Vote for me in the RNEST October Team Challenge!

I entered my new Dapper Moustache Disguise Nubbin into the RNEST Team Challenge for October!  

The theme is "In Disguise". Please go to the RNEST blog and vote for me in the poll in the right sidebar. (as usual, you don't have to register for anything in order to vote!) Voting ends this Saturday at midnight! 

Grumpy Cat Nubbin for "Internet Meme" RNEST Team Challenge!

I made a "Grumpy Cat' Nubbin for this month's RNEST Team Challenge!

The theme for May's Challenge was "Internet Memes".  (I actually chose the theme because I wanted to make this!)  If you like my Grumpy Cat and want to vote for me in the challenge, go to the RNEST blog and vote in the poll in the upper-right of the page. (no registration required!) There's only 2 other submissions in the challenge, but I think they are some pretty stiff competition!  So I'll need your help to win!

(a look at my competition)

 The Etsy listing wasn't even up for 12 hours before it sold!

A comparison with the Grumpy Cat herself.

Vote For Wellington in the RNEST Team Challenge for April!

It's time for the RNEST Team Challenge again!  And my Sweater Monster,"Wellington", is in the running!  

This month's theme is "Pantone Color Of The Year: Emerald".  Go to the RNEST blog and click your choice in the poll at the upper right of the blog! (as usual, there is no registration required!  Just click!)

(If you find yourself wishing to purchase him, he is available in my Etsy shop!)
Wellington - Upcycled Sweater Monster 

And the Winner is...

Thanks to everyone who entered and made treasuries!  They were great!  I will be featuring them all in my "Treasury Tuesday" blog post next week.  But now it's time to announce the winner of the giveaway...

The winner or the "Treasury Love" giveaway is...

 Comment #4...which was by Victoria (ie: bearslp) and included a link to her treasury, Some Awesome Little Monsters.  Congratulations Victoria!  You will have a Nubbin arriving in the mail soon!

 If you didn't win or didn't get a chance to enter, don't worry, I'm planning on doing giveaways more frequently in the future!

Treasury Love Giveaway!

It's been quite some time since I did a giveaway here on the blog.  Years, actually.

But in celebration of getting 300 "likes" on my KiraArts Facebook fan page, I am doing a giveaway!

How To Enter:

• Create an Etsy Treasury featuring one item from the KiraArts Etsy shop and leave a comment on this blog post that includes the URL of your Treasury. 

(not sure what an Etsy Treasury is or how to make one?  Check out Etsy's Help Page.)

Rules & Stuff:

• Limit of 1 treasury per contestant
• Treasuries must be “full” (include 16 items) 
• Deadline for entry is February 21st by midnight 
• Winner will be picked by random number generator and announced on February 22nd in a blog post. The winner's treasury will be featured in the blog post (so make sure your treasury looks good!).
• The prize is a red Nubbin with a gray heart (similar to the one pictured)

*EDIT: I forgot to mention...this giveaway is open to US residents only.  Sorry international fans!

Vote for the TARDIS in the RNEST Monthly Challenge for September!

Hey there!
Remember the plush Doctor Who TARDIS Police Box I made?  I've entered it in the RNEST Monthly Challenge for September!  The theme for this month is "Geeks Have More Fun!"  And with a smart, quirky hero like the Doctor, who has more fun than Whovians? ;)

Please take a second to jump over to the RNEST Blog and vote for me in the poll in the upper-righthand corner of the page.  As usual, there is NO registering required!  Just click your choice and then click submit! (and you can vote once per computer, so if you have more than one computer and want to give me an extra boost, you can vote multiple times!  You can even vote from your smartphone!)

The poll closes Wednesday night (9/12) at midnight!

RNEST Monthly Team Challenge: June 2012 (Trends That Drive Me Crazy!)

Here's what I made for June's RNEST Team Challenge!...a "Vaguely Steampunk Nubbin"!

To vote for me, please go to the RNEST blog and cast your vote in the poll at the upper-right of the blog! (no registration required!  Just click and submit! Take a minute and vote...the poll closes tonight!)

