Self-Promotion

These past few days, I've been trying to figure out ways to promote my etsy store and my creations. I threw up a posting on craigslist, spent a bunch of time on the Promotions Forum, and added my store name to the volunteer-run blog here on blogger/blogspot... http://etsymini.blogspot.com/. I've had a good increase of visitors to my listings, but still no sales. It seems that you're either one of those artists who get "discovered" and have orders pouring in or else you're never discovered and hardly sell a thing. I'll keep it up, though, and continue to post (and create) more and more things and just see how it goes. If nothing else, I'll have a good selection of merch for next year's Strange Folk Festival... if I can afford the vending fee!

lovetorecreate.etsy.com

I spent most of the afternoon and early evening yesterday posting some of my creations in my store at etsy.com. I plan to post more later this week and will likely post a few more every couple of days. So, if you've visited my blog before, seen my work, and liked it... go check out my store... and tell your friends! It's all up for the taking! If this is your first time on my blog... welcome!

For You To Know

The Strange Folk Festival in O'Fallon, Illinois went pretty well. It was awesome to see a corner of the park in my old hometown filled with tents and tables of items made by crafty people from around the area. (Well, most of them were from around here, anyway.) Being a first-time vendor, I didn't quite know what to expect, but I did sell a few items at least. I almost recouped my vending fee - but not quite. There was a pretty good turnout, but it seems people tend to like functional or wearable things moreso than just "cute" stuff. Of course, I'm the same way when it comes to buying things at craft shows, but I just don't have the knack for creating functional stuff yet with the materials I use. I suppose that's something I'll have to work on.

Nevertheless, this past weekend I set to work on creating some new pieces for an art sale my friend is hosting in Carbondale, IL at the SIU-C Student Center this Friday (Nov. 16). I focused more on fall and winter/Christmas themes and created a few more pins (brooches) and collage/mixed media Christmas ornaments and a magnet. Of course, I forgot to take pictures of any of my new creations before I sent them down... so I have nothing to show you! I'm going down there myself on Saturday and will bring back whatever doesn't sell. So, if there's anything left (wishful thinking that there WON'T be!), I'll take pictures and post them this weekend.

In other news, I created a profile and store page on etsy.com. You can check it out at lovetorecreate.etsy.com. Once I get my merchandise back from Carbondale, I plan to start listing on etsy and see how that goes. Aside from craft shows, there really aren't any local options for getting any exposure for my creations or having a place to even sell them on consignment... especially since I don't sew, knit, crochet, or make jewelry. If you haven't heard of etsy or haven't checked out their site, you should do so... now! I love their unique ways to search and find items starting with the constantly updated (every 15 seconds!) picture screen at the bottom that shows items recently listed. There's also "Time Machine 2" that shows items both recently listed AND recently sold. Of course there's the traditional search by category, but that's just not as much fun unless you're looking for something particular. Anyway...

I have the house to myself for a few months and am finally down to just one "real-world" job. Time to get busy organizing my craft room and working on some more creations. Happy Fall!

New creations for Strangefolk!

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This past week I set to work on figuring out how to re*create a few more things for my spot at the Strangefolk Arts and Crafts Festival. Found items for these creations included a part of a makeup compact (the mirror side), a small "ruler-edged" chalkboard that used to say "Santa is coming in ___ days!", and another one of my golden magnet frames (like the ones on the fairy magnets that I posted pictures of previously). I tried to keep a fall mindset when creating these pieces since the festival isn't until almost the end of September. I think I succeeded. Well, at least moreso than all of the spring and summer-ish creations I've made so far this year.

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Strange Folk Decision

Yesterday was decision day. I started off checking my email every couple of hours and then went to the Strange Folk website. The home page advised us not to obsessively check our email until after 8pm last night, so I abandoned my computer and returned shortly after midnight. It was twelve-fifteen and still no email telling me anything one way or the other. "Oh well," I thought to myself, "It's Friday night. Maybe they/she had too many entries to go through and decided to take a break with a few beers and will just tell everyone in the morning." So I woke up this morning to find this email, which was sent about an hour after I checked.


"Dear Re*Create,

The jury has found you guilty......of being really creative!

You have been accepted to participate in this year's Strange Folk Indie Arts and Crafts Festival, and your table/tent space is reserved. You will be e-mailed a printable registration form early next week, and lots more information shortly after that, so keep an eye on your inbox ;)"

YES!!!!!! I'm IN! I get to pay $40 for a table and hope like hell that at least a few people like my stuff enough to cover that and let me make some extra cash!

