Creating Candy Cane Houses

Candy Cane House

When inspiration hits.

While making the small fall houses I accidentally left off the chimney

on one. I decided to make it into a Christmasy/winter version. I wanted the roof to be red with snow so I decided to used red and white stripes. Then I came up with the idea to use the candy cane theme. I added the peppermint charm to the front door hanger and painted on the candy cane by the door and under the windows. I love red and pink together so I added the pink front door and added the aquamint trees and other little details to match. I was pleased how it turned out so I decided I will be making more of these in the near future. I thought I would share the result of the candy cane house sample along with the other wintery/holiday themed pieces that I included in my shop restock last week. These have all been sold and shipped to their new homes. 

As soon as I finish the fall theme house I will be making the final version. While I know that the fall house is a little late for this fall and the candy cane house is a little late for Christmas this year, they will be ready to go for next year. And I think it would fit in nicely during Valentines Day, or all year! 

I have started a substack where I will be sharing more behind the scenes photos and stories. If you are interested in more, please follow me on Substack here: Beth Macre on Substack

Until next time, 

Beth

Spring Colors

Spring has sprung and I'm enjoying the beautiful weather, but more than that, I am enjoying the time I am spending in the studio! Time really does fly when you are having fun!  I am working hard at stocking up on things that I want to sell in shows this Fall and to put in my Etsy shop. I am also working on some new designs. So I have really been enjoying it. The beautiful weather has been a little distraction, but I know fall will be here before I know it!
But for now, it's all about Spring Colors!

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♥

Almost time for Norcross!

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I have been very busy preparing to go to Georgia.  I am going back to Norcross Art Fest this year! I'm excited to go back! Here is a peak at some of what I will have in my booth.  I will be located in booth S42 on South Peachtree Street, in downtown Norcross.  If you are in the area, stop by and see me! 

Click here is more information about the Festival:  Norcross Art Fest,  October 5 & 6, 2013. 

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  ♥ 

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  ♥    

October is almost halfway over? Time flies...

...when you're having fun!  Doing what I love, so the time goes by quickly!
This week I have been busy on two major projects, both that need a lot of attention.  In 2 weeks I will be traveling to John's Creek, Georgia, to a new art festival, to sell my clay houses and other "Hearthome" creations.  I'm excited about it, but I'm feeling the time pressure to get enough done in time!  I haven't gone to an art festival in a couple of years, so I want to be prepared!    I'm also trying to finish a pen an ink commission that needs to be finished now! So that will be my priority this weekend, then back to building more houses.  The photos today are small samples of what I'm working on.  The pen and ink is just a small part of the large drawing. 

Stage  2, 3, & 4...The making of a Hearthome
Sorry, no photo of stage 1.

 

In November, I will be concentrating on Christmas commissions. So if you want to order a painting, pen and ink, or custom clay house, now is the time to order.  I will not be taking any more orders after the beginning of November.  My daughter is graduating college in December, so I will be going to celebrate with her in the middle of December.  Yay for her! She is almost to the finish line and already has a job lined up! So proud of her!

Beth ♥

Hands in Clay

Its been awhile since I've had time to work with clay, so it was nice to get back into it.  If I didn't have a full time job, I would probably have to schedule a day each week to work in each of my favorite media...clay, colored pencils, pen and ink, and acrylic paints...Because I love working with them all! I could probably get involved with other media as well, but there are only so many hours in a day.  And, for now, 8 hours a day (plus planning, meetings, etc) goes to my day job.  Fortunately, since I am an art teacher, I get to work with all of them some.  My dream job would be to have my own art studio/gallery and work to my hearts content with whatever materials I want to.
Shown here is an Art Studio HeartHome that I recently created.  I've had a few requests for Custom Clay houses with Business Signs on them. So I decided to create an Art Studio. This will be listed in my Etsy Shop soon.


