Doors and Windows - The Holiday Collection

Evergreen Holiday Wreath Door2Door $55.00	Winter house --- little cabi... Cookstah $45.00
Rudolph Classic White Reinde... Middleburg $69.00	Girl at the window - ACEO - ... SmallPaintings $4.00
The What'll I Do Pup - 5... chelebert12 $21.00	Vintage Pewter Candle Holder... LillyQueenBead... $15.00
Greeting Card Set - The Nutt... elr104 $12.00	Red Door says... Christmas..... papermadeneces... $25.00
Winter Photographs and Vinta... PicsandPanes $80.00	One of a Kind Natural Advent... DearAdam $82.00
Frost Feathers - 5x7 inch ic... LittleOddMe $6.75	White house with pine tree i... Pinderella $11.95
SPARLKLE 5 x 7 Photographic ... hlkparis $10.00	holiday double decker bus f... mummysam $8.50
Miniature Christmas wreath cinen $11.50	12 inch Christmas Photo Adve... MadeCreatively $9.95

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Alternative Activities

Okay, so I've been getting a little addicted to Stumble Upon. It's such a great resource for finding neat things to share on my blogs. I also "Stumble around" when I'm in the mood for something to read or view but don't have the energy for a book, and grow weary of the offerings on network TV (which, I guess, is quite often, hence said addiction).

I Stumbled Upon this list of Alternative Activities to Stumbling Upon...all rather good suggestions...

• Go for a walk
• Make a cup of tea
• Phone an old friend
• Visit somebody without calling ahead
• Sunbathe/stargaze
• Cook something you've never cooked before
• Take a good book to the park
• Photograph the sights in your own city
• Go to sleep
• Swim in natural water
• Attempt a crossword puzzle
• Build a fort out of furniture and bedding
• Bake a cake
• Plan an epic travel adventure
• Write a song/poem/story
• Make a list of 100 things to do by next year

If you're curious, you can discover my "stumblings" and follow me here.

Image: Tea by Michele Maule - reproduction art print, 8 x 10.

All That Jazz

All of these items (and 9 more) are featured in my latest Etsy Treasury - ALL THAT JAZZ - an ode to my fave genre of music! Visit the treasury, leave comments, share the link and click the items for more info and shop.

Enjoy! *Hands Up - Fingers Wiggling*

STOP and focus

The last post I wrote...about anxiety and school...yeah. One day in and I've rearranged my entire schedule for the summer and fall. More art classes, less stress about the required general education stuff. Plus, as a bonus, I get to stay on break until July 19, take two classes I need (and will enjoy), both are condensed format (4 weeks instead of 11), AND I get a break between them and at the end of the summer, too. Can't shake a stick at that!

Love this image above--found it at art zink. Might be buying it to hang on my wall soon.

Neat Things: Bees

"If the bee disappeared off the face of the globe then man would have four more years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man." ~Albert Einstein









Featured items discovered on Etsy--click the images for more info or to shop.

Neat Things: Papercut Art

Neat Things: Taupe..who says beige is boring?

All items shown were discovered on Etsy--handmade and vintage. Click images to shop!

Artist Profile: Rachel Robertson

Tell us a bit about yourself name, location, and something that we might find interesting about you...
My name is Rachel T. Robertson, I'm located in San Francisco, CA. Every year for the past ten years I have created an edition of about 50 Holiday cards to send to friends and family. Each one is made by hand, usually hand drawn.

Apart from creating, what do you do?
I work full-time as a Display Artist for Anthropologie, Inc.

What first made you want to become an artist?
My dad. He was amazingly talented (artist, designer, illustrator) and was always showing me his latest project, whether it was a house he designed, an illustration or a new idea for transforming our backyard. He seemed able to create just about anything. I flirted with other majors in college and thought about avoiding the difficulty of getting a job with an art degree but I always found myself drawing whenever I could. I finally decided it was silly to pursue anything else. It was the thing that I was best at.

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
I try to be consistent with my practice but it doesn’t always come as easily as I would like. I will often just work on little drawings that lead to bigger collage pieces. I love the process of combining different elements together. I mainly work on paper and with whatever materials I have on hand (paper, ink, pencil, watercolor, acrylic paint, photos, yarn, thread, old prints or drawings, etc). Lately I have been interested in drawing plants and birds and working them into collages. I also love to knit and sew and usually have a few projects going simultaneously.

What artists have influenced you and inspire you to create?
I am inspired by so many creative people. I really like to look at not only artists but also designers and architects. I love mid-century design and am particularly inspired by Scandinavian and Japanese design. Here’s just a few of the most influential artists/designers, in no particular order: Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Diebenkorn, Charles and Ray Eames, Robin and Lucienne Day, Alexander Girard, Isamu Noguchi, Hans Wegner, Lotta Anderson, Thomas Campbell, Evan Hecox, Joseph Cornell, David Hockney, illustrator Nancy Ekholm Burkert, Phoebe Washburn, Hella Jongerius, and also, my dad, Gordon Robertson.

Where else can we find your work and connect with you online?
My website, that links to my Flickr account where I post my work (art, craft and knits).
I have an Etsy shop as well where I sell my work. You can also find my work periodically for sale on-line here.

Images copyright Rachel Robertson, used by permission ~ all rights reserved.

Etsy Photography: Julie Magers Soulen

Sacred Sanctuary ~ 8 x 10 fine art photograph

Follow Julie on her blog, facebook and twitter!

Image copyright 2009, Julie Magers Soulen ~ all rights reserved.

Etsy: Window Shopping