Friday Featurette.

This week's featurette goes to DarriellesClayArt at Etsy. I've recently become a little obsessed with functional ceramic pieces, most especially mugs. My friend Merrilee is currently in a wheel-throwing class and she gave me one of her cups... it rocks my world. :)

Misty Blue Green Mug, $18

Darrielle's pieces, functional or decorative, are very well-crafted and feature lovely colors. This Misty blue mug is one of my favorites! And, considering the nature of these items, they are reasonably priced. Here is her store description:

I describe myself as a wheel throwing, hand building, mud slinging, slab rolling crazy lady who lives, breaths, and sleeps to play in clay every day. I use stoneware and porcelain clay and I make my own glazes... Life is good... :)
.....Darrielle Straughan.....

Nested Heart Bowls Royal Blue, $24

Her account has been up since January of this year, and she's gotten a good amount of sales and positive feedback. These would be perfect gifts for the holidays, or any upcoming weddings. Her store contains cups, bowls, vases, spoons and spoon holders, yarn holders, jewelry, and much more. I know I'll be keeping an eye out. ;)

Halloween is upon us! I can't wait to celebrate. I haven't done so in several years! Will be visiting a few parties with costumes ready, I hope to post pictures! What will you do for Halloween? Trick or treat, party, or just stay home?

Be safe!

Rainy days.

What is it about rainy days that can get you kind of down? I'm not upset or anything, just... lethargic, yet still acting productive (going to class, etc.). Dark damp days just bring me down a little. Does anyone else experience this?

Also, I'd like to give a sweet shout-out to Autumn who runs NatureAutumn at Etsy. A few months ago I made my first purchase in her shop, but it never arrived. This was most likely because it got lost or held up at customs. She kept in constant contact with me, trying to figure things out as the days went by. A few days ago, she sent me a message saying she absolutely wants all of her customers to be pleased with her work, so she offered a replacement free of charge. (I paid $2.00 just to register the item for shipping so it won't get lost this time.) This beautiful item was more valuable than the first, so it's obvious that Autumn really cared about making me happy. Can you imagine getting this kind of attention in retail or big businesses? Not me.

Please visit her store and take a look around. I whole-heartedly recommend her jewelry and service to anyone.

Hopefully this weather will perk up soon! I know it's close to winter but... you know. :)

An eventful weekend for sure!

I've finally done some work outside of school! I took a 30x40 canvas I had previously gesso'd over and did another experimental drip painting. Overnight the rain got to it, and holding it upright to let it dry gave it a massive drip-in-one-direction effect, which kinda looks neat. Looks like magma, really.

However, I feel like something is missing... something more could be added to strengthen this. What do you feel it needs?

I got some precious girl time last night with a few art major buddies. It's so neat how much Merrilee and I have in common, artistically and just personality-wise (we see faces in loads of things!). I showed her and another friend Etsy and they were pretty flabbergasted. They did a lot of web-window shopping, and I may purchase a little gift for one of them (she loves turquoise jewelry). Once life dies down for Merrilee, she'll look into marketing herself as well. She has beautiful landscape paintings, including a cloud series she did that I absolutely love. Hopefully you'll be seeing her soon!

I hope you've all had a great weekend. Everything was going smoothly until I got my first flat tire today. :( Big bummer, really didn't need that. Patrick came to the rescue and hopefully will get it patched at work tomorrow.

The holidays are getting too close!!

Happy Birthday!

This week there won't be a featurette because I've been a little too busy to search for a lovely shop to feature.

Instead, I'd like to wish my fiance Patrick a very happy birthday! He's 23 years old!

It's also hard to imagine that in only 2 and a half weeks, we'll reach our 3rd year anniversary of being together. I never would have imagined this for myself when I was younger; I thought I'd be doomed until the end of college, haha! Love is such a beautiful thing, though sometimes a struggle... but always, always, always hold on and cherish it to the fullest!

Does anyone else have birthdays or birthday shout-outs? Post them here! Let's celebrate. :)

Thursday Treasury.

Hey everyone! Been trying to catch up on school work after relaxing this fall break (maybe a little too much relaxing, meh).

