Hi curious ones. Lately I've been having lots & lots of ideas running through my mind with the possibility of 'opening' an Etsy shop for my art. I've been thinking of making other things that I'm not very familiar with. One of the main things I've been thinking about making is (well, they are already made)...make that getting small to large trinket boxes from craft places and then painting 'em/adding pendants or other things to 'em.
Another thing I've been thinking about is doing something with mirrors. I bought one mirror (w/a wooden frame around it) and would like to make my own looking-glasses, with their own special touches of course.
Now remember Alice In Wonderland is NOT going to be my ONLY theme if I do open this shop. But I can't help to think of mirrors...and other Alice things as well. Some of you know that I like to use mirrors in my art. But they were broken pieces of 'em in the past. I actually bought some already shaped small mirrors (squares & circles).
That means I may not be using a hammer to smash the mirrors much anymore. Which is actually a lot of FUN! But it is dangerous (the tiniest piece of dusty glass can kill if it gets in contact with your skin)...and it can be quite complicated to put on the odd-shaped shards too. Yeah, and the burning HOT glue touching your skin (sometimes) makes you just wanna SCREAM! That's another thing I may be stepping away from because it's a pain in the @ss. I bought regular kinds of glue today-it'll be a whole new experience.
So anyways lots o' ideas have been bouncing around. And so I've been checking out BOTH a Michaels and a JoAnn's...which are also very close to my house. Can be good...and can be very bad too & you know why. $$$$>_<$$$$
Oh & there's really no books/magazines for us peeps who do different kinds of arts/crafts all together (I would say for my bloggin' buds Diane & Dracenea too). I mean atleast I can't find any at the moment. That could be helpful but I also like learning on my own too. And I'm not using the WWW for some of the things I'd like to do/am already doing either....yet.
O.k. so what lays below is some of my window shopping while at JOANN's this week. I can SWEAR to you I didn't want to go back (just ask Dracenea!)...I had to return things, twice! I tried using these stamp pads that don't want to cooperate with me. So more reasons for me to 'window shop' there right? Well, I'm done with trying to get those stamp pads (they are gold & silver ones)...and just using a regular (non-metallic) color one. SOOO, I won't go back til....hm, the urge hits me. Here's some of my wandering finds...
Oh & ALWAYS remember if you CLICK on a picture, it'll show the images bigger & better. Just a friendly FYI if ya didn't know. :)
I always see something reminding me of my blogging friend Sullivan (when I window shop), but I LOVE piggies too so here's some you can paint.Some really BIG ones...
And little ones too.
BAA! I'm a Sheep. And OINK! I'm a Pig. Cuz I like sheep too...and if you hit the plastic piggie or sheep, he'll make a Baaaa or Oink noise.
I can't do these. I don't think I'd have the patience...but it's a pretty sweet design.
LOOKIE, it's my jewelry line! Just kidding, I wish. (But ooo, my colors-black & purple!) I'm starting to get interested in jewelry, charms, pendants, etc...for these ideas. And the NOIR stuff was very pretty but....pricey. So very classy looking...ooo la la!
I really like these ones. Especially the top LEFT one-a purple starfish.And the bottom RIGHT one-a rocking chair...or some kinda chair.
This brand has really nice ones. I actually bought the pendant they have on their sign a few days back. Very lovely.
MANOR HOUSE also has some really good ones.
SCARY/CREEPY plushies with creatures in...their stomachs!
They are called Belly Bunch.
And they cost 19.99-that's a little much!
Is it just me or are they really really...
ODD!!??!!
I think that this Koala is the creepiest.He has a spider & a crocodile...and stuff like that in his belly.
I just can't imagine a kid saying "MOM, I want a ___ Belly Bunch!"
I love this piece. I think you're supposed to put him outside. He's supposed to be a tree stump. Well, if you look on the top of his head you can see the tree better. He wasn't very heavy though...and for 34.99, I would expect it to stay down on your lawn/porch well!This concludes my Joann's window shopping & wandering.
Take care.~
5 Curious people had this to say...:
Great! There is a picture of a cute bear with a spider in its belly!! You are going to give the Frog Queen nightmares!!! :)
I would love to see you open an Esty shop. I love buying handmade gifts for my friend, they are so much more personal.
Can hardly wait to read the blog post about your first sale. (fingers crossed!)
Cheers!
that skull latch hook is effing sweet!
my best advice when it comes to art (not that you really asked, but whatever) is:
1. don't let too many creative thoughts crowd your brain. have an idea notebook that you can jot things down when you think of them and/or stick pics in of things that inspire you. and then let it go til you start a project. if i dont do this i get super overwhelmed. have a ton of idea but can't implement any of them because my brain is just too crowded.
2. just GO FOR IT!
3. always remember, there are no mistakes in art!!
4. keep it fun!
i know none of that has anything to do with technique or whatever, but still very important. the rest you can learn as you go.
the hardest thing i deal with when it comes to my art is that it can get expensive, but i guess that's where the phrase 'starving artist' comes from.
Frog Queen- Thanks so much. You made me smile with your comment about my 1st sale. ^_^ OH, for sure I'll be blogging about it!
Diane- Thanks as always for your comments/suggestions. Like I said before, I love to hear anyone's opinions on art. So feel free to tell me anything, even when I don't ask!
I know what you mean about too many ideas. I'll try to keep 'em in a book, that's a good idea, thanks.
Yeah, and with that LOOK-GLASS piece-I had an idea, then it spawned another idea & so on & so on. But I didn't plan out the execution very well & that's why I was unhappy w/it. But you're right, you learn as you go.
LEMME tell ya, I learned one thing for sure-I will NEVER try finishing a piece RIGHT before leaving the house! Bad bad bad!
And it's good to have Mike around sometimes (yeah, he's good for atleast something! ha ha.) because he understands art pretty well. Sometimes I need that extra pair of eyes. Not all the time, just when I'm really stuck.
Does Rik ever help you in any way?
Good luck with the art shop!
And I love the piggies! The belly beasties are creepy!
It's so true when they say that your blood, sweat and tears goes into your art/craft!
There aren't many alternative books out there but there are some. Like the Creepy Cute Crochet book I got. Typically to find something like that, you'd have to go online. I was lucky enough to find that book at JoAnn's.
The JoAnn's by me was having a stamp sale so I bought some ink pads and stamps. Wish me luck that they work!
That latch hook kit looked sweet!
Those Belly Bunch things were a little bizarre.
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