Getting Etsy-ed Out!

It's official: I now have two store fronts on Etsy.com. One is for my wearable art (right now, that just means felted hats), and the other shop is for my fine art (paintings).
Since it takes me ages to upload pictures and add virtual merchandise to my shop, it might take me a while before I can say I'm in full-swing business, but let's just see. Wish me luck!

Fabulously Handmade Art at Etsy

Okay... so I've joined Etsy.com (see my shop with its one test painting in it... more to come soon!). Etsy is an DIY ecommerce platform where you can sell your handmade wares (art, clothing, jewelry... anything you make with your own hands), and sell online. It's an easy setup for someone like me. While the contents of my own shop are a bit slim at the moment, I've got an extensive list of favorite items being sold by other people:

Recycling Old Vinyl into New Designs

The other day, I was walking the dog, and I came upon a box of "free stuff", sitting on the sidewalk. Naturally, I stopped, and marvelled at a collection of old vinyl records. Despite not owning a record player, I felt compelled to tuck the collection under my arm, and continue on home. They've been sitting in my living room for a few days now, and I'm wondering what to do with them. Scanning the internet for inspiration, I found these cuffs, on "Cut Out + Keep - a step by step crafty community" (a punk or retro precursor to Etsy.com?). I was thinking of making a mobile, however.

Any other suggestions? If anyone has any thoughts, I'll take them, and promise to photograph and post what I end up creating.

Revolutionizing Pixel: Reading the Fine Print

The fight against fleas, ticks, heartworm and other parasites is something that all dog-owners should be concerned about. For this reason, I have been using Revolution (by Pfizer) for my dog, Pixel. He's been on it since he's been a young pup. I liked it, because it was the most all-encompassing parasite treatment I knew of, and with only one application monthly, it was all taken care of. It was not until recently, however, that I noticed my dog's reaction to the drug, and so I read the drug label's fine print (see picture above). Nobody ever mentioned that he could actually die from it. In fact, besides the death part, my dog was experiencing all of the side effects listed in the "Adverse Reactions" section, in teeny, tiny print.
I thought it was worth sharing this information, because after reading the "Warnings" section, I didn't see anything too bad (their sections include "Caution", "Warnings", "Precautions", "Adverse Reactions", and "Safety", among others, and I had inadvertantly skipped over that piece of info... see the PDF on the Pfizer web site). In short, be sure to really read about any chemicals you are giving your furry friend, especially if they start acting strangely. I gave Pixel a bath at 1:00 AM, and he almost immediately went back to his normal behaviour.

Haircut 2.0 - The Ultimate Wearable Art

It takes a very brave soul to ask random strangers to cut one's hair... which is precisely what this young guy, Bilal Ghalib did. He's calling it Haircut 2.0. Crazy? You decide.

How to Make, Create, Design... Stuff

Always on the look-out for new projects, I found this web site, Instructables, that promises step-by-step instructions on how to make... well, just about anything. From Food to pets, to art, to the offbeat, ideas about. Users submit their own "how to" instructions, photos and all. Get inspired--in a cast? paint it into a funky high-top sneaker, like this one. Teach yourself how to divide, throw a punch, enroll your kid in school in San Fran, or teach your dog tricks.

Tutorialized Tutorials

Tutorialized is packed full of good old fashioned, F1 help. Learn how to make hair in Illustrator, or how to get started in Adobe Premiere. There are technical and business tutorials there too, but I'm mostly interested in the free online graphic design education I can give myself. Maybe you simply want to learn more about making animated banners in Flash. Whatever the reason, if you can see past the many blinking ads, this handy web site is your one-stop shopping for freebie online learning.

Portrait Drawing on YouTube

Are you one of those people who get inspired by being around other artists? if so, here's a quick fix for you: a 25-year-old Brazilian portrait artist who calls himself marcoseiji on YouTube. He scribbles away on paper, making it all look so easy. Check out his user profile, with his many vids, including this "composite" video. Then, there's the video of EclecticAsylumArt, another YouTube artist, drawing marcoseiji's portrait.

Criss Angel BeLIEve Show Wows

Visiting Vegas means a trip to see Cirque du Soleil. I saw the premiere of the new "Criss Angel BeLIEve" show, which will be in preview mode until the Gala Première on Halloween night. Like other Cirque shows, it was spectacular, incredibly clever, and artfully done. There are eye-popping effects done with video projection and Criss Angel, the headliner magician. The sets and costumes were beautifully designed, right up to the last detail, consistant with Cirque's ever-precise mastery of fabulous visuals and pulsating rythms. The story is a wonderful, magical journey. Here's the link to their neat wallpapers.