Give Santa a Hand - Make Your Own Gifts!

I don't really know how old Santa Claus is but he looks like the same old jolly fella every year, never aging beyond the look of a centurion, despite the fact that he works 24/7 all year 'round. Managing a team of knee high employees and a number of antlered animals all working towards one special occasion - Christmas day!  Imagine being that guy, having to trust your pets without wings to fly you around while you deliver countless gifts to everyone around the world. Phew!

Let's save our Santa by choosing to make a few of our own gifts for family and friends! 

This Friday, December 1st, will be the first of my two holiday classes. As seen in the picture above, we will be making a charming keepsake - a Christmas tree made from buttons on top of a picture frame ready for display. The class begins at 6pm, costs $35 and includes all materials.

The second class will be on Saturday, December 2nd. In this class, we'll create wonderful wreaths like the red one above that you see peeking from under the button project or the white one below......or how about a gorgeous green wreath perfect to dress your door or tweak your tabletop! The class begins at 1pm, costs $35 and includes all materials.

Both classes will be held at Raquel Amaral's Gallery in 

Concord, CA - 1856 Colfax St., Suite 6.

Message me here or through my facebook page for registration information. 

Let's give Santa a little break this year. Join me for some fun, some friendship, and festive art!

Let's Make Something Together! Upcoming Holiday Craft Classes

The holidays are a perfect time to gather friends and family and get crafty! Handmade gifts are often the most cherished as nothing says love quite like 
"I made this just for you!".

I have a couple of upcoming classes that I will be teaching here in my hometown of Concord, California. Both are super fun to make with lovely results!

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The first project will be on Friday, December 1st beginning at 6pm. We will create a charming Christmas tree made from buttons. We'll center the button tree on a picture frame for easy display - it'll be the center of attention during your holiday gatherings!

One of the cool things about this craft is that any holiday is open game for button art. In February, our class made beautiful framed button hearts. We loved the project so much that we're trying our hand at the Christmas tree design.

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The second project will be on Saturday, December 2nd, beginning at 1pm. In this class, we'll make a gorgeous wreath using tulle fabric and embellishments. So many options here to make a unique door decor!

White tulle wreath - with removable poinsettia's - perfect for using at other occasions

Here are further class details:

WHERE:  Raquel Amaral Art Gallery – 1856 Colfax Street, 

                  Suite 6, Concord

COST:      $35 and includes all materials

PAYMENT DETAILS: advance payment is required to hold your place. Email me at kimlawson2000@gmail.com and I will send you a Paypal invoice.

                  

Let's make something together, make new friends, and start the holiday season with something beautiful made just by you!

See more of my artwork by clicking on the Etsy and Society6 tabs here. 

New Projects - New 2 Day Sale!

Amber Up!

Before Black Friday, there's what I'm calling "Early Bird's Best" sale. Sunday, 11/19 through midnight Monday, 11/20, find my latest photography projects on Society6 all at 25% off. 

I can't wait for you to see what I've been working on - I'm very pleased with my work and hope you will be too.

Shown here, all but the piano photo were taken on my latest trip to Oahu. Hawaii truly is paradise and I couldn't help but find beautiful subjects to take pictures of. 

Take advantage of this sale and keep your eyes open for more of my artwork coming soon!

Kim Lawson Art goes live on Etsy!

     

I've been working hard preparing my photography artwork for my latest Etsy and Society6 online stores. I'm so excited to be able to showcase my photos! 

Using an "old school" 35mm camera is more satisfying to me than using a cell phone's camera. Today's cell phones take excellent pictures and are much easier to carry around than my heavy, bulky Olympus but I like using my cell phone to make calls. I think that 35mm cameras have more versatility and opportunity to get creative. I'll use my cell phone camera in a pinch though - photo opps can happen at anytime!

Alaskan barn painting

Vacations, road trips, a walk in a local park, shopping at the farmers market are just a few reasons to have that camera in hand. I like to get up close and personal with my subject, to try seeing every day objects in a new light. It's amazing and exhilerating!

I have beautiful images from large prints with mats, to note cards, to shower curtains, to leggings, and everything in between. More items will be added soon like....

Take a peek at my new Etsy and Society6 sites then add a comment here to let me know which photos and products are your favorite!

