tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358536072012-01-22T08:08:47.185-06:00O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.comBlogger861100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-46307667037636612822011-08-21T18:34:00.001-05:002012-01-22T08:08:22.485-06:00

Let's express some arrow love now! In this new feature I'll share designs that utilize my favorite symbol/motif, the arrow. (If you're curious to know more about the arrow love I feel, I explain it all in "arrow obsession", a comic I made.) I've been collecting arrow-themed things for a good portion of my adult life (hey, everyone has a weird thing, right? Right!?) and I think this addition to my

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-38427244028069190382011-08-18T11:10:00.001-05:002012-01-22T08:06:25.284-06:00

Let's get on with the third in my new series of features. This one poses the question, "Is this street art?" followed by a picture of the piece in question. I aim to answer that question although you're free to disagree in the comments. I'm not an expert on what does or does not qualify as art. I'll just narrow down the possibilities and conclude what seems to be intentional or happenstance art.

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-78753471729388567232011-08-14T17:28:00.001-05:002012-01-22T08:03:57.025-06:00

As promised, I'm posting my new themes and this here is called Artist Discovery where I'll share artists I've recently discovered and am feeling especially inspired by. For this first round let me introduce you to Brett Manning, a highly talented young woman who does some gorgeous drawings and paintings.  Her work is often personal and inspired by her dreams, and they carry that dreamy quality

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-11073476182897733402011-08-13T21:08:00.001-05:002011-08-14T17:31:24.450-05:00

Classic vs. New Design: Since I am studying Industrial Design (aka product design) I thought I should do a series of posts comparing and contrasting everyday designs I have experience with. Today let's talk about ice trays. Specifically two types of plastic ice trays, one classic and one with a new take on that classic. We all know what the classic plastic ice tray looks like: rectangular,

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-36409911142446812612011-08-12T18:57:00.003-05:002012-01-22T08:02:51.768-06:00

As previously promised, I'm back to reveal some new features you might see more regularly on this here blogger. 1. Classic vs. New Design:  In keeping with my field of study (Industrial Design), these posts will give examples comparing and contrasting everyday designs. I'll choose which designs win each challenge based on usability, intuition and form. 2. Artist Discovery:  This will give me a

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-26145377116480139542011-08-08T17:11:00.001-05:002012-01-22T07:57:42.864-06:00

Why hello there! My post last week mentioned wanting to make some yet unknown changes around here. I thought it over and found a solution to my non-problem! This blog has mainly been a random affair, posting bits and pieces of my scattered creative life at very irregular intervals. Which is dandy, but maybe this blog needs a little more continuity - something repeated and structured. The blogs I

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-68492235266550109432011-07-30T14:58:00.000-05:002011-07-30T14:58:40.350-05:00

I'm finding it hilarious that over the course of making this blog I've made promises of some big change to come, more frequent posting or other claims to boost this into being a better blog.  Then, as if by some comical force of irony, life strolls on by, taking me away to do other things and the blog goes neglected yet again. A recent example being my May post "Zoom time" which promised a "

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-13676794020341394882011-06-05T19:39:00.000-05:002011-06-05T19:39:36.374-05:00

It's been a while since the Chicago zine fest happened, but I still wanted to write about it nevertheless (such a great combo word!). I worked ultra hard over spring break to get everything done on time. The fest was on the last day of my break and I was so exhausted from all the preparation. Who knew that having a table at an event would be so hectic? Not me! The exhibition was held on a

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-41987361288135453022011-05-15T17:40:00.000-05:002011-05-15T17:40:26.687-05:00

So I finally made it to my first comic convention! Not sure what took me so long, but now that I have, I think I'm hooked! I went to the opening day of C2E2, back in March. This was seriously the most fun I've experienced in a while. I loved seeing all the people in costume, cruising around in awesome/weird get-ups they put together. (Craziness) There was an almost overwhelming array of booths

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-78771528607024075672011-05-14T15:36:00.000-05:002011-05-14T15:36:15.324-05:00

Don't be surprised if there's a sudden surge of blog activity from me after such a long patchy, dry spell. I'm on summer break from school now, so I have a new surplus of time I can use to get you caught up on some recent stuff and things. Breaks from school tend to go by a lot faster than I expect so I want to try and fit a whole lot into the next couple months, it's kind of a personal challenge

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-55367571105085355742011-03-19T17:38:00.000-05:002011-03-19T17:38:55.992-05:00

