Taking a Holiday Break

 

Hope everyone is enjoying getting ready for the Holiday Season.  I am busy with last minute gift buying and gift creating.  I am going to take a blog break so I can focus on spending some extra time with my family and friends during this festive time of year. I will be back after the New Year on Monday, January 3rd to write my first post of 2011!  I would like to say thank you to everyone who has stopped by to visit my blog this year and wish all of you a Wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year. Warmly, Stacie

More Jewelry!

I've been busy making Christmas gifts and making some last minute pieces of jewelry for Etsy.  Here are a few pieces that I will be posting over the next few days:

Love Watch

Wish Necklace

Happy Earrings

Flower Watch

Friends Earrings

Dog Earrings

If you still need gifts, make sure to check out my Stacie Jewelry Shop on Etsy over the next few days. 

This weekend we are getting our Christmas Tree and decorating the house.  Can't wait! We even got a little unexpected snow today to start off the festivities!   Have a wonderful weekend & I will see you Monday.  Stacie

Artist of the Week - Louise Gale

Inspiration Tree

This week's Artist of the Week is Louise Gale. Louise's artwork is filled with color and inspirational messages.  I was immediately drawn toward the nature theme and positives messages that are part of Louise's work.  

Delight the World

When I began my research about Louise and her life in art I found that her "Story of Me" on her blog profile really gave me a feeling of where Louise and her art originated from, so I decided rather that try to rewrite her story, I would borrow it from her blog.

The story of me
Louise grew up in South London, England with her mum, dad and younger brother, being encouraged to be creative everyday. As a child Louise would draw, paint and create patterns with her beloved spirograph after school and make all kinds of decorations for Christmas, Easter and Birthdays. In the summer Louise, her brother and cousins would build and decorate teepee tents so they could camp out during the school holidays and play in the dressing up box. Louise got accepted to art school at 16, studying drawing, photography, sculpture and design, then spent two years in the “potteries” in Stoke on Trent, England learning ceramic design and surface pattern.

Deciding to join the corporate world and keep art as a hobby, Louise continued to add a spark of creativity in everything she did. Finally deciding to emigrate to Australia after living and traveling there for a year, fate instead brought her to over to the USA in 2004. It was here, Louise then found the courage to realize and reconnect her to her true calling and after 5 years took the plunge to follow that dream and become a full time artist.

Louise now lives in a leafy street in Hoboken, New Jersey, close to Manhattan, where she paints, writes and enjoys all that life can offer. 

 

Louise is primarily a mixed media artist, creating using collage, acrylic, paper and all sorts of thing that she can find.  Recently, she has been working more with acrylic and loving it.  If you'd like to see more of Louise's art, visit her Etsy shop, Louise Gale Dream, Inspire, Create.

I Carry Your Heart

 

When I asked Louise what her favorite part of creating is, she replied; "I love that when creativity flows, it gushes out. I usually create multiple pieces at once, so work on one for a little bit then switch to another. I tend to spend a whole day creating and then maybe doing other things for the rest of the week (like working on my online business, blog writing etc) My recent work (tranquility tree, mystical garden, lotus bloom) all came out of spending time meditating and going to yoga, so amazed and excited by the results. I love how creating is so intuitive."

In the past Louise has worked primarily creating small artworks, but is currently experimenting with Painting with more passion on larger canvas and loves it.  She just moved into a new home with an art studio with lots of space, so that should make creating larger a dream come true.

Not only is Louise an artist, she is launching a new ecourse this January called "Big Dreams. Small Wonders".  It's a 4 week program to help other artists and creative souls to identify their dreams and goals and create roadmaps for the year ahead.  She uses the tools that she has included in the class to move her own creative business forward so she is excited to share her ideas with others.  Registration is open, if you are interested click on the link above to find out how to register.

Mystic Garden

I hope you have enjoying a glimpse into the creative life and artwork of Louise today.  If you'd like to find out more about her, take a peek at her blog Louise Gale Dream-Inspire-Create.  Thank you so much for joining me today. See you Friday. Stacie

Living in the Moment

I'm not sure if I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I am currently taking a course called This Moment with Mindy Tsonas.  To be honest, I've had a hard time keeping up with the class and the inspirational daily posts.  I guess it's the time of year.  Last night I had a little alone time at Starbucks so I caught up a little.  I just have to share three of the ideas that Mindy shared about living in the moment:

"remember:

if we sit too long in a past we can not change, we are not in the moment.

if we focus too much on things ahead and that don’t even exist yet, we are not in the moment.

if we react to what is going on right now with judgment and anticipation and emotive labeling, we are not in the moment."  mindy tsonas

Her ideas about living in the moment just really make sense to me.  Mindy is offering the course again starting January 31st if your interested follow the link to her blog wishstudio.

