A bit of everything

I haven't had a chance to update the blog in a week or more, so this one will be lengthy...

A couple of new pieces. These are a little different and a bit out of the ordinary for me, but I've been trying to break out of my shell a bit...

A quick trip to Salina for a family reunion and the Gerry Neustrom Young Artist Challenge - an annual high school art competition for students across the state named after my grandmother.



I've been lucky to spend some time with all of the babies in my life...Connor, Thea and Campbell.


A day trip to Sparks, Kansas for a flea market. Population: 9. My "city" friends weren't quite sure what to think, but I'm pretty sure they'll want to go again next year. Check out Mr. Marbles and the Home Kooked Vittles. We stopped in a small Kansas town (aka Methville) for gas and the world's scariest trip to gas station bathroom.







Jo and Aaron wedding reception was a blast. Who stole my camera and got a little snap happy while taking candids of all of the husbands? Hmmm...

Now on Etsy.com

In all my fury of completing a few projects, vacuuming dog hair and posting to my blog, I also found some time to post some of my new work on Etsy. This is a great place for handmade art and really fun stuff. Check it out.

This is my first time to post art on this site and we will see how it goes. One of my blog obsessions is design*sponge and the writer had been talking about collages recently. I thought I might go ahead and post some pieces in case there are more collage-obsessed folks out there that I can help.

I will update my page soon, but in the meantime you can check it out by clicking here...

Busy Bee

Have I been busy! I took today off to work of some new stuff for the art fair coming up in June. It was a great day because I got lost at The River Market Antique Mall for two and a half hours. I found some great books to use in my collages...flowers, trees, birds and dogs. One book is all about wild pigeons. Who knew pigeons could be so colorful!? I always thought they were flying rats. Anyhoo...

I took some time tonight and scanned in some of the pieces that I've been working on. These are all 6x6 on wrapped canvas, which means they are ready to hang. Enjoy...

My apologies

I apologize that I haven't been good about updating the blog lately. I don't have much to report on because I have been hard at work in my "cinder block studio" trying to get some pieces done for the PV art Show. I've determined that I need to finish two pieces each day to get the desired number of pieces for the show. Well...I'm a long way from two pieces per day. I actually plan to take the day off from work on Monday to get some pieces done!

I promise to scan and post them here as soon as they are ready for viewing.

I also have a desire to start posting a few pieces to www.etsy.com just to see what happens. It seems that all of the really great home decor and design sites that I check out refer to Etsy quite a bit. Who knows...maybe I could get "discovered" on there!?

Not much else is new in my life. I've told Chris that we need to plan a vacation just so I have something to talk about. We are boring. Check back soon.

Bring it on

I don't know about you, but I am ready for some warm weather. The lovely pictures of plants I posted last week...well, all of those plants are dead. Why did we get teased with such pretty weather and then suddenly it's cold and everything is dead!? I'm over it.

I've been a busy little bee getting ready for the Prairie Village show. I need to really get in gear to accomplish what I think I need to accomplish prior to the show.


Until next time, here is a piece that reminds me of summer...

Did I do that?

I have already told this story to a few of you, but...

I went to a bachelorette party a few weeks ago and drove myself home at 1:30 in the morning. I truly was fine to drive, only having about 3 beers.

Flash forward to Saturday morning when I pulled into the YMCA parking lot (note: Had I had more than three beers I wouldn't have even considered the Y as an option on an early Saturday morning). I pulled into the parking spot and glanced into the rear view mirror to see red blood all over the back of my rear window. "Holy s*#t! I couldn't have killed someone or something on my way home. Could I? I was fine to drive!" I got out and observed a bit more closely. I couldn't honestly rule out blood. Rather than going into the Y, I decided to head back home and try to figure this mystery out.

I pulled into the driveway, got out of the car and realized that the blood was all over the driveway and up and down the sidewalk. Whew! At least if I killed someone, it was a neighbor that was walking in front of my house at 1:30 a.m. Idiot.

I touched my finger to the "blood" and my finger was instantly stained a bright pink. Yes, pink. Woo Hoo! It wasn't blood. I was just the victim of a crazy bunch of pranksters having fun on St. Patty's.

Long story short...I couldn't decide if I should take pictures, call the police or take my car to get cleaned and if so, in what order? I took pictures. I washed my car. The paint mostly came out. I then filed a police report. Turns out it happened to a few other cars on the block. I headed back to the Y.

