Allover Art

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Last Day To Enter The Giveaway!

Today is the last day to enter the May giveaway! You can win a hand-painted wearable art pendant necklace; see this post to find out how you can enter: -----> HERE!

I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Here are some Indie and Kasey pics to make you smile. :)

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Vote For Allover Art!

Etsy has put together a list of items featuring Spring flowers and is asking YOU to vote for YOUR favorite! I have been fortunate enough to be included in this collection, and would appreciate your vote. The top items will snag a spot in the Etsy gift guides.

My Springtime Scene Hand-Painted Art Pendant Necklace is the item from my shop that Etsy has chosen to include in this collection. The original miniature painting is created with high quality acrylic paints on a wooden tile. The painting is then sealed on every surface, and then receives a high-gloss resin finish which gives it a very polished look. The finished effect is similar to that of a heavy glass pendant, but it is actually very lightweight. The pendant features a large silver-plated aanraku bail securely fastened to the back, and comes with a black waxed cotton cord with a lobster claw clasp.

So please, vote for me here ----> VOTE!!

I would really appreciate it. Have a wonderful day! :)

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Workshop Wednesday

Today marks another installment of my 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 Karen of TuscaloosaRoad. She has put together a great tutorial on how to create an eco-friendly cuff. I posted this tutorial in March but it's one of my favorites and I wanted to share it again.

Eco-Friendly Sweater Cuff

What You’ll need:

Sweater fabric - Your local Goodwill or other thrift stores will carry sweaters of all kinds in fairly good condition. Choose sweaters that have a tight weave - cashmere works best because it’s natural and VERY soft. You’d be surprised what you’ll find while at the thrift shop. They carry some very nice items, and you could easily spend hours there. You’ll have to remind yourself to keep on track and repeat to yourself, “I’m shopping for sweaters, I’m shopping for sweaters!”

Yarn - This can also be found at your local thrift shop.

Embellishments - anything will do…a favorite button or pin, or a stash of beads works nicely.

Step 1:

Gather your sweater fabric together and choose colors that you feel will go together nicely. Here I have 4 sweaters in a creamy cashmere, a taupe cashmere, a camel colored cotton cable knit (say that three times fast!) blend, and apple green mohair blend. I ended up using all sweaters except the taupe cashmere on this project.

Step 2:

Now your ready to design the length, style and circumference of your cuff!

Cut several strips of sweater fabric of the same length and lay them out, making sure there are enough strips to cover the circumference of your forearm.

I find that if you use the ribbed areas of the sweater, it holds nicely when you sew the pieces together.

Choose the yarn you’ll be using. Here I’m using bright mustard, rust and olive colors in a 100% wool blend. Notice that my yarn contrasts with the natural colors of the cuff material. You can use whatever yarn color suits your fancy.

Step 3:

Using a very simple overstitch, stitch your cuff pieces together lengthwise. This step takes a little while. I’d say this cuff took me 2.5 hours to stitch. Grab a cup of tea, put on your favorite TV show, and stitch away.

Make sure to overstitch the top and bottom of the cuff too, to deter any fraying.

Once you finish sewing, you’re almost done! Notice how pretty and sinewy the stitches contrast against the fabric on your cuff. It will look very organic and if some of the ends fray a little bit, that’s o.k! It will add to the character of your cuff.

Step 4:

This is my favorite step. Gather together some trinkets for embellishing your cuff. I found these at garage sales and on Etsy. I chose the enameled calico cat pin for this cuff. I’ve decided to name him Cecil. I love the mustardy yellow color on Cecil the cat’s fur. I used him as my cuff’s center-of-attention.

Step 5:

Your done! Now you have an eco-friendly cuff that will look beautiful with a sweater and a pair of jeans. And it will keep your wrist warm too!

Be sure to check out Karen's work in her Etsy shop! 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. Have a great day!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

What Do You Want To See Allover Art Create?

If you're an artist or artisan and you've never done an art and craft show, you should really try doing one! This past weekend I had a booth at Artsplosure 2009 in downtown Raleigh. Here's a big THANK YOU to all of you who stopped by to say 'hi'. :) The show was a HUGE success for me; well at least on Saturday. Sunday it was rainy, windy, and cold and after a few hours Indie and I packed up and left. About 2/3 of the other artists there did the same; it was miserable. Indie actually came along on Sunday and had a great time at his first show until we both started shivering.

Saturday at the show was PACKED even though there were four sudden downpours. I apologize again to the woman who got soaked when a breeze dumped the water that had pooled on my awning square in her face. I sold half my inventory and now have a large number of custom orders to complete. My Etsy shop is looking a little depleted and sad with so many listings gone.

