Dang! No April Blog Post -- But Here's A Little Something For May!

Hello Art Peeps, 

Well, my intentions were good for my New Year's Resolution of posting every month, but April kind of got away from me! Crazy busy at work and at home. Quick post tonight, just showing a couple things I've done recently that I haven't yet posted. April was so busy there were weeks that went by that I didn't even get a chance to get into my studio to play. That is NOT good! Hoping May is much better! 

You may remember that I painted my Midori Traveler's Notebook some time ago. Then I decided to paint a pair of Dansko clogs the same way. This is my favorite color palette as many of you probably know. So I also decided to paint a Dylusions Journal cover to match. 

Here's my first (and only) journal page in this book. I have been going to Weight Watchers since early January and I was documenting my weight loss to the point where I did this page at 21.8 lbs. I'm happy to announce that as of today, I'm down 29.4 lbs. I was sort of wavering thru the busy times in April and bounced up and down a bit and didn't make as much progress as I'd hope, but I'm very pleased all in all with my numbers. Besides the weight loss, my bloodwork numbers are way down and really looking better than they have for years, so I'm thrilled about that. Hoping to get them down to where I can get off some of these darned meds I take. 

I streamed last Sunday and did a collage I but down into ATCs. I just love the way these little works of art turn out when you cut up the larger collage. I use these as a little thank you note for my customers that purchase items from my Etsy Shop Inky Obsessions. Ustream seems to be giving everyone problems and I've not been able to upload my recordings to YouTube for my last two streams. Very frustrating because there's no one to call and speak to at Ustream to figure it out unless you are on the professional level of service and pay for streaming monthly. However, all is not lost. If you missed the live broadcasts and would like to view the recordings, you can do that by visiting my Ustream channel page. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you'll see all my recent recordings. 

I'm planning to stream live this Sunday morning, a little earlier than I usually stream, hoping to start at 10AM EST. Its been raining here daily for almost three weeks and calling for a break in the weather Sunday, so we're hoping to get the lawn mowed. Its never been as high as it is now and will be quite a job for sure. Hope to see you on the stream! Until then...

Happy Arting! 

Patti 

NEW iStencils Designs & Coupon Code ROUND20

Hello everyone,

Finally, my new designs are ready! I've concentrated on 8" round stencil designs this time in honor of the 8" round Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plates. Of course as with all stencils of any size you can use these in anyway you'd use any other stencils. Some very versatile and cool new designs for you to check out. I'm also releasing two new 8 x 10 masks. 

Stop by my Ustream broadcast Thursday 18 February at 9PM EST for a demo of the new designs. I will also be streaming:

•      Friday 19 Feb @ 5PM EST
•      Saturday 20 Feb @ 10AM EST
•      Sunday 21 Feb @ 12PM EST

The coupon code for this release is ROUND20. This includes: 

• 20% off the entire iStencils website (well over 3,000 designs)
• FREE 8" Round exclusive PTP stencil with $25 purchase that includes at least one other PTP design
• FREE Domestic shipping with purchase of over $50
• Coupon Code is good from Thursday, 18 Feb thru Monday, 22 Feb

Here's a pic of the FREE 8" Exclusive:

 

Happy Arting, 

Patti 

Polymer Clay Tiled Birdhouse & Painted Midori Travelers Notebook

Hello everyone!

Just a quick share of a project I did live on Ustream last Sunday. The video is now up on YouTube if you'd like to watch it. I really like the way it came out. I've had this birdhouse sitting on a nightstand in our guest room for years. I was in that room the other day and it caught my eye and I thought - roof - flat surface -- polymer clay tile that bad boy! I mixed up some acrylic paints that matched the color of the birdhouse exactly, then made a batch of tiles especially for this project including some of the orange and purple ones you see. These were all made with white Sculpey III clay that I rolled out, stamped with rubber stamps, cut into tiles, painted , then wiped back some of the paint to expose the texture of the stamped design. They were baked after I wiped back the paint. Here are some pics of the final outcome: 

I also wanted to share what I did with my Midori Travelers Notebook. I got swept into the travelers notebook craze a coupe years ago and went right for the original - Midori. I got the brown one but never really adapted it into my daily life. It seemed clunky to carry around with me and I lost interest. But I keep seeing so many people who can't seem to live without their travelers notebooks, that I thought I'd try to breath some new life into my abandoned notebook. I threw a little acrylic paint and some gesso and ink at it and used my Pictograph and Outback iStencils to add some layers. Now I LOVE IT! 

Speaking of iStencils (what a segway!) -- stay tuned for my new release of 8" round iStencils created with the 8" round Gelli Plate in mind. They of course can be used for any application you would use any stencils for, but are really great for the round gelli plates. I've also got two new masks which are really versatile and fun. The release will be accompanied by a coupon code so don't miss out on this sale for the entire iStencils website. I'll be streaming daily during the sale dates and demoing all the new designs along with some previous designs and how they play off one another. So stay tuned for the exact dates and get your coupon code for some great savings! 

