10 December 2010

New!



Wood-mounted prints are now available at Unconventional Ida!

08 December 2010

oh, boy!

Thought I would share a few boys from my sketchbook with you this morning~


Happy Wednesday!

07 December 2010

long, uncreative day

Things have been completely hectic in my life lately. The three-day UC holiday fair was a blast. I was able to meet some really awesome people, and find some new goods to crush on {like the jewelry from Gem & Eye Designs}. I'm trading one fair in for another, and now I am getting ready for the MADE fair on Sunday. Below is a picture of my booth.

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I am going to put some paper up between the panels so that it seems a bit more solid when one is looking straight at it. I am excited about all of my new products for the holiday season. I have bunches of new greeting card and postcard designs {a few have even sold out already}, ten new pocket mirrors, and I've started carrying wood mounted prints. I love them!

I hope to get a few of these new products up and listed for you soon. For me, taking decent photos of my work is very time consuming, and right now I am focused on making sure I have enough stock for the MADE fair.
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I received great news from James at Second Space Gallery that "The Color of My Childhood" sold within the first hour of the opening! It was wonderful to hear, especially since I nearly gave up on that piece altogether.

And finally, the last day of the art fair my phone decided to completely give up on life. Today, I succumbed and purchased my first smartphone {any fun apps you'd like to recommend?}. Even though I spent nearly all day at the Verizon store, I am a bit excited about it because now I can post short updates on my blog while I am back in Pennsylvania {no internet at the grandparents}. I will be working on my solo show opening in January, so I will be sure to share a few sneak peeks with you. *^_^* I think the camera on my phone may take better pictures than the camera that I own. How funny is that? Santa, are you listening?

I'll try to be better this week about posting some photos of my MADE fair prep. Hopefully I'll get a few better booth shots on Sunday, too!




29 November 2010

winter wonderland

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{views from my home & studio}

28 November 2010

whew.

Sorry for the break in posts. Between the steady stream of guests we've had in our home, and my preparation for the upcoming holiday fairs, I haven't had that much time to post {or take any decent pictures of what I've been working on}.

Some great news I received last week~

The Color of my Childhood was selected for the "lipstick & Rouge" show at Spokane's Second Space Gallery! I packaged her up and shipped her off yesterday. I believe the show opens December 3 {for those of you in the Spokane area}.

I will also have my original work, pocket mirrors, and journals at Tasty in Seattle. I am choosing eight of my originals to be included in their upcoming GIFTED show {opening December 8}.

I have been working on so many new things outside of the norm {for me}. The first is jewelry {some of which I have already shared} and also sculpture! The pieces below are created with polymer clay, acrylic paint, wood block, coffee stained vintage book paper, and moss & twigs. These are my first two attempts, and I can't wait to make & share more!
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I also have brand new pocket mirrors {ten new designs}, greeting cards, & postcards! I'll work on getting some great shots so that I can share them with you before the holidays! I've designed some sweet new packaging for all of my goods, too.

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Finally, a little sad news. My grandfather's pancreatic cancer has returned, and become stage iv. He and my grandmother were just here last month {their first flight in 60 years!}, but cancer is a nasty beast and is taking his energy quickly. My sister and I will be flying out to spend the holidays with him and our grandmother. I take off the 16th of December, so all of my shops will be closed on the morning of the 15th. If you plan on last minute Christmas shopping, please do so before then. Everything will re-open when I return on January 6. I will not have internet access during that time, and will be focused only on helping my family, spreading good cheer, and the creation of my solo show {opening January 7}.

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I hope you all enjoy the last few days of November! 
It is a winter wonderland here!

19 November 2010

IF*sneaky

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It is easy to be sneaky when you have two birds for eyes...

18 November 2010

16 November 2010

hello, good-bye . new work

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I finished {among the poppies} yesterday and it was snatched up by one of my collectors almost immediately. It appears I won't be spending too much time with this pretty lady, so I've decided to make another~
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I hope to have her finished up and listed this afternoon. Then I plan on taking some close up shots of my earrings with my new tripod {thanks Nichole for pushing me over the edge}. I have a few commissions to work on after that, and then finally choose the pieces that will become my new pocket mirror collection. What's on your plate today?

14 November 2010

forest, monsters & mountains...

{please enjoy my newest collection}

Each wooden circle and block is hand-painted black and then lightly sanded to distress the edges. 
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I create the illustrations with colored pencil, and then seal them with a semi-gloss spray.
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The earrings are drilled and fitted with brass earwires, affixed to a card, and each pair is tucked neatly inside its own cotton muslin bag.
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{since each earring is hand-illustrated, no pair will ever be exactly alike} 
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Earrings aren't your cup of tea?
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Make your shelf or mantle happy with these one of a kind art blocks!
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Click on the pictures, or visit Unconventional Ida to view more!

10 November 2010

dirty little wednesday

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My hands got a little dirty this morning,
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 my blocks turned a little black,
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and my hugs got a little makeover!

09 November 2010

the start of a new collection

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hand cut
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hand painted
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hand sanded
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...and ready to become my next collection.

winter show & fair dates

Below is a list of where you can find me this winter. I will be adding and updating as new opportunities pop up. If you are in the area, I hope to see you!

Upcoming Shows & Fairs:

Swoon Gallery
Solo Show: Souls
Opening: October 23
Los Angeles, CA

Helena Fall Artwalk
One night only~ Cash & Carry
November 12, 6-9pm
40 S. Park, Helena, MT

University Center Holiday Art Fair
December 2, 3, & 4
University of Montana, Missoula, MT

Second Space Gallery
Group Show: Lipstick and Rouge
Opening: December 3
610 W Second Ave, Spokane, WA

Tasty
Group Show: Gifted
Opening: December 10
7513 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA

MADE fair
December 12
Elk's Lodge
112 N. Pattee, Missoula, MT

Noteworthy Paper & Press
Solo Show: The Grandfathers

Opening: January 7, 5:30-8:30
101 S. Higgins, Missoula, MT

Bernice's Bakery
Solo Show: Dreams of Spring
Opening: February 4
109 S. 3rd W., Missoula, MT

Tasty
Group Show: Tickled Pink
Opening: February 11
7513 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA


Find my journals, postcards, & more at:

Artsiehorse: 137 E. Main, Missoula, MT

Noteworthy Paper & Press: 101 S. Higgins, Missoula, MT

Shakespeare & Co.: 103 S. 3rd Street W., Missoula, MT


Originals, Prints, Trinkets & Trifles:

unconventionalida.bigcartel.com

unconventionalida.etsy.com

stellalatwinski.etsy.com 

07 November 2010

the unlucky 13 get a listing facelift

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{after}
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A while back I toyed around with changing my listings to photographs of the pieces. I decided that the scanned images looked cleaner, and stuck with them as the first pictures of my available originals. I figured~ the photos are still in the listing, so people will see them.

It is wishful thinking on my part, and I should know better. I can't guarantee with any certainty that anyone is viewing all of the images in my listing.
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I need to remember that these pictures are extremely important in explaining my work to those who cannot physically hold it. {Thank you to the little bird who reminded me of this}. I hear from buyers all of the time that the listings do not do my pieces justice. It is true~ my characters are not flat, scanned images.  They are on beautiful blocks of wood~ three dimensional objects. I realize that is hard to see at first glance from the images that I have been posting. So, I am going to get over my need for a nice, orderly shop page.  Instead, it will be filled with photographs that will allow those who view my art to experience it a bit more.

What do you think about the change? Does it help you see my work in a new light? Add to your experience?