is a fun, fashionable way of expressing your artistic side. Perfect for displaying your artwork, photos and more! It's a miniature art gallery in a purse. Perfect for self expression or self promotion.

Visit our website to place your order today!

Oprah's search for the Next Big Idea

Mary designed an Oprah purse using magazine

covers from past issues

Looking inside the purse

Back view of the Oprah purse

Oprah announcing she is looking for the Next Big Idea!

Mary and I confess to being huge Oprah fans and try to watch her show as often as we can. We both plan our work schedule around it. For me it means processing orders from 4:00 to5:00 p.m. so I can be near my kitchen television. I couldn’t have been more stunned or excited to hear Oprah asking, “Do you have an original idea that you want the world to know about?” “Do you have a unique and creative product?”

I’m shouting at Oprah. “Yes, yes and yes!”

I quickly call Mary to make sure she heard Oprah announce that she has teamed up with QVC, the world’s largest televised shopping network to launch her search for the next big idea! It took us less than ten seconds to convince ourselves that our changeable art purse is the perfect new idea and deserves the chance to be seen by the QVC judges. Mary clicks on oprah.com to download the necessary forms that we will need to fill out and submit. Lucky for us, one of the three audition locations is in Chicago. Just a short trek over the Wisconsin border and the cost of a tank of gas is all it will take for a chance of a lifetime!

Within 24 hours we received an email confirming our time-slot. Fast, efficient and organized were our first thoughts of the contest. This proved to be true for the entire audition process.

March 23, one o’clock in the afternoon is our check-in time. We arrive promptly, which is an amazing feat for Mary and me. We had ten minutes to take in our surroundings before being called to get in line along with 60 other hopefuls who also shared our time-slot. You could feel the energy and see the excitement in each participant’s face. One common thread bonded us together…. having a dream, passion and belief that our product is the next big idea! We follow the QVC representative as if he is the pied piper. We make nervous small talk to everyone around us, showing off our purse, getting a sneak peek at our competition and exchanging business cards as we snake around making our way to a small room to be briefed on our final destination. The grand ballroom!

We are instructed that the QVC judges are awaiting the next batch of inventors and our product will be judged based on its ability to be demonstrated, its level of broad appeal, and its creative and unique nature, as well as its meeting certain QVC legal requirements. We will all have 10 minutes to make an impression while being evaluated by a QVC representative.

“Good luck,” says this nameless representative as he ushers our group into the ballroom.

The enormous room is filled with long rows of tables draped in white linen tablecloths. There are hundreds of inventors and entrepreneurs in this room scurrying around either setting up or tearing down their display for the judges. A quite hum fills the room. The anticipation and perspiration is starting to show on each of us. So much for an intimate room with just you and the judge as I had envisioned from watching endless hours of “American Idol!”

One by one people ahead of us our being led off to their appropriate area, we wave good-bye and give the thumbs up to our new acquaintances. A woman with a clipboard decides we need to be in the arts and craft area and leads us down a long row of tables that has to be at least sixty feet long. We are given a six-foot section to display our purses. With instructions to be set up in ten minutes and to hang our sign at the edge of the table to let our judge know when we are ready.

Mary and I quickly, quietly and nervously set up our display of blank and finished purses we have brought with us. I wonder if Oprah will stop by, but it didn’t seem too likely. Mary designed an Oprah purse using pictures from her magazine covers to grab some attention. We notice photographers and camera crews from Oprah’s studio walking by. Of course I can’t resist shouting at them….“Look, Oprah’s here!” As they turn around I’m standing there holding the Oprah purse. We do get a few of them to snap our picture.

Our judge approaches our table and asked us if we were ready to demonstrate our product. The moment we have been waiting for, the moment that could change our lives! We take one look at our very young judge who looks maybe old enough to be one of our daughters. Panic comes over Mary and me. This young girl holds our fate. Is she even old enough to shop on QVC? Mary does our spiel as I demonstrate how our changeable art purse works. We both notice our neighbors are distracting our judge. She politely asks us some questions as she keeps her head down to write. Before we know it, she is thanking us for our time and walks away. We are left just a little bit stunned.

“Maybe that’s just her poker face,” Mary surmises.
We pack up our purses and head for the door a little disappointed.

