DIY Pencil Holder

Keeping the Pencils Organized

Do you have a lot of pens, pencils, markers? 

When you have a lot of art supplies, you need a system for keeping them organized. I have a lot of colored pencils. When I draw with my colored pencils, it is very important to know where I can find certain colors when I need them. I shared my system of keeping them organized a few years ago (here), but I thought I would share it again and offer a few of my tips.

Here is a photo of my colored pencils organized by colors in my handmade pencil holder.

I use my holder for my colored pencils, my Prismacolor Colored Pencils and I have a lot of them.  But this holder could be used for pencils, pens, markers, or paintbrushes, or a mixture of all of these. I should probably even make another holder to hold all of these items.

DIY Pencil Holder

Whatever your pencil or pen obsession is, you may face the same problem that I do.
How to keep them organized and easy to use.
A few years ago, I needed some way to keep my growing colored pencil collection organized. I had gone to a colored pencil workshop where the Instructor had made a holder for her colored pencils. I liked her idea, so I took her concept and made my version of it. Actually, I made two of them.


Small Pencil Holder
The art instructor's version is smaller than the one I made. Hers is great for individual projects, but I wanted mine to hold my entire collection of colored pencils. Or at least the ones that have been sharpened. Yes, I have that many pencils. She used smaller PVC pipe and a thinner, more lightweight, base piece of wood.

Her pencil holder would be great for keeping your pencils for one or two current projects organized. (If you use colored pencils, you probably understand that you may use 20 or 30 colors in one project.)
The smaller version could also be used to keep a variety of drawing tools.

The Large Pencil Holder DIY

Supplies for the Large Version

Cutting Tool - We used a table saw.

3 Inch PVC Pipe -  We bought 2 pieces and cut into five 4" pieces with an extra 2 1/2" piece.
Tip #1: Cut them short enough that the pencils will stick out of the top and tall enough to hold the pencils upright. I had one shorter extra piece that I placed on the end to hold short pencils.
Tip #2: Thanks to a reader tip, I have learned that the printed letters on the PVC pipe can be removed with fingernail polish!

One 8 ft. piece of 1x4 Lumber -  Cut into two pieces to the length that you want your holder to be.
Tip: You may want to place the cut pieces of pipe onto the board to see how many will fit then cut. I cut 2 pieces that fit on top of a bookshelf.  (I painted the board white to match the PVC pipe) You can cut as many strips as you need for your supplies.

E6000 Glue - Clear
Use the E6000 tube of glue to attach the pieces of pipe onto the pre-painted board.
Tip: I made sure the letters that are printed on the pipe was facing another pipe so it would not be so obvious.
Let the glue dry and it will be ready to use!

For more how to details, check out my previous post. You can find it here: Pencil Organizer

Now go make your pencil/pen/supply holder! Hope this inspires you!

Until next time!

Beth♥

Studio Update 2017

Studio Tour
It has been awhile since I've shown my studio. To be honest, it hasn't been 'comfortably functional' in a while. I say that because I have been very productive in the studio but, it had become overcrowded in there.

Desk Work Space
It is rare to see the top of my desk! This space is used every day so it has a lot of things on it. I am still trying to figure out the best way to get everything up off the desk but still within reach. This arrangement may change up again soon.

When we moved into our house, the studio space was big enough. Over the last 2 years, every square inch has become more and more filled with 'necessities'. Okay, maybe everything is not a necessity, but artists, by nature, tend to keep supplies until they are needed. So those things become 'necessities.

Organized Chaos
As you can see in this 'natural state' collage of the studio, every inch is well used! Especially when I am very busy!

Time to Rearrange

When you trip over cords and you have to move one stack to get to another stack, it is time to reevaluate what needs to stay or go and rearrange the furniture. Also...the cords! What to do with the cords? I've tripped over these many times when in a rush. I will be looking for a solution to this problem.


