ArtFest 2010 - My Artful Trades

I am off to ArtFest 2010 at Ft. Worden, Washington (near Port Townsend) this coming Tuesday... I can hardly wait!  It's just a hop, skip and a jump (well ferry ride) from Victoria to Port Angeles and then on to Port Townsend just down the road (well sorta... )

I have two classes with some great teachers lined up... one with Michael DeMeng and one with Nina Bagley.

I've known about Nina Bagley since I lived in North Carolina.  Nina lives up in mountains (Asheville) and I have always admired her jewelry work.  She does wonderful wire work and that's what I really want to learn and get better at.  She is into narrative jewelry which, being a storyteller, is right up my alley!

Michael DeMeng is another artist whose work I find interesting in a strange sort of way.  I'm not into Cinco de Mayo but  I have heard so many wonderful reports from friends and acquantances who have attended his classes, I just have to find out for myself what the buzz is all about. LOL

I 've wanted to go to ArtFest for about four years now and it seemed something always came in between.  This year, I was determined to go and NOTHING was going to get in the way. It always amazes me (and it shouldn't by now...LOL) that when you set your mind to something and keep focused on it, it happens.  Energy Flows Where Attention Goes... a Hawaiian shaman principle that I continually need to remind myself of...

Being a festival VIRGIN (haven't been one of those for a very long time... chuckle, chuckle), I wasn't sure what to expect.  Fortunately, there is a Yahoo group that one can join to get the "lowdown" on what is happening and what not to forget to bring (like your pillow!).  Being a coffee lover, I went out and bought a little French press yesterday to take with me. I got that great idea from the people posting to the yahoo group. I do love my java in the morning...and someone said they were bringing a kettle to boil water.  YAY!

Early on, after joining the Yahoo Group, I heard about the wild frenzy that occurs when "trading" begins on Wednesday night.  Well I didn't have a clue at first what this was all about but I soon found out. Everyone who wants to participate makes up about 100 pieces of "art" to trade with other attendees.  The first thought that went through my head was :  "Oh dear, I hate doing production line stuff." and the second thought was "Well, you don't have to."  That let me off the hook to decide what I would make for my trades.

I put my thinking cap on.  Here's what I came up with....

I really had fun making the poker chips for my "claying" weekend a while back.  When I put a photo of them here on my blog, they received a lot of wonderful comments.  I decided that Poker Chips would be trade #1.

My second trade came from some digital Moo cards and bookmarks I designed a few months ago.  When I showed them to friends and family, one of them turned out to be a favourite.  I was particularly proud of this one because I  digitally designed the rusty alphabet myself which I used in the Moo card and bookmark. That would be trade #2.

My third trade idea came from my business cards.  I get a lot of wonderful remarks from folks when they see my business card.  It's different.  It's fun.  People keep it.  It amazes me how it gets shown around and I have people coming up to me to ask me for one of those "cute" business cards  When that started happening, I knew I had a hit on my hands.  Chuckle.

There is a little story behind my business card.... A few years back I wanted something different than the regular, run of the mill business card.  Something that reflected who I was and what I did.  Well, as anyone who knows me could tell you, I love to have fun, I love to surprise, I love to laugh, I love doing digital work and I can be a "cheeky" little devil at times.  I am also into vintage *stuff*. So I designed a card that I felt reflected who I am. What about making that trade #3?  "Why not?" I thought.  It is "arty"!

Below is a sample photo of all my trades,  Got them all finished last night.  They are ready to go... I've got lots (probably more than I will ever trade but what the heck huh?) so it should be fun to see how many "trades" I can negotiate next week.  I made an empty chain necklace to take with me to "string" trades I receive.  I think I am going to have one very, very wonderful "artful"  necklace by the time ArtFest is over.  I've been looking at some of the trades other attendees are making and they are just fantastic.  This is going to be a bowl full of frenzied fun...

I'll be back home next Sunday and once I have had a few day to recover (grin), I'll share my experience with you.

Have an "artful" week everyone and see you again soon.

Cheers,
Sharon

Pick Your Favourite! Win that Card!

I've been on an art card making frenzy this past couple of weeks! There are a couple of summer art shows coming up and I want to be ready this year... none of that 'last minute' rush like most years to make a bunch of cards for the 'art card gift shop' many of them have these days.

But I am in a real tizzy! It seems that every card I make becomes my new favourite! Some cards were my super favourites right from the 'get-go' and I made more of those. But I can't seem to make up my mind about some other ones I really like! I need to make a bunch more and just can't seem to decide which ones to pick!

I had a brain'fart' about 2 a.m. this morning. Bang! I woke up with a start. I was in the middle of a dream... talking to someone (who knows who it was) and I said: "Well, I'll just ask all the lovely ladies (because most visitors to my blog are female) who visit myStoryART if they will help me!" DUH!! Of course!! That would be fun!

So, are you willing to take a few minutes to help me choose which cards to make more of? If yes, then read on...

Below you will see 10 cards all with numbers underneath, Take a look at the cards and pick your favourite top 3. Leave a comment on this post telling me your top three (just put the numbers in, i.e. "my favourites are #3, #8 and #10). Make sure your name is on your entry.

If you like, tell me what it is that you like about your choices the most. It's not necessary but I always find it interesting to hear what it is that attracts people to a particular card and not to others!

As a thank you for participating, on Monday (June 22), I will put all the names of those who leave a comment in a hat and draw a lucky winner. I'll announce the winner's name on the blog next week Tuesday, June 23!

You must claim your prize by sending me an email with your name and mailing address (sharonhouse@mystoryart.com) before Thursday, June 25, so make sure you check in next week to see if you have won. If I don't hear from the first winner by Thursday, I will pick another name.

Your prize: I'll mail you your favourite #1 card on your entry that you can then send to a friend, relative or someone special. Good luck and thanks for helping me out!

P.S. It has come to my attention that there are some folks who have copied images from my blog to use in their art. I do not want to have to start putting watermarks all over my images just to protect them. A gentle reminder: please remember that these images are copyright. Do not copy nor use without written permission from me.

Number #1

Number #2

Number # 3

Number #4

Number #5

Number #6

Number #7

Number #8

Number #9

Number #10

Hope looking through all these cards was fun for you... maybe even gave you some inspiration. I'm really looking forward to the results (which I will post once I have it all "tabulated")!

Thanks for "playing". I appreciate your comments, insights and 'eye' for art a lot!

Cheers,

Sharon