Crunch Time!

So, my mom and I are pretty frantic right about now as we prepare for The Finding House! Things are coming together though. I have been driving her crazy with starting new projects when we really should focus on packaging and pricing, but my excuse is that I’m not really good at sales. In the midst of this total craft chaos, we are also beginning to prep and cook things for Thanksgiving! I can’t wait for family to arrive!!! Aside from all of that, I wanted to share some more art (of course). Two years ago I decided to go back to college to get an advanced degree and I was bound and determined to take some art classes as well. Hopefully, one day, I will be able to get a degree in art. I do have a stole from the art department, but no degree yet. Anyway, here are some things I made in my Ceramics and Native American art classes. At first I thought I would stick with the low fire, however, I found the high fire and raku to work better for me. I have tons more ceramic pieces, but I just have to find some time to take the pictures. I had the best time in these classes! I met so many great people and had the best Art History study nights. One friend has gone on to Graduate School in Chicago (he will be famous soon) and the other I know is going to be a famous cake designer!!!

Beautiful Blogs!

Since I posted about Etsy last time, it’s only fair that I post my favorite artsy blogs.

http://www.linnadesigns.com/wordpress

I can’t get enough of this blog! It’s from my dearest friend, Linna, who is a graphic designer!!! She designed my classroom shirts this year and I can’t wait until I can post the outcome. It is the coolest design if I may say. Aside from being a fabulous designer, she is also a very entertaining writer. I love reading about how and where she gets her inspiration. She is “going places” as the saying “goes!”

http://livingthecreativeteenlife.blogspot.com/

So, I have yet to tell how I got to know this artist, but I will explain shortly. It is an awesome story! She is actually my blogging inspiration and I LOVE her art. It is so my style. It’s inspirational, original, colorful, and unique. There is nothing that I don’t love about her work. She is going to be either famous for her art or she going to be a tennis star. Actually, she will more than likely do both! Kayla, say "hi" to RAFA for me please!!!

http://unionstreetpeople.blogspot.com/

Spreading The Word, while sharing a meal! These guys are doing wonderful things for the community! I love reading about their experiences with feeding the homeless. Such a selfless thing to do.

http://surface-gallery.blogspot.com/

http://lizknitsbits.blogspot.com/

http://vikkicruz.blogspot.com/

http://www.yvonnecavanagh.blogspot.com/

http://brentsdrawingboard.blogspot.com/

http://oleanderbicycleclub.blogspot.com/

Okay, this one is a package deal! These artists are so creative, so unique, and so talented! Beautiful, contemporary art fills the space of the Surface Gallery on a daily basis. If you haven’t been downtown yet, please GO! Surface Gallery offers classes and rents out their space for special occasions. It is such a soothing and relaxing environment.

I know I am missing some other wonderful blogs, but as I catch them I’ll post them. I love spreading the word about other people’s endeavors.

“Plastics!”

Oh how I love the movie “The Graduate” and coincidently I was given the movie by my parents when I graduated college. I’d like to think my mom was going for a theme, “The Graduate” for the graduate, rather than this having any other meaning. I think they are pretty satisfied that the one thing I came away with from that movie was “plastics” considering the main plot of the movie was less than admirable! :) With that said...here are some plastic Shrinky Dinks!!! I got the patterns from a Klutz book.

Canvas Bags!

We used fabric pens on these guys! Grab some muslin and fabric pens, sew a simple bag, add a strap, and create your own design...or grab one of ours this weekend! These bags are super simple to make though, so you should give it a try!

Our Art Partner...

is at the beach! The last time I went to the beach with my Aunt and Uncle we spent hours water coloring and watching the funniest episode of Huell Howser ever! Here are some of my finished pieces. They are packaged and ready to sell this weekend!

Oh Boy...

or Girl!!! What’s more fun than giving a custom handmade gift to a sweet little pea? You can get kits at JoAnn’s craft store or piece some scraps together for a one-of-a-kind keepsake. So, if you need some baby gear (quilts, receiving blankets, diaper bundles, tag-a-longs, and so much more) we can help you out! These all make darling gifts and we can make them to coordinate with a theme or hodgepodge it for the eclectic baby to be; and they are super soft (we use minky fabric)!

