Journey to the First Craft Show

It's been a very long couple of months, yet it went by so very quickly.

In early May, I'd applied to do a craft show. It'd be my first one. It was for a fundraiser held by Montezuma Winery for the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge. About one week into May, illness hit our home, and it hit very hard. Hubby got the flu (another first) and I got... something. We're still not sure, but I think it was a combination of a sinus infection and whooping cough (there is an "epidemic" of it in our area). Needless to say, nothing got accomplished for at least 4 weeks.

Which left-yipes!- 3 weeks to prepare for the show. That included building that inventory I was supposed to create this past year and designing and making displays for the tent.

Eventually, there was not a single, clear flat surface in our entire house. But by this past Sunday morning, we had a full truck and were on the road to our first show.

We had to contend with detours, wind with a primarily paper product, and exhaustion.

Sales were negligible, but the whole experience was great. It was a beautiful day and the other vendors were so warm and helpful. We also observed a few things that will be changed for the next show...in less than 2 weeks!

Wearily, once home, we unloaded the truck on Sunday night, collapsed and have not even cast an eye in the direction of all the items and displays from the show. We've missed our lives these last few weeks and we're trying to catch up a bit.

But, by next week, we should be ready to start again and get the excitement going for the July 4th show.

In the meantime, we're just taking lots of naps!

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A special thanks to all our supporters: the mentor, the muse, the cheerleader, the critic, the everyone who has sent nothing but positive energy our way!

And the Winner Is....

You've caught me in an incredibly indecisive mood, ladies! I cannot decide who wins the Sweetheart Love in a Small Container Giveaway!

So, that being said, ALL 3 of you- Joanne, Chris and Carol, have won! 

Contact me at my email, bronsonhillarts@gmail.com, with information on where to send your prizes and if you prefer grapes or flowers, bud vases or candle holders! But, first to contact me gets first choice!

Thank you so much for participating in the giveaway. It's been wonderful reading about your love for your sweethearts and for life, too.

Have a fantastic Valentine's Day, ladies!

Some Coloring Fun

With fall pretty much parked outside the house, I've found a little more (not a lot of) time to hit the studio. Also, I'm trying to rest my left wrist a bit, to ease up a chronic case of tendonitis, so the keyboard is on light duty right now.

So just a quick blog to share the newest ones:



White Tanks Waterfall
5x7 Watersoluble Oils
©2011 BEDeuel 



Reaching #1
4x6 Watercolor on 140# Paper
©2011 BEDeuel



Reaching #2
4x6 Watercolor on 140# Paper
©2011 BEDeuel

These last 2 have been submitted to Teri for the Twenty Minute Challenge, which I enjoyed trying, immensely. Same reference photo, 2 different takes on it in 2 separate 20-minute blocks.

Check out the TMC at  http://twentyminutechallenge.blogspot.com/ !

Let me know what you think!

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A while back, I posted about personalized notecards that I did for a lovely young woman's bridal shower. Her wonderful mother took the design one step further and had the bakery recreate it for the cake for her shower!

I think it worked very well!

Hope this post finds you and yours safe and secure and finding time to enjoy each other!

Gardens, Gardens Everywhere!

                 

Back in March, I posted an inspiration piece called “String of Spring”. It was a first attempt at painting flowers and the result was mixed.



Original
String of Spring
6x18 Water Soluble
Pencil on 140#
Cold Pressed Paper
©2011 BEDeuel



But I call it an inspiration piece because, it inspired Stephanie of Crystal Allure Jewelry to special order a “String of Spring” to use in her own home. She wanted purple coneflowers with an eggshell background. Another idea to offer as a customized, art-for-fun item!

In developing the piece for her, I did a sketch that didn’t really translate well to watercolors. I kept it on the computer and, the other day I thought to use the computer’s Paint program to “colorize” it. And, I like the effect. It’s different than my other pieces, but I think that’s what I like about it.


Computer
Colorized Sketch
©2011 BEDeuel



I’m going to use it for a note card design to raise some funds for Hearthside Cats, a local, no-kill fostering program that provides so much for the community. Let me know if it appeals or not!

