Join Me on a Crafty Adventure

Here in the pond of life I find myself either sunning my legs on a lily pad in Monet’s Garden thinking life is fan-froggy-tastic

OR

My legs are perfectly seasoned, breaded and dressed on a plate in a Micheline Five Star restaurant.  

In each situation I make the best of the situation. As a visitor to the Lily Pad, my journey is filled with pivots and plot twists. As an extrovert with Fibromyalgia, navigating through PTSD triggers while sharing my experience, strength and hope life is filled with beauty and practicalities.

It seems for all of us 2020 has been such a year. I am abundantly grateful for the many changes I’ve grown through since July 2019. So many changes happening all at once, it is important to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Pausing to be in the moment and savor the beautiful. It’s an important focus in developing a new direction for myself through this  constant shifting horizon of opportunities. 

I now teach English as a Second Language (ESL) online through two different tutoring platforms. It is so fun to use my over 35 years of education experience on a new platform. You can find me at Superprof for tutoring in many different forms, reading, math, language development. Working with people from all over the world is perfect for this homebound extrovert.

I am in school with Abilene Christian University Online full time, working to complete my undergrad degree in Psychology and Business.  You can see some of my projects here.

I  am developing an art curriculum for online and at home educators that blends art history and the art style of an Artist. It has already received positive feedback during live streaming sessions.

The Etsy store is available here. Art reflects life, and crafting splashes a bit of beauty into the ordinary. Embroidered dish towels, message boards, and aprons are just the start. Mixed media art is a new medium for me, and infused with words will be a perfect encouragement.  These kinds of Practical Crafts bring a bit of extraordinary into the ordinary. 

So that is precisely what I’ve done. I am inviting you to be part of my process as I grow and develop over the coming months and through the next year. Part of this growth includes a new venture - I am now offering a monthly subscription service.

For a donation of: $36-60   You will receive, monthly for one year, a link to a digital artwork, with an inspirational quote.

For a donation of: $120-$144 You will receive monthly for one year a link to a digital artwork with an inspirational quote AND In the mail package of a Practical Craft. (monthly for one year)

Part of this year’s journey will be blog posts about the classes I’m taking, what I’m learning and how it is all progressing. 2020 was a tough year for all of us, and I look forward to sharing growth and what I call living Tenacious Optimism with you.  If you have any questions, you can leave a comment, or email me at froginparis@gmail.com. If you would like to be a part of this project you can donate through either Paypal: paypal.me/frognparis or Venmo: https://venmo.com/Frognparis.

If you would like to donate, but would not like to be a part of the monthly subscription, leave a comment below.

Friendship Inspires Creative Horizons

Originally posted on June 20, 2013

Starting a new venture is daunting. Especially when it is discovering an art and allowing it expression. Divine Appointments brought people into my life who believed in me when I was not able to believe in myself. Jeannie Hart entered my life first. Weekly coffee which birthed through adversity became an oasis of empowerment and love. Through her encouragement, working through my art possibilities developed from a hobby into a pilgrimage. Learning how to make mistakes with flare are the spice within creativity.

Jeannie introduced me to Aaron. A small business owner and artist in town. He wanted to sell my quirky products. He didn't care what they were. He was happy to give light to anything I attempted. First came towel embroidery.

It surprised me how well they sold. I kept making them and people kept liking them. I played with floursack and bar towels. It morphed into custom orders. Play began to pay off.


 GirlyK needed an new messenger bag. Money was tight and I had clothes heading for Charity. Inspiration hit and using old jeans, a vinyl jacket and sheets, this bag was birthed. I played with pattern making for the first time.

Jeannie fell in love with it and ordered an Ipad bag, I blended denim and upholstery fabric samples.

Next came a purse for myself. I found this Buttercup Bag pattern online and fell in love with it. Her design has a magnetic enclosure, but I added a zipper to mine. Confidence grew
within my abilities. Bag making became a fun experiment. Each one tweakishly different from the one before. 

One day, Aaron suggested I try aprons. He like the ones which looked like vintage cocktail dresses. Like Dr. Frankenstein, I retreated into my laboratory. A little frightened of what might come to life. Joy of surprise flooded as I watched them take shape.

 Skeleton Toile                          Nutcracker                                  Sugar Skulls

Not to be excluded a pile of The Counting Mutant's shirts headed for Charity called out to me. They wanted to be mutated into something different. Of course I couldn't disappoint them. Thanks to pinterest and Grow And Make this happened:








Then, as with all moments of art and crafting, the greatest surprise of all, a person I never met loved the sugar skull apron concept but wanted something different. Gary Smith wanted a muy macho version. Retreating into my laboratory of creative madness I experimented. Many times, I started, then walked away because it just wasn't working. It sat on the wire form in the work room taunting me with desire for a testosterone infusion. Images of barbecue tools and a cold beer in hand kept me motivated. After months of wrestling with inspiration, it conked me on the head. Last week I finished it.

An etsy store is waiting in the wings for inventory. Soon it will be up and running. I do take custom orders as well. With each project, I feel stronger and braver as the next creative puzzle is faced. Without people such as these, my artistic spirit would not fly as confident as it does today. Their company breeds freedom as this artist looks for a true north. I am deeply grateful.