Commissions & Card Swap!

4 Wonky Squares aprons, 30 bike bands, a set of post-Valentine's Day cards, even a new advent calendar design!  These are the things people have been requesting from me lately.  I have to say, it is flattering and fun to have such fans.  :)


Here is a collage that I made that my sister commissioned from me for Christmas.  (Please note that it is her photo, with her most excellent camera and her photographer's eye... I wish all the photos of what I make could be this high quality! Click on the image if you want to see it closer-up, and you can link to her blog here.)



She requested that I make a collage integrating the words of a poem she loves by John Keats.  I intended to give it to her in a shadow-box frame, but we never had the time to make that project happen.  But at some point, it will look even more elegant than it already does.


Announcing this year's 6 Degrees of HLM International Card Swap!  Please email me (see email address at right or leave a comment below) if you'd like to participate this year.  The lowdown:

• You'll make 10 cards.  They can be blank, themed, big, small, professional-looking, your first try, whatever you'd like to do.  All I ask is that you do your best, have fun, and let me know you're joining us.
• You'll send them all to me in April with envelopes, postmarked no later than April 16th (or we can rendezvous in person if you're in Fort Collins).  I got a couple of comments last year that this deadline is right at tax time.  I considered changing the time of year that we do this, but it is really the best time of year for me.  I hope you can still make it work.  Get going on it now!  There is a lot of time between now and then. 
• If you'd like, you can attend a work party at my studio to work on your cards and enjoy some yummy snacks and the company of other card makers in the swap, Saturday afternoon, April 7th.
• I'll send you back 10 cards that other people in the swap made, sometime in May.

It is so fun and inspiring, and you will love what you get in return.  The only cost to you is the amount you spend on your supplies and the postage it takes to get your cards to/from Colorado.


I would love to have you join us!  If you'd like to be inspired by what people made last year, click here.

Works In Progress

Last night, my friend Katie said she'd like to see more of my works in progress.  She pointed out that all I show you are finished items, but she likes to see and hear about the process along the way.  So for today, that's what I'm showing: something I've been working on for a long time.

This is what this piece of paper looked like in July 2011 (I had painted it this way at least one year earlier):

Since then, I've made some considerable adjustments. Now this is what it looks like!

I know, a total 180.  Literally, too.  The paper has been turned 180 degrees  and re-painted.  You can see a hint of the orange from the top right corner on view #1 underneath the purple at the bottom left of view #2.  And a tiny amount of bright pink from the lower left corner in #1 survived up near the wing in #2.  If you're able to see the underneath layers in these images (click on the image for better views), you'll see similarities there too.  There are certain underlying things that I still very much want to show!

Hmm... where will I go next with this one?

Please take my poll to the right--I'd like to make this blog more of what you want to see/read.

Becoming a Professional

This card was made for my mom's 66th birthday!  One of my favorite cards I've made recently, I think because of how the paint looks, how inspired it was (I realized she was turning 66 and the wheels in my head began to turn), and how personal to her it is.  Along with this card, a donation was made in my mom's name to the Route 66 Preservation Foundation, and the guy who runs the organization, Jim, called her up that day and sang "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66," which was originally sung by Nat King Cole (you can here Cole singing it here). 

The card measures about 4"x7" and is made of construction paper, gesso, paint, craft sticks, a straight pin, permanent pen, and distressing ink.  Now, my mom isn't necessarily a Route 66 fanatic, but she does love to travel (driving is her main means of transport), and there are some other connections I was able to make. Plus, I love what Route 66 represents: travel and road trips (and everything that is good and bad about them!), nostalgia, a piece of American history, supporting local businesses, and an appreciation of the big expanses of nature and countryside that make up the United States, especially the West.

Small accolades story: When my mom received the card (which she loved, btw), she was with some in-laws. She reported that one of them (who I've only met once) said, "This is the best card I've ever seen!"  Yay!

This weekend, I've been working on creating my very first art resume, for submission to an organization that is hosting a professional development workshop for artists that I'd very much like to attend this spring.  The concept of writing this resume was intimidating at first, but I have to say that now I'm doing it, it is fun and validating!  I have really come a long way since August 2008, when I started this blog and first started thinking of myself as a professional.  This process makes my dream seem one step closer to reality.  I'll keep you up to date on the process.

B-day Card

Thought you might like to see a fun b-day card I made for my friend Phuong.  The button has a hook underneath it, which, when the card is folded up, slips into the tiny circle to clasp the card together.

I love being able to see the sewing lines on the backside of the front.

Here's a close-up of that hook.

Holiday Time Creations

Happy 2012!  January is usually a big month for regrouping and getting back into my routine, and seeing as how this is my first post of the new year, this January has been no exception.  I think since our birthdays are in mid-January, that the holiday season feels like it extends a little longer.  There's still celebrating to do, after all! 

Below are some photos of this year's Christmas card!  They were inspired by the pop-up card I made for last year's card swap, but these were a whole lot simpler.  The third photo is a variation I made with some scraps, which I thought turned out just as cute if not as cool as the original idea.

At the Fine & Funky Art Show, my new friend Jennifer sold pendants that she made out of fabric, lightweight wooden discs or squares, and epoxy. I was inspired to try to make them myself, just as a fun project to do with friends.  So my friends Katie and Haley and I made these one afternoon in December, along with some Christmas cookies (not pictured!). Mine are the two in the 2nd photo.  The rectangles are about 1.5 inches high.

You know how much I love aprons, and I've made many an apron similar to this one but with white instead of black.  Haley said, "I wouldn't wear a white one because I'd be too afraid to get it dirty!"  This comment inspired me to make this black one this week.  I like it a lot!  (Secret: there's a pocket behind that orange square!) The black poses a different problem, almost as annoying as dirt or stains on the white one: lint, fluff, and pet hair.  Thank goodness for lint rollers!  Check out my Etsy shop if you'd like to buy this (or any) apron!

And so, I'm back for 2012 and I plan to post at least once a week starting today.  In 2011 I had 37 posts, and I aim to beat that in 2012!  I also plan to host more giveaways this year, and offer up a few video tutorials.  Please save my blog address as a favorite so you can be sure to come back each week to see what is new.  I'm looking forward to having you around.