Work Stations
Because I work with Clay and draw and paint, I need 3 separate spaces that are easy to transition from one to another. Before I rearranged, I had part of my work space in an L shape. In that space, I worked with my wet clay and glazing the fired pieces of clay. But that space became too crowded. So I straightened the work bench and stretched it across the wall with the windows. Storage shelves are easier to get to and the floor space is opened up and I am tripping much less!

Staying Organized
I am not naturally an organized person. I have to work at it. I have to make myself take the time to get organized. I tend to get easily distracted by other things while I am getting organized. But I cannot work when things are unorganized. So I rearrange a lot.
I am also a list maker. I keep lists on this whiteboard that hangs in the studio, along with the notepads that are scattered around the studio. Hanging on the wall beside the whiteboard is my Order Clipboard. This is where I keep track of Etsy Orders. At the end of each month, the completed files go into my business binder.

My organization process is a work in progress. I hope to get my process perfected one of these days. But that is another whole blog post. I would love to hear about ways you get and stay organized. Leave a message below if you have any tips!

Small Spaces
I am thankful to have an extra bedroom that can be used as my studio. This room is small, but it is fine as long as the 'stuff' doesn't take over. I even have a decent size closet in here. It houses even more supplies.

Sometimes I think I want a bigger studio space, but I am sure it would also become filled with 'necessities' too. I will make the most of what I have.

If you are interested in seeing the studio story from the beginning, you can find the links here:
Studio Tour - Part 1
Studio Tour - Part 2
Studio Tour - Part 3 

Until next time!

Beth♥

Making Ornaments with Clay

Ornaments

It's that time of year again. It's almost prime Christmas shopping season. I say that because I have been busy making and filling orders for Christmas ornaments for a few weeks now. Each year I add a few new designs and retire a few from the year before. You can shop for my current ornaments in my Etsy shop here: Ornaments

New for 2016

Owl Ornaments are made with a choice of 3 different patterns. 

1. Chevron Pattern   2. Polka Dots     3. Swirl Pattern

Pig Ornaments are made with patterns and patterns with Hog Calls. 

If you are or know a Razorback fan, you know what that means. 

Hog calls include:  1. WooPig    2. Pig Sooie  3. WPS

For non-Hog fans, you can order pigs without the words...just the patterns. 

These can also be ordered to be magnets instead or ornaments.

Also New for 2016

Also new for 2016 is the Personalized Dog Bone Ornament. I wrote about it here: Dog Bone Ornaments   This one will stick around next year. 

Ornaments from 2015
I am still making these ornaments and they are all listed in my Etsy shop. Some of them will be retired after this Holiday Season.

Handmade Ornament Tradition
I like to fill my tree with both handmade ornaments and manufactured ornaments, but the handmade ones are my favorites. What are your favorite type of ornaments on your tree?

Have a great week!

Little Clay Houses

While gathering photos for my new website (still under construction) and applications for shows, I realized that I have to focus on making things that clearly identify my work.  I love to create so many different things and use different media, but my time needs to be spent on the things that I want to promote for sale in my business.

Those items that I want to focus on, include the whimsical little clay houses and accessories, bowls, cups, ornaments, and other small gift items. I also want to do more whimsical acrylic paintings, adding textures and collage elements.

Little Clay Houses

I love creating these little clay houses, and more than that, I love to see people smile when they see them! They are so fun to collect and create little vignettes around the house! Or put them in shadow boxes, or windows, or even create little terrariums with them.

Custom Clay Houses

Update* Occasionally I offer custom clay houses when I have time to take pre-orders for semi-custom houses. Based on the sizes that I typically sell during a Ready to Ship restock.

In the past, I have created custom houses that show the colors and details similar to your own house. While I loved creating those custom houses, they could be very time consuming and difficult to create without problems in both the creation process and the finishing process. Currently I do not take custom house orders because of the time involved.




I am also adding more functional, yet decorative, pieces to my work, such as bowls and plates and cups. I will talk more about those, and my textured paintings in upcoming posts.  For now...

...Have a great weekend!


 Beth♥

New Focus on Texture

All about the Texture in 2015

I've been working with texture in my art for several years now. But next year in 2015, I plan to focus even more on texture in all of my art.

