My ARTistic Life

Cute Speckled Egg Ornament

Happy Wednesday! Hope you're having a great week.

Want to know how to make this cute ornament? Check out my new Speckled Egg Ornament Class. I enjoyed making it so much, I can't wait to make more!

...

While making this ornament, I had some leftover paint on my palette that I couldn't just wash down the sink. Instead I decided to paint some of envelopes for my etsy shop. Wish I could make these for my ARTchix orders too but I'd need an extra gallon of paint leftover on my palette, lol.

...

Inca liked these envelopes too! Here she is sitting on them and doing her impression of Yoda. lol.

...

She also really liked these little wood house charms covered in authentic vintage ephemera that I'm listing on etsy today (along with some more new handmade art bits and charms). She put her paw down as if to say, "These are mine!" Such a funny kitty.

See you next week with more fun, creativity and a new digi download freebie! : )

 

More Birdie Goodness + Digi Freebie

Greetings artists! Hope all is wonderful with you. Thank you for all of your awesome etsy replies last week. So many great shops to enjoy!

This week, I'm excited to announce our new bird and egg themed art supplies. They're awesome!!! Just look at the cute Artist Trading Cards I made with our new Pretty Birds Patchwork collage sheet, Little Wood Houses and Eggs and Vintage French Science Pages and Vintage Labels. I even put together a little class for you!

...

And after making ATCs and writing a class, I designed this very special limited edition kit too! It has everything you need to make 6 glorious bird ATCs! I even included little envelopes because....let's have a Bird Themed Art Swap!!! When was the last time you received pretty, inspiring mail? Let's uplift eachother with happy art mail. : )

For this swap, we're going to try something different....we'll each mail directly to participating artists...that way we can art up the envelopes too. : )

...

You know I couldn't mention all of this cool stuff to buy without enticing you with a special free gift! lol. If your order is over $25, I'll tuck in a set of 3 of my handmade eggs. Only while supplies last. : )

...

When you read my class, you'll see that I was inspired by using a random dictionary page in my ATCs. It provided lots of creative expression. So, I decided to add some to this special digital freebie. Just think...it would be perfect to use in our new swap too. : )

Get your free, high resolution digital download by simply emailing blogfreebie@artchixstudio.com.

Enjoy! : ) You're welcome to use this sheet in your personal artwork, jewelry, journals, etc. Or hold onto it for a future project. This item is not for resell though.

...

Oops, I almost forgot to announce the winners from last week! I asked you to tell me your favorite etsy shop in order to win a dozen of my handmade eggs. Inca picked #48 but we don't have a #48 so I'm going to divide the prize between #4 and #8. Congrats Rachel Fox and Becky Kilpatrick! You both win 6 of my handmade eggs! Hooray!

See you next week with more fun and creativity! : )

it's etsy time! + win handmade eggs

Happy Wednesday! Guess what time it is! It's etsy time!

Lately, I've been completely focused on etsy. I decided to open an etsy shop so that I could have a special place to sell my special handmade art bits and charms. I purchased this book: How to Make Money using Etsy by Timothy Adam. I found this book to be quite helpful...there are some really good tips in there.
...

But before I could do anything, I had to make some room. So, I donated several boxes of supplies to a local school. Did you know that many of our schools don't have any budget for art supplies? If you've got an overflowing stash, please consider donating some to a local school. I must tell you that it felt so good to give some of my neglected supplies a good home. And I've already received reports that the students are gobbling up and enjoying all of the supplies that I donated. Yay! : )

See those empty shelves in the background? Now, they're clear and ready for etsy!
...

Once the shelves were empty and I had studied up on etsy, it was time to make some items to sell. Etsyians say to build a shop around doing what you love. So, I started painting and collaging backgrounds onto wood. I LOVE making backgrounds...they're so fun and playful and there's nothing like getting my fingers covered in paint.

These little eggs came first. Want to know how I made them? Check out my fun Faux Speckled Egg Background tutorial on Gingersnap Creations. You can also see how I set up my art space for this tutorial.
...

I collaged and painted wood panels for days while watching Downton Abbey AGAIN! lol.
...

My dear hubby has been cutting up my wood panels into these adorable art bits and charms for my etsy shop. Aren't they soooo cool?! I'm working on taking photos and posting them over the next few days. Everything takes a lot longer than I expected...but that's okay, I'm learning tons along the way.

Lots more to come along with a few surprises. : )

At the moment, I have some of my lovely, one-of-a-kind eggs for sale. Snap 'em up while you can. 

Do you have an etsy shop? Or is there an etsy shop that you adore? Post a comment with your etsy shop name or a favorite etsy shop. One of my kitties will randomly pick a winner that will win a DOZEN of my hand painted and hand collaged eggs! Woohoo!

See you next week with more fun and creativity! : )

List of Inspiration + How to Set an Eyelet

Happy Wednesday! Need a list of visual inspiration?