Now I have to get to work on creating tons more stuff, on finishing my logo, making business cards, and creating/figuring out some freebie-promo stuff. There are only two-and-a-half months left, so I need to get busy. My regular job starts next week or the week after (whenever they call to schedule my individual training), so my free time will practically be cut in half soon. Eeek! Well, keep your fingers crossed for me and check back for my newest creations. Thanks to those of you who have left kind words!

*skips off like a school-girl in love, with a smile from ear to ear*

Strange Folk Decision Time

Tomorrow's the day I find out whether or not I'm accepted to Strange Folk. I'm kind of nervous. Like I've somewhat said before, I've never really thought of my creations as being anything someone would really want to have as their own. Regardless, it'll be a little frustrating and upsetting if I don't get chosen. Over the years, I've gotten better about handling rejection... but it would still be a blow to my self-confidence. And I've already had enough of that with my job search over the past five or six months! So, cross yer fingers for me and wish me luck.

I would love to have a talent that I could pursue in the comfort of my own home that would be able to support me and my furries. I suppose most other artists - or wanna-be artists! - want the same thing. Not many people would turn down an opportunity to make a living doing what they love without having to go anywhere. I guess I really wouldn't want to solely do crafts for a living (I'm thinkin' burn out/"crafter's block"), but it would be nice if my creativity could become a workable second/part-time income.

Robot Revisited

Remember my robot from a few posts ago? The one I spent an hour or more on in Paint? The first Paint image I've done in years? Probably not. Because, likely, this is the first time you've ever read my blog! Well, anyway, this is what he looked like...

A few days ago, I went back into Paint and played around with him a little. I created a few different backgrounds and altered his hand on one. Check out the additions...

I wanna play around with 'em a little more and add a few different themes. I'm trying to think of what to do with them - how to incorporate them or their likenesses into my art for the Strange Folk arts and crafts festival (again... IF I get accepted). Should I print them out and make them into magnets? Or just use the forms and make collages? Greeting cards? Stickers? I have a good idea of what to do for a holiday card or holiday card set, but Christmas is a ways off and will still be over three months away when the festival takes place. Hmm... maybe an assortment box of greeting cards to cover the seasons? I can see that. That would take me quite a bit of time to create the new backgrounds and edit all of the lines and everything, though. And actually, I guess it really all depends on if I end up finding steady employment soon. I might not even have enough time to mess around with this idea much more anyway.

More, more, more...

I created some magnets tonight to have in my low-range price category... IF I get accepted to set up at Strange Folk. I found a bagful of picture frame magnets (with a cute scene of a nestfull of little children) at Value Village about a year ago and picked 'em up to add to my collection of crafty supplies. Originally, I thought I would just try to add some butterfly/dragonfly wings to the kiddos in the picture and call it good. The image is just too incredibly small, though, so I messed around for a minute or two and found out that the magnet backing is attached with foam stickies and the picture slides out easily. So, I made my own little fairy images on scrapbook paper and inserted them into the frames. Fairly simple, but I think the frame adds a touch of class. Well, for as much "class" as plastic can provide.

Application Day

Today was the day.

I did it.

I've always been a terrible, horrible procrastinator, but I've been trying to improve on that over the past few years. Knowing that the deadline for applications for the Strange Folk craft festival is coming up on the 30th, I didn't want to be the very last person to apply. So, I took a few more pictures of some of the creations I've made so far this year and posted them to my flickr account. I also uploaded some pictures of collages and some ACEO's that I created last year so that I would have a little more variety to show other than my recent cutesy stuff. I wish I could have finished a few more new projects to post there, but I didn't want to keep putting it off and possible end up making myself MISS the deadline. I crossed my fingers, said a little prayer to the craft-goddess, and submitted my application.

Then I found out that the deadline has been extended... until July 4th!

*rolls eyes*

I have a feeling that my flickr account has already been looked at for at least a preliminary decision. All I can do is hope that she (they?) look at it again before she makes her decision. Then I can have a few more things to show as far as my diversity for mixed media/altered art. Oh well. Whatever happens, happens.

I'm a little apprehensive as to the reasoning behind the application extension. Do you think that means that they haven't received as many entries as they hoped to have received by now? Or does it mean that they don't like the artwork by the crafters who applied? Or do they just want more entries to decide between... more of a variety? Hmmm...

