Mixed Media (Musical) Monday

Mixed Media Monday Etsy collection curated by HallowedHill 

I'm starting my Monday with lots of espresso and this eclectic Etsy Treasury which features a handful of members from the always entertaining Mixed Media Team. Click Here to visit this fun collection & from there you can tap through to the individual pieces.

Listening to TMBG this morning. Video by Chessage. For more about expressionist painter James Ensor check out this online museum.

Looking for more music? Head on over to The New Xmas Dolly & have a listen. While you are there - why not post your earworm to her blog hop today? 

Before you go, leave a comment here to enter my latest random drawing. On 12/1 two lucky winners will receive their fave print from my Etsy Shop, DeviantART Gallery or this blog. Good luck!

I guess it's gonna rain today

I'm testing a new printing co. & hope to have some fresh digital art in my artsnark etsy shop very soon,  including this one which needs a new name. Any suggestions?

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By the way, you have until 1 am (EST) on Nov3 to leave a comment & enter Black Baroque's fantastic random drawing. Tomorrow I'll pick 2 winners from those who have kindly commented on this blog since Oct. 20th. The lucky duo will each take home their fave print from BlackBaroque.etsy.com. Click Here for  a visit with the artist behind this fun shop, Alexandra Wolf.

New ACEOs

Stay ACEO

Been crazy busy today - but stole a few minutes to list some new mini-art prints in the ArtSnark etsy shop.

The Blues ACEO

They are all professionally prints of my original mixed media paintings & drawings. All are enhanced with markers and inks, then finished with a UV resistant protective coat.

The Kiss ACEO

For more info, just click the captions. Like all of my ACEOs they are only $4 and ship free worldwide.

--------What is an ACEO?--------

ACEO stands for Art Card Edition and Original. They are always 3.5" x 2.5". It's a great way to collect art from your favorite artists without breaking the bank.

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By the way, there are still a few more days to enter the random drawing for a pair of white lace owl earrings from The House Of Decadent Delusion. Simply leave a comment before  9/22 to enter. Click here to see earrings & catch an interview with the designer.

The House of Decadent Delusion interview & giveaway (ends 9/22)

Jardin du Luxemboug necklace from DecadentDelusion

Hey you! How has your day been? I'm just heading over to The House Of Decadent Delusion - care to join me? Susan Gualtier's Etsy shop is full of all sorts of lovely creations & crafting supplies. I've also heard a rumor that she is sponsoring the new random drawing here (more info on this later). C'mon, grab your hat and let's go check it out...

I recently met Susan over at the Time Travelers Team on Etsy. We've been talking about crafting supplies and Art trading cards for a couple of weeks and she invited us to pop by and say hello. While we are wandering around, if you need additional info be sure to click the links.

Lot of hand dyed silk cocoons from DecadentDelusion

Susan Gualtier: Welcome to the House of Decadent Delusion, where you can find handmade jewelry and fiber arts by the most decadent of crafters.... myself!  This shop is my "house in the countryside," where I can feel free to retreat into an ideal artistic world of my own creation.

Sometimes people ask about the name of my shop. It's derived from the decadent movement in art and literature, and in particular from the book "Against the Grain", by Joris-Karl Huysman, which has greatly influenced the way I think about art, aesthetics, and life. If you are curious, you can find out about this book from this excellent Wikipedia article.

Knitted Handspun Neckwarmer from DecadentDelusion

Hi, Susan. Many thanks for letting us drop in today! I have oodles of questions for you. First up - You work in a variety of materials. What are your favorites and why?

SG: My favorite media are wool and metal collage. I love combining colors and textures, and both spinning and metal collage allow me to do that. Both are a lot of fun.

Chocolate Butterfly Metal Collage Necklace from DecadentDelusion

You have everything from cute-n-fluffy to spooky Halloween in you shop. Are there any special Muses that influence your creations?

SG: I am very interested in art nouveau and the literature and culture of the fin de siecle. I also love surrealist art and literature. Finally, I am a fashion junkie. I admire designers like Alexander McQueen, who blurred the line between art and fashion. If I could have one particular talent, that would be it.

Art Nouveau Inspired Collage Necklace from Decadent Delusion

Do you listen to music while creating? If so, what is on your current playlist?

SG: I usually like it to be quiet when I create, but I do listen to a lot of music. I mostly enjoy punk rock and indie bands. Right now, one of my favorite bands is actually Taylor Momsen's band, the Pretty Reckless. She has a great voice.

What are your Top 3 favorite Etsy Shops?

SG: It's impossible to choose just three! I love Calliope's Attic, Paloma Antigua, and Miss Fickle Media for metal supplies, Loop and BohoKnitterChic for spinning fiber, and Melia's Muse and Art Snark (of course!) for feeding my ACEO addiction.

Vintage Copper Scarab Ring with Watermelon Tourmaline from Decadent Delusion

((blushes)) Is there anything you want to share about your new found love of ACEOs? For anyone unfamiliar with ACEOs (Art Cards Editions & Originals), they are mini-artworks. ACEOs can be made in any medium, always measure 3.5" x 2.5"... and are a great way to collect pieces by your favorite artists without breaking the bank.

