Inchie Swap Update

If anyone still wants to play along, (See details in the previous post.), there are a few openings left. Over 20 spots were filled in the first week. I can't wait to see what everyone made, and I look forward to putting them in the new book I'll be making!

It's Time for A Swap

I will be hosting an inchie swap for Art Unraveled 2012. I will be making an evidence book of AU, based on my AU ’12 class,  Funky Book of Memories and Evidence!, and want inchies to be included in my book. If you would like to join in, here’s the scoop. You DO NOT need to be enrolled in this class to participate, and you can use your inchies however you wish, of course. You may submit them by mail or in person and pick them up in person or have someone who will be attending AU pick them up for you. I will not be mailing them back out. More detail on that follows. If you are not familiar with inchies, “google” inchies and click images for a plethora of amazing examples. You can also see an example of a page from another evidence book I made from a now defunct event that I included above.

Deadline to sign up: Saturday, April 14th, 2012 11:59 pm Mountain Standard Time or whenever 30 people have signed up, whichever comes first.
Deadline for submitting inchies to me:
Option 1 by mail: Arriving at my mailbox no later than Saturday, July 21, 2012.  NO exceptions for mail due to my preAU and packing schedule. PRETTY PLEASE DO NOT REQUIRE MY SIGNATURE FOR DELIVERY OF INCHIES.  I have a locking mailbox where my mail is delivered that only postal employes and I have access to, so packages should be safe. Package confirmation is ok, but not required. I will email each participant individually when his/her package arrives. I will email my mailing address to participants when I send out the exact number of participants.
Option 2 in person: I will be at the Meet the Artists Event at AU on Monday, July 30, 2012 which starts at 7 pm, and you can turn them in to me there. I will stay until the end of the event, whatever time that turns out to be, since it varies each year. After this, no more inchies can be accepted due to the pickup timeline.
When to pick up your inchies:
Option 1: If you are in the Funky book class, I will bring your inchies to class so you can incorporate them into your book, if you wish. I can also give sets to participants who are willing to pick up inchies for friends at this time.
Option 2: If you are not in the class, you may pick them up from me after class from 4:30-5:00 in the Funky Book classroom that same day or from 6-6:30 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012 in whatever classroom I will be teaching my Painted Totebook class. Classrooms will not be known until the event  starts, so please check the schedule  at AU which is conveniently posted in the registration and check in area.
Option 3: If none of the above are dates and times when you or one of your friends, you can pick up your inchies at AU, let me know privately by email, and we can try to work something out. I will be in and out of the the hotel several times during the event, and we might be able to meet up at breakfast or after another class, for example. There are no options outside of the AU event for pickup.
Number of inchies to make: This will depend on the number of participants. I will collect information and email everyone no later than Tuesday, April 17th before midnight MST with the exact number to make. The maximum number will be 30 participants, so 30 will e the maximum number of inchies to make.
Size requirement: Inchies, by definition, are 1 inch wide by 1 inch high. In addition, for this swap, inchies may NOT be more than 1/4 inch thick, including embellishments such as beads, buttons, charms, etc. This is so they will fit in a book for people who wish to do so. If you have any embellishment dangling or sticking out from your inchie, that component may not be more than 1/2 inch off the edge of your inchie.
Materials to Use: Anything goes that fits the size requirement. For example, you may use paper, fabric, metal, wood, and paint, crochet, sew, draw, glue, whatever you wish. You must do something to the inchie. For example, if you start with a square of watercolor paper, you could paint or draw on it, start with a piece of metal and glue something on, or if you start with a piece of fabric and embroider on it. You may not simply cut out a square of paper, metal, wood, etc. and consider it done for the purposes of this swap. Inchies you submit may be identical or different, your choice.
Theme: There is no theme or color requirement. Again, anything goes. If you wish to incorporate the 10th anniversary of AU, go for it, but this is NOT required. I would like each artist to feel free to work with something they are comfortable with or push themselves, whatever works best for individuals.
Packaging: Put each inchie in a small envelope or little zip type bag with your name on it, so recipients can identify you as the artist. If you wish to include your email address or info., you may, but it is not required. Put small envelopes or baggies into a larger zip type bag or large heavy duty envelope with your name and email clearly marked on it, so I can return the swapped inchies to you in the same larger bag or envelope.
Questions: If you have any questions before signing up or along the way, please email me at janeeileen@hotmail.com.
Who Should Sign Up: Please sign up only if you agree to the guidelines and will make every effort to honor your commitment. Starting early is always a good plan in case life happens. In the event of an unforeseen emergency that would prevent you from following through, PLEASE email me, so I will know there is a problem. There may be someone willing to take your place, and I will make an effort to find a someone, so that we do not have participants without inchies in return for all of their efforts to make this swap a success.
How to sign up: Email me directly at janeeileen@hotmail.com. All email addresses will be kept confidential. Emails I send to participants will be sent BCC:, so addresses are not ever shared.
HAVE FUN IF YOU SIGN UP!!! I WILL SEND A FEW REMINDERS ALONG THE WAY.

