New to Burning Soul Creations on Etsy: Fall 2010 Collection

I have to say that today has been very productive for me on the crafting front.  I decided to go for it... I posted my photos for sale on etsy today as an amateur photographer!  Visit my store Burning Soul Creations on Etsy right now to check them out!  I've listed 8 original photos taken by myself here in Wisconsin on some of my fantastic getaways the past two years.  Please let me know what you think of them! Give me tips for my next photo shoot subject that you'd like to see featured in my portfolio.  Also... Of Course.... Don't forget to buy my photographs- They're priced great for high-quality11"x14" pictures!

Visit My Etsy Store NOW!! (Burning Soul Creations: Photographs)

In conjunction with listing my photography portfolio for the very first time on the World Wide Web, I also finished my most recently woodburning piece!!  Complete with the sun, moon, and stars- This celestial stepping stool has also been added to my Etsy shop, Burning Soul Creations. I had such a great time creating this piece, I hate to give it up.  But I hope with time that this small stepping stool finds a new place to call home... Would that new place be with you?

Can You Profit From Selling Your Personal Photos Online?

Profitable Online Amateur Photography? Does it exist? I guess we'll have to see.  Since I was really little (probably 3 or 4) I have been fascinated by photography.  My very first camera came out of an old closet at my parent's house, and where ever it came from to end up there... I have no idea.  It was an old box kodak-very similar to the one pictured here.  It didn't work, or perhaps it did before I got my wandering, poking, probing child hands on it.  But either way, it was so neat to look through the viewfinder and see the world through the amber colored lens of yesteryear. 

So I've always been in love with snapping photos whenever I can.  Most recently for my 26th birthday, my wonderful husband surprised me by letting me pick out a camera that we could use to memorex the beginning of our lives together (as we were married only a month prior).  We do alot of traveling, and wanted to begin collecting deeply detailed photos and videos from our trips together... only our 10 mpx camera was no longer cutting it.  We bought a Canon Powershot, and I do believe I have discovered a whole new love for photography. 

I'd love to start selling my photos on etsy (http://crcurlygirlie.etsy.com/ if you're interested), so I enlisted the help of some fellow etsy chatters for their advice in listing their personal photos for sale.  With the internet providing an open door for people to right-click & pirate photos at anytime, I will have to be careful on my future endeavors in selling my photos.  Tell me some of your amateur photographer experiences with selling online!  I need help in deciding...

"Staring Into Space"- 2010 Caitlin R. Kempen

Martha's Got The Recipes For Spooktacular Halloween Decorations!

As I was reading an article published in 2001 by Martha Stewart today, I wanted to share with you my favorite Halloween decorations that will be sure to give your party the devilishly-spooky feel you were hoping for. Here's a taste of what YOU can do on your own, compliments of Martha.

Create Your Own Creepy Skeleton
or pumpkin with Papier-Mache,
 a balloon, & a razor blade.

Design your own bewitching
candy bowls & creatures!

Click HERE to be taken directly to the article, where you'll find these creative halloween decoration ideas & instructions on how to make them.  Also, you'll find 21 MORE exciting & spooktacular projects for you to sink your fangs into this bewitching season. 

Try these ideas out, and give me your feedback... Show Me Your ARTWORK! I'd love to know what you think of the article?  And also any other bewitching projects & tips you can give us, cast them here!

Ghouls & Goblins will appreciate
the accent a black light can
bring to a party.

Cheap & Easy: Could you ask for a better crafting project?

I am a simple country girl, and with that comes a deep appreciation for simple yet beautiful items.  This week's Do-It-Ur-Self project was found as I was darting in and out of 30-minute craft project ideas on BHG.com--my mom would be so proud of me... her style & interest in simple home beautification tactics are starting to rub off on me as I get older.  I hope you have fun, because I personally can't wait to try this out and post the results of my test-run. 

Rustic Wire Candle Holders

Create an easy candle holder using wire. This tip is compliments of Better Homes & Gardens, so visit their site for the complete collection of 30-minute crafting projects!

  

What You'll Need

Drill

Bits

18-gauge wire

3-inch-thick pieces of wood or logs

Strong adhesive (such as E6000)

Wire cutters

Dripless taper candles

Make It

1. 
   
   Using a drill bit to fit the wire, drill an off-center hole in each wood piece.
2. 
   
   Cut an 18-inch-long piece of wire for each candle. Glue one end of the wire into the hole. Let the glue dry.
3. 
   
