I LOVE Being Creative!

Hello everyone!

Quick post today to let you know how I've been coming along with my crafts. Everyone loves to do crafts... there's just something so fulfilling about working hard on something, and then having it turn out to be something you're proud of. :) Yay for all of us who are creative!

So, I was looking through my craft supplies (here is a pic of just SOME embellishments I have...)

and I came across a piece that I'd completed a while back that I had deactivated from Etsy. Well, I took a good look at it, and I really still love the way it came out, and chances are more than likely that if I like it so much, others will, too. So I relisted it tonight! Here it is, my

Steampunk Butterflies Repurposed Jewelry for Your Hair



I remember making that piece was a lot of fun. Steampunk to me is a very interesting and intriguing style that keeps growing. I also like SOME Victorian... lacey patterns, but not huge heads... sometimes, it goes too far. LOL.

I work with a 98 year old woman (God bless her!) who lives in a retirement community. Every one who lives there has little shelves for decorative purposes outside of their respective apartment doors, and a lot of people put out candy in little bowls for tomorrow. The lady and I went around to these apartments and took a little candy. She asked me if it was stealing. I said of course not... they put it out for us to take. It's not for "kids", as no kids are allowed to live there. She is so precious and cute, the woman... she's an angel :) Anyway, I'm not allowed to post a pic of her, obviously, but I can of the candy!



And last, but certainly not least... I'm working on more magnets! I'm really liking the way these ones are coming along... any criticisms? They're always helpful!



And please don't forget about my wonderful giveaway!!! You still have time to enter :)

Etsy Down??

Is Etsy down?? *Looks around quickly* What am I going to do?

...maybe use my stamps?

Catch YOUR Eye?

Happy Thursday! I have been doing a little peeking here and there around Etsy on my off time for some interesting shops, and here is one particular that I've found that not only deserve a mention, but high praise, as well!

It is RandomlyGenerated, where you can find a wide array of very well-done peg people. Peg people, you ask? Yes... you read me correctly. But not just any peg people... there's peg people from the most popular movies, tv shows, heck, there's even a Ziggy Stardust David Bowie one! But I can ramble on all I want, you'll never get why I'm so excited about them until you SEE them... go take a peek! They've got everything from Ghostbusters to Galaxy Quest to Star Trek!!!

On a completely different note, I have found that (especially as the Christmas season draws nearer) that I have many products that I simply don't get to use. For example, most of my ACEOs (Art Cards, Editions, and Originals) are hand-illustrated originals, so I don't really get to use my stamp collection, although I've got a nice one, and many are wooden.

Well, I can't believe I actually posted a blog without pictures, but sometimes I think if you truly want to see something, then you have to go look at it. Seriously, take a look at the above Etsy shop... you'll be glad you did :)

This Little Light of Mine

Some days are difficult. That's just the way it is. Today I found myself a bit under the weather. But you want to know what perked me right up? I began singing "This Little Light of Mine" to my baby girl, Jubilee... and it really improved my mood. That's why the Bible tells us to "put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness"... a lesson maybe we need to apply to our daily lives more often?

So after that, I was more motivated to take pictures of my latest creation, and to get the computer out so I could list it. Here it is, my first "official" Christmas item!

It is a Sculpey Polymer clay magnet that I titled "Christmas Frost". You can see more of it here.

If you are wondering, the above Bible passage was taken from Isaiah 61:3... a VERY uplifting read!

Have a wonderful evening, everyone!!!

What to Write?

I've been waiting all day in eager anticipation to write on my blog! Should I write about my kids? Or my latest art project? My favorite time of year (Autumn)? My favorite show, Dancing with the Stars? My mind is all a jumble with possibilities, but yet when I actually set fingers to keyboard, I draw a blank...

Nothing lasts too long anymore... on my birthday, which was Oct 10, I took my little kids (Kyle, 2 & 1/2 and Jubilee, 14 months) out for a walk. I bought them each little pumpkins (gourds?) as an Autumnal memento. Today, I found that Kyle's was mushy and white in spots :( Anyway, here is a pic of them the day they got their gourds.

They are getting so big. I am amazed at how fast time if virtually "flying" by... I know it says that in the End Times, that the days will be speeded up for the sake of the elect. Does anyone believe that we have entered the End Times? I know many probably thought they were in them when horrible things happened, like the Great Depression. But I'm really curious, does anyone believe we're there yet?

I've been trying (emphasis on "trying") to balance my time between every thing else and creating. I've been working on magnets and some really great ACEOs that I'm proud of. It's so good when you spend a lot of time on something and it comes out great. Too often I'll work hard on things that fail my expectations. But try, try again!

Here are Kyle and Jubilee the other morning, enjoying their breakfast :) I love them so much... I could write endless posts about them and only them... but I won't ;)

Well, before I forget, don't be remiss in entering my Giveaway! Go check it out :) And every one, have a great evening!!

Just a Moment...

...of freedom. At work currently, but wanted to stop in for a moment and show you all what I'm working on next. Opinions, as always, are always encouraged! :) Hope every one is having a great day!!! OK, take a peek: they're Polymer Clay magnets!

ACT Team Water Birds Submissions!

It has been too long, but finally, here are the submissions for the ACT Team "Water Birds" Inspiration contest... please, as always, email me your choice, 1, 2, or 3. :) I hope many of you vote! Here are the submissions... voting ends on Nov 11.

Please email me at: tracksaloquin@yahoo.com and let me know in the subject line that you are voting for the ACT Contest. Thank you to all of you who participate!

Wonderful Giveaway!!!

Yay! It's time for a really great giveaway that you're going to love:

No, the giveaway is NOT for the baby, she's MINE! LOL :) It's for this wonderful Lampwork Necklace from Halcraft USA! See?