The theme for June's Challenge is "Trends That Drive Me Crazy"!  The idea was to be about trend that have been seen all over Etsy and the craft blogosphere and have been done so much that it's almost cliche (see my post about bunting).  I personally have nothing against steampunk, but I know it annoys some people, and I thought it was a good trend to "Nubbin-ize"!

I don;t know a whole lot about steampunk.  I just know it combines a lot of Victorian-era style with sci-fi elements.  The wikipedia entry is pretty informative and interesting...

"Steampunk fashion has no set guidelines, but tends to synthesize modern styles influenced by the Victorian era. This may include gowns, corsets, petticoats and bustles; suits with vests, coats, top hats and spats; or military-inspired garments. Steampunk-influenced outfits are usually accented with several technological and period accessories: timepieces, parasols, flying/driving goggles, and ray guns. Modern accessories like cell phones or music players can be found in steampunk outfits, after being modified to give them the appearance of Victorian-made objects."  - Wikipedia

There are lots of gears and clockwork elements (hence the gear on the Nubbin's tummy in lieu of the heart), and stuff like handlebar moustaches, top hats, and old-style aviator goggles mentioned in the Wikipedia entry.  So I just combined some of those elements into a Nubbin!

This guy has actually been sold already!  I may just have to make some more.  Steampunk may be one of those "drive you crazy" trends, but there is a reason things become trends...there is a market for them because people like them!

RNEST Monthly Team Challenge: May 2012 (Literature)

It's time for the RNEST Monthly Team Challenge for May!

This month's theme was "Literature" and I made a corduroy Cheshire Cat doll!  This cat has been hanging around in my studio, awaiting me to sew some arms and a tail for it.  This challenge finally gave me the kick in the pants to finish it!

Click here to go to the blog and vote in the poll in the upper right-hand corner.  My entry is the last one on the list.  Voting ends in a week...on May 9th at midnight!  Please take a moment to vote now!  (there's NO registration required!  Just click your choice and cast your vote!) 

RNEST Monthly Challenge: April (How Does Your Garden Grow?)

The voting has started for the April edition of the RNEST Monthly Challenge!  

The theme is "How Does Your Garden Grow?" Since rabbits are known for raiding vegetable gardens, I made this Bunny Nubbin as my entry. (another garden reference is the flowers in the fabric print of the inner ears).

The voting starts today and ends in a week (April 12th)!  Please take a second and go vote for me! Just go to the RNEST blog and click your choice in the poll at the top right-hand corner of the blog (no registration is required!).   Thanks!

RNEST Monthly Challenge: March (Rise of the Machines)

Please take a few seconds to go vote for my Robot Nubbin in the RNEST Monthly Challenge for March.  

The theme for this month was "Rise of the Machines".  The deadline to vote is tomorrow (Wednesday, March 7th) by midnight.  Just go to the RNEST blog and click your choice in the poll at the top right-hand corner of the blog (no registration is required!).   Thanks!

"Pin It To Win It" Contest from Sunshyne Silverwear

One of my friends and fellow RNEST member, Erin of SunshyneSilverwear, is having a "Pin It To Win It" contest!

The prize is a $25 gift certificate good towards any of the beautiful, handmade, recycled spoon pendants in her shop!

To enter the contest, all you have to do is create an imaginative Pinterest board using any product image found on www.sunshynesilverwear.com. Then post a link to your boards either on the SunshyneSilverwear blog, or on the SunshyneSilverwear Facebook Fanpage.*  Be sure to check her blog post for additional details.

