New Studio Office in Progress

My husband and I finally moved in to our first place. It's a house that is right across the street from a lake, which provides a nice view. And I get my own studio office!

I started my business at my computer desk and a small corner of my bedroom, which evolved into transporting between two houses, then when I married and moved, I shared a room with my husband's computer/game room, and finally, I get my own space!

I have made a little progress since these pictures were taken. A lot more boxes and random things were piled into the room, then unpacked and stacked and unstacked. I had shelves mounted in my previous place of residence, and it will probably be awhile before those are put up in this room...but I found an awesome big black shelf at Costco that I hope to bring home soon.

Instead of painting the walls bright green for now I'm happy settling with artwork all over the walls: posters, prints, etc. One of my favorite places to shop for artwork is Deviant Art. It's a community of independent artists, and some of the things I find on there are just amazing.

I'll definitely keep posting more pictures as my studio office progresses. If you have any design tips or ideas I'd love to hear them!

Thank you so much for reading. Look for more updates soon.

<3
Christina

Spontaneous. What I've Been Up To.

I have been back from vacation for over a week and have been busy with work and an unexpected surprise: a new house! Actually my husband 's and my first (and own) place. So the signing of the lease is quickly approaching, and unfortunately the packing and planning that is involved. It's a nice place though with a lake view, (it's across the street) and I get my own room just for making jewelry, accessories, collage work, and anything and everything else I can think of.

I originally planned to dive right in to work creating new pieces and getting my online shops (and website) fully loaded so the early Christmas and Holiday shoppers have plenty to choose from. Now though, with the spontaneous move, it will have to wait another couple of weeks...but a couple of weeks isn't so long is it?

During the transition I'll be blogging more often and filling empty pages with design ideas. I'll keep feeling guilty though until my shops fill up.

Thank you so much for reading and for your interest.

<3
Christina
http://www.1337art.net

Is it Fall Yet?

After many pleas and cries the sun finally decided to show itself in the Pacific Northwest, and after less than a week I am already hiding by the air conditioner and waiting for Fall to make an appearance. I don’t much care for hot weather and bright obnoxious light.

I am already thinking about the holidays and planning my inventory for them. I have a feeling that this year will be the best and most successful. I have lists of supplies to purchase, items to list in each of my three online shops, and random ideas that are waiting to be brought to life. If only I was a master of time management!

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoy your Sunday.

<3
Christina

Strawberries Make Summer Better.

Even though it's pouring outside in Washington State, and to some the sky is perceived as "gloomy," I found some mouthwatering strawberry smoothie recipes that I am anxious to try once the weather warms up. For those of you that are experiencing the sunlight and love strawberries please read further.

Thick Strawberry Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:
6 large strawberries
1/2 cup of your favorite yogurt
1/2 cup of vanilla or strawberry ice cream
1/2 cup of whole milk

Directions:
First Blend strawberries and milk together until strawberries are well blended, than add ice cream and yogurt and whip for just a little bit so smoothie remains thick.

Slushy Strawberry Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:
4 large strawberries
1 tsp of sugar
1/2 cup of whole milk
1 cup of ice cubes

Directions:
Blend strawberries with milk on low speed till well smooth, than add ice cubes and blend on high. Add sugar and blend on high speed for about 1 minute. The texture should be slushy and smooth.

Non Dairy/No Sugar Strawberry Smoothie Recipe

This recipe is for those people who would prefer no dairy products and no sugar.

Ingredients:
6 large strawberries
1 cup Welch's Strawberry Breeze
1/2 cup ice cubes

Directions:
Blend juice and with strawberries and add ice cubes until slushy consistency is formed. Soy milk may be used to replace juice for a thicker Strawberry Smoothie Recipe.

***

Check out more delicious sounding smoothie recipes at this website. I am not affiliated with this website in any way. I randomly found it on Google and wanted to share.

Thanks so much for reading.

<3
Christina

Pale Ponders of Summer.

