Hey friends! 

Welcome to my studio blog! I’ve decided to resurrect this blog to talk more in depth about what I’m working on, share some behind the scenes photos and videos, answer questions, and possibly have some small tutorial lessons for diy art projects. I’ve been wanting to have a place to create community with my Instagram and Facebook followers that can all come together in one space. 

Latest Rainbow House to come out of the kiln. 👉🏻

I’ve been on Instagram and Facebook for a long time but I’m limited on space and what I can do there so I decided to go back to my original online journaling space…the blog. I actually have two blogs. This one, Beth Macre Studio, since 2007, and my second one that I started in 2011, while I was still teaching high school art. I retired from teaching in 2012, so I didn’t post much on that blog after that. Just an occasional tutorial. But I want to add any tutorials that I may create over there on the Art Class blog. My plan is to also create some YouTube videos to enhance tutorials and demonstrations on projects I decide to share.  

There is a link at the top of this page to ‘Art Class’ or here is a direct link if you are interested in checking that one out. 

Mrs. Macre’s Art Class 👉🏻 https://macresartroom.blogspot.com/

Follow along if you are interested in what I’m working on and let me know what you would like to learn more about what I do. Leave a comment below. We’ll see where this goes. 

Until next time, 

Beth 🌈❤️🏠

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube (more coming on YT in the future). 

My Etsy Journey - Eight Years

First sale on Etsy in 2008
My first sale on Etsy was June 27 of 2008. I sold a few things on Ebay before discovering Etsy. But once I found Etsy, I stopped selling on Ebay. It took a month or so before I made my first sale, but I was very excited to sell this Pink Flamingo ACEO in colored pencil. It was purchased by a customer in Greece! Not only was this my first Etsy sale, it was an International sale!
I'm surprised that I sold anything back then. I did zero marketing. But back then...way back in 2008...Etsy was much smaller, Facebook was still pretty new and much less evolved. Instagram was not invented yet. But somehow, I was found by at least a few people.


From Fish to Houses of the Whimsical Variety

Textured Tiles
One of the first things that I created and sold on eBay, back in 2007, was a clay tile. I'm not sure why, but fish was my common theme back then. (Actually Fish and Baseballs. But that is another story.) You can read about that first tile here: First Clay Tile. And another set of 2 tiles here: Fish Tiles. And a textured colored pencil drawing here: Two Fish in Colored Pencil. There were others but I'll leave it there. You get the idea. And you can certainly go back and read more about them, if you like.


Whimsical Houses
As I said, in 2008, I opened my first Etsy shop. It was slow going. Etsy was new and I was teaching full time and working on a few things in my free time. My first sale was the Flamingo ACEO, but my 2nd sale, a couple of weeks later, was a custom tile. I had one of my fish tiles listed and another Etsy seller saw it and approached me about creating a custom tile for her. She wanted a tile with her two dogs, as shown in the photos she sent to me. The dogs were on the front porch of her house. So I created this tile (in the photo). You can read more about it here, First House Tile. I really liked how it turned out, so I made more house tiles. A few sold here and there. I was also doing some custom home illustrations in pen and ink at the time. Houses were often the subject of much of my art. But I decided that I needed another type of house to add to the mix. I decided to open a second Etsy shop for my clay works and leave the first for my pen and ink illustrations (I eventually combined them again in the new shop). I had seen some freestanding crooked houses in an Art Education magazine. They were houses and they were whimsical. So I decided to try to make my own version of little whimsical houses. I saw some little tiny houses online, but I wanted mine to have their own unique brand. So I decided to add little hearts to the front, just under the roofline. I decided to call them HeartHomes.

Name Change from HeartHomes to Beth S Macre

Fast forward to 2016 and many whimsical tiles and whimsical houses later, I am still selling them on Etsy. I am still creating the HeartHome line, but I have recently changed the name of my Etsy shop from HeartHomes to Beth S Macre. With all the new social media platforms that I have started using, I wanted everything to be the same to make it easier for my customers to find everything. And my name covers everything I create, not just the HeartHomes.
Here is a link to my shop: 
Beth S Macre Studio

Only in the last year have I really started to market myself. Marketing is not my specialty. I am always learning. But sales have really started to pick up since November of 2015, so I guess I am doing something right. I have also expanded my line of works to include lace textured bowls, ornaments, and some custom bowls, custom houses, and custom name tags. I will share more about these items in the near future.

