Adding Art-o-Mat: Phoenix Collection

           I've been meaning to post this for a month, but here's a few behind the scenes look at our new Phoenix Collection for Fall 2013. These are custom orange fire bracelets inspired by the idea of turning death into life. Because we will all fall, the question is if we choose to stay down or get back up. Me? I think there's a wealth of possibility waiting to learn and improve from failure (our own or others). Each one is individually designed and sewn. A lovely piece of art. And hopefully a message worth being inspired by.
           You can find pieces at in local art vending machines across with country with Art-o-mat for $5.00 each. Taking my love of leather and sewing to the next level. May it inspire you to try something new or step outside your comfort zone.
            The past month with Techshop RD's closing on short notice (3 days) and just general fall-out, Nash and I have had a number of occasions to look at each other and be grateful to have each other in the fox hole with us. I'm not going to pretend it's all been easy, but hey a little sharpening of the soul and craft is never a bad thing. Happy July 4th weekend.

PS- Will try and post more of our store and designer collaborations this month. If you're interested in having us produce for your store or private label work, short us an e-mail at: DaraPage@lisashay.com.

A2O Photography Workshop January 19th: 2-6 pm

          Welcome back from Christmas, we are all primed and excited to start a new year. This month and next Roth is remodeling their bar to expand so we will be next door in the conference room of Techshop:

5905 Triangle Drive
Raleigh, NC 27617

         Photography basics is 4 hours of magic. While we will have an outdoor photography session in a few months when the weather warms up, the purpose of this session is to handle the soup, nuts, and bolts of the back end of photography. Especially what to do if it rains or you need a catalog shot. Everyone can take a photo, that doesn't mean it's any good.
         While we could do this as a lecture series, photography is more of an active sport so we will have a number of stations set-up for people to practice their skills. You are welcome to bring your camera and/or product to practice at each station. Each station will be set-up with props and people to hold your hand. Since this is very hands on, we ask that each member limit themselves to 15 minutes at each station so others get a chance to try everything out.

1. Light Cube Station- Ever wonder how jewelry catalogs and shiny new products get those clean shots on small products? The answer is they use a light box and micro lens. Learn how to set-up the cube, position lights, and take shots for small pieces.

2. GIMP Photo Editing Software- Learn how to edit photos with this great free software program you can download off the internet. Please download this program and bring in your laptop, tablet, smartphone...etc.

3. Instagram- Check out the latest internet craze. Fun, fast, and easy to use....try out this new iPhone app.

4. Live models and backdrops- Our lovely Katie will be modeling for you against the backdrop of your choice.


5. Shooting Outside Shots- This last part will depend on the weather, but if it's pretty we will do some practice shots outside (maybe at Umstead Park).

Note: Today's photos come from our latest Instructable on casting metal from 3D Printing. It's already got a couple thousand hits which is exciting. To more fun in your week.

This Little Pigment

                    I love artists who combine different mediums. Andie mixes hard metals with delicate watercolor pendents to create mini works of art. It's a lovely Victorian heirloom craft back when sweethearts would make mementos of each other to hold close to their heart. Andie takes a modern twist on this beloved art and reinvents it for today. Acorns, fish, beloved pets, and whimsical craft.
                     Since I love dogs, I pulled this pendent out of her shop. I invite you to look through her shop and find something you like or commission your own Objet D'Art. Have wonderful day and see you at the show tomorrow!

Stick Staff Cane

                 To work with wood, you need a good sense of humor and patience. It splits, fractures, and twists in all kinds of directions. You can either fight the wood, or learn to work with it. Woodworking forces a type of inner character polishing that I love in Nash. He's gets a sense of inner assurity and peace when he pulls something out of the grain. Al is the same way. He's a quiet man with a cane who you talk to and feel relaxed chatting with. It is only later, as you see what he creates spill across his table that you realize what wealth his inner mind is. Every time I meet him, he's dreamed up something new. Last year it was dragon canes and whistles. Then mustaches. Now, it's custom Santa whistles.
                 If you love wood or one of a kind crafts, check out this traditional art at his booth on Sat. I'm sure you'll be delighted. 
               

Kirara

          I love conversations that begin with, "I sell on Etsy to feed my craft addition." Katie makes a lot of great arts and crafts. Every time you drop in her shop, you see something cute, you just didn't know you needed it yet. Take this to die for monkey kozie, perfect for keeping your beverage warm with a smile.
          You know you need it!
          We can all thank her mom for introducing her to photography in high school. To many more new creations and a great day! You can check out her shop here.

