Industrial Chic Blog Hop

Do you all know about Susan Lenart Kazmer and her fabulous new line 'Industrial Chic'?

She's an awesomely clever artist, and has been producing fantastic art from found objects for years now.  I used to see all her wonderful art in books and at shows and drool big puddles, and NOW I can get replicas of those bits and pieces at Michael's!  (Of course I had to run right out and get some of the goodies right away!)

On her website Susan Lenart Kazmer: Industrial Chic, they are hosting a blog hop, and WOW!  The creative ways these bits and pieces are being used!   They sent several of us wonderful boxes filled with the most AWESOME goodies to play with.  I am still percolating on a project that will be worthy of the fab findings in my box!  My official post will be in August, but I wanted to let everyone know to jump on over and check out the blog hop right now!

Before my box arrived, I popped down to Michael's and bought several packages of  Industrial Chic's ring bezels, and found them to be a wonderful base for my Relic Rings!

Tootles for now- working on packing for Create Mixed Media in Somerset NJ, only a few days away!

Don't forget to peek at the fabulous art and ideas on the Industrial Chic July Blog Hop!

6 Ken Oliver

7 Vicki O'Dell

8 Cindy Cima Edwards
9 Elena Lai Etcehverry

10 Jen Osborn
11 Wanda Eash
12 Terri O
13 Susan Weckesser

14 Tracy Weinzafel

Circles on Sketchbook Challenge

Tomorrow morning, I've got a post up on Sketchbook Challenge on how I use these goodies in my journals, on canvases, and more!  Pop on over to see the full monty, or come play with me July 14, 15, 16 in Alexandria VA at Artistic Artifacts, or at Create Mixed Media Retreat in Somerset NJ, July 18-22!  I promise to bring some Joint tape with me!!!

UPDATE:  Don't know the brand name, this is all that was on the package that came from Lowes.  It's self adhesive, and a paper type finish.  Not mesh or plastic.

Teaching at Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria VA

Can't WAIT to come teach at this VERY cool store!  Judy Gula, Artistic Artifacts owner has some of the most AWESOME stuff from all over the world!  She set up a temporary store at Art & Soul in VA Beach this spring, and I know I shopped everyday of the event and found stuff I had to have, and had never seen before!

Come play with us!  Saturday July 14, 2012 from 9am-4pm I'll be teaching Vintage Vessels.

 Sunday July 15, 2012 from 9am-4pm I'll be teaching No Sew Journals on the Go!

Monday July 16, 2012 from 9am-2:30pm I'll be teaching Moodlings.

You can bop over here to register for the classes!

New Etsy Store & Where to buy my Stamps

My Crazy Lace stamp all inked up for easier visibility.  8.5x11" of arty background goodness!

Well, I resisted as long as possible, but in the end, I needed to set up an etsy shop.

The Backporch Artessa  

Right now, I will have  my line of polymer stamps featured there.  In the future, I will be adding my favorite goodies I use in my workshops and classes, as well as full blown art workshop kits. 

I will have to "go on vacation" when I am away travelling, so a better bet would be to contact the other lovely venues who sell my stamps.

Exclusive East Coast Store:

Artistic Artifacts

http://www.artisticartifacts.com/

Artistic Artifacts Annex

4750 Eisenhower Avenue

Alexandria, VA 22304

Exclusive Southwest Store:

Blissbee                                                                                      http://www.blissbee.net/

74 Main Street

Bisbee AZ, 85603

Exclusive West Coast Store:

Blue Twig Studio

http://www.bluetwigstudio.com/

Sketchbook Challenge

I am so tickled to tell you all that I have been asked to participate as one of this year's Sketchbook Challenge Hosts!  It's a fabulous group of mixed media artists organized by Sue Bleiweiss.  Every month a challenge is issued, hoping to get people to pick up their sketchbooks and dive in with whatever medium they choose.  There are regular prize opportunities too!   I made a small journal for my contributions this month.  If you want to see all the goodies inside, hop on over to Sketchbook Challenge!

Create CA

Hi gang! Just back from CREATE California, and doing a turn and burn right back to Las Vegas for Art & Soul.  Create was wonderful, and my students were awesome!  They were so open to trying new things, and they plunged right in working and creating wonderful art!  It was so wonderful to meet each one of them in person. 

Pam Carriker and I roomed together again, and we had such a great time trying out each others methods!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE her Mixed Media Adhesive, and will never leave home without it again!  You get all the strength of matte medium, but it has a bit of a ground in it, so instead of the slick plastic-y feel of straight matte medium, you get a lovely toothy surface that you can write on with pencil, pastels and paint with watercolors!  I've always been a huge fan of the liquid pencil, but now that it comes in a squeeze bottle!!! Wow- over the top.  I've been putting mine in squeeze bottles for years and being able to forgo this messy step is heaven!

I have to tell you I have been art stalking Joanne Sharpe for years, admiring her work.  I got to meet her!  OOOH pinch me!  Jen Cushman, Ruth Rae, Kristen Robinson, Jacqueline Newbold, Jeannie Palmer Moore, Most of the CPS gals, and OOOh I'm sure I'm leaving someone out...I had a whirlwind of a fabulous time!

So if you would like to experience some of this wonderful-ness for yourself, come play with me in Las Vegas this week at ART & SOUL!  These wonderful art retreats can change you life!!!

Relic rings

Playing with my polymer clay and Knead-a-mold again!  Finished them off with fabulous metal paints and patinas.  Iron, Copper and Bronze are my 3 favorites to work with. I love how these are organic, and continue to change from day to day as the patina blooms and develops.  Made tons of these and friends gobbled them up as soon as I made them, so I had to make more to donate at the CREATE Orange County Mixed Media Retreat this coming week!  If you are in the Irvine area, come play with me in my workshops!