Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year!


I found this
very short...and very cute...
New Year's video
to share with you.

Wishing everyone
the Best New Year Yet!!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

What's New....



I've started doing digital backgrounds and collage sheets
that I'm offering in my
Rustic Goth Artfire Shop.

I only have this
Steampunk ATC/ACEO collage sheet
currently available...
but I have a batch
of digital downloads
almost ready to list...I'm hoping to
have those up by the 1st.

I'm going to offer
a select number of
them also in my
Etsy Shop
for a limited time.

Recently I did an interview
with the Wall Street Journal...
that appeared yesterday..
here's a link to that article
complete with a photo of me
sitting in the floor of my studio.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

I have sooo Much Work to Do!



I tend to 'forget' that my large
family like to get together at my house
over the holidays.

Here...I had all of these 'plans' to get
a bunch of new paintings...etc...
ready for listing at the beginning of 2010...
hello...
we'll be celebrating
New Year's Eve
and
New Year's Day...

we always get together for
games
when everyone gets some
time off of work...
so..

my new pieces may not be
right at the beginning of the year...
but
they ARE coming!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

For my Followers and Fans



I know there have been
some problems with everyone
getting their calendars.

So..hoping to resolve
this issue
I have put the calendar on a site
I don't use too often
at Deviant Art.

The calendar is available
for download here.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

My EBSQ Portfolio



I was updating my EBSQ Portfolio
recently
and noticed something a bit
disturbing.

I have 53 pages of art listed in my
portfolio...and
more than 40 of those pages are
for paintings I painted while I had a shop on eBay...
and I haven't been there since 2007.


I only have about 12 pages of art
since joining Etsy...
(so...out of the 1254 pieces of art on EBSQ
only
about 288
are for pieces on Etsy.)


What that translates to is...
how hard I had to work to keep my head
above water while on eBay.


point being...I am planning on painting a lot...lot...LOT more
in 2010.








Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas!

I checked You Tube...for what I felt a 'heartfelt' Christmas
story to share...though I may certainly be among the last to hear
this poem...I thought I'd share these 2 little videos anyway.

Wishing all a very Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year!!



Wednesday, December 23, 2009

UPDATE on Calendar Giveaway....



I wanted to give a quick update on
the Giveaway...

The 3 hard copy calendars will be
sent to the winners right after the Christmas Holiday...
via USPS First Class Mail.

I have sent the
Printable Calendar
to all of the other entrees
as a zipped JPEG file.
(The PDF files weren't sending so I had
to switch to JPEG.)

PLEASE let me know if you
entered the giveaway
and still have not received your
Printable Calendar
in your email.

Email me at my
email address.
Have a Wonderful Holiday Season!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

List of Prints...Being Retired


I've made my decisions
about which Rustic Goth prints
will be retired in 2010.
I've shown a small sampling of those prints
in the picture here.

Last year, I didn't retire nearly as many
pieces but...as a result...
my computer has gotten really 'bogged' down
because of the space it takes
to store so many prints at such large sizes.
(I need the large size...to make the best prints possible.)
And...since I do have more than just
my Rustic Goth site
offering prints...I have somewhere between 175 and 200 LARGE prints
stored in my computer.

At least, that many more large prints are stored on my
little Zipfile thingy I recently purchased...but it's already full
and I'm going to have to get a couple more.

Anyway...I do go on and on at times...

yes..
I'm retiring the following prints for
Space reasons...but also for...'freshness' reasons.

Those pieces are…

1. Heart Strings
2. Sweeney and Jack
3. Are We Running Out of Time
4. Another Time…Another Place
5. The Waiting Begins
6. Desdemona
7. Gathering Stars
8. Where My Heart Lies
9. It’s Here If You Want It
10. A Long Forgotten Past
11. I’ll Give It To You
12. Show Me Yours
13. Birds In The Winter Woods
14. I’m Only Trying To Get A Better View
15. Alone On My Swing
16. This Isn’t Something You Play With
17. Burying My Past
18. Requiem for A Lost Friend
19. My Paradise Lost
20. Going Fishin’
21. A Melancholy Spirit
22. Give and Take
23. Inside My Asylum
24. Creeper Joe Walks His Crow
25. This Won’t Be Easy

Rather than post individual links for each print..
it is easiest for me...
and possibly for you..
 to click on this link to my Shop
and type the title of the print
into the search bar.