Excess-orize!

You can never have too many accessories and I am loving all the fun ones that artists are making these days. I just saw the best handmade ceramic pendants at Surface Gallery the other day. They also had a pendant and cuff made out of recycled road signs...how creative!!! The Finding House will have some of Saint Olive’s accessories as well as a Silversmith. Her pieces are amazing and so unique! I always admire her work each year. I love her designs. If I find out she has a link I will share it on here.

The Hippos!

This little guy was my class’s mascot for three years. He was so helpful in welcoming people to our room. He is retired now that I am in the upper grades. For some reason they didn’t want to be the Hippos...go figure. :)

Rock and Roll!

So, the Finding House is quickly approaching and my mom and I are frantically preparing all of our arts and crafts. We are also trying to get the house ready for Thanksgiving and needless to say we are in total chaos. But, for some reason, we thrive on doing a million things at the last minute. It’s only by the Grace of God that everything comes together, but somehow it always does!

Crafty Christmas!

With the holidays quickly approaching I thought I’d share one of my family’s newest traditions. A few years ago we got rid of the traditional exchanging of gifts and instead opted for a more homespun idea. We make our gifts! Of course there is the occasional package, usually for the little ones in the family, but for the most part we make our own gifts. I love this idea! It is so hard to shop for people and there are too many other factors that make traditional gifting such a headache. Instead, our family gives what they love. My cousin and his wife have an olive tree and last year they marinated olives for everyone and packaged this along with the most delicious rosemary crackers. My uncle makes wine (this is a favorite of mine) and my mom and I always come up with something that is themed….one year we made scrapbooks with old pictures for each family. One of my favorite gifts came a few years ago from my Aunt. She made glass beads (I tried this at her ranch and was able to make three imperfect beads…it’s not easy) and brought a whole container of them to our Christmas dinner. She then explained that she made all the beads and that we were going to string them and make our own bracelets!!! She brought all the findings, clasps, and chains. It took me forever to make three beads, so I can only imagine how long it took her to make enough beads for all of us girls to make our own unique bracelets. Here are some photos of our bracelets and some other extras. The single beads have been wire wrapped and are ready to go on a chain. I just have the one chain, but switch them out to coordinate. My sweet little cousins who are just in preschool and second grade made glittery ornaments for everyone this last year and they came over to my house and made scarves for the men in our family! And keeping in mind that Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away, I would like to conclude with that I am so thankful our family celebrates the season this way!

Bizarre Bazaar

I love bazaars!!! Ever since I can remember, my mom always made handmade crafts and baked goods for craft bazaars. We used to participate in one in particular all the time and it always got me in the holiday spirit because it was always right before the holidays...perfect timing! This open house has since stopped because it was a ton of work, but we are so lucky to be involved with another type of bazaar. It is more of an artisan open house and Saint Olive’s pieces are probably the craftiest pieces that will be for sale. This is a change from the past because the other participants are talented “artists” versus other “crafters.” My mother and I first started out as L&L Collection and we were pretty crafty then, but I think we have begun to grow into artists. We changed our name, offer more sophisticated pieces, and we even have a blog!!! I can’t say that we have abandoned our crafty ways completely, but I think our pieces have become more sophisticated rather than cute if you will. We will always be crafty at heart though! Please come out and support our endeavors and those of the other artists November 27th and 28th. This show is sponsored by Hannah Rose Heart & Co. There will be soft-sculpture dolls, children’s books, a silversmith, stoneware, pottery, weavings, wall decor, wreaths, cookbooks, soups, notecards, blown-glass, homemade candy, jams, jellies, bread, handmade fabric creations, jewelry, and much more! Prices start at $1.00...you can’t beat that! Email saintolivecollection@gmail.com for details and directions. We appreciate all the support!!!

