Paper Jewels

Art Flea KC

No, this post is not about fleas. It’s about a Flea Market – the coolest one you’ll ever find 🙂

ArtFleaKC Blog
ArtFleaKC is a group of artists who got together and rented an extremely terrific loft-type space, gathered up tables and tea (or at least coffee), and put together a weekly Flea Market for handmade, artist original goods. They’re just gearing up for holiday sales so this is a great time to check them out.

Handknitted goods, some fine looking jewelry, paintings, drawings, and more every Saturday – and get this: every item is under $50! (Ahem… there might be a few exceptions. Artists are allowed to bring a few higher-ticket pieces. But I mean, a FEW.) The whole idea of this get-together is to find art that’s not only cool and original – but affordable.

Every Saturday in KC at 16th and Holmes, 10-5. Check it out!

And they have a magician 🙂

Totally Tutorials – this is going to be fun!

Would you like to win FREE jewelry supplies – create a jewelry tutorial – and get your name out there? Keep reading!

One of the hats I wear is proprietor of Weekend Jewelry1 on Etsy – you already know I sell my extra supplies there, and some lovely vintage glass jewels, vintage chain, and other goodies that I find in my travels. Like these:

vintage glass octagon jewels in brass settings...at Weekendjewelry1 on Etsy

vintage patina brass fine curb chain...at Weekendjewelry1 on Etsy

and

golden mother of pearl claws or spikes, by the strand...at Weekendjewelry1 on Etsy

antiqued brass and amethyst glass cabochon pendant...at Weekendjewelry1 on Etsy

I just learned that a charming lady on Etsy has started a blog that is all tutorials – Totally Tutorials Blogspot. Her blog is full of techniques we can learn, and new goodies we can make ourselves!

Now this is a generous and lovely idea anyway, and then she came up with one even nicer – she’s asked some shops at Etsy if they’d supply goodies to make the creations in the tutorials. So – an artist gets to play with new (free!) supplies, AND teach us how she made her creation! And of course, the vendor gets credit too.

If you have a skill you’d like to share, and you’ve always wanted to make a tutorial and get your name out there – this is your chance! Go to Totally Tutorials to learn more about the tutorials. Or read this post to learn how you can win 🙂

Of course I couldn’t resist. Weekend Jewelry1 on Etsy is going to contribute FREE supplies to three winning artists!

How To Win!

There will be three, count ’em, three lucky winners!

You have a week to apply – all three winners will be chosen Thursday night, August 13, 2009. The only requirements for winning are that you make jewelry, can take clear photos of your work and create a tutorial, and that you have a blog or site (such as Craftster) where you can post the tutorial.

To be eligible, please post a comment on my blog here, or send me a convo through my Etsy shop telling me you want to be a Tutorial winner! Tell me what goodies you would like to win. You can select any supplies I have, up to a $12.00 retail value!

Please also include a link to the site where you will post your tutorial.

One note – if I’m almost out of something, I may ask you to make another selection. Or, if the winner before you selected exactly the same components, I’ll ask you to choose other pieces.

You don’t even have to pay for shipping. And yes, international artists are eligible!

I’ll contact the winners late Thursday night on August 13, 2009. If I don’t hear back from you by Saturday, August 15, I’ll pick another winner. So if you’re not going to be reachable, please tell me AHEAD OF TIME so I know why I haven’t heard back from you.

Please make your jewelry – and your tutorial – as soon as possible after receiving your supplies (no more than a couple of weeks, please). Post the tutorial, and include a link to my shop in the tutorial, letting people know where you got your supplies!

Send me the link to your new tutorial, so I can link to it from my shop – and show off the creation made with my supplies. 🙂

Please also send the link to Totally Tutorials Blogspot so she can post it too!

I think that’s it. Remember, there will be three winners – at no charge, even for the shipping. It’ll be easy peasy – and fun – and a cool way to get your name out there!

Still have questions? Visit Totally Tutorials Blogspot or my Weekend Jewelry Etsy shop and ask!

Reuse Rethink Recycle – Wall Art II (or is it 3?)

Talk about Do It Yourself – and original art ideas – and using low cost items to make a fabulous decorating statement! This is such a great inspiration!

It’s also made with paper coffee filters. Now that’s what I call DIY with style.

Giving credit where it’s due: this is from The Haystack Needle, and believe me there are tons more good ideas there.

Check this out!
Wall Art using coffee filters - reuse, rethink, recycle

I think it’s lovely – of course you can run with that idea and try all sorts of shapes and configurations… and it IS rethinking, it is low cost, it is truly DIY….. just a super idea!

Etsy Mini – my vintage jewels on Etsy

Thought I’d give a little peek at some of the yummy jewels (and brass, and pendants, and findings) I have in my Weekendjewelry1 Etsy Shop:

Always check your site!

Once a site is running, a lot of it’s automatic – and it’s a relief to have it be that way. You add new things sometimes, of course update your blog (hopefully!), add Twitter comments, and like that… but the site is good, it’s active, it’s running….

It pays to check through it once a week or so, anyway. It’d been an unusually quiet early July, but hey, that happens sometimes. People are out at the beach, not so much with the shopping, and people are broker these days, and that’s understandable, and…like that.