I will see you on Wednesday for the Artist of the Week post.  Meanwhile Live in the Moment! Stacie

Weekend Craft Fair

Oh Christmas Tree Wood Collage Box

My sister, Renee is exhibiting at a craft show this weekend in Annapolis Maryland.  If you'd like to see her one-of-a-kind artwork and live in the area stop by and visit.  Above is a sample of some of her creative collage art.  If you'd like to preview more take a look at her Etsy shop, Where the Grass is Greener.
You can also learn more about Renee and her artwork by reading the Artist of the Week Post I wrote about her in September. I will be at the craft show Saturday to help out and enjoy some sister time.  Here is the  Show information:

Broadneck High School Craft Bazaar this Saturday from 9:30 AM to 3 PM. The high school is located at 1265 Green Holly Drive, Annapolis MD.

Renee just wrote a great post about setting up a Craft Show Booth on her blog, Where the Grass is Greener. She has some great pointers for anyone who is interested in doing a craft show and looking for display ideas. 

I did make silver this week, but I can't post any photos...they are all Christmas gifts! I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! See you Monday. Stacie

Artist of the Week - Sondra Borrie

Sondra creates her amazing artwork she has entitled "Mark Making" using many different techniques. She uses painting, dyeing, silk screening, batiking, printing, use of notans, and digital manipulation.  Sondra views making marks as any process where we use our eyes, hands, media and creative energy. To find more of her work, check out her Etsy shop at Modernmarks.

Archival print of original india ink drawing - Recs Emplode

Archival Digital Print of Original Silk Screen 5 - Fushia, Purple

Archival Abstract Print - Colorful Angles

All of Sondra's pieces are original designs.  Her frame of reference is modern, retro 50's and minimalism.  Sondra has been doing some type of "making" her entire life and has always been interested in modern art.  Her aunt, Margaret Milliken was an abstract expressionist in the 60's and was a very special person to Sondra.  She has a post about her amazing aunt on her blog, Modern Marks.

Margaret Milliken

Sondra is also a business owner of Contemporary Cloth Inc. which is an online fabric business that she opened in 2001. About 15 years ago she started taking workshops at QSDS and the Nancy Crow Barn.  Jane Dunnewold, a fiber artist of Art Cloth Studios is her most favorite instructor.  Sondra credits Jane Dunnewold for opening her eyes to the world of surface design.

When I asked Sondra what types of artwork she would like to work with in the future, she replied;

"Wow, this is a tough one to answer because my main problem right now is finding time to do mark making and also focusing on specific areas.  I am interested in creating in too many areas and running a business.  But, I am definitely working on focusing on specific areas.  One huge help will be having a better space to work , it is being remodeled right now.  I am very excited about it!


I have many designs and thermofaxes/silk screened designs that I have not printed yet.  At this point, my main interests are mixed media collage, deconstructed silk screening, digital manipulation of my photos, mono prints and gelatin plate prints - on fabric and paper.  I started the blog, mark making 365 to help me reach my goals."

Digitally manipulated

I am sure we can all relate to Sondra's too much to create and not enough time problem! If only we had those three extra hours a day...

Thank you all for joining me for the Artist of the Week post. I will see you on Friday! Stacie

It's Cyber Monday!

Happy Cyber Monday! I did my share to participate in Cyber Monday shopping, just ordered a new Laptop!  Very excited! I also finally ordered my new Photo Shop software that I promised myself when I sold 50 pieces on Etsy.  I am planning on staying in my PJ's and learning all about both over Christmas break.

I am having a bit of trouble getting back into the swing of things after Thanksgiving break.  I am planning on making Silver Clay for my Christmas gifts today. Hoping that gets me back in the swing and in the Holiday mood too.  I did a little shopping over break. Found some awesome felting and knitting yarns at a little yarn shop called the Yarn Vault in Meadville Pennsylvania where my husband's family lives.  If you'd like to read more about the shop, check out their blog at The Yarn Vault.  I really love the muted colors in the felting yarn and the brighter colors in the knitting yarn.

