A Busy Month

Has it really been a month since my last post? It seems like I was just putting up my fall wreath and watering the mums on my front porch. Now here we are less than a week away from Christmas. The last 5 weeks have been a blur of LED lights, ornaments and garland along with a whirlwind of 12 foot Christmas trees and paper mache snowmen props. You see when I am not creating my art, I work as a decorator for a company that provides holiday decor for corporate buildings and businesses. The photo above is a tree I designed for an investment company's corporate location just outside of Hartford, CT.


I have been decking the halls since July, preparing decor for installations and making everything perfect to head out to our clients. All those months of prep come together in a 4 week frenzy. The many hours on the road delivering and setting up are now over. I am scrambling to finish up my shopping, baking and sending out orders from my Etsy shop. Aside from the fact I have not had too much time to create my own art, I really enjoy what I do. Once all of the decor comes down and is once again packed away in the warehouse, I will once again have the time to make art.

I'd like to send a huge thank you to all of you who supported and encouraged me in 2009. I appreciate it very much. Have a wonderful holiday!

Peace Love & Tile,
Jeanine

Hey CT... Buy Handmade!

The Gift Shop at Meiklem Kiln Works
is having their 10th Annual Pottery/Art Sale!

Buy a beautiful handmade gift made by local Connecticut artists. A selection of my mosaic and mixed media work will also be available.

Sale hours are Saturday, November 21st, 9am-5pm and Sunday, November 22nd, 9am-2pm.

To learn more about Meiklem Kiln works and see their winter 2010 class schedule, check out their website.

What's New?

Between my day job and watching my NY Yankees battle it out for the World Series at night, I have not been spending much time in the studio at all. Since my time for mosaic art is limited I have been creating small paintings and ACEO's for my second Etsy shop, Assorted Olives. There are a few new things I'd love to share that I have been working on.


The first photo seen above is a design that can be purchased on a mug in my new Zazzle shop. Creating unique designs using my original art and some magical tricks in Photoshop has been so much fun. I am looking forward to stocking the shop with more goodies as we move ahead towards the gift giving season. Go check it out!

Painting ACEO's is my favorite way to relax and get my mind off of things. Look for an expanded selection in my Assorted Olives shop just in time for the holidays. I am also working on some larger works on canvas too.


There *will* be new mosaics in my shop before the holidays as well. So be sure to keep an eye on my mixed media & mosaic shop Gemini Moon Mosaics too.

Enter to Win a Mini Mosaic Mirror

Enter to win this original, one of a kind mini mosaic mirror in my first ever give-away! There are two ways to get your entry in. Read on to find out how to participate.

1. Are you on Facebook? Become a fan of Gemini Moon Mosaics.

2. Go to my Etsy shop http://www.GeminiMoonMosaics.etsy.com

3. Choose your favorite thing from my shop.

4. Return to my fan page on Facebook and post the name and link to your favorite.

Once you comment there, you are entered.

Not on Facebook? Don't worry! Just leave your selection here as a comment. Entries from both my fan page and this blog post will be put in the virtual hat.

The winner will be randomly selected using www.random.org and announced on Sunday, October 11th. Good luck!

Battling the 9 - 5 Blues

Juggling a 9-5 job and maintaining an Etsy shop and art career on the side can be difficult. For many artists, myself included, it is the reality. Keeping the creativity going when you are tired from a days work can be so hard. Ideas may be swirling around, but the energy and lack of time can really get in the way of getting the ideas out and bringing them to life.

For me, I have learned that I can not force myself to spend time in my studio at night after dinner if I am not feeling up to it. Those thoughts appear "but I have to make things" or "I haven't listed any thing new yet this week" and that feeling of being unproductive creeps in. It used to be that I would stay up late, work on projects and then have a horrible time getting up the next morning. My mood and attitude during the work day become cranky. This in turn crushes every last ounce of creativity I may have to work on a project that day when I get home.

I have found a way to keep my creativity going during the week and not overwhelm myself with projects that I can not devote the proper time and attention to. I started working on small scale projects. Collage pieces mostly, like the 3 seen in the photos here. Whether I work at my table in my studio, or take my supplies downstairs and work while I watch TV, these pieces are just the right size to work on. When I am not making a small scale collage, you can find me painting ACEO's.


For me, creating something, even if it just ends up being a study that turns into a large scale project one day, is enough to keep my artsy side happy. Thinking small, I can set out with only an hour or two to work a day and actually complete a piece. My more ambitious projects... well, I will admit I plan those out in my head during the day at work sometimes. I may even sketch out a few things. I save my big stuff for my precious days off, the weekends, or a Friday night after drinking a bit of coffee.

New Work & New Opportunities

It's about time!!

New mini mirrors are here.....

Click the pictures to check them out one by one, or take a look at my Mini Mirror section in my Etsy shop.

And I am happy to announce that my work is now available at Meiklem Kiln Works Clay Studio. It is a fabulous studio offering classes in many mediums, it has a yoga studio and an amazing gift shop featuring unique work from several artists. I am excited to be a part of it. Check it out if you are in the CT area.

★★★ End of Summer BOGO SALE! ★★★

★★★ End of Summer BOGO SALE! ★★★

Buy one piece of wearable art get a second one for half price!

Check out the BOGO section for a beautiful assortment of altered art pendants and pinbacks. Buy any one item there and receive any other wearable art piece of equal or lesser value at half price. AND

★★★ Buy 3 wearable art items and get a 4th FREE! ★★★

Refunds will be promptly issued via Paypal. Sale applies to wearable art only. Please contact me if you have any questions.


It's not too early to think about those little gifts you need for the holidays. Now is a great time to get started! And remember I do combine shipping on multiple purchases.