"ME AND MY TEDDY"

Good morning, my sweets. Hope you're all well and creative. Here, just another busy day, and a beautiful one for that matter. A little over a month before Christmas and the weather is gorgeous, sunny and mild. Just unbelievable for this time of the year. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts. It won't be long before we have to deal with snow and freezing cold.

Come and take a look at my newest listing on my Etsy store. From the Whimsical Christmas Collection - Sweet Teddy. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34199059

Wish you all a beautiful and imaginative day!

Hugs,
Jade

"SURPRISE, SURPRISE!"

Hello darlings. Here I am again. Just listed another Christmas card on my Etsy store. Tell me why you like it and you might win a surprise gift at the end of the day.

Hugs,
Jade

"GRAND OPENING - MY NEW AND IMPROVED ETSY STORE"

Good Morning, my sweets. Hope you all have a creative and productive week.

As I mentioned on my previous entry, I was almost finished updating my Etsy store last night. I finally managed to. It took me days, but I've done it! YAY!!! So happy that the bulk of the work is over! Now is just a matter of keeping it up to date everyday. Easier said than done XD !

I have lots of new stuff, brand new Note Cards, Christmas Cards and Original ACEOs.

Today's promotions:

I'll have a special sale for everyone who gets to my Etsy store through this entry. All you have to do is browse through my store and find the items you like the most. Come back to my blog and post a comment on this entry telling me which items you chose and why you like it and you'll get 30% OFF entire purchase as well as a FREE gift. Just mention on the notes to seller, when checking out, and I'll return the 20% to your Paypal account.

I'll be adding more stuff throughout the day, so keep an eye on my blog for new entries and secret sales for my readers only. There'll be giveaways and contests as well as some fun and games, so stay tuned for any news.

This little beauty was just listed. Come and grab it before it's gone! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34119732



Many hugs,
Jade

"BRAND NEW ORIGINAL ACEOs - ZODIAC FAERIES"

Hello my luvs, had a super busy Sunday updating my Etsy store and giving the finishing touches before the Grand Re-Opening tomorrow.

Also, I've listed the first four of my brand new original ACEOs - Zodiac Faeries. Here you see Aries, Taurus, Cancer and Gemini.

All ACEOs in this collection are done on Strathmore Cold Pressed Illustration Board with Prismacolor Professional Markers and Colored Pencils, Artist’s Watercolor Pencils, Higgins Waterproof Inks and artist’s quality watercolors. I outlined the faeries with a Copic Archival Pigment Ink Marker, which btw, totally rocks and is refillable. Then comes the best part - the embellishments which I do with metallic accents, rhinestones and glitter.

The back is always a treat since I not only sign but also embellished with metallic gel glaze pens, embossed rubber stamps, and calligraphy pens.

Each zodiac Faery is lavishly decorated with the corresponding flower and birth stone for the sign and the astrological symbol is either tattoed on the fairy or it becomes a bracelet, ring or necklace.

Hope you like my new babies, I had so much fun creating them, expect the other signs to be completed before the end of next week.

I also have new Christmas cards to give the finishing touches and as soon as it's done and all's listed on my Etsy, which I'm hoping to do it tonite, I'll be posting a new entry with coupons and promotion codes for the inauguration of my new and improved Etsy store.

Have a wonderful and creative beginning of a new week.

Many hugs,
Jade

"JINGLE BELLS"

Hello darlings, just a quick update on my Whimsical Christmas Hand painted Greeting Cards. Five more, just out of the oven, I'm having so much fun making these cards, I can't bring myself to make anything else no matter how hard I try!

Weekend's been quiet so far, managed to accomplish so much today. I'm glad all the cleaning and laundry are done and I've cooked enough meals for the next couple of days.

The plan for tomorrow is to put the finishing touches on my Etsy store so I can re-open it on Monday. There'll be lots of freebies, giveaways and contests, so keep an eye on my blog so you won't miss the chance of getting some great holiday deals.

Wish you all a wonderful Sunday. Enjoy the company of your loved ones and have a great time!

Hugs,
Jade

"SNEAK PEEK"

Hello again, my darlings. Just a quick update to give you a sneak peak into my "Whimsical Christmas Collection". There are lots more cuteness coming, but I thought I'd share the first four with you all. Aren't these just sweet? I had a ball creating those cards, a little bit of whimsy goes a long way in making even the lousiest of days into a better one. Try it, you'll love it!

Hope you like my new babies, they'll be listed as soon as my new and improved Etsy store re-opens in a couple of days.

