Relax...just relax.

When you're told that you "don't seem to just relax anymore" it puts you in a kind of perspective...a take a step away from yourself for a few seconds perspective. You ask yourself those questions: are you happy with your current living situation? are you happy with yourself? are you being productive? are you giving off positive vibes? It is okay to take a break and just relax.

Just relax.

I light candles, dress in comfy clothes, and cuddle up with a book or a movie. Sometimes I even drink coffee and listen to music. If you can't focus on yourself you can't focus on your creativity.

I admit to being occupied with the computer far more than I should lately. I'm young and ambitious...what can I say?

But I do have a new system going. A couple years ago at a Renaissance fair I bought two leather journals, and neither of them knows what it feels like to be written in. So I have decided, after being inspired by an Etsy forum link, to do this (see formula below:)

September XX, 2008

What are five things you've done to improve your business?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

What are five things that you have done for yourself?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Write one creative sentence:

The above is going to become a nightly exercise before I go to sleep. I am going to train myself how to balance things in my life. My writing has been severely lacking in the last couple of years...it's really time to kidnap my muse, tie him to a chair, and make him inspire me.

You are more than welcome to try the above formula yourself. You can even buy a fancy notebook and pen to make it more exciting. (I'm tempted to buy a fancy pen for the occasion myself.)

Thank you so much for reading,

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com
http://1337art.silkfair.com

Elite Art for the elite at heart. Featuring jewelry for men and women, art collage, awareness items, bookmarks, cell phone charms, hair accessories, key chains, kilt pin brooches, wine charms, and more.

Custom orders are accepted.

Have you signed up for our newsletter? Sign up here!

5 Reasons Why the Night is Inspiring for your creativity.

During the day I get so swept up in the rush and laziness of stress and all of the things that need to get done that I find it hard to focus on creating. When I don't have to work the next day I usually stay up late because that is when I am most myself and most capable of being creative.

1. Silence. The only sounds that you hear are the ones you make yourself. No telephone, no lawnmower, no screaming toddlers...the silence follows your lead.

2. You're the only one awake. You do not have to converse with anyone or fix anyone a snack. You are left to your own devices where your productivity doesn't have to take a break.

3. No responsibilities. There are no phone calls that need to be returned. The groceries and bills can wait until the morning. You have no need to feel stress; this is your time. The only thing you need to focus on are your own needs.

4. Relaxation. You can light candles, drink tea or coffee, write down new ideas while you are soaking in the tub with a new (and slightly expensive) bubble bath. Take this time to be one with yourself so you can open up to the endless possibilities.

5. Research. The computer is finally yours to use. This is the perfect time to look up new tools and supplies, new and upcoming trends, and to look up helpful articles that will point you in the right direction. Take this time to expose yourself to what is out there...new tips, new tricks, new techniques.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope this list inspires you to focus on whatever it is in your life that you can't seem to focus on.

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com
http://1337art.silkfair.com

Elite Art for the elite at heart. Featuring jewelry for men and women, art collage, awareness items, bookmarks, cell phone charms, hair accessories, key chains, kilt pin brooches, wine charms, and more.

Custom orders are accepted.

Have you signed up for our newsletter? Sign up here!

Silkfair Artist Feature 1 - madeformebyoaklie

It is important to show the world the charm of handcrafted items, and today I wanted to introduce a new feature for artists selling their handcrafted items on Silkfair (an online venue to buy and sell.) Today I feature Anne of madeformebyoaklie. She currently resides in Saint George, Utah. Below you can find her interview:

1. What is the first memory of crafting that you can recall?

I was very young and my Grandmother was teaching me to embroider... I was working on a pillow case and rolling right along... I stood up to got to the kitchen to show her and discovered I had embroidered the pillow case to my night gown! Real bummer but quite funny!

2. What are some of your favorite past times?

I love to play piano and watch movies. I can create and work on my scarves with the Movies... I am afraid my piano playing has taken a back seat lately though!

3. What do you specialize in?

Knitting and crochet - Scarves is my biggest items followed by baby booties.
.
4. What made you decide to open up a shop on Silkfair?

Affordable and great Admin Team. They are very supportive and the other shop owners are very friendly too!

5. How did you choose your shop name?

That was tough! My 1st few choices had already been taken (discovered when setting up my website) so I ended up with Made for Me by Oaklie. A nickname given to me many years ago by my brother.

6. What are your hopes for the future?

Health for myself, family and friends... and of course - success with my new business!

7. How do you feel about custom orders?

I think they are great - I take custom orders upon request. They may be a little tough at times and take a little longer to produce but the end product is truly Unique!

8. Try to sum up your workspace in as few words as possible.

Small, Full of on-going projects - and Mine all Mine!

9. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Buying hand made is truly a great way to find special items for that special someone. Your items are truly Unique and the odds of finding another one like it is rare!

You can contact madeformebyoaklie via her website:
http://www.madeformebyoaklie.com

or her email:
info@madeformebyoaklie.com

Thank you so much for reading.