Earlier today I taught my first ever elementary class. It was nerve racking but exciting, too. Along with a fellow Art Ed. classmate, we taught three 2nd grade classes an art lesson, each 25 minutes long. It was kind of hectic setting up and touching up the lesson plan, but it worked out. All three classes were pretty well-behaved, and responded well to the lesson. Basically we taught them symmetry and color theory, utilizing a folded paper where they drew a symmetrical butterfly, then placed primary colors on each side that, when smushed together, created secondaries. They loved it! A little messy, but not horrible. Oh it was so much fun!! Hopefully I'll get pictures from Patricia and will post them here.

Also, won a giveaway recently for a beautiful pink tote, I'm anxious to get it! Annnd..

TADA! My first Treasury!! Take a look:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=72767

Over the Top Blog thing.

Sorry for the long pause in posting, but I've been trying to enjoy this Fall break, albeit it was a rather short one. Things are getting a little hectic as the break passes, but I've managed to get some relaxation.

Anyway, to break this long streak, StarsandRobots has tagged me for a blog post, and declared that I have an "Over the Top Blog!" The first sort of award I've gotten, haha. The trick is that I have to answer the following questions with one word answers, and then tag others. Okay!

1 Where is your cell phone? Here.
2 Your hair? Shorter.
3 Your mother? Class.
4 Your father? Work.
5 Your Favorite food? Chocolate.
6 Your dream last night? Bizarre.
7 Your favorite drink? Tea.
8 Your dream/goal? Various.
9 What room are you in? Living.
10 Your hobby? Love.
11 Your fear? Needles.
12 Where do you want to be in six years? New.
13 Where were you last night? Home.
14 Something that you aren't? Insensitive.
15 Muffins? Delish!
16 Wish list item? Anything.
17 Where did you grow up? Around.
18 Last thing you did? Sing.
19 What are you wearing? eduFire.
20 Your TV? Videogame.
21 Your pets? Gone..
22 Friends? Amazing.
23 Your life? Ongoing.
24 Your mood? Still.
25 Missing someone? Always.
26 Vehicle? Old.
27 Something you're not wearing? Makeup.
28 Your favorite store? Art.
29 Your favorite color? Light-blue.
30 When was the last time you laughed? Earlier.
31 Last time you cried? Movie.
32 Your best friend? One?
33 One place where you go over and over? School.
34 One person who emails you regularly? Patrick.
35 Favorite place to eat? Kabuto.

Now to tag all other Over the Top blogs... (I hope that it is a compliment! lol)
Deelights
Tara
Sandra

Friday Feature.

It's been such an interesting week. I'm happy to announce my second sale! My beloved landscape palette knife painting sold, and the buyer was so kind in her reply about my work that it really made me smile. I can't wait to ship it off tomorrow!

However, there is something else to announce: my first real Etsy feature with questions! Ilea from Gadget Gear has kindly allowed me to give her a short questionnaire; it's always nice to get to know fellow Etsians. Ilea specializes in making felt cases for gadgets (as the shop title implies), i.e. iPhones/iPods, cell phones, cameras, and more.

Lovely! Well, let's welcome our guest Ilea, and let's begin with...

A little info about you, that you're willing to let readers know.
My name is Ilea. I am 24 years old, and my full time job is working on my PhD (in Biology) at the University of Michigan.

How long have you been making cases?
I've been making cases for about 6 months.

Why did you decide to do this?
I had a lot of compliments from friends about a case that I had made for my phone and for a few of my friends, so I decided to try to sell them on Etsy and see what kind of response they got there.

Where do you get inspirations for each piece?

My inspirations come from a lot of things. Many of them come from nostalgia from my childhood, and others come from items that are important to me. Most of my cases have a little special meaning to me or a specific event that inspired them. For example, I made the shamrock case because I met my boyfriend on St. Patrick's day and I made the Koi case after one of my friends told me they were lucky. Some of my designs are just things that I think are cute or things that make me smile (like GIR; I don't think you can see him and not smile!).


So, you're about to make a new case. How do you start? What materials are needed?

I start with a long list of ideas (it's a very long list... some of the things that I'm thinking of making are a diet coke can - I can't live without it; Transformers, Mario, sushi, and one that looks like a box of chocolates). I pick whatever design strikes my fancy at that time. I then have to pick out the right colors for the case and cut the design out freehand. I use the pieces that I cut out the first time as a pattern so that I can make more than one case of that design. Finally I stitch everything together to make the final product.

What goes through your mind as you make a case?

I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so mostly I'm just thinking, 'Is that piece straight? Did I stitch that just right?'