SG: No, just that it only takes one to become an addict :)

Upholstery ACEO by DecadentDelusion

What do you like to do when you are not making fun stuff?

SG: Go out with friends, eat delicious food, read, learn, go to museums, see live music, and play with my cats.

100% Donation item all proceeds go to The Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary

Okay, here is a silly one for you - If you would have any superpower what would it be? Would you use it for good or evil?

SG: I would be a vampire, and I'd mostly use it for good. I definitely wouldn't sparkle.

Chocolate Vampire Kisses earrings by Decadent Delusion

Thanks, Susan, for letting us pop by today! Oh, and I think I heard something about a new prize? What wonderful goodies are you giving away to one lucky winner?

Snowy Owl Lace Earrings from Decadent Delusion

SG: A pair of white lace owl earrings. These fabulous lace earrings are a collaboration with my Mom (She goes by Millinery Mary on Etsy) She embroidered the owl pendants using a computerized embroidery machine. They are "free standing lace," which means that they are super lightweight, yet sturdy and rigid enough to function as beads and pendants for making earrings and other jewelry. I have accented each owl with a clear AB Swarovski crystal. Each earring measures approximately 1 1/2 inches long and is attached to a silver plated ear wire.

Ooh, thanks for sharing! These are really cute (& perfect for Halloween).   

Want to enter the random drawing for a pair of Susan's Lace Owl Earrings?

Want a second entry? Next jump over to DecadentDelusion.Etsy.com, pick out your favorite item & share it back on this blog before the deadline.

I want to thank Susan again for letting us drop in on her today & for sponsoring this fun random drawing. I also want to thank everyone who came along for the ride and took the time to share their thoughts. The featured artists and crafters really appreciate your comments. Plus it is your interest that keeps these interviews and giveaways coming.

Want to see more of Susan's creative world before you head out today? 

Blog -  http://decadentdelusion-againstthegrain.blogspot.com

Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/decadentdelusion

Last chance to enter ACEO giveaway - Ends 7/28

Night Sky Diver ACEO

Hey there. How is your week going?

I still need to post the Greek mythology Art trading card that came in from my Creative Souls swap partner. Pop back in a few days & I'll share it then. But right now I have oodles of fun stuff to chatter about.

Dream Girl ACEO

My wonderful husband surprised us with a mini-vacation - 3 days of fun in the sun .... rounded out with a trip to the Lego Store for our resident brick fiend. A grand time was had by all! But... I fell behind on a few things, including listing dozens of ACEOs in my ArtSnark etsy shop.

October Country ACEO

So, I am cramming today - filling my virtual shelves with mini-prints for tomorrow's ACEO giveaway. 22 listed so far with more to come. Click here to visit the ACEO section of my shop. You can also click the links under each image for more info on that piece.

Fever Dreams ACEO

Have you entered the random drawing yet? One lucky winner takes home their favorite ACEO from my shop. To enter the drawing, simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST). Please leave your email if your contact info isn't in your profile. 

They're Here ACEO

Looks like I'm posting 3 times tomorrow - (1) to announce the winner of this giveaway, (2) to share the new Thursday Giveaway prize & (3) I am participating in Seth Apter's Buried Treasure Collaboration.

The Altered Page

I have to agree with Seth's comment ..."So Many Blogs, So Little Time...". To make your blog hopping a little easier (or at least more fruitful), he has asked participants to re-post their favorite blogposts on 7/28 and send him linkies. So tomorrow go to thealteredpage.blogspot.com for links  to oodles of prime reading material!

Well, I've got to run. More listing to do. Hope you have a fantastic day!

Sweet! Prints are in....

Wherever You Are I Am Home ACEO

Yay! The mini art prints have arrived! Lots of ACEOs to add to my etsy shop. Here are a few. You can see more in this earlier blog post.

Summer ACEO

I want to embellish them a bit. Give each one a personal touch before I put them for sale.

When Housecats Dream ACEO

I'm still collecting entries for next week's random drawing. 1 lucky winner to take home their favorite ACEO from my ArtSnark shop. There will be a few dozen listed by then to choose from. To enter this drawing simply leave a comment before 1 am (EST) on 7/28. Please leave your email if it isn't your profile so that I can contact you if you win. This random drawing is open worldwide with free shipping to the winner.

What is an ACEO? ACEO stands for Art Card Edition and Original. They are always 3.5" x 2.5".  And can be made in any style or medium. It's a great way to collect work from your favorite artist's without breaking the bank!

Etsy's new Region Filter-how to set yours

Mondo - the whole world in his head from Reclaim2Fame.etsy.com

The last couple of years it seems like every time you turn around Etsy is making changes. Some are kinda cool (treasury tweaks, coupon codes) while others are just silly (circles? really?). I know it is hard to please everyone, but I keep hearing from sellers whose shop views (& sales) continue to nosedive. And they are not happy.