Nite, nite, my luvs, have lots and lot of sweet dreams.

Hugs,
Jade

"CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN"

Hello my darlings. Hope you're all well and inspired, after all, Christmas is just around the corner and I already feel the holiday spirit in the air.

I'm not being online as much as I wish, but I'm super crazy busy trying to make enough cards and other small bits and bobs to sell. I'm trying to follow a schedule so I can spend some time online but I'm hopeless when it comes to following schedules.

Anyways, I'm in the middle of a big renovation of my Etsy store, so hopefully I'll be able to announce the grand re-opening soon. So much stuff to do, so little time! If only a day had a few extra hours!

I'm all inspired with the holiday spirit and the cards above are the last non-Christmas related I made for this year. I only posted one or two of each collection. I call them: Ultramarine Opulence, Pomegranates and Belle Meade and Baroque Opulence. If you want to see the entire collections, please feel free to visit my Flickr gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jadefantasyart/

I'm currently working on two different categories of Christmas cards - timeless and elegant and another one full of whimsy and fun. I'll post some soon, they're all in the oven at the moment ;p

I'll leave you with many hugs and wish you all a wonderful and creative weekend.

Jade

"CHRISTMAS WITH TAYLOR SWIFT"

Hello my darlings. Hope everyone's well and creative. Here I'm busy as always, but today the mundane took precedence over the artistic therefore I spent a lot of time doing errands and house work and very little time creating.

Above is my newest collection of handmade note cards, with a holiday flair since I'm already all excited about the season. I can't believe it's almost that time of the year again, seems like it was just yesterday. I call it "Christmas Lillies" and I had a blast working with this particular palette, I really love these hues and I already have several ideas for new collection with the similar colors.

Also, today I got a big surprise and I was doing the happy dance all over the house. I so wanted Taylor Swift's new album "Fearless" and I'm so glad I didn't go and get it on my own. My best friend gave me a late birthday gift, and the reason for the tardiness is because Taylor has re-released the album, a platinum version with a bonus DVD with five music videos, making offs, galleries and tour footage. I'm sooooo happy, I've been alternating between playing the cd and watching the DVD all day long. I simply adore Taylor Swift!

Anyways, my luvs, I'll leave you with good night wishes and have you all sweet dreams.

Nite, nite and many hugs,
Jade

"ONE CAN NEVER PAINT TOO MANY POPPIES"

Top o' the morning me luvs, having a wonderful day already, super busy but chock'full'o'creative juices. Lately, I've been having such a huge flood of ideas to make cards and so many other things that I'm kinda lost, don't even know where to begin.... You know those days when you more inspiration than your mind and soul can contain and want to do so many things you end up feeling overwhelmed and your brain just freezes.? Any ideas, suggestions on how to manage your time better and how to get started when you're feeling totally scattered?

Here's a pic of my newest card, fresh off the oven, just finished a few minutes ago. I listed on both my Etsy and ArtFire stores. I call it "Poppy Elegance"

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=709065

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33352836

Many hugs and wish you all a super fun and creative day.

"FORGETFULL BIRDIES"

Ooops, forgot two of the cards, incidentally two birds, a real one - a blue bird and a bird of paradise flower. Here we go, poor little birdies, shouldn't be left out of all the fun!

Hugs,
Jade

"OF BIRDS AND FLOWERS"

Hello my luvs, hope you're all having a wonderful weekend and enjoying your friends and family on this beautiful Sunday. At least it was a gorgeous day here in NYC. I just love this time of the year, not too cold, not too hot, just right. And all the fascinating colors of autumn. Who can resist that?

I've been very busy lately getting acquainted with my new pc, and learning some strategies to improve my sales on my Etsy and ArtFire stores. It's been a long and tedious journey, but someone's gotta do it, and that someone unfortunately is moi. As a result not much art has been done in these past few days. But the way I see it, better get done with the dirty jobs first and then enjoy the good ones. Oh, well, I'm halfway done, so this week should be more productive art wise.

Here are the latest greeting cards I've made. I'm so totally addicted to making cards now that I don't seem to able to stop myself from it and doing something else instead. I even had a faery all inked and ready to go and the lure of the cards was too strong to resist. Anyways, the important thing is that I'm having fun and the cards seem to be selling well, at least IRL.

Wishing you a wonderful end of weekend and a brilliant and colorful week.

Hugs,
Jade

"REST???? WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT THESE DAYS???"

