My Birdsong

New Studio Set-Up and Your Next Clue in the Artful Gathering Giveaway!

If you've wondered whether I've fallen off the edge of the world, well in a way, I feel like it! We moved across the country just before Christmas, and thought we'd do the smart thing and sell much of our furniture and our second car. As you can imagine, the time it takes to shop for replacement furnishings, as well as a new car is exhausting! Plus add the trials and tribulations of moving into a new home with all the quirks you discover while occupying the house full-time, and my art has taken a back seat. We manage to squeeze in some holiday vacationing with our son home from college. The pictures are some of the sites around town.

Also, I have been unpacking my studio in stolen moments here and there, and then discovered my apple monitor no longer worked. When I took it to the Apple store, they described it by using my favorite word, "vintage!" Who would have thought! But, I guess a 2002 apple display IS vintage in computer years! So again I was sidetracked and another week has passed. But it IS another week for you to get the next clue in the Artful Gathering Blog Hope and Giveaway! 

Celebrating Artful Gathering 2012 Online Art Retreat, 
Open for Registration!

Blog Hop your way for chance to win!

From June to August 2012, ArtfulGathering.com will be presenting TWO exciting semesters of premiere online video workshops offered by fabulous artists who are known nationally and internationally. We are all very excited to share out knowledge, skill, and creativity with you, and we hope that you will join us for this AMAZING annual online event.

Blog Hop with us for a chance to win a prizes from Jerry's Artarama!

Each week the faculty of Artful Gathering will be announcing a featured blog to visit.

You can hop along with us until the final destination blog is reached, and where ONE Grand Prize winner will be chosen at Random for a chance to win a $200.00 e-gift card from Jerry's Artarama!!!

Two Runner Up winners will also be chosen at random for a chance to win a $25.00 e-gift card from Jerrys.

Each week I will announce the next featured blog for you to visit, and there you will find a new secret word or words that you will need to collect along your way from blog to blog. Once you have collected all the words from each blog you visit, they will work out to say a very artsy phrase. Here are the rules:

1. For your chance to win, you must collect all the secret code words and submit them upon the final destination blog in May. A random drawing will be conducted from those contestants who have submitted the complete collection of secret words!
2. Three winners will be randomly drawn. One for the $200.00 e-card to Jerry's, and two runner's up for the 25.00 e-card to Jerrys.
   
   

Week by week we'll go from one blog to the next!

Remember to collect all the secret words. These words will work out to say a very artful phrase, and you'll need all the pieces to be eligible for the final prize drawings!

Please HOP over and visit the Amazing Mixed Media Jewelry Artist...

Kecia Deveney

http://lemoncholys.blogspot.com/

(Pick Up the Next Secret Word)

 

Your Third Clue is Ready in the Artful Gathering Blog Giveaway & Hop!

Blog Hop your way for chance to win!

  

Celebrating Artful Gathering 2012 Online Art Retreat 
Open for Registration!

From June to August 2012, ArtfulGathering.com will be presenting TWO exciting semesters of premiere online video workshops offered by fabulous artists who are known nationally and internationally. We are all very excited to share out knowledge, skill, and creativity with you, and we hope that you will join us for this AMAZING annual online event.

Blog Hop with us for a chance to win a prizes from Jerry's Artarama!

Each week the faculty of Artful Gathering will be announcing a featured blog to visit.

You can hop along with us until the final destination blog is reached, and where ONE Grand Prize winner will be chosen at Random for a chance to win a $200 e-gift card from Jerry's Artarama!!!

Two Runner Up winners will also be chosen at random for a chance to win a $25.00 e-gift card from Jerrys.

Each week I will announce the next featured blog for you to visit, and there you will find a new secret word or words that you will need to collect along your way from blog to blog. Once you have collected all the words from each blog you visit, they will work out to say a very artsy phrase. Here are the rules:

1. For your chance to win, you must collect all the secret code words and submit them upon the final destination blog in May. A random drawing will be conducted from those contestants who have submitted the complete collection of secret words!
2. Three winners will be randomly drawn. One for the $200.00 e-card to Jerry's, and two runner's up for the 25.00 e-card to Jerrys.
   

