SALE to bring in the New Year!

"Nurtured," 2010 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

Time to clear out my studio a bit to welcome in the New Year! From now until midnight on January 2, 2012 (2012!) all of my 8.5 x 11" prints are on sale for 30% off. Want 10% off everything else in your order, too? For my blog readers only, enter "BLOGSALE2012" in the coupon code area during checkout for 10% off your whole order (that includes the discounted prints!).

xo

Lea

Greeting Cards

It's been such a busy Autumn for me and I have so many things to share with you...but first I want to show you these awesome cards that I made from some of my latest artwork. They make a perfect gift or stocking stuffer, or buy them for yourself. Hey, you'll be sending them off to people you love anyway, right? ;) You can buy them right here for only $15 a set!

Helping Haiti

Like I told my boyfriend a few days ago, I can't listen to NPR in my car until the tragedy in Haiti is over (well, at least until it is not being reported on anymore). I tear up as I listen and before I know it my eyes are so filled with my own mascara that I can't see the road anymore. I am a great big sobbing hazard. Worse than someone on their cell phone. Just to be clear, I am not ignoring the issues, nor am I advocating that anyone else does. I just can't be informed and drive safely all at the same time!

All of the problems in my little world seem to evaporate as I hear about the horrible, terrifying conditions in Haiti right now. If it was possible I would go there and put in some real-time help. I would foster as many children as I could until their families are found. But that is not possible, so I am doing what little I can from here by donating 50% of all of my online sales to Save the Children. To learn more about them, click on the link.

In the meantime, support the arts and help me raise money for charity either by making a purchase in my Etsy shop or placing a bid on some of my original artwork on eBay. In both instances, I will donate 50% of the sale to charity, and with your purchase you will receive a thank you noting the amount of your donation.

Contest Winner is....Healingstones!

Wow! Thanks everyone for entering my contest! It was fun (and funny) to read all of your guesses, and a couple of you gave me some new ideas, too :) But nope, not SupplyRiot stuff, these will be going in my LeaKArts shop instead. I bought these awesome glass pieces from The Crafty Dragonfly, and made some large magnets out of my artwork. Each one is 1.5" across and about 1/4" thick, with a flat, very strong neodymium magnet on the back.

Four of you guessed "magnets," so I held a very dramatic drawing involving little slips of paper and my hat, and the winner is....Celia from Healingstones! Yay! Below are all of the choices, Celia, so just let me know which one is your favorite, and it will soon be heading across the ocean and a couple of continents to meet you :)
Finally, I was hoping to have a couple of these listed before the drawing ended, but I am having a bit of technical difficulty with the photos. I'll post again when I have them listed; meanwhile, if you want to purchase one just let me know and I will send you an invoice ($7 + shipping).

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I don't really celebrate St. Patrick's Day much, even though I'm 1/4 Irish. Guess I don't like beer enough :) I did go see KMRIA over the weekend, which was awesome, and about as much of a St. Patty's celebration as you'll get out of me. Nevertheless, I though it would be fun to comb through my Etsy shops and see what kind of green I have listed. Click on any of the photos below for a closer look!

Messenger

"Messenger," by Lea Keohane 2008. All Rights Reserved.

You may or may not remember the sweet owl that I encountered in the park a few weeks ago, but I did end up painting him. Twice, actually. The painting above, and the one below, which one of my very dear friends Melissa bought from me :)

"Little Messenger," by Lea Keohane 2008. All Rights Reserved.

I had a lot of fun painting him, and I don't think I'm finished. I really enjoy how, while I used the same basic composition for both pieces, they each have a different sort of character to them. A friend of mine, who was with me when we found the owl, tells me that owls have very strong medicine, and that he/she was bringing us a message. What that message was, I am not sure, but I am very grateful for being allowed to capture him on film and in paint.

Gift Certificates!

I have been meaning to do this for a long time, but I kept forgetting. Then I saw this Storque article and remembered. Yay!

Just in time for those very last-minute gifts (you KNOW you're not done shopping yet!), a LeaKArts gift certificate. The one I have listed is for $20, but I am happy to make you your very own for any amount you wish.

LeaKArts Ladies--a Coloring Book!

I am so incredibly thrilled to introduce my newest creation--LeaK Arts Ladies, A Coloring Book for All Ages!

This loose-leaf coloring book comes in a clear protective sleeve. I decided to leave it un-bound so that when you finish coloring a page, you can display it without having to rip the pages. How fun is that? In addition, each page has a border that you can embellish to your heart's content. Personally, I LOVE coloring, which is why I chose and created images that are suitable for kids but fun for grownups too :)

This project has been in the work for a couple of months now. For the first 5 pages, I created 5 brand new, original drawings just for this coloring book. And with the combination of very low-tech (tracing paper and a sharpie) and high-tech (a scanner, Photoshop, and a very knowledgeable friend, not to mention my work-horse of a printer), I transformed 5 of my original drawings and paintings into coloring pages as well. My love has gone into each and every page and I hope it shows!

