NEW ITEMS: Magnets, Key Chains and Earrings

Three items are coming off the "secret menu" and have been added to the Krissi's Art Studio permanent collection of glass tile art "jewelry:" magnets, earrings and key chains.

Magnets:  These little guys are an inexpensive way to collect Krissi's Art Studio/Skelekitty images.  I use the same sturdy glass 1" tiles (the ones in my personal collection have survived many a drop onto my ceramic tile floors), but keep the price down by sealing them with a silicone product instead of the 2-part jewelers resin I use on the jewelry.   You can purchase sets I have put together or choose the images yourself.  Click here to see all magnet sets.

Silly Sugar Skullies magnet set

example of Weeping Angels magnet set

Some ideas if you'd like a customized set of six magnets
custom magnet sets of five are also available

Key chains:  Because some people don't wear jewelry but still want a piece of art to carry with them every day, I do offer my 1" glass tile and resin pendant pieces as key chains.  The tiles are created and sealed with 2-part jewelry grade resin, just like my pendants are, but instead of a pendant bail and chain, you receive a low-profile bail with an attached spring-clasp key chain.  The spring latch key chains are nickel plated and measure approximately 1" wide by 2.25" long (including loop and snake style chain, a little over 3" with 1" tile).

Coupling Failed with key chain and low-profile bail
option may be added from pendant listings by choosing
"key chain" option instead of sterling-plated ball chain

Any 1" pendant can be made into a key chain (2" glass tiles are heavier and less sturdy, and are therefore not recommended for key chains).  There are two ways to order: either go to the "customized  key chain" listing and choose your desired image, or go to the pendant listing for the image you like and choose the "key chain option" at the bottom (the second way seems less intuitive, but can save you a few bucks if a 1" pendant tile is ready to ship - if you order through the custom listing, a new tile will be made for you).

Owloween Night 1" glass/resin tile with low-profile bail
and key chain option.  Choose your own image for a key chain here.

Earrings:  YES!  Earrings are now available to go with your pendants or to be worn on their own.  They're tiny -just 5/8" of an inch- simple images turn out the best.  I welcome mix & match sets (like Skelekitty angel/devil or the pair of crazy-eyed owls).  I lived through the 80s - I won't judge if your earrings aren't matchy-matchy.  See all earring listings here.

You can have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.

Rainbow Silly Skully earrings

One of the cool things I've been doing with earrings is taking a detail from a painting -say a fish from the mermaid painting Something's Fishy- and making it a focal point for an earring/pendant set.  Of course, if you just wanted the little fish earrings, I'd be OK with that too.

Something's Fishy pendant with the fish detail on earrings
pendant / earrings also available separately

If you decide you do want a matched set, you save a chunk of cash by buying the pendant with your earrings.  Just scroll down and choose the "add a matching pendant" option.  You'll notice the prices for pendants added to earrings are quite a bit less than if you buy them separately.



A lot of these items came about because YOU, my wonderful clients, asked me to make them.  If there's an item you think would be cool, drop me a line and let me know!

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SPRING CLEANING SALE!

I decided to do a spur of the moment sale on all of my in-stock pendants this weekend only!  To take an additional 25% off ready-to-ship pendants, just enter coupon code SPRINGCLEAN2012 during checkout.

Mothers' Day is coming up and I have quite a variety in stock - one or two of which is sure to please the variety of moms and wives out there!  

Pendants with over 40 different Krissi's Art Studio designs are all ready to ship!

This coupon code automatically expires on Sunday TUESDAY, MAY 1 at 11:59pm PDT.

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Shipping and Order Status Information

"I'm too pretty to work." ~Skelekitty

Hi everyone!  Things are much busier than usual here in my studio, but as usual, Skelekitty is being a lazy bum, moving from sun spot to sun spot without lifting one bony paw to help!  Darned cat.  I've been so overwhelmed with orders for the Help Hank fund that I'm running a little more behind than usual. Mind you, I am NOT complaining!  My heart is absolutely full to bursting with how people have come together for that dog. 