Oh, yes, and here’s the final piece designed for Stephanie:


String of Spring Coneflowers
6x18 Water Soluble Pencils
on 140# Cold Pressed Paper
©2011 BEDeuel


A customized “garden” for her wall!
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Speaking of spring:

As I’ve mentioned before, it was an extremely snowy winter which became an equally extremely rainy spring. Then when June came, the sun came out and the spring season lost her shyness.

When spring burst forth, all of our efforts were turned toward tending the lawn and gardens. And it started to look so beautiful. These pictures show how much so.
Then July came, all too quickly, and sucked every bit of beauty out of the glorious gardens. We watered as much as possible, but most of the annuals died and a lot of the perennials went brown and curly. It started to rain a little bit this last week or so, but the goal at this point is to salvage as much of the perennial gardens as we can so that they can regroup for next year.

And they will. They’ll rebound and bring all their loveliness along for the show. There will be two more seasons, each with their own offerings and pleasures, and, when spring is ready to re-emerge, we’ll be ready to welcome her again.

A New Twist!

Several weeks ago, I was showing a co-worker this blog. In scrolling through it, the Flights of Life Butterfly Note Cards  caught her attention.

Her daughter is getting married in October this year and her shower is in September. My co-worker had been searching for the “right” card for the invitations. Her daughter loves butterflies which hold a special meaning for her and her father. The moment brought the two ideas together for my co-worker.

She and her husband looked over the Flights of Life Collection and selected one particular design. Coincidentally, they picked my favorite design.

She gave me the wording she wanted as well as the font and color that fit the theme of the wedding. I worked up a sample and the result fit her conception perfectly! I think there was a tear involved, but that has to be credited to a mother's moment of sentiment.

Below is a modified image of the resulting invitation. The names and location have been altered for the privacy of the parties involved.


Bridal Shower Invitation Personalized on
A Flights of Life Collection Note Card
©2010 BEDeuel

It was a wonderful experience putting the two ideas together. I would love to do it again! And to top it all off, a donation was created to be sent to the Lungs for Life Foundation, for transplant awareness!


Sometimes it's difficult to find a new way to approach an existing situation. Other times that new idea is just given to you. Hopefully, we’re always open to the possibilities presented.

Oh, My, Oh, My!

“I’ve got to get back…to the house on Pooh corner by one. You’d be surprised, there’s so much to be done: Count all the bees in the hive; chase all the clouds from the sky...”- Kenny Loggins

That’s been life lately. So much to do, so much to enjoy. Oh, it’s been dappled by a crisis or two. But nothing that didn’t have that little bit of silver edging on the cloud. No destructive storms have swept us away.

In the huge world of internet art and marketing, the options have been overwhelming. There is Etsy, Artfire, Ebay, etc. There are smaller avenues such as Daily Painters that offer marketing exposure for artists, as well as other blogs that offer segments that feature fellow artists. I’ve only signed on for Etsy and Artfire-so far- but, being new to this medium, it takes a good amount of time to get things initially organized.

Honey Bunnies Summertime-Ahh...


Along the way, I’ve been working on some new items. There are new note cards designed and a new painting in progress. There’ll be another giveaway starting Monday, February 21^st for a new, and we think, fun item that keeps with our goal of customizing art for you.



Honey Bunnies Autumn-Sharing

Please check out the buttons on our sidebar for the Etsy and Artfire Studios. I’m still ironing out some details, so bear with me. And, please let me know if you have any suggestions. A second, or third, or fourth, set of eyes is always a great source of information.

Despite having had much-too-much of the white, icy stuff this season, I’ve had this photo that my mother took for a few years. I’ve wanted to translate it into a painting all that time. This is a peek at the first steps of the process. It’s a water soluble oil painting on a 5x7 wrapped canvas.

Ice Fog Beauty

A second set of note cards are ready to be sold, the beneficiary of a portion of the sales being the Humane Society of Livingston County. I’ve shown some of them throughout other posts, but am happy to officially present the 1^st Honey Bunnies Collection. 