Harvaitt Design

                   Modern art is the basis of almost all fabric prints produced today. The idea is to inspire instead of slavishly copy an original. It's a concept that is addicting to find beauty in the everyday. Harvait Designs is well-known in the area as a geometric artist and interior designer who loves cityscape skylines and quirky animal paintings. Christine paints bold acrylic colors across the canvas. My current favorite piece of hers is the cheerful squirrel on right. Because I love squirrels and yellow, but it's likely it says something else to you. Modern art speaks to all of us in so many different ways and times.
                    It is gift you can look at a hundred or thousand ways and see something different each time. I like that. So I encourage you to look through her shop and blog if you want a little serene in your day. May you see something new each time you visit her.
                 

Li Sashay

                  Hey everyone, welcome back from the weekend. Today we were supposed to tell you all about Li Sashay, but really it's pretty simple for us. Li Sashay is a labor of love for both of us. It exists because we love making women beautiful in their lives with the work of our hands. I could spend all day telling you the hows and the whys, but instead I'm going to go eat dinner with my husband. If you are a woman, may you hear that you are loved today. And if you are a man, please go tell a woman in your life how wonderful she is and how much you love her.

Wired, Twisted, and Stoned

          Whimsy is a fun element in a designer. Elizabeth is one of the best I've seen at cobbling together funny stories and random bits of metal and glasswork to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Just check out her charming necklace, gambler's lucky charm which has little mini-dice scattered in it.
         I've tried to think of a serious story to tell you all week about Elizabeth as she leads a local jewelry beading group, but honestly like the jewelry, Elizabeth is a blast hang out with and grab a drink while she makes you laugh with quirky tales.
          She's got this lovely ability to see the best in the world sideways which is entertaining. Of all our members, she's probably grown the most in the past year and her art reflects that. If you get a chance, drop by her Etsy shop here and check out her work. The names are great.
          

Girl With A Curl Soap Company

         For a busy gal on the go, there's few things as luxurious as stopping to take an hour long babble bath til you're all pruny and relaxed beyond measure. No angry bosses. Or screaming kids. Just a slice in time to pamper yourself and recharge. Great handmade soap is a gift I never really appreciated until I was out on my own working full-time with too much to do and too little time to do it in.
        Which is why I'm really glad to know Nicole. She runs the lovely Girl With A Curl Soap Company right up the street. If you see her at a show, you have to drop by and just smell for a few minutes. Even better, pick up a bar of heaven that won't break the bank.

         It's hard to pick a favorite of hers, but I'm partial to her rosemary mint with tea soap. She also makes a great grapefruit soap. I'm looking forward to trying some of her guy's soaps for Nash this year. Now you know where the profits from my arts and crafts shows go.
        Check out her Etsy shop here. Have a great day and see ya tomorrow.

New Tin Craft Instructable

      A warm thanks to Nick Wentworth and the Acorn to Oak Handmade Etsy Team for a fun time this week. He put together a great Instructable for anyone who missed the meeting due to rainy weather. Thanks everyone who came out it was lots of fun. I must say this was one of my favorite team meetings so far in terms of how easy tin art is to do successfully with little or no practice. I love easy new crafty projects!

Poppy and Purl

                  When I was a kid, I loved to read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. My brother and I loved pretending we were Max playing outdoors. We built a fort of drift wood down near New Bern and raced out every day our mother would let us go covered in Skin' So' Soft to explored fields of wild reeds and climb the wild bent oak trees. Eventually, like all children, the tomboy grew up and got herself a job, but when I get to hang out with Christy and see her hand-knit custom hats, I am transported back to that time when things were simpler and anything was possible. All you needed was a good hat and a long driftwood stick to slay dragons, go built forts, or have an afternoon tea party with your favorite stuffed bunny.
                 Because anything is possible when you're a child. I think sometimes we forget that when we get older. That easy happiness.

                  Christy makes these great custom fruit and vegetable hats for both adult and child sizes, plus she takes custom orders by request. If you have not yet gotten to laugh today, I say click on her shop link for her Etsy store. You'll be glad you did. You can see her newest stuff at the holiday show next week! Have a great evening everyone.
                  