Just happy that it's spring

I have nothing new to report other than I did NOT get into the Smoky Hill River Festival in Salina. (Waa Waa...Debbie Downer). I'm Ok with it though because the show is the weekend following the Prairie Village art show and the thought of preparing for two shows right, when I've never even done one, is a bit daunting.


I've been struggling to lure myself into my dark basement when it is so beautiful and springy outside. Yesterday was awesome. Today is pretty, but chilly. Did everything turn green overnight or what!? I love it! And I love the Plaza Easter Bunnies. I miss you, Amy and Bess! Happy spring everyone.

Brownie Butts

If you don't receive Daily Candy's daily e-mails, you really should sign up. They send fun and clever e-mails based on the city where you live or wished you lived at least.

This came in to my inbox yesterday and I thougth it was one of the smartest things I have ever heard of...brownie butts. You know... the brownie pan edges. Not sure about you, but the edge is my favorite part of the entire batch. This company specializes in selling in only the edges, or the "butts" as they call them. It reminds me of Seinfeld's muffin tops. Anyway, it made me happy.

Drumroll, please!

A very special envelope arrived in the mail today! A "Congratulations. You've been accepted to the Prairie Village Art Show" letter! Needless to say, I'm absolutely thrilled. According to the letter, more than 350 artists applied to the show and 90 were accepted.

If you've followed my blog since I launched it back in October, you may be asking yourself, "Is the same Prairie Village Art Show that she said she talked her way into?" Well, kind of, but not really. I had a conversation with the director of the show in October and told her about my interest in participating. I was encouraged by the conversation and decided to send the director an email in February as a "reminder." She never replied, so I went ahead and went through the process of getting slides made from my electronic images. I've now come to realize that I had the wrong email address for her and she never received my email. So, I'd like to think I got in based on my work and not in my sly way of talking my way into things.

I think that it will be great to participate in my very first art show so close to home. Not only do I love the neighborhood and I'll surely have friendly faces stopping by (friends, family and blog readers...wait - my blog readers are only family and friends), but it will be so nice to try this thing so close to home. If I forgt something, it's only 3 minutes away.

Now I must get busy with my work. I've just felt so unmotivated since the holidays. This is exactly the kick in the pants that I've needed. There is so much to do. I need a tent. New supplies - canvases, paints, brushes. Antique letters and ephemera. Business cards. Credit card machine. Oy!

Luckily, I will finally have some work to share with you here. I started this blog to share my work and techniques and I've been bombarding you with stories about my dog and my bathroom. So sorry!

Anyway...yeah me! I'm SO excited.

Finished Bathroom

Woo Hoo! The bathroom is finally done. Actually it was done a week and a half ago, but I've been slow to take the pictures...

I've always loved the old look of subway tile. We choose this and then I freaked when I realized that the "good stuff"that we splurged on was made to look like handmade, vintage subway tiles, with waves on the edges and imperfections. Once the grey grout was in place I wasn't so worried about it. I'm pretty pleased with the overall look.

Here is shower curtain #2. I also bought a taupe damask shower curtain, but it made the small bathroom look smaller! Number 2 is still on a trial run.

New sink and toilet from Kohler "Bancroft"

Best of New York Magazine

Congrats to Russell and Carl of rePop in Brooklyn (formerly of Kansas City) for being voted Best Thrift Shop - Best of New York Shopping 2007 -- New York Magazine.

Etsy

For any of you that haven't discovered this little web site, you need to take a look. Etsy has the greatest art and much of it is very affordable. I just made my first purchase - a sepia-toned photograph with an open hand and a bird flying out of it. I received it on Saturday and I can't wait to frame it.

I'm completely addicted to jasna sokolovic - an artist from Canada who creates paintings and collages on ceramic tiles. LOVE!

Bluelines

Yay! Martha Stewart's newest magazine Blueprint, which I've blogged about in the past, now has a blog. I'll definitely mark this as one of my favs. Bluelines

Bathroom Update

There was a lot of progress made while I was out of town this week. Boy did I enjoy walking across my hotel room to hop into the shower ratehr than getting completely dressed to cross the street in below freezing temps. The bathroom still needs some finishing touches, which is exactly why I am home on a Friday night. Here are a few pre-grout pictures of the vintage-looking white subway tile.