I just finished another set of custom tiles for a customer. (See a portion of it in the photo to the right.) Next week I will post photos of the results of that custom order. I'll post a link here, when I get it posted. (Update: Link to Tiles)

I have enjoyed my 8 years on Etsy. I have seen many changes on Etsy, in a positive way. I hope that my little shop will continue to grow! As things change, I will too. You must continually learn and grow along with everyone else.

Soon I will be sharing some photos of my HeartHomes and how they have evolved. I have plans for new and exciting things to come and I hope you will come back and see what I am up to!

Thank you for stopping by! 

Unexpected Visitors

Enough about the new studio and the move. Back to regular programming.

Finally, I have been working in my studio, trying to get back into the creative groove. I started out pretty good. I spent a few days working with the clay and getting a lot of little things made, so I can restock my Etsy shop. I've even glazed a few of them.  Like these tiny birdhouses. They are part of a little experimental project that I am working on. If that works out, I will post photos of that later.

Unexpected Visitors
After getting several projects started, we had a couple of 'Unexpected Visitors'. The dreaded 'flu bug' came to visit my
hubby. I avoided Mr. Bug like the plague! He brought the cold weather back with him too, so my creative flow came to a halt. My usually active husband was pretty sick for about 4 days. He doesn't get sick often, so I knew he felt really bad. He had fever and chills and all of the typical flu symptoms . I was trying to take care of him while he was feeling really bad, but also trying not to get too close. Luckily, I avoided Mr. Flu Bug. But between the weather and taking care of the hubby, I have been dragging around here with no energy. He is usually the cook around here (his choice), so I had to cook a for a few days. (I know, I'm very lucky!) That is exhausting to me, so I am having a hard time getting back into my creative routine. Hubby is feeling better now, so hopefully we can both get back into our routines. We are more than ready for Spring weather to arrive and stick around! We had a few days of warmer weather last week, and the daffodils started blooming, so it was a great sign of things to come!


Bunny Visit
It is not Easter yet, but Hubby found this little visitor in the garage a couple of days ago (look real hard, it is a baby rabbit). He/she, along with his two little siblings, made a run for it when my hubby found them hiding under the plastic tub full of stuffed animals. Hopefully they made it back to their little rabbit home/hole. (Wherever they live.) I like rabbits, but I do not want them taking up residence in our garage!  I may need to draw some little rabbits to illustrate the visit.

Until next time...
Have a nice productive week!

Beth♥ 

Heart Homes ... A Look Back Six Years

HeartHomes for February 

Original Set of My Hearthomes
2009

Six years ago, I started creating little clay houses, that I called Hearthomes. They have gone through some changes over those years, but they have always had the little hearts, both on the front and back, and on the bottom of each house.

Today, I thought I would share some pictures
of the houses through the years.

The first set was painted with acrylic paint.
This first set, was featured in the Arkansas Magazine, At Home in Arkansas. If I could find the link to it, I would post it!

After that first set, I decided to try glazing them.  
I never used acrylics again, after that first set. I like the effect that the glaze creates.

Here is a Montage of a few of my houses over the years.

2009 - 2015

Not only have they become a little more polished, but my photography skills have improved a tad.

Last year, a friend of mine, dropped and broke one of her little houses. She had a set of 3. She likes her houses because they are a little rough around the edges...original style houses. So she asked if I could make her another one similar to the broken one.  It took me awhile to get to it, but I finally made it last month and sent it to her and she was happy to have the set back together.  When I put the old one next to the newer one, I realized the big difference. There is still a more polished look to the newer one.

I think I may revisit some of my old style houses, with the newer polished look. We'll see what happens this year. My style is always evolving.  Whatever I come up with, I sell them from my Etsy shop and a few local Arts and Craft  Shows during the year.