Good evening, my darlings. Hope you're all well and having a creative and productive day. I've been super busy today, as usual, running around trying to get everything set up to be able to sell my art at the Artist's Market Place at Union Square as well as certain locations in the Village and Soho and trying to book more church bazaars and crafts fairs for the Holiday season.

Didn't get to do much art today, but made some great new artist friends both online and IRL.

As for the rest of the evening, I think I'll just call it a day, despite the fact that I want to paint badly, but in all honesty, I'm pushing myself too hard these past few days and I'm still recovering from the concussion I suffered in the head. My doctor's been adamant about prioritizing my health and resting until I'm reallly well. Oh, well, that's what doctors always say anyways, and even though I agree I should slow down a bit, give me a break, resting more??? I'll rest when I die, that's what I have to say. I have never felt so creative and productive as I'm feeling lately and the holidays are just around the corner, I can't have the luxury of resting, too many ideas, too many projects to do and nowhere near enough hours in a day to do all I want to. Why do we even have to sleep anyways? What a waste of time.

Anyways, I have to get some dinner ready for my ravenous son hovering over my shoulder but I'll leave with two note cards I made for a very, very special lady whom I love dearly and whose birthday is in a few days.

Nite, nite, me luvs, have sweet dreams.

Hugs,
Jade

"FOR ALL OF YOU FANS OF EDWARD SCISSORHANDS"

I looooove Edward Scissorhands, one of my favorite movies of all times. Came across this website quite accidentally and boy, oh, boy! How cool is that??? If you love the movie as much as I do, you'll love the site as well: http://www.designspongeonline.com/

Hugs,
Jade

"JOIN IN THE FUN"

Just found this really nice Crafts Community and thought I'd share with everyone. Cool place to learn, exchange ideas and make friends. Check it out: http://www.craftster.org/

Hugs,
Jade

"HANDFULL OF HANDSOMENESS"

I just wanted to share a picture of my sweet 14 y.o. Jack. I remember he was so mad at the pic I shared of him in his uniform, now I'm making up for it by showing him in favorite t-shirt and jeans with his ever present companion - the skateboard. Isn't he gorgeous????

Many hugs from a proud mama who loves to show her picture brag book of her litttle one ;P
Jade

"WHERE'S WALDO CONTEST"

Anyone who wants to play this game, check this entry: http://shopswithlesssalesartfire.blogspot.com/

You don't have to be a member of the Guild of Stores with less than 10 Sales to participate. Just browse through all the wonderful items of the sellers with a hidden Waldo.

Here's how to play (Entry from Shops with Less than 10 Sales blog):

This contest is based on "Where's Waldo".

Explanation of what a "Waldo" is (for those who aren't familiar with this children's cartoon character) is at the end of the post.Contest starts today and ends on October 20th. The winner will be determined, randomly, using Random.org.

For October's contest, each participating shop has chosen a cause for the contest. The items, in each shop's "featured gallery", will have a portion of their proceeds donated to the shop's chosen cause (when sold).

Each shop's charity is listed next to their name/link.

The BEAUTIFUL prize were donated by Amy of Fiber Cycle. It's an "Icelandic Fall Bowl". It measures 3 1/2" w x 3" h and was made with Merino and Icelandic felted wools. A wonderful way to store your jewelry, stash loose change, just about anything that you can think to store in it. Visit her shop to see more great items by clicking on her badge (in the upper left-hand corner).

Winner will be announced and notified on October 21st. Once I've received their address (to forward to Amy); the prize will be mailed.Good luck everyone!!!

CONTEST RULES:

Each shop has chosen, one of their items, to be "Waldo". "Waldo" fits the theme for the month. This month's theme is "With a Cause". Each shop has chosen a charity to sponsor for the contest. "Waldos" will be charity items posted in each shop's featured gallery.

ANYONE with an internet connection can participate in the contest.Contestants need to find each shop's "Waldo" item. Contestants will have to read each item's description until they find the one that has the phrase "You've Found Waldo" hidden within.To make it a little easier for contestants, ALL "Waldos" are listed in the "featured gallery" of each shop.

Once you've found each shop's "Waldo", email "Va Beach Quilter" your list with the "Waldo's" listing numbers and/or name.mailto:name.vabeachquilter@gmail.com

NOTE: Guild members that participate, in the contest, can "play" but can't "win".

