The Sales Are Coming, Hooray, Hooray!

I have two new announcements about my shop, Krissi's Art Studio (home of Skelekitty and Friends) and one about the super-awesome fantastic group I work with, so let's get right to it, I know you all have pies to make and last-minute groceries to pick up!



GIFT CERTIFICATES ARE HERE!  

Starting this week and continuing until... well, whenever, Krissi's Art Studio will offer gift certificates for the most popular items in the shop (prints, wearable items), in standard dollar amounts ($10, $25, $40, $50, etc.) or in any amount you would like to give.  To view the certificates just go to my shop and click on the section marked GIFT CERTIFICATES.  For custom amounts, all you need to do is drop me an e-mail and we'll work it out. 

When you purchase a gift certificate, you will receive a receipt with the certificate number.  I will also provide you with a printed and signed certificate to present as a gift.  If you would prefer to have the certificate shipped directly to the third party, it's no problem, just specify the person's name and mailing address in the NOTES TO SELLER section when you purchase (please do not add the recipient as purchaser).

The rest of the details will be available in the listings, so keep your eyes peeled!


BLACK FRIDAY - CYBER MONDAY SALE!

 I couldn't decide on what deals to offer over the big shopping weekend, so I figured I'd just cut prices on everything!  Starting on Thanksgiving Day (yep, a day early, 'cause you might need an excuse to escape from the family to shop) I'll be offering coupons for deals in my shop.  EVERYTHING in my shop, including original art AND EVEN GIFT CERTIFICATES!  Dude, that means you can buy more gift for less money AND let them pick which one they want!  Here are the important codes:

Save 10% on purchases over $10 by entering coupon code SAVE10OVER10 when you check out.
Save 15% on purchases of $25 or more with coupon code SAVE15OVER25
Save 20% on $40 or more with coupon code SAVE20OVER40
Save 25% on $75 or more with coupon code SAVE25OVER75
Save 30% on $100 or more with coupon code SAVE30OVER100

The fine print:  Purchase amounts eligible for discounts are for product only and do not include shipping.  Coupon MUST be redeemed at the time of purchase - discounts will not be given after the fact.  Customer is responsible for entering the correct coupon code.  Codes are not limited to one-use-per-customer, but discounts are not cumulative on separate purchases.  I am a single-woman operation and a working artist - please don't tell me how cheap you can get stuff at WalMart - that's just insulting.  Thank you for buying handmade for the holidays!


GLITTER BITCHES HANDMADE!

All the working artisans known as the "Glitter Bitches" are offering various Mega-Shopping-Weekend sales, so be sure to drop by our blog to find out the details!

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Year Two With Dog - It's Still Bliss

If you've been following my posts and photos and social networking around the web, then you know that Ron and I are the lucky "humans" to a very, VERY adorable Jack Russell Terrier named Abby.

Abby loves to snuggle!

Today is the second anniversary of the day she found us on a hiking trail in Coloma (Sutter's Mill), California (and here are some links if you're interested in reading the original post and the one-year post).

Abby, the first week with us: skinny & submissive with shock-collar scars.

Since then, the ride has been bumpy, stinky, muddy, snuggly, furry and pretty much completely wonderful. When we first had her, she didn't know how to play tug-o-war, bark, chase a ball or just enjoy being a dog.  Clearly, she had not been given boundaries or received positive feedback in her first "home."  Well, we took care of that in short order!

Graduation from Intermediate Obedience Training! YAY!

Ron and I often muse that now she must hear "GOOD DOG!" more in one day than she heard in the first two years of her life.  As a matter of fact, sometimes she even "helps" the trainer show other dogs how to behave!  Now she plays, growls like a terrier should, is a PERFECT watch dog, loves children, people in wheelchairs, dogs and pretty much everything life has to offer - including tug toys and balls!

She loves to play with her friends, like Buddy.

Oh, and she's even on Facebook. and has started posing for super-awesome artsy portraits.