Our mood soon changes as we find ourselves in yet another line to have a five-minute consultation with business professionals who are there compliments of QVC. We are allowed to ask one question regarding manufacturing, marketing or outsourcing. Mary and I become aware of all the attention our purses are getting as we wait in line. We find ourselves giving our spiel to a group of fellow entrepreneurs gathered around to see the endless possibilities of our changeable art purse.

“You’re next” we hear, as John shakes our hand and is immediately drawn to our purse. He’s so enthusiastic by our clever design that he is surprised to hear about our judge’s reaction to us. He leaves us to find the head buyer for the arts and crafts section on QVC. Together they give us great feedback on our purse and some useful information for us to think about if we want to take the necessary steps towards having our purse on QVC.

We leave feeling positive and a little hopeful that we may have a chance at being one of the ten finalists! We head home knowing we did our best. We will just have to wait out the next four weeks while the judges make their decision.

Mary and I have since learned that more than 6,000 people from across the country had the same dreams and hopes that we did. We were notified on Friday, April 27th that we were not chosen. It is disappointing to try so hard and not be picked, but at the same time we feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity and the experience that we will remember forever.

Thanks Oprah for the incredible experience!

Please visit our website to order your PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse today!

Interview with Customer and Stampin' Up Demonstrator Jan Tinklenberg

Jan Tinklenberg

Jan's latest Stampin' Up design

Back of Jan's 8 pocket purse


Front view of Jan's
second purse created with Stampin' Up products

Back view

The first purse design Jan submitted

Back of Jan's purse

Mary and I decided it was time to feature a customer from our Customer Gallery here in our blog. It was a hard decision..who would be our first? After looking at all the wonderful photos that so many of our customers sent us, one women stood out...one customer who appears in our Customer Gallery three times!!! We chose Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, Jan Tinklenberg! She has sent us photos of three different purse designs. We wanted to learn more about Jan, so she agreed to do an interview with PURSuE Your Art!


Erin: How long have you been scrapbooking?
Jan: I've been scrapbooking 9 years.

Erin: What got you interested in Scrapbooking?
Jan: I started out making greeting cards with rubber stamps 11 years ago and was perfectly happy to just be a stamper. I'd go into the local store that sold both stamps and scrapbooking supplies, look at the scrapbooking stuff and say, "Nuh UH! I'm not going to do that!" Then my in-laws had their 50th wedding anniversary and since we weren't throwing their party for them, I decided to volunteer to do a memory book. I included a note in the invitations asking people to send me pictures and memories, but I didn't get enough back to make a book out of, so I raided my in-law's photos and did the book mostly with those. It got a lot of attention at the party. After that, I had all those tools and things I had brought for their book..it seemed only natural to continue by making scrapbooks.

Erin: How long have you been with Stampin' Up!
Jan: I signed up in March 2003, so it's been 4 years.

Erin: Do you have a team of ladies under you? How many?
Jan: I have a very small downline of 3. I used to have 7 in 2 levels, but women sign up for different reasons and drop out for different reasons. I'm not a big recruiter, so I'm happy with the downline I have. I certainly wouldn't turn anyone down that wanted to sign up!

Erin: Are you married? Do you have Children?
Jan: I have 3 children( 2 girls and a boy), but only 1 husband. We've been married almost 24 years and our kids are 12,10, and 8.

Erin: Were you creative as a child? If yes..do you have a story you want to share?
Jan: I've always loved making things. My mom was always knitting or sewing or doing something...she encouraged me by buying me things to craft with from the time I was around 7 years old. I have always enjoyed drawing, painting and doing all different kinds of arts and crafts. I can remember the day I decided I would be an artist: I was probably 11 or 12 and was at my grandparents' house. They lived opposite an old farmhouse. I was looking at the farmhouse,its clapboard sides white against the blue sky and thought, "I'd like to paint a picture of that." And that's when I knew that I would be an artist someday, I went on to get my degree in art at Western Michigan University with an emphasis in watercolor. But making a living painting watercolors is not very easy...I've only sold a few paintings since then.

Erin: Would you like to share with us your purse making experience? What type of adhesive did you use? Any tips you want to share?
Jan: I have done 3 different versions of my purse since I got it. Every time I finish I feel I've done the best version yet, but when it's time to freshen it up I have as much or more fun the next time! I used EK Success' Dotto, which is a temporary to permanent adhesive, it makes it easy to peel the paper off when it's time to change my purse.