I also found this great Altered Jean skirt. I really love the artwork and design that the artist created. Her name is Jude Ongley and she has two great blogs that talk about her art, Notes From Straw Mountain and Jude Ongley Artworks. She is an amazing artist! I love her paintings and mixed media art. Her work was also featured in Altered Couture Magazine. 

Don't forget about the Two's a Charm special promotion at Stacie Jewelry on Etsy. Today's the last day to take advantage of the promotion!

Well, I"m off to the studio, see you Wednesday for the Artist of the Week. Stacie

Happy Black Friday!

Hello everyone and Happy Black Friday! Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was wonderful. Ours was great, of course ate way too much!

Don't forget about the Two's a Charm Promotion at Stacie Jewelry's Etsy Shop.

Starting Today...for every two items (valued at $20 or more each) that you purchase from my Stacie Jewelry Etsy Shop you may select a free charm! Visit the charm or Holiday section of the shop, choose a charm and include the name of the charm of your choice in the note to seller when you make your purchase.

Enjoy your weekend & I will see you on Monday. Stacie

Time for Play!

I finally had some time to play yesterday and today! I am doing a Holiday gift tag swap that is hosted by Wishstudio. There is still time to enter, if you are interested follow this link WishStudio Gift Tag Swap.

I had fun...first I cut out my tags from my favorite grunge paper, then I painted a coat of gesso on both sides. When I painted the gesso on the front side I made sure to leave a few lumps and bumps to add texture.  Next I used a paper towel to paint on several shades of blue.

I have this awesome paper that I found a way back that has an amazing waxy texture and finish. I cut out the same size tags from the awesome waxy paper and sewed the two together using a zig zag stitch.  This allows for a blue cast to show through the cream wax paper. 

My next step in the process was to stamp a Holiday greeting, distress the edges of some paper and glue it all on.  I also used these great little trees that I bought from Art Chix Studio.  I decided that I wanted the trees silver, so I used silver embossing powder and a heating tool to change the color. 

I am entering a contest that they have on their blog using German Scrap materials, if you'd like to enter there is still time on that one too! Check out the post on My Artistic Life. 

Next, I added a little sparkle with Swarovski crystals and a pretty white ribbon to attach it to a gift. Here is the end product.

I am excited to send them off in the mail and can't wait to see the tags that I get back. I will post photos of them when I receive them in the mail.

There will be no Artist of the Week Post this week because of the holiday week.  I hope you all have a wonderful Turkey Day!  Stacie

Two's a Charm at Stacie Jewelry!

Black Friday through Cyber Monday Promotion!

Two’s a charm at Stacie Jewelry…

For every two items (valued at $20 or more each) that you purchase from my Stacie Jewelry Etsy Shop you may select a free charm! Visit the charm or Holiday section of the shop, choose a charm and include the name of the charm of your choice in the note to seller when you make your purchase.

Here are a few charms that you can get Free!

To see all the charms that are available, stop by the Charm and Holiday sections of my Etsy shop.  I will be adding more jewelry every day, so keep checking back to see what is new.  Hope you have a wonderful weekend! See you Monday. Stacie

Emily Connell - Artist of the Week

Today it's time to meet the Jumble Bugs! Who are they you ask? Well Australian born artist Emily Connell is the inventor and creator of these fun little creatures.

Leilani the Hula Girl

Johnny the Punk

When Emily started creating her Jumble bugs she handmade each little bug, a process that takes her around 8 hours to make just one. When they became popular she knew she couldn't keep up with the demand, so she decided to have some of her designs mass-produced.  In 2007 she found a company online that recreated the toys from her patterns. The Jumble bugs would be a great gift idea! They are safety tested for ages 5 and up. They are still hand sewn so they need to be treated more gently than a regular toy.  The two Jumble Bugs pictured above are available for sale on her website Jumble Bugs.  They are both available in the "handmade" style and are packaged in limited edition plastic bug jars.  Emily said she is currently working on "new and improved" Jumble Bugs designs, that will be machine sewn with softer fabrics, so they are more durable, washable and look more like a "real toy".

