Women Uncovered!

May-2009-flyer
Originally uploaded by sideshowstudios

Call for new and emerging female artists. Come on, let somebody ELSE see your art!

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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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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.


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DVM Day 5 - Loteria Tiles

Inspired by Kathy Murillo's "Taste of Talavera" jewelry tutorial, I created these jewelry tiles using my own paintings which I then turned into Lotería cards.

Using 1" x 1¼" wooden craft tiles as a base, I resized my Lotería cards on my computer and printed them out just a teensy bit larger than the tiles (1.3" wide so the entire surface would of the tile would be covered). I have an Epson printer, but you could also use an ink jet or have them copied professionally (on accounta almost all home-office ink jet inks are water-based and bleed). Just to be sure, I used some spray fix to keep my images clear (you could also use a glossy presentation paper or another paper with a coating).


Next, I cut out and glued my images onto the tiles. You could use just about any glue, but I settled on two extremely thin coats of soft gel medium by Golden Acrylics.


After the tiles were completely dry, about 30 minutes, I sanded the edges of the tiles (an emery board works well!) to remove the overhanging paper and any tiny bit of gel I got onto the edges.


I like to add a thin coat of a gloss varnish now - BEFORE I paint the sides and back. If you varnish it after, you won't be able to wipe any smeared paint off of the surface of the images. As always, I used Crafty Chica Glossy Gloss Varnish - one of my crafting staples.

When your varnish is dry, paint the edges of each piece. When the edges are dry, paint the backs (it's much less messy if you do it in steps).

Now these little babies are ready to be added to art, jewelry or whatever project enters my brain for day 6 of the DaVinci Challenge!


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Tutorial: Matchbox Artists' Lofts

I am STILL in DaVinci Mode!

Update for yesterday (4/17 - day 3): I planned a garage sale with my hubby! Woo hoo! Today (day 4), I am creating a tutorial for you wonderful folks.

Many moons ago (just over a year, I think), the mixed-media group to which I belong posed a challenge for us to create our fantasy "neighborhood." While a lot of the other artists added things like bakeries and bookstores (good stuff, to be sure), I decided I'd create a single building containing "artists' lofts" so I could live near all of my creative friends!


L to R/top to bottom: art by Sam Marie Grove, Krissi Sandvik (Skelekitty), Nicolas Caesar and Christian Cinder

Tools and Materials:

• "YES" paste or bookbinding glue*
  
• 32 count matchboxes (21) - I get mine at the Dollar Store/Dollar Tree, etc.
  
• corrugated cardboard scrap
  
• paints
• Golden Acrylic Medium: Molding Paste (either regular or hard is fine)
• artist spatula
• photos/ephemera** for inside "windows and doors"
• varnish or glaze - like Crafty Chica Glossy Gloss varnish

Directions:

1. With 9 of the matchboxes, separate the drawers from covers, and determine the interior dimensions.
   
   
2. Using your computer, if necessary, resize, print out and trim to size 8 scenes for the interior of each room.
   **IMPORTANT NOTE ON COPYRIGHTS: Be certain that any images you use are copyright free or that you have permission from the artist(s) to use them. Just because you paid for an image, it does not mean you have the right to legally use it! Most craft supplies are OK, but some, like rubber stamps and printed images may still be covered by copyright protection (i.e., you may not have the legal right to sell work containing those images - my Skelekitty stamps are an example of such images). It would also be copyright infringement to create a print for personal use of someone else's work. It is your responsibility to determine if the images you use are under copyright protection. and most artists are willing to license their work, or will work with you to allow certain uses, so be sure to ask before you use them!
   The piece I have here was created for my own amusement and I informed each of the artists what I was making and that it would not be for sale.
   
   
3. Glue* 8 images into matchbox drawers. Embellish now (or later is OK too!). *you can use white craft glue or glue stick if you don't have YES Paste, etc. Paste and bookbinding glue wrinkle your paper less, so they're a great investment!
   Glue an image of a door or paint one inside the 9th matchbox drawer and let everything dry.
   
   Photo of door by Ann Pohlers.
   
   
4. Cut open 8 of the matchbox covers' (along one of the folds) as shown here and paint doors and/or windows on the flap (I did mine to match up with the personalities of the artists "living" inside:
   
   L to R/top to bottom: art by Yoli Manzo, Alisa Abrenica and Mark Fox. That "empty" apartment will have Char Hall's T-Rex living in it soon.
   I made my windows "shiny" with several coats of glossy varnish!
   
   
5. Glue the outside of the 8 matchboxes (doors/windows) to the back /side of the 8 'drawers' (room scenes). Let them dry well! You may wish to use binder clips to hold the sides while these dry.
   
   
6. Start assembling your building! Here you can use E6000 glue or another hard core craft glue to keep things from falling apart while you build. Here's how I put mine together:
   
   Two matchboxes high, one matchbox wide (front/back) and four matchboxes long (sides) with one stuck in the middle (interior) for structural support.
   Add triangles made from scrap cardstock or cardboard for your roof gables (or you can make a flat roof).
   
   Kepi is the bat in my belfry.
   LET EVERYTHING DRY WELL!
   
   
7. Now for the fun! Open up your jar of molding paste and, using your spatula, "plaster" the exterior walls of the building! When I created my set of artists' lofts, I used gel medium (regular), but realized later that molding paste would work WAY better (and you don't necessarily have to paint it!). Another idea for thatched, cracked or textured plaster looks: use Golden Fiber Paste, Crackle Paste or Course Molding Paste! Let your acrylic "plaster" dry well - usually overnight or more is best, depending on temp/humidity.
   
