Eye Candy for the Soul

I'm a Pinster.....is that a word, now? I think it means: One who is addicted to pinning! Pinterest is definitely my favorite website. Because I'm using it to help market my ETSY shop, I don't feel guilty about the time I spend on it! And I get to look at lots and lots of art and pretty pictures. It is absolutely 'eye candy for the Soul'. There are SO many talented, creative people in the world....it's awe inspiring!

Here is a snapshot of one of my Pinterest Boards titled, "Collage and Mixed Media" .... click on it and check out the rest of the pins or any of my other Boards!

http://www.pinterest.com/diginatureshop/collage-and-mixed-media/

But, now that they have "Secret Boards": Boards only you can see or invite a few others to view. I've started using those boards to keep some of my lists organized. For example, I had little Post-Its all over my office, on my desk, pinned to my corkboard, etc. Now, I've thrown all of those away.....yay! I can now find them on my Secret Board, titled, "BOOKS to READ". Now, I not only have a list, but can see the book covers at a glance.....a necessary thing for this visually-oriented person. :)

Necessity can be the Mother of Creativity

I don't know about other artists, but I can get my inspiration from a variety of places: Magazines, Pinterest, Etsy, catalogs; wherever there is visual stimulation.

But, what I'm discovering more and more is that when I'm creating a page or piece of art; be it journal, scrap or collage, I often find myself needing an image, graphic, stamp or stencil that I don't have. So I make it. That's how (and why) many of the items in my ETSY Shop are born. I believe that if I need the graphic to make a creative piece work, maybe others will to!

Here is a piece I just made where I wanted to use a graphic that implied "direction"....

And the "Arrows" were born!

I've reached a new milestone!

It took me longer than anticipated, but I finally just posted my 200th item in my ETSY Shop! This is an amazing feat for me and it's really giving me the motivation I need to get to 300!!

In honor of this momentus occasion, I am offering a 20% OFF Coupon in my Shop for the rest of January. Just type in MILESTONE20 in the "coupon code" section at checkout!

 Having such a great day, I made a fun Journal page with new textured papers I just created!

Selling to a Global Market

The East coast of the U.S. just got hit with another blizzard. Australia is dealing with a ferocious heat wave. What do these two thing have in common? I have customers in both regions. I sell through ETSY which is a GLOBAL market. It makes sense to be aware of who your market and what their needs are throughout the year.

Right now I'm focusing on Winter graphics and Valentine's Day....but, I have made many sales to people all over the world (which I think is really cool!) and my Australian customers aren't going to be interested in my Snowflakes right now. So, I need to make sure I have summer-themed graphics front and center, too!

For my Southern Hemisphere peeps...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/157742604/flowers-textured-clip-art-instant

For my Northern Hemisphere peeps...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/170816485/artsy-snowflakes-watercolors-digital

Turned a 'yucky' day into ART!

I'm supposed to be cleaning and organizing my Studio for our first OPEN HOUSE (we're selling) that is in 3 weeks.

Instead, I sat down at the computer and decided to express something I've been dealing with. (seriously, how do you NOT end this sentence in a preposition?)

I've created lots of different pages in my Digital Days (since the early 90s) but have never REALLY done any Digi Art Journaling. I'm a very private person and sharing parts of my personal life or my feelings is not easy. But, whether it's my age or just a deeper need to share now.....either way I'm loving it.

I think Art Journaling is a great, cathartic way to express yourself. It's a WIN-WIN situation. You get to be creative and play, while dealing with some feelings that are hard to express verbally. And, of course, you don't HAVE to share it with anybody! OR, you could make a book some day. :)

I do believe, though, the more you incorporate yourself into your ART....the more your ART will resonate with others. And that's a good thing.

My page is below, and I think I'm going to do a video on how it all came together. I love watching other videos like that and I think artist's sharing with others is very important.

A Serendipitous Walk on the Beach

I take my dog to walk on the bay beach as often as I can, especially in winter so he can run and get some exercise! As you can see it was right after a snowstorm which is a great time to go.

It's very cold, but SO beautiful and after a storm, you never know what you may find!

I am always on the lookout for textures and patterns for making into Stamps and using them in my Art. I found these two items and took them home to photograph and scan. I'm not sure what the light colored basket-looking item is, but I found out the square grid-patterned piece of plastic comes from an oyster basket, where they grow oysters.

Here are two Stamps/Brushes I have made from them so far...

And here's just a small section of a Layout Template I created that shows how the beautiful texture above can enhance a piece of art.

See entire Template here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/175097149/valentine-love-template-artsy-digital

Studio in Transition

I am already overwhelmed.
I have never prepared a home to be put on the market.
I have concluded we have way more stuff than 2 people should.
We just looked at a condo that we really loved and it's finally hitting home....we are moving!

The designer in me loves being neat and organized. The artist in me really enjoys making a mess.
I have started cleaning, organizing and purging in my office/studio.
Of course, while all of this is going on, I'm still trying to keep my ETSY Shop running smoothly.
You know all of those gorgeous photos you've seen of artists' or crafters' studios where everything is neatly packed, color-coded and organized "just so" on the shelves? Well, here's a pic that you will never see anywhere else, because no one would dare show it!

This is my Studio in transition.....scary isn't it? Hopefully, next time I can show you the neat and tidy version.

2014 is my Transition Year

This year is bringing lots of transitions into my life.

Because my art style has become more painterly (and loaded with texture), I'm offering more "ARTSY" products in my Shop.  Now I'm thinking about changing the name of my Shop....

I'm hoping to join an online Design Group this year. I think the contact and feedback with other creatives would be very good for me. Something I'm sure many of you understand.

And the most important change? I've moved this Blog from Weebly back to Blogger. It's good to be back.

I'm going to be sharing my work, my thoughts, my inspiration and in the not too distant future some more "HOW-TO" videos of PhotoShop techniques. I've been on a Macintosh since 1987 and I'm still learning cool, new techniques!

Maybe 2014 will be the year I also get a new computer, upgrades and maybe even a "pen tablet" to make drawing faster and easier.....well, I can wish can't I? 

Hope this year is a happy, healthy, prosperous one for all!!  
Kitti