Custom portrait of Abby by Kevin Seconds (and yeah, he'll paint your dog too!)

I'm not sure what "they" mean by it's a dog's life, when describing something bad, but I do know they certainly weren't talking about THIS dog!

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formspring.me

Ask me anything about my art, makeup, hair or life! http://formspring.me/KrissisArt

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In The Spirit

My GLAAD Spirit Day purple eyeshadow, all by Glittersniffer Cosmetics. 
Say, did you know she's running a GLAAD fundraiser?  Yep!  Check it out!

If you don't know about Spirit Day, you can read all about it here, but here is the short version:  Purple symbolizes 'spirit' on the rainbow flag, a symbol for LGBT Pride.  Wearing purple not only honors the three teenagers who recently took their own lives after experiencing anti-gay bullying, but it's a way to show every singly LGBT youth who face the same pressures and bullying, that there is a vast community of people who support them.

I live in Folsom, a pretty uptight little town 30 miles east of Sacramento CA (and about 2 hours from San Francisco, where I lived until my 30s).  In my neighborhood, I hear a lot about family values and how we need to "save the children" while people spread hate and fear with things like Proposition 8.  Oh, the irony.

Today, however, my faith in people may have been restored, if only a bit.  There were so many people just going about their regular business, albeit wearing an unusual amount of purple!  I asked a few if they were wearing it for the same reason I was (they all said they were!) and I'd venture to guess I made some new friends.



Oh, and if you don't know me and stuff like this matters to you: I am a straight, married woman in my 40s who believes that everyone is entitled to the same rights.  So there.  Take that.

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FAQ: Can I Use That Image? (aka Copyright 101)

Intellectual property (patents, licenses, copyrights) is a pretty tough concept to get your mind around, but you are in luck.  As it happens, before I was a full time artist, I used to negotiate licensing agreements.  True story.  And since I received two almost identical inquiries involving this very subject in the last few months, I figured it warranted its own post.

In both cases, the requests boiled down to this:


they wanted to commission a piece of art from me and then sell reproductions of the image (one on jewelry, one as prints).


My short answer was "no" to both because, whether or not they purchase a physical painting from me, the image still belongs to me.  That's where the "intellectual" part of intellectual property comes in - the idea (and execution of that idea) is my property.  Yep.  No matter what they pay for the paintings themselves, such payment does not include the right to use the images.

Still a little confused?  No problem.

Think of it this way:  Let's say you go to Borders or your local book store (they still have those, right?) and you buy a copy of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.  You own that physical book, that thing with pages (the "tangible property") - you paid for it.  You may put it on the shelf or dog-ear the corners, sell it in a garage sale or even, God forbid, burn it if you want to.  However, you don't own the rights to the IDEAS contained therein.  You may not make copies of the book and sell them.  You may not make a movie of the book.... unless of course you have permission from Ms. Rowling (customarily in the form of a license agreement and huge-ass amounts of cash going from you to her).

Art works very much in the same way.  Let's say you pay me for a custom painting of your cat.  No matter how much I charge you for that painting - you are only paying for my time, supplies and creativity, not for the rights to use the image.  So even if I charge you an exorbitant amount, you still may not make copies, prints, Christmas cards (not even for your own use) unless we have a written agreement where I specifically give you those rights (which would be under a License Agreement).  Yeah, I know, even though it's YOUR cat.  Even if I painted from a photo you took.

2011 ADDENDUM:  The reverse/reciprocal is also true: I have the right to do whatever I want with the image.  As the artist, I may create prints, cards or another painting OR I may license the rights to someone else to make items using the image: rubber stamps, posters, car wraps, whatever.  The recipient of the original has no rights outside of the ownership of the tangible, physical property (painting) and may not dictate what the artist may or may not do with the image.  Even if it's a painting of YOUR cat.  Even if it was painted from your photo. 