Do you have any crafters, on Etsy or otherwise, that inspire and motivate you?

Everyone in my family is very crafty, so I had the opportunity growing up to learn many different types of crafts. So if any crafters inspire and motivate me, I would say my Mom and my grandmothers.

If there was one thing you could wish for, no strings attached, what would it be?

More time in the day. Sometimes I am very overwhelmed with keeping up with all of the little things with Etsy and work. I think a lot of people know that feeling.

Boy, I definitely agree there. More time, who doesn't need more time? Anyway, thank you so much Ilea for your time. Readers, feel free to visit her shop and peruse her items, they're all so diverse and cute! My favorite is GIR, of course. Love that lil' guy.

If you would like to be featured, please feel free to contact me! :)

All Paintings Must Go!

Okay guys, it's about that time where my tiny studio really needs some space. I've got more products coming in due to this semester, and I'm running out of room. With that being said, I've reduced the prices of my paintings drastically in order to get them sold.

You're basically only paying for the canvas, and shipping fees. Nothing more. This is a GREAT deal considering it's fine art, and it is the original, not a print!

Please, take a look at my selection. Tell your friends who are looking for some new artwork to place in their home. Spread the word via Twitter/blog/etc. I appreciate any help whatsoever, whether you're buying or simply sharing the info! These babies gotta go, as much as it pains me.

Thank you. <3

Blog I like:

http://facesinplaces.blogspot.com

Featured in Blogger's "blogs of note" page, Faces in Places displays pictures of objects that look like they have faces. I definitely see faces in patterns all of the time. I just love all of the wonderful faces found in nature and human items alike. Give it a look-see. :)

Sunday Wrap-up.

I finally got a break after six weeks of work, work, and work. I visited my home to spend some time with the folks. Went to a shooting range and popped a few rounds with my dad's AR-15. It's a great experience; I even managed to hit the center of a target! It turns out I'm a left-handed rifle woman, who knew? I'm right-handed, so that was a surprise. Made shooting awkward at first, trying to find the buoy without straining myself. Very powerful, so for those who have yet to shoot one but want to: be prepared for the intensity!

I reunited with an old friend. We'd been apart for more than a year due to life circumstances, needing distance to grow up, and so on. Fell back into old times, though, and enjoyed ourselves. I also took photos as a documentary series for class, hopefully the pictures will turn up since we were out at night. Cafe Coco's white satin never tasted so good. But it was really nice catching up with her, I feel much better deep down knowing she has matured and that she's okay.

I'll post pictures soon of artistic progress as the week goes on, but I'm pretty busy with things. Fall break is around the corner, but there's only so much rest I can afford myself before hitting the sketchbooks and drawing pads and printmaking.

Giveaway to come soon, just gotta find something special for you fine followers. I'm not sure how I'm going to top my journal, but perhaps something holiday related might be nice? Please, if you have ideas, let me know! :)

Here's to hoping the week goes well, and that my traffic flows up again -- I don't know where everyone went! :P

Friday Featurette and Update.

My quick featurette goes to Flock Together Jewelry.

Tail Feather Earrings, $10

Her shop contains beautiful earrings, necklaces, and headbands. The arrangement and detail are so spectacular, yet all lightweight, and considering the material the items are not too expensive. My friend has a pair of feather earrings that she wears a lot, and I can understand why. I hope to own a pair soon! You can visit her blog here.

In other news, I'm doing pretty well in my classes. Printmaking is now coming to printing "editions," or copies of an artist's proof that is the best print of a design. Matting will not be fun, but it must be done. In Photography... man, I love that class. My paintbrush picture (will post soon) was considered "best photo of the day" hehe. ^_^;

Fall Break is coming, but I figure I'll be busy during that time so this weekend will be my break. Going home, hopefully to shoot good documentary photos for class, work on my sketchbook (Drawing II, not the project), and relax! Sometimes taking a break is the best, most logical thing to do.

But lots of good things have been happening, and I hope it doesn't stop. My first sale was the Color Grid painting, and Tyler posted a lovely blog about receiving it. It was so surreal, seeing that there when only days ago it was in my art room. Can't wait to sell more! I've also been getting luckier with giveaways, and a lot of progress is being made. At some point I will do a giveaway, probably this weekend. I REALLY want to give back to you guys (though you seem to be disappearing on me a little)! ;)

Let me know the good things going on in your life, art or otherwise.

