A Bountiful Iris Folding Sale!!

If you will recall, (as mentioned in my previous post) my latest area of artistic exploration has been in the increasingly popular area of Iris Folding. Now, in addition to using this technique to create fun, unique and interesting ACEOs, I decided to expand my use of this paper based art form to include the creation of fun, unique and interesting Greeting Cards.

The first card that I decided to make was that of an Evergreen Tree that I thought would make a nice Holiday Greeting Card for someone who would truly appreciate the sentiment of a one-of-a-kind greeting card that was lovingly and carefully handcrafted by a real-life person (and not mass produced by some machine owned by the large and impersonal greeting-card industry and its conglomerates).

Many thanks to Etsian, corkjl, who found this card of mine on Etsy and purchased it from my shop, harvestorm creations. In an e-mail message from corkjl, she wrote to me: "I absolutely love the card--so beautiful, so unusual."

It warms my heart to know that this card I made was not only liked enough by someone else to purchase it, but that it will be going out to an individual or family carrying the greetings and warm holiday wishes of corkjl, who thinks enough of that person or family to send them a wholly unique and handcrafted work of art to brighten their holiday season and welcome in the upcoming new year!

"Butterfly By Night"

I want to take a moment to give a thankful shout-out to Etsian, readingsully2, who introduced me (and a number of the other "ACEO Bounty" Challenge Artists) to the increasingly popular art form of Iris Folding.

So, what exactly is Iris Folding, you ask? According to Squidoo, the technique of Iris folding originated in Holland. Using this technique, color coordinated strips of folded paper are taped into place over a pattern, creating a spiralling design that resembles the iris of an eye or camera. Originally, Dutch crafters would cut their strips from envelopes with patterned interiors, but now it is common to use lightweight papers including those used for origami to create iris folded designs.

The ACEO I am featuring here is titled, "Butterfly By Night," and was my first attempt at creating an Iris Folding piece. The title for this miniature work of art came about from the fact that I was having such a great time creating this piece that I actually continued the work I had been doing all day with it straight on through the entirety of the following night!

To create the Iris Folding design that forms the wings of this butterfly, I used scrapbook paper (three different patterns) comprised of various browns, pinks, red, and white. The body and antennae were made by creatively looping and knotting a couple of pieces of soft black wire.

The butterfly itself is surrounded by a piece of maroon colored acid-free card stock that I embellished with a glittery pink gel pen which, due to its metallic properties, sparkles and shines in some lights (as in the photo above) and is more matte-looking in others (as in the photo below).

To add further textural and visual interest to this piece, I stamped a crackle pattern around the butterfly using black archival pigment ink and then finished the piece by inking an outline around the butterfly wings and the outer edges of the card as well.

I have initialed this one-of-a-kind 2.5" x 3.5" work of art on the front, and have signed, titled and dated it on the back. It is currently available in my Etsy Shop, harvestorm creations, and is currently priced at $10.00 (USD).

The texture and depth that you see and feel when handling this carefully crafted Iris Folded ACEO (or any other Iris Folded work of art, for that matter) is the very best part of such a piece. And believe you me when I say that it is extremely challenging to capture these qualities in a mere photographic image. When seen in person, you are sure to be pleasantly surprised and even more impressed with this carefully and creatively crafted collectible work of art.

More Bountiful Sales!!!

Many thanks to a brand new Etsian, Kornos, who just graced my Etsy Shop, harvestorm creations, with two more Bountiful Sales!!

I am happy to say that Kornos was able to take advantage of my new and improved "Bountiful Sale." She got a great 20% discount on one of the ACEOs she purchased and, in addition, since one of the items she purchased was an "ACEO Bounty" listing, she received Free Shipping on her entire order as well!

These two Limited Edition ACEO Prints, titled "Ruby Wages" and "Educated Woman" will soon find themselves in their new home with Kornos.

So, once again, Kornos, thank you ... and welcome to Etsy!!!

Bountiful Sale 2.0

I just finished updating my Etsy Shop to reflect the new promotion I am running as a participant in the Bountiful Sale. Whoo-hoo!!

The "Bountiful Sale" is an Etsy-wide Sale Event being put on by some of the artists involved in the "ACEO Bounty" Challenge.

As a participant in this "Bountiful Sale," I am currently offering 20%-50% Off + Free Shipping on a great number of items at harvestorm creations.

Many of these items, whose prices have been adjusted to reflect their "Bountiful Sale" discounts, can be found in the SALE SALE SALE section of my shop.

All of my "ACEO Bounty" listings are being offered with Free Shipping and, in addition, if you have a multiple item purchase that includes any of my "ACEO Bounty" listings, you will receive Free Shipping on your Entire Order!!!