Another intellectual property tidbit: you need to enforce your intellectual property rights or you lose them.  That's why the Disney Corporation protects Mickey so vehemently.  It's also why I do not ever make exceptions - not even for friends.  I mean, you all saw The Godfather, right?  "It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business." 

Anyway, I hope this helped to give you a very brief overview of intellectual property as it pertains to questions I get asked pretty often.   If you have more questions, let me know!

Krissi

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Make-Up Quickie (Blog Version): Brush Cleaner Recipes & Tips 'N' Hints!

I don't care if you clean your room, but you MUST clean your makeup brushes after every use.  However, it's not necessary to do a full wash every single day unless you are a professional makeup artist using your tools on others!  I usually wash my brushes (full scrubby wash with soap and warm running water) once a week if I wear makeup every day.

For between applications cleaning, I use a liquid brush cleaner which I spritz onto a clean white towel or directly onto the bristles and then wipe off my brush.  For stubborn or deep pigments (reds, blacks, some dark blues) I saturate the brush by dipping it half-way up the bristles into a small container with some cleanser and then squeeze the bristles in a clean towel or washcloth.

I'll tell you a secret.  Brush cleaners are EXPENSIVE and they're really no magic in them, so instead of using a commercial brush cleaner, I choose to make my own and spend my samoleans on MAKEUP!  Here are two of my personal favorite recipes:



Recipe #1: Krissi's First Brush Cleaner:
I've been using this recipe for months and LOVE it.

• 1 Cup distilled or purified water
• ¼ Cup isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol (70% or 90%)
• 1 Tablespoon Dawn dish washing liquid
• 1 Tablespoon leave-in spray conditioner (any brand)
• 4-8 drops cold pressed lavender essential oil (do NOT use perfume oil or any other scented oil besides natural essential oil)

Pour water and alcohol into a clean glass dish.  Do not use unfiltered or tap water as bacteria could grow in that over time.  Add soap(s) & conditioner and stir gently with a clean utensil.  Add lavender oil until your preferred scent is achieved (lavender oil will act as an antimicrobial/antibacterial agent AND make your brushes smell pretty).  If the smell is stronger than you like, leave the product open for a few hours and the smell will dissipate.  Fill a small spray bottle (you will have LOTS of cleaner - just store the leftover in a clean container - I save my eye makeup remover bottles and clean them out).


Recipe #2: Gentle & Easy Brush Cleaner:
I found this recipe from Gina of Great Minds Shop Alike on YouTube - here is her original recipe:

• ½ Bottle (8 oz.) Cetaphil (or Generic Version) - Cetaphil replaces both distilled water and leave-in conditioner
• ¼ Cup Isopropyl (90%) or Ethyl (70%) Alcohol
• ½ Tbsp. Shampoo
• ½ T. Dish washing Soap

Mix in the same manner as previous recipe.  You may wish to put this in a spray bottle for daily use or, if the Cetaphil is too thick for your sprayer, in a pump bottle for convenience. I've been meaning to try this one out for a while and am making a batch TONIGHT!

***********
January 9, 2011: UPDATE!  I have been using the "Great Minds" recipe and LOVE it!  It's my new HG brush cleaner.  However, I tweaked the recipe just a bit and keep it in a spray bottle (the original recipe was a bit thick for that).  


Recipe #3: Krissi-fied version of the conditioning daily brush cleaner

• ½ Bottle (8 oz./1 Cup) Cetaphil (or Generic Version) - Cetaphil replaces both distilled water and leave-in conditioner
• ½ Cup Isopropyl (90%) or Ethyl (70%) Alcohol
• 1 Cup distilled or purified water
• ½ Tbsp. Shampoo
• ½ T. Dish washing Soap
• 10-12 drops cold pressed lavender essential oil

***********

Removing creams, concealers and stubborn piggies from synthetic brushes:  I know, I told you all to blend your NYX jumbo eye crayons and bases with a concealer brush, but didn't tell you how to get that junk OUT of your brush (especially if you've used black crayon - eep!).  Well, just put a little of your usual eye makeup remover (I like the 2-part oil-free kind from Neutrogena, myself) into a spray bottle and clean your 'greasy' brushes with this product first, then with your other brush cleaner.  That's a tip that seems totally obvious to me now, but I didn't figure it out on my own - I learned it from the fabulous Cora at Vintage or Tacky!

