Some Etsy Treasuries

Well, it has been a busy spring, and I'm slowly working on trying to reorganize and consolidate my work areas (which will be a future blog post). In the meantime here are some Etsy Treasuries I posted recently. Click on the image to to go the treasury, where you'll find the links to each item featured.

For the Birds

Is It Spring Yet?

Robot Roll Call

Yes, this last one was inspired by Mystery Science Theatre 3000, and though it says it was created in December, that's just when I started it, and then it sat pending until Spring!

You can see all my treasuries here. The older the treasury, the more likely items will vanish as they are removed from folks' Etsy stores. You can check out my Etsy store here.

Anti-Valentines

The first Ten Two Studios Design Team challenge for 2012 was to make Anti-Valentines in response to Valentine projects we had done in the past. I collaged some black-ribboned chipboard hearts and "Bloody Valentine" Artist Trading Cards, using images and text from the Ten Two Studios' Anti-Valentine and Black & White collections plus some vintage poison pharmacy labels.

Check out the front page of Ten Two Studios now through Valentine's Day to see the daily Valentine & Anti-Valentine eye candy from the design team!

In Memoriam: Nuts and Outdoor Cat

This winter we lost Nuts on December 20, 2011 and Outdoor Cat on January 9, 2012. Both were older with serious health issues so we knew it would happen eventually, but it was still heart-breaking. Nuts was my husband's cat, and she adopted him some thirteen years ago when a friend of his found her as a stray. When she was little she would run around like a crazy cat, and his young son said "This cat is nuts!" and the name stuck. She was the reason we kept a "Beware of the Cat" sign by the front door because she hissed at everyone except my husband and once chased our former landlord's dog out of HER yard.

Outdoor Cat was much shyer, and when we bought our house, we did not even know that she was living under our deck until our neighbor told us she had been there for some years. No one seemed to remember how long, but the previous owners used to leave food out for her, and everyone told us she was "not very friendly." I have described in previous blog posts how Outdoor Cat went through the Wisconsin Humane Society's Trap Neuter Return program and ended up coming indoors.

She adopted me and slept on my side of the bed at night, while Nuts slept on my husband's side. Often the humans would end up squished together in the middle third of the bed acting as a buffer zone between the two cats, who would hiss at each other on sight. Fortunately since they were older female cats, they mostly pretended the other cat was not there.

Our remaining cat Ruby would like you to know that we do not need another cat. Ruby is enjoying having full command of the humans' attention and having access to rooms that had previously been the other cats' territories. She distributes her fuzziness equally between our laps.

Milwaukee ARTibles Holiday Bazaar - extra hours!

Still looking for unique holiday gifts? The Milwaukee Artist Resource Network's ARTibles Holiday Bazaar will be open extra hours Dec. 19-24, 2011:
Mon-Wed 12 to 7
Thur-Fri 11 to 7
Sat. 10 to 5
(for those of you who like waiting to the last minute)
You can find all sorts of cool stuff made by local artists including clothing, jewelry, purses, ornaments, art magnets, bird houses, quilts, soaps, greeting cards, and more!

Free Vintage Holiday Printables!

Yes, it's time again for the Ten Two Studios Holiday Printables Countdown, now through Christmas. Check http://countdown.tentwostudios.com/ everyday for a new download from Lisa Vollrath. She just asks that you spread the word by sharing the link on your blog, Twitter, etc. And while you're there check out all the cool Christmas products and Ten Two Studios design team projects posted on the main page!

ARTibles Holiday Bazaar at MARN

Happy Thanksgiving! Tomorrow is traditionally "Black Friday" when we're supposed to all go out and do our Christmas shopping (even though many businesses have started holding their Black Friday sales early). If you're in the Milwaukee area, be sure to check out the ARTibles Holiday Bazaar at the Milwaukee Artists Resource Network (MARN), 5407 W. Vliet Street in Milwaukee (conveniently next door to Four Corners of the World). ARTibles features handmade artsy gifts, ornaments, and accessories by local artists (including me). A percentage of the sales also benefits MARN, a non-profit organization serving the Milwaukee arts community. After Thanksgiving, regular ARTibles hours will be Thursday & Friday from 11-7 and Saturday 10-5 through December 24, 2011. Go shop!

Warped Milwaukee Fiber Art Show

I'm in a fiber arts show! If you're in the Milwaukee area, check out the Warped Milwaukee show at the Jazz Gallery, 926 E. Center Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, presented by the ABK Weaving Center and Riverwest Artists Association. The other participants are Harmonie Baker, Ellie Brooks-Derzay, Pame Bueno, Susan Buss, Taylor Easton, Jan Falk, Kari Garon, Betsy Hoover, Kathleen Hughes, Mel Kolstad, Shannon Molter, Jane Moore, and Stephanie Ponto. The show is up through December 4, 2011, and the gallery is open Saturdays 12-5 p.m. with other dates to be announced.

There are some stunning pieces on display, including this giant wing by Stephanie Ponto:

and these printed pouches by Susan Buss, entitled "Not Just a Bunch of Old Bags."

My friend Mel has a cool mixed media piece combining embroidery with vintage anatomy illustrations:

I have one of my mini Dia de los Muertos art quilts "Amigos" on display:
.
You can see some more photos on Flickr.