Here are the participating shops:

1. VaBeachQuilter ~ Tourette's Syndrome Association

2. Jewelry by Fyfe ~ Breast Cancer Research

3. Liquidambar ~ Carnivore Preservation Trust

4. Fiber Cycle ~ Down Syndrome Guild of KC

5. Annrose ~ American Cancer Society6. MikiCat Designs ~ Susan G. Komen & Domestic Violence Awareness

EXPLANATION OF WHAT A "WALDO" IS...Waldo is a fictional, cartoon person that has a dozen or so children's books out. Waldo is, almost, always dressed the same and he's "hidden" in a picture filled with hundreds of other things.Everything's drawn close together and they're extremely BUSY pictures. Children have to "find" Waldo. It's not easy sometimes because the artist tries to make Waldo "blend" in. It's basically a "seek and find" book.That's the premise of the contest. Each participating shop has chosen a "Waldo" item. Hidden within the description, of the item, is the phrase "you've found Waldo".Contestants might have to peruse multiple items, in a shop's "featured" gallery, before they find "Waldo".The theme for this month's contest is "With a Cause". So, the "Waldo" will be one, of the four, featured gallery items and will have a portion of it's proceeds donated to each shop's chosen charity.

Good luck guys, I'm having a ball playing this game (no pun intended)!

Hugs,

Jade

WONDERFUL GUILD AT ARTFIRE TO HELP NEW STORES TAKE OFF"

Top o'the morning everyone. Getting busy this morning trying to catch up as much as possible on my brand new PC, YAY! So happy to finally be able to use the internet in the comfort of my own place instead of the library!

Anyways, just a quickie here. For anyone with a brand new ArtFire store such as myself, there's this wonderful Guild called Stores with less than ten sales. The only requirement to join is to participate in the activities to promote the guild's members stores as well as your own. Here's the link to join in: Just joined this wonderful Guild at ArtFire for new stores with less than sales. Great support and help from the guild master in helping new stores take off. Visit the Guild Page here: http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Guilds&op=guild_hall&guild_id=112?name=Guilds&op=guild_hall&guild_id=112. Also, take a look at their blog with all the newest updates and contests going on: http://shopswithlesssalesartfire.blogspot.com/hlesssalesartfire.blogspot.com/

Now off to a great start and heading back to the studio since I have lots and lots to do and I'm feeling substantially better after my accident, so I think I'll actually be able to be productive today. I'm just having a hard time leaving my new computer, oh! so in love with my little guy!!!
But I'll be back later.

Lots of hugs and have a wonderful day!
Jade

"I'M FINALLY BACK, YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Hello my darlings, I'm so happy to announce that my new PC is finally up and running and I'll be able to be in touch regularly again. No more trips to the library and the long waiting, not to mention the snooping from the people to my left and right.

I'm slowly getting to know this new computer and transfering whatever I was able to save from the old one, so bear with me till I get the hang of things. This new Windows is very different from my old one and I cannot for the life of me install my old Photoshop which is very annoying since even though I'm no expert at it, I'm pretty comfortable with the basic features that I need the most. Oh well, I shouldn't be winning, after all, up until yesterday I didn't even have a computer, let alone Photoshop. In the meantime, I'm using whatever photo editing I can with my Nikon program that came with the camera.

I've added some cute new things on both my Etsy and ArtFire stores and if you want to see the new organza chockers with mirror pendants that I've concocted recently, take a look here: http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=655519 or here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32738289. I'm currently having a big sale to launch this new items, so when you buy three necklaces, you get to choose a fourth one FREE.

Here's a pic of one them:

Since I've had some health problems in the past couple of weeks, I had to slow down with creating art, amongst other things. Now that I'm feeling a bit better, I'm trying to make up for the lost time and I'm working at making Halloween and Thanksgiving greeting cards and other little bits and bobs. I'm so totally addicted to card making now, it's just pure fun and I can't seem to get enough of it!

I'm also filling up my sketchbook with lots of new ideas for Christmas stuff since I've already reserved a spot in a couple of bazaars and craft fairs, so I shall be a very busy bee for the next few weeks. It seems like Christmas is still a long ways, but when you come to think of it, it's just around the corner really. And handmade gifts take not only lots of love but also a lot of time to make. I have more ideas than I can possibly find the time to make all of them come to fruition. If only the day was longer or I didn't have the need to sleep! Until such time comes, I shall do the best I can!

I'll leave you with lots of hugs and I promise to catch up with y'all, little by little, in the next few days. It's a little overwhelming, I have so many blogs to read, forums to visit, friends to reconnect with and so many things to update, I don't even know where to begin. So please, if I don't reply to everything yet, don't take it personally. I love you all but I have months of lost time to catch up and I'll do the best I can and you have my promise that I'll read and reply to every single one of your entries from now on.

Hugs,

Jade