I Say: MOO to You!

Hey now 3 posts in 2 days, nothing like making up for lost blogtime ;-)
Anyway, today's 365 picture is showcasing a few of my recent MOO rectangular stickers (labels) made from some of my ATC cards.

I was contacted a few weeks ago by a Moopresentative that had seen my new label size stickers on Flickr and asked if I had any interest in a little spot in the ideas section of the Moo website. I said sure! and sent them back the requested bio-type info and some explanations of how I use current and intend to use any future Moo printed products. I've long been a fan of the Moo Mini Card, and have also used them to do postcard prints of some of my work, as well as a set of standard size business cards. I love the quality and the uniqueness of their product designs as well as their online designer interface (with Printfinity you can have every single card be a different photo design which I love! Variety is the spice and all that ...) I'm in the planning stages of some new (Rounded Edge!) business cards and more postcard sets, plus possibly some more labels and stickers. That's what I was doing in fact - on the Moo website ordering a sample paper pack before I decide on what I want for this batch, when I saw the link to my page there :))

Anyway, I think it turned out pretty cool, and wanted to share if you are at all interested :)

*and of course now I really feel some pressure to redouble my efforts at getting some new stuff into the Etsy shop! In fact, I just had an Etsy message commenting on the Moo stickers and asking if I sell them, eek! And I really have been working on some new collages, just not getting them to the completed stage as fast as I'd thought or hoped to ... Need to step it up and not blow an opportunity, here!

ta for now, then! xox gem

Upcycled Rice Bag Pillow

Ta-Da! As promised (to myself) I made a quick & easy craft today - one I've been meaning to do for awhile but yaddayaddablah just put it off along with everything else.
Anyway, I've made a cute decorator throw pillow upcycled from a rice bag.

I got a buncha cool ricebags from my friend Patricia over the summer, and I figured I'd either make a tote bag or pillow out of them - the pillow seemed easier and quicker (and just all around more doable with my limited patience and sewing skills)

This one was a practice run with the smallest of the bags - and while I could have gone the "Super Easy Cheaty Route" and just stuffed it as-is with fiberfill and zipped the sucker closed, I didn't! I cut off the top portion with the zipper and handle, re-sewed around the entire perimeter with a straight machine stitch, filled it with polyfill, then sewed the top shut. It's a bit wonky (Unstraight Threadlines! hello, good buddy!) and the top is kinda "rustic" with it's ravelled edging, but I think it turned out cute enough for what was literally a 20 minute top-to-bottom completed project. Including the 5 minutes it took me to rethread my sewing machine, which I still have to haul out the manual for cuz that's how often I use it :D

I ran outta polyfill so I only made the one, but since that was my goal, I'm happy :) And I plan to do a bit more involved of a job on the others and might even use pillow forms on them - we'll see!
Let's hope this is the start of a nice, productive, creative roll for me ...

LATER!
~ gem ~

Hi Hey Howdy

Sooooo ... 10 months later ...
Yeah yeah whatever. I'm still working on it.

I did however start and kept current with the 365 project, so the year hasn't been a total loss. I'm on Day 120 of 365, and haven't missed a one - so there.

Anyway. Today's goal:MAKE ONE THING.
And nope, this blogpost don't count ;-p Catch ya later with a photo of said thing! You betcha!

xoxo gem

Gem Says: Start Over

Gem Says: Start Over
Originally uploaded by gemgirlart

Soooo. Hello.
Happy New Year!

We don't even talk about last year anymore, that hideoderous and horrible thing - it's sooooo last year ;-)
Onward & upward!

Lots of personal goals and fun things on my to-accomplish list in 2011. One of which was to not just all the time look at other people's art, whether photos on Flickr or fave'ing stuff on Etsy or following fun bloggers. But actually purchasing real-life handmade original ART. I have some prints, and a few paintings traded with other artists, and a lotta ATCs and PCs and other lovely swap-art - but do you know? I really think this piece is my first actual boughten original art. Ya know, you see someones pictures and ya maybe even follow their link to their Etsy or Artfire or wherever page, and maybe ya even fave-save it, but you never go on and BUY the thing?

Well, that's what I usually did. I'd make excuses about the price or I didn't NEED it or gosh, I'm an "artist", I can and/or should just make one like it myself (boy thats a big one for me, and you know? I can and should but I never DO.) So anyway along came Aimee of MazerDesign, who I've followd randomly for awhile on Flickr, Etsy and Facebook, and she shows up with this lovely little 6x6 collage painting and it fairly SHOUTS at me "Hello? It's Me! I belong with you!" and it was like right before New Years and since I'm all about "This is the Year!" "The Time is Now!" and I had Christmas gift money I was told in no uncertain terms I was only to spend on MYSELF, and I went straight to Etsy and I bought that little painting, like literally within minutes of Aimee listing it. It's titled Emerging, and it's my goal and motto for the coming year, though I'd say in my case it's RE-emerging ... from my artless, craftless, avoidance-bound existance of 2010.

So, thank you Aimee! and here's to 2011,
with more blogging, more arting - both creating & buying, a 365 (did she just say? ... yeah she said it ...) loads more photo shoots, revisiting my own Etsy dreams (including oddly enough a shop based solely on 6x6 paintings which I adore completely and another reason Emerging was like, so meant for me) and just basically starting my 2nd life ...

Peace out, homies {heart}
~ gem ~