Spring Swap

I've been so terribly busy lately, trying to get ready for Artiscape, Art & Soul VA, and CREATE in Costa Mesa, not to mention trying to develop new classes and proposals for 2012 that I have been sadly neglectful of my bloggerly duties. So- as soon as I get life back to only an 80 hour work week, I'll be back with all sorts of new photos and projects to share.

Until I can get them up, I'll share a photo of a piece I made for a Spring swap I was in over at Playing with Boxes. We were to decorate a large matchbox and include a little art giftee inside. We sent them so our partner would receive them by the first day of spring. Hopefully it will take the sting out of the last few bites of snow we've had here in The Ohio Valley!

Many of you know how much I adore Julie Haymaker Thompson. She is such a creative soul and an awesome friend. Stop over and see her wonderful art here. Soon Julie will have her store in Bisbee AZ up and running and you will be able to get all sorts of awesome stuff there! I was very much thinking of her as I made this fun little imp for my partner Brittany. I call it Robbie and her redbird.

Art and Soul Art Retreat, Blog Hop...and a Prize

Are you ready for NEXT winter? You will be if you take an exciting and inspirational break before you head indoors for months! Rest, rejuvenate, and recharge your creative muses in September with us at ART & SOUL, Portland!

From Mon Sept 26 thru Sun Oct 2, hundreds of kindred spirits will be gathered together to connect, learn, play, grow and experiment in mixed media workshops taught by internationally recognized instructors—designed to energize the creative spirit!

Mon Sept 26th, I'll be teaching the "Happy Bird Sings" Clay Covered Journal that is featured in Cloth Paper Scissors Jan/Feb 2011. You might want to sign up early, as this class has been selling out quickly!

On Tues Sept 28th, in "Green Art Goodness" I'll show you how to recycle, alter and use all that stuff you have laying around that you don't want to throw out, but you don't really like it enough to use! We'll transform common cereal boxes and broken, mismatched bits and pieces into something you will love. We'll even have a trading session as every artist feels other peoples embellishments are cooler than their own!

I invite you to join me Wed Sept 29th for "A Fluid Romance" where we will explore the juicy, color rich world of Fluid Acrylics. Layering, Optical & Physical color blending, Bas-relief, Composition, Hot-foils, are only the beginning of our playtime...3D ephemera additions will be the taste of steam punk topper.

Still Reading? On to the prize info... Leave a comment on this post about what sort of art classes you would like to take in the future and why, and I'll enter you into a drawing to win one of my handmade journals! Easy!!! Drawing will be held in June~ Make sure you leave info about where to contact you.

Checkout all the inspiration Art & Soul can offer you here. (Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a lot of new projects to inspire your work when you have to settle in for a long winter!) Keep reading to find out about an even BIGGER prize from Art & Soul! I mean wowza big!

Choose from dozens of wonderfully talented and dedicated Art and Soul instructors! Take a quick tour around this blog hop and you'll learn more about just a few of them!

Janne is a master of freestyle and creative machine embroidery and textile portraits, so lifelike!

Janne Robberstad- http://www.spindelmaker.com

Whether inside out outside of boxes, houses or ATC's Stephanie Rubiano's little butterfly people are charming. Stephanie Rubiano- http://www.soigathered.typepad.com

Liz has Gorgeously delectable fabric and fabric painting classes, with a delightful fabric memory journal. Elizabeth Kettle- http://www.textileevolution.com

Ingrid has lively, absolutely thrilling journals with things that truly jump off the page at you!

Ingrid Dijkers – http://www.ingriddijkers.blogspot.com

Ty and Marcia Schultz are enchanted people! They teach you how to make coool big stuff out of Paverpol, and then how to make cool molds of smaller stuff you want more of!

Marcia Schultz- http://queenofarts.blogspot.com

Karen O'Brien's juicy, richly colored, multi-layered collages always make me smile!
Karen O’Brien- http://karenobrien.blogspot.com

Glenny Moir is the magic behind the machine, who works tirelessly night and day, year round to create the whole Art & Soul experience.*** Stop by Glenny's blog and learn about the MOST fabulous prize! A 5 night stay at Embassy Suites! Drawing June 1, so don't hesitate! http://artandsoulretreats.wordpress.com

Want COLOR and ALOT of it? Jane Davies beautiful paper and collage classes are for you!
http://www.janedavies-collagejourneys.blogspot.com

Having fun in the studio!