Week by week we'll go from one blog to the next!

Remember to collect all the secret words. These words will work out to say a very artful phrase, and you'll need all the pieces to be eligible for the final prize drawings!

Please HOP over and visit the Amazing Animal Portrait Artist...
Elizabeth G. Johnson

http://windandhoney.blogspot.com/

(Pick Up the Next Secret Word)

Our Next Artist is Up for the Artful Gathering Blog Hop!

Blog Hop your way for a chance to win!

Celebrating Artful Gathering 2012 Online Art Retreat, 
Open for Registration!

From June to August 2012, ArtfulGathering.com will be presenting TWO exciting semesters of premiere online video workshops offered by fabulous artists who are known nationally and internationally. We are all very excited to share out knowledge, skill, and creativity with you, and we hope that you will join us for this AMAZING annual online event.

Blog Hop with us for a chance to win a prizes from Jerry's Artarama!

Each week the faculty of Artful Gathering will be announcing a featured blog to visit.

You can hop along with us until the final destination blog is reached, and where ONE Grand Prize winner will be chosen at Random for a chance to win a $200.00 e-gift card from Jerry's Artarama!!!

Two Runner Up winners will also be chosen at random for a chance to win a $25.00 e-gift card from Jerrys.

Each week I will announce the next featured blog for you to visit, and there you will find a new secret word or words that you will need to collect along your way from blog to blog. Once you have collected all the words from each blog you visit, they will work out to say a very artsy phrase. Here are the rules:

1. For your chance to win, you must collect all the secret code words and submit them upon the final destination blog in May. A random drawing will be conducted from those contestants who have submitted the complete collection of secret words!
2. Three winners will be randomly drawn. One for the $200.00 e-card to Jerry's, and two runner's up for the 25.00 e-card to Jerrys.
   

Week by week we'll go from one blog to the next!

Remember to collect all the secret words. These words will work out to say a very artful phrase, and you'll need all the pieces to be eligible for the final prize drawings!

Please HOP over and visit the Amazing

Laura K. Aiken

http://laurakaiken.blogspot.com

To Pick Up the Next Secret Word!



It's a Blog Hop and a Chance to Win Art Supplies from Jerry's!

Celebrating Artful Gathering 2012 Online Art Retreat,  Open for Registration!

Blog Hop your way for a chance to win!

From June to August 2012, ArtfulGathering.com will be presenting TWO exciting semesters of premiere online video workshops offered by fabulous artists who are known nationally and internationally. We are all very excited to share out knowledge, skill, and creativity with you, and we hope that you will join us for this AMAZING annual online event.

Blog Hop with us for a chance to win a prizes from Jerry's Artarama!

Each week the faculty of Artful Gathering will be announcing a featured blog to visit. You can hop along with us until the final destination blog is reached, and where ONE Grand Prize winner will be chosen at Random for a chance to win a $200.00 e-gift card from Jerry's Artarama!!! Two Runner Up winners will also be chosen at random for a chance to win a $25.00 e-gift card from Jerrys.

Each week I will announce the next featured blog for you to visit, and there you will find a new secret word or words that you will need to collect along your way from blog to blog. Once you have collected all the words from each blog you visit, they will work out to say a very artsy phrase. Here are the rules:

1. All Blog Hop participants with the secret puzzle words collected from each instructors blog are eligible for the Grand Prize Drawing, 
   
   
2. Runner up prizes will be randomly selected from all participants. Registration to Artful Gathering is not required, but blog hoppers will need to have all the secret puzzle words to be eligible to win.

Please HOP over and visit the Amazing Jodi Ohl sweetrepeats.blogspot.com

Join the Fun!!

New Items in My Etsy Shop!

