Publishing Opportunities- Upcoming Submission Deadlines

Here a few of the magazines with upcoming deadlines. To read more about the specific challenges and descriptions of the individual publications click here. Take a look and maybe you'll feel inspired!

March 15th
Greencraft, Art Doll Quarterly's metal challenge, and Somerset Home.

April 15th
Somerset Holiday's and Celebrations, Somerset Digital Studio, Belle Armoire Jewelry and Somerset Studios' Halloween Challenge.

Cloth Paper Scissors will be publishing a special "gifts" magazine before the holidays. The deadline for this is April 2nd. Otherwise it looks like they accept art and articles on an ongoing basis.

If you're interested I posted some ideas and tips for submitting to an art magazine here.

Scribble Heart Giveaway!!!!

Hey all- A quickie post to mention that I am currently participating in a give-away over on Liv Lane's fabulous blog, Choosing Beauty. I love that her blog is all about the beauty in our lives- both within us and without. So head on over, enjoy her blog, and leave a comment by this Friday. You could be the lucky winner!!!

If at first you don't succeed...

Yay! I just received a notification that my submission for the June issue of Sew Somerset was accepted! Super excited to have this opportunity. And it feels doubly nice since I didn't make it in last time. I guess try, try again really does pay off!

Inspired Reads: Layered, tattered, & STITCHED

Any given week I have several craft books checked out from the library and strewn around my home. The measure of a good book then, for me, is how often I check it out. Some I return and then request again immediately. I just love having them around for their inspirational photos and art work, the interesting techniques, and the voice of the artist. If I take the additional step of purchasing the book then you know it's a book I LOVE.

Ruth Rae's Layered, tattered, & STITCHED is a great example of one of these books. I first paged through it when I was in Cincinnati in early November for my book's photo shoot. The photo studio there had a bookcase filled with nothing but fabulous, lovely, and amazing art and craft books they'd published. I was in heaven, especially when the photographer said I could borrow a few to take back to the hotel room with me to browse. I had a wonderful night paging through 6 or 7 of these books. My favorite was Layered, tattered & STITCHED. Not only is the fabric art amazing but it also met the other criteria I have for a great craft book.

The techniques are innovative and varied. The 20 + projects run the gamut from art-to-wear pieces to wall art to functional art in the form of photo frames and gift wraps. They vary in length and expertise level as well(I don't use a sewing machine, I hand stitch and am confident that I could achieve similar results). The result is a book that has something for any skill level.

This is a mixed media book, although the tie together is fabric. Ruth demonstrates how to use resin to coat fabric in one project, in another she stamps on plexi, in a few she combines fabric with wire accents; something sure to capture my attention! I also enjoyed the variety of fabric dying techniques and of course her techniques for singeing, tattering, and otherwise distressing fabric to create multi layered stitched works of art.

An amazingly talented jewelry artist (check out her first book, A Charming Exchange, written with Kelly Snelling) Ruth pulls in her love of beads, metal, and wire and combines them with her fabric techniques, to create dimensional art.

Technique-rich and beautiful to look at this book is the perfect example of what I find valuable in a craft book. I'm looking forward to trying all the techniques and experimenting with them, combining them with my own techniques and enriching my work. As I do, I'll let you know how it goes, and if YOU have tried any of the techniques in Ruth's book I'd love to know what you thought of them and how you integrated them into your art.

If you haven't checked this book out yet, I would definitely encourage you to do so! For more information about Ruth's work visit her blog, Let the beauty we love be what we do.

A quick disclaimer- I was not contacted, or asked to do this review. I just really love the book and want to help promote really great books. The publisher of Ruth's book, North Light is my publisher as well but that had no influence on me or this review. Enjoy!

Adding Categories and Making Changes to Art as Usual!

Maybe you noticed, maybe not, but the blog now has 3 columns and YES I did it myself. Awfully proud of that. I'm in the running for most horribly technologically illiterate person in my age group. Usually I rely on my husband, a software engineer, to take care of these things for me, but he's been busy and so I decided to take some things on myself. Per a request I've also added tags to my past posts to help with the whole searchability thing. As well as a few different ways to do these searches. Adding these tools started to make the right column seem awfully packed- which led me to the quest for 3 columns.

I've also worked out a list of categories that I'd like to create posts for regularly. One is Local Craftiness which will not only include any of my local classes and fun local finds but will also highlight the local craft fairs, artists, brick and mortar boutiques and indie craft suppliers in the area.