Beth♥ 

Getting Ready for the Fall Festival

I usually do not participate in Fall Festivals as a vendor, but since I have not been able to go to any art festivals this year, I decided to do a small local one.  I will have a booth at the Westminster Village Fall Festival next Saturday.  So if you are local, stop by and see me in my booth.   The vendors will be inside the Ramey Center and my booth will be located just inside the door to the left.  I will be selling my little clay houses and some of my whimsical acrylic paintings.  The best thing about this is that we do not have to travel more than 10 minutes (at the most) to get there! But I would love to do more art shows in the future. It is just too difficult when trying to work full time.

I also have colored pencil paintings currently on display at St. George's Episcopal Church in Germantown, TN, with the Memphis Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society of America, until Nov. 7th.

Shown are photos of my booth from the Norcross Art Festival that I attended last Fall.

I Love Connecting with other Artists!

I recently received an email from an artist named Teresa, whom I met at an art festival in Georgia last year. She contacted me about creating some churches for her to give as gifts.  So this is what I came up with. I have created some churches before, but I believe I will create more and in different styles. I love meeting other artists through art shows, organizations, and even online artists friends.  You never know when you will make a new friend!   

Beth♥   

Summer break is almost over!

New houses in my Etsy shop. 

Just thought I would share a couple of photos of some houses that I've finished lately. As you can see, I have added a few accessories to my items that I sell.  I will be working to get a lot more finished and ready to list in my Etsy shop and more to ship to a couple of actual shops as soon as possible. (More about that when I get them ready to go!)  The ones in these photos are listed in my HeartHomes Etsy shop.  

I go back to work next week. Where did the summer go?  I have orders for custom pen and ink drawings that I am working on too, so I have more than enough to keep me busy!  Guess I need to cut back on playing games on Facebook! Sorry neighbors...;-)...

Beth♥

Blog or Website?

HeartHomes

...or both?  If I want to market my art, what is the most effective use of my time and money? I have been blogging for several years now.  Before I discovered the blogging world, I was journaling about my art on my computer, which no one saw except me. Then I found blogs and it took me awhile to get the courage to actually start my own.  I really didn't think I had anything to say, much less anyone would want to read about it. Well, along the way I did pick up some readers and met some very nice artists.  I have no idea how much this blog is actually read, but for me its still more about journaling about what I'm doing with my art.  I'm not sure that it has any effect on marketing my art, but I guess it gets my work seen by some people, at least.  Being from a small town, there are no art galleries or local places that sell original art. (That's the subject for another blog post.)  I do have online shops where I sell my artwork and I have links on the sidebar of this blog, set up to both of my Etsy shops, Hearthomes, where I sell my little clay houses, and BMacre, which I sell my pen and ink drawings and other drawings and paintings.  I also set up a page on Facebook to display my artwork, which has brought in some business from local people, which is great!  It has always been hard for me to talk about myself and show what I do either because (1) I feel like no one is interested, or (2) it feels a little like showing off.   But I can't sell my work if I don't show it to people, right?   ...This is why I did not go into sales, but I'm learning.

Custom Pen and Ink
House Portrait

So my dilemma is, should I have a website? Do people actually go look at websites that stay the same for long periods of time? How often do websites get changed?  So far, having the blog and facebook page has worked for me.  I can very easily add pictures of what I am working on currently. But would a website make a difference? I have a free website with WIX, but it is very limited on what I can add to it. And it needs updating if I keep it. But I think that if I have a website, I will be using my domain name. Problem is, I just don't know how to set up a website, or the time to learn anything very difficult.

If you have any thoughts on this subject, I would like to hear your comments.

Beth♥ 

It Makes a Village...

...well, if I put together all of the little houses that I have made over the last 2 years, I would have a pretty good size village!   I haven't had much time to make many new houses lately, but I did manage to get a few done this month.  Two of these are now listed in my Etsy shop.  The third was a custom order.  I will be working on more new ones very soon.  I am also working on some new accessories to add to the collection.

Miniature Clay Heart Home

Miniature Clay Heart Home

The last one shown here, is a custom ordered Heart Home.  The customer showed me one that she wanted hers to look like, but she wanted it personalized.  I have a custom order listing in my Etsy shop for larger houses or I can create a custom listing for my customers who want to order special details to a smaller heart home or add some extra accessories that I do not have listed.