I spent a wad of money at Bed, Bath & Beyond today for taupe and light blue towels only to discover that I don't think - as of tonight - that I really like that combo after all. I might lean towards a sage-y green color!? Geesh. I can't make up my mind about paint color in one teeny-tiny bathroom.

rePop

There are just a few blogs that I read religiously...one of them is design*sponge. It has great ideas about home design and indie artists and just some really cool stuff. I'm reading it tonight because I haven't checked in on it for a few days. What did I find about halfway down the page, but a link from Lena Corwin's site about the coolest dresser she found at rePop in Brooklyn. Yes, the same rePop that Russell and Carl opened and where my few small pices are on display. Yeah for Russell and Carl because I'm sure they are being bombarded with traffic from this very cool and very free publicity. Also, the comments on the blog make mention of how cute the owners are...go Russell and Carl.

Hint...click through to rePop and scroll down on the pictures on the left side of their page. The picture with the vintage white leather barber chairs have my little, bitty pieces in the background. The pictures must be a little old because I know that at least one of those pieces sold. Woo Hoo!

L.A.

I just returned from a fun work trip...a whirlwind tour of some of L.A.'s coolest shopping centers. We went to Irvine Spectrum, Fashion Island, Third Street Promenade, South Coast Plaza, Universal City Walk, Robertson Boulevard, The Grove and The Farmer's Market. It was a fun trip with some pretty fun marketing peeps. I learned some stuff, but mostly I feel like we drove on our short bus, ate and drank. There wasn't much time for meetings, but that's OK with me.


I did have a celeb sighting...Lisa - contact Perez. We were at The Grove and I was taking pictures of the directory advertising there because one of my newest responsibilities will be selling those at my center. Anyhoo, the advertisement in the signage holders that I was taking pictures of are for the new movie Black Snake Moan, which begins tomorrow starring Samuel L. Jackson (ohmygosh...does it have an L. in it or does it not...now that I'm typing it it seems weird), Justin Timberlake and Christina Ricci. (I noted in the USA Today that it got a half of a star). I took my pictures and we popped into a few stores and then I came out and Christine Ricci walks right by me! She was like an extra-small human, a mutant, but it was definitely her.

Here are a few pics from the trip...

This is the closest I got to the ocean...can you see it in the distance?

Bathroom progress

If any of you care, we are on Day 4 of our bathroom remodel. Thank god my sister lives across the street, so I can walk over half-awake every morning for a shower. It's unfortunate that we chose the coldest week of the year to do the remodel, but oh well...


Here are some pictures...

Annie got a furm

I dropped Annie off at Canine Design in Mission this morning. This dog has been shedding like a crazy lady. I don't really mind it, but I was pretty embarrassed when I cam home from work one day last week to find one of Chris' future business partners sitting in the hairiest place in the entire house...on the couch where Annie sits and waits for us all day long. The "furminator treatment" or "a furm"...like perm...removes dead hair. Annie looks no different except for the groomer cut the hair on her toes and I always really liked them because they reminded me of The Grinch.

Annie is very tired and since she wasn't home all day, I'll be sad when I go to bed and she hasn't left us our nightly present...

Seriously...Annie leaves two pieces of her dog food in our bed almost every night. I was pretty annoyed at first because, inevitably, I would get into bed and more often than not I would put my elbow directly on the small pieces of food. It's almost like grinding your funny bone into a rock. Now I think it's kind of charming.

Somebody get me some help if my blog turns into a daily update about my dog...

Still a Wannabe

Yep, I'm still a wannabe art fair artist. I received my email rejection from The Brookside Art Fair. I've now decided I will apply to one last show in my hometown. The Smoky Hill River Festival doesn't take online applications, so I've emailed my digital images to have slides reproduced. It takes two weeks and the deadline is in two weeks. Cross your fingers that I make it before the deadline.

In the meantime, Chris and I began our bathroom remodel today. Woo Hoo! I'll post progress pictures, but I'm too embarrased to show the "before" pictures because they made me realize exactly how badly this little project was so sorely needed.

We decided on 3x6 white subway tile with dark grey grout. The floor tile it a dark grey slate with brown tones. I'm so nervous about the grout color because I was watching a home show on HGTV and they talked about dark grout with white tile and how it was "SOOO 80s". Oy! We will see...

The Mystery Girl

Ah...it's Sunday night and another weekend passed without a chance to get into the "studio" and finish any work. My entire afternoon was spent at Lowe's in a desperate search for a toilet and sink and all of the hardware necessary for a bathroom remodel. This is my third trip to Lowe's for this very purpose and still no bathroom purchases.