Art Sale Alert - Limited Time Offer - Just Today and Tomorrow!

Pretty in Pink canvas bag

"Flamin' Flamingo"

Hello, friends!

I wanted to tell you about an awesome sale on my Society 6 artwork - and it's only for today and tomorrow (November 12 & 13).

Take 25% off regular priced items using the code GIVEART25 at checkout. Just in time for holiday shopping, load up on gifts like wall art, bedspreads, pillows, cell phone cases, t-shirts, canvas bags, and more, all with my original art and photography.

"Something Fishy" 

Need new notecards?

Fountain Bleu notecards

Silly about stickers? 

Jungle Barbie stickers

How 'bout a backpack?

"Pink Starburst" 

"Going Nuts"

Yup! Those are waiting for you on my Society6 site  - unique, quality gift ideas brought to you by yours truly!

Bonus Offer: when you make a purchase and notify me via blog comment, I will send you a gift of an exclusive 8x10 matted photo! Woohoo!

"Flamingo Stretch" shower curtain

I will be adding new artwork soon so check back often!  

Pop-up Art Show in September

  

An exciting event is coming your way September 17th - an art show featuring 12 local artists!

Mark your calendar to see various artworks for sale, including my photography on notecards and framed prints.

This is a one day show at a gallery in Pleasant Hill and is open from 11am - 5pm.

The location for this event:
                 I Heart Art Studio
                 15 Vivian Drive, Pleasant Hill

For more details, contact me via my blog or go to this link:

                                         September Art Show

Come support your local artists, buy something unique, and sample the free refreshments!

Hearts All Buttoned Up

Hearts and love. 

Who can live without these? One is necessary to keep our bodies alive and the other is our life's purpose. 

Wanting to pay homage to these attributes, especially with Valentine's day as a prompt, I had my craft class create projects just in time to celebrate the holiday and the sentiment.

I set out 8"x10" picture frames, various colored buttons, paper doilies, and strings of beads. My students chose colored paper to use as the background for their artwork which we inserted under the glass and closed the back of the frame in place. 

The students then got busy choosing the ornaments that they wanted to use. Using glue guns, they adhered the beads and buttons to the glass top. It was so fun to see the concentration and creative passion that these ladies used to make their works of art! Here are their results:

Nicole and Sophia show the love!

Nicole and Sophia's framed hearts

Rosa, Cindy, and Sarah with their "heartwork"

Detailed work of Cindy and Sarah's projects

I'm so proud of these ladies' projects! There's nothing like good friends gathering over a table covered with pretty baubles, their heads full of ideas, ending with a stronger bond and wonderful artwork.

To make my project, here's what I did:

I cut red cardstock paper to fit inside the frame using the glass as a template in order to cut the correct size. 

I dabbed a dot of gluestick on to a paper heart doily and placed it onto the center of the cardstock to use as a guide when I began laying down my button pattern. I closed the paper inside the frame and started picking out white and ivory colored buttons to use on my project. 

I cut off the shanks from the buttons that didn't have a flat back. After my glue gun was heated I got busy laying down the buttons on the glass top over the paper doily. It was like a puzzle trying to fill in the shape using the various sized buttons! Once the first layer was in place, I glued a second layer of buttons over the first in order to hide open spaces and to add more texture. 

After finishing the button heart creation, I decided that the project needed a little more pizazz. I removed the red cardstock from the inside of the frame, took the paper doily off of the cardstock and used a ruler and white ink pen to write rows of the word "love" down the entire page. I placed the cardstock back inside the frame and admired my finished handiwork. So cute!

Head on over to a dollar store or look through your stash of on-hand frames, gather your box of various buttons and beads, and see where love takes you!

Cooking With Words

The kitchen is the one room in my house that I tend to avoid except when I make coffee, cocktail, or a sandwich, none of which need cooking skills. It's not that I can't cook but rather that I prefer someone else do it for me. I like to eat, I just don't like the making of it part. 

Recipe books, yes I have a few, with their tantalizing photos and "just 5 easy steps" type directions. When a recipe indicates that there is a 30 minute preparation time, I know I must add an additional 45 minutes in order to find the various tools and ingredients that are buried in dark cabinets and drawers filled with mysterious kitchen devices. Then there's the measuring, searing, blanching... WTH!  I'm sweating over the details and hoping that the stove and oven know what they're doing. 