So.  Updates.  I haz dem:

SHIPPING PROCEDURE: 

When I print your mailing label, you will receive a notification e-mail from USPS tracking, however, there is usually some lag time between when I print the label to pack your order and when the package is picked up by my super-awesome mail carrier. When the package actually goes out the door, you will receive an e-mail from ArtFire* saying that your package shipped, and one with your shipping confirmation number again. Oh, and shipping on original art and pendants ALWAYS includes insurance, so if you have any difficulty with your package, we've got it covered. 

* if your order ships in separate packages, you will received the ArtFire "shipped" confirmation only after all items have shipped.

ORDER UPDATES:

Prints:  All prints in orders placed before December first have been packed & shipped, and USPS Track & Confirm notices have been sent.  These shipments include orders for prints placed with jewelry or original art (prints and jewelry/small art ordered together always ship separately because of the different shapes and sizes).  Print orders placed after 12/1 will ship later this week - probably Thursday, maybe earlier if I stay focused!

Jewelry:  Turnaround time for jewelry orders is usually 7-14 days.  Yep, it takes that long for me to make them since they involve lots of little steps with 12-hour drying times in between.  With the increased number of orders (and my aforementioned alter ego being a bum), I'm estimating a minimum of 14 days for jewelry now, just to be on the safe side.  Anyway, since the prints are out the door, I am spending today working on finishing up earring and pendant orders and making some extras for the show Allyson and I are doing on the 10th in Sacramento.

My sincere apologies for the extra wait time.  All orders already placed WILL be to you well before Christmas!  I promise.  And if anyone has some extra elves they want to send my way, I wouldn't refuse 'em!

Do you have a question that wasn't answered in this post?  The fastest way to get a response is to e-mail krissisandvik@gmail.com.  Facebook posts/tags/PMs, ArtFire messages and other contact methods are hit and miss at best.

Thank you again for the awesome response to the Help Hank fund!  I do still have some in-stock and ready to ship pendants, so if you're in a hurry for a gift, check 'em out.  More will be added on December 11th.

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Days 8 and 9 of the DaVinci Challenge

I'm still going strong with Stacy McQueen's challenge to stay in "DaVinci Mode" for 30 days, but I took it down a notch over the last two days to regroup and plan some new stuff.

Yesterday evening, I spent some time sketching out three ideas for new Skelekitty paintings to be shown at Side Show Studios and Body Tribe
in May and June, respectively. Two are planned for Side Show's "Women Uncovered" show and the subject(s) are still under wraps. The third is a large and I do mean LARGE piece that I'm doing for the Body Tribe/Born Free USA "Big Cat/Little Cat" benefit show - that's all the hint you get ... for now.

Today, Stacy posted a great challenge, of which this is a portion:

We all have a BIG creative dream. You know what it is. It's that little itch in your soul. It's where the aroma of regret lingers. It's the SHOULD if I COULD that lives in your heart. It's a secret passion you dare not speak outloud, a fantasy you pull out only on special occasions.

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Perhaps today, we’ll let go of fear, self doubt, stop asking HOW we’ll do it, and we’ll just BEGIN. Perhaps we can use the Da Vinci Mode Challenge to make daily micro movements on our biggest dream of all. Like that man who ate a car, not all at once, but over time, he did it spoonful by spoonful. Perhaps that's how we'll approach our great big hairy beautiful creative project. One day, one spoonful at a time.

Why not DECLARE IT here in Day 9 topic?! There's MAGIC in beginning...

My BIG creative dream? You may have guessed it already, but I'll declare it just the same: I want Skelekitty to support my art business.

As you know, I've got a bit of a start going with the rubber stamps (thanks mainly to my husband, Ron, who piped up in s Santa Fe stamp store that Skelekitty should have her own line ... the store owner also had a rubber stamp company and, after a short trip on the interwebs, we were on our way).

Today, like little Melinda Mae, I took another tiny bite of the whale, and agreed to create some jewelry kits which will premier at the Santa Clarita Craft Lab's Market Place, and will then be available through my blog, website and Etsy store. I'll be offering both pendants and earring kits, and you'll be able to choose from either bottlecaps (1" round) or wooden tiles (1"x1.25" rectangles).