It's almost here! That's the official flier for this year's festival, with artwork by Edie Fake. I'm really excited for it to come but am also kind of scrambling over here. I'm in the middle of finishing up a new zine called "arrow obsession" which is a comic-zine. Plus, trying to make last minute dashes to wrap up a couple more before time runs out. Thankfully, it's spring break for me, so I'm

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-41513684213703292332011-03-05T09:19:00.001-06:002011-07-30T14:17:59.245-05:00

Chicago Zine Fest '11 is sneeking up quickly, and I've got to boogie! Luckily, today is the perfect rainy/snowy day to get some new material done. Plus, this week my drawing class took a field trip that supplied me with tons of inspiration. We visited the Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Follow the link to see examples of the books, some of which

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-31474320709721293472011-01-01T17:13:00.000-06:002011-01-01T17:13:22.977-06:00

Wow, it's actually 2011. I have a very good feeling about this year. Mostly because 11 is my favorite number...seriously. But also because things have been pretty sweet this past week and I'll go ahead and take that as a good sign for the future. Good things? After months of being broke as a joke (I know that makes no sense), I got a few odd jobs to hold me over. The best was a fun graphic design

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-25970567970975292632010-12-04T22:12:00.001-06:002010-12-04T22:15:42.483-06:00

Hello! I especially want to welcome all my new followers! Thanks for checking out my blog! I'm just writing a quick post to let anyone who might be interested know about two holiday themed swaps I'm currently hosting at swap-bot.com. One is for a Handmade Holiday card with a flat ornament (handmade or store bought ornament, your choice) for one partner with sign up deadline on Monday the 6th and

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-77407815544748323232010-11-20T10:41:00.001-06:002010-11-20T15:11:39.636-06:00

Days then weeks then months then years...it's all zooming by so fast I find myself saying, "it's already _insert month/season_? How did that happen?" At the minute I seem to be astonished that Thanksgiving is around the corner and that I only have a couple weeks left of this semester. It must be some kind of trick. Anyhow, ages ago I promised to start some new themed posts as well as sharing some

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-65255823709532590702010-10-30T10:40:00.000-05:002010-10-30T10:40:23.020-05:00

Autumn times have always been my favorite time of year. There is something extra cozy about it, it smells really good and the colors are so gorgeous. Our backyard is especially bright because of all the landscaping. Here is a picture I took a few days ago of the ivy back there: Another reason to love this season (ooh, poetry!) is the fact that Halloween, also known as my favorite holiday,

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-48419551840557858552010-10-10T09:55:00.001-05:002010-12-05T09:41:45.221-06:00

A month between posts is kind of ridiculous, I know. I started going to a new school and got caught up in the whirlwind of adjusting to that. It's been one the best times of my life so far, I absolutely love art school! It almost seems like a joke that all my homework is creating some kind of artwork, but it's for serious, and I am super pleased about it. I'm also really pleased that I was

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-59465300198657375162010-09-06T10:10:00.001-05:002010-09-06T10:12:51.050-05:00

Hi! Just wanted to share a really lovely idea that translates into you getting some gorgeous, one-of-a-kind handmade envelopes from Hong Kong! Vicky makes them and has started something called the Envelope Adoption Programme. I added her button for you to follow to her blog post all about the program. All you have to do is email Vicky to adopt your own but you can also show your appreciation

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-35778247740492456522010-08-21T13:25:00.001-05:002010-08-21T13:25:42.399-05:00

Hi there! So a little over a year ago I switched my major from architecture to industrial design. I didn't really know ID existed before that time, but it was something I knew I wanted to do. When people would ask me what kind of buildings I wanted to make I would reply that I didn't so much want to create buildings but instead, components of the buildings; the details. Turns out, that is pretty

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-77736506282586425242010-08-19T10:57:00.002-05:002010-08-19T18:11:00.562-05:00

Ages ago I did an art exchange and shared my piece in this post. I never showed the things I got! So here they are: On the left is a super awesome textile art by Rachel Udell, and you can look at more of her art and/or purchase your own at her etsy shop rachellahh. The piece on the right is a collage work by Gina Abelkop. (I can't find her envelope at the minute so I don't know if she has a

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-10371704917790874952010-08-12T17:41:00.000-05:002010-08-12T17:41:01.237-05:00

I don't know if it's because I'm out of work this summer or because I'm out of school but I have been creating like crazy, especially art work. I hope it lasts through the colder months because I love to get cozy and creative in the fall. It's been so hot this summer that I'm now having autumn fantasies! Back to school in less than two weeks, so I guess I should try to get the most out of the

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-25910420860916271092010-08-04T10:10:00.002-05:002010-08-04T10:14:23.768-05:00