I've been secretly coveting a RoomBa for some time now - you know...the iRobot vacuum cleaner. I thought I might get it for Christmas, but I knew if I did I would have been pissed that I had actually received a vacuum for a Christmas gift. So...I'm happy to report that we discovered the RoomBa in the toilet aisle. I did end up leaving Lowe's with it since it was more than $100 off. I had to have it. Annie is one shedding machine and this might make my life a little easier. If only they could invent one that remove the dog hair from the couches...

Chris and I spent a good deal of the evening watching the RoomBa clean the floor. I pretty sure I could have manually vacuumed twice in the time we spent watching the RoomBa work its magic. It was worth seeing Annie in such a confused tizzy about the newest gizmo in the house.

The piece above was completed a few months ago. The antique love letter is signed "Yours Truly...The Mystery Girl." I think that "Mystery Girl" is pretty fitting since my friend Roshni was accusing me of "leading a secret life" by not telling anyone about my art. The word is out that I have a blog only to a select few. I guess I'm not so mysterious any longer.

Oh well...

I received a regret email from the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. More than 2,400 artists applied to the show! I had less than a 1% chance of being accepted. It's OK though. I still feel good for trying. I'll continue to apply to shows, but I think I'll stick with more of the mid-level shows.

I stayed home from work today with every intention of organizing and working on a few new pieces. Instead I went to the gym and the bookstore, where I bought another home magazine - shocking! Even better...I got my baby fix by visiting baby Thea and then baby Campbell came to visit me! They are the sweetest and worth a PTO day anytime. I wasn't sure how Annie would react to a baby in the house, but she just wanted to sniff and give kisses.

I have to finish this post because "The Hills" starts in 9 minutes. One of my guiltiest pleasures. I have to see if whatsherface is preggers.

Still nothing

Still no word about the Cherry Creek Art Fair. I've become obsessed with checking my personal email. When nothing pops up in my inbox, I then check Cherry Creeks web site to see if any info has been posted. When nothing has been posted there, I check the online application site. Oy!

I haven't spent much time in my "cinder block studio" since the holidays. It's been very hard to get motivated. I went down to see if anything might inspire me and realized that all of my brushes had dried up. So, I have no new art to upload.

In the meantime, here is a cool picture I took at a Kansas football game this fall.

Still waiting

Artists that are selected for the Cherry Creek Art Festival's Emerging Artist program should be notified on Friday. While I know that there is a slimmer than slim chance that I would ever be selected, I'm still checking my e-mail constantly to see if I've received notification in advance. As if they might let me know before the other 2,000 people that applied to the show.

So...I wait.

Everyone that knows me knows that I have a magazine addiction. I've been trying to wean myself off of subscriptions. For a while I was receiving Lucky, Oprah, Cooking Light, Country Living, ELLE Decor and I could hardly make a trip to the store without picking up US Weekly. It's bad that I spend so much on magazines (which I DO read), but it's worse that I keep them!

Recently we've been thinking about finishing our basement, so it's been a good reason to go through all of the home magazines at least and tear out projects and ideas that I could see using in the basement or in any other future home projects. I feel very proud that I've sent huge stacks of magazines to the recycling bin this week.

Today on my lunchbreak, however, I picked up three more magazines and a Pottery Barn book that focuses on storage and display. $35 later, I have more pages to tear and place into my nifty orange binder of dream home ideas.

One of the magazines I picked up was Martha Stewart's new magazine Blueprint. I've only thumbed through it, but I love it! It's only on it's second issue, but I'm already a fan. Click here for the ideas of how to build a sleek home office. It is exactly the look I'm going for in my basement.

New Year's Resolution

Well, I think this might be the first time I've actually completed my New Year's Resolution. Keep in mind I'm referencing LAST year's resolutions, which was to apply to an art show. I applied to the Cherry Creek Emerging Artist program - which allows new, wannabe art fair artists to apply to the show without having a booth shot. This is a great program because everyone needs to start somewhere. I'm happy to know that there is a program for young-ish artists.

I did finally set up my borrowed tent in the backyard last weekend, so I could apply to the Brookside Art Annual here in Kansas City. I was pretty pleased with the way the booth shot turned out. It was a very windy day though and all of the pieces look crooked. Here is the final look...

Puerto Vallarta

Back from a very short trip to Puerto Vallarta. It was so nice and relaxing. I think I should book a warm, tropical trip once a year just to keep my sanity. Here are some pics...

This is Our Lady of Guadalupe Church next to the Bay. I was on a mission to get Our Lady trinkets for a friend - you now who you are. There was a Spanish service (obviously) taking place while we were there. Little nuns sold little trinkets on tables outside of the door.