Erin: Do you prefer the 2 pocket purse over the 8 pocket purse?
Jan: I like the 8 pocket purse best because I can showcase more stamp sets and/or techniques.


Erin: When you are out and about do you get stopped by strangers asking about your purse?
Jan: All the time! Not a day goes by that I don't get at least 1 comment on the purse. People love it! Not only the artwork I put in my purse, but the purse itself....people like the handle especially. I call my purse my little billboard. In direct sales, your business is primarily expanded just by talking to people, so my purse being the natural conversation piece that it is, is a great tool for me.

Erin: When you get stopped does it make it easier for you to pass out your business card or book a class?
Jan: I've passed out a lot of mini catalogs and business cards since I started carrying it; more than ever before! I have gotten at least one new customer, plus a teaching job at one of the local scrapbook stores, just from carrying my purse with me everywhere.


Erin: Would you be interested in offering purse classes to your customers?
Jan: I have had customers and some store owners where I shop who have been interested, so yes, I would be.

Erin: Do have anything else you would like to say or share?
Jan: I like the design for the purse a lot, even though a vinyl purse was a big departure from my usual style! It is just the right size and the best thing about it is that it does not slide down my shoulder and arm all the time; it stays put! I have given your website out to a lot of people and I highly recommend your purses to anyone who loves to show off their artwork or just likes to have something unique and different.

Erin: Thank you Jan for taking the time to do this interview. We always look forward to seeing how you will PURSuE Your Art! We look forward to seeing more of your purse designs in our Customer Gallery. Please visit Jan's website to learn more about her and her Stampin' Up products. She has a great blog too!

If you would like to be featured here in our blog make sure your purse photos are in our Customer Gallery. We may be calling you next.... as a thank you for your time we will send you a set of replacement panels and pocket cards to create another look for your purse.

Visit us at PursueYourArt.com to order your purse today!

Discount Pack Now Available

PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse

Take advantage of a 35% Discount!

Purse Class - 10 Pack Set

How could you benefit
from purchasing a 10 Pack?

* Start a purse class business.
Charge retail for materials plus a class fee.
* Incorporate into your existing scrapbooking classes.
* Offer as an incentive to your downline, create a promotional purse.
* Gather your girlfriends for a purse making “girls night out” or scrapbooking retreat.

Purse Class - 10 Pack $236.92

Each pack includes:
10 purses
10 sets of Replacement Panels
and Pocket Cards

Pack A Includes:
8 Pocket Purse Style - Color Cream
Replacement Panels and Pocket Cards - Color Black

OR

Pack B Includes:
2 Pocket Purse Style - Color Cream
Replacement Panels and Pocket Cards - Color Black

Retail Value of 10 Pack is $364.50
Suggested Purse retail $29.95 Replacements retail $6.50
Total Retail Value of Set $36.45

Your Cost $236.92
Your Profit $127.58
(plus your fees for class and decorating materials)

Shipping, handling, and sales tax if applicable, will be added to total pack cost.

For more information or to place an order call:
(262) 242-6119
or email us any questions.

PURSuE Your Art!
Co-founders Mary Welch & Erin Mueller

My Birthday Thoughts

Birthday dinner at Benihana's with my husband and 3 kids

My beautiful birthday purse
Chocolate cake for everyone!

It's my Birthday today. I'm 49 years young! I try to live by Oprah's advice..."you just need to own it and embrace it!" I just want to know where did all those years go?? I don’t feel 49. I feel like I'm in my 20's, but my mirror tells me otherwise. I see lines, wrinkles and of course the gray hair that now needs to be dyed every four weeks instead of six. And the fact that I just received an invitation to my 31st High School Class Reunion. Okay, 31 is a little odd, let's just say it was the 70's and leave it at that!

Birthdays to me are meant to be celebrated, to revel in the fact that for whatever reason, we are still here on this earth. So I enjoy each moment of each precious year. My journey is intended to continue. This path I travel is filled with many wonderful and incredible people. People I am destined to have a connection with. I have always believed that people come into our lives for a reason, it’s no accident that our paths crossed. When you meet someone and have a connection with them two things are meant to happen: Either you are here to learn from them or they are to learn from you.