So I was catching up on reading all the new blogs I recently started following and found two great giveaways you should go join. One is at kimminita, a fantastic sewing themed blog. This is the giveaway she's having to celebrate reaching 100 followers and the prize is a super cute yellow purse she made. Go here to enter: Purse Giveaway The second giveaway I found was at the blog Just add Water,

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-41119635323497178812010-08-04T08:49:00.001-05:002010-08-04T08:52:40.971-05:00

Hi all, Thanks for voting on the last post, it looks like "just do both" won in the end, so I will be making a travel log swap and selling them at my etsy shop! Guess there will be details about both when that happens. In the meantime, I just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures from my trip. It's hard to choose a "few" from 315 pictures! I went a little snapshot crazy. Hope you enjoy

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-8988018198749445692010-07-25T22:22:00.001-05:002010-07-25T22:25:13.172-05:00

Hello readers, thanks to all my new followers for your comments and interest! This will be my last post for at least a week and a half, since I'm leaving tomorrow for a trip to the UK! Mainly we are going for my boyfriend's cousin's wedding in the city of Robin Hood. So amazing. But first we'll visit friends in London and then off to Wales, land of my heritage (at least the maternal side). So,

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-13233569997594359992010-07-24T13:48:00.004-05:002010-07-25T22:24:15.765-05:00

I joined a swap recently on swap-bot where you follow some new blogs and I thought I'd share what I found. + This humanitarian blog is so fantastic and gives so many ideas and resources you can use to make a difference in the world. I already found a volunteer project I want to do on this blog (making b-day cards for seniors - link here). Maybe you can find a way to give here too: Give Time Or

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-470985699314699622010-07-23T22:11:00.000-05:002010-07-23T22:11:33.170-05:00

Something great and not so common is happening where I can't seem to stop making more art! It's been such a good summer for creating. How about you? This was for a Native American ATC, I decided to paint someone from a local tribe, a Kickapoo woman. I love that name, Kickapoo! This was something I did for a handmade card challenge. Yes, real feathers! It was fun and fuzzy and I'm finally using

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-58427205487215646742010-07-19T14:49:00.000-05:002010-07-19T14:49:13.388-05:00

Hi, it's me again... I started a swap where you write a letter about your garden and what you love about it, and you can join here. I think it'll be really fun! The deadline is tomorrow, so you gotta hurry! ;) I'll leave you with a few pictures of my garden from last year. XOXOlivia

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-23522591342492822692010-07-18T17:00:00.000-05:002010-07-18T17:00:26.690-05:00

One of my blog followers is trying to raise money so she can get a table at a craft fair and she needs your help. She has some really cute girl's dress up clothes along with some other great kids stuff and you can find them at her site, nellie bugs. She's also offering a limited time discount of 25% if you use the code DISCOUNT25 at the check out. If you have any kids or know some who would love

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-60119408344828257602010-07-17T17:20:00.001-05:002010-07-17T17:21:16.830-05:00

I was invited to join in on this super fun zine/art project not long ago. It's called "Going Postal" and it's hosted and created by Su "Tangle". The zine is a series that showcases ATCs submitted by international artists. The ATCs all have a postal theme and the art is so varied in interpretation and execution. It's printed in color, which is pretty amazing for a zine, and it's available at

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-60715670625894059792010-07-02T18:45:00.005-05:002010-07-17T17:23:36.040-05:00

I started a new swap on swap-bot that is for anyone who likes to make cards; it's a handmade mini card swap! Just thought I'd post a litte fyi, in case you wanted to join in on the fun...hint hint...zoom! XOXOlivia

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-597450311681310362010-06-30T14:38:00.001-05:002010-07-02T19:05:23.734-05:00

Like the new look? I took advantage of the new templates to freshen up the blog. Even though I've been in a fast-paced chemistry class this summer I've found a little time for art/crafts. Here are some ATCs I did with the theme "cute panda": Also some greeting cards with a sewing theme: I might actually use prints of the last two to make some cards for my etsy shop. I also have some new ideas

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-51278407391400012652010-05-31T13:47:00.001-05:002010-05-31T13:49:35.637-05:00

Hope everyone's spring is turning out to be grand, full of creative projects and new ideas. I haven't been able to create much, with finals then graduation (I got my first degree! An AA!), a short trip to see my best of pals in Detroit, and then this long, lazy holiday weekend. But, I have a lot of plans for new and exciting art projects to be worked on over the summer. I'll very likely start

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-10551705134639828612010-05-22T15:29:00.000-05:002010-05-22T15:29:52.326-05:00

