Happiness is a Choice.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Happiness is a choice - I am going to choose to not allow the outside influences of the world affect my mood. I promise you will live a happier life.

The last two weeks I have been through an emotional roller-coaster of getting kicked down by life and getting back up, to only get kicked down again. I consider myself an extremely positive and upbeat personality. Sometimes life gives us bigger lessons than even those of us upbeat positive people can handle.  

Life happens people! Everyday is a blessing and even in the most frustrating situations, the problems you think you are facing, are there for a reason and a lesson is to be learned. Today I hit a breaking point emotionally and I ended up being a cliche chick and having myself a super solo cry session. I cried in my room, then in the shower and then while brushing my teeth. Dramatic much? I think so.

All I know is I got it all out. Crying helped me let all my frustration out in a healthier way then being angry towards loved ones or in unhealthy eating and etc. You know what I did after I cried myself a river....I GOT OVER IT! I sat down and wrote a list of everything I was overwhelmed with and wanted to work out. 

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Seeing everything written down in a list is so freeing and I feel like I have my problems in a tangible and manageable form. Also, when I looked down at the paper and was out of things to write I couldn't believe how little I actually had that was really problems. It is amazing how writing down everything that is jumbled in your brain down on paper can really center you and bring back the focus on what matters.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I have the most wonderful man in my life I could ever ask for. As I am sitting here typing this mush of gush out, there is a vase full of pink flowers and a note to my left. He has noticed how much I have been struggling recently and he got me flowers and wrote me a note about how he is sorry that I had a bad day and that he loves me. 

With Valentine's Day tomorrow, this honestly meant so much more to me. It reminded me that I have someone who loves me enough to go out of his way to make sure that I know I am appreciated and have support just because I needed it and not because of a holiday. It really is the little things in life that we can take for granted and let all of life's crap cloud our vision. We can't forget what really matters and that's always love.

So as I end the day and start another tomorrow I will wake up with the attitude that today is the first day of the rest of my life. I am loved and have abundant happiness. Everything will work out the way it is meant to so long as I stick to my responsibility and trust that the universe has bigger and better things for me to experience everyday. 

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day: 

I love you to the moon and back - quote - ORIGINAL OIL and acrylic PAINTING - 14 x 9 x 1 inches on wood

Song of the Day:

Céline Dion - Love Can Move Mountains

Color of the Day:

 Benjamin Moore's Dalila 319

Catching up! My first Art Fair and inside Cloud Nine Studios!

              Hello Everyone! What a busy little bee I have been lately. I am grateful to have a second to breathe now and catch you all up on how my first art fair went! The Fair was from Friday-Sunday. Friday morning was set up from 9am-11am but when I got there they were still mopping the event space! We ended up only having about an hour and a half for set up which made me STRESS big time. When the event started it was like a ghost town. Friday I went home with $6 in sales. 

I felt very defeated.

Saturday came and I showed up with a positive attitude ready to hustle my stuff! I rearranged my booth a little to help the flow of traffic enter easier and I lowered my prices to see if it made some difference. Thankfully, the amount of people walking around was amazing! I was starting to see which things people were consistently drawn to in my booth and what was selling and not. I left Saturday with breaking even for the fair. I was happy with my decisions and feeling more confident about my work and space. 

Sunday rolled around and going into the day I was already even for the weekend. So anything that I sold was profit. This made it a little easier for me to let go of pieces for an even lower price. At first I was stubborn in my pricing but then I realized I can just make more of them and the more I sold the better I would feel about my first show. The traffic was a little slower again on Sunday but I end up about $100 plus for the weekend. 

(Mikaela and her homemade dog treats)

For my first fair I am extremely proud. My goal was to at least break even and get some great experience and advertising and I ended up in sales. I now know what people are interested in and what works for displaying my pieces and what doesn't work. Selling online is very different then selling in person. I had used a lot of strategies that I would for selling online at first at the fair and quickly realized the differences!

