Halloween Banners!

ATCsforall.com isn't just for ATC's. (Find out more about Artist Trading Cards/ATC's!) All sorts of mail art abounds within their cyber walls. A current swap that I am participating in is Halloween Banners! This was the fun idea of goatgoddess, a member of atcsforall.com. I couldn't resist signing up when I saw the samples she had displayed.

After much procrastinating I have finally finished my banners. Creating them was a lot of fun, and I am thrilled with how the textures came out with the tissue paper and embossing powder. One of the joys of mail art is finding your mailbox stuffed with art on any given day! I am impatiently wondering what my beauties will bring home!

Message In A Bottle!

WOOT! At gomakesomething.com there is a fabulous challenge going on. Called Message in a Bottle, the idea is that you sign up to take part and you will receive a plastic water bottle in the mail (yep, that's right!) filled with all sorts of goodies! Well, I signed up awhile ago and have been constantly checking to see if my name was among the ones of folks who were being sent bottles. I never saw my name on the list, but somehow, as if by magic, a bottle appeared this afternoon! Loaded with goodies all for me! In the bottle was scrapbooking paper, vintage ephemera, a hand carved stamp, a hand made book mark, beads and other fun things! Check out the photos! If you are interested in this challenge click on the gomakesomething link above!

Art and Dead Babies

So anyone who knows me knows I am into 'dark' art. So silly sounding when I type it out, but the truth is I like to delve into the macabre on occasion. One such occasion arose when a chunky book swap was held on my fave site atcsforall.com. The theme: Trick or Treat! What a better time to get a little creepy than a Halloween theme? So I went ALL out! This meant using mourning photos, which are real photos of dead people. That's right, they are dead and someone took a photo of them! The photos are from the victorian era and many of them are of babies. Creepy, right? Perfect for Halloween? So i thought. Until I posted pics of the chunky pages and received some strong reactions! Seems some folks don't like pics of dead babies. I can't imagine why not! I attempted to be respectful with my art, but at the same time I was def going for creepy. So, I'll let you be the judge. Did I cross the line?

Far Too Long!

That I have been away! But I am back! and the good news is I was gone making art! I have discovered a website called atcsforall.com that allows me to create and trade art with like minded folks. Unfortunately, it sucked me in and I forgot about this lil blog! I'll be better, I promise! to make it up to you here are some pics of my art! Most of them are ATC's with one chunky book page thrown in. The themes are varied but quite fun! Currently I am hosting a swap with Anne Sexton as the inspiration! This has led to some wonderful discussion amongst the players! I will make another post devoted solely to that swap as it nears completion in Sept!

Treasury!

Etsy has this wonderful tool called Treasury. Basically, if you happen to be able to snag a treasury (which is fuckin hard!), you get to 'curate' your own display of wonderful etsy items. Most people have a theme as did I for my very 1st treasury! My theme is Orange sun and blue sky. I love orange and blue together. They are an unbeatable combination. The picture shows a screen shot of my treasury. I think it is gorgeous! Feel free to check it out and check out all the other wonderful treasuries. There are some talented folks on etsy!

Crafty Friends!

I recently joined the The California Crafters Club of Etsy and posted on their yahoo group about wanting to meet Humboldt County crafters. And lo and behold someone actually responded! Today I am going to meet Velma of Color Bomb Creations for coffee. I am stoked to 1)meet another crafty person & 2)meet someone I've only spoken with online. She makes the most beautiful yarn. I think I need to come up with a project to use it cause it is so damn pretty! My hope is that, if we like each other lol, I can talk her into sharing a booth with me at The North Country fair this year and the craft fair held in Eureka in Nov. I wanna get the word out about my art and do it with other fun people. So if you live in Humboldt County (HC, hahahahaha) and make stuff write me!

So much to do!

I am a bit overwhelmed these days with how much my art has grown. I am working on 3 custom cigar boxes (see photo), a bigger piece for an art show at The Ink People in April, as well as adding pieces to my shop on a, hopefully, daily basis. Don't get me wrong, I am excited! To know that my work is appreciated thrills me and makes me blush. It also keeps me going on those days when I don't want to work. But I am also struggling to keep up with all that needs to be done. I should also mention that I work full-time as mental health case manager and I go to school part-time. I don't know how artists that are also parents do it! I am struggling just to keep my head above water as it is. Oh! But I love it! Isn't this what we, as artists, live for? To have our lives consumed by our passion? So I struggle, yet I am thrilled and inspired by it. Such a contradiction!

Art Hurts!

I am killing my back for my art! I live in a small one bedroom apartment (your typical starving artist dive) and have no place for a studio other than my living room floor (I can hear the violins now...). This means that a)my living room is a pigsty and b)that I make my art hunched over like an old man. Doing this for days on end has made my back hurt like a motherf****r! Luckily for me, my friend Laurie is on her way over to work on me for awhile and she's a certified massage student, by golly! It doesn't help that when I am not making art I am sitting in an old school 70's style office chair in front of the computer. That's right, I am an addict...to Etsy. I bet you were thinking I was gonna say WOW, weren't you? I am NOT a gamer, merely an artist. Anyway, I digress. In the photo you can see my messy livingroom/art studio with a project in process. Also, Atticus (the black kitty) and Elke (the gray kitty) decided to pop in the picture. They love art too! And they know the only way to get fed is to crawl over one of my projects...while I am working on it, *grin*. So can anyone relate?

Love Givin'

I decided that as part of my new blog I would give some love to other artisans. You'll notice on the right hand side of my blog some linky-poos. Those all go to artists and crafters and I am going to pick one a week or maybe more to give a review of! So this week I have chosen: an'a'mano. This girl's work is quirky, zany and a little creepy...right up my alley. But let's not forget it is also well done creepy! She sews, she draws, she paints. Lot's of talent with this one ya'll! Check out her little doll's! I am particularly smitten with Alaric the Alien. She includes brief bits of his family history which I find fascinating! I mean, who knew an alien doll would even have a family history? Check an'a'mano out and give her some of your love!

It's Official!

I have a blog! Welcome all. I hope you enjoy my subversive, art, ideas and humor. I can be kinda wild sometimes, *grin*. I will be showcasing art that I love here, mine as well as others. And I may throw out a political thought a time or two, but no worries, you won't be drowning in politics here! So far starters you can go here to see my art that is currently for sale: http://www.katilady.etsy.com
I'll see you soon!