99 cents of Happy.

Thankgiving somehow came and went without us really seeing it coming to begin with, and now we're well on our way to Christmas. I've spent the last few weeks busy as can be at work (Gotta love retail), then coming home and trying to work on a few neck wrap orders and get in some cuddling with my husband. We definetly owe ourselves a real date with one another once this crazy season is over.

I'm planning on posting a year end recap on how I did with my resolutions for 2011 very soon, we'll see how time works out.

good things

Some things I can't get enough of for Fall 2011.

1) Sam and Zoe's. Seriously, Nashville, I miss you so much, and my favorite coffee shop and artisan salad stop. I think I've almost figured out what all the acronyms for the S.A.W.F. salad are. So far I have strawberry, avocado, and walnuts. Is F for Feta?

2) Drinking any sort of hot beverage from my new mug that I bought at the GRADD festival for myself. It's the pretty green one in the top photo.

3) Crocheting. I have a new fox wrap that seems to be pretty well liked, I'm just hoping I can sell some during the cold weather!

4) Apple Chamomile tea from Twigings. It's seriously the most calming delish tea I've ever found.

5) The Windows phone answer to Instagram, Bubblegum. I wish it had more filters, but it is seriously fun to play with.

We're moving on into the Christmas season, so ready or not, here comes some snow and sparkle! I could deal with some cool weather here to get me motivated! All these days in the 80s are making me mopey. You heard me mother nature, middle Tennessee is over summer time!

this is one coyote who's still howling

When mother nature gives you zits, use a filter!

I really cannot believe what a great sales weekend this was for me. I feel truly blessed, and am so thankful for everybody who showed interest in my product, or bought something! Skittish Coyote is something I just have not had the heart to let die, which to be honest sounded pretty good during the economic downturn in 2008. I'm so glad I haven't given up on it. So if you're looking at this blog from my business cards, thank you thank you thank you!

Please don't laugh at the blog too much, it's still in the development stage. ;-) Making this blog a place to be is a real goal of mine, it's just a matter of reaching a point financially where I can hire a web designer. Because if there's anything I learned in my web design class in college, it's that I sure don't want to do it myself!

What's great about this past craft fair is that I didn't even have all of my ideas present, which pumps me up about getting back in the studio to sew! I have a sketchbook full of things to do in the coming year, including a stuffed animal line, pillow line, and handmade necklaces from copper and silver. I figure they taught me a few things about jewelry in art school, I might as well use them!

None of this would have been possible without my mom though. If I had known crocheting and sewing were the tools to success I would have saved my parents a lot of money and hassle. I love them! 

Skittish Coyote 2.0



Pretty tags, all in a row.

 If you came to this blog from buying a product or picking up a business card from me at the GRADD Arts and Crafts festival thank you so much! This business is my little part time venture, and is always in a state of growing and reinventing itself. Skittish Coyote started in late 2007 when I graduated from college. It began as a jewelry venture, with a healthy mixture of unique, repurposed vintage items, and silver clay jewelry. It had to take a backseat during the economic downturn, but over the last two years I've been reimaging this little business I call my own, and I hope you'll join me for the ride!

If you would like to submit a special order, don't hesitate to email me at missmayberry AT hotmail DOT com.

Craft Fair!

Some of the neck wraps, all packed up and ready to go. I love the fancy pants lawyer-ish suitcase I found for them! Goodwill makes my heart pitter-patter.

In just 36 short hours I will be at the 2011 GRADD Arts and Crafts Festival in B-E-A-Utiful Henderson, KY! I've got neck wraps (it'll be cooold in the mornings there, mid 40s), LOL and dino necklaces, slouchy bags and mini purses galore! I'm nervous, but excited. The first year I entered the economy was on it's way to crashing, so people really weren't digging on the crafty stuffs. Buts it's a brand new year! If you'll be in the area, it's from 10AM - 5PM Saturday and 10AM - 4PM Sunday afternoon. 

the best things in life are free...

Like a certain tabby cleaning her paw. It's hard to tell in the photos, but the bottom of her feet are pitch black and tooo stinken cute with her grey/black paw pads. :) I'm at my husband's college right now, trying to get together some lesson ideas for Sunday School classes this fall, but all I can think about it procrastination and getting home and taking a nap. That's what getting up at three AM for no good reason will do for you! :) Enjoy your daily dose of kitty!

And P.S.

Hop on over to A Beautiful Mess for a great Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate recipe!

Trunk or Treat

Clem looking fab in complementary colors!

