Sunday, January 31, 2010

I spent the night plucking keys...



Well...I wasn't able to get
a new computer...
so I had to settle for a 'loaner'...
with 'sticky' keys.

I'd never plucked the keys off any computer before...
but I 'braved' it..
and took them all off...
it helped some...
but I still have several keys
that I have to pound to get them to work...

of course...several are keys
that I need most often.

Oh well...maybe one day
I'll get a computer that hasn't been
used by anybody else.

Friday, January 29, 2010

My Computer Was Attacked...



Well...I did something rather 'silly'...
I used my computer without adequate virus and spyware protection
in place.

My McAffee had expired and I hadn't downloaded
the Security package from my RR account.

Soooo...this past Monday...
my computer was attacked.

I'd gone to, what I thought was, a safe site.
I wanted to see if they had the
art donations posted for an auction
I had donated a painting to recently.

Suddenly...I got all kinds of messages
that my computer was infected by a virus..
a bogus 'security site'...with icons
that look just like the Microsoft Security badge...started
attempting to do a scan...

After countless shut downs...etc...
I did manage to get the RR package downloaded..
and turned up with 5 incidents on my computer.

It took two days...many scans...
ferreting out the suspect files (and deleting them)
and more security downloads...
it appeared that I  was
virus free..
not so fast...
now my poor computer just
keeps coming up to the black
screen to start normally..in safe mode..etc.
I think it is 'finished'.

So..since I am using my trusty OLD desktop..
and it is all the way upstairs...
I am going to be MIA for a few days.

I'll sign in on my faithful backup a couple times a day..
just to see if anything needs my urgent attention..
otherwise
I'll have to wait until I see if there are any
good sales on laptops this week-end.

Since it is an important
'tool of my trade'
I will have to get another ASAP.




Thursday, January 28, 2010

Main Art Showcase



I don't know what to expect...
but I've booked a slot on today's

I've recently posted a couple of prints
on sites like
and

Now I'm looking for the
'perfect' web host
as I do like having my own domain
and website...
I just need to find one that is
'user friendly'
so that I can build it without being a
computer genius.


Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Where Hearts Collide



This was such a beautiful Treasury
that I just
had to share.

You can check it out

Monday, January 25, 2010

A Busy Week



This is my newest Acrylic Canvas Painting...
I got it listed in the shop
over the week-end.

I was really hoping to get more paintings done..
but this is the only one I got finished.
I've got several with the backgrounds...hopefully I'll get
them on this next week-end.

It was a really busy week last week.
Etsy had announced that it was going to do
a default 'relevancy' search for the
next 3 Thursdays.

In other words...new listings..relisting or renewing
won't necessarily show 'first'
unless they are properly tagged
with relevant keywords and descriptions.

Long story short...
I'd been a little 'lazy' in my listing descriptions..etc..
so I had to spend a great deal of time
on Wednesday
doing a lot of listing rework.
And..it continues.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Etsy Dark Team Item of The Day



Gloomy Sunday
is the
Etsy Dark Side Team
Item of the Day.

Resurrecting the old...



I've 'resurrected' one of my old
'valentine' pieces..
This one is titled..
"Love Is..."

It's currently listed in my

Below is a picture of the
originial painting that I painted
in 2008..
"Love Is Born".


Thursday, January 21, 2010

New pieces in the Shop.





I've got a few new original digital illustrations
listed in my

I'm also working on a couple of journals..
I've been 'dying' to do these.
Jaime picked me up three 40 page Moleskine Journals
with blank pages.
Now I'm going to collage the fronts and
backs and see what happens..
hopefully they will turn out.
I haven't done these before so I'll just have
to experiment and see what happens.

New paintings will also be listed sometime
in the next week or so.
I haven't painted since before Christmas...
(except in Photoshop)
so I'm very anxious to do some new pieces.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Sorry Is The Saddest Word



This is one of my
'Melancholy Girls'
and is titled...
"Sorry Is The Saddest Word"

I created this illustration
in the aftermath of what has happened
in Haiti.

I had been considering doing one piece
each month,
specifically to send money for
charitable purposes,
for quite some time.

Having read the 'do's and don'ts'  on Etsy..
concerning selling for charitable purposes..
I'm still unclear of the rules there.
So...I simply decided to do
one piece each month...
so that I could give part of each sale
to a specific charity.

So...
"Sorry Is the Saddest Word"
is my
January illustration.
And..January's charity is the
Red Cross.

I'm doing it this way...with the month in the title...
so that I can send to that organization
for each of the prints that I sale..
as long as the print is available.

I used to do this on eBay and they were
going through
MissionFish...
it was really easy to do it that way,
as eBay would immediately take the percentage
designated when the sale was made
and send it directly to MissionFish...
to go to the specified charity.

Since Etsy doesn't do this...it's just easier
for me to 'spot the month'
in the title..
and upon the receipt of payment..
just go to PayPal
and send the funds directly to Red Cross.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

I have entered 'The Aviator' into the EBSQ Show..Grey



I am smitten with this piece...even though it is one of my
own pieces...and I don't usually get smitten with
my own art.

