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Thursday, August 30, 2018

53% and climbing!




We're at 53% funded with 8 days to go.  I'll be updating this Kickstarter each day as we revisit the originals that became these decks.  Please continue to support and pray for this project.  Thanks so much for being a part of this journey.

Today's update features the Hearts from Deck One.  Enjoy!

Counting down!

Friday, August 24, 2018

We're 41% funded!!

With 15 days to go, we are already 40% funded!  Let's keep that momentum going!

I've posted a couple of updates to the Kickstarter campaign including pictures of a couple of the rewards for backers.




a $40 pledge buys you an Uncut Sheet of either Deck One or Deck Two.  It looks great framed in a simple black poster frame and makes a beautiful piece of wall art.



 a $75 pledge buys you this beautiful Double Deck Gift Box.  The cover is handmade and one of a kind.  Deck One and Deck Two are included and fit perfectly in the velvet lined box.

Please help us make this a reality.  Every little bit helps!


Friday, August 10, 2018

I have been terribly remiss in updating all of you on my creative endeavors and for that I am sorry.  I've so many things to catch you up on and I will do that.  Right now I'd like to share with you my current project.

It started out as a daily challenge on Facebook.  Create one thing everyday for 100 days.   At the time I had been creating some APCs (Altered Playing Cards) for trade on AFA (atcsforall.com) and was having such fun with them that I decided that would be my challenge...100 days of Altered Playing Cards.  I planned to actually create more than 100 with the goal of finishing the challenge with two complete decks of cards.

As I continued posting a new card each day, people started asking, "What are you going to do with these when you are done?  How can I get a deck?  Will you be making them available for purchase?" More importantly than that though, people talked about how much they looked forward to a new card each day and how they always started their day off with a smile.  That was the greatest reward I could have gotten and it spurred me to find a way to make these available to anyone who wanted them. 

I debated different ways to bring it about.  First, I sent off the completed first deck to be printed to see how they would turn out and if they would even be good enough to sell.  When that first deck arrived and I got to see it and touch it, I knew this had to move forward.  The deck is beautiful!

I knew I was not going to be able to afford to print enough decks for everyone on my own.  I thought about doing a presale and only ordering enough to cover the orders.  The problem with that is that the smaller the order, the more each individual deck costs to print and I would have to charge more for them than I was comfortable doing.  I looked around at what other people were doing with their unique decks of cards and a large number have had great success with Kickstarter.  By doing it that way, I could have a large number of decks printed and the costs to me and to the customer would be kept lower. 

I finished the 100 days and met my goal...two complete decks of original art.  I launched my Kickstarter campaign the next day.  In less than 2 days we almost 20% funded and I'm so excited, not just for me, but for everyone who has supported me and who has loved this project. 

I'd love it if you would check out my project, buy a deck or two and share it with your friends and family.  This project is something I've been dreaming of for so long.  I'm thrilled to share it with all of you.











Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Watercolor play and Honeymoon help.

It seems like I've been working on a lot of projects lately that I can't share.  Secret family projects, magazine submissions, private commissions have been at the core of my work lately.  One thing I have been enjoying in between all of those has been my experiments with watercolors.  I have always been intimidated by them but I'm having fun playing and learning more about how they work and how to use them.  I'm so thankful for YouTube videos and Pinterest pictures that allow me to learn more about it.  I am definitely a visual learner and can learn more from a picture or by simply watching someone else do something than I can from all the written directions or verbal instruction in the world.

I've been posting the ACEOs that I am making in my watercolor practice for sale on my Facebook art page ( Amy Weaver/The Weaver's Hand on Facebook ) I love the feedback and interaction from the people who are viewing and enjoying my cards and as always, I love the special requests and suggestions that challenge me to try different things.

All the money I'm earning from these is going into a fund to help my daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law have a Honeymoon weekend.  Their wedding is going to be very much a DIY event as money is so tight for all and a Honeymoon would be an impossible expense for them.  Their desire is simply a weekend in a bed and breakfast in the beautiful Texas Hill Country and if selling my little cards helps them reach that goal I'm thrilled to help.

Here are some of my favorite finished cards.  I'm so thankful to everyone who has liked, commented and purchased my cards.  









Sunday, July 16, 2017

Weirdy Mail = Wonderful!

What is Weirdy Mail, you may ask?  Well,  its art, usually made in an unusual shape, that is mailed, as is, without box or envelope to cover it.  I belong to a group of artists through AFA who exchange altered envelopes and postcards once a month.  Once or twice a year, we have the choice to send something a little more interesting...hence, Weirdy Mail.