Why Buy It When You Can Make It?

I think sometimes I should just buy it! Case in point....these rings. I went to Ireland a couple of years ago and saw a ring similar to the ones I tried to make after I was inspired. Unfortunately, they didn’t turn out as wonderful as the one I saw, but hopefully I’ll get a little better. I got most of my materials at The Bead and Yarn Studio. They teach classes, so if you want to make a ring they can help. I love making these rings because they are so fast! In ten minutes you have a completed project! This is also a great way to use up some of those extra beads you have.

Here is the link to the Bead and Yarn Studio! They also teach knitting...one of my other favorite things. I get my knitting lessons from my grandma though! :)

http://www.beadandyarnstudio.com/index.html

"War, huh, good God. What is it good for..."

In honor of Veterans Day, I thought I’d share a card I made a long time ago when I was feeling rather patriotic. Thanks and appreciation to all of our Troops and Veterans; especially my dad and grandpa! Praying for you always!

"Etsy" Bitsy Spider!

Etsy is just wonderful! I am so happy there is an outlet for creative people to make a little cash from their art. Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/gobirdie

This is where you can find the cutest cards ever!!! Get inspired and smile here!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/yvonnecavanagh

Ceramics!!! What more can I say? I LOVE ceramics and this artist is so talented!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/lizbitshandmade

Block Prints!!! This is my new favorite ART! Liz taught me all i know about Block Printing!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/kaylafujimoto

I have the cutest story about this artist that I will tell later, but I own one of her pieces and I absolutely LOVE it! She is amazing and enjoys Amy Butler fabrics and prints as much as I do!

Please support these talented artists!!!

Hooray for Clay!

I LOVE ceramics and my Aunt got me hooked on making Crosses and...snakes! What a combination!!! Here are some of the Crosses she made. I’ll post some of my Crosses and snakes when/if I take some pictures.

Puppy Art!

My cousin and her husband went to glorious Huntington Lake a few months ago and I got to puppy sit their eight little pups and their sweet mommy. My sweet mommy and the cutest neighbors helped me create a pillow case for them to remember when their babies were innocent. :) They have grown a little now, but they are still super adorable and they are for SALE! I hear they can bark their ABCs and they are ARTISTS! These are some pretty gifted and talented puppies!

Patterns are Sometimes Hard to Follow...

and so is sticking to just one medium. With that said, here are some more pictures of my Aunt’s art in a different medium from the previous post. She cut all the wood for her canvas and then painted these pieces with beautiful patterns. Sticking to the random theme, I cut out a hippo and then painted that. I know...a hippo, crazy right? Pictures of that cute guy soon to come!

What’s the Beach Without a Little Water...COLOR?

A few months ago I went to the beach with my Aunt and Uncle just to get away, but instead of going to the beach we watercolored our little hearts out. Last time my Aunt and I were completely consumed by Needle Punching and before that it was beading. When we get hooked on something, we are hooked...hours turn into days with little sleep. I remember when we were really into beading we took a class and then went home to continue the “race” to see who finished first. I can’t remember who won (it was me), but it was sometime around 2 am when I called her and she was still working away. I guess it’s a good addiction to have though! I will post some pictures of the Needling Punch Art and the beading projects soon, but in the meantime here are some photos of my Aunt’s finished watercolors. My Uncle actually got involved and painted the fly. I so wanted to have a "fly on the wall" and he painted it for me! I LOVE it so much!!!

FYI there is actually watercolor that contains glitter!!! I was so excited about this and if you feel the same way I do about glittery watercolor you can pick some up at Beverly’s. Happy painting!!!

Baking is Such a Delicious Art!

Yes, even “starving artists” need to occasionally eat...SO, why not fuel up on some homemade delicious bagels? My cousin recently opened AJ’s Bagel House and YOU need to visit! They have internet, art, food, smoothies, coffee, and they are GREEN!!!

Here are the details:

http://www.ajsbagelhouse.com/

As Rachel Ray would say...”Yumm O!”