Monday, December 21, 2009

A Most Wonderful Time of the Year



It is a 'most wonderful' time of the year...getting ready to spend
time with family and loved ones...
wrapping up what has been a pretty good year...
making new friends...

I've packed and shipped all of the items
purchased from my Rustic Goth Shop
so that ends my
free upgrade to Priority Shipping
special
I was having.

My house is still a bit "upside down"...I needed to clean
it really good
for the Christmas Holidays...and the beginning of the New Year.

The Babylonian believed that
'what you do the first day of the year...
has an effect on the rest of the year'
led me to make a New Year's Resolution last year...
and I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions.
That was to 'become better organized'....
and I have.
I have a more specific list of resolutions
for 2010..
and I wanted to 'begin my New Year' very organized
with a Clean House!

I recently had my
2010 Creepers Calendar giveaway
and
Carol...(one of the winners)
at Drearydom Larks
wrote a wonderful blog post
featuring a few pieces of my art...with her
superb dolls.
Check it out here.


Friday, December 18, 2009

And...the WINNERS of the GIVEAWAY are...

It was a bit after noon...
okay..it was almost 2 p.m....
but..
I've drawn the winners
of my
2010 Creepers Calendar
and they are:
Even though these were the names drawn...
all those who
entered the drawing
(by the 12/17 deadline)
are
WINNERS
of
a Printable
2010 Creepers Calendar.

Just shoot me your email address,
if you haven't already...
and I'll send you
3 emails with a Zipped File JPEG Download
(the PDF files are coming throug
so I've had to send a high resolution JPEG file instead)

ALL Winners
please send addresses
to:
RusticGoth@yahoo.com

If you didn't get your name in
for this drawing
keep an eye on my blogs and I
will be having new drawings in the coming weeks.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Nightmare Before Christmas -- Carol of the Bells

I haven't seen the movie, so I decided to go and watch a few 'clips' on You Tube...enjoy!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

2010 CREEPERS CALENDAR and a GIVEAWAY







is now listed in my
Rustic Goth Etsy Shop.
In celebration of many things...
that I won't go into...as I do tend to 'ramble..
I am having a Drawing
for (3)
Calendars
on 12/18
the week before Christmas
at 12 (noon) CST.
(I want to be able to get them out in time for the New Year!)
This is my
very FIRST Give-Away!
How it works...
just LEAVE a COMMENT
...and...
shoot me an e-mail
(so I have yours)
to
I'll use a
"random selector"
...I'll be picking names out of a hat...
to
select the winners
on
12/18.
And...I'll post the
winners
on my blog
later in that day
or the following day..
depending on my
'level of business'.
Thanks so much to everyone who
follows and reads my blog...
I really do appreciate it!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Jaime's Holiday Banner



I visited Jaime's Etsy Shop

and saw that

she made a wonderful Holiday Banner for her

shop.


I was so tickled by it that I had to blog about it.


I know her work well enough to know that

this is a combination of

four different paintings...

some Christmas lights

and clever fonts.





Sunday, December 13, 2009

Choosing This Year's Christmas Card

I'm needing to
get my cards ready to send
to immediate family members...
I haven't sent too many cards
since I've been working from home...
The top card is my favorite...
it's my
'Rustic Goth' card.
I'm pretty sure my family members
wouldn't like it as much as I do though.
So...I will choose...

I really like the simplicity of this
card...I designed it last year
for CMZart.
And...I like the colors
and the
'touch of whimsy'
of this card.
I'd better decide soon....I usually
send my cards sometime between the
15th and the 20th...
and time is really flying by.
Jaime has already made her cards
and the cutest little gift tags..
see them here.
I thought she did a really great job...
I am MOST impressed!


This was the card I made
and sent
last year.
It's probably still my favorite!


Friday, December 11, 2009

I'm Working On A Calendar!