I had three fantastic winners for my contest celebrating National Card and Letter Writing Month (April). The only requirement was to send me a postcard with your address so I could send my prize (stationary I designed and made). The first was Felicity who made a very cool postcard. I love the milk and splatter design! You can check out her awesome blog here. It's filled with great art and new

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-6783567221333174202010-04-24T12:20:00.002-05:002010-04-24T12:26:04.202-05:00

Recently I posted about an ATC exhibit that I was lucky enough to be a part of in Vancouver, Canada. Artists from all over the world submitted nine ATCs and were sent back the same amount from nine different artists. If you were able to be at the closing event you could trade them yourself! If you sent them in, like I did, you were sent back nine ATCs that were hand-picked specifically for you. I

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-61985835366679863712010-04-03T14:48:00.008-05:002010-04-20T08:41:38.606-05:00

Did you know that April is National Card and Letter Writing Month in the US? Neither did I, but thanks to this blog post by Felicity, I am now aware of the month-long celebration of postal goodness! Now, I thought, how shall I celebrate? I'm in the middle of writing a letter this afternoon and have already sent a few items around the globe in the first days of the month, what more could I do? I

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-91625814021639479262010-03-15T15:58:00.001-05:002010-03-15T15:59:41.030-05:00

Hi! Just here to do a follow up on my last post: Chicago Zine Fest was so fab! Friday night I took a bus to Quimby's bookstore for the zine reading event. It was really crammed in the bookstore, which was very cool and unexpected. I'm so glad zines are seeing such a comeback in interest and participation. One of my favorite parts of this event was when the manager of Quimby's, Liz Mason, sang a

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-59151701916010899122010-03-07T15:44:00.001-06:002010-03-07T15:45:00.467-06:00

Oh my god, I can't believe how time flies. The Chicago Zine Fest is next week already (March 12 & 13)! WHAT!? I will attempt to have some zines ready for trading and/or selling but I believe I ran out of time to hold an official spot exhibiting at a table. Maybe next year. My personal goal this year is to have a few new zines listed in my etsy shop in time for the fest so that if I give out my

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-85844986092983051712010-02-23T12:11:00.003-06:002010-02-23T16:30:30.328-06:00

I know, in my last post I claimed to have zero time to make art, and I just completed nine (yes, 9) ATCs! They're for the exhibit I mentioned but two posts ago that is taking place in Winter Olympics Land and looking for your submissions. I hope mine get there in time! A sneak peak...here are three out of the nine that I am most proud of: Solidarity Optimism Inspiration Ok, now get your butt

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-21841019563008198892010-02-15T22:15:00.001-06:002010-02-15T22:38:52.991-06:00

School started back up and wow, I have zero, and I mean 0, time for art or any personal projects! Guess I can just post things I did before my life was put in all-study-all-the-time mode. This little lady was something I painted for a good old fashioned art exchange I was a part of earlier this winter. The idea was that if I emailed 10 people asking them to be a part of the exchange and they

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-59476530328404349292010-01-22T22:29:00.000-06:002010-01-22T22:29:59.342-06:00

Just FYI, there is an ATC art exhibit coming up and you can be a part of it! It's happening in the lovely city of Vancouver, BC, where the Vancouver Artist Trading Card Group will celebrate its 10th anniversary! All of the cards in the show will be traded upon its closing and since you're meant to submit nine (yes, 9) ATCs, you're in for a nice pile of new art! There is a small entrance fee,

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-15070845043289447222010-01-19T15:01:00.001-06:002010-01-19T15:05:10.126-06:00

It has been a little while since these two zines came out but I still wanted to mention them here. I contributed to both and am very glad I did. The first was made by Jenny The Artist and is called Artists and Their Art, as you can see. It is a great idea for a zine as we all got to showcase our art and promote ourselves while at the same time, we got a whole directory of other artists to

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-43290251558869560262010-01-05T16:38:00.004-06:002010-01-05T17:05:41.659-06:00

These pieces of mail art were sent to me via a swap on swap-bot and they were actually called "weird mail" but come on, isn't weird mail just mail art? Yes! Ok, can't believe this Snoopy purse one came all the way from Norway! I laughed pretty heartily at this but even more so at the next one.Ah! I was in tears with laughter! The mail carrier was probably pretty grossed out just touching the maxi

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-54506482200089273002010-01-01T13:18:00.005-06:002010-01-06T09:57:31.652-06:00

Happy 2010, whoever is reading this (and thank you for that)! I have some lofty plans and high hopes for the year ahead - better to overreach than not have any goals or dreams, right? There will be several changes coming for my creative work and in my life overall. One of the major changes is that I will finally get myself a degree (an AA) and be (hopefully!) moving on to a university to finally