Here are a few things I have learned

in my 49 years:

To put God first, trust in him, and have unwavering faith that all will be well.

Treat yourself the way you want to be treated by others. Love yourself and you will be loved.

No matter what happens, how bad it seems today, Life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

You can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: A rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

Regardless of your relationship with your parents,you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

Making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life…"

Smile at everyone you meet.

Laugh at yourself and with yourself.

When you're feeling depressed put some music on and dance!

It’s okay to make a mistake or fail, just learn from it.

You shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.

If you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

Even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

What you focus on with your thoughts and feelings is what you attract into your experience.

In all things, always remember to give thanks. You might not be where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be. If it hasn't happened yet, that doesn't mean it won't happen.

Eating a little chocolate everyday is good for you.

I've learned I still have alot to learn yet!

I Love my new birthday purse. Mary created it using hand-made papers she designed! Mary also added a Miram Robert art print to the pocket card. Mary and I both agree she is one of our favorite artist. Can't wait to take my beautiful purse out tonight.

To purchase a PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse, please visit our website.

Our New Press Release

Art as an Accessory: New Customizable Purse Allows Crafters to Display Creativity

“Changeable Art Purse” clearly reveals

crafters’ artwork and passions

Pursue Your Art has created an innovative “changeable art purse” that allows crafters, artists and entrepreneurs to creatively display artwork, artist trading cards, photos, promotional materials, and more. Available in 8-pocket and 2-pocket styles, the purse’s unique design features clear vinyl pockets that hold slip-in artwork pieces. The pockets make it easy to update instantly for any fashion occasion. It’s “changeable art” that you wear as an accessory.

Starting with a precut blank pulpboard base (available in black or cream), crafters can create distinctive art pieces to insert into the purse’s high-quality vinyl frame. You can work with a variety of artistic mediums – decorative papers, photos, fabric, paints, stamps, and even digital artwork. Build your artwork on the blank panels and pocket cards; slip them inside the frame, and go. Additional sets of panels and pocket cards are available to create a variety of looks using the same purse body.

Pursue Your Art! founders Mary Welch and Erin Mueller offer the following purse theme ideas:

• Print family photos and slip into the pockets in front of a cheerful print background. Tip:Black& White photos make the purse POP!)
• Decorate panels with papers and embellishments related to an upcoming holiday.
• Print out reduced scans of children’s artwork to highlight a special artist in your life.
• Create samples featuring products you sell as an independent consultant. Store business cards in one of the pockets for easy access (and word-of-mouth advertising).
• Gather memorabilia from a school or military career and take along to special ceremonies.
  

Pursue Your Art! offers a gallery of customers’ creations at their website, www.pursueyourart.com. The founders also maintain a blog with frequently updated tips and ideas for using the purse: http://wwwpursueyourart.blogspot.com/

About Pursue Your Art!Founders (and friends) Mary Welch and Erin Mueller admit their purses should come with the warning, "Do not use if you don't want to talk to anyone or you don't like compliments". They formed their business in 2006, and now operate from satellite offices in Thiensville and Mukwonago, Wisconsin.

Win Some Crafty Stuff!!!

No not here! One of our very good customers and supporters of PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse, Sarah Moore, is hosting the game on her blog. http://stampstars.blogspot.com/

So here is the game; you will find seven "sneak peak" pictures of door prize and goodie bag donations for the Big Splitcoaststamper event being hosted by Sarah ..... All you have to do is name seven wonderful companies who donated! (Hint..Hint)

Good luck to all who participate!

Four friends each make a PURSuE Your Art masterpiece!

All four art purses

Tamara's Mona Lisa purse

Front view of Mona Lisa Purse

Alice's Monet purse

Front view

Shelley's Georgia O'Keeffe's purseBack view of purse

Susan's art sculpture purse

Mary and I met Tamara over a year ago through an on-line Yahoo Artist Trading Card group. I had made a post to the group looking for women in the Milwaukee area who would be interested in being part of a focus group for our purse. Tamara was the first to respond and from our initial meeting the three of us have been friends ever since. She’s not only become a friend, but also one of our biggest supporters…… Always promoting our purse business to her many artist groups or passing out our business cards to anyone who comments on her ever-changing art purse.

