new items for a new year…

i’ve been busy working on my Etsy shop! i created a “SALE” section, to which i’ll be adding certain items at reduced prices. i’ve also been creating new hand painted pieces to add to the shop, and with Valentine’s Day around the corner, i’m hoping my new mixed media hearts, with inspirational words and phrases, will find new homes soon…

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these hearts were inspired by the art badge i shared in my last post (2014: create every day…). i loved the art badge so much i recreated it onto a paper mache heart (excuse the photo – it’s from my phone)…

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…and enjoyed that process so much i wanted to make more! i used recycled papers (tissue papers, Gelli Plate prints, junk mail envelopes, book pages, and more), acrylic paints, stamps, and miniature flowers – i love being able to reuse items i already have.

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(another phone pic)….

each heart is one of a kind and available in my Etsy shop now!

2014: create every day…

happy new year!  i hope this post finds you happy and hopeful in this first week of the first month of 2014.

i wanted to share the first creative thing i’ve made this year.  i’m part of a Facebook group of artists, The Studio, and the artist who created the group – April Cole – challenged us to create an art badge as a way of celebrating our one year anniversary as a group.  i hadn’t participated in any of the challenges or activities so far and i signed up for this.  who cared that i’d never created an art badge in my life!  we were to post it on our Facebook group page on january 1st.

this is what i came up with.  i covered a chipboard heart shape with a gelli print, and went at it…

art badge for The Studio (FB)…and i love it!

i chose the phrase “create every day” for my badge.  i plan to place this somewhere in my work space where i can see it daily, to remind myself to really create EVERY day.  even if all i can manage is a drawing in my sketchbook late at night, into the early morning hours.

CREATE. EVERY. DAY.

i’m grateful for this challenge.  it made me think about what i want this year to be: creative, colorful, and full of art.

art badge for The Studio (FB); create every dayart badge for The Studio (FB); sun stampart badge for The Studio (FB); milagros***

so, have i been creating every day?  we’re three days into january, and so far, yes.  if you guessed it’s late night/early morning drawings in my sketchbook – you’d be right.  my days are busy right now with personal issues, but i make it a point to stay up late, pull out my Sharpies, and draw.

i have lots of plans for this year. yesterday (due to the personal issues) i decided to temporarily close both my Etsy shops.  my husband (a.k.a. my shipping department!) and i need some time to focus and regroup.  and just breathe!  but it’s only for a short time.  i have my work table going with new projects, lots of ideas jotted down in notebooks – on the first of the year i even signed up for an online course with artist Jeanne Oliver.  i have lots to share and i can’t wait to get new items into the shops!  (if you’d like to see what i’m up to late at night, follow me on Instagram.)

again, happy new year!  and if you have a favorite word or phrase of your own, please share in the comment section!

til next time…

happy holidays…

can you believe Christmas Eve is here?!

December ends with me trying to do more painting…

purple, red, gold canvas WIP/instagram pic

excited about the reaction to my hand painted wood ornaments & seeing the last of my hand stitched ornaments sold (as seen on the beautiful Christmas tree from Frozen Ropes Sports Training Facility in Glendora where several of my ornaments hang) …

Frozen Ropes Christmas tree/my ornaments/Instagram pic

and  hoping for a peaceful, no-drama Christmas Eve with my familia.

merrychristmasfromsusiecarranzastudio2013

I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas. 2013 was rough & I’m happy to see it end. hoping 2014 brings lots of love, laughter, and dreams finally coming true…♥

(the beautiful angel figurine in photo is from my mother’s Nativity scene.)

so – they say things happen for a reason…

haven’t written anything since christmas day.  2012.  today is january 29, 2013.

where do i begin?

let’s see…lawrence and i were buying our first house!  EXCITING, huh?!  well, we didn’t.  to make a long story not so long, the guy selling the house didn’t want to repair the damages found during the home inspection and he backed out of the deal.  right before escrow closed.  we had already given our notice to our landlord, had rented a storage unit near the house we were going to buy, and had packed up pretty much about 90% of our belongings when he backed out.

truckpacked

actually, we went through SO much crap with this guy during the whole (almost)home-buying process that we came out angry, tired, and not sure we wanted to do it again any time soon.  we’re lucky to have an awesome real estate agent, paul (lawrence’s cousin) who explained the whole process to us every step of the way and never backed down from trying to get us what we wanted.  i’m sure we’ll eventually buy the right house for us, with paul’s help.

so – we are staying with my parents.  and let me tell you, it’s HARD to go back home.  as an adult.  with your husband.  trying to run a business.  with most of your possessions either at storage, in your parents’ garage, or at friend’s house.  yes, i tell myself we’re lucky we had somewhere to go.  we’re lucky family and friends were there when we needed them.  but once the moving was over, the reality of the situation sets in:  how long will we be here?  living in one room (a room already fully furnished with an oversized couch, a bar, a trundle bed, large screen tv, and a table with 4 chairs) and living out of moving boxes?  my brother and his family took in Canela (our dog; canela is spanish for “cinnamon”) because lawrence and his brother-in-law had to build a fence before we could bring her to my parents’ house.

move:fence:canelacollageWM

we’ve been living here since january 2nd.  it’s been quite an adjustment.  funny thing is, we wanted to move closer to our parents, and we did!  can’t be any closer to my parents than living with them (as lawrence says) and we are much closer to lawrence’s parents’ home too.

so that’s what’s going on here.  i FINALLY got internet service here yesterday, so this week will be back to work on the online shops.

speaking of shops, if you haven’t checked mine out lately, please do!  lots of new work in my Etsy art shop, and lots of new items in my Etsy supply shop –

http://www.etsy.com/shop/asucarr

etsyartshopheartscollage

http://www.etsy.com/shop/susiecarranza

etsysupplyshopcollage

hope you’re having a successful new year!

 

 

 

merry christmas…

merrychristmasmessage

just wanted to pop in and wish you a very merry christmas…

it’s still busy around here:  we’ve been busy packing up all our belongings into a storage unit near what will be our new home.  it’s been lots of work, but we’re blessed with family and friends who were willing and able to help any way they could.  hopefully we’ll start the new year in our new  place.

again, merry christmas to all of you.  may the new year bring all of us much love, laughter, and exciting new possibilities…

♥ – susie