Liz Moran

           The first time I met Liz, she had a couple paintings tucked under one arm and a smile on. I can't remember where she was coming from, but she smelled like the best coffee shop you'd ever walked into. Even today when I walk into a Starbucks, I associate the smell with her. Fresh roasted beans and fluffy pastry. She's a got a great smile and her paintings match the warmth she has in person. There was one that was simply amazing. It was this huge scarlet rose. I managed to beg, borrow, and plead to keep it for a few months to decorate our office building as you walked in the front door to our building, you would turn the corner and there it was. Better than a fresh cup of coffee in the morning. It's since sold of course, but the warmth of those months remains in my memory.
            There's something about painters that when you see a really great painting you feel as if they gave a part of their soul into the creation of the work. Liz's work is like that so I selfishly believe there's a long career for her so I can see a lot more of her inner beauty. She's grown and evolved as a painter since that first oil rose canvas and evolved into different mediums, but the warmth remains. And the great color. All her works have great color in them.

        Right now she's into doing these scrabble tile necklaces which like the one above named aptly enough: "Fire." I encourage you to check out her Etsy shop and maybe take home a piece for yourself. You'll be glad you did. For her latest work, drop by her booth at the holiday show next week. 

PS- And although I know she'd never say this and will probably shoot me for saying this, if you're a gallery owner looking for a promising artist with a great heart and smile, drop her line at:  lizmmoran@yahoo.com. You'll be lucky to work with her.
         

Art ' n ' Silk

           Certain people, if you're going to do something crazy or you don't know if you can pull off, you want them in the fox hole with you. Shannon and I have collaborated on more projects than I can count and had a great time doing it as well as sharing office space. She's a dyer, I'm a sewer. It's a good combination.
             She does lovely work in silk and cotton custom printing and hand painting one-of-a-kind pieces of art either by order or from nature.  She also teaches silk printing as one of the instructors at Techshop RD from time to time.
            If you want to get a unique gift for someone in your life who loves custom scarves and silk, I recommend dropping by her booth next week. She also does great custom cotton tees. Check out her Etsy shop here.

Melsie Glass

             There are certain people I just like being around. I always walk away from hanging out with them feeling better. Melanie is one of those people for me. She mixes a background as a corporate warrior before she walked away to pursue her craft on glassmaking with the whimsy of an artisan. Everything she makes is meticulously crafted with an attention to detail, while still having a lot of fun in the process.
              Whenever I have a long day or am feeling down about my craft, I wander over to her shop and a few minutes later I find myself chuckling. Just take her latest Christmas necklaces. Totally precious. I hope you have a chance to check out her booth at the show.
             And a warm congratulations to her for being picked for the VAE's retail incubator program in 2013. You completely deserve it!
             Check out her Etsy shop and look for some new pieces at the show in a few weeks.

              

Fall Shows: Craftland and Acorn to Oak Handmade

              I love to watch Nash smile at me. He's got a look just for me, that's mine alone. He has sea eyes that change with his mood, and for me they turn a brilliant shade of green. It's often accompanied by a soft quiet, "I love you." I would probably walk naked barefoot in the snow for ten miles for that look (and we all know I hate cold weather.). Thankfully for the eyes of little children everywhere, that level of sacrifice has not been required. There's an even better version of this whenever I wear lace or leather and he sees me. His eyes get gold flecks of happiness in them.
             This season we are sold out until at least January with a particular client doing private label work in utilitarian fashion which is saving lives. I'm really enjoying it. It has given me some unexpected flexibility to follow Nash's smile and make a collection simply to make people I know happy. And hopefully see some more happy Nash eyes. It is my wish for you too to see you loved one's eyes light up this season.
            We will be showing at two holiday shows as well as posting a small selection online. I want to stress that these will be very limited edition collections with a small sampling of looks and pieces so hopefully people will enjoy their pieces of art as much as I did making them.

Craftland, The  Scrap Exchange, Durham, NC November 16th- January 18th- This is an annual holiday collection of local artists and crafters focusing on reused and recycled items. I will be showing a small collection of handmade accessories there.

Acorn to Oak Handmade Etsy Team Arts and Craft Sale, The Visual Art Exchange, Raleigh, NC- December 8th from 12-6 pm- A one day show of fun looks and custom designers here in the Triangle. I love the variety of this show our team puts on semi-annually. This time we are partnering with the Visual Art Exchange in downtown Raleigh which promises to be a fun new twist.

For Everyone who is local, can't wait to see you at one or both shows. For everyone else, please feel free to follow online. We look forward to seeing you this season.

