What's New With You?

Yes, I really would like to know. If you don't regularly blog then here is your opportunity to tell me and the world something about yourself. I can't believe you wouldn't want to tell the world what you are doing right now or what's new in your life. I seem to be lacking in that area lately, and I am sorry for that but I really have been busy.

I do have big news. I'm going to start teaching gem tree design at Shipwreck Beads in Lacey, WA starting in December. I have 5 classes scheduled for that month in hopes that people will want to make some holiday gifts. Here are the dates and times:

Holiday tree classes will be: 12/5 10am-1PM 14CS1210-A and 12/18 10am-1pm 14CS1210-C. 

The Standard Tree: 12/5 2pm-5pm 14CS1210-B and 12/18 2pm-5pm 14CS1210-D. 

Kid's class: 12/21 1pm-3pm: 14CS1210-E

The number after the time is the product or class number so that if you want to take the class you can call the store (1-800-950-4232) and reserve your spot. This is so new they don't have them up on their web site yet.

I've also been busy with an upcoming benefit dinner auction called Harvest of Hope which benefits Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. The event is Saturday night but we have a lot of set up to do on the day of the event and previously we had all the planning, procuring of items and selling of tickets. Hopefully it will be a fun and profitable event.


I haven't been making much jewelry lately but have been making art charms and artist trading cards. I'm sure I have shared the link to my art charms group before but if you are interested in making little charms for bracelets or a necklace out of beads or found objects this is the group for you. We have a lot of fun and learn from each other daily. We just finished our first swap and are starting a new one for November.  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArtCharms/

Here is my first swap....we made over 30 bead dangles. The charm in the upper right was a hostess gift. Tutorial will be coming soon for those that want to learn to make it.

The other group I belong to is an artist trading card or ATC group on Yahoo. We create art 2.5 x 3.5 inches and swap, sometimes with themes, with other artists. This is such a diverse group and contains some really wonderful artists. Imagine being able to own small original works of art. You don't have to be a good artist just have the desire to create art on a small scale. Painting, collage, mixed media, pen and ink, digital, photography you name it, it all works. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/artisttradingcards/

I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I'm off to work on a new project that hopefully I can share with you later this week.

Creating Art

Have you ever felt in just one of those moods? I haven't been in the mood to make jewelry lately..I know it will come again and I made so many gem trees in the last month that I don't want to see them for a little while. So, now I go to my studio (you notice that when I create art I now call it my studio) and paint, collage, cut and ultimately just make a mess but sometimes I do end up with Art.

I joined an Artists Trading Card group to get me back into art and painting and so far love, love, love it. When I join a swap, it forces me to create. I know a lot of people can't create that way but sometimes I need the little push. The first swap was called "Tiki Party", how appropriate for the end of Summer and I just finished today my "Native American Design" cards. All of these cards are original paintings, watercolor pencil or pen/ink. Now to get them all in the mail to the swap host. I'll share the cards I get in return from the swap when they arrive in October.

6/6 "Tiki Party" swap cards

3/3 "Native American Design" swap cards (the large circle one is not part of the swap)

I did make a couple other cards just for fun today.

Since my studio is such a mess, maybe I'll make more art later this week. No reason to clean it up if I'm just going to get it messy again.

Tomorrow we are off to the Western Washington State Fair to volunteer for a few hours in the Hobby Hall for the gem and mineral club we belong to. If you live in Washington and you haven't been to the fair yet, you really need to go soon as Sunday is the last day.

A Little More Art

Today I decided to work on art. Not just any art but Art Cards. I am so fascinated with these little works of art. They are called ACEO's, which stand for Art Cards, Editions & Originals. They are only 2.5" x 3.5" the size of a trading card (like baseball or even playing cards). In fact, I used an old deck of playing cards for the base of my little pieces of art. Some of them I finished awhile ago but had never mounted so it was play around day....get those mounted and work on a couple more. I still have yet to figure out what to do with them once I finish. Should I join a swap/trade group, sell them or just keep them and if I keep them how do I display them. Oh well, I can figure all that out later, now I'm just happy to have some free time to play around with them.

These are the finished ones.

These are the ones that are still a work on progress or need to be mounted.

All of my cards have an acrylic base coat or two with a design and then other elements added on top except for the black card with the red paint. I like it so well I will probably leave it as is.

I found a lot of other cool ACEO's on ArtFire and made a collection to share with you. If you want to find out more about that piece of art or artist, just click on that picture.

ACEO Joy

  Curated By: danasjewelryd...

ArtFire.com

New Paintings

I've been wanting to learn how to use acrylic paints for quite a while. I figure if I can paint watercolor then acrylic should be a breeze right? Well it is easier to learn, but it is not a breeze. Not sure if any of these are marketable yet, but my newest painting (sunflowers) is much better. All of these except for the sunflowers are ACEO's which are Art Cards, Editions or Originals in a 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch size, so they are quite small. The sunflowers is a 5 x 7. I really wanted to start painting some ACEO's and thought this would be a good opportunity. I probably should have started out with a larger size to get a better feel of the canvas and paints, but it is what it is.

So, what do you think?

Happy Holidays.