Beth♥

Planning for a busy Summer

Since moving to Northwest Arkansas in March, we have been looking for some Art Festivals/Shows, that are close by, to participate in. Last week I found out that I was accepted into an Arkansas Art Festival called The War Eagle Fair Art Festival for October. I've heard good things about this show, so I am hoping that my artwork will sell well at this type of show.
So...
STEP #1...Get busy and create A LOT of artwork to sell!  Yes, October seems like a long time away from June, but I know that October will be here fast! And the show will be a 4 day long show, so I MUST create enough product to have plenty to sell during that 4 days. So after a little bit of excitement from being accepted into this big show, panic started to take over a little. I know that I have to start now, creating lots of new little goodies. It takes time to create my little clay pieces, so obviously, I have to start making them now. I'm also going to create some whimsical and colorful paintings. (I want to make sure I have plenty of choices for my customers.) I also plan to apply to another local art show, or two, that will be in November or December, so that means even more product to create. But that is what I love to do, so I look forward to the challenge and having fun with it.

Last week was filled with playing with the clay, sketching ideas for paintings, shopping for paints and other additions to my booth.  So, it was a busy week, as will every week from now until October. Here is a sampling of what I've been working on in the studio. I'll be posting updates here as I go. I hope you will check back in with me and leave a comment every now and then. I love to hear from other artists and friends who read this.  If you have had a booth at War Eagle Fair before, I would love to hear from you about your experiences.

Beth♥

New Work Finished ...Custom Home Illustration

Custom Home Illustration

Beth S. Macre ©2014

After moving and having to take some time away from the drawing board, I've finally finished another custom pen and ink home illustration. I have several more pen and ink commissions to work on, but I will also be working on some clay work soon. I hope to participate in some art shows in the Fall, so I need to start working on restocking my inventory. Be on the look out for new work, new designs in the near future.

If you would like more information about ordering a custom pen and ink illustration, stop by my custom pricing blog page or my Etsy shop listing.

Beth♥

Whimsical and Custom Clay Tiles

I've been making clay tiles for about 6 years now. The first ones that I made had fish themes. Then I decided to make a whimsical house on a tile, which led to custom house tiles and my little mini clay houses.  I gave a whimsical tile to a friend of mine for her birthday several years ago. Then she bought another one from me. Then she decided she wanted to have a set of 3.  So I recently completed the final one to go with her set this week.  

New Whimsical Tile

Pictured is the final one, then the set of 3.  She plans to hang them on the wall.  Some people put them up on an easel.  

I also just finished a custom tile of a customer's house.  After remaking it once (because of cracks that developed), it finally is finished.  

The very first custom tile I created can be seen in a post (here), way back in 2008! 

So now it's back to the drawing board! Have a nice weekend! 

Beth♥

Set of 3 Whimsical Clay Tiles

Custom House Tile

Time Flies When You Stay Busy

July is going by so quickly! Make that, July is almost gone! It is already the end of July! I intended to

start posting more often, but I have been so busy working on commissions and working on new work to take to the art festival in October, plus keeping up with life in general.  I've always believed that time flies when you are having fun, but it seems like the older I get, the busier I get, it seems to fly even faster!  Not sure that I like that time is flying, but I am happier when I am busy, for sure!

This month, besides going to a bridal shower and wedding shopping (my daughter's friend is getting married), a family birthday get together, painting and drawing and working with clay (the fun stuff)... I have also cleaned closets, cleaned carpets, cleaned floors, cleaned drawers, and thrown away lots of old stuff, packed in boxes lots of old stuff, and painted walls and cleaned walls...wow, I'm exhausted thinking about it! We are getting closer to being ready to put our house on the market and see what happens.  Future plans will not be finalized until we sell our house, which could be a month or 6 months, or it may not be God's plan for that to happen. We'll just have to wait and see.  Right now, I just have to focus on getting my current obligations taken care of.

On another note, I've been playing around with different photo editing apps on my phone.  It's fun to turn an ordinary photo into something unique. So I've included some photos from my activities this month that I've played with and edited on Cymera, a relatively new app, for me.  I like it because it has more options for editing the filters, the frames, the effects.  It's very fun to play with.  Note the borders around the photos and I learned to make a collage with photos (see the flag photos).  I found another photo editing app on my phone the other day that I will have to play around with too.  But right now, I have a lot to do.  Back to the studio!
Have a nice week!

Beth  ♥ 

Slowly but Surely...

