After Christmas Handmade Sales

Well let's start off with the obvious one first, shall we? Skelekitty & Friends on Artfire:  Buy one 8x10" print, get one free (no limit) with coupon code BOGOPRINTS2009;  20% off ALL in-stock rubber stamps with coupon code AFTERXMAS2009 (offers expire midnight 12/31/09) Free downloadable/printable gift tags (and they're not...

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Is It Competition or A Future "Intern?"

You may recall some posts Skelekitty and I wrote earlier this year about my neighbors' daughter, Santana, who hand-sculpted me a pink haired kitty and dressed as Skelekitty for Halloween this past year.  She's a cool kid for sure, who loves animals and is a bit of a bookworm (sound familiar?). She has done it again and, of course, I...

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Putting It Out There

This thread-painted art quilt of my Oscar, the Military Macaw, was the very first piece I ever put in a group "art" (i.e., non-quilt show) show - the January 2006 "National Bird Day" art show in Sacramento, CA. Since that first night, I gradually increased the number of works in group art shows.  First I showed just with The Scary-Art...

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Instant "Homemade" Soup

I've had a few requests for my Basil & Bean Soup recipe lately.  It's something that evolved over the last ten or so years and one of those things I cook that my husband goes crazy for as soon as the weather turns each fall.  It's deceptively simple and made almost entirely from canned pantry ingredients (except for the garlic and basil, which is worth geting fresh).  The best eatin' is always the very last...

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FINALLY I Can Talk About This!

I'm sure it will shock each and every one of you to the core when I say that I have a difficult time with keeping information to myself.  I know, you're thinking, "but Krissi, you are so quiet and shy!"  Go figure. Anyway, I've been working on a commission that I couldn't post updates on since the person it was being commissioned...

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Oh Duct Tape! How Do I Love Thee...

As some of you may have heard, my little Jack Russell Terror Abby, recently had surgery to remove a small (probably benign) mass from one of her toes and is wearing a very large pressure bandage for at least a week. Just to make the experience more fun for everyone, we have to keep the bandage dry during a deluge. We started off wrapping...

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HELLA Scary (but I'm doin' it anyway)

Commissions. They are kinda scary 'cause, as an artist, I always worry that the recipient won't LOVE the work, and as a control freak, it's tough to hand over the reigns.  Custom works are also incredibly fun and fulfilling - especially when someone really loves your style and they just want you to 'do your thing' with some basic guidelines...

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You Have Been Warned

In all seriousness, I'm "feeling" this sign lately since I've been suffering from self-imposed exile in my studio while I work furiously to finish some commissions I took for the holidays. I reiterate that the exile (and subsequent absence of a real blog post) is self-imposed as I try to bring in as much cash as possible to build up the...

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Art Journal (?) Page

Art Journal page - 10-2009 Originally uploaded by Skelekitty (Krissi Sandvik) Here's a finished drawing from my sketchbook. I hesitate to call it actual art journaling since what I do seems pretty far from how people define it these days. This page, like the others in my Moleskine artist journal, has no implied "message."  Mostly...

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One Whole Year

One year ago today, Ron and I were found by a cute little Jack Russell Terrier while hiking in one of California's many state parks.  We were smitten by the time we got to the end of the trail even though she was skinny, covered in ticks and smelled horrible.  You could tell she knew she'd hit the jackpot when we invited her to...

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Heart Song (donation)

Heart Song (donation) Originally uploaded by Skelekitty (Krissi Sandvik) This piece was finished in a record three days (that's like a land speed record using my usual painting techniques), but it was totally worth it!  "Heart Song" has been created for Vox Gallery's November 2009 (Sacramento, CA) "Urban Landscapes" show to benefit...

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New Blog Look & Other Changes

Today has been a bit of a whirlwind in the office, as opposed to the flurry of activity which usually takes place in my studio.  Earlier today on my facebook and Flickr pages, I asked folks which version of my new business cards they preferred and BOY did the opinions fly!  You know what's funny? The only difference between the...

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Best Compliment EVER

Although I show and spend a lot of time in midtown Sacramento, I actually live in an 8 home cul-de-sac in a mid-sized suburb about 30 miles east. Before you ask WTF I was thinking, we moved here for the open prairies and undeveloped space before they "improved" it all. As you might guess, since I don't -as my husband puts it- "wear the...

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Crafty Chica's Tips for Handmade Vendors

It's that gift-giving time of year again! The handmade movement and the downturn in the economy have paired up and attracted more and more holiday shoppers to craft fairs. People are looking for special gifts for their loved ones rather than just spending a large dollar amount. For those of you who sell your handmade lovelies at this or...

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Sale!

The skelefied goddess mixed-media painting on wood is home from the October Scary Art Collective show and has been relisted in my online shop. Pieces of this size (8x10") with such a large time investment usually sell at $100, but because of the economy, I had priced this one at just under $80.  BUT WAIT!  THERE'S MORE! ...

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New Project - kitties (with fur, even!)

Howdy there gang!  While I constantly insist that I blog without obligation, I thought I'd apologize for being AWOL recently just the same. Along with the usual flurry of activity that comes with the month of October -my wedding anniversary, frenzied outings before the weather turns, not to mention Halloween & Day of the Dead- I've...

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Twisted Minds Think Alike

The story of "Gwen" the new American Girl doll who, as it turns out at the end of the accompanying book, is homeless, finally hit NPR last week.  After hearing people voice their opinions on what I see as a complete and total non-controversy (well, except for the $95 price-tag on the doll alone), I inevitably started thinking: you know,...

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LIVE on "Live Wire" Sacramento TONIGHT

Skelekitty and I will be appearing on Live Wire (Sacramento Comcast Channel 17 or streaming online) at 5pm tonight, Wednesday, October 21st with some of the chicas from the Scary-Art Collective! We hope you'll tune ...

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More Ghoulish Goodies

The Artfire Ghouls Guild TRICK OR TREAT 2009 continues today with coupon codes and sales from 13 of our members (how lucky is THAT for you?), a scavenger hunt and two more featured artists, Huckleberry Arts and one of my new favorite crazy girls, Christine St. Onge of 2 of Mind and Spirit. HUCKLEBERRY ARTS Annette Gambrel I don't...

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