Moonstone Necklace and Holiday Fun

My final giveaway for the year is ending tonight at 6:00 pm PST, so if you haven't entered do so quick. It is a beautiful set and could be used as a gift or as a gift to yourself. I do want to thank The Give-Away Diva for all her help in generating interest in this giveaway and for her review. Also, thanks to all who have entered and now are following this blog or my Facebook Fan page. My next giveaway will be in January and will be an autographed copy of my book "Gem Tree Sculptures". This book would be perfect for a man or woman who likes to work with their hands or is crafty.

On to the holiday, today is cookie making day. I decided to do a limited amout of cookies as all of us don't need the extra poundage but we love the sweets. I have my butter out so that it can warm up to room temp and then I'll make my Russian Tea Cakes and Thumbprint cookies. They use the same recipe so that makes it easy. One is just rolled in powdered sugar and the other is filled with frosting....yummy. I'll post pictures tomorrow along with the recipe.

So are you doing any holiday crafting or baking? My craftyness now is learning how to use acrylic paints to paint ACEO's. ACEO's are art cards, editions or original works of art in a very small size of 2 1/2 by 3 1/2. I found some canvases and bought some paints and have been painting little works of art. Okay, I'm not sure they can be considered works of art yet (see picture), but I'm getting better. I probably should have started with a bigger canvas for learning to use acrylic paint but I really wanted to start making these little paintings.  My favorite is the tropical scene with all it's bright little colors.

Cheers and have a great day.

Something New

This past week while I was getting prizes ready for mailing to my Facebook fans I created some Art Cards, Editions and Originals (ACEO's) from my original watercolor paintings. Some of my fans will be the first to receive them. I have been wanting to create some original ACEO's using watercolors or acrylics, but haven't found the time yet so prints were the next best thing. I'm hoping they are marketable so we will see what my fans have to say about them. They are limited editions of 20 of each painting. I think they turned out pretty good. The collage above is some of the ones I used in on the cards. For those of you that are unfamiliar with ACEO's, they are small trading cards 3.5"x2.5" and can be traded or sold as long as they are originals or editions. Here is a little bit more about them:

ACEO stands for "Art Cards, Editions and Originals". These cards have one main rule - they are 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches - the size of a trading card. The reason for this is, of course, that Art Cards are made to be traded! But while artists were happily trading cards, the general public was left out in the cold, having no Art Cards to trade. A group of artists realized this, and quickly made their cards available for sale at remarkably low prices so that everyone could join in the fun! Cards are also sold either as originals or editions. Make sure you know which you are buying! If it is a print it should say so, and it should be numbered and signed, usually on the back.  Art Cards can be a riot! Artists from all over the world are creating, and now selling these little gems in different mediums and of different subjects. Watercolor, Oil, Acrylic, Colored Pencil, Pastels, Pyrography, Pen and Ink, Sketching, Collage - the sky is the limit. Abstract, Surrealism, Outsider Art, Impressionism, Expressionism -every style you can think of - and then some!. Every interest and subject is covered! Extremely collectable Pocket Art, you can't stop at just one!   http://www.art-cards.org/

In other news, one of my blogger friends Nancy has a great web site where you can purchase tole painting books at a discount. I may have to give this some thought as they would probably have some great design ideas that I could use on art cards. Here is her blog and her web site.

http://tole4thee.blogspot.com/
My Idea Center

Featured Artist - Emily Balivet

I have a great appreciation for artists and the medium they work in, but to have such imagination and creativity is sometimes beyond my grasp. This work by Emily Balivet of Mythological Goddess Art is amazing. The colors just come out and grab you as well as the subject matter. It takes you back in time and makes you wonder just what it was like. Emily's shop can be found on 1000 Markets HERE. She offers ACEO's (2.5" x 3.5" prints), 8 x 10 prints and original artwork, so you can find something in your price range.

Emily states: Mainly, I just allow art to happen, as it has a life of it's own. My creations are directed by my muse and often reflect the divine balance of the light and darker aspects of my emotional being. In that way, art has been the ultimate window into my own subconscious. I have been designing and selling my work worldwide for over 15 years. Raised in Alaska, I was born and presently reside in Vermont where my primary artistic focus is on my fantastical and mythological paintings.. Now a mother of two young daughters, I occasionally shift my artistic talents to create clothing, natural wooden toys, and nearly anything possible to make by hand!

Here are a few samples of Emily's work. Please visit her shop and browse her mythothological art.

Featured Artist - Sharon Foster

Today I'm featuring the art of Sharon Foster. Sharon creates mostly ACEO's. ACEO's are Art Cards, Editions and Originals in the form of a card 2.5 x 3.5 inches. All of the art I found on her site were originals and had wonderful bright colors. I have fallen in love with these little art cards and now am thinking that I will have to make myself some.

The Associated Content. com provides this description: ACEOs are collectible little pieces of art. An ACEO is always two and one-half inches by three and one-half inches. That is the size of a standard sports trading card. The rule about size is the ONLY rule in the ACEO world. An ACEO can be created in any medium the artist desires: paint, colored pencils, ink, etc. There are even ACEOs made from wood, clay, fabric, and metal.

ACEOs are tiny art works that can be matted and framed to hang on the wall. Many people display their ACEO collections in the same kind of plastic sheets and albums that sports card collectors use. You might slip an ACEO into a greeting card as an extra surprise for a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas.

Sharon's art can be found on her 1000 Markets site. Here are a few more examples that I just love.