Betty, Kari, Joe R, and Joe M

Remember a little while ago I told you about this fabulous SCAL program that allows you to cut anything you design using your Cricut? Well I am so impressed with it that I invited the design team over for lunch. WOW! Did we ever have a good time! Joe Rotella, Joe Morgan and Betty Scott, Mike and I enjoyed each others company over yummy lunch and a delicious Cherry Chocolate cake that they brought. (If I hadn't had all the good art ideas and conversaiton to distract me, THAT chocolate siren would have lured me away from my healthy diet entirely!)

Blossom and Rascal really took to them too- and in my book if my doggies love you -you are A-OK!Any of you cricut owners who love the machine, but aren't so fond of buying cartridges to take a peek at their info. I find the SCAL program VERY easy to learn. (If you have used any Adobe Photoshop or PE programs, you will know it automatically!) But with or without any prior experience, Joe easily can get you up and running like a pro in just a couple hours!

http://www.createncraft.com/

I will be doing a PREVIEW reveal of my new line of stencils created with SCAL from my artwork Feb 26-March 4 in my classes at Art & Soul Las Vegas. There will be lots of give-aways!

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

And in other fun news, the Spring issue of Coth Paper Scissors Studios was advertised in Cloth Paper Scissors Today. I was tickled to see how they described me/my studio...

Studios, Spring 2011 (Pre-Order)

Incredibly enthusiastic mixed-media artist Kari McKnight-Holbrook loves old things. She uses cigar boxes for embellishments, wire card holders for letters and cabinet cards, old muffin tins (image below) and lunch trays for sorting.Check out all the other talented artists and their useful organizational tips and tricks in Spring Studios!

Cricut fansout there?

I recently purchased a Cricut machine. I love the options it gave me, but still felt very limited in what it could do, and I didn't like having to buy expensive cartridges and STILL not have all the options I wanted. I am used to having so much freedom with my Adobe software, that I was OVERJOYED to find the SCAL program that once again gave ME all the freedom to do whatever I wanted to do! Anything I created in my Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, I could print and cut! No more cartridges!!! Well-now just in time for Valentines Day, Create & Craft is launching a new web site where you can learn about the SCAL program, and even better than that, they are doing an awesome giveaway! Visit http://www.createncraft.com/ to sign up for your chance to win!

Cloth Paper Scissors Studios

I have been a travellin' madwoman lately! I have been away from home LITERALLY for the last month and a half! Over a month in Mexico, then a couple weeks in TN for family visits, and 4 workshops. (more on them later!) Got home last night, and am crazily beginning to dig out from avalanches of mail, emails, dirty clothes, no groceries... What did I find? A fantastic email! Whoo-Hoo! So excited to be in Cloth Paper Scissors Studios Magazine! And in the copy with Ty Pennington on the cover no less! Tickled doesn't begin to describe it!

If you would like a peek into my studio space, check out the Spring 2011 issue! Or, better yet, shoot me an email and we'll set up a workshop for you and your friends IN the studio!

http://www.interweavestore.com/Mixed-Media/Magazines/Studios-Spring-2011.html

Valentines Swap

I just finished these for a Valentine Matchbox swap I'm in. I love the beautiful metal work they do in Mexico, and since I just came back from there- I was still very much inspired by the art I saw. Since the recipients haven't yet received their treats, I won't show the goodies inside, but all of them come from Mexico! I had fun shopping for tiny treasures down there!

Costa Mesa here I come!

The ink is still wet on the contracts! I'm busy adding teaching locations, and I'm proud to announce the latest: I'll be teaching at the CREATE Mixed Media Retreat in Costa Mesa California! This is the second event- the first was in Chicago last August. CREATE is organized by Interweave Press, LLC- the publishers of Cloth Paper Scissors, CPS Studios, American Artist and Quilting Arts magazine (just to name a few of their 19 magazines and 30 special publications.)