Two Reasons to Sale-A-Brate! (ha)

This is my last week of freedom before I'm back to the grind of school. I'm also introducing a new line of chair pieces to my shop. Seemed like two good reasons to Sale-A-Brate!

All of my 5"x 7" chair prints are reduced to just $5.00. That's half off!

All of my new 8" x 8" chair prints are initially being offered at $10.00. After the sale they will be priced at $18.00.

Get a set of four ACEO sized chair prints for just $10.00 - Thats $2.00 a print people!

There is even one original, "The Red Room" marked half off! (Sorry, my 3 newbie original chairs are not on sale.)

All of my prints are created with archival pigment inks and are printed on smooth matte archival paper. The colors are bright, the detail is sharp and will remain that way for decades to come!

Visit the "Chair Sale" section of my shop to see all works included in the sale.

The Chair Sale runs until Monday September 6th.

Lazy Day

Yesterday was quite an eventful day. School and art supply shopping in Schamburg and then a Cubs game at Wrigley. What should have been the most fun part of the trip (the game itself) was pretty much a nightmare! The Phillies opened the game wide open in the 4th inning, with two 3-run homers and 8 total runs. Embarrassing!

After yesterday's overindulgences, I'm feeling pretty lazy today. I was so unmotivated this morning I even skipped yoga. I never skip yoga! Shame on me. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself, realizing that soon I really won't have time to be lazy. Next week is my last week of freedom before the onslaught of school!

I leave you with my newest piece "A Mod Spot." It seems like a nice place to waste away a lazy summer day.

ACEO Four Pack!

ACEO's (Art, Card, Edition, Original) are easily the most popular item in my shop. Those tiny 2.5" x 3.5" beauties can be made quick and sold inexpensively. I often make them while I'm at school and the kiddies are busy working.

When I got my fancy-dancy Epson R2880 printer I started selling ACEO prints. These have also become quite popular and a great way to collect my art on the cheap.

I've decided to offer a "4-Pack" of my ACEO prints at a discount. You can choose any 4 ACEO prints from my shop and pay just $14! My ACEO prints sell for $4.00 each, so buy a 4-Pack and save two bucks.

Check out the "Tiny Prints" section of my Etsy shop.

Off to Yoga. Have a great day!

In My Place - My Newest Work

I've been in a bit of an artistic frenzy the past few days. I'm realizing that my summer is coming to an end and I won't have as much time to devote to art in the coming months.

I have been creating floral pieces all summer, and have grown a little tired of them. (Don't worry, they'll be back!) I sat down at my desk on Friday without a plan and created this! I've done chairs before - I created a whole series of them in 2007. But I have to say that this is the best one yet!!!! There is something very endearing about this little space.

A chair piece takes much more time and concentration to create that the florals do. When I'm working on a floral piece, its very much an improv. I find come great colors and patterns in my magazines and start cutting away. I have to do more planning with the chairs. Each piece has to fit together, so the cuts have to be precise. I pay attention to the value of the pieces, so that there is somewhat of an illusion of depth. The floor and the chair have to work together to create a sense of perspective. The whole process is labor intensive. I spent a good five hours on this piece.

"In My Place" is for sale in my Etsy shop.

Have a great week.

A Friday Find

A few weeks back I came across Meltbrianna in an Etsy Finds email. I was immediately in love with her eco friendly shop! As she states in her shop announcement, "Melt Brianna is flurry of handmade projects and lovely randomness. From clothing and accessories to original art works, all of the materials are recycled and reincarnated into a truly unique item to cherish."

Brianna has a knack for turning a rather ordinary clothing piece into something fun and quirky. I adore this "Truffle Shuffle Ruffle Dress". She's removed the sleeves and added the ruffle at the chest. And, believe it or not, its only $17.00! What a steal!

I bought the adorable "Super Mushroom Magic" sweatshirt from Brianna. Anyone who knows me knows about my obsession with cardigans, so I couldn't pass this one up. Brianna covered an ugly "Aeropostale" logo with the super cute mushroom applique. I've worn this several times and get all sorts of complements!

Brianna can also be found here:

Blog: http://meltbrianna.wordpress.com/
Myspace: www.myspace/meltbrianna
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/melt-brianna/
Cosa Verde: http://cosaverde.com/store/meltbrianna/

High Tea in the 17th Century

I just spent the most amazing afternoon with six other women, having high tea at the Brewster-Randall House in Janesville, Wisconsin. The private home is owned by French national Yoinai DuKunze, who cooked us amazing European style meal.

Yo (as he's commonly known) has an amazing life story that he shares with you throughout the four hour meal and house tour. He came to the United States five years ago to receive a heart transplant. He knew that he would have to stay in the States for some time to recover, and didn't want to rent. After seeing pictures of it on the internet, Yo bought the rundown 1840's Victorian home. He's lovingly restored it and has decorated it with 17th century furnishings that he shipped over from his family home in France. Besides shipping over 10 shipping containers of furniture, he also shipped 4 Olympic caliber horses and 5 dogs! If you couldn't tell already, Yo comes from a very wealthy family. They have a chateau in the south of France that has been in his family for 300 years for goodness sake! And I'm telling you the short version of the story!

Now for the food! We started with hor d'oeuvres on the sun porch including brie baked in brioche, olive and anchovy bruschetta, bacon and quail on toast points, with a champagne and pomegranate punch. I really could have just ate this and have been in heaven, but we had two more courses to go!

We were served our main course in the dining room. I wasn't able to get a really good shot of this room, it was a bit dark. But I did manage to snap this pic of the chandolier. Amazing! Our lunch consisted of pheasant quiche, french green beans, potatoes and the most decadent croissant ever. We ate, we talked, we ate some more. It was very leisurely and relaxing.

For desert we were served an Italian style cheescake with fresh berries, a lemon tartane, and French press coffee with lavender infused creme. Delish!

The whole event was a foodies paradise. And don't get me started on the interior design. I could have walked around that house for another four hours! I could write and write about this experience. What a day!

If you'd like to see more photos of the house, head on over to my flickr photostream.

A Little Bit Disappointed

A few months back I applied to the Renegade Craft Fair, that will be held in Chicago in September. I haven't ever done a show of this size, where I'd have to put together my own booth, but thought this could be a good opportunity for me. I've been making work all summer in the hopes that I got in.

Today I found out that I was not chosen. Bummer. On the positive side, I get the hefty $300.00 booth fee back that I had shelled out.

I'm disappointed that I don't have a show lined up for the fall now. I have a lot of work that needs to be seen and sold!!!! I am hoping to do Artscene somewhere this fall. (Artscene is a twice yearly event in Rockford, where businesses and galleries all over town host art exhibitions.) If anyone knows of any places looking for exhibitors for Artscene, please let me know!

I'm also looking to do a holiday show somewhere, and I would appreciate your suggestions. I'd be willing to do a good holiday market in the Rockford, Chicago, or Madison areas.

Until then, I'm concentrating on Etsy and I guess I have to start thinking about school since its now August! I'll leave you with this currently unnamed piece. (Suggestions appreciated.) This little piece measures 5" x 5" and was completed on mustard colored paper. It will be for sale in my Etsy shop just as soon as I come up with a name.

Cheers.