With the shows...
and a bunch of other stuff going on...
I had put the calendars on the
'back burner'.
But...I sooo wanted to do one
for 2010...
so, I finally set aside some time
to go through all of my
'creepers'
and select twelve pieces that I thought
would go together nicely in a calendar.
Now..I've sent the selections to Jaime...
and I'll let her
'work her magic'...
she's figured out a few shortcuts to doing the calendars...
so
it makes sense to have her do them for me!
As soon as they're ready...
I'll be listing them in the

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Some New Digital Originals in the Shop

I'm Not Crying
Gloomy Sunday

All In the Moment


Love Can Touch Us One Time
Here are a few of the newest pieces I just
finished...now listed in
my Rustic Goth Etsy Shop.
I based each of these pieces
on a
'sad' song title
or a lyric from a
'sad' song.
I really do like how they turned out
and I've included them in
my
Etsy Holiday Sale!




Monday, December 7, 2009

Purchase Directly From Me!


I have had several requests to purchase
my artwork
directly through me,
rather than going through Etsy.
Sooo...I set up a
'Buy Now Button'
on my blog for those who wish
to buy directly from me.
It is currently set up ONLY for 5"x7" Prints,
and it works
like this...
1. Select the 5x7 Print(s)
you wish to purchase.
2. Click on the
'Buy Now' button.
3. In the Notes...list the
Title of the Print(s).
4. Complete transaction.
I am offering them at the
50% Sale Price
I currently have going in my Etsy Shop.
Please note...if you do have any problems
with check-out
(as I'm not a PRO at setting up PayPal Services)
please shoot me an email

Sunday, December 6, 2009

I'm Retiring...

Well....I"M not retiring...but
some of my prints are.
At the end of every year...
I 'retire'
some of my open edition prints.
I do this to 'make room' for new pieces.
I'm a little OCD about the number
of items I have in my Etsy Shop
at any given time.
I like to keep it between 140 and 150...
that's about maximum for me to be able to manage.
Since I have to have Jaime do
my printing for me...it's also easier to
'zip' all of my old pieces and just keep the pictures
on my computer..of the pieces that are current.
And..
heaven knows...I already have a three or four day job
ahead of me...to go through all of the prints
that are currently calling
my laptop..home.
So...I'm going to spend a few days
making decisions...
which prints are staying..
which are to be 'retired'.
Once I have it all figured out..
I'll list the
'retirees'
here.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

I've Been Working...


This little piece is a
"work in progress".
I've been working on it
'on and off'
all week-end...
I know that I am late...trying to get
a 2010 calendar together...
but
this one is going to be used for
February...
maybe.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Art For Human Rights


This is the painting
I recently completed to send to
Art For Human Rights.
It is titled..
'The Red Forest'.
The auction will be held in
Chicago
February 19, 2010.
I'll post a link on the side panel,
in the near future,
with more details.

Last Show of the Season


We've got ONE more show this Season.
It's this Saturday and Sunday..
which means..
Friday afternoon and evening is spent
setting up our space.
It's colder this show...so I'll need to really
bundle up...it really gets cold in
the building.
As with most shows past...I'll be pulling
all items that can't be
duplicated...from my Etsy Shop...
for the week-end.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Etsy Holiday Sale



I'm going to be pulling
a few of my pieces...sometime between now
and the end of the year.
I like to 'retire' pieces
every so often...
usually this time of year.
Just putting a 'heads up'
out there for anyone who might
be interested.
For this reason...I will continue my
'Etsy Holiday Sale'
on all of my prints...
through the rest of the year.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

I did a new video...

I decided to do a new short video of some of my art...thinking it had been

a while since I did my last one...

Wow...I checked my You Tube videos and the last one

I did was

November 2008...

I really need to get better about doing them a little more often...

I have subscribers that might like to see some

new ones from time to time.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Back to Business





After everyone was 'done for the day'
and tucked snuggly in their
beds
I stayed up and worked
on some new
digital pieces.
I've got them listed in the Shop.