Wordless Wednesday.

Teachers.

It's so strange, the things you learn once you get out of high school. Responsibility, harder work, and the fact that your teachers are essentially human, possibly more so than you are!

Being at college has definitely taught me this fact. It's not just that, though. I don't think young people realize how much work goes into being a teacher, especially an art teacher. Lesson plans don't come by easy. (The actual plans might because of how amazing the internet is, but there's still having to change things around, getting the materials, assessing the standards, yadda yadda yadda...)

There's a reason they get the summer off, too! Planning nine months worth of lesson plans probably takes about the three months that summer breaks offer. One major part of my Secondary Art Ed. class is field experience. In a few weeks, another classmate (named Laura, who'd have thunk it) and I will go to an elementary school nearby and teach 3rd graders an art lesson plan. It took us half an hour just to brainstorm!! So much goes into it: the skills they learn, how interesting the lesson is artistically, not being too vague but not as specific since only less than two hours are available, etc. etc. It's crazy!

Hopefully our lesson plan will come together, and I really hope that I'll come to love this by the end of my senior year. I love art, and I'd like to be able to teach kids art, but boy... it's tough.

In other news, I'm disheartened I haven't been able to provide a giveaway yet. Perhaps soon something will fall into my lap, and when it does, I'll quickly let you guys know, so keep an eye out for it. ;)

Thank the Stars for Etsy!!

I'm so grateful for it. I've recently made my FIRST SALE to a wonderful person named Tyler; we're past associates on eduFire. Annnnd today I received the earrings I purchased from BelladonnaBeads. Not only did I get an amazing deal on them, but Shelley, the owner, was so kind enough to also send along a free gift of the rainbow candy earrings I'd been interested in prior to the sale. (A lot of links in this post, I know, lol.)

Absolutely gorgeous, the both of them! They'll look great in my ears when I can put them in. I recommend her to any jewelry fan ten times over, and I'll be back there again around the holidays for sure.

I'm still not sure what to do. So much great stuff is going on, I feel like I should give back, but I honestly can't find anything decent. Custom art isn't as popular as accessories and whatnot. Hm.. I'll figure it out soon, you guys, I promise.

Friday Featurette!

Today's little feature goes to Alter-Eco Clothing at Etsy.

Organic White and PURPLE Layered DRESS Top, $55

I absolutely love the clothes in this store. Here's a short excerpt from the store description:

"Alter-Eco is a fashion-forward Clothing line for those of us out there who want to do our part for the Planet...but look amazing while doing so ~_^

I love living organically and have always felt that there isn't enough funky eco clothing out there to dress the way I want and still be friendly to mother-earth.
So now you too can be a tree hugger in good misfit fashion ~_^ ♥♥!"

Indeed! I know that my high-school self would have loved to own items like these, much like Hot Topic but friendly to the environment. And better, imo. ;) I admit that it's a bit pricey for someone like myself, but I can pine! :P

Organic Brown and Purple Button DRESS OOAK, $62

Gorgeous stuff, definitely. I love handmade clothes... almost makes me pick up a sewing book. But that will have to wait. Check out her store, in the meantime. Cute, gothic, chique. Unique.

Bath fizzies and prospects.

Another end to a long week! Wow, the days sure go by quickly. I've already been back in school over a month. Tempus fugit!

I'm excited at some upcoming prospects, such as a possible teaching job for the LEAP program at Algood Elementary. I finally can go to the photography studio whenever to develop pictures; my portraits came out okay. The professor really liked one I took at the Fall Funfest of people by a funnel cake stand. I'll post pictures later.

And what better way to end the week with a lovely bath? How about a bath with Jack o' Lantern bath bomb fizzies? :)



These little buddies were given to me by Alyson at Bathgasm, as part of her giveaway. They look so cute! And honestly, I didn't expect them to be so big. They smell divine: pumpkin spice and sweetness. I could almost eat them... hehe. She also has lovely cards, and even wrote me a kind note on the back of one. :D Yay for Etsians and their giveaways! What would we do without them?

Speaking of which, I may do a giveaway soon to celebrate all good things in life, as well as 250 Twitter followers. Seems appropriate. But it depends on what you guys are looking for... ;) Leave a comment of your thoughts.

(P.S. Opened up at Artfire, since they're doing unlimited listings for the holidays. More items will be there since there are no fees!)