Another category will be titled Inspired Reads and I'm planning on introducing you to some of my favorite art and craft authors and their books. I'm huge craft book-aholic and always have several checked out from the library and laying around the house. I'd love to highlight some of my favorites as well as the techniques within them. I'm hoping to integrate some author interviews a little later down the road as well.

Additional categories would be Tutorials, and Art Everyday in which I plan to include inspirational ideas for living art everyday, in your home, and in our world.

I chose the title Art as Usual a year ago because it states in three little words my personal Artist's manifesto. I need art to be an everyday, all the time, integrated, take-it-for-granted part of my life. This blog helps me to live this and I want it to help you to live it as well.

So here, in my little corner of the blogging world, I plan on encouraging you. Through experiments, through tutorials, by providing information and inspiration so that you too can make a life with art, your everyday usual.

Valentine Inspired Art- 2009

The act of creating amazes me. Sometimes I have to really work to create something. These pieces seem to develop over time and take a lot of thought and questioning. I consider each decision I make carefully. Then there are the other times when the work seems to flow effortlessly and I hardly know what I'm doing. I just do it. Those are the pieces that to me seem inspired. Then I'll have to slog through 2, 3, or more of the first experience to reach the place where everything just flows effortlessly again. This can get discouraging. It's like reaching the peak only to have to go down and start all over again. I want the peak experience every time. I've come to realize though that art, like life, takes a commitment to work on through the difficult places. You have to be willing to create bad works of art in order to create a great one.

With Valentine's approaching I've been thinking about love and when I had the chance to create on Friday I did a light, sweet mixed media piece with lots of hearts (above). The entire process was a struggle. Nothing seemed to look just right. I think I painted over it 2-3 times at least. Finally I decided to give it a rest and I slapped a bunch of paint on some recycled canvases I had. Slopping paint is purely therapeutic and really that is where it's artistic value lies. But I was going to use these as backgrounds and really didn't care much about how the slopping went. Then the painting started to develop and became "true love..."This piece just flowed. It seemed to create itself- it was also a true reflection of how I see love now. The first piece was fun and sweet. This piece has a darker side to it. The text says: "true love comes only after we make the choice to be true to the one we love". I've been married for ten years to a wonderful man and I know now what I didn't know in the beginning. Marriage takes work and commitment not just sentiment and chemistry. It takes making the choice once those fade, and life gets rough to commit and be true. When I fell in love it was involuntary. Later, I made the choice to love truly.

So be willing to work when you don't feel like it. Be willing to make truly awful art. Trudging through those valleys, committing to the path, and then making that climb upwards is the only way you will reach the peaks.



Note: This was originally posted February, 2009- Enjoy!

Local Craftiness: The Studio at Rush Creek

Last Monday I walked into the place of my dreams. Seriously. I've dreamed of a place like this. Fortunately for me it actually exists and get this, is only about 10 minutes from where I live in Plymouth, MN. It's called The Studio at Rush Creek and is an art studio, boutique, AND makes a mean mocha. I was contacted by the Studio via Etsy last week and on Monday brought in some work to place on consignment there.

It's a fabulous place. I had a great time looking around and with that lovely coffee smell permeating the air I think I could sit and sip for hours- especially if I can create at the same time. I took a look at their class schedule and they offer all sorts of classes. Painting, jewelry making, an intro to encaustic, and lots of lovely sounding stained glass and glass fusing classes. Slumping glass is one of those projects I've been interested in trying for some time but haven't taken the time to search out an opportunity to learn. The price is right too with the average class taking two hours and costing only $24 plus supplies.

When we met we worked out a class which would introduce my wire and fabric techniques. Pretty exciting! I'll be teaching the techniques for sculpting wire birds and stitching fabric to wire to create a hanging wall display on Thursday, Feb .25th from 7-9 p.m. These are simple techniques and once you've you tried them I know you'll be hooked. The wire work satisfies that need we creative types have to "make stuff" with our hands. Stitching the fabric to the wire is repetitive and promotes a feeling of meditation. Similar to the feeling you get when knitting or embroidering. It's a wonderful craft to try with no experience necessary!

I've done some teaching in the past but this will be my first class teaching these techniques and I am so excited! I would love to have any of you that are local to join me! If you have any questions about the class, please contact me. To register, just click on the class schedule above. Happy Crafting!

Tutorial: Wired Love

Love. It's a word we use to express emotions- both deep and light. I love my sweetie husband and super cute little boy. I love the smell of varnish and oilbars. I love the Pogues. I love places like the Yosemite Valley in winter and standing next to the waterfalls in Glacier National Park in the summers. I love coffee nights with friends and of course, I love art.

