Some Beach Inspiration ...

... for the August ATC Swap which I am hosting. This is Willows Beach located in Victoria, British Columbia. I took this picture today...it was gorgeous!

Friday Round Up

Amy: Courage to Create in the Raw

Beth: Change Is in the Air

Jeanne: New Information on Transfers to Polymer Clay

Judi: A Wonderful Day

Kirsten: Music, Kid Art, and Nostalgia

Maralena: Victorian Inchies

Natalie: Elfin Challenge

Nicci: Yoni Tiles

Zhenia: Owls

Skinny Fat Book Progress - Stitched Backs

Well, I finally decided what color I wanted the back of my skinny pages to be. It is the tan and navy checked card stock. I cut the back pages and stitched the two pieces together this afternoon on my sewing machine.

Now I am thinking about the signature/artist identification "badge" I want to add to the back of the work. I have a few ideas in mind - again contrasting the materials already used and adding some vintage page text. I am for the most part finished. Just the last touches and then off they will fly!

I am extremely pleased with the way these have turned out. Very 'Folk Art' oriented. They are constructed very nicely... very sturdy. I think they will really stand out in the book. I just can't wait to see everyone else's contributions.

promo items

promo items
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

here's how i resolved my little 'write a note to people with their order and include a button' dilemma. (i have an etsy shop, and i felt like i should have some sort of more coherent packaging) i am just testing these out until i figure out a better way. i like these, but doing a lot of them would suck the ink out of my printer. i get 8 to a standard sheet. i think they're cute. (injet printed on some 'epson scrapbooking paper' which is really just a glorified cardstock. the colors are very nice, however, not at all dull like on regular cardstock).

i'm trying to work out a look and theme to my packaging, but keep it simple so as not to be wasteful.

i used an image from my promo business card back and postcard back, cut it out digitally, and added a frame with some brushes in photoshop. then added text in photoshop, and blurred the edge of the face a little where i cut otu the information to leave the white space for a note. it has my email addy, and, as you can see, i stuck a little button on it (with my etsy shop logo).

this blends both my Fat Girl art and my etsy shop logo, which are also the front and back of my business cards and postcards.

Friday Round Up

ANg: Everyday

Beth: The QSDS Experience

Judi: If at first... and I'm happy now

Kathleen: Is It Soup Yet?

Kathy: Getting Back to Being Creative

Kirsten: Introducing...

Natalie: Queen of the Goblins

Nicci: Working on making some stuff bettah!

Wendy: New Adventure

Fabric and Paper ATCs

Returns are being mailed today.

Thanks Beth, Maralena, Kelli, Spike and Kathleen.

Skinny Fat Book Progress - FOOD!

Didn't take them long to find their dinner!

Skinny Fat Book Progress - EYES!

Once they were blind... but now they SEE!

Boy are my thumbs sore! I purchased these cute little oval shaped silver brad embellishments for the eyes. They were perfectly shaped. It was a little tough pushing them though the layers - but eventually they made their way though. I carefully pushed all the little pointy ends down on the back so they won't work their way though the 'eventual' backing I decide on.

Now that they can 'see' - they realize what they have been missing! They shout out that they are hungry. Next step... WORMS!

Friday Round-Up

Ang: Trees

Beth: Completed Day 4 Floral

Kathleen: Funerary Art

Kelli: Fancy Scrap Crows and (a rhetorical question, I'm sure) Who doesn't love cupcakes?

Kirsten: Paper Bead Extravaganza

Maralena: Woman I Admire

Natalie: Busy!

Nici: Birds of a Feather and Charms

Spike: Progress at Last

Zhenia: Monsters

Hands

I haven't posted in a while so I thought I would share some work from this week. I am officially done teaching summer school and have one month before school starts again so I am trying to be as productive as possible while still relaxing and enjoying summer!

I have been working with the theme of hands this week and I thought I would share some of the ATC's I created.

first mess

It feels good to spread out somewhere other than on the kitchen table.

What You Can Do With Paper

I'd mentioned before about making paper mache masks, and now I have one I'm proud of.



(And a not-half-bad photo, too.)

Spike

At Last....

Altered Bird House - Finished - See My Blog

all about you - deco cover

tellmeaboutyou.jpg
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

though this image isn't in my blog, i've finally started using my blog here on blogspot. i figured... hey, why not? network here as well as LJ. you can see the updates here:

http://artnicci.blogspot.com/

i used selected work from the last couple of years. more can be seen on my flickr photo stream, which i also just started using. if you're on flickr, please add me and let me know what your links are so i can add you.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicciwashere

re-visiting so much art has been cathartic today. so here's a friendly reminder to scan or photograph your work and keep a digital archive of web friendly AND printable files. you never know when you might want to revisit them, for publication or personal use.

watercolor faces atcs

watercolor faces atcs
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

a couple of weeks ago, when i was sorely lacking in ideas for projects (that's such a sad time, isn't it?), i took out some 3.5 x 2.5 inch boards someone had sent me over 2 years ago. i edged them with aluminum tape, and gesso'd them front and back.

it was fairly boring, and didn't do much for me except make a mess, but it was a productive thing to do whilst watching Bones on my DVD player. forensic science jokes and priming surfaces. how could it get better? ;)

those things sat around until the other day, when i was sorely lacking in ideas for projects, and desperate for some inspiration. i took out my stack of blank gesso'd cards, and lined them up. out came the watercolors.

often, when i'm stuck, i doodle faces. this was no exception. i gave myself a couple rules--work on 2-3 at a time, no black lines, just color. GO!

these 3 ATCs are part of the result of that exercise. it didn't start me on some epic crusade of art making, but it did free up the creative juices enough to finish 2 zines i had sitting around waiting for me to do them. which, really, is a gift in itself.

let's hear it for primed materials! (and they're small, so i don't have to work myself into feeling guilty for having a whole hella lotta mats sitting around taking up space. i just cleaned my studio for cryin' out loud.)

cook this! zine (#one, interior shot)

cookthis5
Originally uploaded by anongrrl

i've been making zines again! these are fairly simple black and white ones. i've been toying with the idea of pasting in color copies, but since i'm moving in less than 2 months, i'm keeping these simple for now. photocopy love!

cook this! is a 24page, 1/4 size zine made for the 24 hour zine challenge! 24 pages in 24 hours.

you can see more images of this in my LJ:
http://nicci.livejournal.com/

it's black and white, photocopied, with hand drawings and handwritten and label text. this zine is packed full of 12 yummy recipes, all taste tested by yours truly! some of them are family recipes, a couple are from friends, and some of them are original things i put together in the kitchen with experimentation.
this zine is hand bound with a japanese stab binding!

this was made for the 24 hour zine project (24HZ), which is a project where you make a zine, start to finish... copies and binding included... in 24 ours. 24 pages in 24 hours. it's great fun! you should try it if you've ever needed an excuse to make your own zine. participants will all receive a button! (which has yet to be designed... they're having a contest for that too!)

here's the website so you can URL your way to happiness!

http://www.24hourzines.com/

Friday Five Round-Up: Bonus Edition

Chrysti: Speaking through Silence

Jean: New Meaning to Butterfly

Judi: Beta Fish Tank

Kathleen: Inspiration

Nicci: COOK THIS!

Wendy: More ATCs