More Needle Felted Peeps

I thought I posted these awhile back, but I guess I didn't. These are some of my latest little owl babies I've been making for the holidays. They take about half and hour to make each one, but they are just so darn cute. If I can get just 20 done by Christmas I'd be happy.

More Colorful Clutches

Briana from Briana Edelman Designs has done it again. Now she's offering four colorful clutches from my chickadee fabric line. I love them all and also like the pretty lining she picks for each one.

Sunday Show and Tell

We had a special guest appearance from little Ethan (my four year old nephew and natural born goof ball). He decided to join the big kids this weekend and try his hand at painting his own greeting card illustration. He calls his "Santa Worm". I fashioned him with a quick no-sew apron to keep him clean and my sister happy. I love the picture of him trying to speed dry his painting with the blow dryer. He's ridiculously cute and entertaining.
Many of my students finished their paintings and can start making cards next week. I just need to get everything photographed and printed.
Don't they look great?

Full Steam Ahead!!!

It's two weeks before Jen and Tom's wedding and we are in stage two of wedding preparations. Look at the cake topper, ring pillow and flower girl basket made by her friend Liz!! Is it ridiculously cute or what?
The last few days have been spent spray painting paper lanterns, assembling candle holders, mounting bamboo poles outside to hang even more lanterns, getting the chalkboard sign done (which is a surprise, so sorry.....no picture), ironing the linens for the cake table and pulling more fu--ken weeds! This is going to be such a beautiful handmade wedding and I can't wait to post all the highlights for you all to see.
Art has graciously accepted his list of chores to do tomorrow and the following week for that matter. He's quite the trooper and knows exactly what I expect of him. Love that man!
Next week I'll be working on flowers and all the little things you can't do until the last minute. That's why it's so important to get as much as you can done before the week of the wedding.
Jen, you did the right thing by delegating your wedding to your two friends who are so organized and use their glorious OCD's to your advantage.

Etsy Artist Micki Wilde

I just received these two illustrations the other day from Etsy artist Micki Wilde of The Art Hermit. I think they are absolutely adorable. She painted Lucy with the pink kitty hat and scarf on a wood box canvas. I just love the detail of the snow at her feet. Little Red was painted on a vintage page from the original storybook. I can't wait to find the perfect frame for this one. She also sent an assortment of her greeting cards. Everything was so thoughtfully wrapped and carefully packed.
Thank you so much Micki. You are so talented and I can't wait to see what you do next. Karin

Oh, in case you all were wondering, Art did make special plans for my birthday. He took me to lunch and then wanted to take me to see an exhibit at the Museum of Art. I say wanted because we had one too many margaritas and ran out of time. We will have to go when we have the whole day at our disposal.

Happy Birthday To Me!

I woke up this morning a year older. Still can't believe I'm 38!!! So weird, but I'm okay with it. The last couple of years I've started a birthday ritual. First thing in the morning, I'll grab my camera and take my picture (puffy eyes and pillow hair). Then I shower, put some make-up on, pin a flower in my hair and take my picture again to see how different I look. (You have got to wear a flower on your birthday or any day really. It'll make total strangers smile and you're sure to get great customer service wherever you go). So here are my after shots. I'm happy to report that I pretty much look the same as last year. No significant changes. Of course I'll save you from the horror and only give you the after shots, a better version of me. I highly recommend taking an overhead angle shot....much more flattering. The second picture is of me deciding what I want to do today. I can hear my sisters reading this right now saying "Karin.... you're such a dork!" hee hee. Honestly, I love being a dork. I crack myself up all the time.

So here's my only grip about my birthday. It always seems to fall on a tues or wed. Why is that? How boring!

Todays plans include finishing up a painting before Cindy from Art and Soul comes over this evening to pick which ones will be in her show. Then, I'd like to just chill out and maybe go to lunch. I don't like to make any definite plans on my birthday. Just play it by ear. Isn't that the way you're supposed to spend your birthday? This drives my friends crazy, but I think they're getting used to it by now.
My husband Art has something planned, but he won't tell me. So either it's really good or he's still trying to think of something. We'll see. If I don't talk about it next time then he was bluffing.
Hope you all have a great day and eat cake because it's Happy Birthday Wednesday.

Oh, I almost forgot......I want to wish my sister Lara a Happy Birthday as well. Still can't believe she had to be born on my birthday when I was three. Also, Happy Birthday to my friend Erica. Did we decide that I'm a couple hours older than you?