Allover Art needs your help! Since half of my inventory found new homes on Saturday, I'm working like mad to build it back up, and I want to hear what you want. What do you want to see Allover Art create? I'll be creating the usual items - rings, pendants, brooches, bobby pins, and now earrings - but I want to know what colors you want to see, what designs, what subjects, what words? Let me have it! :) I value your opinion.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Monday Must-Have

Today marks another installment of my Monday blog series titled Monday Must-Have. Each Monday I will feature a fellow talented Etsian and their 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 Joanna of Joanna's Photography.

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

My name is Joanna Kapica. And I am owner of www.JoannasPhotography.etsy.com store.
I also have store on 1000markets: www.JoannasPhotography.1000markets.com

• What do you create?

Photography is my main field of interest. I take photographs mainly of nature. I like to capture details of plants and flowers. Show their texture, colors and forms.
My macro photography also covers subjects like household items, that photographed at specific angles can give very interesting effects.

• Where are you located?

I live and create in Raleigh, NC. Most of my photographs are taken also in this area.

• When did you start creating?

There was always something I liked to create. It started with knitting in age of about 7. I still knit, in my free time. I have done some drawing in high school.

Photography was something that came later. I always wanted to explore it more, but for a long time I did not have a camera myself (sometimes I borrowed my parents simple point and shoot film camera). And after I had purchased my first camera I started to discover that it really brings me a great amount of satisfaction to take and process pictures. And this is how it started, about 5 years ago.
From then on I just kept trying different ways and learned different techniques. I still learn. There is always something new, something I can learn and apply to my style.

• Why did you choose your shop name?

My shop name simply was created by combining my first name and the word photography. The store was created for my photography, so this way it reflects my main interest and me as an owner. Also- I think it’s easy to remember.

• What inspires you?

I find my inspiration in almost everything around me. All colors and shapes in nature attract my attention. Shapes of every day used items attract me for their texture and form.

• What is the most time consuming part of your craft?

I think the post processing is the most time consuming part. I like to take a photo and usually I have a few versions of its final look. I give myself time to think of what would look the best. So sometimes it takes me even a few days to try to apply specific editing to get the final and most satisfying look to me.

• What is your most popular item that you create (and why do you think it is so popular)?

One of the most popular items in my store is the print “Big Big World”. It’s a photograph taken during my vacation at the Outer Banks in NC. This image has a pretty specific meaning to me. Taken just before big storm came, when the sky was covered with heavy dark blue clouds, it shows how fragile a human being can be against the forces of nature. It is just my interpretation.
I have heard different from some people, who have seen this image.

• How do you acquire new clients?

I try to advertise my shop through Etsy- by participating in forums, creating treasuries. I post on Twitter about any new listings, re-listings, etc. I also use my blog (www.joannaphotography.wordpress.com) and facebook to advertise my work.
I try to participate in other type of venues, like photo exhibition and contest, which one of the latest I have submitted my work was an event called “Postcards From the Edge
A Benefit for Visual AIDS”. It was an event where I donated one of my pieces to be shown and sold. All proceeds from this benefit will support Visual AIDS (more info on their website: http://www.thebody.com/visualaids/index.html)

• Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I would like to thank you, Ruth for this nice opportunity to introduce myself and share some of my thoughts.

Be sure to check out Coco's shop! If you're interested in being featured in future Monday Must-Have segments, please feel free to convo me in my Etsy shop or email me. Have a wonderful day!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

May Giveaway!

It's that time again; giveaway time! This month's giveaway runs from Saturday, May 16th to Saturday, May 23rd at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen. The prize this time is a hand-painted pendant and cord! The pendant can be seen below; it's an eye-catching 0.75 inch (1.9 cm) circle fine art pendant with a resin finish on a black waxed cotton cord. This tiny acrylic painting features the words 'I' and 'handmade' in white with a red heart in between them, all on a light purple background. The piece is unique and one-of-a-kind, so when you are wearing an Allover Art piece, you know that you are the only one in the world wearing it.

Here's how you can enter to win:

1) Go to my Etsy shop and pick out your favorite item. In my shop, www.alloverart.etsy.com, I have a wide variety of items. I have several hand-painted fine art pendant necklaces with a resin finish, brooches, rings, bobby pins, and more!

2) Come back to this post and leave a link or comment telling me what your favorite item is from my 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 my 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 Sunday, May 24th on this blog, as well as contact him or her.

Good luck to you all! Have a great day.