Texture in Clay
For example, I have been creating bowls and dishes with impressed textures. I've done this before, but in the past, I've been more focused on glazing designs onto smooth bowls and dishes. Here are some textured bowls that I created before Thanksgiving. All of these have already sold, so I think they were well received.  My goal is to get a larger kiln this year, so I can expand and create more of the larger pieces.

Texture in Mixed Media Painting
I love working with textures in paint. Using modeling paste helps with this when working with acrylic paint.

Here is a pair of paintings, that I created textures with modeling paste, a couple of years ago. I also used lots of layers of color to add to the depth. These paintings are hanging in our bedroom.

And a close up of the painting on the left.

Re-use and Re-purpose with Paint and collage.

This is an old book that was being given away at a school library. I used paint, texture, and collage all throughout the book to create a journal. It was a fun experiment.

I used torn paper, crinkled tissue paper, and acrylic paints.  I will be posting more about this book/journal, in a post in 2015.


 We'll see where this new focus takes me!

Beth♥

New Art Festival Booth Display Part II

The evolution of my booth...
I'm pretty happy with how it turned out this year. I plan to keep it set up pretty much like this next year. I may add a box to display more ornaments, but other than that, it worked pretty well. We received many compliments on it at War Eagle. It has changed quite a bit since my first one in Georgia. My first Art Festival booth was pretty sad. You can see my first pitiful booth here.

Setting Up Process
Last week I wrote about surviving my first War Eagle (see that post here) and said that I would talk more about my booth set up this week.  I will share photos from the start of set up to finish. It was quite a chore to put up, but we had 2 days before the show to set it up.

Since this event was under a large tent (4 large tents actually), and our space was 8 x 13, we had to modify our set up. In outdoor shows we used an EZ-up tent and use the frame to hang things from.  But that wouldn't fit in this space, so we had to come up with something else for support of my backdrop.  My trusty Assistant, my Hubby, Asst. Sam, came up with the idea for the backdrop frame. (That's him on the ladder) He used electrical conduit to create the frame. We used that to hang the curtains for my backdrop.

Since we didn't have the EZup tent sides, I bought some white curtains to fill in and used the pink curtains that I bought last year, for the corners. I think it adds a pop of color and makes the booth stand out and easy to find! I used the turquoise curtains and table cloths last year, along with the white table skirts.

We added the white shadow box displays to the stair-step display this year.  That worked well to display my little houses in little groups to show customers examples of how they can be used.  We also added the tall white cabinet to display groups of houses, decorated plates, and larger houses.  It all came together, just as I had envisioned. Next year will be much simpler since we have all of the display worked out. I just need to concentrate on creating enough to sell over the four day show.

Thank You
Thanks to my Hubby for all of his work putting this together and sticking with me the entire show. I couldn't have done this without him!

Thanks also to my Mom for sewing the pennant flags for my bunting across the front of my booth and on the back wall. It added so much and many people commented on it also!

And thanks to my Dad for building my stair step display for my houses a few years ago. They work great!

I am so blessed to be surrounded by family that are supportive and talented. 

Click here for links to:
I Survived War Eagle ... Part I
Booth Changes 2010

Beth♥

Preparations for an Art Festival

My Art Festival booth has evolved quite a bit since the first event we participated in. The first show that we went to (see it here), our booth was pretty sad looking, looking back, it's pretty embarrassing. It was our first show and didn't really know if it was something we wanted to invest a lot of money in. I had no clue how my things would sell.
By the fourth show we did (see it here), I think the booth looked much better.  But it is still evolving. Our next show is going to be inside a large tent. So far, all of the shows that we have participated in were outdoor shows, in our own individual tent.  This fall we will be going to a new (to us) show, that is outdoors, but we will be under a large tent with other vendors.

We are reworking our booth some to fit in the space and changing up some of our display furniture. We are going with white and turquoise on the furniture displays, which matches the table cloths and curtains.  The tall cabinet was just a stained wood cabinet when my husband found it on Craigslist.  He painted it white and added the blue door knob.  It is perfect for my little bowls and houses to display, both in my art festival booth and in my art studio. It is doing double duty!