Art and Soul Anniversary Party

Just wanted to let you all know that I will be showing my art at the Art and Soul on 101 gallery just in time for their anniversary party. If you're local, I've included all the information below for the event.
The cool thing about this place is that they are non-profit and donate all their proceeds to four different charities. Last year they donated over $30,000.00. They also have some of the coolest art from many local artists in our area and beyond. When the owner asked me if I'd be interested in showing my work there, I had no idea what kind of gallery it was. The second I walked through the door I was blown away at the beauty of the space. So cool and funky with such an assortment of eclectic one of a kind art pieces.

Since I'm hosting a wedding at my house that day, I won't be able to make it. So bummed, but I have been busy working on some new pieces for their show. The one above is painted on wood. I plan on using it for a possible t-shirt design, bags etc.
If you happen to make it, please let me know how it was and maybe take some pictures? Karin

Host: Cindy Blumkin & Paige Perkins
Location: Art N Soul on 101 in Downtown Encinitas
633 South Coast Highway 101
Encinitas, CA 92024 US
When: Saturday, October 10, 6:00PM to 9:00PM Add to my iCal Calendar
Phone: 858-442-8666

Join Us As
Art N Soul on 101
Celebrates Our 2nd Year Anniversary

An Evening of Fun!
Artists! Music! Friends!
Yummies! Beverages
and Creative Vibes!

Honoring our Artists, Charites and Most of All, The Fans of
Art N Soul!

A Great Big Thanks to all of You!

Artisans Being Loved and the Charities Received Over
$8000.00 Each

Lets Keep the Good Times Rolling!

Friends and Family. Children are More Than Welcome. The
more the merrier!

Art Class Show and Tell

After a seriously depressing week, it was nice to see some colorful art work being painted by my students today. They're creating their own holiday card and many plan on selling them at this years Holiday Artists Market, December 6th. They'll also have lots of their art work on display as well.
Looks like the owl was in the lead when it came time to decide on a subject. Other choices include an adorable cat, a mouse, and Davey's tiki. "Oh Zuri, you're going to want one of those when he's finished. I saw the rough draft and it's soooo cool." Little Miss Sophie is also making a ridiculously cute Halloween kitty since that's her mom's favorite holiday. The picture above is what they look like so far. I think that many will finish the painting part next weekend and then I will take them through a step by step process of assembling and embellishing. Then voila! They will each have their own custom greeting cards.

Throughout the year I've been encouraging them to think outside the box and come up with ideas how they can merchandise their art while holding on to the originals. Since many of my students want to be artists when they grow up, I figure it's good time to start planting the seeds so to speak. Prints, cards, clothing, ........the ideas are endless really. Basically, I get a kick out of producing mini-me's, .........only I do sell some of my originals. I only have so much room on my walls.
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and thanks again for all the comments and support you gave Art and I this week. It really means a lot. Karin

Sweet "Grandma Snapper" 1995-2009

It's been a very sad day for Art and I as we said goodbye to our oldest dog Brooke this morning. I thought I was prepared for her passing since she was almost 14 years old and her health was slowing diminishing...... but I wasn't. Art and I feel very fortunate to have been able to spend her last hour comforting her as much as possible. It was also very sweet to witness the other furry members of our family visiting her in her room, saying their goodbyes. I want to thank all of you who flooded our emails and left very touching phone messages. It was nice to know how many people she touched and that we have such great people in our life. Lots of tears today so please forgive me for not answering the phone.

You know, if it wasn't for her, Art and I wouldn't be together. Yep.....I got suckered for the guy with the cute little puppy.

She was born deaf, but you'd never know it unless she was sleeping. She picked up sign language right away and I swear she could read lips. She also used her handicap to her advantage when it was bath time by avoiding eye contact and keeping a safe distance from us. Pretty comical to watch.

She will be greatly missed but alway in our hearts.

An afternoon of sewing

After my cry for help a couple of posts ago, I got a phone call from a friend who said her mom knows how to make slip covers and they would love to come over for a sewing workshop. We had a nice afternoon, cutting, stitching and sewing away. Since I didn't have my fabric pre-washed for the slip cover, I had to pay close attention to the verbal instructions. What I did finish was my skirt (well, sort of--needs a little minor adjustment), a baby blanket for a friend, and some organic catnip pillows made from vintage fabric scraps.
This is Max, my big chocolate monkey of a cat (and Bobby's brother). He pretty much refused to get off the ironing board even when Art pretended to press him. Look at those paws gripping the edge. He literally lifted the whole thing off the floor when I tried to pry him off. I think the catnip makes him a little stoned.