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com
http://1337art.silkfair.com

Elite Art for the elite at heart. Featuring jewelry for men and women, art collage, awareness items, bookmarks, cell phone charms, hair accessories, key chains, kilt pin brooches, wine charms, and more.

Custom orders are accepted.

Have you signed up for our newsletter? Sign up here!

---
Featured in this post:

"Cheetah" Fluff Scarf
African Safaria Scarf
Gumdrop Fluff Scarf

These items can be found for sale at madeformebyoaklie's Silkfair Shop: http://madeformebyoaklie.silkfair.com

Less business; more personal.

The title says it all. Perhaps the reason why I don't update as regular as before is because I don't want to bore my audience with business type things. You can find my new items in my shops. I'm also developing a newsletter that will have that information inside. You can sign up for my newsletter by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.

What I am going to do with this blog now is still in the works. I do want to do [more] artist features from Deviantart.com, Etsy.com, and Silkfair.com every Friday night. I do want to post promotional tips as I do currently. I also want to offer more of a behind the scenes of 1337 Art, and the person behind it [me.]

Sometimes it doesn't seem like it, but I do have a life outside of the Internet. I want to focus on life, not businessworkjobmoneystress. With the holiday season approaching along with three upcoming shows I can't help feeling stressful and wanting to make the most out of the season. I think if I have time to "chill" I can be more productive than I am now.

Thank you so much for reading.

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com
http://1337art.silkfair.com

Elite Art for the elite at heart. Featuring jewelry for men and women, art collage, awareness items, bookmarks, cell phone charms, hair accessories, key chains, kilt pin brooches, wine charms, and more.

Custom orders are accepted.

Have you signed up for our newsletter? Sign up here!

The Night Speaks to Me...

For the last few years between the end of summer and the beautiful coming of Autumn I feel more alive; more alert and aware of my surroundings, environment, psych, and self. I feel most at ease and centered late at night...what job? what family drama? what bills? It's just me, alone in my room with the music playing and my hands, my fingers acting on their own accord.

The music sounds different at night too. You don't pay attention to it, but the melodies and the sounds, and the words, and the pauses, and the entire song seem to play just for you. In your mind you envision each individual component and recognize them separately when they bind together into that familiar tune. When you are at one with yourself the music speaks to you when it normally would have no appeal. You begin to appreciate what goes into it, as you appreciate the work you put into your own craft.

I haven't written a story or a poem or a piece of prose for quite awhile. I have been so involved creating jewelry and drowning in the stress of work; both pain and pleasure. It always seems as though Autumn has a special song she sings to arouse both myself and my muse. It's a beautiful, nostalgic feeling that thinking about it leads to a little melancholy.

I have finally let go of the sense of time just for one night. Free to roam, free to soar.

Tonight is the first night Night has spoken this year.

Thank you so much for reading [by the chance you have wandered here.]

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com
http://1337art.silkfair.com

Elite Art for the elite at heart. Featuring jewelry for men and women, art collage, awareness items, bookmarks, cell phone charms, hair accessories, key chains, kilt pin brooches, wine charms, and more.

Custom orders are accepted.

Have you signed up for our newsletter? Sign up here!

Clip On Earrings

Clip-on earrings can be a hard thing to shop for because a lot of things need to be taken into consideration such as materials, cost, and style. Precious Metal clip on earring components are very expensive resulting in a pricey pair of clip on earrings. Some people have allergies to nickel, which is found in a lot of the plated and base metal clip on components.

We currently do not have any clip on earrings in our shops, (etsy, silkfair) but it is something we are wanting to offer to our customers. It is hard to determine what kind of material to offer. If you experience difficulty trying to shop for a special pair of clip on earrings, or if you are wanting to find one online shop to purchase all of your clip on earrings, please let us know what you are looking for. Your voice will be heard, and we will be happy to work with you.

Also, if you see any pair of earrings in our shops (etsy, silkfair) that you would like made into clip on earrings please feel free to contact us via email 1337art@gmail.com or by replying to this blog post. We can easily make that switch for you.

Thank you so much for reading.

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com
http://1337art.silkfair.com

Elite Art for the elite at heart. Featuring jewelry for men and women, art collage, awareness items, bookmarks, cell phone charms, hair accessories, key chains, kilt pin brooches, wine charms, and more.

Custom orders are accepted.

Have you signed up for our newsletter? Sign up here!

Our first card!

I have been wanting to make cards for awhile now, and here is the first one out of many to come.

I started making collage cards when I met my fiancė. Ever since then I make cards for almost every occasion, and now I want to make cards for you to give to your friends and family.

Looking for the perfect card for the punk rock girl in your life? I have designed this birthday card just for her! It features a lovely winged heart on pink paper and we laced the top of the card for that extra cuteness and punkiness. And I left the inside blank so you can add your own personal message.

This card measures approximately 5" x 4 "

You can purchase this one of a kind card at our Silkfair Shop:

http://1337art.silkfair.com

Thank you so much for reading. Please feel free to check back for updates on more new cards and other great products.