The bottlecap kits will have a variety of Skelekitty images and other images from my artwork, while the tile kits will all have my "Loteria" images. Of course, once the kits are together, I'll post photos, post a blog and let you know where to get all the goodies.

I suppose I should stop blogging and start working on those kits!

xoxo

Krissi, Skelekitty, Abby, Ron and the rest of the our furry, feathered and scaly family

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View ALL DaVinci Mode Challenge posts

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Loteria Pendants and Blank Canvases (2)

The day before yesterday was day 6 of the DaVinci Challenge and I took day 5's project, added a couple layers of a glossy dimensional sealer and turned those babies into pendants.




Each one is signed and comes with an 18" ball chain.  Because these are prototypes of sorts, I'm selling 'em cheap - $15 each or 2 for $25 and I'll cover the shipping and any sales tax (if you're in California).   Two of these puppies have already been snatched up by my pal Jill Allyn (she got the Corazon and the Robot).  Here's what's still available:

E-mail me if you're interested.  I'm going to let regular blog followers have first grab at these before I list them on Etsy.


As for "Day 7," well, it pretty much got away from me because of my gym schedule (I went - Allyson tried to kill me again), dog time at the river (an absolute must when you have a Jack Russell) and then discovering that the "sterile abscess" on Abby's neck from her anti-rattlesnake vaccine was getting bigger... so off to the vet and ... yeah. There goes the day.  HOWEVER, I did manage to drive to my favorite art supply store (Utrecht, 'cause everyone there is incredibly helpful) and purchase two  Baroque hardwood artist panels for my next two paintings, which I have worked out in my head, although not yet on paper.


Today, as I am sans dog, I need to do some grocery shopping, but I also hope to get something on those two blank boards.  Off I go.


View ALL DaVinci Mode Challenge posts.
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Pimpin' My Pals: Kit Cameo/Kit's Glass

Like everyone else, I've been trying to cut back on my spending, but every now and then a girl just HAS to buy herself something sparkly (no, not blood diamonds).  Just the other day, I ordered a mirror pendant and my first piece from my pal, Kit Cameo of Kit's Glass, and it arrived in today's mail!

My new Kit's Glass sacred heart pendant - it's even prettier in person!

It was one of five "experimental" pieces, so she put them on her Etsy site at a price I would have been nuts to pass up.  Not only was it totally affordable, but now I'll be able to sport a piece of her awesome etched art on the Crafty Chica Cruise in just under a week!  I know the other craftistas will be JEALLLLLLLOUSSS.

So for those of you who have yet to be introduced to Kit's amazing work, let me tell you that this woman produces QUALITY!  She etches original designs onto glass items of every purpose, size and shape that will appeal to pirates, latinas, punks, wiccans and suburban housewives alike.






What are you waiting for already? Go get some sparkling artsy goodness!

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Skelekitty Altered Domino Necklaces For Everyone

Howdy skelecats and skelekittens. Remember my recent post about the way cool altered domino necklace with Skelekitty's puss stamped on it that I received from my pal Bekah?


I have been wearing it just about everywhere and receiving tons o' compliments. Not only are folks admiring it, they're asking where they can get one of their own. Not wanting to disappoint, Bekah immediately whipped up about twenty more (with both Skelekitty's and my blessings in the form of a handshake license) and is in the process of listing them in her Etsy shop, Under The Tuscan Zen (it's free to shop!). As of this writing, four of the pieces below are listed, but the rest will be up soon.

Prices range from $30 to just over $40, depending on whether you choose a hand-beaded necklace or a ribbon pendant. All pieces are hand stamped, colored using high quality paints and inks and then sealed. I also happen to know that she will happily accept custom orders, so if you want the stamp from one necklace, with the colors from another and you want it with a pin-back, all you have to do is ask!

While you're over there, be sure to check out some of Bekah's other awesome pieces featuring hand stamped dominos, dichroic glass beads and wire work.

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Bottlecap Jewelry (with You-Know-Who) on Etsy

I finally got off my butt and listed some bottlecap pendants (featuring Skelekitty and other designs from my quilts, acrylics and digital works) in my Etsy shop!

Each pendant comes on an 18 or 20" ball chain with clasp and is only $17 (earrings will soon be available for $20/pair or you can buy the trio/set for ... oh, let's say $32).

