Friday Finds

Romantic Notions - Blue by AmberSky - $34.50


Pretty In Black & White & Curvy Dots - Reversible Mini Clutch by GracieDesigns - $20


If You Love Someone - Original Painting by PaintAllNightStudios - $129


Blue Off Shoulder Top by Larimeloom - $53


Bermuda Triangle Whipped Soap - 4 oz. Travel Size by FairyBubbles - $4.50

Monday Must-Have

Today marks a new installment of my Monday blog series titled Monday Must-Have. Each Monday I will feature a fellow talented Etsian and his or her phenomenal work. Each featured artist will have their own online Etsy shop where you can peruse and admire their one-of-a-kind body of work. Hopefully you will find new favorite artists and artisans whose work you MUST HAVE. :)

Today's featured artist is Tracey Gurley of Tracey Gurley Original Art. I asked her a few questions and here's what she had to say.

Who are you (actual name/and or shop name)?

Tracey Gurley / Tracey Gurley Original Art / www.traceygurley.etsy.com

What do you create?

I paint landscapes, still lifes, flowers, fruit & veggies mainly. I may expand on that in the very near future.

Where are you located?

I have a studio in my home in Raleigh, NC.

When did you start creating?

I have always been creating something ever since I was a small child. I think it really started when I would dig clay out of the creek in my back yard and scupt bowls with it. I would set them out in the sun to dry and then I would paint them. I remember even finding big rocks to paint on too. When I was in school though, I was classically trained on the piano and violin, but I still loved visual art. When my daughter turned 2 and started preschool, I decided to follow my dream. I started taking art lessons 8 years ago and haven't looked back. I took my first art lesson at Sertoma Art Center in Raleigh and now I teach acrylic painting there.

What inspires you?

My inspiration comes from a lot of things. I take notice of all of the textures and colors that surround all of us everyday. Nature is a beautiful palette.


What is the most time consuming part of your art/craft?

It's hard to decide the most time consuming part, because time flies when you're having fun.

What's your next project going to be?

My next project is going to be painting ACEOs. ACEO stands for "Art Cards, Editions, and Originals." They are 2.5" x 3.5" little works of art that are fun to collect and trade.

What types of things do you do to turn first time buyers into repeat clients?

I offer a 10% discout to repeat buyers.

What do you do when you are not creating?

When I'm not creating, I love spending time with my husband and daugher. In the summer, you can find us jetskiing out on Falls Lake.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

There is something magical about painting - the way the colors go on the canvas, the way it feels, the experience to create something, that just feeds my soul.


You can also find Tracey and her work on her blog and her main website. Have a wonderful day!

Have You Heard Of The Thursday Sweet Treat?

If you haven't checked out the Thursday Sweet Treat blog yet, you are missing out.

The Thursday Sweet Treat is "a place for artists and writers to dream, support one another and share the work they love to create." Natasha of DoodleStar is the talented and charismatic artist who put this blog together. About the blog she says "A theme is posted every Friday and then the people who choose to showcase their work post their new creations on the following Thursday! Come join us!"

Anyone can participate, and as someone who has been a part of this endeavor the past few months, it really is a lot of fun. For example, one theme was 'Artistic Safari' for which I created this piece, Safari Sunset Hand-Painted Art Pendant Necklace. So many talented artists showcase their work every Thursday, and it's thrilling to see how each artist interprets the weekly theme.

A new theme will be posted this Friday after new work is showcased on Thursday, so be sure to keep checking out the blog to get inspired! There will be instructions with the new theme on how to enter.

The Thursday Sweet Treat also has a weekly segment in addition to the inspirational themes called the "Artist Play Date." Each Wednesday the blog will feature an artist and his or her artistic process or a tutorial. There will also be a giveaway featuring something from that artist's shop.

There are also a number of things in the works that will expand the Thursday Sweet Treat as it continues to inspire artists and anyone who visits the blog. Add the Thursday Sweet Treat to your daily blog reads and be prepared to see some amazing work. :)

Special Giveaway Featuring j. brown Art

Today I'm announcing a special giveaway. This giveaway features Jenn of j. brown Art, a brand new Etsy shop! In her shop you will find prints of her original artwork. Right now she only has 4x6" prints listed but will be adding more sizes as well as original artwork soon. She just opened this shop, but has another shop on Etsy http://www.newfangled.etsy.com that she opened in November of 2008.

The giveaway runs from Thursday, April 23rd to Thursday, April 30th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen and the prize will be the winner's choice of any 4x6 fine art print with free shipping from j. brown Art!

j. brown Art is full of so much generosity that she's not only sponsoring a giveaway, she's also offering a sale to all of you in both her shops! If you buy one print or one bangle you will get the second one half off. You can convo Jenn for a revised listing or put "alloverart blog" in the note to seller section during checkout and she will refund via PayPal.

Now it's time to get down to the nitty gritty of how you can win this fabulous giveaway. Here's how you can enter:

1) Go to the Etsy shop of j. brown Art and pick out your favorite item.

2) Come back to this post and leave a link or comment telling me what your favorite item is from Jenn's shop, as well as a way to contact you in case you win. This could be an email address, your Etsy shop, or something similar.

3) Only one entry per person, unless you blog about the giveaway. If you blog about the giveaway, be sure to leave a link to your blog in your comment and you will be counted twice.

4) I will assign each entry a number. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator. I will announce the winner on Friday, May 1st on this blog, as well as contact him or her.

Good luck to you all! Have a great day.

Workshop Wednesday - How To Make A Canvas Collage With Tangente

Today marks another installment of a new weekly blog series titled Workshop Wednesday. Each Wednesday will feature either a tutorial by yours truly or another talented artist or artisan, or a snapshot of an artist's creative process. This week's Workshop Wednesday features "How to Make a Canvas Collage" with tangente.

Tutorial - Collage On Canvas

My walls were still bare after living in the same house for 2 years. It was time for a change so I decided I would make my own art. I started by buying a blank canvas at Micheals, some Modge Podge and a book from Salvation Army I got for 35cents.

The canvas was already primed so I just needed to do 2 coats with some leftover basement paint. I realized that I was out of paint stir sticks so my handy boyfriend improvised and found me some chopsticks.

While I let the canvas dry, I started cutting out various circle shapes.

Once the paint was completely dry, I started gluing the circles in various positions.

I decided to leave a bit of the canvas blank and honestly at this point I had had enough! The very last step was applying 2 coats of Modge Podge all over the canvas. At this step, I learned lesson #1 - paper circles need to be properly glued to avoid bubbling and curling. Thank god the paper is old so it kinda blends in.

Lesson #2 was a bit more difficult. As we were hanging the canvas on the wall, I noticed that the canvas was warped. I'm not sure why I didn't notice this earlier. After an hour and a half, my boyfriend finally figured out a way to hang so it wouldn't show. Phew!

As you can see, I'm no expert at making art collages but it's still a great way to add a bit of character to your walls for under $30.

Thanks tangente! I have a suggestion for the warping issue. For those worried about the canvas panel warping, you could use canvas that is stretched over stretcher bars. This will most-likely elevate your cost a little bit, but will solve the warping issue.

Be sure to check out tangente's Etsy shop and peruse her unique handmade collection of scarf tops, women's clothing, and accessories! You can also read more about tangente on her blog. If you're interested in being a part of future Workshop Wednesdays, please feel free to convo me in my Etsy shop or comment on this post.