I was able to meet some great artists and people walking through. I handed out a TON of businesses cards and have some possible commissions that I am hoping will follow up! I am so grateful for all the help that my boyfriend George was able to do for me. I am so lucky to have someone who fully supports me and is always there if I need him. Also a HUGE thank you to my room mate Jessica for taking time out of her day off the help me set up! She really kept me in check when I wanted to break down before it even all started. 

My goal this week is to update my Etsy shop and list everything that I photographed before the show so if people decide to find me from my business card that everything is looking up to date and professional! I have a lot of work ahead of me but I feel only good vibes from the whole experience.....except for the parking ticket I got trying to unload my car! Oops. Oh well! 

Click here for my ETSY SHOP!

I should be back on schedule for the blogs now! Be sure to check out my Etsy for all the new items and updates! Also be sure to click the subscribe button on the top right of this page if you liked this blog and want more!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Recycled Sweater Coat- 2XL by - LauraAnnLyon

Song of the Day:

U2 - Beautiful Day

Color of the Day:

Little Angel

The power of consistency.

Hello again! Yep, you guessed it another blog. Today I want to talk about a topic that comes up a lot for me. This is probably my biggest struggle as an artist and business owner. It's something that is VERY important. To most people it either comes super easy to them or is a big problem like me!

Want me to just tell you already? Fine, it's CONSISTENCY! 

Booooooooo.

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Ughhhh my nemisis. Consistency is so important blah blah blah. As an artist is it really important to have consistency with your art. I feel this is especially true for artists who promote themselves online or social media. (aka me) Why is consistency important, you may ask....well here it is! 

(I loved video. He seems so genuine and his words are perfect for today's blog)

Consistency is important because people want to easily be able to recognize "who you are as an artist" and your products. If you are inconsistent, people might getting distracted or confused and leave your site. I know because I do this when I look at other Etsy shops. Unfortunately, I know that my shop is currently inconsistent. I am working on this as my top priority. My images first and foremost NEED to be consistent. Especially for a shop that has multiple types of products. I think if you only sell soap you can have some variety to things because your product is consistent. Since I work with so many mediums I need to have consistent photography. 

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Why do I struggle with consistency so much? Well...I haven't mentioned this in the blogs yet but I love astrology! My gramcrackers is an astrologer and she has taught me the ins and outs of being an Astrologer. Phew! I am glad I brought that up....look forward to much more astrology talk from now on! Anyway, I believe that a big part of my struggle with inconsistency is my GEMINI nature. Gemini's have many strengths like being a jack-of-all trades. With this they tend to be good at everything they try but get bored with things very easily. I KNOW this is how I work. I might do a watercolor one day and the next be into my wood burning. It keeps me interested and as long as I actually finish my projects I can continue to jump around!

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             How can I become more consistent with my art? I think routines are key. Setting routines might be hard at first but once you stick with them, after a certain amount of time they will become habit. Today I went to the Rustbelt where my space will be for the DIY Art Fair and walked about looking at other artist's shops and seeing their styles and set-ups helped remind me how finding my "style" for everything I do with my art and shop helps make consistency more natural. Coming up with a simple logo and using it for everything even price tags was one of the best ideas a saw. 

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           Well today's blog was a little difficult for me to try and write. It's hard to address something you might consider a weakness. I know it's an important topic and addressing it makes it easier to work on it. Consistently Consistent from here on out! What kinds of things to do struggle with in your art? Do you have any suggestions on easy ways to find consistency within my Etsy Shop? Let me know your thoughts!  

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Buddha . The Mind is Everything, What you Think you Become . Ring Dish . Yellow Moon . Star . Jewelry Dish . Celestial by - neCeramics

Song of the Day:

Wax Tailor - Que Sera 

Color of the Day:

Benjamin Moore Scuba Green 2046-50

DIY - PAINT BRUSH CLEANER (Made with hot glue gun)

It has been a weird couple of days but also an AMAZING couple of days. My love took me away for a night to the west side of Michigan with another couple. We stayed in an amazing castle and saw my favorite band Lake Street Dive. It was a magical two days and I felt very inspired and in love.

