Here & There

What a great weekend.  My parents came to visit and we got so much done around the new house.  Wired the direcTV, wired up a 220 for my kiln, a little roof & siding repair, moved some heavy furniture, trimmed trees and more! Honestly, my dad did the majority of it, but mom and I did a little yard work too.  The weather in Austin is way more mild than I was used to in North Texas, and so I am very anxious to see what sort of garden and flower bed action I can have this spring.  I still have a bit to wait, as our coldest month, February, has only just started.  My little birdies have been busy at the bird feeders these last couple weeks as we have actually had some below freezing temps.  (Followed by 75* weather of course).  I know my allergies are ready for the weather to even out and make a decision on winter or spring.  Oh Texas, how I love you.

In other news, I am pleased to announce I will have a booth to sell my art at a show for the first time ever!

 Now, my mom has been selling her work at craft fairs literally since I was born, so the world of the vendor is not lost on me.  I have helped load, unload, organize, set up, bag, count back cash, swipe cards, check IDs, sit and wait for customers, and tear down more times than I can count.  It's sort of a family tradition.  But this will be the first time I will be selling my art.  I have been brainstorming all sorts of display ideas for both ceramics & 2D paintings.  In addition, I am coming up with some more practical uses for my art: wearable, decorative, functional.  Utilitarian art has always appealed to me.  I love getting a little trinket box or a ring dish.  I know I have too many already and no clue where I will put another one, but a reasonably priced, small object leaves me defenseless.  I almost always make that purchase if I have a few bucks.  Here's to hoping I sell some work, so I can buy some more trinkets :)  

Some of the things I've been doing: Cat portraits, clay boxes & birds, and I finally had my cards made! I love them so much!

Oh ya know...just noticed a little ombre in my dinner preparation last week.

The next month I will be urgently building my inventory for both my etsy shop and the show in March.  In addition, I am adding a little something fun to my blog that will hopefully be beneficial to many readers: A DIY a week!  Check back later this week for the first edition :)

My Etsy Shop

Man oh man am I excited to finally have my etsy shop up and running. I'm still in the process of uploading new listings & I have only had a single sale, but it happened within 24 hours of opening my shop and has given me the encouragement I need to press on!  I know that my work is something many people will enjoy, but getting it out there seems to be my biggest challenge. Anyone else have that struggle? Eh? Just me?  I am not discouraged per se, but I definitely know that it takes time to build an audience and for people to simply find your work.  I look forward to getting into arts and crafts fairs/shows next fall, where I believe my work can be sold a bit more easily.  I sure know I am more willing to spend in December than in January. (got my credit card to prove it!) 

If you happen to be stopping by to read this, I hope you'll visit my etsy and see what's up!  Otherwise, keep reading the blog and I'll tell you visually anyway :)

My very first etsy sale ever!  The sweet lady that ordered it left a kind comment in my feedback. She will never know how encouraging she was as my first customer EVER! I packaged that little letter up and mailed it off with care and love (and a bonus mini bird painting for good measure).

Some other things I have started working on are mini pet portrait magnets! I have actually had an amazing time painting all sorts of pups with acrylic paints!  I'm really a watercolor girl...or so I thought.  I've really enjoyed using my acrylics as a flat medium. Who knows, may be my next passion! These little magnets are for sale and I am excited about a few custom orders that are coming my way. Everything is cuter when it's a miniature, am I right?

If you're feeling adventurous: thecuriouscritter.etsy.com

I also decided to make a flickr photostream!  Apparently I already had one, but forgot about it!  If you are on there, let me know cause I love perusing through snapshots of daily life, adventures, peoples' personal style, art, hair....okay I'll stop being creepy! But really I love seeing variations in our daily lives.  What a great reminder of how amazing the Lord has made us, each so unique!  

Goodnight blog world.

New Years Eve in Colorado

I'm shamefully delayed on posting a few pics from our Colorado New Years Eve trip.  I don't have much to say except that I am so grateful for the opportunity to go to this gorgeous place, stay in the cozy family cabin, and have an able body to attempt to successfully snowboard.  Enjoy these little snippets of our December visit. (hopefully there will be another one in February)

Upon our arrival, the deer welcomed us back to the neighborhood.  Politely, we welcomed them with cereal from our hands. They have just the softest little ears. I love deer! 

Upon arriving home, the neighborhood cat, Cat Friend, decided to help me unpack the car.

Also, these little lesser goldfinches showed up while we were away! They are here everyday now.  They are so tiny and only measure about 3" in length! I'm so glad to be back home in Austin!

I so look forward to when we finally have the ability to build on our Colorado lot across the street.

Letter Paintings

So I showed a few little close ups of a series of Christmas presents I made this year.  I am happy to reveal them as a whole today! These letters can be bought in multiples to spell out a word (home, mom, love, etc) or be purchased separately as an initial.  Although the image will have to be adjusted depending on the shape of the letters, the painting can be the same on different letters than what is shown.  I intend to have them for order up on the etsy shop this week!  Here's to hoping people can actually come across them and that they like them!  

So far, my focus has been birds, but I am working on some other creatures to expand the options.

And lastly, a little painting of my cousins' cats, Lady and Poncho.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Post Christmas Post

After taking time away from the art and computer life to spend Christmas time with my family, I am happy to return!  Christmas time is always my favorite, as it is for many others.  I have out of town family visit each winter, and then my husband and I take an annual trip to Colorado for snowboarding and scenery change.   

Here are some snippits  (and I do mean just snippits) of my side of the family's Christmas.  This year we celebrated on the 23rd and lots of the family got a 24 hour stomach bug.  It was a strange holiday for sure, but I am still to grateful to get the opportunity to see almost the entire gang, including spouses and kiddos.  I look forward to next year to continue traditions of puzzles, board games, blue bell ice cream milkshakes, homemade meals, stockings, and endless laughter!

I am so thankful to God for the incredible friendships I have with my close family.  What a blessing that I take for granted.  I see most of them once or twice a year and we pick up exactly where we left off.  I love them so much!  

I hope everyone had a splendid Christmas and that you are as excited as I am about 2014!

Christmas Card DIY

Everyone loves getting snail mail!  There is just something so special about getting a letter that email, phone calls, or facebook messages just can't begin to compete with. The thing I love the most about them is that they truly represent the person writing the letter. Through handwriting and doodles and even the scratched out errors and wrinkled paper.  I love snail mail!  Send me some now :)

So, Christmas time is the rare occasion in the year where most people send out said snail mail.  We receive lots of Christmas cards and letters from people in our lives who have moved away, filling us in on their endeavors.  Only recently have I sat down and begun making personal cards for my close family & friends (and a few artsy people who would appreciate the effort).  I hope it's a tradition I can continue as we grow our family and priorities change.  Nonetheless, I would like to share with you my Christmas card for this year in a little DIY post.  

Since I was somewhat late on getting these made, I went for a crafty approach rather than getting super artistic.  They turned out really cute and I hope they bring some happiness to those who receive them.  

I scoured the internet looking for ideas on how to do intricate pop up cards, but soon realized that they were lacking a certain "me"-ness.  So instead I did a simple pop up that really anyone who can cut is capable of.

Blank cards & envelopes

Scrapbook paper

 Hot glue gun

Hot glue sticks

Glitter

Tempera or acrylic paint

Pencil

Paintbrushes

Scissors