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com
http://1337art.silkfair.com

Elite Art for the elite at heart. Featuring jewelry for men and women, art collage, awareness items, bookmarks, cell phone charms, hair accessories, key chains, kilt pin brooches, wine charms, and more.

Custom orders are accepted.

Have you signed up for our newsletter? Sign up here!

Sneak Peek!

We wanted to give you a sneak peek of something we will be offering in the near future--magnets! Who doesn't love stumbling into their kitchens for coffee to gaze at their refrigerator magnets while they wait for the coffee to brew?

Magnets offer the opportunity to express yourself as well as brighten your kitchen with personality. Almost everyone we know has a refrigerator full of magnets that they have collected over the years.

We're going to offer two kinds of magnets-bottle caps and glass tile. Both offer their own unique style and fun.


But why do I need more magnets? Because you can use them to hang pictures of your loved ones, grocery lists, good test scores, reminder notes, favorite cartoon strips, newspaper articles, and so much more!

If you happen to be in the area you can purchase our magnets at the Key Center Farmer's Market (in the O'Callahan's parking lot) every Sunday from 12 - 4pm.

Thank you so much for reading, and please feel free to check back for updates on when and where to purchase our magnets online.

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com
http://1337art.silkfair.com

Elite Art for the elite at heart. Featuring jewelry for men and women, art collage, awareness items, bookmarks, cell phone charms, hair accessories, key chains, kilt pin brooches, wine charms, and more.

Custom orders are accepted.

Have you signed up for our newsletter? Sign up here!

New Dragon Items!

Masculinity has been on our minds lately as we work on new designs and items. Dragons are a very popular and well known creature, and they have a special place in the hearts of men. Today we have to offer you two new dragon products for the man in your life or for yourself.

The first dragon is a dark style necklace suitable for casual wear. We used an interesting pewter dragon pendant (measures ~5cm) and black (dark grey) gun metal chain. It is a nice mix of metals at an affordable price.

You can find our Dragon Whisper Masculine Necklace for sale at our Etsy Shop:

http://1337art.etsy.com

The second dragon we have for you is a kilt pin in a dark/goth style. It also has a nice mix of metals including gun metal, pewter, sterling silver, and silver plating. We also added two 6mm Snowflake Obsidian "orbs" that add a nice touch to the overall piece.

Our kilt pins can be put on your jacket, shirt, purse, tote bag, pants, kilt, skirt, scarf...just about anywhere. They are a nice added accessory to express your personality.

You can find our Dragon Kilt Pin Brooch for sale at our Etsy Shop:

http://1337art.etsy.com

Thank you so much for looking. Please keep checking back for more masculine items. If you have a request you can email your inquiry to 1337art@gmail.com

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com
http://1337art.silkfair.com

Elite Art for the elite at heart. Featuring jewelry for men and women, art collage, awareness items, bookmarks, cell phone charms, hair accessories, key chains, kilt pin brooches, wine charms, and more.

Custom orders are accepted.

Have you signed up for our newsletter?

Embrace the Holiday Spirit.

August is finally coming to a close, and Autumn is around the corner...with the Holiday Season following quickly behind. We seem to lose focus of the beauty of the Autumn leaves and chilly air because we are too busy thinking ahead to the gift giving tradition. That's why we wanted to show you some of our Holiday Items a little early.

We have some manly gift tags that feature a diamond sheet image that is perfect for the men in your life. This little touch of masculinity will make your gift to them a little more special. You can purchase our Manly Gift Tags at our Silkfair Shop:

http://1337art.silkfair.com

To satisfy your sweet tooth or that of your child, we have a clever little bookmark that features a green candy mint. This miniature bookmark measures approximately 3.5 inches, and it will fit perfectly in paper and hardback books. You can purchase our Mint Candy Mini Swirl Bookmark at our Silkfair Shop:

http://1337art.silkfair.com


This necklace displays the innocence of Winter with its hue of iridescent colors and delicate appearance. It's perfect for casual wear when you're relaxing by the fireplace with friends and family drinking hot cocoa. You can purchase our snowflake necklace at our Silkfair Shop:

http://1337art.silkfair.com


Do you love the snow? Remind yourself of the sweetness of snowfall with this cell phone charm. The beads carry the subtle colors of an ice blue with an Aurora Borealis finish. (the rainbow effect) This can even be made into a key chain at no extra cost. You can purchase our Think Snow Cell Phone Charm at our Silkfair Shop:

http://1337art.silkfair.com

We hope to introduce more Winter themed items soon. Winter seems to be the most calming and loving season of them all.

Thank you so much for reading. Please keep checking back for updates.

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com
http://1337art.silkfair.com

Elite Art for the elite at heart. Featuring jewelry for men and women, art collage, awareness items, bookmarks, cell phone charms, hair accessories, key chains, kilt pin brooches, wine charms, and more.

Custom orders are accepted.