Don't forget to do an Etsy search for "Bountiful Sale" to find additional sales on items from the talented artists of the "ACEO Bounty" Challenge!

And, for more information about the "Bountiful Sale" and a list of participating shops, please take a moment to visit the Bountiful Sale Blog. :-)

Award Winning Artist Sue Taylor

And now for some more Bountiful Goodness that I received as part of my September Mini ACEO Bounty prize!!!

The two amazingly creative and colorful ACEOs that I am featuring here today were created by gallery represented and award winning Artist Sue Taylor.

This first piece is titled, "Papillion," and was created by Sue in response to an "ACEO Bounty" Challenge to create a ACEO with a Butterfly theme.

This beautifully rich and vibrantly colorful work of art is an absolute delight to behold. Its smooth and creamy texture and the pureness of the carefully placed white highlights is like candy for the eyes!!

The second card that I received from Sue was inspired by an "ACEO Bounty" Challenge to create a ACEO on the theme of "Otters and Ravens." It is an original Prismacolor pencil drawing done on watercolor paper.

I just love seeing this unlikely pair floating along together, maxin' and relaxin' in a sea of beautiful blue. It's like a wonderfully welcome breath of fresh air for my mind!!

According to her Etsy Profile, Sue Taylor began painting six years ago and hasn't put her brush down since! Some of her favorite materials include Prismacolor pencils, acrylics, oils and pastels.

Sue says that it was in September of 2007 that she discovered and began drawing ACEO's. She goes on to say that her ideas are overflowing and that she can barely finish one before she has three more planned in her head!

Each of the cards I received from Sue were accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity along with some additional information about this very talented and award winning artist.

In reading these enclosures I learned that Sue won Best of Show at the Nebraskaland Days Competitive Art Show in 2007 and 2005. Additional awards won at that show include People's Choose in 2007, and the Nebraskaland Days Award, which she won in 2007, 2003, and two in 2005. At the North Platte Art Guild Show she won Popular Choice in 2008, 2007 and 2005.

She has also received Merit Awards that went on to compete at ANAC State Competition, two in 2008, 2007 and one in 2006 along with Honorable Mentions in 2006 and 2005. In 2007, both of her State entries were chosen to travel the State for a year. In addition, the ANAC Gwen McKenzie Fellowship Award was bestowed upon her in 2007.

Sue invites you to join her on her journey through the creative passages in her mind and to view her newest works in her Etsy Shop, artistsuetaylor.

Who Can It Be Now?

Has anyone else noticed a seeming increase in phone calls from numbers that you do not know and are not recognized by your Caller ID? I certainly have.

Now, I am already on the National Do Not Call Registry so I am really wondering who/where these calls are coming from. For a while I had just been assuming that these calls (which I do not pick up because I value my time and have a hard time abruptly ending a conversation with anyone on the other end of the line) were somehow related to the recent Presidential Election season and therefore assumed that they would stop when the race was over. Well, they haven't.

I guessed that I was not alone in this situation and discovered that not only was I right, but that some bright someone out there had actually taken the time to try and tackle this issue by taking the mystery out of these mystery callers.

Phone Number Reporting is a new site that allows users to comment about calls from certain numbers and let other users know what to expect from that number. Was it a sales call? Was it a wrong number? You can use this site to find out about the calls coming in to your phone and let others know about them as well.

The site is very basic in its appearance with a Phone Number Box easily located at the top of the page where you can enter the phone number you wish to report on to leave your comment about who is calling you and why. The Last 50 Comments are displayed on the Home Page and you can also view a Current List of Most Frequently Reported Phone Numbers there as well.

To see comments left by others about a number you are interested in, simply click the Area Codes link at the top of the page to be taken to a list of the Telephone Area Codes of numbers that have been reported. Click on the area code that corresponds to the number you are looking for and voila, you can see if anyone has provided any information on that number! Easy as pie!!

This Post Sponsored by Report Phone Numbers ... find out who is calling!!

"Butterfly By Night" Gets Featured...

"Butterfly By Night" is my latest ACEO and is available for purchase in my Etsy Shop, harvestorm creations. This carefully crafted 3D work of art is currently featured in a Treasury created by Etsian, Always Artistic.

This Treasury is a marvelous showcase of some of the items included in the "Bountiful Sale" that a number of participants in the "ACEO Bounty" Challenge are currently running on Etsy.

The Treasury (pictured below) is titled, "Sales Sales and More Sales."

If you would like to check out "Butterfly By Night" and the other items featured in this Treasury, just click here. But be sure to do so before Saturday afternoon, when this Treasury expires and is sent off into the ether!!!

And, be sure to search Etsy for "Bountiful Sale" to find more than 300 items that are currently on sale from the artisans of the "ACEO Bounty" Challenge!