Last week, I asked you to post a comment with an inspiring movie or mini series that you've seen. (Preferably something historical with beautiful costumes and scenery.) I loved reading all of your recommendations and thought it would be so nice to put them into a list so that we could all enjoy them. Next time you're wondering about what to see, you can consult this handy dandy list. I went ahead and collaged a frame around it with some scraps of epehemera...you know I had to make it pretty! lol.

Get your free, high resolution digital download by simply emailing blogfreebie@artchixstudio.com.

Enjoy the inspiration! And a big "thank you" to all that contributed to this wonderful list.
...

Do you remember this cute ornament? I'm embarassed to show you the back but (blushing), do you see how horrible my eyelets look on the back side (pic on the right)?

So, I begged Linda Larsen, dear friend and owner of Objects and Elements, to show us how to set an eyelet properly.
...

She happily agreed to show us how to set an eyelet into one of our Wood Tags.

Here's what she said...
You can set an eyelet with very simple tools.  A ball peen hammer and a center punch (aka eyelet setter) is all you need.  Choose an eyelet that fits your hole and extends beyond.  It doesn’t have to be a huge extension especially with wood. If your eyelet is too long you can make it work too. 

Put the eyelet into the hole and lay it face down on a very hard surface.  A bench block is ideal but a smooth concrete floor would work as well. 
...

Place the center punch in the hole and lightly tap it with the hammer until you see it start to flare.  
...

Ah, I see it's starting to flare!

...

Then remove the center punch and use the ball peen (rounded) end of the hammer to very gently tap your way around so it rolls back under.  This is done with taps as you need to move the metal slowly to keep it from splitting.  If the eyelet is especially long you will have to very patiently tap around and around to get it to roll enough to look good in the hole. 
...

I like to flip it over and flatten the roundness on the other side to make it look a bit more industrial.

Wow, thank you so much, Linda! This is so helpful. Okay, now I realize that I need to have more patience and slowly hammer the eyelet with the round part of the hammer. Fantastic...now perhaps my eyelets will look good on both sides.
...

Kitty Inca was supposed to pick 10 winners for our special Owl Paper Dolls and Owl Collage Sheet
giveaway. BUT she wanted to stay all curled up in a ball. How could I wake her when she looked so cute?

So, instead, I'm going to give a $5 gift certificate to ARTchix  to everyone that shared an inspiring movie or series from last week. Woohoo!!!

By the way, our much coveted Blue Face Owl Beads are back in stock!

See you next week with a sneak peek at my etsy shop that's coming soon! : )

Stand Up & Create + Get Owls!

Happy Wednesday! Hope all is great with you.

Great news! I'm the February Muse on Gingersnap Creations. Yay!


You'll get to see a Muse Showcase about me later this week (so excited!). And now I'm working on 2 fun tutorials for their blog this month. I have to keep the tutorials a secret...but let me tease you with a little peek at how I set up my art space when working on the first tutorial.

You can see here that I pinned up a bit of inspiration for my *secret* tutorial. I added the Gingersnap Creations logo to this picture to hide some of my inspiration. As you would expect, I've got a pile of vintage ephemera set aside. : )

...

Here is my work space all set up. Let me tell you that I usually sit at my art desk when I'm creating. But this time, I played while standing up at my tall work table. I must tell you, I loved it! Try getting creative using your kitchen countertop or any surface that allows you to stand up and create, it's invigorating and will give you a fresh perspective.

...

They say that having a ritual before you create can be very helpful to center you and to signal to your brain that it's time to create. My ritual is to make myself a cup of peppermint tea...very soothing.

...

I recently purchased some of the new Martha Stewart paints...really enjoying them, I like their colors. You can see that my paint palette is well used, lol.
...

For my water cup, I like to use this cup that was my grandmother's. My Mom would probably say that it's too valuable to use in this manner. I say that I love enjoying it all the time...instead of it gathering dust somewhere in a cupboard.

Do you see my computer screen in the background? Yes, sometimes I like to watch while I create. This time I was watching Masterpiece Theater's Emma  . I love anything Jane Austen! And after discovering Downton Abbey  (LOVE!), I'm gobbling up British historical romances like crazy. Do you have any that you would recommend?

...

A bit of cushion underfoot is so nice when you're standing for a long period of time. I recommend investing in gel mats. They're awesome! I have them in my kitchen too.

After seeing my supplies and set up, are you totally curious about this *secret* tutorial now? : ) It will be posted around February 15th on Gingersnap Creations...I'll be sure to let you know when its up for your viewing pleasure.

...

Last week, I asked you to post a comment and tell me what your favorite item was in our Birds shopping section. My kitty Inca picked the winner....drumroll please....#12 = CHRIS!

...

Chris said that her favorite item was our owls. So, dear Chris, you win the new issue of Somerset Studio
and our Owl Paper Dolls and Night Owls collage sheets. Congrats Chris!

I bet now that you see these 2 owl sheets, you're wanting them too! Leave a comment here on my blog and tell me the title of an inspiring movie, mini series or show that you've seen. Preferably something historical with beautiful costumes and scenery. : )

My kitties will pick 10 winners that will receive these 2 owl sheets as digital downloads next Wednesday. Woohoo!

See you next Wednesday with more fun and creativity! : )