Lemon Verbena

I made a sample batch of these soy lemon verbena pillars and votives and have be passing them out for my friends to try. So far, the one I've been burning each night has been burning perfectly and smells sooo good. I've always been a big fan of lemon verbena or anything lemon really. I'm not completely sold on the color though. This color actually happened by accident when I mistakenly put a black color chip in the wax thinking it was green. Then I spent the next ten minutes throwing in other green and gold chips to bring it back. Almost ended up with a Halloween candle. Now it's somewhere in between sage and split pea soup. At least it smells good right?

My kids classes have started again and they are all working on their own holiday card design. They hope to sell them at my Holiday Artists Market in December. I'll keep you informed on all the details as it gets closer.

This week will be pretty busy with art classes and I've got some other special projects in the works. Tomorrow, Carol, Francesca and I will be painting on location. We are working on beautifying a retaining wall with a mural of bougainvillea over at the Pannikin. I hope to post about it tomorrow. Karin

fresh soy candles!

So I put my projects aside for now to make another batch of soy candles. This batch will be offered in my shop this week. (actually, I'm hoping to have them in my shop tomorrow if all goes well.) These candles were poured in square glass containers and I've colored the soy wax to make it easier for me to decipher which flavor is which.

petal pink= grapefruit Tangerine
sage green= Lotus....a blend of gardenia and grapefruit
creamy ivory= Hawaiian Gardenia

I also have a new candle fragrance that I'm loving. A fresh lemon verbena which smells so sooo lovely. I'll take some pictures of those as soon as they come out of their molds. Until then, I hope you have a great day. Karin

Oh, the projects are piling up!

So, I acquired a cute little chair for my office the other day and thought it would look great slip covered. Of course I've never made one before, but heard it's really eeeeeeeeasy. Then my friend had to tell me how complex it can be. What did I get myself into? Oh well, no turning back now.

I also have a baby shower coming up this month and wanted to make a blanket out of my chickadee fabric with a soft minky blue fabric for the back. She's having a girl, but said "no pink!," so I decided to make everything in tangerine and turquoise. I found a cute little outfit as well. (I draw the line when it comes to making baby clothes. ) Then there's my trio of bunnies made from mittens I'd love to include if I finish them in time. The last one's still laying in five pieces.

Last but not least, the orange and chocolate fabric at the bottom of the stack is supposed to be a skirt. All pinned and ready to sew.

All these projects had me thinking............I need to have an open studio day. Maybe invite someone who's sewn slip covers before? Anybody??

Happy Birthday Art!

Today is my husband Art's birthday. When I asked him what he wanted to do for his day he said," I want to visit my friend Mac, do some gardening, and just hang out." Not surprising since we've been jumping from one event to the next and still have a full month of birthday celebrations ahead. I was actually pretty relieved because I felt like chilling out too. I think this is the first time in thirteen years that he didn't want a party. Whew!
So we got up, had breakfast and headed to Mac's house. We were greeted at the kitchen door by his two dogs and a miniature pony. Then we had to check out the new batch of baby chicks (we might take two of them), and hung out playing guitar. Did I mention Mac has a farm in Olivenhain? We left with a 30ft ladder and some yellow squash from his vegetable garden.
So we all ended up back at our place for some major tree trimming, beers and lounging in the hammocks.

Do you like my cake decorating? Can you even see the little chocolate ganache cake hiding under there?

Happy Birthday Art! Love you, Karin

Muggy!!!

I'm done with this weather! Someone please make it stop. I thought summer would never arrive, then the mugginess and heat won't let up.
Art and I spent a good part of the day cleaning up the "ugly corners" of the yard. Lot's of leaves, branches and little piles of junk that I never let you see here. We've been working on it for the past few months trying to get ready for my friends wedding in October.
I'm happy to report that the chickens, dogs and cats are all getting along beautifully now. It really makes for a less stressful home environment when you don't have to police them. It took about two weeks of slow introductions and refilling the squirt bottle several times. The final phase was actually a big surprise (accident) when the chickens made it out of their pen, through the blue gate into the dogs side of the yard while I was at the Art Walk. So relieved that no one was hurt and we didn't come home to a crime scene.