Back On Track

It seems that most of the creations I've put together lately have all started from items I've found just recently. I don't know what it is, but my creativity just doesn't flow as easily when I try to piece things together that I've had stored away for a while compared to when I use new-to-me items. It's as if I put the older pieces on a pedestal in my mind and think that I have to have "the perfect idea" in mind if I want to create something that's been in my collection for any length of time. It's not like any of my old pieces - boxes, tins, books, picture frames,... - were expensive by any means; just about everything I use is either found, rescued from a FREE box, or purchased at a yard sale or thrift store. (Well... the majority of the ingredients of each creation, anyway.) Maybe I subconsciously favor the older things more since they came with me all of the way from Seattle and are a tiny reminder of a time in my life that I don't want to let go of? I don't know. I suppose I just need to keep reminding myself that everything doesn't have to turn out perfect and that trial and error is a common way to learn and experiment with art. Feel free to share your thoughts on any of this.



This weekend I went yard sale-ing and found a neat vintage framed picture. The frame itself, of course, was the best part - very unique. Well, at least one that's not seen much anymore. I continued with the little princess theme and made a new work of art within a few hours. Trying to cut around the girl and the flowers was the most time consuming; I already had a pretty good idea of basically what I wanted to do. After sorting through my box of fabric, I found a good piece to use for the background. Then, I went to work.



I've been trying to remember to take "before" and "after" photos, but I forgot this time. "Before", the background of the frame was a dingy yellow and the picture beneath the bubble was a Renaissance image of people gathered within an open cluster of trees by a stream. It was a pretty nice piece which I almost didn't want to "ruin", but I'm glad I disassembled it and turned it into my own creation. When the piece was brand new, the background was apparently a beautiful deep shade of green. The only evidence of this was visible just beneath the picture itself. Had the background still been vibrant, I don't think it would have been re*create-ed.



So, without further ado...

Fun With Robots

For the first time in years, I decided to mess around with "PAINT" and see what I could do with some basic lines, shapes, and colors. I spent close to an hour giving definition to the lines and sprucing it up in a larger view, but this is what happened...

Kinda cute, eh?

Weekend Creativity Shift

This weekend I took a break from the "cutesy" stuff that I usually do and shifted my focus to something completely new for me... robots! I've always loved robots but never put any effort into trying to draw them or make one out of anything. The Iron Giant body style is probably my favorite to draw - a little more detailed to challenge my skills -, but I think the simple forms I sketched out would be best suited to the ideas I'm working on for paintings/collages. I made some templates with the "Iron Giant"-ish robot I drew to have a standard size for a few projects; the more basic ones I'll just do freehand.

I tried to make a couple little robots out of items around the house and from my supply of "found" crafty items. I need to brainstorm a little more about attaching the arms, though. Didn't do much thinking or planning before setting my hands busy in a whirlwind of activity of painting and shooting away with my glue gun... and I ended up bringing my work to a grinding halt because of it. So, now I'll be doing a little bit of deconstructing in order to fix this. I'm taking a break today, though...

Strange Folk Festival & My Newest Projects

The applications for my city's semi-new fall craft festival, Strange Folk (indie arts and crafts) Festival, are due at the end of the month. I'm a little nervous about entering myself in a juried show. I've never put myself "out there" as an artist before; I've never had the self-confidence. I still don't believe in myself very highly, but I've finally reached a point in life where I can at least attempt things without negating myself and my work.

The fact that O'Fallon's pretty small (less than 30,000 people) coupled with the knowledge that Strange Folk is only in its second year originally gave me a little more hope that I would stand a chance of being able to secure a table. That is... until I received the official email applicaiton stating that they were limited to 100 spots and that our online only applications (along with three jpeg pictures or links to our websites or flickr pages) would be due June 30th! I received the email on June 4th, so that gave me just over three weeks to get crackin' on some artsiness.

As it stands, I have a small collection of creations that I've completed since moving out here, but I can count that collection on one hand. I also have a few pieces that I brought with me earlier this year when I moved back here from Seattle. Along with the pieces I made today, this might make a good start. Nevertheless, I still need at least five more projects before I feel secure in submitting the application. And after that, IF I get selected, I'll need to fling myself into high gear so that I can have a wide variety of stuff at various price ranges. I need to figure out, too, some small things to make for art that anyone can afford. Hmmm...

Between last night and this afternoon, I made a little progress. I found these pagodas at a yard sale a couple weeks ago and knew that they would be one of the first things I wanted to alter. Remember the closet-full of stuff I brought across the country with me to alter? Well, that stuff gets to wait. These were too cute to stick in a box and needed to be re-created before anything else.

I prepped them with some gesso and then sealed it. The bases originally were a dingy color of off-white, so the gesso gave it more of an aged look. I removed the foam from the insides and took off the brown moss. Then... I went to town. I think they turned out rather cute.