Busy-ness, Rambling, and Dreams

How long has it been since I posted last? Too long, really. But I have been sidetracked.  To make a long story short, I have been bitten by the crochet bug. I have played around with crocheting many times before, never really reading a pattern, just making things like afghans and teddy bear sweaters in pieces that would be the same as a pattern piece I saw in my mind and then stitching them all together to make whatever I wanted. To make a long story short, the time came when I told myself that I needed to learn the names of the stitches and at least try to read some patterns. I chose to teach myself by looking in books. I learned to embroider this way and have learned as much using this method as by having people teach me.  I crocheted on some journal pages back in the fall which I think may have been the kickstarter, but that has spread, since Christmas, to handwarmer type mitts and about 90 scarves which are going to be sold and help out an organization that helps young figure skaters and hockey players raise money for tournaments and such. It has been such great fun. I just bought gobs and gobs of yarn and made each one up as I went with different sizes, styles, and color patterns in a variety of stitches. I don't think I have more than one set of twins scarves. The event is next month, so I am really in high gear now.
I have managed to do other things as well, outfits for preschool western week, working on my plethora of items to sell and donate to Art Unraveled for the shopping extravaganza and the silent auction, and my first set of hearts for the Ten of Hearts class.  Here is what they look like. I made a few extra so even the last picker gets a choice.
I wish I was better at taking more pictures of what I do on a weekly basis.  I really want to blog with more of them, but it seems that the process always takes precedence over the picture taking at the end. I have undertaken a big big project inside my house that is 90% done. I am good at setting goals for myself. Maybe I should set taking more pictures as a goal when the house project is all done. Can't make any promises, but a girl can dream, right?

Art Unraveled Announcement!

I am overjoyed to tell you that I have been selected from among the artist applicants to teach again this year at Art Unraveled, and the website is live NOW! The classes I will be teaching are:

1. Funky Book of Memories and Evidence - Tuesday, July 31st  9 am til 4:40 pm

2. The 10 of Hearts - Wednesday, August 1st evening 6:30 til 9:30 pm

3. Painted Tote Book for Doodlers, Dreamers, Designers or "Drawers" - Sunday, August 5th 6:30-9:30 pm

4. heART Quilt 101 - Monday, August 6th 6:30-9:30 pm

You can see multiple pictures by following the links to the website.

This year, for the 10th anniversary, a 10% discount on workshop fees will be given to those who register prior to March 15th with workshop fees of $250 or more.  Information can be found on the Register page of the website.

I also plan to have a teacher's table for vending on Saturday, August 4th and attend the Meet the Artists event on the evening of Tuesday, July 30th.

Now, how many days til August? I'm thinkin' there ought to be an app for that!

Etsy Update

I was finally able to finish all the listings for the little books I still have for sale. If you are interested in purchasing any, you can click on any etsy photo in the margin, or find my whole shop by clicking here. Any not sold here will be available for sale at Art Unraveled in August. Thanks again for all the interest!

P.S. Scrapaholic Confession

I have gotten a number of inquiries about the little books I wrote about in my last posting. Thanks for asking. I am working on getting them all photographed individually for etsy with my uncooperative camera. There are actually more than are shown, and it has turned out to be more than a crazy busy week, but I am trying to get everything done by this weekend for sale. If anyone wants one you see in the picture with the larger number of books, let me know by email, and I can set it aside. They are $15. plus whatever the post office charges for shipping, probably around $3.    Thanks for asking.           janeeileen@hotmail.com

My name is Jane, and I am a scrapaholic.

I noticed a while back that there is a recurring theme in most of my work; most of it is made with scraps. For a while, I tried to steer away from the scraps and actually use more of what I have here in the studio/warehouse, but I have changed my mind. I have decided to embrace it, even though it is a blessing and a bit of a problem. The bit of a problem is that I find it difficult to throw anything away since I might need it when I get all my scraps together to create. The blessing is that the things I make from scraps are the ones I love the most.
In the middle of trying to be retired, I have been volunteering, working a few days and trying to squeeze in some creative time as well as spend a little time working on the business part of my creating, so I haven't had a lot to show, yet, but these are finally done after working on them in stages since midsummer. Each is about 4x6" and has over 75 pages of random paper inside, just right for carrying in a purse. Each one also has two secret pockets in the construction, made for carrying other papers, pens, whatever one might need with their little book/journal. They are made from leftover canvas, nearly empty bottles of paint that were washed out for the project and leftover pieces of everything else in the scrap collection tub on my sewing table; quilt scraps, fabric remnants, doily bits, ribbons, buttons, doodads and whatnots. The top two are my favorites and also have some painted fabric and papers that I collaged together for another project. Yep, I have a feeling that scrappy chic isn't going away anytime soon.