DIY Paper Kite Tutorial

       Thanks everyone who came out to the Acorn to Oak Handmade Etsy Team meeting on Tuesday night for our kite making tutorial. Thanks to Nick Wentworth (and his Dad), we have a cool instructable for you to try your hand at if you missed the meeting and still want to make your own. The windy October weather around here is perfect for kite making and flying. I love quick and easy crafts like this in which most of the ingrediants or tools are lying around your house and can be quickly assembled to provide a great distraction for a sunny afternoon. Have a great day and happy flying! :-)
       

   Also, congratulations to everyone getting hired and married this month. It seems like it's been a good busy month for a lot of people. It is nice to see friends and family doing well.

3D Printer Workshop Offerings In October and November: Plastibots

    Hey guys, so I've been absent for a while so lots of great posts and updates to do. Hopefully you have also been off enjoying the perfect weather too. It seems like it's been a great couple of weeks for everyone. For everyone who missed the spring 3D Printing Workshop, Luis Freeman is finally hosting another 3D Printer Workshop (Yeah!). You can sign up for one of 3 classes this fall or buy one of a limited number of printers. I believe one of them is already sold out, but the other 2 are still available. We really love his printers as they are trouble free and easy to fix compared to normal 3D printers. He also hosts the local 3D printer meet-up group so you know that you have plenty of people to hang out and use as resource afterwards. Please, remember to sign up EARLY. Luis always has a wait list.

The times are:

Express Weekend:

October 12th from 6-10 pm, October 13th from 12-8 pm, and October 14th from 12-8 pm

Workday Workshop

October 22nd from 6-10 pm, October 23rd from 6-10 pm, October 24th from 6-10 pm, October 25th from 6-10pm, and October 26th from 6-10 pm

2 Weekends Workshop

November 3rd from 1-6 pm, November 4th from 1-6 pm, November 10th from 1-6 pm, November 11th from 1-6 pm

Have a great week everyone!

Etsy Craft Party Recap: Photos and Instructables

   Drum roll...the Etsy photos are now up on facebook. Thank you everyone who sent me photos especially Jill and Melanie. Thank you Scott Saxon of Techshop RDU plus the entire Techshop staff. Also, Ryan and Rob of Roth Brewing. You guys were awesome! And Mike Hinman. And Fabiola. Plus a bunch more people who I could probably fill up the rest of the post mentioning so I will just say thanks and stop while I'm ahead! Everyone rose to the occasion and had a great time. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We are now in the process of posting up Instructables for anyone who missed the shin-dig! Great time everyone! You can check out Instructables for the crafts we did here:

Friendship Bracelet Making
Custom Cards From Craft Paper
Make Your Own Shop Apron
Painting Wood with Oil Paints
Design Your Own Beer Glasses

We also had several other stations with events such as knitting and beading, but I failed to get enough photos of those so we'll leave them for another time. I hope that this will help connect members of the group who because of personal reasons or scheduling conflicts could not make it. Look forward to seeing everyone come out for SparkCon next week! Whoot! So excited about that!

As reminder, our next big meeting for Acorn to Oak Handmade will be in October when we make custom 3D kites. I love how much is being done in this art recently. A mix of old and new at the same time. You can sign-up here.

Also, do not forget SPOON FLOWER IS GIVING AWAY FREE FAT QUARTERS IN CELEBRATION. Coupon code: EtsyParty12. Pick yours up online today. :-) Alright, I think that's all. Have a great week everyone!

Acorn to Oak Handmade September SparkCon and Coursera

         This coming month we have two great events planned for the team on really opposite ends of the spectrum.

September 13th-16th: SparkCon: A number of team members will be at setting up shop at BazaarSpark in downtown Raleigh and showing for the 4 day event which is the largest arts and crafts event all year featuring local creativity and talent in the area. Whoot! So excited! Please come out and enjoy the wealth of beauty. This is the last week to register to be a sidewalk artist if you are interested in making something fun and new we would love to have you. Food, bands, exhibits, acrobats! It's a wealth of beauty. This is one of my favorite local shows. Especially, LLLavender by Lauren Smith for the Fashion Show. She's an awesome designer/group member. I really love her knitwear collections being more of a woven gal myself I like peeking into her mind. Please come have some fun! There's so much to do and try.

September 24th-November 5th: Operations Management on Coursera by Christian Terwiesch: This summer everyone in the team worked on learning various elements of the business or polishing them to brighter shine if they had prior experience. While some people are at the point that they are ready and off to the races or fall shows, other people need more help on the meta skills of managing their business. Since Coursera has started offering many of the top business university courses online for free (not sure how long this will last so please go ahead and sign-up). This will not make you a better artist, craftsman, or designer, but it will help you streamline and cut down on the time you have to spend doing the boring parts of your business. Nash is looking to get his MBA because we struggle with the not art part of the business all the time. Because we all want to spend more time making meaningful connections and works, and less time on paperwork. Hope to see everyone online or in person this month. If anyone is interested in doing a coffee study group for this class let me know. :-)

Have a great day! Looks like an exciting fall.