Thanks to my Assistant, Sam...my new sign is turquoise with the black chalkboard. This is an old classroom/child's chalkboard easel that we found at a vintage store in Fayetteville. It was also just plain wood before my Assistant (hubby) took it apart and repainted it to match my color scheme.  I wanted one side of it to be a magnetic white board, but we haven't found a magnetic white board to fit. We painted it with a magnetic paint, but that did not work. (Save your money, don't use the magnetic paint!)  So, for now, it is going to be a chalkboard on both sides. I will draw or paint my sign on it for the show.

We are still trying to figure out a new way to hang our backdrop (curtains).  My trusty assistant (my hubby) has been working hard getting these new pieces ready for the show. I think when we get it all together, it will look good and hopefully be a good showcase to display all of my art...both clay and paintings.

More updates to come!

Beth♥

Bloom Where You're Planted

Getting ready for the Art Fair in October is keeping me very busy. I want to have both clay items and acrylic paintings to sell. I also have custom work to complete, so between all of those things, I am happily staying busy! October will be here too quickly.

This painting is an example of some of the work that I will be taking to the Art Fair, unless it sells before then! This painting idea came easy to me. After painting it, it seemed to need some words and "Bloom Where You're Planted" just seemed to fit.  After moving recently, it also hit home for me. Moving to another town is a big adjustment! So I must make sure that I put down some roots and bloom! 

Bloom 

Where 

You’re 

Planted! ♥

Beth♥

Writing and Art

I consider myself more of a visual artist rather than a writer, but I do enjoy writing and photography.

I've always tried to keep a diary or journal, although sporadic at times. When I was very young, I had a diary, once. It was the 'thing' to do back then. I have no idea what I wrote in there, as it is long gone. I am quite sure that it was so important and secret that I had to hide the key, so no one would try to sneak in and read my important memoirs!  Makes me laugh now. But I do wish I had that old diary.

When my kids were young, I wrote in notebooks about their milestones, accomplishments, and even my frustrations with being a mother. I also have calendars where I kept notes about important dates and events.  I have managed to keep those because I'm sure that one day someone I, will want to read them again! They help me to remember things that I have forgotten about. That is my reasoning, anyway.

Later I began to keep a journal about my art. Then I discovered blogs..on the internet.  I was amazed that there were so many people out there that were willing to share their thoughts, feelings, and even their secrets...to the world! I'm not comfortable writing about my secrets, but the idea of writing about my art on the internet was something I had to try!  I could post photos and write about my art! At first I was not even going to make it public. Only I could read it. But I decided I would publish it because I was sure that no one would read it, so I was safe. That was back in 2007!   Some people did actually find my blog and read it! Some people actually posted comments along the way too. I've enjoyed meeting other artists and other bloggers along the way.  I just missed my 7 year anniversary of the beginning of my blog. I hope to continue for many more.

Some of my old journals

My first blog post:  
May 2007 : 
Starting a new Path

A lot has changed in my life since then. I really do enjoy going back and reading my old posts and seeing how far I have come. If someone else happens to come across my blog and enjoys reading a post or two, then that makes me happy. I am not a great writer. I am just an artist who wants to write. I want to share my thoughts and art with anyone who is interested. If you are still reading this...thank you for your time. I appreciate it!


Beth♥

No. 3 & 4 Paintings for 30 day Challenge - Baseballs

Baseball #1

I have drawn many baseballs over the years. My son played baseball, so we had lots of baseballs laying around the house.  So I decided to try to paint one or two with oils.  I thought that I would  paint two small 4x4 canvases with baseballs, so they could be displayed together. I am thinking I need a third one, but that will have to be another day.  These two still need some touch ups. I need to darken the shadows on each ball. Also, Baseball #2 is not quite round enough, so I need to adjust that too. But I need the paint to dry some before I can do that.  But for now, I will post these for the 30 paintings in 30 day Challenge.

