Making Some Progress...

Last week was my finals week. Now with all of the schoolwork out of my way, I have been busily working on finishing up some paintings for Christmas presents! Only a few more days... I think I can make it in time. I'm just worried about the paint drying before then!

A large autumn picture for my mom:

A winter painting for my grandparents:

And finally, a picture of a dog for a client (complete!):

Do you have any last minute Christmas preparations as well?

Hurry, Little Elves!

Now that the last art fair of the season is over, I have been frantically working on putting some Christmas presents together. Here's a look at what occupied my afternoon:

More pics once it is finished! :)

Snow and a Show

This weekend was my second craft show for which I'd been busily preparing for the last two months. My husband and I got up early on Saturday morning (isn't my boyfriend-for-life wonderful?) to pack my car up with merchandise and found the ground completely covered with snow. What a wonderful surprise! This was very unseasonable weather for the area and suited the day's holiday festivities very well.

The show was in the gym of the seminary I attend. It only took my husband and I about 20 minutes to get set up. Score! Before the show began, I was able to wander around and meet some fantastic artists.

Me in front of my display. I liked how it fit together so colorfully! :)
I was hoping that there would be a younger shoppers with the seminary and university in town, but was a bit disappointed that the majority turn-out was women with old-time country, traditional tastes. Not so good for the styles of the things I create.

Also surprising to me were the things that sold. Only one mini scrapbook and one mini painting sold, which were the things that I thought would sell quickly. Instead, I just about sold out of handmade cards.

The BIG surprise, though, was when a very nice young woman bought one of my large paintings for her daughter's nursery!
As if that could not be topped, I woke up the next morning to find that someone from the United Kingdom had bought another one of my paintings from my Etsy shop! :)
As exciting as it was to sell these two paintings, I was also sad to see them go. :(

Overall, I had a good time selling my items at the craft show. The biggest lesson I learned? It doesn't matter how beautiful your items are or how creative your display is if the venue does not suit your demographics. From now on, I will be scouting out some more contemporary venues geared toward my personal style.

Now that this is done, I'm off to write papers and start painting some Christmas presents! :)

Christmas Art Fair

These past few weeks have been VERY busy in my little studio... Not only have I been prepping for an art fair this Saturday, but I've been fulfilling custom orders and painting Christmas presents. Oh, did I mention that I'm in graduate school too?

Here are some shots of my practice set-up for this weekend. The lovely pegboards are courtesy of my wonderful grandparents. I don't know how I did the last fair without these for my paintings!


Some mini paintings with easel displayed on a little bookshelf.

I picked up a tiered kitchen basket from Hobby Lobby and am using it to create a spacial display for my mini scrapbooks.

After the fair this weekend and final papers due next week I will be feeling much better. Whew! :)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

With the cooler temperatures beginning to set in, I have started to think ahead to the holidays. This week I've been working on some Christmas cards. There's nothing like curling up with a blanket, sipping some steaming hot coffee and piecing together some holiday cards. My husband even put some Christmas music on for me so I could be better in the mood for creating. :) I'm not usually fond of beginning Christmas festivities so early in the year (at least not until after Thanksgiving) but it has been great getting a head start on cards. I know finals week will have me super busy when the holiday season rolls around. :)

Here are some of my favorite creations.

I got a whole bunch done!



Have you started on any Christmas shopping, card making, decorating, etc. yet?

November

Since November is such a colorless month, I am constantly looking for colorful inspiration. Seeing a red cardinal against such neutral surroundings caught my eye while walking home one afternoon from school. Instant inspiration! :)

Treasures

The good/bad thing about selling on Etsy is that you find so many beautiful treasures that you want to own. Here are some amazing art pieces that I loved so much I had to cave in and buy them. :)

I would like to introduce you to this little fellow. Her name is Babette. :) Isn't she simply adorable? She is made entirely from unspun wool. I fell in love with her immediately!
Created by: MissyandMe

These earrings are even more vibrant and stunning as they look in the pictures! They're gifts, but I wish I had my ears pierced just so I could wear them. I'm going to have to head over to her shop later and buy a necklace for myself (*wink wink* to my husband!).

Created by: DoxyDame

A very lovely lady crocheted several headbands for me in a variety of colors. I was very impressed by how well they were crafted! This blue one is my favorite.
Created by: Tobywonkenobi

Finally, I received this photography print in the mail this afternoon! As soon as I opened the package I was amazed at the color quality. This woman has got talent! I ordered this as a birthday present for my dad, but I'm already planning which prints I would like to purchase from her next. :)

Created by: EyeShutterToThink

What are some of your recent finds? :)