At this time of year, with Valentine's Day right around the corner, I think of the word "love". Love is an emotion, it's also descriptive of a feeling of great like or enthusiasm. It's also a promise. What do you love? How do you use the word throughout your week? Who do you love?

In honor of the word," love", I've a short little tutorial for you. So take a look and give it a try. Then give it away to a good friend or sweetheart that you love!
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Wired Love Tutorial

Tools and Materials
16-gauge steel wire
19-gauge steel wire (optional)
Heavy Duty wire cutter
Needle nose pliers- jewelry sized



1. Start by pulling a length of wire from you spool, wiping it with a rag as you pull to clean off the oil residue. Then using your needle nose pliers, bend the end of your wire in.






2. Using your hands, create a loop to form the letter "l".








3. Continue to shape with hands to form letters, "o", and "v".








4.Next shape another loop to create "e".








7. Leave 8-10" for a tail and then cut. Make a smaller decorative loop if desired, and then using your needle nose, bend the cut end of your wire around until it is flush to itself. If desired, you can use the 19-gauge wire to secure the wire where it overlaps by wrapping it around the juncture. Use the needle nose to shape or smooth your wire to finish.

Welcome Challenges!

It's been over a month since my last post. In that time I did finish my book manuscript (BIG WHOO-HOOO!) and managed to do a birthday party for my now five year old son as well as submit some mini quilts for the next Sew Somerset publication. It's been all about getting it done this month. Here are some of the other new challenges for this coming year.

New Challenge #1-Remodel our Basement! My husband and I ripped out the carpet in our lower level and had hardwood floors installed. This was a project that we hadn't planned, it came as the result of some pretty nasty allergy problems we were all experiencing, but I'm still excited by it. We took the opportunity to cull our book collection, the piles at right are what's left (I took them out of the bookcases to vacuum the dust off them). We are also going to get rid of the nasty old hand me down furniture we had down there. I think that some of it was my husband's parents first furniture. When we were doing the newly married- don't have anything- thing it was great to have any furniture at all but now we'd like to update. So a basement redo is in the works. I'll keep you posted!

New Challenge #2- Back to LIFE! I had a bit of a crisis when I realized that I didn't need to spend every waking moment on the book any longer. It was the set task every day and at the end everything else in life was put on hold. So the moment I emerged from that task I was faced with a large array of others that needed my attention- NOW! I've been trying to find a balance again but it's been difficult. When I was in kindergarten I had major surgery that kept me in a hospital bed for several weeks. I actually forgot how to move my muscles to walk during that time and to learn again I tried hard to focus on the action of one foot in front of another. Learning how to do something again that was first learned naturally and taken for granted is hard. We want to think it all out but that's not how we learned in the first place.

Emerging from this book project has been somewhat similar. I know I used to know how to plan all the meals, balance play dates, shopping, exercise, time with the family, cleaning and laundry during my day but for the life of me I can't remember how now. It seems daunting. So finding balance again is going to be another challenge to meet. If I figure out any tricks I'll let you know- we could all use the help right? If you have any advice on this I'd love to hear from you too!

New Challenge #3- Getting Crafty! Before the book releases I want to have a website up and running and a kick-ass blog. I'm envisioning lots and lots of tutorials as well as some of the personal writing like I love to read in others blogs. I've also just signed on to teach a class locally at The Studio at Rush Creek. I'll post more about that soon. They'll also be carrying some of my work on consignment. The thing I'm most excited about however, is getting back to work! Spending time in the studio and getting to follow a few of the mad thoughts that plague me (like what if I tried combining a wire bird cage, a vinyl decal of a bird, and an old metal tray). I developed some projects for the book that I've just been dying to play with and take a little further as well. PLUS I'll be adding a lot of new products to my etsy site in the next month or so and I can't wait to see what you all think!

Life is grand- don't you think?

Almost There!

Whoo-Hoo!! Thought I'd post an update and get back in touch with my blogging self. On New Year's Eve I hit "save" for my last chapter and today I sent in the first four chapters and the intro to my editor. The book is almost done and I can't believe it. The last few weeks have been all up hill as I did a balancing act that would do a Cirque du Soleil performer proud. Without giving you all the gory details I did want to mention that I have a new laptop that is not compatible with my camera and because we did an emergency eviction over Christmas while some repairs were made to our home I can't access my old computer files/art/camera stuff so until I get computer savvy I'll be limiting my time on blogger.

I'm also 1o days away from my manuscript deadline and while I have it half sent, until I can yell "DONE" I'm going to be a complete recluse. I can not wait to return to all of you and I have lots of plans to share. So have a wonderful wonderful few weeks!!!