Monday, November 30, 2009

A Lovely Thanksgiving Week-end

This is me
and
count them...ALL 1-2-3-4-5-6
of my kids!
And 7 of the 9 grandkids...
(the oldest 2 are actually 'step'-grandkids
who live with their dad)
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving..
played some Balderdash...
laughed a lot..
had great culinary delights...
All in all...a great week-end...
but
now I'm ready
to get
back to business.
My daughter-in-law, Becky...
figured out how to use the timer
on my camera
(who knew I had a timer...)
and so we were all
able to get into the picture...without having to
grab someone off the street to come in and
snap the photo!
Great job Becky!!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Family Week-end!


I am MOSTLY taking the Week-end
to spend with my
children and grandchildren.
While 5 of my 6 children live
less than 10 minutes away...my oldest child
and his family...
live 12 hours away
so we don't get to see them as often.
At the 'last minute'
he decided that they would
come home for Thanksgiving.
It's been a year and a half...so
I'm taking the week-end to spend with
my family.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

I am Thankful....

This Thanksgiving...
as with all Thanksgivings past..
I am most
thankful for..
the Blessings
of
Family!
The pictures upload so very small...
but
This is MY Family!
The 'gorgeous' couple in the top middle is
my husband and me...
and
we are personally responsible
for all of the pictures
that came after.
My children
and
my grandchildren.


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Etsy Holiday Sale

I am having an
'Etsy Holiday Sale'
in my
On Everything....
Check it out!

Monday, November 23, 2009

We have ONE Show Left!


We had an 'excellent' show this past week-end...
what I particularly LOVED
was that our business was Steady!
This year we started with the smallest
of spaces...since we weren't sure how we would do.
Fortunately...we were able to
get a little extra space at all of the other
shows...
which gave us room to spread out a bit..
and not feel as 'claustrophobic'.
But, for this show..
we GOT exactly what we paid for...
a 10' x 10' space.
We discovered, we REALLY need a 10' x 15' space
to maximize our display...
so..next year...for MOST of the shows we opt to do...
we'll go with the 10x15...
then...if we end up with a 10x20
(as some of the local shows probably will)
I'm considering using the extra
5x10 space for something completely separate...
We'll see.
I just want us to get acclimated to a 10x15' space,
so we can get our display
EXACTLY how we want it for our future shows.
Our LAST show of this season
is December 5th and 6th!
Thanks to all of our new friends...collectors
and other artisans alike...
who have made my 'return' to "live shows" a most
wonderful experience!
I had quite forgotten how much I LOVE to interact
with people...and I intend to do
MUCH more of it...in 2010!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

At The Show....


I'm ALL day at the show...
and
we have to tear down
afterwards..
A long day and late night..
for sure..
Maybe I'll just take the
WHOLE Day off tomorrow!
Jaime took some pictures of our booth...
I'll upload some when I get them
from her.

Friday, November 20, 2009

The "Plan" for This Week-end.


I listed a 'select your own'
Postcard/ Mini-Print Pack
in the Shop.
Just an F.Y.I.
The 'plan' for this week-end...
I am going to 'pull'
my jewelry..
mirrors..
and original paintings
for
(1) day only.
Since it is only a 1 day show...I want
to go ahead and pull
all of the (1) of a kind...
items.
(I know this doesn't apply to the mirrors...but, since
we have to order those in...don't want to end
up selling out at the show...and not be
able to fill any shop orders
until I order more.)
Besides...I have some new items
in the 'works'
that I want to put into the
Shop next week.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Getting ready for the week-end!

Got a one day show this Saturday...
that means...
we'll be spending today doing last minute
finish ups...
Got to do a bunch of varnishing...
and need to pack and get all orders shipped later today.
Wow...this is going to be a
crazy..busy...day!!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

A couple of "LOST" paintings.

"Annalea and the Raven"


"Cicely"
I was going through a book today and ran acrossed a couple
of
"Original Small Works of Art"
paintings that I did a while back.
I did them on art paper...so I'm sure I put them there
to flatten them...and got busy with something else.
Anyway...I went ahead and listed them
so they are in the
Addition====It took me overnight to remember...
I actually did these two pieces
when I decided to get a site on Artfire...
they were intended to be Artfire exclusive...
yikes!!
I'm going to do a couple of digital pieces
and replace them on Etsy...
this is why I've started my 'Making It Work' blog...
I've got so darned much going on
that I'm losing track of what it is I'm actually doing!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Grigio Design

I have been the 'subject'

(or...rather..."my art" has been the subject)

of several blogs
over the past two years.