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-75348804921825939022009-10-05T17:32:00.003-05:002010-01-05T17:21:58.049-06:00

I'm still really into the Artist Trading Card (ATC) thingy. These are a few I made recently, all for swaps on swap-bot. If anyone happens by this blog and knows of another site that hosts ATC trades, please let me know. I have fun with swap-bot but just curious if there might be different options to choose from. Also, if you love making/trading them too, please get in touch, maybe we can do a

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-47049002158330423852009-08-01T13:12:00.005-05:002010-01-05T17:23:12.313-06:00

swap-bot I found out about this site at venuszine last Dec and was instantly hooked. It's a great site for those who love mail, sending as well as receiving. Here's the idea: you choose to join a swap from the many categories (crafts of all sorts, art, and even zines!) then you follow the swap directions. There are deadlines, so you have to complete your package on time! It gets me motivated to

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-24613324052305331222009-06-11T09:48:00.002-05:002010-01-05T17:23:51.972-06:00

Visit We Make Zines See you there? Hope so! XOXOlivia

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-15796820974500428592009-06-04T08:38:00.003-05:002010-01-06T09:48:57.084-06:00

I can't help myself, I am in love with this miniature art form. I probably wouldn't do much art if I wasn't involved in trading these with other artists. They're easy and fun and I have more to show! "Stairway to Rapunzel" This was for a Fairy Tale swap I just had. I always loved the idea of hair that ridiculously long! Done in gauche. "City Girl" This was for a swap called "Artistic ATC"

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-83155884331239835872009-04-11T08:46:00.003-05:002010-01-06T09:49:30.124-06:00

I know there's a link just to the right but here's another button to jump you over to my etsy shop: Hope you check it out and find something you like! XOXOlivia

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-74163795366417788162009-03-28T18:13:00.006-05:002010-01-06T09:50:04.354-06:00

"Pink tree" "Tree skirts" These were for a watercolor ATC swap I did. It's difficult to paint the forest, especially in watercolor on a 2.5 X 3.5 inch "canvas". The pictures are based on some photos I took in Florida recently. "Cute skull girl" "Cute skull boy" These were for a "cute skull" ATC swap. Fun! "Octopus" & "Mermaid" These were for a mono-print ATC swap. I've never tried to do

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-78916205699678841582009-03-28T17:59:00.004-05:002010-01-06T09:50:33.775-06:00

Basically, this is where I want to live. The only thing is, I would space the little Smurf homes a lot further apart, you know, for privacy. And each dome would be occupied by a single individual, so the domes could be called by their dweller's names: "I'm stopping by the Oliviadome after work" or "I think I left my headphones at Momdome". That would be the life! Domefied society. At any rate,

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-25921686308934787132009-03-05T15:07:00.003-06:002010-01-06T09:50:48.296-06:00

I had been hearing about ATCs for a while, but I didn't get it...Artist Trading Cards? I thought, "What the heck is that about?" Turns out, once I made one, I was hooked. An ATC is a small piece of original art that is not sold but traded (although I hear some people like to sell them - boo!), and are the size of a baseball card (2.5x3.5"). Sometimes they have a specific theme and you roll from

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-58101778802641599682009-02-28T09:26:00.005-06:002010-01-06T09:51:04.401-06:00

As I browsed the internet searching for domes a while back, I happened upon this wonderment. Very cool, for a beach house. My only issue is...glass block? Really? If there is one building material I would like to eliminate, it would be the glass block. It is only suitable for industrial or commercial spaces, and then it still should be used sparingly. It's atrocious! Any other kind of railing

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-85873128595616834522009-02-14T17:35:00.005-06:002010-01-06T09:51:29.899-06:00

I haven't exactly done much art lately, as school is in progress and hogging up all my creative brain space. So, not too much new art to show, except for this. It's a few months old now, inspired by lovely Shawn Johnson and other flying gymnastic girls of the '08 Olympics. If I had to pick a favorite sport (to watch, only to watch!)it would be gymnastics. I named it "Olympia the Fearless" just

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-20626827727871644632009-02-14T17:25:00.001-06:002010-01-06T09:51:48.382-06:00

Oh zine peoples, my fellow creators of small, handmade reading material...where do you go to find each other? How do you connect? I do myspace and facebook, like all respectable members of society (please note sarcasm), and despite their reputation for being flippant and glib, I have actually made some fabulous connections on those sites. I'm talking about zine collaborations, trades and friends