...checking my list.
I have a long to do list for the Spring Spruce up project. Some of those things on my list are outdoor activities and some are indoors.  I checked a few things off the list as finished. Some have been started, but need to be completed.
Flowers planted...check! (must plant a few more when the rain stops)
I moved the art studio to one of the spare bedrooms...check!
The old art studio was painted and turned into an office...check!
De-clutter and organize the new studio...well the new art studio is still a work in progress.
I did get some things off the floor and hung on the wall...shown in the picture.  These are shelves that I use to display some of little clay houses.  I've also added a little drawing of 'Bethie' (Me), that was created by an artist friend, Tim Hunter, a few years ago. A little souvenir shot glass I got in France, that I put some colored pencil nubs in. A little clay owl ornament (in the house shadow box) that I purchased from an artist, that I met at the Dunwoody and Norcross Art Festivals.  She has since moved back to her home country of England, but you can find her very very cute creations here on Etsy... JoyElizabethCeramics.  The rest of the little clay items in the shadow box can be purchased  from my etsy shop here:  HeartHomes .

Slowly, but surely I will get everything done from my list.  But the list seems to be getting longer each week! The goal is to get the house ready to put on the market to sell.  I am hoping that that will be easier to do now that school is out and hubby can help with some of those things on the list!

For now, on to the next item on the list.....to be determined by the weather.  Hmmm...For now I am going to  draw.

Beth  ♥

Did I say that I love making Owls?

Well, I have probably said that I enjoy painting them, but recently I have made a few owls out of clay too!  So I will be making more clay owls this week.  I may come up with some other little critters too. You never know what will happen when I start playing with the clay.  You can find the little purple and lime green owl in the top photo, here...in my Etsy Shop.

      
        Beth  ♥

Decorate by Re-purposing and Recycling

I finished a big big project last week and this is Spring Break for my hubby...so I'm taking the week off, sort of.  Still working behind the scenes with email and online listings, etc etc.  But we have other plans for the week that I will talk about later...if anything exciting happens.  So for now, I will talk about a small project that I started for my own studio.  This post I will show you the start of the project.  Later, I will show you how I used them to decorate the studio.

I often acquire things that I don't need but think that someday I may use that for something.  So I end up with a lot of stuff.  Over the last couple of months, I have been going through cabinets and closets to clean out and get rid of unused 'stuff'.  This is something that has needed to be done for awhile now. We have lived in our house for almost 17 years and you know how things just accumulate until you move? Well, we have our share of accumulated stuff.   So the urge to purge started back when I moved my studio into one of our bedrooms.  I had to get rid of things to get organized and I also want to repaint the walls in several rooms. We hope to try to sell our house someday...not sure when...but I don't want to have to purge the whole house just to move.  The thought of that sounds exhausting!

Many years ago, I was given some very old frames.  It was so long ago, I don't remember where I acquired them.  But they were frames that I thought I would use some day. Well, I have finally decided how I am going to use 3 of them.  They are going to be used in my art studio for wall display and organization.  So I thought I would share the project here, since it is going into my studio and I always love to find a way to re-purpose something.

Here is one of the very old frames, as it was before I started the project.  They had all been painted black with some gold touches.  I liked the carved details of the frames, so I want to enhance that.

I took the frames outside and laid them out onto newspaper in the grass. Then I took the white spray paint and sprayed it onto the frames.  I didn't completely cover the black paint.  I wanted it to have some depth. I also liked the way the chips in the wood and old paint started to show through.  I even have some areas that have a crackled look, that I really like.

Here are the three frames after being spray painted.

Then I took some light turquoise craft paint and lightly brushed it onto the frames, one section at a time.

Using a foam paint brush so the paint would just go over the raised parts of the frame.

Then I wiped off the excess paint.  I wanted a paint washed look. 

I used a paper towel to wipe off the extra paint.

So this is where I am now.  The frames are painted and dried. I plan to put a coat of stain to add more dimension to the frames. 

I will post a link here when I finish the project to show the final steps and see what I do with them before I  hang them on the studio wall. 

But for now, its Spring Break and I will be giving my studio a break for the week.  

Unfortunately the weather decided not to be Spring weather. 

I'll be back next week with pictures of my latest work. I have several projects to share. 

Beth  ♥

Working through the Pain...