The first of June is winding down, and the rain outside continues to fall down. My husband and I will be celebrating our first anniversary together outside on the beach and inside of the rainforest. I can almost smell the crisp fresh air of the Quinnault Rainforest. We were there before together (during our first year I think.) I look forward to long cool summer nights and breezy days full of the things that imprint memories.

It's going to be a beautiful summer.

<3 Christina

Welcome to the Artist behind 1337 Art.

Sometimes it’s hard to find words for a blog when said blog is being introduced as a sole website. You can’t get too personal because then a new visitor will be confused on what you are trying to sell when they visit your “website” and see posts about recipes and recently read books. And you can’t get to know the person behind the small business when they express themselves professionally…

And that is why I changed my website so my blog and it’s content are no longer the center of attention. My website is now my Artfire shop, which also has an integrated blog where I can transfer these posts to there. Both things are separate, and personal vs. business are now on friendly terms.

I was confused and overwhelmed with the thought of posting a new entry to my blog, because the constant battle between Personal and Business was something I couldn’t choose sides on…which explains all of the non-frequent entries.

Problem solved. Case closed. Welcome to the Artist behind 1337 Art. It’s nice to meet you.

<3 Christina

Mother's Day and Something (or two) I made.

Instead of buying something this year I decided to make Mom #1 and Mom #2 (in law) a piece of jewelry in honor of Mother's Day.

For Mom #1 I have not yet defined her style. She likes simple things, and I came up with this eagle necklace in about 10 minutes while looking at my supplies going, "huh."

It is made with Eagle Eye Jasper, Czech Glass, Gunmetal, and Japanese Glass Seed Beads. The eagle pendant is made from diamond cut pewter for a beautiful detailed look.



For Mom #2 she likes to dress up and go out from time to time so I decided to make her a double strand bracelet.

It is made with Sterling Silver, Rhodium, Pewter, and Swarovski Crystals and Pearls.

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~ Tenneva Jordan

A Book Worth Sharing.

Today I finished reading this great book by Kari Chapin about how to sell handcrafted items online as well as locally. She provides great tips on how to make the most of networking sites such as Flickr, Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter. But that's not even the tip of the iceberg.

It started out as something to read on my breaks at work, but I quickly found myself reading a bit before bed. During my day job I would reflect on her advice and itch to get out of my cubicle and go home to write notes and try some new suggestions.

Simply put; I feel inspired. This book is something worth owning if you want to or currently have a handcrafted business. I learned a lot, and I feel so motivated. I hope you find this post and end up exploring this book yourself. You will be glad you did.

It is kind of like the Abc's of growing your business from a seed.

You can purchase the book on Amazon or borrow it from your local library.

Google Checkout and Free Shipping

Happy Sunday!

If you have not already noticed __1337 Art is now accepting Google Checkout in the Etsy and Artfire Shops. You can immediately pay via Google Checkout through Artfire, and if you want to shop through Etsy choose "other" as your payment method, and I will manually send you a Google Checkout invoice.

Google Checkout is another great and safe way to shop online using your credit card.

I have been running a free shipping for orders over $25 promotion, and I have decided to offer these savings until April 30, 2010. Whether you live in the United States or another country you still have time to save, and the timing couldn't be perfect - Mother's Day is quickly approaching! Just remember if your order is over $25 after any applicable discounts (and before shipping) I will refund your shipping charges after your payment is received and cleared.


I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist. ~Tammy Faye Bakker

Strawberry Daiquiris

I have to confess my favorite drink. The taste of strawberries and whipped cream in a signature daiquiri glass is something I look forward to on special occasions and after very long days at work.

So I came across these Swarovski crystals, and the color reminded me so much of daiquiris that I had to make a piece of jewelry. I am sure that I am not the only person out there that enjoys fashion, a nice fruity drink, and some time to relax.

I have made two pairs of these earrings, one each available in my Artfire Shop and in my Etsy Shop, and I am not sure when more will be available.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read.