   Wrap the wire around candle. Shape the wire end into a curlicue.

Once you try this, please don't hesitate to post your opinions of the project~ And UPLOAD the photos showing us your attempt at creating a wonderfully rustic candle holder that you create! I'd love to share opinions and tips!

An Exhilarating Selling Experience: Etsy World

I need to give my Mom all the credit for introducing me to the GREATEST online community for selling one's handmade crafts.... Etsy.com!!   If you haven't heard of Etsy, I highly recommend that you surf yourself right over there... RIGHT NOW!  Thousands upon thousands of handmade gifts from around the world, including vintage goods that never go out of style--ready for purchase with a simple click of your mouse.  It's super simple for you to sign up for an account, and once you're logged on you have endless opportunity at your fingertips to uncover handmade treasures from around the world.  Visit their Alchemy page to request one of a kind projects that you are dying to have!  Can't make it yourself?? See if someone else in the world is crafting it especially for you!  Visit Etsy.Com Now!!

Speaking of... while I'm on a pitching kick.... While you're on etsy, don't forget to stop by my shop Burning Soul Creations.  All you have to do is click here and I'll take you there myself! I'm in the process of updating my inventory with ALL-NEW ARTWORK!  Please stop by, and FYI... I'm MORE than happy to help with custom orders (*Hint Hint*), just ask today!

The Art Appreciation Nook

So here it begins: My very first blog!

I'd like to start off by introducing the first edition of "The Art Appreciation Nook".  On a weekly basis, I will try to highlight a particular artist, movement, location, style, or artistic era that I think you will find interesting-to say the least.  I'm going to give you the Five-Minute Rundown on that topic, giving you numerous keywords throughout, so that you may continue to research the particular information that catches your attention! Through research & proper citing, I'll try to give you the tools to inform yourself about the particular topic of the week.  Hopefully, the both of us will learn something new and exciting about art that we had never imagined or envisioned. We're here together to ignite a burning desire within your soul (and Mine)... a desire to LEARN and APPRECIATE art, and the beauty it unknowingly bestows upon our day-to-day lives.

But where do we begin our journey?  So many areas to cover, and I am at square one-just like you.  I'm here to learn right along with you... so no better time to start than now!  Let's dive in!

Today's Topic Of Interest:  Claude Monet

Cited Source of research:  Claude Monet on Wikipedia <---Click here for the entire article!

Wiki-Intro:
"Claude Monet (French pronunciation: [klod mɔnɛ]), born Oscar Claude Monet (14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926), was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting.[1] [2] The term Impressionism is derived from the title of his painting Impression, Sunrise (Impression, soleil levant)."

Early paintings Include:

The Woman in the Green Dress, Camille Doncieux, 1866, Kunsthalle Bremen.

Le déjeuner sur l'herbe, 1865-1866, The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow.

Le déjeuner sur l'herbe with Gustave Courbet, 1865-1866, Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

Flowering Garden at Sainte-Adresse, 1866, Musée d'Orsay, Paris.--------->

Women in a Garden, 1866-1867, Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

Here's a list of my TOP 5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MONET that I learned during my research for this blog:

1.  When Monet was a student in Paris in 1862, he was classmates with Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Frederic Bazille, & Alfred Sisley.  Together they painted beautiful portraits showing the amazing effects of light, using untamed variations of color & wild brushstrokes. This style of painting was later recognized as Impressionism. If you have time, dig a little deeper into Impressionism and how it started a new style movement!

2. Monet was a traveler!  Born in the 9th Arrondissement of Paris, he ventured all over during his lifetime--From Normandy, Algeria, London, Zaandam, Argenteuil, and Vétheuil. 

3.  He was married to Camille Doncieux just before the Franco-Prussian War on June 28, 1870.  (This caught my attention simply because my birthday is exactly 114 years after this joyous matrimony took place!

4. As his wife's life was stolen away at the age of 32 from Tuberculosis, Monet painted on her death bed.

5. In 1871, his paintings were forbidden from being included in the Royal Academy exhibition.

So that concludes my first Art Appreciation Nook!  I encourage you to Google any of the information you read in this post that intrigued, confused, or surprised you.  Hit your local library and do some digging in the stacks!  Take a half an hour to research this topic today, and hopefully you'll learn some new and exciting information about Monet that you never knew before! 

Thanks so much for reading!!  Feel free to comment with questions if you have them as well.... I'd love to research these questions together to help you & others (like myself) to better understand and appreciate art.