Happy Arting, 

Patti 

#LOVESUMMERART -- Creative Tube Nation

Hey Everybody, 

BIG things happening on YouTube. The arts and crafts community is coming together to make it easier for you as content viewers to find more of the videos you love and discover new artists you may have never seen before. All with the help of a little ole #. This little symbol is very powerful when used in the right way in this online world of ours. All you need to do is go to YouTube and in the search box at the top of the page, enter #lovesummerart and hit enter, then watch the magic happen. More and more videos are being added between today and 20 July using this hashtag. Viewers will discover new artists, more techniques and styles, more mediums, more more more!

Cinnamon Cooney, theartsherpa on YouTube came up with this idea and now we have over 250 YouTube art content providers banning together to drive the success of #lovesummerart. This won't be the last # though. We are planning on possibly a new # each month. And remember, there is no expiration on a hashtag. Once its used and the videos are tagged with this # they will live forever on YouTube. So there's no rush, you can view at your leisure, but just know that this little symbol will be your friend going forward. We are trying to start an art revolution on YouTube. Won't you come along for the ride? 

Most of you probably know my YouTube Channel -- Patti Tolley Parrish. Please check out my contribution to #lovesummerart with the video I released today. Here are pics of my project -- I did a mixed media collage that I cut up for ATCs. I loved how this came out and hated to cut it up, but...

 (My personal favorite)

So stay tuned my friends. Much more arty goodness is in the works. 

I would greatly appreciate you sharing the #lovesummerart with your art friends so we can reach more viewers than ever before. 

Creative Tube Nation -- here we come! 

Happy Arting, 

Patti

iStencils Coupon Code CPS20 Valid Thru 5 Nov 2014

Stencil lovers -- don't miss out on this amazing sale offered by iStencils in celebration of my article being published in Cloth Paper Scissors this month. Here's the deal: 

•      Use Coupon Code CPS20
•      Get 20% off your entire cart -- not just my Patti Parrish designs, but any of the 3,000+ designs on the entire iStencils site
•      Get a FREE 8x10 Exclusive PTP Stencil with a $25 purchase (before discount) - see design below
•      Valid thru Wednesday, 5 November 2014

Get'em while their hot!!!

Happy Arting, 

Patti 

I'm Published!!! Cloth Paper Scissors Nov/Dec 2014 & ReMe Retreat

I'm so excited! I've been published in the Nov/Dec 2014 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors -- my personal favorite magazine! My Gelli JumpStart Journals is the project I submitted. Since I already do YouTube videos, I thought it would be nice for all you visual learners to actually 'see' the project instead of just reading about it in the magazine. To that end, I've done a series of YouTube videos demoing my process for the Gelli JumpStart Journals. There are four videos in total on this project, but you can start here with the introduction and supply list. Hope you enjoy seeing in addition to reading! 

October has been an extremely busy month for me. As you know I work full time, I took off to attend Art & Soul in Virginia Beach in early October, then I was away for one weekend, then I traveled to Ocracoke Island, NC to attend the ReMe Retreat with Jodi Ohl, Jean Skipper, and Penny Arrowood. Just got back from my 10 hour drive Saturday and we're ramping up to leave for our annual sales conference for my day job in Boca in early November. After the Florida trip, I think I'll be in one place long enough to get my thoughts in order and reorganize my studio. But wait, there's those little things coming up called the holidays -- so maybe not just yet, but I know it will happen at some point. If anyone has a proven formula of how I can clone myself, please let me know. 

More about the fabulous, and I mean FABULOUS ReMe Retreat. If you love art classes and if you are looking for a true RETREAT -- this is your answer. Most events called retreats that I've attended are simply art classes for 5 days or so at a venue. ReMe has put the retreat back into art retreats. These fabulous women have made it their mission to create such a wonderful experience for 8 lucky artists to join them in a very cool historic home on Ocracoke Island. They bring along a den mother who did all the cooking (fabulous hot breakfasts, warm baked snacks, filling lunches, cocktail hours with appetizers, and luscious dinners, followed by homemade desserts). From the minute you arrive, you are pampered and taken care of, from carrying in all your bags, to any need you have for special diets, errands, to repacking all your goodies, you feel welcome from the minute you arrive and it doesn't leave you even after you are back home. You still can feel the good energy and laughter you shared with the whole group. Please do check out the blogs of the women artists of ReMe and consider signing up for a true art retreat: 

• Jodi Ohl
• Jean Skipper
• Penny Arrowood
• Debbie Keen - Den Mother Extraordinaire! 

Some of my pics from my stay at ReMe starting with the decorated porch, the inside of the house, and our nightly sunset rituals (with cocktails of course!)... 

Happy Arting! 

Patti