The line of jewelry will also be carried at the one and only Grind & Groove in Midtown Sacramento (verrrrrry soon).

Here's one (everyone's favorite):


More choices...


and even MORE choices!

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Crafty Chica Products REVIEW PART 2

Yesterday, I reviewed several of the new Crafty Chica craft products (by Duncan) which are now available to us, the crafting rabble including her glitters, loteria game and decorative papers.

Today, as I promised, MORE product reviews! WOO HOO!


Glossy Gloss Varnish



overview: It's a clear, non-yellowing brush-on high gloss varnish with just a touch of iridescence.

why I like it: Sure there are a million varnishes out there, so I'm sure you're asking what's so great about this one, right? With sealants, like adhesives, each has its own 'special purpose.' In the case of the Chica varnish, I love the sheerness, extremely fast drying time (not just to tacky-dry, I mean D-R-Y) and the VERY LOW ODOR of this product. The product has a non-viscous consistency that is great for projects calling for thin layer of finish (versus the thicker 'dimensional' glazes like Aleene's Paper Glaze). I've varnished just about everything that didn't move out of my way with this and I still have my first bottle (from March). I've used this on papers (without excessive wrinkling or cracking!), plaster sculptures, mixed media on canvas and wood, all with excellent results. Want more shine? Just layer on a few coats (remember? I told you it was fast drying!)

what I wish for: a big-ass vat of the stuff


Inspiration Cards

overview:
There are three collections (uno, dos and tres, of course) and each pack contains 24 double-sided 4.5" x 6" cards. The fronts depict full-color reproductions of original Kathy Cano-Murillo and Patrick Murillo paintings featuring Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), collage work and Crafty Chica personalities ("What kind of Crafty Chica are you?"). The reverse side of the cards are loaded with crafty tips, inspiration, anecdotes and more.

why I like 'em:
They're fun. They're silly. They're inspiring. They're bilingual.

I purchased all three collections and have already gone through them once or twice, putting my favorites aside, reshuffling, picking new ones, reshuffling, etc. Since I've been a fan of Patrick's work as long as I have of Kathy's, it's just plain ol' fun to think about painting a bunch of wooden frames, sticking about 10 of his DdlM drawings in them and hanging them around my studio. Then again, I might NEED to put a few of Kathy's inspirational drawings and collages on my work table to keep me going.

Check out what our friend Miss Belen did with some of her inspiration cards - just paste some white paper on the back & insta-awesome-snail-mail-surprise!

postcards
Originally uploaded by TiaBel

Other ideas:

• make a notebook for art journaling or jotting down ideas for future projects - get some paper cut to size, use a card for the front and back of the notebook and have it bound at your local print/copy center - or just decorate a composition book!
• use them as love notes or leave them for your roommates/friends to find in their stuff during the day
• use various transfer techniques to incorporate them into collage work or even textiles
  
• decorate your coffee table (or serving tray or ...) with cards and some self-leveling super-thick varnish (check out Kathy's books for projects)
  
• ____________________________ (you tell me).
  

what I wish for: umm... nothin' that I can think of - except maybe more ideas of what to do with the cards!



Chica Paints

overview: The official Crafty Chica color palette is now at your fingertips! This pack includes seven water-based acrylic paints work on wood, fabric, canvas art, paper, murals, jewelry and leather, and can even be thinned down to act as watercolors and fabric dye. Colors include black, white and Kathy's versions of green, purple, yellow, red and blue

what I like: OK, I have a huge selection of artist fluid acrylics already, so I didn't spend part of my budget on these little babies. HOWEVER, I will say that I used these paints on the cruise for every single project and was thrilled with the coverage and brightness of the colors. The texture is a creamier than artist fluid acrylics while maintaining the high level of pigment found in those "professional" paints, but not as thick as soft or heavy body acrylics.

The colors in this pack contain bright primaries and secondaries and mix together perfectly without becoming muddy. We even mixed various "flesh" colors on the cruise out of yellow, red and a little black (each in varying amounts depending on how far north or south our 'people' came from). I found I was able to do multiple coats, blend and work the paints without them getting gloppy or too thick. Pretty dangded awesome for less than $2 a tube!

what I wish for: metallics and iridescents! Maybe next year, huh?