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Since I have been away all weekend I wanted to use my last day off to really get things done in my studio. I entered the room this morning and felt SO OVERWHELMED. There were things everywhere. I have started so many pieces and each are different mediums. I just couldn't get my thoughts together so I decided it was time to clean and reorganize everything.

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I started by getting all the random trash out and creating more space. I felt cramped and anxious and now I feel free! I had also been putting off cleaning a ton of my brushes that were just sitting in old mineral spirits. I was actually convinced I had ruined all of them because they had been sitting there for so long. I remembered this great idea I saw and decided to make one of my own!

I understand that this video was made for make-up brushes but it works the same for paintbrushes. I made one on a metal tray that I had left lying around. It works so well I wish I had more brushes to clean. I not only saved every single brush I don't think they have ever been this clean. It took maybe ten minutes to make and if you are an artist with deals with paintbrushes of any kind I DEFINITELY recommend making one of these.

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ANYWAY! Now that everything is clean and has a place I am going to organize my inventory on paper which is something I have never done before. I want to do this because like I already mentioned I keep starting all these little pieces for the DIY Art Fair but not finishing them and I feel all over the place. I want to know exactly what I have and how many of each so I can focus on what I want to have for the fair. I know as of now that I probably need to at least DOUBLE my inventory which is terrifying but I know if I can just get my thoughts straight I will make it happen.

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Before I left for the weekend adventure I did however finish my lovely little Alice in Wonderland inspired Watercolor piece! Sometimes I make pieces and I think "oh, that's cute.....moving on" but every now and again I make something I love and it might be vain but I CAN NOT stop looking at it. I really want to make more pieces like this and get prints to sell but I feel like I need to stick with what I can do for the fair for now and after this month dive a little deeper into my watercolor ideas.

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So that's all I have for today. I really want to get to work in here now that it's cleaned up but I wanted to make sure I blogged since I couldn't while I was away. I hope you all have a wonderland day!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

USB flash drive 8 GB, kawaii blue cat, cat with constellation big dipper, back to school , cobalt cat usb flash by - CloverPower

Song of the Day:

Garden Sessions: Lake Street Dive - "Look At What Mistake" - Radio Woodstock

Color of the Day:

 BENJAMIN MOORE CORLSBUD CANYON 076

5 things to remember when you feel like you're falling behind.

Look who it is! It's me the slackiest slacker on the world wide web of blogging! Oh man guys and gals I really haven't done anything with the blog in three days! See I miss one day and BOOM three days later here I am. All or nothing kinda gal......What's that?.....You forgive me! Great! 

You are the best.

These past few days I made a mental promise to stay away from my studio for the most part and spend more time with my boyfriend's two kids. They will be going back to school soon and I have been hiding away working on pieces for the DIY Art Festival.

I did manage to get a little time in the studio for myself and started a fun watercolor piece themed from Alice in Wonderland! It is going to be very dainty and girly with flowers! I love it already. What do you think so far?!

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Even though I started a piece and worked on a few others I still can't help feeling like I have totally fallen behind. I have this feeling more than I realize. Behind what? My expectations? Due dates? Have you ever given up doing something completely because you felt you were too far behind for it to even matter? I didn't choose painting as a major in college until two years in because I felt that since I never took any courses in high school I would be so far behind everyone else that why bother. Switching was one of the best things I ever did! 

So are you feeling behind? Do you feel you're stressed because you can never get ahead of your laundry? Do tasks at work keep piling higher every time you finish one? Feel like your business will never succeed because so many just like it are already so popular? Have a new blog and think will this ever take off......wait....oh how silly of me I am getting off topic.

Here are 5 things to remember when you feel like you are falling behind:

1. Take a breath and enjoy life. You only get one.

I have mentioned before what taking some time to meditate and breathe can do for you. If you haven't heard....it does wonders! If you feel like you are falling behind you probably have some anxiety and stress along with that thought and closing your eyes and breathing can help wash that away. It will make it easier to continue on with getting those things caught up and back to normal without the pressure of guilt and even depression!