My favorite part of each one is the flowers - new scrapbooking paper cut-outs on old springs with a few sparkling gems in the centers of some of the blooms. The springs came from the insides of worn-out pens and the gems from my father-in-law's spring cleaning.

The details are the best part, so be sure to click on the pictures to see these larger. Or visit my flickr account. The moss inside really adds a nice touch.

The little princesses came from a vintage deck of playing cards that my boyfriend found for me last year. I wasn't extremely keen on their green and pink faces and hands, but I think they're starting to grow on me. I'm in the process of designing my logo... and it's embelished with the whistle-playing princess re-created as a fairy.

So, what's next? Gimme a day or two, and I'll be back.

Fairy Hats - 2006

Altered Art Fairy Hats

Sometime in the summer of 2006, I decided to peruse eBay to see if there was any market for self-representing artists working in mixed media. I found a few sellers who were making pretty good money and even had a following of consistent bidders and buyers. I started off just searching for items with the key words "mixed media", "found art", and "collage" and then became hooked on ACEO's for a while. I made a few of my own, and my boyfriend even caught a little of the bug and made some along with me one night! I was kinda attached to my ACEO's and didn't want to try to sell them on eBay, but I was determined to try to make something and see if I got any interest. From this, the altered art fairy hats were born.

Always on the lookout for yard sale free boxes, I scouted out a bunch of sturdy cardboard yarn cones earlier that spring and figured that I could do something with them one of these days. Noting that a lot of eBay artists seemed to have fairly good luck with selling fairy-related items (and loving fairies myself), I decided to turn the cones into fairy hats. I used several layers of acrylic paints - creating my own colors with the paints I had at the time -, a sealer, ribbons, buttons, artist's markers, bells, craft yarns, and more. I think they all turned out pretty nice. But what OTHER people think is what matters.

Re*create - Creating beauty from the unwanted treasures of our disposable society

And so begins my love affair with blogger and my journey into art.


livejournal and myspace just weren't doing it for me - especially as a place to share and organize my pictures and my art the way I want. Over the past few months, I've been trying to place a little more importance on my creativity and discover a way to present my creative side with a little more flair and "professionalism". Just seeing the way this first entry looks so far, I think it's a safe bet to say that I'm hooked.

I've always had a love for creating, but art always needed a "purpose" in my mind. Making a card or a collage or something as a gift for someone was acceptable, but the idea of creating and sharing my work for fun was totally incomprehensible. True art, in my mind, was something that only truly gifted people should attempt. I don't have "art genes" in my family - no history of successful/professional sculptors, painters, or textile-makers. I've never had any formal or informal art instruction, save for one outside-of-school drawing class in my grade school years. My early attempts at creating were hindered by varied unintentional negative reactions at my projects as they were in the beginning stages. (Comments from people who didn't even realize I was trying to make something!) So, I allowed myself to create but put strict limitations on what that meant.

I loved drawing and received many positive comments over the years by people who happened to glance my way, but I dismissed this all as politeness. I didn't consider my work "Art" and insisted on negating the compliments... "Oh, it's just a doodle" or "It's alright, I guess." I kept my work private - doodling in notebooks during boring classes, drawing in sketch books in the privacy of my bedroom. Drawing was a release. It helped me through some pretty rough spots in my adolescence... but it was always a personal activity. I'm sure I shared things with my sister, but my art definitely wasn't something I was ever truly proud of or cared to show off or display.

Until recently, my boyfriend has been the only person with whom I've ever truly shared my on-going love of art. Every Valentine's Day since the first year we were together, I would purchase a sketch pad and try to fill it with drawings and collages... and then present the completed book along with a new blank one the following year. (Note that I still hadn't gotten past the hidden-in-a-book idea!) He's not much of creative person himself, but he has always provided me with the encouragement and constructive criticsm that I've needed. I think it's because of him and his support that my views of sharing myself are finally beginning to change. I'm starting to realize that maybe my sister hasn't always been my cheerleader only out of familial obligation. ;P

Over the past year or so, I've started unleashing my creativity. I'm trying to learn about new tools and techniques and how to work with different mediums. I took my first "official" class a couple of months ago... granted it was just a free scrapbooking class, but it's a step! I'm finally breaking free of the notion that everything has to start with a definite plan and end in perfection. That things don't always work the way you hoped or expected... and that this is O.K.

I'm finally beginning to feel free to play around with all of the materials I've been collecting over the years (with the intention of using "someday"). I moved the entire contents of my "craft closet" halfway across the country with me! These bits-n-pieces are the basis for my new journey... turning unwanted scraps and nic-nacs into art for the home.

Welcome to the life of Re*Create!