That's all for today, but be sure to stay tuned for the next installment: BOOK & PROJECT REVIEWS!

• The Crafty Chica Collection (also available at the Crafty Chica display at select Michaels)
  
• Collage Journal - Workshop in a Box
  
• Empowerment Shrine - Workshop in a Box
• Empowerment Guardian - Workshop in a Box
• Market Tote
  

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Art Show and Benefit for the Midwest flood victims

Artists and art collectors, we have an AWESOME event coming up in a few short weeks to benefit the flood victims in the Midwest. Here's a quote from my beloved pal, The Queen of Trash, which got this all started:

FLOODING IN FRANKLIN, INDIANA

On a serious note, I have been very upset about the flooding in Franklin. Mister Lobo and I were in Franklin last year for the B-Movie Celebration. Upon arriving it looked like one of those small towns that only exist in the movies. Now, being that I'm The Queen of Trash, and quite prone to walking around in public in nothing but my corset and underwear, I was honestly expecting the angry mob to attack at any moment--but it never happened. In fact, something far stranger happened. They loved me!

Walking around Franklin on a Sunday morning, the old folks coming home from church waved and said "hello" and that they hoped that the festival was enjoyable. Almost anywhere else in the United States, I would be getting nasty glares, car horns honking, or perhaps even a piping hot cup of Starbucks to the noggin! They smiled and waved and as I got to know them, made me feel like I was part of the family. It boggled me to think that there was so much love and closeness in this community. If it weren't for the Cicadas (I'm terrified of bugs), I would have already packed up my things and settled there.

Now with the flooding, the town has been torn apart. They are bravely pulling together as the strong community that they are, but they need help. At the The B Movie Celebration this year, I will be donating many items to a silent auction, including a one of a kind, never to be made again, life cast of my bust! In the meantime, if you have anything that you can spare, I am asking you to please donate to the relief fund.

To further help with donations, The Q-o-T has rallied her artsy-type pals in Sacramento and elsewhere to donate artwork for a benefit show: The AMAZING COLOSSAL ART SHOW and benefit is a “B-Movie”-themed art sale to benefit the flood victims in Franklin, IN, home of the Midwest’s annual “B-Movie Celebration.” The event will be hosted by Franklin’s adopted daughter and our own local B-Movie goddess herself, The Queen of Trash, with an appearance by Mister Lobo!

Just think: rubber monsters, zombies, go-go girls, Mexican wrestlers, space girls in silver bikinis, paper plate saucers, giant robots, brains in jars, kung fu masters, death cars radioactive insects and, of course, amazing colossal people! Here’s the best part: ALL of the pieces will be very affordable (most under $100) and the majority will be $50 and under! The very air will abound with art, jewelry and trinkets that won’t put a dent in your wallet!

WE STILL NEED DONATIONS! There is still plenty of room for more art donations, so if you're interested, please e-mail me (art@krissisandvik.com) or Her Majesty (queen-of-trash@hotmail.com) and let us know. We are also in the market for a couple of sponsors to offset the venue fee and to provide some snackage, so if you know of some folks, please pass it on.

100% of profits will benefit the Johnson County Flood Relief Fund.*

Saturday, July 19^th, 6pm – 10pm
Vox Gallery Sacramento
Corner of X & 19^th
Sacramento

* unsold pieces will be shipped to Franklin, IN to be included in a silent auction in September.

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Ima get me a purple suede hat with a pheasant feather

...'cause I'm pimpin' out my fellow artisans so much these days!

Another indie designer you should familiarize yourself with:

Alt Designs


Rikki of Alt Designs hand sculpts all of her charms from fine silver (PMC or precious metal clay for those in the know), so each of her designs is truly one-of-a-kind. I've pictured my three current faves above, but she also has jewelry that would be PERFECT for grammas and also has a line of masculine charms on cords (ahem, Dad's Day is this Sunday folks).

For those of you looking for a not-quite-so-sweet charm, Rikki does custom work (and has a bit of a twisted streak, which makes me love her all the more - heh heh).

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