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-80156502984087274942009-01-31T17:58:00.007-06:002010-01-06T09:52:02.467-06:00

So it's a new day, a new year. With the ever-turning of the clock and soon another season, it only seems right to add something new to the things I do. Like new features on this blog! Since I am an architecture student, I feel it's natural that I should start having some posts related to the subject of my studies. I'll try and keep them interesting, of course. Take this contraption, which I

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-44688706080742221072009-01-25T17:35:00.004-06:002010-01-06T09:52:45.310-06:00

It was the 28th of December, 2006. I was goofing around with my boyfriend and drew on the headers of the local, free culture paper, The Reader. We laughed our heads off. They were pretty funny. I made portraits out of the numbers that labeled the sections of the paper. Here is what they looked like: We decided it would be funny to mail them to the paper, but not to anyone in particular. Along

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-72821343531370787982009-01-25T17:14:00.005-06:002010-01-06T09:53:28.299-06:00

The show has moved to a downtown location! I attempted to improve my piece while the show itself grew and morphed into an even greater work. Even if you saw it during the first run at the Viaduct, it's worth checking out the new space/feel/look of the exhibit. It's awesome, I am so happy I was invited to be in this show! Here are the things one should know about it: THE EXQUISITE CITY - City

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-83767068766988609932009-01-12T20:12:00.006-06:002010-01-06T09:58:12.386-06:00

I think art is whatever you have handy and put together in your own way...like Jean-Michel Basquiat fancied. Such as this weird profile made while I was probably on the phone: Also, it is personal to me, and creating it as a product is not necessarily my goal. I don't really know what the goal is. Does art need a goal? Maybe it just needs an outlet. 2009 is already pretty jammed with art/

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-48419977828708869852009-01-04T12:40:00.010-06:002010-01-06T09:58:40.361-06:00

I can't believe it is already 2009. I caught myself last night, thinking Sleepless in Seattle seemed really old, and yet saying, "I thought it was made in the 90s." Yeah, the 90s are going on 20 years old! It doesn't seem that long ago. But it is. I'll share a short tale about coincidence and change, then a couple resolutions and we're done. I was making 2009 calendars to sell on etsy, and for

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-5482859623968247452008-12-28T09:41:00.005-06:002010-01-06T09:57:18.646-06:00

Back at the end of summer I saw an ad in the local paper for an art contest, hosted by Blue Moon Brewing Co. It claimed you could win a cash prize (I think it was a few grand) if you did a work of art that incorporated their beer. So I grabbed a six pack and headed over to my awesome artist friend's house to bust out some Blue Moon inspired art. Neither of us ended up even being finalists, which

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-69272669052142569332008-10-31T12:53:00.005-05:002010-01-06T09:59:18.232-06:00

I'm lazy...or busy. Or both. But I haven't updated this dealy since September! Woah. I was meaning to tell all about my art project that was in a group show, but I just wrote a blog that was annoyingly difficult to get to look right, so instead of writing another, I'll leave a link to that post on myspace. Maybe I will post more about this soon, as I believe the show is moving to another gallery.

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-64626559999813282692008-09-14T10:54:00.003-05:002010-01-06T10:00:31.841-06:00

Hello, Just a little heads up on a really cool comic collection that I was super happy about contributing to. It's called Candy or Medicine and it's made by Josh Blair. To see my little bio with illustration go here and scroll down. http://www.candyormedicine.com/creators.html To get a copy for yourself visit this page and go to Volume 4, or get all of them! http://www.candyormedicine.com/

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-60980857020162290432008-08-08T17:06:00.009-05:002010-01-06T10:00:57.055-06:00

Ok, I'm writing July and August reviews together like I did previously. What can I say? It's summer, and I've been a little on the busy side. I will also blame a recent power outage due to a super bad storm we had, Internet failure for a while and, sloppy me, I spilled Vitamin Water all over my keyboard. Oops. Anyhow, got a new "Back to School" laptop and am ready to nerd my way through the next

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-47525265661683348082008-07-19T14:34:00.009-05:002010-01-06T10:01:24.200-06:00

Hey there, I finally opened my online shop at Etsy! Woop! The banner was designed by Taryn Hipp of mymy.etsy.com - it's perfect. I love it. It also helped me make business cards, which are actually bookmarks (see below). Every etsy order over $1.00 will include a bookmark. Right now I only have zines for sale at the shop but after I photograph some of my other stuff, I will also sell jewelry and

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-6703701833303945352008-07-14T18:50:00.006-05:002010-01-06T10:01:43.213-06:00