Emily has big plans for the Jumble Bugs...she would like to bring them to life by writing stories about them.  When I asked her about stories, here is what she had to say;

"This is a brand new venture for me! And something that I have been "talking about doing" since I made the first Jumble Bug in 2003. Over the years I have thought up different character traits for the Jumble Bugs. In my mind I know how they act, speak and their unique personality quirks. Putting this to paper has been a challenge, and my stories are still works in progress. Some recent encouragement from my sister and my husband has got me looking through old notes I have jotted down, and I am back thinking about and creating the world of the Jumble Bugs in written form. "
 
To bring them to life even more, she is also planning on producing an animated TV series or a Movie starring the Jumble Bugs!  Emily works full time as a Creative Director for the "As Seen on TV" industry, so she does have some familiarity to the television industry.  Here is what she has to say about these exciting plans:

"My overall dream is to turn the Jumble Bugs into more than just plush toys. Growing up in the 1980's I loved the Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, Thunder Cats - and I'd love the Jumble Bugs to be well-loved toys and a well-loved TV show. (Or a movie!). I spend most of my time at work animating in a program called Flash, so when I get home I am usually quite burnt out and the last thing I want to do is more work on the computer! That is one of the reasons I started sewing in the first place... I wanted to create something real and tactile. So I do have the skills to work on a pilot episode, it's the energy and time that is most lacking, but little by little I hope to make the dream a reality."
 
Emily has many different Jumble Bug characters. When I asked her how she gets her ideas, here is what she said:

I like to create different themes, or "sets" of Jumble Bugs, like the Halloween themed ones, circus, Christmas and so on. In my stories they would all live together - the Halloween bugs live in the creepy castle, the circus bugs would travel the land together.  The rest are pretty random! The cool thing is that pretty much anything you can think of can be turned into a Jumble Bug! I have a long long list of new ones I plan to make!
 
Emily was born in Sydney, Australia and grew up in Wollongong, which is about an hours drive south of Sydney on the coast.  She now lives in San Diego, California with her husband Kevin, and their adorable old poodle named Pierre. They adopted Pierre last year, he was a rescue dog who is 14, blind in one eye and completely toothless so his tongue hangs out of his mouth all the time which Emily finds very endearing.  I think I see a future Jumble Bug design?

To look at some of Emily's other crafts, take a peek at her other website called Look What Emily Made. This site has other non-jumble bug craft projects like dolls for people in her favorite bands. She said that she made Vince ShamWow a doll and sent it to him and he loved it!

I hope you enjoyed meeting Emily and the Jumble Bugs! Make sure to stop back on Friday, I will be announcing a Great Stacie Jewelry Sales Promotion that will be starting on Black Friday and ending Cyber Monday.

More Felting! Sneak peek of what's to list on Etsy!

Had a bit more fun needle felting yesterday with my daughter, Madison.  She did great! Here are the jeans that she felted.

Madison's jeans

I did some work on a jean shirt that I have had for a while, but never feel like wearing.  I sort of borrowed the circle idea from my friend Whitney...she used the circles on her skirt she felted at the class last week.  Then I sort of borrowed my daughters idea to use black circles and the opposite color polka dots on the other side of my shirt.  Ok, so I borrowed a lot! At least I did the felting!  I also cut out the pockets and stitched up the sides in my shirt to make it less bulky.  It seemed to help a lot.

Stacie's felted shirt

Speaking of wool and yarn, my friend Allison just posted an article on her blog about knitting caps for babies in need.  We did this last year and really enjoyed it.  Take a peek at Allison's post to find out more and see if you'd like to get involved.

Working on more new jewelry for my Etsy shop this week. Here is a little sneak preview of a few pieces I will be posting this week.

See you on Wednesday for another new Artist of the Week post! Thanks so much for stopping by! Stacie

Needle Felting Class

OK, so now I'm addicted to yet another form of art!  I loved the needle felting class that I attended this week.  It is such a fun and rewarding process.  Here are the jeans that I felted.

The actual process of felting is very easy. You basically use use a felting needle to punch the wool into the layers of the fabric and fibers.  There are tons of sites out there with information about needle felting that you can research if you'd like to give it a try.

I really loved all the beautiful colors of wool that our teacher Margaret had available for us to choose from.

If you'd like to see more photos from our class, visit The Muse blog.  Whitney did a great post with a little more information about the process and lots of photos.

I think my daughter and I will have to play with all my new felting toys this weekend!  See you Monday!  Have a wonderful weekend.  Stacie