August 24th: Etsy Night of Craft 7-10 pm

       Yeah, it's time again for the annual Etsy Craft Party! A lot of you had a blast coming last year, we're rockin' it again. Roth is celebrating with $3 drinks (even the good stuff) and we're having a food truck come. Techshop RDU is also hosting so we are throwing out the red carpet! DELICIOUS fun! Based on the two big parties we threw last year, we decided our group prefers free wheeling and dealing with multiple tables set-up with projects for people to jump from one to the other and try or sample. Do what you want! A buffet of treats for the eyes and fingers. Please feel free to come hang out and bring a friend, we will have tons of supplies and projects to give away. You do not have to be a member to come. Children and families welcome.

You can sign-up here on meet-up! Please, please, please, sign-up. The more people we have come, the more free stuff Michaels is sending....so the more the merrier! :-)

Right now, we have the following planned, if you have an idea you want to add or suggest, shoot me an e-mail at: dsmcginn1@lisashay.com. Creativity welcome. :-) At the moment, I have our projects divided up by area, more will be added at we get closer. :-) Some people may recognize some of the awesome projects from last year, if you missed doing something last year, now is your chance to do it this year.  And try your hand at something new.

Location (Forge):

Blacksmithing (Nash Page): Watch traditional metal armour being crafted. Nash is the blacksmith instructor at Techshop RDU and Dream Coach. He will be giving away several small projects as well as generally just having fun. You are welcome to hang out with him and watch the process.

Sand Metal Casting(Evan Daniels): One of the great instructors at Techshop, Evan is going to be hanging out with Nash demonstrating metal pouring techniques. If you are interested in casting in metal, please drop by. You are welcome to bring a piece you would like done before hand, flat shapes that can rendered in two dimensions work best. Please contact Evan if you have specific questions about what you want to bring.

Location (Roth Brewing):

Wire Twisted Jewelry: Come try your hand in the bar with traditional wire twisting and bead-work. We will be inside at the bar making drop earrings and necklaces. Free free to try your hand at making a new look for back to school.

Friendship Bracelets: Try your hand at this classic. Because somethings are too fun not to do.

Leather and Wood Block Painting: From ancient times, the oldest paintings in many cultures are wood because of it's durability and beauty. Acrylic paints were designed to specifically speed up this process for WW II by making fast drying oil paints. Acrylic paints work wonderfully on leather and wood. Right now, you're seeing nail polish shoes on runways everywhere. This is a great way to make art your own. Come try your hand painting your own pair of shoes or the wood blocks we will have available for people to take home. A great way to breath life into well-loved shoes. Check-out these amazing shoes done by Nicole. I love this trend right now.

Knitting Circle: Bring your current or new project to knit or crochet on comfy leather chairs. A great way to pass an evening in comfort with delicious beer. Yarn and tools will be available if you have never tried it before, this is a great time to start.


Location (Techshop Kitchen):

Potato Stamps: For those of us who like working with knives and paint, this project is for you. Many people don't realize that your kitchen is a great place to make quick and easy stamps with stuff you have lying around. Potatos make a great medium for custom stamps that can be done quickly and easily to create one of a kind cards and looks. Martha Stewart loves doing this favorite for custom Halloween gift bags, I'm sure you can dream up your own creation.

Custom Paper(Shannon): Microwaves are awesome if you like paper crafts, you can make your own design, dry it, and then apply potato stamps to the final product. Lacquer makes the entire look permanent. A great way to quickly design works of beauty.

Location (Techshop Conference Room):

Craft Swap: Bring a supply, take a supply. This is a great way to clean out space in your closet and look forward to starting a new project. We will have supplies available for people to take home and also keep any left-over supplies for future meetings. :-)

Apron Art (Dara): Where would the perfect project be without a fabulous apron to complete it? Make your own apron and decorate it with glitter, rhinestones, and other art. Now, you know you can dress for the occasion. Because art is fun!

Wood Carving: Try your hand at creating custom works of art in wood. You can do wood carving with a hot iron or knife. The results are unique creations.

More to Follow! Have a great day everyone and look forward to seeing you in a few weeks.