Apparently I have done something to the tendons in my drawing arm. So I have been trying to rest it some while still working on a few projects. Trying to work through the pain, but still not overdo it.  I've been putting ice on it, so hopefully, the combination of resting and icing it and wearing a compression sleeve on my elbow while working, it will slowly get back to normal.  I may have to limit my work on the computer as well. It tends to aggravate the soreness.

While I'm finishing my current project, I will need to figure out what I can do that does not hurt my arm too much! My sanity will be compromised if I do not have a creative outlet! The thrill of finishing something that I've created is so satisfying! I am about to go out and open the kiln to see how my latest firing turned out. I'll share a picture here of my latest 3D clay owl design. So working through the pain is totally worth it! It's so fun to open the kiln to see this!

Beth  ♥

I Love to Paint...

"Untitled"
Acrylic on Canvas 26"x 32"
Beth S. Macre©2013

...and draw with colored pencils and ink, and sculpt with clay...to name a few.  But one day last week, I just wanted to paint with no expectations, except to play with textures, colors, and shapes.  I did buy the canvas to paint something for my son, who needed some art on his walls.  But I also, figured that if he didn't like it, I could put it in my own house. Because I used colors that I like too. I knew that I had to keep my 'girly colors' and subjects out of it, so I decided to go more abstract. I really had fun playing with the design and the textures. I used acrylic paint and Golden's Molding Paste applied with a plastic palette knife.  Adding texture into the paint tinted molding paste with a stiff ribbon with holes in it and a wire screen.  (Next time I'll take some photos of the process.)
My son liked it, so it will be hanging on his wall soon...which I love too!

This needs a title and I'm open to suggestions. Anyone?

I Love…
To Paint…

Beth♥

Greyhound Bus Station and Changes for 2013

Private Commission
Mixed Media
Watercolor, Pen & Ink, and Colored Pencil
Beth S. Macre©2012

Now that I am working on my art full time, I need to make some changes.  I am retired from teaching, but not from Art. If I want to continue to be retired from teaching, I need to take my art more seriously and do a better job at marketing.  So that will be my goal for 2013.  Taking my art more seriously .  That will involve more marketing and trying to figure out what direction I want to go with my art.  I have always loved to draw with colored pencils, paint with acrylics, play with watercolor, draw with pen and ink, and create little houses out of clay. I want to sell art from my heart and create custom art for my customers.  I am always open to ideas from customers when they want a commission, but I hope to create a more clear idea of what it is I do.  Too many directions is difficult to market.  I love whimsy and I love the more illustrative side of art. Not realism, but capturing a mood or feeling. Somehow I need to figure out how to combine the two.  I want to enjoy the process, but still appeal to my customers and find new customers.
In the photo in this post, is the last piece of 2012 that I created for a customer.  The landscaping was done by a local landscaper, Drew Bevill Lawn Care. This drawing was a custom order for a gift for him. The greyhound bus station behind it has been recently remodeled back to its original Art Deco style architecture and is being used as our Main Street Offices.  Drew Bevill Lawn Care landscaped the attached park next to the station. This piece was fun to do because it has 3 of my favorite media included in it.   They were all happy with the results, which makes me happy.

For more information about my custom art and the other artwork that I create, please visit my website here: 
Beth S. Macre Studio.
Beth ♥

Looking Forward to 2013...

Private Commission
Acrylic on Canvas
Beth S. Macre©2012

So 2012 is almost over. It has been an extremely busy year for me! There have been some ups and downs, but I want to focus on the positive.  Hoping for the power of positive thinking to work for me during 2013.  One major change for me during 2012 was my decision to retire from teaching after 29 years and start working on my art full time! That was a very hard decision for me, but it was a very much needed change. (I just hope that our politicians don't throw us off that "fiscal cliff" that they keep warning us about.  Its very difficult to be self employed when the economy is in free fall.  ...oops...I'm not supposed to dwell on the negative...) This year I was very busy with commissions, so I have been very blessed to have a good year for the first 6 months of being 'self employed'.Personally, I have had some challenges, but nothing compared to what many people have gone through.  So, I'm optimistic that this year will be even better!  I have to have faith that it will, and if that means I need to make more changes, then I will. Sometimes change is what it takes to move forward.  So, here's to the New Year and better times for us and our country. 

Private Commission
Colored Pencil on Uart Board
Beth S. Macre©2012

Beth ♥