Is seems like many sellers (1) see their shop traffic flatten, (2) wonder aloud in the etsy forums or on Facebook; then (3) Etsy admin announces the-next-big-thing-which-by-the-way-has-already-been-implemented-and-don't-you-just-love-it. Some sellers are happy with the changes..... but many are not & just want their traffic back.

Me? I just keep my head in the sand and blow the cobwebs off my inventory now and again. How is that working for me? It isn't. But that is a post for another day.

Today I want to make sure that if you have an Etsy account, you have heard about the new Region Filter.  If you have NOT set your new region filter to "Everywhere", when you are browsing the items you are seeing will be only from the country that Etsy considers your default location. If you would like to see more than just what is for sale in your country, you need to change your filter setting.

What does this mean? In the words of my favorite Swedish photographer Maria-Thérèse Andersson (Afiori.etsy.com): "Mine was automatically set to Sweden, then El Salvador! How the hell is a casual browser supposed to know these things when even we can't find them..."

In fact, it was Maria-Thérèse who pointed this update out to me last night. With my head in the sand policy, I'd missed the regional filter announcement.  How did she find out? She was looking for her newly listed items on Etsy's main page when she saw that everything listed for sale was from Sweden . In her words: "WTF?" So she popped over to the forums to find out what was up.

Here is her blog post about what happened: Ripped Off By Etsy

Plus a post from one of her readers, julocha from Moments of Perfect Clarity: Etsy: No longer where cool kids are

And a link to the official Region Filter Etsy Forum discussion: Set a region filter to view content and items near and far

Are you wondering - How do I change my Etsy Region Filter? Fortunately it is easy to set your filter, now that you know you have one:

• Sign into Etsy
• Roll over the words "Your Account" on the upper right corner of the page
• From the list that appears, pick "Settings" 

• Click on the Preferences tab

• Scroll to the bottom of the page and select your region that you want to view. Etsy had set mine to United States, but I shop globally so I changed it to Everywhere.

 

• Then click the Update Preferences button and you are ready to rock & roll. Easy peasy once you know it is there.

While you're setting your preferences, why not make sure they are all to your liking? I had no idea that there was a maturity filter automatically on. Nudity and art go together in my world, so I changed the setting to "show me everything" before punching the Update button.

So what do you think of this latest change to the Etsy shopping experience? I would love to hear from you. Are you a seller, worried about your items not appearing on a potential customer's radar? Or a buyer who is happy to select only your country and maybe save some money on shipping? Or do you just not care? Please, chime in. All comments are welcome.

Tampa Etsy Craft Party photos

Jenny Conn adds her touch to the collaborative canvas

Last Friday the family had a blast at the 2nd annual Global Etsy Craft Party. Did you make it to your local shindig? 

Jenny ran the embroidery/cross stitch demos

The Tampa event was great fun, a much more intimate gathering this year. In 2010 the focus seemed to be more on vending, but this year was all about fun demos, new friends, and good food. 

this lovely lady is from whitwamorganics.com  

This family friendly event was open to everyone .. well almost everyone...

J. Conn's sampler - sorry about my flash

This is where I apologize for the cruddy photos. My camera & its battery were both on their last gasps, so the pics leave a little something to be desired.

Everyone added their special touch to a big canvas. 

This collaboration was a gift for the generous folks who donated the party space at the last minute.

Miranda Hammond was sporting a new Tardis tattoo

The make-it/ take-it demos were awesome and varied.

Amanda Barber

From making button necklaces 

Rachel Zablocki

to cake decorating

(the cake table was very very popular)

Kristen Bird from birdhousedesigns.etsy.com taught leather keychain making

Little Dude also had a grand time pounding away over at the leather working station.

While I enjoyed the coffee roasting demos

yummy coffee from Kaye Brown of Jitterz Cafe

There was a children's station for budding young artists

Plus

Greg Hilferding's table was busy all night

dreamcatcher tutorials

& other creative activities.

Cthulu cross stitch from J.Conn

Basically there was something for everyone

Although some were left wanting more....

Want to see more photos? Click here to find additional pics from the Tampa bash on Facebook. Visit ThatGirlAllie's blog. Or click here for worldwide images from the Global Etsy Craft Party on flickr.

Also here is a list of some of the creative business people I met on Friday. (If I missed anyone, please let me know & I'll add you asap)

Allison Barkley - ThatGirlAllie.com
Lindsay Blankenship - WorkingSquidDesignCo.etsy.com
Kristen Bird - BirdhouseDesigns.etsy.com
Kaye Browne - Jitterz Cafe
Michelle Palenik - PurpleCloudStudio.com
David Whitman (& family) - WhitwamOrganics.com
Aris - LiteratiCreative.com
Carmen Taylor - PomFlair.com
Kara Mundy - Kara Mundy Body Art
Juhli Green - GreenImage.com
Assorted folks from Brasky.org

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Off topic - You still have time to enter my Pieces of Paris random drawing. Just leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on 6/16 to have your name tossed into the hat. One lucky winner takes home a great bag of French-themed goodies. Click here for details