Baseball #2

Simplify...is my word for 2014

I decided that for 2014 I wanted to simplify my life. For me, that just means to continue to de-clutter my 'space'/home and to stop trying to take on more than I can handle.  So what did I do? I signed up for a 30 day painting challenge! Haha...I am already a few days behind, but the good thing is that I can do multiple paintings in one day to catch up or to get ahead. But the goal is to loosen up with some paintings.  I managed to paint the first one, but then the next 2 days were busy with other responsibilities.  So I hope to get back on schedule over the next couple of days.

I spent a day straightening my art studio last week. Before Christmas, I was so busy that many things had been pulled out, moved, used, and piled up.  So it needed to be cleaned up a bit. It doesn't stay straight very long when I start working in here, so I thought I would take some photos while I could.

A few things about my studio...
1. It is Red, because it was my daughter's room, before she moved away to college. Her choice of color.  I like it, but it probably isn't the best for a studio, but I don't want to take everything out and
paint it! Not yet, anyway. I have other painting projects to take on first!
2. I have the room set up in two working sides.  The first studio photo shows the work table where I create fun things out of clay. The second photo is the corner to the right of the work table where my Sophie naps while I work.
The third photo shows the drawing table and desk where I draw and paint and compute.
3. The little houses that I create are still in the old studio/office space. The last photo, is my display of little houses. I keep them this way so I can find one easily when it sells and I can keep up with what colors and sizes that I have.  I also put a baseball in the front so that you can get an idea of how small they are.  I have had some people tell me they couldn't tell how big or small they are based on some of my photos.  They range from 1/2 inch to 3 1/2 inches for the small ones.  But I also make larger ones that can go up to 7 inches tall.

So this is my space where I create.  It is small, but cozy.  I am thankful that I have a room that I can use just for my art and supplies.

Now, I have to get back to my paintings. I have 3 canvases ready to paint. Hopefully something fun will come out of at least one or two of them! Look for updates tomorrow!

Beth♥

Do you Read Blogs?

To Blog or Not to blog...that is my question.

I started this blog to document my creative journey in 2008.  At the time, many artists were blogging and I was trying to create a presence online. I was hoping to retire from teaching one day and work full time as an artist.  So I started blogging about my art.  Now, 5 years later, I AM retired from teaching and working full time on my art (YAY!) and I am still blogging. Not as often, but I am still here.  But after 5 years, I am wondering who reads blogs and why?  Does anyone actually read this blog?  If so, do you want tutorials? or just pictures of artwork? or life stories...my life is rather dull, except the story about the raccoons in the attic, or tackling my grand dog who wanted to play chase at a bad time...but those can be saved for another post.


On an art note:
Of course I had to include a photo of some art. After all, this is an Art blog.  I have to include some type of visual in all of my posts. This is a photo of a drawing I did several years ago (2006) for an Art Class project demo.  I call it creative doodling.  These days, there is a popular thing called Zendoodles. I guess I've been doing 'Zendoodles' for about 20 years!  I had posted it on my Art Teacher blog and recently someone contacted me about wanting to purchase a download of it.  So I set it up in my Etsy shop.   Maybe I should do more downloads?  I am thinking about it, but don't know how popular that would be. We'll see. Click on the image to see the listing in my Etsy shop.  Maybe I should go dig out my 'zendoodles' from my teaching years...It was one of my favorite projects to have my students create!

I really would like to know what you think about the blogging questions.  So please comment below or on my link from Facebook.  Thank you in advance!  (Hope I'm not talking to a black hole in cyberspace!!)
.

Thanks for stopping by,

Beth  ♥ 

Thinking about Christmas? in July?

