Remember when...

I thought since it's my 5 year Etsyversary week, it would be fun to post some of the things I used to make & sell in my shop but don't any more. Actually, there are a couple I've been thinking of reviving...

Remember Shrinky Dink Pendants?

And remember the movable artist cards (new & improved ones coming soon!):

This one had paper doll clothes & hair!

Finally, remember the paintings I used to do on plaques?

It's been an awesome 5 years--I can't wait to see where I am in 5 more!

Remember--sign up for my newsletter by Sunday, 6/26 and you can win lots of free stuff! Also, get 20% off in my Etsy shop--for details check out my last post HERE.

Have a great week!

Mississippi Street Fair!

It was a long day on Mississippi yesterday, but it was fun! Temperatures got into the 90's so it was really hot, but luckily our booth was snug against some bushes on the East side of the street so we were in the shade for most of the day. Here's a shot of our booth!

My friend and booth-mate, Danielle, organizing her earrings and stitch markers. At the end of the day I bought a stunning pair of her earrings--they are very dramatic, I can't wait to wear them! She has two great etsy shops--MissPurl and PoeticPurl.

Here's my half of the booth, with Nancy of Karma's Kreations sitting to the side. It is always fun to see her--I was happy to find that she was our neighbor for the day.

Here is a shot of Mississippi Ave. all the way down the street! The crowd is stunning. That lady doesn't look too happy that she's in my picture, though :) Across the street from us was the fabulous Fresh Pot coffeehouse, with a Starbucks under construction in the same building right next door!! Appalling. Apparently I'm not the only one to think so, as there was a group of people doing anti-Starbucks performance art in front all day long. I am sorry that I didn't get a photo of it. I'm also sorry that I didn't take a photo of my amazing sandwich--grilled portabello mushroom with pesto, basil, and feta cheese.....drool.... It was just too yummy to stop and take a picture.

Buckman Art Show & Sell

I can't believe a whole year has already gone by, but it's that time again! Time for the Buckman Art Show & Sell, a yearly fundraiser for Buckman Arts Focus Elementary School, where my daughter attends. Here is the low-down, copied from the website:

When?
Friday, April 11, 2008, 5 to 9 pm
Saturday, April 12, 10 am to 5 pm

What?
The Buckman Art Show & Sell features the work of more than 100 Pacific Northwest artists – everything from paintings and sculptures to ceramics, jewelry, fashions, photography and toys – in a festive atmosphere filled with music, food, and fun. A student art gallery showcases the talents of Buckman's young artists, and hands-on kids' art activities keep the little ones busy while their parents shop!

This vibrant, beloved community event benefits the arts programs at Portland's Buckman Arts Focus Elementary School.

Where?
Buckman Elementary School
320 SE 16th Avenue, Portland

How much?
Friday $5 per person; Saturday $2 suggested donation per person
Free for kids age 4 and under

I would also like to add that 30% of all sales go directly to Buckman! Every year I am astounded by the high caliber of artists and artisans populating this show, not to mention the amazing art by Buckman student. Here is a photo of my booth from last year--this year will be even better with new paintings, aceo's, and some of my art pendants available as well. I hope to see you there!

Coming this week!

The past few weeks, I have been hard at work. Art work, that is. I am drawing every day, painting at least one whole day every week, and whatever else I can squeeze in to my schedule.
Which means I have several new pieces--at least 10 ACEO's, 4 new paintings, and possibly more to add to my etsy shop this week!

I will begin listing them around 10 am (Pacific Time) on Wednesday morning. I hope to see you then!

Depth of Change

I don't know if it's the depth of change brought on by the art business class that I am taking, or the fact that I am not 100% sure of where my income is coming from right now, or the exhaustion I am experiencing from sleeping on a broken bed and dreaming about killing zombies (seriously), or the intense email that I just got from my dad, but I AM DRAINED.

For the past week and a half I am supposed to be working on de-cluttering my space, and organizing my time and money. But I feel like for every step I take I add three more steps to the list. I guess that is just what deep cleaning does, but today I am frustrated.

On a more positive note, I have been waking up every single morning, brewing a cup of coffee, choosing a song on my iPod that affects me strongly, and playing that song over several times while I draw in my sketchbook. This morning my drawing went quickly, so I also made a little ACEO, pictured above, entitled, "Squid Love #1."

It's a Boy!!!!