The church's second annual Trunk or Treat is coming up, so I figured it was time to pick out a costume. I've went back and forth between several ideas this year, but I keep coming back to Clementine from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I'm not embarrassed to admit I had to watch the movie twice before if made complete sense. I love the idea that even if you could erase someone from your memory, you will eventually cross paths again if it's meant to be, soul mates and such. I highly recommend it. There's some language and drug use... this pastor's wife can pick em'!

Business Cards!

New business cards are veeery exciting!

Moo.com is wonderful. For twenty dollars you can get 100 business cards with up to 100 different designs! I designed a couple for year round use, and I also made one with an orange background for fall. I bet you can't guess which one is for Christmas (joking).

I can't wait to put these on my goodies for the craft fair (which is in TWO WEEKS! Eep!)

Slouchy bag!

I said that I would post a photo of the slouchy bag my mom was teaching me how to make, so without further ado....

I'm hoping to get a dressmakers mannequin soon so I can get some better quality photos. Or at least one where I don't have to hang the bag off of some random knob on my husband's college campus ;) Week before last I cut fabric for three more bags, so I've got quite a to do list. The cat's are keeping me in line.

Oh summer, how I missed you and your aesthetically pleasing ice cream cone colors. How's everybody's summer going?

Every good sourthern girl knows...

That sweet tea should be drank liberally, especially during the summer. And what better way to enjoy it than to add sweet, ripe summer grown peaches?!

This is how I make mine:

3 peaches, starting to ripen.

1/2 cup of sugar

Two bags of Lipton's Cold Brew tea.

Cut your fruit into pieces, and obviously throw away the pit only after you've eaten the rest of the peach away from it. ;-) Combine everything into your favorite pitcher or decanter and add water. I let mine brew quite a bit longer than the directions say, about twenty minutes. Once you remove the tea bags, just throw it in the fridge for a few hours to get the best peach flavor possible. 

And success!  Just pour a glass over ice and enjoy!

You now have a wonderfully southern treat!

I love my lion king decanter!

saturday at the antique mall

The tag attached read, "Fawn Planter. Looks a lot like Bambi."

The husband and I mosied over to GasLamp Antiques today to have a look around at all the goodies. It was the perfect way to spend this super hot afternoon, just short of sitting under a sprinkler. Thanks to all of these yard sales and antique mall visits, this new collection of mine is taking off already! I looove my new fawn planter! The vintage fabric in the background of the picture was another purchase I made there today. It was two dollars but I couldn't pass it up, I adore the colors!

Then I found some old photographs of dogs. I don't know what it is, but I love old pet photos. The one in the far left corner is my favorite. On the back someone had written, "Daddy's truck and a dog." The poor guy didn't even have a name! Maybe I will have to make one up for him.

Oh to be at the beach today.

Today in Tennessee it is hooot, so it's going to be a day of sewing and sketching in the studio! It's hard to believe it's already June, which for me means it's time to kick it into high gear for the GRADD Arts and Crafts Festival. Yes, it is still four months away, but that means I have plenty of time to make some jewelry and continue to learn to sew cute things. Mom and I are going to teach ourselves to make slouchy bags when she comes in next week. I'll post a picture of our results!

Skittish Coyote had a booth there in 2008 and I even got interviewed in the local paper which I did NOT expect with all the super talented people there!

coco and the coyote

On second thought, I may change the logo of Skittish Coyote to this. I'm in love <3

I ordered a stamp with the logo I designed (albeit badly, but free), and I'm iiiitching for it to get here. I got the idea from The Dainty Squid She may well be my favorite person on the world wide web. She makes the cutest coin purses and seems sweet as sugar :)

i love yard sales.

How cute is this momma cat planter?

I have been wanting to start a collection for a couple of years, but I just didn't know what I should collect. I like teapots, but I'm afraid of making my house look like a tea room, so I axed that idea pretty early on. I kind of helped Jimmie with his shot glass collection when he was in the Navy, but that fell out of interest with us after our shelf got filled to the brim! (And it is, they are smushed in there together, and sitting on top of the shelf too)

I had pretty much just decided I would never have the room or enough interest to start a collection, but my mom has promised me a HUGE curio cabinet when we finally are able to get a house, and that got my gears turning again.

This last weekend I found the perfect tschotskes!

She was only $1.50. What can I say, I love a good deal.

I LOVE vintage planters that were mostly used for succulents, and I love me some deer! Right now these happy items have a home on my sewing desk, where I can see them all the time. I can't wait to see what else I can find!

This weekend I turned twenty six and learned that I'm pretty fond of the clucking abouts of Turkens.

how i've spent my winter

Winter has been spent between my Daria DVDs, lots and lots of theology/Christian living books, and endless cups of tea and coffee. How is your winter going?