*(Please don't post contest entry links on this blog post.  You must post them on SunshyneSilverwear's blog/Facebook page in order for your entry to be valid)

Haven't heard of Pinterest? Really?  I know I must have mentioned it before.  Anyway, it's awesome!  (and, for the record, I  have been sponsored to say that!) Pinterest is a virtual pinboard where you can "pin" your favorite items, links, and images from the web. It sounds simple enough, but it can be addicting, so you I'll give you fair warning!  But it is a wonderful way to collect all the cool stuff you like from the web into one place.  You can also follow other people's pinboards and other people can follow yours.  People use pin boards for their home decorating, style/fashion, recipes they want to try, products they like, and wedding planning.  I, personally, have created my own Pinterest boards for fun craft projects, kids' crafts for the homeschool art class I teach, and handmade gift ideas, just to name a few.  The possibilities are endless!

 To read a little more about Pinterest's possibilities, read their official 'About' page here.

One last thing...As of right now, creating Pinterest accounts are by invitation only. If you do not currently have a Pinterest account, e-mail Erin at sunshyne_silverwear(at)hotmail(dot)com and she will send you an invite so you can take part in the contest!  Happy Pinning!

RNEST Monthly Challenge: August (Trending Colors)

Hello my loyal blog readers!

It's time again for the RNEST Monthly Challenge! August's theme is "Trending Colors". "According to Etsy's marketing team, the most popular colors this month are deep jewel tones, fluorescents, classic reds and kelly greens".

I entered more than one item in this month's challenge (we're allowed to do that!), but the one that has the most votes so far is Iggy the Sweater Monster...with his notes of kelly green and turquoise (ah yes...LOVE the turquoise!). I'm in second place as of now. Please take a second to pop over to the RNEST Blog and vote in the poll on the upper right of the page. You don't even have to register or anything, just click! Voting ends at midnight tomorrow!

Thanks for Voting!

I'd like to thank everyone who voted for me in the RNEST Monthly Challenge last week. Because of all of your votes, I WON! :D

And the contest wasn't even over before Sharptooth was sold on Etsy! :D

Trick or Treat Scavenger Hunt!

Hey!

I'm giving away an Orange and black Halloween Nubbin as a prize of RNEST's Trick or Treat Scavenger Hunt!

All you need to do is follow the RNEST blog, then go to the participating shops in RNEST and look for shop listings that have a picture of candy as the last photo. So for example, if you go to my shop and start clicking on some of the items, you will see one of them has a picture of some candy bars hiding in the photos.

Then you post what you find in the blog comments (comments will be hidden until the contest is over), and you have a chance to win one or more great handmade items.

* Speaking of give-aways, I am seriously considering doing a give-away if my KiraArts Facebook page breaks 100 fans. I am currently at 95 fans (or "likes" or whatever). If you haven't already, come on over and click that "like" button and suggest my page to your friends! *

RNEST Logo

I've been working on a logo for a craft community I'm a part of called RNEST (Rochester NY Etsy Street Team). At the last team meeting (which I actually made it to!), we talked about designing a logo for the team, and having a contest among the members to determine what logo we would end up with. I am a graphic designer (it's what I actually went to school for) so I got all excited and have been working on my submissions. I have one central "RNEST" design...

And I have 2 more elaborate designs that include the basic design. My main goal was to encapsulate as many craft types as I could, since the team has members who work in many different crafts and mediums. It's challenging to come up with a way to say "handmade" visually without sticking with one particular craft...like sewing or knitting.

(I used Adobe Illustrator for these and "drew" most of the aspects freehand. I'm a big fan of the "fude" brushstroke. The only non-brushstroke aspects are the R and the main part of the E...where I used a font for the text. And obviously, the "Rochester NY Etsy Street Team" part is a font.)

I'm leaning toward liking the "hand" one better (the first one). We'll just have to see which one my fellow RNESTers like...If any! Another artist might make a logo better than either of mine. Which do YOU like better? (tell me in the comments!)

Blue Glass Photo

*It seems that Blogger is having issues today with uploading/showing pictures from its database, and I can't upload any photos...so today's pic comes to you from Facebook. *

I'm so glad to be able to take pictures with my digital camera again! I just took this picture today while I was waiting for the water to boil for my tea. I kind of wish I'd waited to enter this week's Photography Contest on Facebook (the theme is "Blue")...


