Featured Artist: BLUEBIRDLANE

For some of the prettiest paper creations anywhere, make a visit to the "Bluebirdlane" shop on etsy! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5103560

Here are pictures of just a few of her lovely creations currently available ~ wonderfully "shabby" tags featuring butterflies and moths, vintage flowers, birds, antique postcard backgrounds...

Great Saturday Project: Easter Eggs with All Natural Dyes!

Did you know you can make natural egg dyes from stuff around your kitchen? I looked around for tips on dyeing Easter eggs with natural dyes and picked a few of the best links to share! This is a great "old-fashioned" way to dye eggs, but also a "new-fashioned" way to avoid artificial dyes and over-commercialization of holiday celebrations. It's a fun experiment and a fun way to spend some time with your kids!

The earliest traditional colors for Easter eggs were red and green, btw. Red is the most ancient sacred color, the color of life energy. Green of course is also symbolic of life and vitality and renewal. Pastel colors became popular later, probably in imitation of the pinks and yellows and lavenders of Spring flowers. Supposedly teal is the "hot" color this year!!

Here are some links ~ have fun:
http://www.floridaherbs.com/Newsletter_Archives_Dyeing_Easter_Eggs.htm
http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/eggs060405.cfm
http://www.aeb.org/kidsandfamily/eastereggs/naturaldyed.asp

On that last link, you'll want to click the "next" button at the bottom a couple of times, because the next few pages have wonderful ideas for decorating eggs with stencils, leaves and seeds, ribbon, even postage stamps!

The vintage egg greeting card pictures are from
Lunagirl Victorian Holidays & Occasions.

Featured Artist: Piccinina Designs 3dragonfliesbrass

Another wonderful artist's work to share! Piccinina Designs creates beautiful handmade jewelry, with materials such as brass and sterling silver, crystal beads, charms of porcelain and brass, and even scrabble tiles with vintage faerie images! Many pieces are one-of-a-kind, and many are inspired by her children. Visit her etsy shop at http://www.3dragonfliesbrass.etsy.com/!

Featured Artist: Anitra's Bears

We met Anitra through etsy and just had to share a link to her adorable HANDMADE teddy bears. They are wonderful. Take a look around her new website to see ~ they're full of personality and look irresistably snuggly! We also enjoy her lovely ATCs, especially those featuring artwork of the Virgin Mary. (You can also find Anitra on etsy at http://www.anitrabear.etsy.com/)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

NEW collage sheets: Shabby Pink Shabby Green Shabby Blue!

  Since I try to update about new items on the blog, I thought I would show two recent additions to our Lunagirl line of collage sheets. These could be the beginning of a "Shabby Series" in color themes.... they include beautiful tinted photographs, antique sheet music, butterfly wings, Victorian artwork, vintage postal cards and paper money.... a fun and whimsical mix!

Indie Artists: Discover ESBQ

Here is another fantastic on-line resource for mixed media artists (in addition to ZNE), really for all self-representing artists:

ESBQ: http://www.ebsqart.com/

You will find a treasure-trove of information. Be sure to click on the "Learn" icon at the top of the page to find their archive of "Live Studio" pages. There are informative "how-to" tutorials about everything from Collage and Watercolor and Art Quilting to Transferring Images and using Polymer Clay to creating business cards and buying digital cameras!

The ESBQ website also has helpful information about promoting your work, authenticating one's work, listing on feepay, etc.

Cold Winds .... and CIRCA ARTE at ZNE

It got cold again (of course). Snow flurries even! Here I am shivering with my basket of flowers. March always does this to me (those of you in Minnesota and Montana probably find it amusing that I think it's cold here). Oh well, the birds are still here and the daffodils always seem to survive the cold snaps!

ZNE is doing something cool I want to share. They have a podcast called Circa Arte which features topics of interest to mixed media artists -- art tips and education, product reviews, interviews with artists. For more info and schedule click the banner below!

If you're not familiar with ZNE: It's short for variaZioNE, Mixed Media & Indie Artists Connected. We're proud to be a member and to watch ZNE grow. It's mostly online, a great place to meet other artists and view their work, chat, discuss, share your own art, etc. If you enjoy creating or just seeing collage art, altered art, and other mixed media, check it out at http://www.zneart.com/.

Spring on the way! Free image!

Spring doesn't officially arrive for about 3 more weeks, but you can't tell it today here in Tennessee. There's a bright blue sky, a strong gusty breeze, and predicted high in the 70s! Birdsong greets me when I step outside (along with the wind!). The goldfinches are pairing up, the males turning brighter yellow. I've seen a wren looking for a nesting spot, and soon there will be bluebirds doing the same.

All this spring energy has inspired a Happy Monday free image from Lunagirl. To enjoy for your personal projects: Yellow daffodils, the heralds of spring on the way!