I also have brand new sticker packs which I will be listing later today, so keep your eyes peeled!

Yay for winning!

Tree in the Coriander pot holder by http://beanpicklesprouts.etsy.com

I have recently started following a really great blog, ChristopherandTia. Every Monday they have a really fun "Monday Suck Day" giveaway. Each Monday they feature a different Etsy shop. You leave a comment telling them what you like the most in the shop, and why Mondays suck so much, and later in the week they do a drawing.

A couple of weeks ago, I won! Yay! I chose this gorgeous pot holder by Amy Knight of http://beanpicklsprouts.etsy.com! When it arrived in the mail a few days ago, I could not have been more pleased :) The fabric is even prettier in person, it is incredibly well-made, and has a great slot to put your hand in, way better than any pot holder I've ever seen before. She has tons of other great stuff in her shop too, like super adorable baby items. While you're surfing, be sure to check out the super-cool recipe cards and boxes in ChristopherandTia's shop, too!

Thanks so much you guys!

Yay for packages!

A few days ago, I got this gorgeous set of 4 handmade napkins from kzoriginals.etsy.com in the mail! They are really soft, really pretty, and even came all wrapped up just like a present. I love that :) I don't do a whole lot of trades on Etsy, mostly because I really need the cash, but I've been wanting some fabric napkins for a long time now so I just couldn't resist. Woohoo!

October!

As you may remember, I didn't post any specific goals for September other than dealing with some personal issues. Which I did! I cannot say that I am at 100% yet, but I am getting there. I was going through some situational depression, and with the help of my doctor and my acupuncturist (did you know that acupuncture can help with major life transitions?!? It really really can!) I am feeling SO much better. I am also exercising every day, eating better, and going to bed early enough to get 8 hours of sleep every night, the benefit of which cannot be underestimated. I am so truly and amazingly grateful for my acupuncturist, however, because that has been the most immediately and overwhelmingly helpful thing in getting me through this time. Also for my amazing friends who have been so incredibly helpful and supportive, as they always are :)

My sales in September were fantastic, including some art sales and some unexpected but much needed side jobs! So for October I am looking to more of the same. I am applying for some holiday sales, increasing my inventory, get back to creating art every day, and listing a lot of new artwork that is just sitting here waiting to get into my shop :) I am also posting more flyers for my portraits, applying for a part-time job (about 10 hours a week is what I'm looking for, just for some steady extra income), and getting ready for some holiday action in my supply shop. Sounds like a great month just waiting to happen!

Project of the Week!

If you are anything like me, you don't really want to think about the holidays yet. But they are only 3 months away now, and if you are planning on making your own gifts it may just be time to get started if you want to avoid the last minute panic! So, whether you are setting out with gifts in mind, or you just want something fun to do, I am now introducing the "Project of the Week!"
Every week from now until the holidays, I'll be introducing something fun and creative for you to do.

This weeks project is throw pillows! Indigo and I spent the day yesterday working on these guys. The inspiration came from my beloved Joy Division t-shirt. It was part of my high-school uniform (along with combat boots, ripped jeans and a trench coat--haha!), and through all of the wear it has seen in its sad little t-shirt life, it was just no longer suited for wearing. Threadbare and torn, but I simply could not let it go. So I decided to give it a 2nd life as an awesome throw pillow!

Since it is Joy Division, it lends itself automatically to some gothy-punk tears, so I layered it against some black velvet, gave it a black velvet backside as well, and left the tears right where they were. I added some safety pins too, in memory of my high school fashion sense :)

Of course I can't leave Indigo out when I'm doing a fun project! We found a little pillow that I had started ages ago but never stuffed or finished sewing. She went through my pile of fabric remnants and found the colors and patterns she liked, then drew and cut out these cute little zebras, hearts, and stars. Neither of us being master seamstresses (and I don't have a sewing machine so I am all about the short cuts!), we glued her little scene on with a hot glue gun. The bottom looks a bit ragged because we ran out of stuffing, so I just stuffed it with some other fabric for the purpose of the photo, but we still have to stuff and sew it this week.

Want to try your hand at this, but don't have any fabric? Here are some great Etsy fabric shops from my Etsy Supply Street Team (ESST):
http://tliss.etsy.com
http://beesquarefabrics.etsy.com
http://fabricstash.etsy.com
http://fabricstash2.etsy.com
http://kimonomomo.etsy.com
http://EllaHound.etsy.com
http://FabricSamples.etsy.com
http://samplescrap.etsy.com

New Supplies and a feature from TinyFig!

Today I was one of the featured Etsy supply sellers on TinyFig's blog! Thank you Tiny Fig!!