Tamara works with three women who also have a passion for arts and crafts. Together they decided they would stay after work along with Leonardo De Vinci, Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe and art sculpture inspirations for an evening of creative purse designing.

These four artistically talented women thought it would be enriching to have an art purse theme party. Inspired by one of Tamara’s many rubber stamps, they were in agreement to use this powerful quote somewhere in their purse design: “Art washes away from the soul the dust of every day life.” Each would also choose a famous artist they admired to portray in their purse. Like the marriage of a fine wine and great dinner, the quotation and artist focus enhanced each other. What a beautiful blend!

A unanimous vote for our two-pocket style purse by the group turned out to be the perfect choice and pocket size to depict their much-adored famous artist. Three hours of laughter, supply sharing, gluing, cutting and stamping produced four amazing handbag masterpieces!

Each purse is as unique as the person who created it. Monet inspired Alice. Susan’s trip to a San Antonio art sculpture museum sparked her creativity. Shelley’s admiration for Georgia O’Keeffe reflects that in her purse and Tamara’s love for the Mona Lisa is a wonderful tribute to Da Vinci.

Awesome work, ladies! Thank you so much for sharing your story and pictures with us. To show them our appreciation, we gave them each a set of complimentary replacement panels and pocket cards to create yet another look for their purse. Tamara told me they are already thinking of a “new” theme for their changeable art purses.

Feel free to send us your story and photos. We love hearing about friends gathering for a “girls night out, purse making party!” You and your group could receive a set of replacement panels and pocket cards too!



Please visit our Website to purchase your purse today!
www.PURSuEYourArt.com

Country Living 2007 Event

Mary used the Country Living Desk Calendar to find photos to

design two purses for our pitch your product opportunity.

Our Easy Cropper tool helped Mary to crop the photos
to insure a perfect fit for our eight pocket purse.

Mary had to decide which photo would make the cut!
Each photo in the Desk Calendar was a piece of art.

The inside flap on the front of our eight pocket purse
can hold five more photos.


Simple, yet so elegant! The front view of our eight pocket purse.

The beautiful back view of our eight pocket purse.

Mary added an antique Abalone button to the photo.
Our high quality vinyl "gives," so there is

room for three-dimensional trinkets and mementos.

Mary hot glued an adornment to the bottom

flap of our two pocket purse.

Mary captures the true essence of Country Living.
The back view of our two pocket purse.

With our purses meticulously packed in the trunk of Mary’s car, we headed off to Chicago bright and early Saturday morning, 5:45 a.m. to be exact! We were excited and fearless as we made our way to the Chicago Marriott Hotel for the second annual Country Living magazine's Women entrepreneurs: A Celebration of Creativity.

The event would start at noon but we had an 8:15 a.m. check-in time for a special opportunity to pitch our product. We had been accepted to show our PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse, to a panel of Country Living magazine editors. This was to earn a chance of being featured in a future issue of their magazine.

Luckily, a few wrong turns trying to find the entrance to the hotel didn’t hinder our promptness as we arrived on the fifth floor to sign in. We were immediately directed into a large room along with 15 of the 75 other women who were also given this incredible chance.

Mary and I were briefed on what to expect when we'd meet with the judges. We were told we would have exactly three minutes to demonstrate and talk about our changeable art purse, and would have an allotted two minutes for them to ask us questions. We were informed there would be a person in the back of the room with a stopwatch! Okay, no pressure there! We are than ushered into the hallway to wait our turn.

The moment we entered the room we were put at ease by the two female judges with their warm smiles and genuine enthusiasm. We started to give them our best rehearsed spiel, but their excitement about our purse was so contagious that Mary and I forgot about our script and just spoke from the heart. They asked us great questions and sincerely wanted to know “everything” about the why and how of our purse. A tap on the shoulder and the look on the time-keepers face made us aware of our one minute overage!

We might have earned some brownie points for the purses Mary designed for our presentation. I don’t believe anyone else thought to use the beautiful art work and photos from the Country Living desk calendar that we received free for registering early. As you can see from the photos, our purses portray creativity, beauty and warmth of home life. Mary captured the very essence of Country Living.

We left the room feeling proud of our purse designs and the hard work we have accomplished over the past year. It could be at least three months before we find out if our purse will be the “chosen” product for Country Living magazine.