Custom Order that is Personalized on the side.

Beth♥

Latest Hearthomes from the Kiln

Just thought I would share photos of the houses that came out of the kiln this morning. 

I need to get busy making more houses. My stock is getting low!

I will be listing all of these houses in my Etsy shop over the next few days.

Thanks for looking!
Beth♥

New Year, Fresh Start

I don't make New Years resolutions, but I do love a fresh start and the prospect of new opportunities. Last year was definitely a busy year in all aspects of my life. My art has kept me extremely busy at the same time my teaching job has kept me extremely busy. The busy season leading up to Christmas was especially good, for which I am thankful for. But for now, I am taking things a little slower for a few weeks. I realized that I must take time off to recharge. School started back Monday, so I'm back to work with my students which is very inspiring to me. So I'm looking forward to new ideas and making some decisions and looking for new opportunities.

Hope you have many blessings and opportunities in 2011!
Beth

The Art Festival Booth Changes

Norcross ~ October 2010

I have TWO whole art festivals under my belt now! And I have made progress! After the festival that I went to on Mother's Day weekend, last spring, it was suggested to me to work on my booth appearance.  I took that great advice, and worked hard to create my new booth look.  I knew that it wasn't the most professional looking booth to begin with, but it was the best that we could do for the first show.  We really didn't know what to expect or what we were doing. Starting from scratch was hard. But I think it paid off at our second art festival in Norcross.  I needed a white tent to lighten up the display and a better way to display my mini houses. So I designed some shelves and asked my talented Dad to build them for me and he really came through and did a great job.  I asked my mother to sew some table skirts for the new taller tables that we created from saw horses and boards. She is a very talented seamstress.  I think it turned out pretty nice.  We will continue to make changes to improve on what we have now.   In the 3rd photo, you can see a window behind my booth. Inside that window is a little paper cut out of a house (bottom photo). When we were unpacking our booth the first day at the festival, we saw that house in the window and knew that it was a sign that we were meant to be there that weekend! The house even has a little heart on it...just like my little houses do.

Booth before

My next business goal is to find art shows that are closer to home. The 8 hour drive is really hard to do. So I will be looking for some shows in Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Missouri. If you know of any good ones, I'm open to suggestions!

I would love to hear what you think about my booth and if you have any other ideas. I'm still working on making it cuter and easier to pack.

~Beth



 

Booth After Makeover...
Display table with new shelves and table skirt.







Little House in the Window
(behind my booth)



Norcross Art Festival

This summer, time has flown by! I am going to be very busy over the next 7 weeks!  Not only does school start in a few days, but I am going back to Georgia in October for another great Art Festival.  This one is in Norcross, Georgia.  I am excited about going, but I do have a lot to do to get ready for it.  The Norcross Art Fest will be held October 2nd and 3rd, 2010.  I may be a little quiet on here until after this festival, but you will know I am working hard to get ready for this event.

~Beth

Creating Ceramic Houses

Little Clay Houses
Just thought I would post a photo of some of the clay houses I've been working on the past week. There are many more on the drying shelf.  These are just a few that I picked out to photograph. They are little larger than the ones that I've been selling.  These range from about 3" to 5" tall.   Most of the ones before ranged from 2" to 3 1/2" tall.  I will still be making those, but I'm also adding this larger size to the 'collection'.   The taller one, with the cut out windows, will have an opening in the bottom for a candle.  I plan to make a series of those as well.

I am also trying to learn how to do some things on photoshop. I need a new banner on my Etsy shop, so I am trying out some new designs, but I need help with the Photoshop Elements. I have been looking on You Tube for tutorials.  There are alot to weed through, but there are some pretty helpful ones.  So I've been working on that when I have a little computer time.  But I really wish it were easier to use! We didn't have computer classes when I was in college...or at least anything that I can use now!  If you know what data punched cards are, then you know what I'm talking about.  It seems so ancient, but it was ony about 30 years ago! But that is a whole new post to fill up with 'technology' of the 80's!
So enjoy your PCs and your laptops! They've come a long way!
~Beth