For some reason, this particular piece 'speaks' to
me on
so many levels
and I am just plain 'smitten'.

At any rate..the title of the piece is
'The Aviator'
and I have entered it into the

Jaime is going to enter a piece or so
into this show as well...at least
I think she is..
so..check it out and see what you think.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

I am 'featured'...



is featured on a wonderful blog...

Zoie has done a spectacular job of
describing my art and my shop..
so much better than I've been able to do.

Zoie has some
extreme "loveliness"
in her Bits n' Beads
do be sure and check her out.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

EBSQ Portfolio



I have 53 pages of art listed in my

It dates back to 2004...
occasionally I go out and see what
different kinds of art I have enjoyed doing the past
five years...
sometimes I am quite proud...other times I am
slightly horrified...(what was I thinking?)

The portfolio is quite revealing as to
when I was on eBay...
when I started on Etsy..

it is somewhat interesting...I think.

Since I am so very busy online...I haven't always taken
the time I probably should have
to really 'investigate' all of the sites I am a part of...
I only recently discovered
that I could have offered my pieces
for Sale on EBSQ.
Who knew?

So..I've started adding PayPal buttons to my recent
uploads...
It's going to take weeks for me to go
through my entire portfolio
(we're talking more than a thousand pieces)
to decide which pieces will be
offered and which will not...
but
I think it might be fun...
lots of work..
but..
fun.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

New Product in the Shop -- Bookmarks



These wonderful little 'gems'
are ONLY $3.00 each..

They are 2.75" x 8.5"
and
laminated to boot!

I am very pleased with how they are
turning out.

And...I'm working on some
Brand NEW Products
to put in the Shop
very soon!

I'll keep you updated when
they are ready!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

New Art in my Rustic Goth Etsy Shop.




Here are a few of my
newest pieces now listed in my

Also...just wanted to let my
blog readers know...
I have a PayPal button on my sidebar
that lets you purchase
any Rustic Goth print for only
$10.00.

I decided to leave this button up
JUST for my blog
readers.
The sale prices have been removed from my
shop...so this is the only place
you can purchase a print at a discounted price.

If you decide to do this...just note the
title of the print you purchase
in the note to seller.

This is my 'thank you' to my readers.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

International Shipping Changes



I guess it wouldn't be a 'normal'
Holiday Season
without packages that were supposed to
arrive in time for Christmas..
but still haven't.

Every year I've had the same issues...
you'd think I'd learn.

I've always wanted to ship as economically
as possible..and it seems to be
okay to do this in the US...
not so much with my international packages.

Here it is...almost a third of the way
through January
and packages that were shipped
to international destinations during the
first week of December
still have NOT arrived.

So...I decided,
lest I forget during the next Holiday Season,
to change my shipping policies for
International Packages.

I've switched the international shipping
on
prints and canvas sheet originals
to
International Priority Flat Rate Shipping.

This was my least expensive option
and it does raise the rates to double what they were..
but it is supposed to cut the
delivery time, at least, by half as long.

I do pride myself on prompt shipping
and I've been so very upset with all of the
delays endured by my international friends.
I am so hoping those delays are now behind us.

Friday, January 8, 2010

EBSQ Show 'Ancient'...voting ends soon.



Anyone who follows me or my art
probably knows that this is one of my
'all time favorites'..
it's a piece I am exceptionally proud to say that I did.

I entered it into the EBSQ Show
'Ancient'
partly because...
I remember, as a child, thinking that anything
more than 20 years older than myself was "ancient".
Really...those were my thoughts when I decided to
entered this into the show.

Voting ends on this show
on the 11th...so I decided to share my page
with anyone who might
want to vote for this piece.
Thanks so much for those who do!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

My New Wallpaper



This is my new desktop wallpaper...
I Love having it on my computer...

let me know if you'd like to have this wallpaper ..
just leave a comment and I'll
email you one
for 'free'.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

My Artfire Rustic Goth Shop



Okay...this is a little 'different' for me...
and I'm sure you are wondering
"what the heck"???

I opened an Artfire Rustic Goth Shop
a while back...
then I decided it just didn't make
sense to have similar items
in two separate shops.

Well...I'd already signed up as
'Rustic Goth'
and besides that...
I like that name...

so..
it occurred to me that I've
been wanting to do
'digital supplies'
(for lack of a better term)
for quite some time.

What I'm doing is
putting up some digital backgrounds...
downloadable cards...
a lot of art from both
Rustic Goth and CMZart
that have been 'retired'..
etc..
and offering them for sale
as digital downloads
 in my

I don't have a lot of pieces listed
yet...
but check it out to see what it
is that I'm doing there.

Shipping Delays...


I just wanted to let everyone who won a 2010 Calendar know that there has
been a slight delay in shipping.

I'm a bit behind in all of my shipping due to a combination of the large
amount of snow we've gotten in the Midwest since Christmas..and the
Holidays. (I have a good sized family.)

Part of the problem have been getting
the supplies we need for both printing and shipping...
there have been major delays in
getting our supply orders in order to fulfill
our own orders.

Now that things have 'calmed down a bit'...I am working on getting
everything shipped ASAP.
Thanks for all of your patience.