Several new items have been listed in my Etsy Shop. Head on over and see what's new! Hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall leaves! The tree in front of our home is in full color and the November skies are just gorgeous. Happy November!

Happy Halloween Friends!

 

Hope you all enjoy your Halloween!!

 Don't forget to take a peek at the EHAG Emporium's latest October 31 update for delightfully spooky art! Here's a sneak peek at my offering. Enjoy!

Fifteen Seconds of Fame

The magazine Celebrate 365 recently published a double issue. It included their late summer edition, and, flip it over, you find the fall edition. (You can find subscription information here.) I was fortunate enough to be included in both, with three pages featuring my art. Two of the pages highlighted Halloween pieces I created, a Curious Eye ornament and a Witching Hour Recycled Wood block collage. You can read more about them on my Halloween blog.

Another page featured the nautical style Victorian Shell Keepsake box pictured above. I have it listed in  my Etsy Shop. I was inspired by the notion that sea captains would present their wives with intricate shell work boxes upon returning home from their long journeys. Entranced by the romance in these simple gestures, I was set on making several of these boxes. They are perfect as gifts for the holidays, birthdays or a special occasion.

Additionally, two of my seashell themed Christmas ornaments were featured in Somerset Holidays & Celebrations  2011.

I love the idea of seaside memories, so I made the pink shell encrusted paper mache ornaments with the image of a Victorian girl. It's as if they have a story to tell of summers spent by the shore. They are available now in my Etsy shop. You'll find the star-shaped ornament here, and the rectangle here. 

Also, watch for some new paper mache hot air balloon ornaments coming to my etsy shop. They are finished and waiting for their photo shoot! So in a couple of days, they'll be flying into my Etsy space. 

Iva's Creations

Follow me on Facebook where I list works in progress and upcoming events weekly. Don't forget to hit the "Like" button!

I hope you are enjoying the fall weather! This is my favorite time of year! 

 

 

 

Good Times at Halloween and Vine

Times marches on just too darn fast! Halloween and Vine came and went in the blink of an eye! Friday set-up was great fun visiting with artists I hadn't seen in quite a while and meeting others in person after knowing them online for years. Friday night was spent in Napa having dinner with several of the show artists at a mutual friend's lovely home overlooking their 160 acres of vineyards. Sipping wine, it was a great evening of art chatter and delicious food! 

On Saturday, a line had already started forming at 5 am! It was incredible to see some familiar faces keeping warm under their blankets and sipping coffee while waiting to get inside for a chance at snagging some Halloween treasures. Once inside, the room was bedecked with orange and black pennants, colorful balloons and lots of Halloween art!

When the clock struck 9 am, collectors rushed in to find their favorite artists and get first pick of the tables. Thankfully, Dennis Haynes offered to help me, and I couldn't have done it without him for the first hour and half! This is what greeted fans at my table when they first arrived.

Soon, we were wrapping and receipt-writing demons! When the dust settled, it was time to say goodbye to newly made friends and all the fans. I wish I could have gotten photos of everyone, but as usual, my camera sat at my table until it was almost too late. I snapped one of Vergie Lightfoot and I before heading out. It was great getting to know her at dinner the night before and at the show.

One more thing, I was able to scoop up a few art pieces myself! I purchased from the talented Jack Roads, Lori Rudolph, Arbutus Hunter and Sweet B. There were so many others I would have loved to have gotten some art from, including my friend Katherine Webber! But time and a limited pocketbook were not on my side!  Until next year!

 

Halloween and Vine in One Week!

I've been busy creating all sorts of Halloween delights for my debut at Halloween and Vine, Saturday, Sept. 24, in Petaluma, CA. I'm so excited and honored to be part of this outstanding show of Halloween artists! It's a week away, so grab some friends and make a date! Petaluma is a quaint town, with yummy places to eat and comfy hotels for your stay. Or make a day trip and hit the wine country on your way home. Get all the details on the show website. Can't wait!