It is a necklace that you make yourself! What a perfect gift (Christmas is coming!) for that special loved one... a beautiful necklace that you made yourself! Take a look at these beautiful beads...

This do-it-yourselfer comes with easy to read (and understand!) instructions and a list of everything that comes with the necklace. The only thing that does not come with it is the center pendant (they want you to buy one seperately), but it's such a beautiful necklace, you don't even need a pendant!

So, what do you have to do in order to win? It's simple! So many giveaways have detailed and time-consuming things to do in order to enter, but not me!

Mandatory Entry:

Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment indicating that you are. You MUST also leave an email address or subsequent way to contact you, so I can let you know if you're the winner! :)

Additional Entry:

Visit my ETSY SHOP and check it out, then come back here and write a second comment letting me know what is your favorite item in my shop AND why.

See, told you it was simple! :) The giveaway ends on Friday, November 11, 2011. That still gives you plenty of time to create the necklace and get it ready to give to whomever you wish (even if it's to YOU!)

Creativity on the Wind :)

It's a breezy, blustery day here on Long Island. The leaves are falling, the trees are blowing, and my son is having a blast dancing around in all of it. Even the fallen leaves are leaving imprints on some of his toys... if you look carefully, you'll see what I mean:

I have been diligently working on some new ideas for ACEOs for the holidays. Every one seemed to be interested in my graffiti series so much (you can see some of them still here) that I decided to take the advice of some friends and begin incorporating the graffiti/urbanesque style of art into some Christmas gems. Here are two that I'm currenly finishing up... what do you think?

All comments will be greatly appreciated, as I'm really trying to make ACEOs that people will want to give to their loved ones/friends for the holidays!!! Thanks so much!

-Aloquin :)

What's In A Name, Anyway?

Give-Away Time!!!

Do you believe that the name, or title, of a work of art can add to it? Of course! Sometimes, a highly creative name for a piece "makes" the piece... it draws the viewer in and causes one to think deeper about the intent of the artist, and how they could have come to decide upon that particular title. Consequently, a poorly chosen name for a piece can detract from it, as well... often times, I've heard a fantastic song that I've really enjoyed. Upon discovering the title, however, I was left a little... blah.
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I recently took out a book from the local library. It seems hard to find book devoted to ATCs or ACEOs (Art Cards, baby!!!) But as the art forum moves forward, I want to stay up-to-date as much as I can. Anywhoooo, the book I took out was this one:



"1,000 Artist Trading Cards: Innovative and Inspired Mixed Media ATCs" by Patricia Bolton, Editor-In-Chief of

ClothPaperScissors
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It's a really cool book! It has a great introduction, explaining what art cards are, how the movement began, etc. It even has a fantastic gallery of cards where you can really see the detail and methods/materials used! The only thing that left me a little flat was that the cards were identified by number only... none of them showed the title of the card.
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With this carefully in mind, I present to you my two latest ATCs:



I really like the way they came out... a lot of feeling and emotion went into these pieces. But... I am at a loss for names for them! That's where YOU come in!

Time to employ your creative help... and think of a name for these two original cards! Easy, you think? Not so much! Give it a try! You can even think of ONE name, and I'll just name the cards "Name 1" and "Name 2", as in a series. Just post here the names you choose, give me SOME way to contact you, and the names I like the best will win this original ATC from me titled "Hearts Entangled"!


Give-Away Time!!!

ATCs

OK, so I've been a seller on Etsy for a few years now. Here's my shop. I really am a huge supporter of Etsy, and I love the site, despite some recent changes. But I won't get into that here, lol.



So, I mostly sell ACEOs on Etsy. I LOVE the art form, and the versatility is amazing. I was aware for a while of ATCs (Artist TRADING Cards), but never really bothered with them. Lately, however, I've found quite a few beautiful cards on the ATC's For All website. I've even traded a bit here and there!



Come check out my gallery, join on up, and get involved. They also do more, like swaps, chunky books, etc. I haven't gotten involved in all of that, but the time I do spend there, I enjoy very much. :) Here is my gallery .

Be Polite!

When considering a trade (of ATCs) and the person who has asked you to trade really doesn't have anything that you like, don't say "no" to the trade. Rather, say something like "Thanks so much for wanting to trade with me! I'll keep an eye on your gallery." That way, you're not being mean. You never know, they may just make something you WILL want in the future :)

Have a creative day!!!
-Aloquin

2nd Inpiration Contest!

Here we go, ACT Team... our second inspiration contest! The theme? Simply making an ACEO (Art Cards, Editions, and Originals) out of a medium you haven't used before... here we are!

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

Really GREAT entries!!! I love them all :)
OK every one, please vote! Email me the ONE choice you make, with the corresponding number, to: tracksaloquin@yahoo.com

Thanks so much, and best of luck to every one! :)

-Aloquin

1st EVER ACT Team Inspiration Contest!!!

Here are the entries for the 1st EVER ACT Team Inspiration Contest! Please, if you are a member of our team, vote for only ONE of the entries. They are numbered, so all you need to do is email the number of your choice to: tracksaloquin@yahoo.com

Whoever gets the most votes, wins!!! So, which do YOU like best?? :)

Number 1:


Number 2:


Number 3:


Number 4:


Number 5:


Number 6:


Number 7:


Every one did such great work!!! I can't wait to see who wins. Remember, vote soon! Voting closes Monday (Jan 24). Good luck, every one!!!

ACT Team Logo Vote!!!

Hi Every one!!!

Here are the submissions for the ACT Team Logo! Please only pick ONE, and convo me your choice on Etsy. Thanks!!! When you choose, pick the number associated with the Logo, and just convo me the number of your choice. :)

NUMBER ONE


NUMBER TWO



NUMBER THREE



NUMBER FOUR


NUMBER FIVE


NUMBER SIX