Introducing--my first interactive ACEO that is not a girl--Todd, the super "kewl" emo-boy doing his emo dance! He's got those sad eyes and mussy hair that will attract all the teenage girls......if he's into girls........

I'm BaaaAck!

New York City. It was an experience, I'll tell you that! I am still sorting out some of my feelings from the whole thing, and getting over the mad flying back and forth in such a short time period, so I'm not going to say much.

I have to be honest, there were some serious flaws in the whole weekend that absolutely should not have happened. But I am a "make the best of it" kind of person, so I would rather talk about the good parts here and deal with the bad parts where they need to be dealt with.

Taking over the Etsy Labs and the Brooklyn Indie Market was really fun, and I met some really awesome people, etsy and non etsy alike :) I felt like I was 18 again sleeping in an air mattress on the half pipe that takes up one edge of the Labs, and I had the chance to get to know some of my pdx etsy teammates even better than before. I also got to have lunch with my cousin, which was short but very sweet.

Finally, I learned a LOT. Like, a show in New York is no different than a show at home--you never know how it will go so you just have to make the best of it. And that, no matter what is happening all around them, people will choose to experience the same exact situation in a wide variety of ways. I also learned that I have a super-power clown-car suitcase--in on little carry-on roller wheely suitcase, I packed enough stuff (four small paintings, 30 pendants, hand-painted cards, ACEO's, display items, business cards, tablecloth, and Steve's photographs!) to cover 4 feet of table space very attractively: :)

I am SO glad to be home, but I do not regret this experience in the least. Hopefully it will pave the way to more traveling and art selling in the future......

So, How'd it Go?

Yikes! Almost a week since the PDX Etsy sale and I haven't written about it yet! So, how'd it go? It was awesome!!

My super-sweet tent-mate was the fabulous Miss Purl (Danielle), who couldn't have been a better person to share with. She makes gorgeous jewelery! And she made the best etsy banners for our booth:
My very good friend, the Awesome Mary came and hung out with us for most of the day. It is always good to have lots of company! My pendants looked super cute in their new boxes, and people got a kick out of my moveable ACEO's. It was so much fun to hear their reactions. I sold some pendants (two even to a lady buying for Christmas! Talk about planning ahead!!), and a bunch of buttons and my friend John bought some ACEO's. Steve even managed to come by for a bit in the middle of his 8-hour-pinhole-photography class. Sweetie :)

The weather was PERFECT, I got to enjoy a fantastic breakfast burrito and the best peach ever from the Farmer's Market, and I had so much fun people watching and chatting with everyone. Yay etsy show!!!

eBay hmmmm......

Day 2 of the experiment :)

One of my challenges is to put up some of my ACEO's on eBay. I put 2 of them up just a minute ago, the one to the left included. (I love seeing her in this position for some reason--she looks like she is about to vomit. Hilarious!!)

I am really exited about this for a few reasons. Call it "feeBay" if you will, but eBay has a HUGE community of ACEO artists--so much so that ACEO's actually have their very own category!! I have done decently listing them there before. Secondly, I am charging the same starting price as I would on etsy, but am experimenting with a "buy it now" feature so that someone can buy it outright for $20 if they don't want to go through the auction. It is *possible* that I could get a higher selling price to cover all of the extra fees....

My only hesitation with eBay is that people expect to get fine art at garage sale prices. Not cool. I have been guilty of it in the past (sold some paintings there years ago for $20 a pop!). But these days I have enough love for and confidence in my work, that I refuse to feed into that mentality. I will not list anything for less than what I deserve to get for it! So, let's see what eBay can do for me! :)

The Damn Cutest Thing I've Ever Made So Far

Yes, I am tooting my own horn! But this is one of my best ideas so far--a "paper doll" ACEO, with strategically placed slots around her body where you can put her wigs & dresses!

Recently I started making interactive ACEO's, with moving eyes, floating hair, and more. The ideas are coming so fast that I don't have time to keep up with them! (That is not a complaint, by the way). I am just so exited by my ideas, I can't wait to make more.

ACEO stands for "Artist Cards, Editions & Originals." ACEO's started out as ATC's (Artist Trading Cards), which were meant purely for exchange and not for profit. ACEO's are for-profit versions of ATC's. They can be made of any medium, the only real rule is that they have to be 2.5" x 3.5"--the standard size of baseball and other trading cards. They are so fun to make!