The Honey Bunnies Collection is a set of 4 blank note cards printed on 110 lb. matte white Avery notecard stock with matching envelopes. The price is $10.95 for all 4 plus shipping or $2.75 each plus shipping. The goal, again, is to raise monies for our local animal humane society. At this time, they only have foster home facilities, with which they do wonderful service. Their plan is to raise enough funds to build a medium-sized central facility so that they can help that many more animals. We hope to be able to help, in no matter how small a way, with this effort.

That being said, thanks for your continued visits and support! And, Christopher Robin is waiting for me, so I must be off! Ta-ta!


Honey Bunnies Winter- Almost Done!

 

Honey Bunnies Spring- Yayyy!



Ah, Home of My Heart!

I rediscovered a world that I had inhabited decades before like a bear in his den in winter. It has been there all these years just waiting for the prodigal daughter to wander back to her woods. And, I did. And I was enthralled once again, just as I had been way, way, way…well, you get the idea…back.

I rediscovered the public library.

Oh, Such Joy! Let's Frolic!
Spring from the Honey Bunnies Collection Notecards

It’s not a “wow” for everyone, but it always has been for me. My mother had taught me to read before I entered school and it’s been a passion ever since.

I lost the passion for a few years as it seemed I simply didn’t have the time to read. I got into a rut of buying my books because it could take me half a year to read one; I allotted no time for this undeniable pleasure. But it became a quandary as I went along because if I didn’t care for a book, I couldn’t bring myself to give up on it: it cost me money and I was going to get the whole product! That attitude cost me even more as I got bored with the stories and almost gave up on books completely.

My mom has been an avid reader and patron of her public library system for as long as I can remember. She kept after me to just follow her lead. I was concerned, though, that I would have all sorts of late fees and wouldn’t be able to get to the library with my schedule.

It dawned on me a couple of weeks ago that I drive right past our local branch 5 days a week…twice. The hours are great and renewal is simple. There went all my excuses! It was almost breath-taking stepping back into that world, into that part of my life again.

When something that’s an intricate part of who you are resurfaces after years of dormancy, there’s an actual sense of rebirth. It may not last long, nor make the rest of your life new again, but an invigorating moment like that can give you back a small amount of the joy just living can bring.

What Gifts Are Before You?
Autumn from the Honey Bunnies Collection Notecards

What do you think would give you that sense of joy? Would you be able to reopen a chapter in your life that would have a positive effect on your current life? If so, why not do it? I’ll bet your excuses would be moot if you looked at it honestly. Don’t lose the parts of your life that make you happy. Keep them active and keep your being alive!

A Great Start to 2011!

Congratulations to Heather of Azure Island Designs! Heather's name was drawn at the Crystal Allure Jewelry blog for my giveaway of 6 handpainted postcards. I am very happy that Heather won. And I thank her so much for her interest and support of Bronson Hill Arts.

Stephanie at Crystal Allure has done extensive work for transplant awareness through the years with her jewelry and her organization, Lungs for Life. The design idea used for the postcards was suggested to me by Stephanie: butterflies. The lovely creatures are symbolic for lung transplants, the gift of new life.

As a result of this small collaboration, Stephanie and I have decided to offer a collection of these postcards as notecards. The name of the collection will be Flights of Life. A portion of the money for each set sold will be donated to Lungs for Life Foundation and for transplant awareness programs.

The Flights of Life Collection will be added to along the way, in the hopes that you'll be able to select which cards you get in your order. The notecards will be printed on textured 110 lb. white matte paper and include a matching envelope. As a bonus, an individually-designed, handcrafted package will be included for the first 15 orders received. We'll also include free shipping for those first 25 orders. The cost will be $15.95 per set. If you order 2 or more sets, the cost will drop to $14.50 each with free shipping (even after the first 25 orders!).

The notecards would make a wonderful gift to both someone you like (or even, love) and those who need our help to continue living.

So, again, Heather and everyone: Thank you for participating in the giveaway!

And, thank you, in advance for helping Bronson Hill Arts help others. It's a great way to start 2011!