Wednesday, April 30, 2014

In The Studio

I've been learning how to use the "new to me" camera and taking updated photos of existing listings. I have to say it's been exhausting but fun. I still have a lot to do but it's part of the way I like to do things anyway, so it's all worth it to me. My favorites are below:



I am also taking some photos of my painted pieces, the small art acrylics, which haven't yet been available to anyone in 2 years (I put them away deeming them no good when I made them. It's an artist thing, apparently). These will be listed in my shop on storenvy hopefully within the next few days. I'm slowly adding all my listings from Etsy into this shop. It just got real, as they say, at Etsy. The truth is that I can't afford to keep it running if I don't make any sales. It breaks my heart but I have to do what I have to do. Keep in mind my art is my job and selling it is what I do to buy supplies and pay the bills. It is time to close the mosaics shop at Etsy only (the only site I use that requires payment for listings) and keep the photo shop open there at least until November, if that's possible, but it too may have to close.

I will always find a way to share my mosaics and photography through social media for as long as I'm able. For now, using sites that don't offer monthly fees is what I have to do. Starting over is never a bad thing but adjusting the thought process is hard. It also takes a long time to build a following and make sales when you start on a new site. That will be hardest because I will be out of some supplies to create very soon (glue is a biggie as are substrates to use - I am blessed with grout, dishes, stained glass, mirror, dodads and baubles to fill my room up, but attaching them together onto something is where it gets tricky). As always, I'm positive something good will happen soon. It is not uncommon to have dry spells. But 5 months is a little too long to keep things running smoothly without much of a budget and each week it gets a little harder. I've been with Etsy for a long time (opened my shop in 2009). That alone tells me that it might be time for a change.

In any case, the photo below is from an acrylic I call "Blue Heart". I'm contemplating a price for these too. As soon as I get that figured out and the rest of the photos edited of the other mixed media pieces I have, I'll share them here with the links for each on storenvy.

Heading towards my new shop on storenvy very soon!
I do love these 5 x 5 inch acrylic paintings. Some of them (most of them) are mixed media pieces. The only thing I'd change is having the signatures on the front. When I do more, that will go on the back or be a little less prominent on the front. That is partly why I put them away. I signed them quickly and with permanent marker. And way too big!!

Speaking of supplies, I'm running low on acrylics too; I still have hardly any room to move around in here, but I am running low on the favorites, so that makes it hard. The muse is getting fussy and wants to paint something. I'm going to have to dig up some things and use the paint I have while I'm at it. She can get so bossy when she doesn't get her way! ;)

I also closed the door, for the time being, to the "Super Secret Mosaics Lab" this week. The last gift was given and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.


Oh the cool things you can do with a discarded beer bottle!

Finally got the donation piece for DWB/MSF grouted. What a chore that was! Lots of fussy bits to clean still, but it looks great. I'm also a bit sad since these boxes have been discontinued. I wanted to make more similar to this using suns and moons on them. I am on the lookout for other boxes with the right depth and look but it isn't something I need to figure out how to buy at the moment. But it's something that's been added to the ever growing list!






I'm making a pendant to send along with the box but none of this is due for a few months, so I have time to gather up the funds to send it and get the pendant made (which honestly only takes a few minutes some days!).

I was asked to make a custom order from broken blue willow dish shards that belonged to her grandparents and was hung on a wall before shattering. She sent the shards and I got to work right away. I'm covering the sides too so I can use as much of the original dish as possible. This is kind of cool to be doing this. I first learned how to mosaic after I broke my own grandmother's blue willow plate. I burst into tears and then vowed I'd figure out a way to make something from the mess into a piece of art. That's how I started my mosaic journey and now I'm doing it again, but this time for someone else. Happy me!



Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Stay peaceful,
Cindy

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Trendy Tuesday

Doing a search for "ombre" gave me the Trendy Tuesday Treasury items. Below the treasury are a few items from my mosaics shop on Etsy that fit fairly well into this category as well. Click on the links under each photo to head on over to Etsy.


Freshen Up
Peach Pendant
Green and Blue Pendant
Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Stay peaceful,
Cindy

Monday, April 28, 2014

Promo Blast! - Mother's Day Flowers

Head on over to my shop through society6 to get flower ideas for the Mom's in your life. These flowers don't need watering to stay vibrant all year long. Give a gift of flowers that last longer than a week!

Here's a nice selection of art, home decor and useful items for Mother's Day.