It is a busy day, because I am also listing a lot of new supplies, including four new prints of Japanese Washi paper and a super-cool butterfly ephemera kit. You may have also noticed that I have been adding a lot of other great supplies, including scrabble tiles (don't forget to enter my scrabble tile challenge!), wooden disks, Diamond Glaze, gold-toned adjustable rings, and more! Some of these are limited stock items, and others will be continuing inventory. All of them are a lot of fun, though, so come and take a look!

Latest and Greatest

2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

I just finished painting this little gentleman yesterday. Today I got to go to Rose City Vet Clinic to pass it off to Becky, the person who commissioned the portrait. You may also remember her adorable dog that I painted earlier this year:

2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

Becky is the sweetest! She is so happy with her portraits, she's waiting to get a photo of her 3rd baby for me to do another commission. I was also really exited to find that all of the portrait flyers I'd left at the clinic had been taken, so I left a few more and talked to another employee and one of their customers about having their pet's portraits done too! Yay for networking!

When I started out with this portrait venture, I was really nervous, as I normally paint people (of course, I am also doing people portraits!!). I know that I have very good drawing and painting skills, but still my confidence wavered as I moved into a new realm. Honestly, I wasn't even sure whether or not I would like painting pets! But with each new commission I find it more and more enjoyable. It is so much fun to capture the expression in these furry friends, and the happiness it gives to their owners is irreplaceable.

Speaking of which, I have two more to get to work on! Here I go!

Being Green!

"What She Becomes," 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

I have always been passionate about taking care of the environment. At the same time, I love cute packaging, and I want every one of my customers to know, when they receive their order, that it was packaged with care and that I am grateful for their business! There are some things--like bubble envelopes, for example--that simply can't be replaced for the safety of shipping my items. I wanted to make my business more green-friendly, however, so there are some simple steps that I have taken. Some of them I have always done, others are more recent changes:

*Rather than using the plastic baggies that have a sticky flap, as often as possible I use zip-lock bags. I keep more than one size on hand at all times, and always try to use the smallest one possible for the order it contains. That way I can use as little plastic as possible, and my customers can find ways to re-use them!

*When I receive orders in plastic bags, I store them away and re-use them whenever I can.

*I rarely need to use packing peanuts, but when I do need them, I NEVER buy new ones! I save the ones I receive from the orders I place and just use those. In the rare cases in the past when I have needed to buy them, I went to a fantastic local store--Carton Services--which sells secondhand shipping supplies. I can buy a 6 foot tall bag of them for around $20! Which saves me money and keeps them out of the landfill.

*I used to print out every single transaction receipt. I felt bad about using so much paper (although I do buy recycled printer paper), but I thought it was easier to track and ship my orders, and double-check Etsy vs. PayPal addresses. Then I did a test-run without printing. I found it just as easy to keep track of everything and it stopped me from getting a cramp in my back from being hunched over my orders on the floor for hours on end (now I have to get up and down on a regular basis--yay for my back!). To keep track of packages and correct addresses, I now write my customer's names and the 1st line of their address and zip code to double check agains PayPal when I go to ship. Now I hardly ever have to buy printer paper, and I have saved myself so much filing space! I just print out a CSV file of all of my Etsy transactions at the end of the month--3 or 4 pages versus 2-300!

*My washi sample packs are one of my most popular items. One of the best things about these is that I can save great washi scraps from otherwise hitting the landfills. After I cut all of the best, most usable scraps up for the packs, I donate the rest to SCRAP--an awesome local non-profit that re-sells used craft supplies. I also have a box set aside to bring to them whenever I gather enough un-needed supplies that I can't re-sell. I LOVE that place!

I know there are other things that I do, but they are not coming to mind at the moment :) I always try to keep Mother Nature in mind, though, in business and in the rest of my life. If you have any great tips, ideas, or suggestions for greening your business, post them here!

Weekend Project--Crayons!

This weekend was a blast! Friday night was a great time at the show; I had a most delicious dinner and margaritas cooked by my lovely friend Katie and shared with her husband, Chris; I caught up with my friend Jill; I even managed to spend time with a new friend. I'm not normally such a social butterfly, but it was just what I needed.

Between all of this socializing, I also managed to get some new supplies listed in my shop! I recently added a destash/limited stock section with some really fun stuff. Finally, I did a new and super-fun project--made crayons!!! These whimsical lovelies were given a new, rejuvenated life from Indigo's old broken-up crayon graveyard. I have listed one set of three in my shop--the others will be coming throughout the next couple of days.

Here's to a great week!

September!