2. How did you get here?

Is this the first time you have felt this way or have you been in this position before? What lead you to feeling so trapped and helpless? Take a step back from the situation and look to see how you could have avoided it, if at all. If you could have avoided it, let yourself feel disappointed (BUT ONLY FOR A SECOND!) You have to acknowledge your feelings. Then move on! Get up and try again better next time. If you find that you couldn't have even avoided getting to the point you are at....then make like Elsa and LLEETT ITT GOOO!

2. You are further ahead then you think!

Ever look back at a stressful time and think....why was I so crazy I did great! I think 9 times out of 10 when I think I am behind I really am ahead! I guess this depends on what you are feeling behind.

..if it is you're own goals then you might want to reevaluate your goals or the manor in which you are trying to reach them. BUT, if you are feeling behind "others" or some sort of "work" I bet you will look back on today and say that you really were ahead of the game.

3. Need some reassurance?

Sometimes I think I am like Gretchen Rubin and need a ton of gold stars. Reassurance can so important to people (especially artists) that they create this sob story in their heads when they don't receive it enough. I am guilty of this. If I am not getting enough good feedback I can make myself feel like I am falling behind. When someone gives me a gold star and recognizes my good work I feel a lot better. So what I need to learn is that I need to give myself a gold star whenever I start to feel behind. If you have trouble with this like I do here is one free golden star just for you: YOU CAN DO IT! WOW WHAT A GREAT JOB YOU HAVE DONE SO FAR! DON'T WORRY ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE LOOK AT ALL YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED! 

4. Just do the best you can do.

All you can do is the best you can do. Odds are you are doing just fine. If you can say you are putting 110% into everything you do and are still feeling behind, then you might want to think differently. 

There you have it! Just remember life is about having fun and love! I hope today's blog makes you feel a little more at ease and you can forgive me for being absent the last few days. Oh and I almost forgot! Gues what came in the mail today! My brand new business cards! Take a look and let me know what you think! 

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Pinback Button, Magnet, Mirror, or Bottle Opener by - PinMeDown

Song of the Day:

Fun.: We Are Young ft. Janelle Monáe (ACOUSTIC)

Color of the Day:

Glass Slipper

Can weather control your productivity?

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WELCOME BACK!

I am having a sort of a hard time feeling inspired today. I hope that if I just write that I can work myself up to it. I just don't want to fake anything in the blogs. YES, I want this to be successful but even more so I want it to be honest.

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I think part of the reason I am feeling uninspired is the weather. Which might be interesting to mention for the fact that it's bright and sunny out! I am the kind of person who thrives on dark and dreary. I always thought I was MADE for Seattle. If it rained everyday I would feel right at home.

I have known this about myself for a long time and when I wake up and see cloudy skies I get immediately excited for all that I know I will get done that day.......Why is that?

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Everyone is different, but I know most people are thrilled for sunny skies and "perfect weather." I think for me I want to feel productive. On a beautiful day I feel distracted because there is a pull for me to go outside and I feel guilty for not being outside and enjoying the weather. If it is rainy I know it's alright to be inside working and I feel ahead of the game for not just laying around being lazy like most people tend to do when it's "yucky" out.

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This works the same for seasons. I actually love the fall and winter because I tend to get the most accomplished. Michigan winters can tend to be very very long so I will get some cabin fever towards the end of winter. For the most part I would rather have a day that forces me to bundle up inside my studio and art away!

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Another reason why I think I enjoy rainy and snowy weather over sunny bright skies is because I absolutely HATE being hot and sweaty. Michigan is the worst for humidity and I become a cranky, whiny, mess if it's hot and humid. I definitely get more accomplished if I am not cranky ahaha.

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Do you find that certain weather effects your productivity? Do you relate to my love for rainy days or are you motivated by the new opportunities in the air from spring? Maybe you love the fall colors and it puts you right in the mood for the perfect productivity!


Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

I'm Only Happy When It Rains Long-Sleeve Tee by- lulusimonTEES

Song of the Day:

Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love

Color of the Day:
Cinnamon slate