... But you can only enter one photo per theme, and I already entered one of my first pictures of Terra that has my blue scarf in it...and it already has 9 votes...so I don't think I can just remove it and enter this picture.

Maybe they'll have a "glass" theme sometime where I can use this photo. Or a more specific "turquoise" color theme.

Runner Up Cat Photo

The picture of Terra I entered in the Facebook Photography Contest got 3rd place! I know it's not 1st...but I'm just excited to place in this contest since there are professional and amatuer photographers alike in it, and I am one of the amatuers.


Go to the Photography Contest Winners Blog to see the photos that beat me for 1st and 2nd place. (it seems poor Terra, as beautiful as she is, can't compete with the hilarity of a soaking wet cat, or the cuteness of a newborn kitten!)

Kitty in the Craft Room

I've been cleaning/organizing my craft room this week, and made this space on the top shelf for Terra to hang out. She can't get up there by herself, but she seemed to enjoy chilling out there today. And I did an impromptu photo session...

I entered the above pic in a Photography contest on Facebook. And I think it's quite convenient that the theme is "Cats" this week. I had no idea that was the upcoming theme when I decided to take pictures of Terra today. I hope I win. I've only placed in the contest once...I tied with someone else for 2nd place on the "Friendship" theme...and my pic then involved a cat!

I love taking pictures of cats. It was kind of difficult for me to decide what picture to enter since I have so many pictures. I could have entered a picture of Sammy...but I had to enter one of Terra! And then it was a matter of which picture! But I decided the close-up I took today was the best one and had the best chance of winning.
I think she's a gorgeous cat...but of course I do!...she's my cat! It's like how parents always think their baby/child is the most beautiful baby/child ever. Terra was the pick of the litter though...everyone comments on how pretty she is and how interesting her markings are.

And The Winner Is...

Thanks to everyone who commented yesterday for the Give-Away. You all made my day. I think the most comments I've ever gotten on a single post before has been 3!

Some people forgot to give me a name for the monster however, which I did mention in the post was a deciding factor in picking the winner. But for every one of you that forgot, there were a bunch more that gave cme some really fun ones!

I must say that it was very tough picking a winner. Some of my favorites were:
- Jagger (after Mick Jagger , because of the big lips)
- Mr. Scruffles
- Wonky Willard
- Gürkin
- Mr. Slurpstein the Third
- Purple Lipinski
- Basil Sludge-Fuzzworthy
- Phfancy Phfillip Phfishinger "(all pronounced with a very spitty spray)"
- Sir Fernando Flounce Mouth
- Zarthag...

There were so many great names! I finally needed to enlist my husband to help me decide. But in the end we decided on...

Stripes McDougal!

So Bird, you are the winner! I'm sure Stripes will have a good home with you. If you had just said "Stripes", I might not have picked it, but the McDougal was what did it We have a soft spot for the Scottish...plus it just sounded so funny...especially if you try saying it with a Scottish accent. Congratulations! E-mail your address info to kira(at)klsinclair.com so I can ship him to you!

Thanks everyone for all the great names. I will definitely log them away to name future monsters. I wish I could afford to give everyone a free monster. But you can always obtain a funny monster of your own from my Etsy shop. You just might end up seeing one with the name you suggested!

This was so much fun that I just might have a monthly monster give-away. So make sure to check back here occasionally!

Monster Story Contest

I just saw this book Woolyhoodwinks vs. the Dark Patch via an article on the Craft: Blog.

Seeing this book reminded me of an idea I had a while ago, that was actually also suggested recently by one of my friends on Facebook...to make a storybook using my monsters as characters.

So, I want to hold a contest. If I am going to make a storybook...I need a story. That's where you, my readers come in (however few of you there may be). Give me an idea for a story. Come up with it yourselves or a fun idea may be to ask your kids. The one I like best I will attempt to make into a storybook...and may give out a prize for the best story as well!

"The best kind of prize is a sur-prize!" (extra points if you can tell me where I got this quote from!)