Wow, I know it sounds cliche to say this, but the months are flying by. What happened to August?!? Indigo is starting 3rd grade tomorrow! My poor little blog has been seriously neglected. Time for a review of my August goals:

ART
*I managed to stay calm during my show at the Show & Tell Gallery, despite a massive crowd! It was really fun, and I sold a couple of pieces at the closing reception at the end of the month.
*I also had a great attitude about the PDX Etsy show, and actually had better sales than any other fair so far this year!
*I worked on my grant application, but didn't finish it yet. I don't know what my block is--the application is not that complex >:(
*I also have not applied for more fine art shows yet--time to get on it!

SUPPLYRIOT
*Thanks to some of the amazing people in my life, I did find extra funding for supplies, as well as some great ideas on where to buy them!
*I created--and sold out!--shrinky-dink magnet diy kits, and created a bunch of great altered art kits as well!
*I destashed a number of my own supplies, and created a new section in my shop specifically for destash & limited items!


As for September, I am hesitant to post my goals for the month. I have been going through some personal issues that have distracted me from a lot of things, so my primary goal for the month is to deal with those issues. I have 2 shows this month (more to come on that!), so I need to increase my stock for the 2nd one. Beyond that, my goal is to prepare both of my shops for the holidays, increase my inventory in both, and go over my business finances to see where they can be tightened up. Which also means lots of blog posts to come! :)

Promotions!

I recently exchanged some promotional items with my friend Melissa to send out to each other's customers and help promote each other's shops. I got the idea when I received an order I had placed, and along with it...a whole bunch of awesome samples from other great etsy shops! I felt like it was Christmas! I knew they were all advertising to me, but as it came in the form of little gifts rather than just business cards, it felt like a really nice gesture rather than spam.

So, when I was on the forums posting in the Etsy Supply Street Team thread the other day, and thienthanh suggested exchanges promos for each other's shops, I jumped on it! This morning I made about 40 little promo packs to start out with, each one containing a business card and a ring or a bobby pin, and sealed with a bit of my washi paper. I feel like they look cute, represent my shop well, and have something fun inside. So, don't be surprised if you order something from one of my ESST-mates and find one tucked in your package! Likewise, I will soon be sending out some of their samples as well, so you just might get some extra fun with your supply orders. And don't worry, I would never adjust my shipping to cover freebies :)

Of course, I am still promoting Melissa as well, but her gorgeous stuff only comes with orders from my art shop, so buy yourself some art already, will you?

Now on DaWanda!

After a recent conversation that I had about the current U.S. economy, trying to reach European markets, and selling in multiple venues, I was inspired to open a shop on DaWanda. It is free to list and they only take a small percentage of the final sale, so I thought it was worth a shot! I found the conversion to Euros a bit confusing at first, but then I found this great money exchange website and it was a snap. Now I know how international sellers feel on Etsy, having to convert everything to dollars! Other than that, I must say listing on DaWanda is very intuitive, I didn't have any problems or confusion at all, and I was even able to use the same banner & photos that I use for my Etsy shop. For now, I am just listing prints and other things that I can easily replace, as well as my portraits. I think it would get to confusing trying to keep track of originals in more than one venue. I am also interested in finding another venue to list my supplies (no commercial supplies are allowed on DaWanda), so if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Wish me luck!

August

"Quiet Strength" 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

We are already one week in to August, and I still can't believe it's already here. This year is passing quickly, and with an intensity that I could not possibly have planned for. My show is tonight--the first solo art show I've had in 2 years! I have been so focused on etsy during that time, that I have not even applied for shows, other than trade shows. I am ready to add more art shows to my agenda, though, and kick my art career into high gear.

Speaking of art career, I am past due in checking in on my goals for last month! I fell terribly short in the sales side of my art goals, making only one sale in my LeaKarts shop (thank you Melissa--I still have to blog about your portrait!), and having terrible sales at both the Mississippi Street Fair and the PDX Etsy show. I did, however, update my website while I was on vacation, adding a whole new page with custom work, and I created and listed several new drawings.

As for SupplyRiot, I added a couple of new washi papers to my shop, and found lots of new things to list, but I need to raise the money to purchase all of the new supplies first! My sales decreased rather than increased as well, perhaps just because it was July and people tend to be off their computers and on vacations. I also couldn't do nearly as much marketing as usual as I was on vacation for nearly half the month. BUT I did bring all of my supplies with me and managed to take care of all of my shipping while I was gone!

Goals for August:
ART
*relax & enjoy tonight's show, talking to people freely and hopefully getting a couple of new shows out of it!
*maintain a positive attitude about Saturday's PDX Etsy show despite poor sales at prior craft shows.
*finish and send in my grant application to Mercy Corps
*apply for show at 3-5 more venues
SUPPLYRIOT
*find the funding for new supplies, in addition to paying my bills :) Hopefully this will come from lots of sales in my shop!
*create and list new diy kits that have been running around in my brain for some time
*destash supplies from my studio that I won't use

Happy August everybody! I'm so exited, I can already feel Autumn on it's way :)