My favorite thing to make for a meal, besides a bowl of cereal, is a reservation. Let experts do the job right - everyone's a winner!

By now you may be wondering why I waxed on about cooking. My writing class prompt was an assortment of kitchen tools, many of which I knew the name of but had never dared to operate. Here's my take on the said prompt.
______________________________________________

Smashing, gnashing,
Whipping and rolling.
Mixing, measuring,
Separating, spreading, and spooning.

"Half baked", "cheesy", "toasted",
"Lips like honey", "finger licking good",
"Butter soft skin", "dream whip", "shaken not stirred".

How interesting that kitchen tools and rules
can mimic life so well.

If only my cooking capabilities matched 
my appreciation for fine food.
Perhaps then I could shout 
"reamer" with confidence.
_______________________________________________

With that said, I'm heading to the kitchen. I am very good about using the ice maker and a cocktail sounds like the perfect recipe about now!

Bottled Art

At a local craft store, I found a package of itsy bitsy glass bottles and couldn't resist buying them. I went wild thinking of how these little vessels could be filled with all sorts of treasures. 

In our recent craft class we had fun filling the bottles with beads, pearls, layers of glitter, sand, and bits of shiny confetti. Once filled, we glued the lids on tight then tied pretty ribbons around the tops so that they could be slipped over our heads and worn as necklaces. 

We also wrapped wire around some of the lids creating loops to attach chain for a more classy necklace look. Here's how to wrap the wire:

Materials

• Wire
• Round nosed pliers
• Jump rings
• Chain
• Clasp (optional)

About 2 inches from the end of the wire, wrap the wire around the pliers to create a loop. Wind the short end of the wire around the loop a few times and cut off any excess. Place the loop on one side of the bottle and wind the long end of the wire around the bottle top a couple of times. Use the pliers to make the second loop on the other side of the bottle. Wrap the bottle top one more time to secure the second loop ending with a final wrap around the that loop to anchor it. Cut off the excess wire. 

Add jump rings onto the loops. Measure the chain for the length at which you want the necklace to hang. For a longer necklace, say 20 inches or more, you can simply attach the chain ends to the jump rings and slip the necklace over your head to wear it. For shorter jewelry, measure two pieces of chain equal in length, attach one end of each of the chains to the jump rings and the other end of the chains to a clasp. Instant style!

More ideas for your bottle craft: 

• wrap wire with a few beads around the entire bottle
• add a bit of sand in the bottle and place a small love note inside
• fill the bottle with colored water and a few pearls or sand and shells
• add charms to dangle from the wire loops
• make a mini terrarium by adding a little sand and tiny plastic plants
• dap glue to the top and sides of the lid and roll it in glitter (once dried, dab a bit more glue to the glitter to seal it)
• put a small label on the outside of the bottle - "fairy dust", "love potion", "wishes", etc
• fill with feathers, shells, or sea glass
• glue a silk flower to the lid top

Of course, you don't have to wear the bottles as jewelry. These tiny art pieces look pretty lined up in a window, as decoration in a natural plant terrarium, or nestled in book where you've cut out a hole in the pages. 

Have fun with this craft - don't keep your ideas "bottled up"!

A Whole New Light On Lampshades

Some time ago, I bought a dozen small paper lampshades at a local reuse/recycle shop. So many ideas floated through my head as to how to decorate them! 

I knew this would be a perfect project for my art class students to toy with so I set out various items to spark the imagination and we got busy. With buttons, paints, ribbons, faux flowers, and more, we got to work. Time flies when you're having fun and in a couple of hours we celebrated our creativity!

We stationed the lampshades on tall wine glasses (sans wine!) and placed tealights and inside the glasses for a soft glow. How pretty these would be as table decorations at a wedding or other party. Sweet and simple with just the right amount of pizzazz!

I have a few bare lampshades left over and am anxious to hear how they tell me they would like to be "dressed". A favorite poem in a fancy script? A feathered shade? Paper punched designs? A beaded fringe? The possibilities are endless!