After far too long a time, I have finally put together this project. I would like to thank all the participants for your patience and for your wonderful versions of the art. If you follow the link below you can download it and enjoy! XOXOlivia Download Here

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-44697193186470078912008-06-14T16:31:00.008-05:002010-01-06T10:02:03.941-06:00

Oh dear, I sure let time fly! Soon summer will be over - and it hasn't even officially begun yet! (That would be June 20th) Anyhow, blame college finals and too many jobs for these late reviews. I should be getting back the the whole monthly routine for July. These here are backlogged reviews from April and May plus June. Phew! I know, it's super long! Just pick the ones you think you'd give a

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-38936665923626628422008-06-06T08:11:00.004-05:002010-01-06T10:03:01.101-06:00

I did two recent works for practice and thought I would share. I'm returning to the old mediums I loved in my adolescence; watercolors and lead pencil/colored pencil. The watercolor was going well until I fudged it at the end. Too late, it's now permanently ugly! Shouldn't have added so much. I liked the way the curtain and the clothes hanging turned out, but, it was when I added the window,

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-70466356933600068142008-05-17T20:47:00.011-05:002010-01-06T10:11:41.438-06:00

Today was The Museum of Contemporary Art's Zine Fair. Also presented by Quimby's , its full title was "Zines, Comics and Other Hip Lit fair". Slightly long winded, but it had to be specific! Imagine the misconceptions were it called the "alternative and independent publishing fair". Hm. Too vague. Anyhow, it was free, which was rad. It was sort of hidden in a back room on the 1st floor of the

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-9171387483569081612008-03-30T17:49:00.012-05:002010-01-06T10:04:08.019-06:00

Here we go again...I haven't had loads of time to be reviewing, but here's a couple. Enjoy! XOXOlivia WEBSITE: infoplease.com So, as March is Women's History Month I wanted to do a review of something femme. I found a website that seemed pretty alright and it had all kinds of info on WHM. The site has a lot of links to various facts about women. History was of course one, but also crime, awards

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-42102658294807761632008-02-29T14:47:00.005-06:002010-01-06T10:04:23.187-06:00

Heyheyhey, more random reviews by your little Miss HSS! I have a feeling these will evolve in time, but for now, they're just whatever "new" items I came in contact with recently and wish to forward to anyone who cares. Enjoy. BOOK: Nappy by Charisse Carney-Nunes, illustrated by Ann Marie Williams In honor of Black History Month (Feb) as well as a segue into Women's History Month (March), Nappy

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-56558600089646864012008-02-23T16:16:00.006-06:002010-01-06T10:05:10.270-06:00

Recent "mail art" I sent a friend. I used items someone else sent to me (the little faces all cut out) to write a letter on. Chances are, it was a little hard to read on all those tiny squares. That's the price of art. A recent gift sent to me, handmade! Actually, the top seems to be some kind of vintage jersey, maybe a Memphis baton girl's from the 60s? Let's hope so. But the monogram is hand

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-8406666528688483842008-02-14T08:23:00.008-06:002010-01-06T10:05:35.888-06:00

Hello, I did a collaboration, or trading of stories, with Toe Knee, back in October. You can check out (and order) his half of the project, called Fortune, at studiokneetoe.com. This is my half, called Heart, and it's available for $1 (includes S&H)! Yeay! I did pen & ink with watercolor over that, to the story by Toe. Just pop me an email at hssreader@hotmail.com to get yourself one. Now go

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-51846383306128981062008-01-30T14:48:00.002-06:002010-01-06T10:05:56.859-06:00

Hello, welcome to a new HSS blog feature: monthly reviews! Since the zine only reviews music and literature, this gives a chance to broaden the scope to movies & television, candy & beverages, whatever & what-have-you. My style of reviewing is highly unorthodox and not to be taken too seriously. Enjoy round one. These reviews shall be posted near the end of each month. Thank you, carry on.

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-57653380802030427842008-01-25T09:53:00.002-06:002010-01-06T10:06:23.766-06:00

Dear You, I go to the Post Office to mail things at least once a week. I write personal letters, send my zine out, check my p.o.box. When there is a package in the box or even a nicely decorated small envelope, I get a kind of thrill from it. That is why I am now going to encourage any willing participant to join me in sending and receiving mail art! Woo! This is an exceptional example of it,

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-70465610101700768752008-01-02T16:04:00.002-06:002010-01-06T10:07:00.801-06:00

what we have here are some examples of my art. I don't do much of it, but want to change that in the new year set before us. One of my goals for 2008 is to make myself do more visual art, somehow. Generally, I am a believer of not forcing things, just allowing the urge to draw or paint come naturally. Since this urge only seems to come over me a couple times a year, I believe it is time to force,