I've been rather shy about doing
something similar but...

I've decided...


Beginning with



I want to 'feature' a

'fellow' Etsy Seller
in my blog
every week.


The picture above...
MADE it to Etsy's FRONT page...

it is






She has created so many very cool

jewelry creations on her

site..

check out her shop

and see for yourself!



Sunday, November 15, 2009

I "Heart" Hedgehogs!



As anyone who has seen more than one or
two of my paintings has probably figured out that...
I 'heart' hedgehogs.

These little 'cuties' appear in many of my
'creeper'
paintings...
(which brings me to another matter...
I don't know why I call them
'creepers'....and I really need to think of something
a little less 'creepy' to call them..)
but...anyway...
I have seen this video before...and maybe you have too...
but I thought I'd share
for anyone who also 'hearts' hedgehogs..
and may have missed it..

Saturday, November 14, 2009

A Couple New Paintings...

'We Each Have One'
9" x 12" on
Acrylic Paper



"All That Matters"
on
5" x 7"
Wooden Plaque



Believe it or not...I do have canvas to paint on but...
I also have so many little wooden plaques...
and I just bought the pad of Acrylic Paper
(much like Watercolor Paper)
and had to give it a try.
Both of these will need to be framed...maybe
I'll see what I can find when I make my next run to
Hobby Lobby.
I'll probably list these pieces today (Saturday)
and then turn my attention to
finishing a bunch of new pieces that I'm doing
for the show next Saturday.
We're doing some different ornaments...
the older crowd aren't as crazy
about my 'art ornaments'...
so we'll do a few different kinds and see
what happens.
Heaven knows I have all kinds of materials
leftover from my 'crafting days'
that I could probably do something with.
Among them...about five or six unfinished bread boards...
I'm thinking...
Snow Scenes or something.
We'll have to figure out how to do a
'Christmas Corner'
so the new stuff doesn't 'clash' too bad with
our current styles.



Friday, November 13, 2009

Call me Crazy...

Call me 'crazy'...
I've started 'yet' another blog.
Why????
It's a long story..really.
I wrote my very first blog post
back in 2005...
without meaning to...these posts
became 'updates' for the doctors and nurses
caring for my husband.
With everything we had going on...it was hard to
keep track of what happened...when.
More than once I had to 'refer to my blog'
to answer those questions.
Since I do earn my living online...
I find that it has become necessary for
me to create something similar
to try to keep a record of
what I'm doing...and why...
and a blog seemed the logical solution.
It worked for me before...
so..
'fingers crossed...
maybe it will work again!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

I Have Never Seen ... 'Nightmare Before Christmas'


At every show we've done...this year...I hear
over and over and OVER...
"your art reminds me
'The Nightmare Before Christmas'..."
and you know...
it really doesn't...
I am a Tim Burton fan...but I have never seen
'Nightmare Before Christmas'.
I've seen 'Edward Scissorhands'...'Beetlejuice'...
'The Legend of Sleepy Hallow'...
but...nothing more than a You Tube
clip of 'Nightmare..'
What I have gotten a 'kick' out of
are Tim Burton's other
characters...
'Stain Boy'
'Match Girl'
'Oyster Boy'
'Staring Girl'...
I think I've seen all of

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Nothing but the Best....

'Can U Fix It?'
by
Mike Best

'Dream Come True'
by
Jaime Zatloukal Best

I do the shows with my youngest daughter, Jaime...and her husband Mike.
Here is a sampling of their art...
They've got an Etsy Shop...
and they recently did an interview
with the
'Handmade Gift Guru'.
Jaime gives me far too much credit for
the (1) art lesson I gave her a few years ago...
she is pretty much
completely self taught..
and
not to be 'bragging'..
I think she has taught herself
quite well.
You can read the interview