The entire event was more than we had anticipated. The keynote speaker was Barbara Baekgaard, co-founder of Vera Bradley Designs, an internationally recognized company that designs and manufactures luggage, handbags and accessories. Nancy Soriana, Editor-in-Chief of Country Living Magazine, was the moderator for the afternoon’s program. She led a panel discussion with seven successful women entrepreneurs who turned their passion into paychecks, and were featured in their March issue. Mary and I had the pleasure to meet some of these amazing women during the wine & cheese reception. We even had our picture taken with Nancy!

We were inspired, informed and entertained the entire day. Mary and I felt truly blessed and grateful for this wonderful opportunity to not only show off our purses but to be able to meet and network with creative and successful women from all over the United States.

Please visit our web site http://www.pursueyourart.com/

Happy 16th Birthday Jessie

It's my daughter Jessie's 16th birthday today! My baby girl! As every mother asks, "where did the years go?" She is a beautiful, artistic and easy-going young women. As an infant she was the perfect textbook baby, which was such a blessing and a relief from her colicky, twin brother's three and a half years earlier.

Jessie was born to be an artist, she is always creating something! I feel at times she is Mary's daughter, not mine! She loves to draw, paint, color (yes, she asked for a new box of crayola crayons for Christmas) make jewelry and just recently designed and sewed her first skirt without a pattern! She is taking advantage of all the art-related classed offered at her high School. Photography, drawing and ceramic classes fill her busy schedule.

I'm not ready to look ahead and imagine not seeing her sunny smile here in our home as she prepares to make plans for herself beyond high school. I'll just enjoy her age, take it one day at a time and stay in the moment. That's all a mother can do.

A Horse Photo Purse in memory of my dad

This photo reminds me of my dad's horse

Chocolate, and her new foal .

This print came from my horse calendar.

Jessie used chalks to make the photo "pop"

Dad with his new born foal

Dad and I on my wedding day

It’s my dad’s birthday today. He would be eighty years old! Eighty? Where have the years gone? I can’t even imagine what he would look like. Would his black wavy hair be gray by now? Would he still be riding horses? Would he still be a volunteer at the Ranch, a place where he enjoyed helping mentally challenged men learn to care for and ride horses? Would he still enjoy going to parades with his kids and eighteen grandchildren? Would he still take pleasure in going to the lake on a hot Sunday in summer?

My dad passed away at the age of 62. Too young. That’s what family, friends and co-workers said at his funeral. Too young? When is it too young to pass away? Is there ever a good age to loose the Patriarch of a family?

I’ve been meditating all week on what kind of man my father was. It’s not easy to sum up his life in a few short paragraphs.

He never liked his first name of Vernon, so to all who knew and loved him, he was Fitz, Uncle Fitz or Grandpa Fitzy.

My dad was a man that put God first, family second and horses third! He went to church every Sunday and would kneel every night by the side of his bed to pray. He loved and served his country proudly. I have his saddle from World War II; he was with the First Cavalry Division. He was also proud of his Irish heritage; traditional St. Patrick’s day decorations, food and green beverages were part of our lives. All of us were given beautiful Irish names…I received the best one!

My father and mother raised eight children, five boys and three girls while fulfilling his dream of being self-employed. He had dropped out of school at the age of sixteen, yet he was a self-taught mechanic, which came in handy when his equipment needed repair. He owned a backhoe, bulldozer, dump truck and a trailer for hauling.
He could fix just about anything with his hands and we all counted on him to be the amazing appliance repairman, plumber and electrician. There may have been spare parts left over when he was finished, but that never bothered him!

He was a man who taught me how to work hard and always do my best. My father never missed a day of work. After years of being self-employed, he took a job with a company that offered him paid sick days, yet he would have never thought to use them.

The arrival of my little sister, number eight, happened two weeks before my parents 26th wedding anniversary. The oldest child had just celebrated his 25th birthday! Wow! Just when he thought Easy Street was right around the corner, here comes more years of parent-teacher conferences!

My dad passed away when my sister Patti, was fourteen, yet at the same time he was Grandpa Fitzy to twelve grandchildren! It always makes me laugh when I reflect on this. My shy dad would blush and shake his head when his friends and family would tease him about his “belated” fatherhood, but I think deep down he enjoyed the ribbing and was quite proud of that accomplishment.