Usually I don't even think about Christmas until December. No, I'm not decorating for Christmas, but I am

working on Christmas orders (custom gifts) and items to sell at an art festival that are Christmas theme.  I have even purchased a couple of Christmas gifts...which is a first for me.  The last few years, I was really stressed out over Christmas shopping, or rather the lack of Christmas shopping.  But because the Fall/Christmas season is so busy (hopefully it will be again this year), I don't have much time to shop...and I do NOT like to shop!  Probably because it is hard for me to decide what to buy for other people.  But they (the marketing experts) say that many people start looking and shopping for Christmas in September! Who knew? I guess I've been missing out all these years.  It does make sense though. So this summer I will be working hard getting ready for Christmas.  My little clay houses and things can't be created at the last minute, so I have to start now to build up my inventory, along with working on other orders.

I'm also going to Norcross, Georgia in October!  I'm excited about that!  I've only been to a few Art Festivals, and I am still learning, but Norcross Art Fest is a very well organized and attended art festival. Hopefully, for me,  this one will be even better this year! I hope to be more prepared for this one.  ( See my  booth story here)  My Hubby, my assistant, and I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about art festivals. We learned it is a lot of work and exhausting, but fun...if the weather cooperates! (We almost blew away at the John's Creek Festival when a hurricane Sandy was passing by on the coast!)  I've learned a lot about what sells and what does not, and how to display my items. I've also been getting a lot of cool ideas for improvements on my display. I'll be posting some pictures of my booth later, when it gets closer to Art Fest time.  .

Since I am currently working on items for my Etsy shop and for the Art Fest, I asked some of my Facebook friends, "what type of functional items (out of clay) would you buy at an art festival?"   (If you have any suggestions or ideas that would complement my little clay houses and clay tiles, I am open to suggestions! ) Most of the suggestions I got were for more bowls and cups.


I've added some photos of the bowl that I made a few weeks ago along with the cup that I made to match.  I guess you might say it is my prototype for a new functional design that I will be making more of and with more color variations. The cup has a tree design on one side with branches that hold the little birds on the other side.
I also included a photo of the inside of the cup because I added a little leaf design on the inside bottom of the cup. I had to use a flash on the camera to get it to show up and it looks like there is liquid in the bottom, but there is not.  Anyway, I liked the effect that it gives.  I enjoyed creating the bowl and cup, but they took some time to decorate. Hopefully the next ones will go more quickly...or I will be spending all my time on glazing cups and bowls!

But if I'm quiet this summer, you know where I am!




Beth  ♥

Where did June go?

It flew by! It always does though. I love June, because the weather is usually very nice.  It's been a little on the warm side, but not too bad until this week.   When it starts to get hot, like it has this week, I stay inside and work in my studio a lot more.   I seem to get more accomplished in the studio when the weather is not good outside.

But just a little picture today of some of the clay things I've been working on. More clay owls, a house, and a couple of hanging tiles.   I didn't draw the little drawing of "Bethie".  That was done by the talented Tim Hunter.  She sits on my shelf in my studio.

Time for some sleep. I'll be posting some of these hanging tiles in my Etsy shop soon.  The owls and the orange house are already spoken for.  More to come soon.

 Love my job!

Beth  ♥    

A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

"Butterflower"
Colored Pencil and Ink

Beth S. Macre ©2013

My love of clay and paint and colored pencil and ink, can be really confusing to some...even me! But it can also be a blessing to me!  I never get bored with what I do, because there is always another project or media that is waiting for me to play with!   But sometimes I'm just not feeling the clay work, or sometimes I just don't have the time to really get much of a painting done, so I will work on something small to just relax in front of the television.  I enjoy the variety!

I have been working on several different projects lately. Some of them are commissions that I cannot post photos of, just yet, so I will share some of what I have been working on, on the side. I like to experiment with new ideas for my online sales and for future art festivals.  Right now I have one festival scheduled for the fall.  My little clay houses are the biggest seller in my booth at the art festivals. But I also like to include other items for customers who may not be interested in little houses.  So I've been creating clay tiles and acrylic paintings.  But I need more variety of clay pieces.  So I am working on some functional pieces to try out at the Norcross festival.  I have decided to make some small bowls and small cups with whimsical designs painted on them.  Here is one of my first experiments.  I like how it turned out, so I will definitely be making more.  Hmmm...I think I need a larger kiln!

Beth  ♥