Secret Garden
Wedding Bouquet
In Bloom
Maple Leaves - Framed
Spring Blossoms
Grow, Bloom, Fly - iPhone Case
Birthday Flowers
Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Stay peaceful,
Cindy

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Fun Photo Collections #4

You may have seen some of these before. Every so often while looking through my computer files, I find a collection I love enough to share more than once. Anything that catches your eye and you can't find in my shops, give me a holler. It may have sold, gone to the local crafts boutique or taken out of the rotation but could be available through a special order or request.







Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Stay peaceful,
Cindy

Friday, April 25, 2014

Picture Day

04/18/2014 - looking out
04/19/2014 - favorite color
04/20/2014 - today I ...
{ shared bubbles from the Easter Bunny, had a breakfast smoothie and created some art }
04/21/2014 - motion
04/22/2014 - angle
04/23/2014 - extreme close up
{ All photo prompts come from theidearoom.net }

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Stay peaceful,
Cindy

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Featured Shop - Artisan Bath & Body

ArtisanBathandBody

Handmade Soap, Natural Skincare, Vegan Beauty



Cristy Ramos, the owner of Artisan Bath and Body has creatively created a wonderful shop on Etsy. In our world, online presence is the most important thing. It is what makes a sale. Her photos make me feel the need to reach out and sniff deeply to gather in the different blends used in her handmade soaps. Good photos make the customer want to purchase an item. Great products make a customer come back often to purchase again. If I could, I'd have one of everything from this shop.

In her words: "All the soaps I make are made using the finest ingredients to offer you a high quality soap bar that will last and bubble creamy and abundantly without leaving a lot of residue on the surface where you leave it on." Awesome!

Subscribe to Artisan Bath & Body's Newsletter for news, sales, promotions, and more!

I'm always looking for natural products with my all-time favorites in them like patchouli and lemongrass. This shop has that and much, much more. Natural skincare, shown in some of the best photos I've ever perused, is just a click away.

I'm pleased, honored and delighted to share Artisan Bath and Body on Etsy with you all.

Enjoy the moments!

Homemade Soap, Organic Skincare, Natural Beauty, Bath Accessories and more!
Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Stay peaceful,
Cindy


Wednesday, April 23, 2014

In The Studio

I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend. We sure did!

It has been busy. The Easter holiday, one daughter's birthday, the second daughter's wedding anniversary and lastly Earth Day! Whew.

That crazy bunny brought Little Dude some bubbles in his basket this year.
We made cupcakes to surprise Little Dude's Mom on her birthday. I baked, he sprinkled jimmies. The cupcakes had wheat flour in them, so I didn't get a taste, but they sure smelled good!
"Discovery" was finished on time for Tara's birthday. Yay!
Over the weekend I got to visit Spring Equinox again. It hasn't fared all that well in spots because it sat in water for a long period of time, but considering that underneath is a bowling ball and the mosaic still hasn't completely fallen apart, I'd say it's fine. This was the 2nd bowling ball I ever put a mosaic on in 2008, I think.
I'm feeling so blessed these days!! I was gifted 5 bags, in some amazing assorted colors (starry night and sage for instance), of sanded grout this week. Also 3 small containers of opened grout too. I am positive I won't be shopping for grout any time soon! How lucky am I?!
Mark (my daughter, Tara's boyfriend) has a birthday coming up next ... within the week actually ... yikes.
The glue is now dry and I can fill in around the beer bottle and maybe even get it grouted before Mark's b'day. Yay!
I've been playing with the "new to me" camera. I've been a big fan of editing photos on the computer for a few years now. I use it mostly to bring out the colors or soften the photo. I like to use the sharpen and clarity functions as well. I have a few favorite sites but my #1 favorite is picmonkey.com - I recommend it highly.
I took over 200 photos during our celebration on Sunday. We had some birthdays and the Easter Bunny visited too. I am now a little more adept at using the camera but still have many things to explore with it.

I walked around all day with the camera and found some wonderful things to photograph. I even managed to get some really good shots of the fam which can be seen on flickr. I'm still adding photos so check back again if you visit. Some of these will end up on society6 as prints for sale. I'll keep you posted!



I said last week I was going to grout the donation star box but I haven't gotten to it yet. I usually grout on the weekends, so perhaps I'll get to it this weekend?? If so, I'll share photos of it here next time.

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Stay peaceful,
Cindy