I can only remember one time seeing my dad cry. It was at my brother Tim’s funeral. A sense less murder, he was only 29! Yet my dad never blamed or showed his anger at the accused. Instead, both my dad and mother showed us how to forgive and go on. That God, love and family will get you through anything.

My dad never had the chance to meet my daughter Jessie or hold her in his arms like he did my twin boys. He would love her free spirit and zest for life. I will continue to share stories and pictures with my children and to let them know what an amazing man my dad truly was.

Happy 80th Birthday Dad,
Love,
Erin Rose Fitzsimmons-Mueller

Please visit our web site to order your PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse http://www.pursueyourart.com/

Mary & I are getting for the Country Living Event

Mary & I are heading to Chicago for the 2nd annual Country Living magazine Women Entrepreneurs: a celebration of creativity event. It will take place on Saturday, March 10th at the Chicago Marriott Hotel.
The program will be hosted by Country Living Editor-in-Chief Nancy Soriano. The half-day seminar series promises to inspire, inform, and entertain us.

The exciting news is our PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse, has been accepted for the Country Living Magazine's Pitch your Product program. We will have a 5-minute time slot to show and demonstrate our changeable art purse to a panel of judges, made up of Country Living editors and special guest entrepreneurs. This is for an opportunity to have our product featured in a future issue of their magazine.

Wish us luck!

Mary has been diligently creating purses for us to use during our pitch time. The vintage art purse that is pictured in this article, Mary created yesterday. We both love this purse, just not sure if we will choose to take her along along to Chicago. .....

What do you think?

Mary said this purse design was soooo easy! Here are her instructions: Cover the panels with paper, rip up some more papers, cover, add two images, two buttons and one rhinestone! What a gorgeous looking purse Mary.

Please visit our web site for more ideas and to order your PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse. www.PursueYourArt.com

Which purse to take out for Valentine's Day?

My Husband asked me earlier today if I would like to go out to dinner this evening. Mind you it's Wednesday. It's the middle of the week.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" I asked. After 27 years of marriage he usually isn't that spontaneous. My answer of course was yes! No dinner to prepare. No dishes to do. What women would say no? Quick..what do I wear and which purse will I choose to take out!

Did I mention it's Valentines Day? We haven't done the "traditional" Valentine's dinner out for 27 years! I was proposed to 28 years ago, and yes that evening was filled with beautiful flowers, a fabulous dinner and a sparkly ring.

The five years following, Valentine's Day was maybe a bouquet of flowers and a card. Five years after that, we both agreed it was yet another Hallmark holiday! The last ten years my husband started bringing home flowers again and of course that beautiful sentimental card. I refuse to pay five dollars for a card, so I make cards for my husband and my three kids. I will splurge on the red heart shaped box of candy...the Russell Stover heart filled chocolates. Such a deal.... two box for $3.99 at Walgreen's!

It was fun going out for dinner tonight, seeing other couples celebrating Valentine's Day and being a part of it. I should mention that my husband Greg went out earlier today and brought home two bunches of flowers. This Valentine's Day was the first time he brought our "almost" sixteen-year-old daughter a bouquet also. I would trade my sparkly ring in a heart beat, just to see that sparkle in my daughters eyes one more time. Her eyes just lit up like the brightest star, as her Dad placed in her arms her first beautifully wrapped bouquet of fresh flowers. That was truly a special moment.


As you can see from the photo which purse I decided to take out this evening. The Vintage Postcard Purse that Mary designed seemed like the perfect choice for Valentine's Day.


You can achieve this same look with your PURSuE Your Art! Changeable art purse. Follow Mary Welch's directions for a unique vintage purse look.


To create the handwritten background paper for this romantic Vintage Postcard Purse, I took my postcards and laid them on my scanner with the writing face down. I scanned and printed them. I used this to cover the panels of the purse. I then scanned and printed the fronts of my original postcards and cropped them to fit the pockets leaving some room for a border. If only these cards could talk! Or...if only I could read french!I found these postcards at one a wonderful antique flea market that I go to during the summer in Elkhorn Wisconsin. I will always make copies of my originals so that I can continue to use these images over and over!
The metal heart was attached directly to the flap of the purse using hot glue. The only glue I've found that works really well with the vinyl.


Happy Valentine's Day!

Please visit our web site for ordering and Ideas. www.pursueyourart.com