So thankfully my DH mentioned something that made me go in and doublecheck – and my shopping cart was gone! Well it was an easy fix, it was a silly glitch thingie (which was my fault), and it was fixed presto as soon as I took the time to look, and fix. But suppose I hadn’t? Suppose I had gone weeks and weeks, wondering why no sales, wondering what I’d done, wondering why… well, you get the idea.

An easy fix. I just had to go LOOK.

Check your site periodically! Pretend you’re a customer. Are things still working? Is it easy to use? Are there bad links? Go check!!

Baby Kitten = Synonym for Adorable

Of course. We all know that. So recently we got reminded. A tiny baby kitten – we’re guessing six weeks old – got into our window well (inside the cover!) a couple weeks ago. Latish at night, we heard this little crying voice, went to investigate, found Kitten. Of course we took him inside, fed him what we could, got kitten food and cat milk the next day – not sure if he’d be able to handle real food, even soft.

We needn’t have worried about that part, at least. Here he is a couple days after he showed up here:
Kitten a few days after we found him

And here he is after a week:
Kitten, a week later

And a few days after that (with one of our resident cats):
Kitten Rufus, or Tiberius, with Fluffy

And we started asking around if anybody was missing a kitten – he was obviously used to people. No luck. But we think we’ve found a home for him. We’re really trying not to increase our animal population, with two cats now (used to be five), and our Sun Conure and Quaker Parrot….. but he is such a sweetie!

So, a good home – we think. Or… this home. It’s so tempting!

PS. A tip: if you’re looking for a kitten, do NOT pick one that’s the same color as your wood floors. They want to go everywhere, they have two modes: sleep, or scamper everywhere, and sometimes it’s so hard to find him!

A Tea House – made entirely of recycled paper

I saw the most amazing creation over at Ecofriend.org. This building is a teahouse, very much in the tradition of a handcrafted Japanese structure – but this one is made entirely of recycled paper.

Now this time I’m not suggesting we should go build our house out of recycled paper – at least, not without an engineer’s knowledge of materials and how to adapt them to building techniques. But I do suggest that we could all be inspired by this structure.

One, we can learn – or remember, because we already know it – the all-important concepts of reuse, rethink, recycle… and “rethink” is a real important part of that trio. Take a look at some of the stuff you’re about to discard. Some of it can have a new life. Some of it can have a very COOL new life. 🙂

And if a building out of recycled paper isn’t in your immediate future – what about an ottoman or footstool, built with “bricks” you made yourself of paper? Or… well, you’ll think of things. Unleash your Mad Creative Scientist and make something for yourself!

CD Jewel Cases as Art – Recycled – Paper too :-)

Now this combines several of my passions – paper (natch), recycling and even more important RE-USING… also art, making your home comfortable and attractive, DIY-ness…. lots of good stuff.

This article from Sunset.com shows an example of re-using old CD jewel cases as “frames” for your art:

Used in multiples, they make a great graphic statement. And you can use a common theme – pics of your friends? landscapes? alien bugs? you name it – or all images in blue, for example. Truly it can be tailored to exactly what you like, or what you want to say.

And of course the graphics you use can be recycled, too. Gorgeous flower pics taken from old magazines? old pattern images?

How about cutouts from your kids’ drawings? Talk about a special, personal, and way fun decoration for your kitchen or alcove? I love that idea 🙂

Paper Flowers – for your house, or your Wedding :-)

I found a wonderful artist on Etsy who does lovely paper work – check these out!

Paper Flowers - DIY or ready made for your wedding :-)

You can buy these in kit form and assemble them yourself, or have a custom bouquet made for your wedding. They’ll never wilt, they’ll always be beautiful, and they are artisan made. I haven’t talked to the artist, but I bet you could work it out where she was using recycled papers, too.

Gorgeous *and* eco friendly!

DIY Armoire from Bookcases

It’s amazing the things you can find on the web when you start looking around. I found a beautiful armoire, see the pics, which was made from two bookcases – and it’s entirely do-able!

She found two matching bookcases on Freecycle! so these are even being recycled and reused – and they were free! The bookcases are hinged together with piano hinges, clear plexi is added to some of the shelves to keep things in place, and the drop-down desk is hinged too.

And look how much organization and storage she’s got inside!

DIY Armoire from bookshelves - lots of organization and storage

So useful but equally as important, stylish and decorative. You could use any sort of paper to decorate the outside – make it shoji style, add a mirror, you name it.

Talk about inspiration! You can check out more directions on Ayoska’s Blog. Lots of green ideas there too 🙂

Paper Jewels

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Art Flea KC

Totally Tutorials – this is going to be fun!

Reuse Rethink Recycle – Wall Art II (or is it 3?)

Etsy Mini – my vintage jewels on Etsy

Always check your site!

Baby Kitten = Synonym for Adorable

A Tea House – made entirely of recycled paper

CD Jewel Cases as Art – Recycled – Paper too :-)

Paper Flowers – for your house, or your Wedding :-)

DIY Armoire from Bookcases

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