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-45709000983983186622007-11-09T09:28:00.002-06:002010-01-06T10:07:57.685-06:00

Two years ago there was a gallery showing of puppets and dolls that I was asked to be a part of. The gallery was Reversible Eye in Chicago, which is having its last opening in two days. These are the dolls I made for the show. I started by making a pattern for a simple cotton doll, sewn to a base of cardboard. Like so: Then I used a glue gun to affix feathers and create the illusion of their

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-31323440504940302462007-10-25T15:22:00.002-05:002010-01-06T10:08:22.894-06:00

Here is the chronology of my zine making over the years, beginning with "All About Me", 1984. This was my first zine. My mom was teaching me to write and read, and I was assigned this book-making project for school. I was five, by the way. I would often complain about having to copy what my mom wrote in my own penmanship, but liked to draw and pose for her pictures. I am the only child of six

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-57834727887632405152007-10-04T14:23:00.001-05:002010-01-06T10:08:57.626-06:00

WOO! Check it out: This is the brand new, cute as a button zine that Toe KNEE tuan vutran made. It is illustrated by Toe from a story I traded... I am working on Toe's story for the other 1/2 of this trade-off collaboration. It's pretty sweet, people. You can order one for yourself, and check out more of Toe's awsome work here: Studio Knee Toe Thanks -oh, and the mini-zine is called "

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-46915397566913889962007-09-30T14:31:00.002-05:002010-01-06T10:09:22.406-06:00

Hi HSS readers, Not long ago I answered a short series of questions on why I don't want to get married. The answers by myself and by other women around the U.S., Europe and Australia were put into a zine by Katie of the La La Theory zine and distro. The zine of us spouseless is called White Blackbirds and it's intriguing to hear the various reasons so many women are saying "no" to marriage. Very

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-18181417210253811942007-09-20T08:19:00.001-05:002010-01-06T10:10:07.596-06:00

How can you help the HSSreader? Ask yourself this, "have I run into any famous people in my life?" If the answer is yes, your experience is potential material for the next issue! Yes! It really matters not if the famous person was only slightly famous, like Jenny Jones, or very super ultra famous like Michael Jackson. All that matters is that you briefly tell me your story, and get printed in

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-12177468934354974732007-09-03T17:00:00.002-05:002010-01-06T10:11:12.181-06:00

I am so honored to have my zine, the HSSreader, in two zine fests across the globe. To my South I'll be having my zine in Leeme Festival in Peru. It will be held on the 6th of October 2007. I wish I could go there, and also wish I had continued my Spanish education so I could read the Peruvian zines. Contact them with any kind of zine as they are trying to host a vast array from around the globe

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-28676757575381885552007-09-02T12:28:00.002-05:002010-01-06T10:12:11.922-06:00

This is a one-of-a-kind gift I made for someone special. NATURAL HAPPY MEDICINE No Refills Required. Expires: Never. Directions: Administer by looking at bottle. Ingredients: Love, happy thoughts, hopefulness, dreams, paper, color.

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-15184060134561251842007-08-23T18:45:00.002-05:002010-01-06T10:12:37.960-06:00

I don't know about you, but I love eating. Nothing is better than good food. So, I made this cookbook, cut&paste style, which is a compilation of recipes from around the country. I am not the world's greatest cook - let's say 5 on a scale from 1 to 10. Just blah. But I want to learn so I use cookbooks. But then I thought to compile my own! I decided to ask my friends and family what their

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-57068029016748912642007-08-19T09:45:00.002-05:002010-01-06T10:13:12.161-06:00

This is the HSSreader, no. 6, the only available HSS issue at present. Run down: This issue is jam-crammed full of good stuff. It has a unique size, a psychedelic cover (used a giant rubber stamp of a floral design and giant multi-colored stamp pad called "Big and Juicy"!) As for content? Because it was long in the making I doubled up a few features, so you've got pairs of jokes, artists

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-43008664373054138562007-08-18T13:39:00.002-05:002010-01-06T10:13:44.563-06:00

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35853607.post-21642449305415408702007-08-18T09:52:00.001-05:002010-01-06T10:14:33.412-06:00

Hideous greetings to fans and friends of the HSSreader, This is now the official blob for the zine and also for its creator, Olivia Arrow (hi). What we'll be offering here is not yet determined. There are already profiles for the zine and the lady behind it, but those are on the polarizing myspace.com, and blogger seemed a nuetral location for some of the same info and then some, to be

O Arrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931590122207016879noreply@blogger.com0