   
8. Paint exterior of your building, if desired.
   
   
9. Make your roof - I made a 'Spanish tiled' roof by peeling off one of the paper layers from a piece of corrugated cardboard and painting it brick red.
   
   Seriously. That's all. Fold your "roof" down the middle and glue onto the top of your "gables."
   
   

Now just sit back and be amused with yourself! Anyone want to make one out of 250 count matchboxes???
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DaVinci Mode Challenge - Day 2 (4/16/09)

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I'm participating in a 30-day creative challenge posed by Stacy "The Craft Whore" McQueen to her facebook friends. It's not a contest, so nobody "wins" anything, except 30 completed creative acts.

For day two, Stacy posed the possibility of finishing something you'd started some time back. Yeah, I have a lot of those projects and I'm filing that idea for future use because I had something else I wanted to tackle.

See, I'm a hoarder of craft supplies (and ideas). I buy things that I love, and then don't want to "use" them up. It's ridiculous. Therefore, I decided to take one of the cigar boxes I've been nesting upon for over a year and embellish it. It didn't have to be spectacular, I just needed to DO IT. Just to challenge my pack-rat nature some more, I used up some of the Seven Gypsies papers (from the new "Market Collection") and EK Success stickers (Nostalgiques line by Rebecca Sower) I bought on a recent shopping trip with Ann Pohlers while I stayed with her (and her equally awesome roomie Alisa) down in San Diego.

Some black gesso, a little distressing and some stamping....

I may still do more with the inside, but as it stands, I like it!





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In "DaVinci Mode"

As an experiment of sorts, the FABULOUS Stacy "The Craft Whore" McQueen posed to her facebook friends the "DaVinci Mode Challenge." Going into DaVinci mode means that anyone participating in the facebook group MUST commit to 30 contiguous days of creativity in any form we wish.

I'll do my best to post here on a daily basis!

Day 1 (4/15/09):





For the first day of the challenge, I decided to just get my crafty butt back in my studio and make something. Anything. I decided on using one of the many shadow box frames I acquired at The Dollar Tree. I didn't really have a vision for this - mostly, I was experimenting with stamping on glass (Staz On ink) and mixing glitter colors (background glitter is Crafty Chica BeBopBlack / Nova Blue / SciFi Silver mix; gold is Ranger's Stickles). Obviously, this is also an experiment in layering. How do you think it came out?


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That $%*& Just Isn't For Drinking Straight Outta The Jar....

This crafty blog was inspired by a tweet by my pal Crystal Case, well known around town as Xtal Secretin, the blogmistress of the Secretin Life Line - The Secretions' blog of fandom, punk rock, local shows & more, and now the soon-to-be "Mrs. Rat."  To me, she's just "Crystal," a sarcastic, creative, dog-loving geek who keeps me entertained on a regular basis.

In a brave, albeit erroneous, attempt to save a few Samolians, Crystal purchased [offensive content warning - reader discretion is advised] ... instant coffee.  As you might expect, the freeze-dried cremains just didn't hit the palate of this coffee lover the way she'd hoped, but she was determined not to waste what she'd purchased.

Since friends don't let friends drink icky reconstituted coffee, I sent her a response sending her over to Chef Noah here are my favorites:

• Dye fabric brown inexpensively.Soak the fabric in a bucket of strong black coffee. This technique is also a good way to cover-up a coffee stain on a white table cloth.
• Repair scratched woodwork. Mix a teaspoon instant coffee with two teaspoons water. Apply to the scratch with a cotton ball.
• Highlight brown or red hair. Rinse your hair with coffee for a rich and shiny color.
• Deodorize the refrigerator and freezer. Place a bowl filled with coffee grounds on the back shelf.
• Patch woodwork.  Mix dry instant coffee with spackling paste until you achieve the desired brown tone, fill the crack or hole,and smooth with a damp cloth.
• Clean a restaurant grill.  Pour left-over brewed coffee over a hot or cold grill and wipe clean.

I  like his tip about dying - especially if you're like me and you wear a portion of every latte you drink.  All of this got me thinking about other cool stuff you can do with instant coffee:

• Make your own Kahlua.
• Flavor up your cake/brownie batter (make cupcakes that look like little cappuccinos!).
• Add it to hot cocoa mix (my favorite is Alton Brown's homemade instant cocoa).
• Make some goodies from Folgers' website (I like the look of the no-bake mocha treats and the mocha dessert fondue).
• Add it to a multitude of cocktails and other drinks.
• Use it in crafts to give an aged look (mix with water and/or an acrylic glazing compound) - this one is a Krissi original, so no link - sorry!

If you have any more to add to the lists, feel free to add them to the comments and be sure to add links!!  Oh, and if you're here in Sacramento, buy Crystal a REAL cup of coffee, would ya?


photo by Lynne Lowe

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Skelekitty News (SCCL and Kitty-tweets)

I'm very excited to let all of you know that the lovely and talented (and I'm not kidding about either) Cyndi Garcia recently contacted me about carrying my Skelekitty rubber stamps in the Santa Clarita Craft Lab's new Market Place. I'm simultaneously humbled and thrilled. All the details, including a gushing review of the Santa Clarita Craft Lab, are on Skelekitty's blog.

While we're talking about the Kitty, did you know that she's tweeting now? It's true. You can follow her on Twitter at Miss_Skelekitty.

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She Rocks

Yeah, I know I go on and on about how awesome my personal trainer Allyson is and, well, I'm about to do it some more. Check out the video from Chip's blog of Al's workout. Of course the video wouldn't be complete without a special appearance by Lulu whom I know you remember from the recent skeledog painting (which still hangs at Body Tribe):




Oh yeah, and did I mention that she turned 40 this year?

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