That's it!  For more makeup quickies, visit my makeup & hair page on Facebook.

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YAY! Bewbies!

For the entire month of October, 8x10" prints of my painting "Survivor" will be on sale for only $8.50.  This sale may not be combined with other offers, but there is no limit on the number of these you can purchase, so if you want 10 of 'em, I'm happy to package them all up for you!

"Survivor" features a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon with butterfly wings in shades of purple, on a bright green background with inspirational words. This painting was created for a friend's wife, a breast cancer survivor, and is a representation of her tattoo.

And as always, you can get deals on my other prints by buying multiples - there are 2 for $22, 3 for $33 and even 5 for $45 deals.

Oh, and speaking of cancer, my pal Mo Love of Madd Style fame is still running her Cancer Fund of America campaign!  ALL profits from listings in the CFA section of her shop will be donated.  She has LOTS of awesome lip products, goodies and... THESE babies!

Thanks for reading. Now go FEEL YOUR BOOBIES!

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Krissi's F#@% Up Studio (Bloopers & Outtakes #1)

'Cause I'm just plain ol' silly most days.

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Revel in your Geekocity!

I understand there is now an "Embrace your Inner Geek" day (July 13th).

OK.  Fair enough....

But in all honesty, I'm not sure I HAVE an inner geek - I think everything geeky and dorky is pretty much out there for all to see.  I mean, I open my mouth and I'm sure people mentally label me DORK! within the first 2.25 minutes.  Maybe less.  I was called an egghead in college for reading Hamlet instead of watching the Superbowl but I figured I didn't go all the way to Oxford, England to do stuff I didn't like when I was in the US!

Of course, there are some who mistakenly label me cool, but I can say with some assurance that they're just as much of a doofus as I am and it is actually an attempt to reconcile their own feelings of being a complete and utter goober with the need to relate.  The cool label also comes from those who have their geek buried  deep within and are not giving it the hugs that it needs.  Heck, they may not even know it's there.

Of course, the worst label we geeks get isn't a word, it's a tone of voice.  Anger.  These people have no geek in them  and, fearing what they do not know, make fun of it - this geekless state is such a frightening concept that I dare not explore it any further.  I liken it to not having a soul.  ::shudder::

Anyway, no matter where your personal geek resides, find it and give it a hug.  And maybe a cupcake.  With sprinkles.

Now go make one of these:

River Song's book of spoilers, aka the TARDIS/time travel diary

Here.  I'll show you how.

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Show N Tell / Stuff N Things (SNT2) #1

Hi all!

As you must certainly know by now, I love "stuff,"   My newest acquisition was given as a birthday present by my LSH (Long Suffering Husband) - a laptop equipped with a webcam!  That means I can start sharing my STUFF collection with all of you!  Hoorah!  Here is my first Show N Tell of Stuff N Things (SNT²).

Curtain please...

LINKS!  LINKS!  LINKS!
Website/shop (facebook fan page)


- Ant Farm Studio  (facebook) Skeleton Kitty box. Skullie yo-yo & painted snake
- KissZombies DIY  (facebook) Zombie/Skeleton hand hair clips
- Ms. Formaldehyde  (facebook) Plumeria hair clips
- Glittersniffer Cosmetics!  (facebook) pigment as nail polish
- Madd Style Designs - (facebook) lip balms
- Juli's Jewels - (facebook) 2-sided soldered/glass pendant (art by Krissi's Art Studio)



PLEASE NOTE: all of the items featured in this video were paid for (cash or in-kind), with the exception of the Skeleton Hand clips, which were a birthday gift and not given in return for a review.

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