Here is something I created and mailed to my sweet friend, Melissa.  I've included some progress pics and descriptions too.  I love how it turned out!  It even exceeded my expectations.  I hope you enjoy it.



If you'd like more information or would just like to see me feature more things like this,  drop me a comment.  I'd love to hear from you!

The whole thing started with these awesome cardboard pieces that were packing material in a set of cookware.

I created a base for the box out of cardboard and glued pieces together to form a box with a lip for the cover to fit on to.

In order to have some pieces fit inside of others I cut a section out and used masking tape to hold them together for gluing.

The outside of the box was then covered with paper towels decoupaged with white glue.

The entire box was then given a coat of gesso.

Petals and leaf shapes were cut out of thinner cardboard recycled from soda and cereal boxes and then covered with paper towels and white glue.  The petals and leaves were also gessoed before painting.  I used Daler Rowney Acrylic Inks in Olive Green and Sap Green on the leaves and box.  Golden High Flow Acrylic in Alizarin Crimson Hue was used to paint the petals.  The petals and leaves were then edged with black Sharpie marker.  The center was made from a circle of cardboard, painted black, covered in large black seed beads and edged with a scrap of fringed yarn.

Another ring was covered and painted black for the mobile.



For the mobile, the flowers were constructed as one piece and painted just like the larger one.  Leaves were created and added to the back of each flower.  The centers are assorted black buttons.  The rings were crocheted around plastic rings and a pearl drop was added to the center of each one.

The basket-weave effect was created by putting a layer of molding paste on the side of the box and using sheet rock tape to impress the grid pattern into the wet paste.  After drying the sides were gessoed and painted with the rest of the box.

Curling the petals and leaves a bit before placing them on the box helps to create more 3D effect.  The petals were glued to the center piece, the leaves to the box top and the completed flower glued to the middle of the box top over the leaves.

Although most Weirdy Mail is sent as-is, I did pack it in a clear plastic bag just to be sure that all the pieces arrived together.

I hope you enjoyed this little look behind the scenes!

Friday, July 14, 2017

Back in the saddle and ready to ride!

So the big family project I've been consumed with for the last 6 months or so is done and I'm ready to get back to making art and moving forward toward a few of my goals.  I'm posting some of my recent work to my various social media accounts and finally getting to work on some things that have been on hold for far too long.  I'll be updating the blog with some recent news and fun projects, giving it a fresh new look as I look forward to new and exciting things.

Here are a couple of journal pages I did recently.  Its part of a project I've been looking forward to starting.  I'll post more about it soon.






Thanks to all who have stuck with me and to all who take the time to comment!  It means the world to me!  <3

Friday, September 2, 2016

Life Had Other Plans for My Year

So...last you heard from me I was picking myself up after losing my mom and looking forward to new challenges.  The next challenge for me ended up being the death of my dad, just 5 months after we lost Mom.  Truthfully, we didnt expect for him to stay here without her that long but it was another difficult loss.  I spent the next 2 months organizing and clearing out my parent's house.  When I came home I had to make room in my little apartment for all the things that came back with me.  The girls came home for the summer with all of their stuff and the piles just got higher.  Finally in July the girls moved into their own apartment closer to school and Phil and I officially became empty nesters.  I was able to move the pieces that I brought back from Mom and Dad's for my art room into the girls' old room and I finally had my very own studio.

Here is a video I took of the 99.5% finished room.

Nearly completed art room

It feels like Mom and Dad are at the very heart of my art space and that in itself is inspiring.  This room is filled with memories of them and that has me feeling a renewed peace and direction.  I'm finding that I am so much more productive now that I have a space of my own away from the distractions of housework and TV, etc. and so I'm participating in several challenges to help me get back into a routine of daily art making and art journaling.

The first of these projects is called the 100 Days Project and it challenges you to choose one creative task and do it every day for 100 days, documenting each day as you go along.  I chose to use this as motivation to art journal every single day.

Here is the link to my project.  100 Days Project

The second is the 29 Faces Project which happens twice a year in February and in September.  I've done this one several times before and it was always a favorite of Mom's so in her honor I will try my best to complete this one as well.

This is my first face for this go around.  It also counts as my art journaling for today.


I've also got Christmas presents to make, bears and pillows to make from my Dad's shirts for my sisters and the grandkids and great grands and Mom's cookbooks to go through and copy for everyone.  There just isnt enough time in the day to do all I want.  I hope to document most of it here but you can see how hit or miss that has been in the past.  Fingers crossed though.  Thanks for stopping by!