The last sunset of 2006. We sat in a bar and sipped on Coronas and Pacificos, while we watched the sun go down.

This is me trying to take some cool, Spanish architectural pictures. This is also a shot from the same bar overlooking the Bay where I took the sunset picture. All I had to do was turn in my chair and I could see the moonrise and sunset at the same time.

No big deal

Friday was a good day. Not only did I have an excellent day at work (breaking my company's previous sponsorship sales record), but I was heading into the holiday weekend. As I was driving to visit my parents, I got a call from Russell (of RePop in Brooklyn) and he sold two of my pieces to an editor at TEEN VOGUE!!!! No big deal. But really, can you believe that? Surely she has good taste if she works for such a prestigious magazine!? I'm so pleased to 1. sell something in New York and 2. sell something to someone who is obviously pretty cool.

Has it been that long?

Oh my…has it really been almost a month since my last post? I swore that if I started a blog I would keep up with it. I’m slacking. I’ve been so busy with the holidays right around the corner. I think I might finally be done shopping with a few days to spare. Yeah!

I’ve also just completed three 12x12 collages for my friend’s in-laws and a surprise gift (for someone that I cannot reveal in the weird chance that he checks my blog). Commissions are such pressure! You have one chance to do it right and please the person that commissioned the work. Sue – I really hope you like the work when they arrive!

In the last month, I’ve also been trying to design my own art festival booth. I borrowed a tent from a woman in Salina. She is so generous and kind to let me keep it in KC for several months while I try to get my stuff together. Chris and I set up the exterior of the tent one Sunday and it wasn’t too bad. There’s really no way that I could do it alone though. After it was set up in the backyard, I decided that I wanted something a little different than the ordinary displays that you see at every festival across the country. I decided to purchase several (six?) hollow wooden doors at Lowes. Chris cut each of the doors in half and drilled three screw eyes into the non-hollow part of each door. We hung the doors from vintage feedbag material to the tent. It looked really cool and different. I think the booth lends itself well to my work. At that point it was getting dark and we had to break down the tent. On the next nice weekend, I plan to set it back up and shoot my work in the tent. My nice next door neighbor offered to shoot it with his semi-pro camera.

I also applied to an art fair in the emerging artist category. Since it’s a category for new artists, there is no booth shot required. There is really no chance in hell that I would ever get in, but I feel good that I took the steps to actually apply. It was one of my New Year’s Resolutions, so I’ll check that off the list just in time.

Applying to an art show was quite a process. I had to take my larger work (too big for my scanner at home) to a camera shop to be scanned. When the deadline came for the application, the camera shop had not yet completed the scans! I was so upset. My best work was not included in the application. Oh well. I’ll just have to wait until next year.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

It's been a few weeks since my last post. Despite receiving a HUGE box of canvases from Dick Blick, I haven't had much time to work. I've also felt quite a creative block lately. Hopefully the block will end soon because I purchased some new pictures on eBay and just received them last week. The auction I won was an antique photo album from the late 1800's to the 1930's. Most of the 140 photos are military families, but there are also some really neat pictures of women in swimming suits from that era. Very cool!

I'm heading back home for Thanksgiving. While I'm home, I am going to borrow an art fair canopy from a friend to bring back to Kansas City for a few weeks. I'll make an attempt at building a booth to shoot so I can consider applying for a few local art shows.

My plan while at home - besides enjoying my family - is to raid my dad's attic for old family photos. I've been paying too much for family photos of people that aren't even related to me. I'm sure that I can scrounge up some cool pitcures of a few distant relatives.

The piece included in this post includes one of my favorite photos. I love their outfits as well as their hairstyles. It's a small 6x6 piece, but I like it's simplicity.

Until next time...Happy Thanksgiving!

New Inspiration

Chris and I celebrated our three year wedding anniversary at a Bed & Breakfast in a sleepy Missouri town along the Katy Trail this past weekend. It was a perfect fall weekend along the bluffs of the Missori River. It was our first B&B weekend and it won't be our last.

While exploring the small town (population:208), we stumbled across a few antique shops. At one shop in particular, I found an antique book of receipts dated back to 1907 for only $14. I also discovered a set of bird, nest and birdcage stamps. They are new, but look vintage.

I took today off and finished a few pieces after getting a facial. (This is my first facial at age 30!) Check it out - see the small nest stamp!

I'm fresh out of canvases and awaiting a giant order from Dick Blick. I have more than 30 on the way in the next few days. Stay tuned...