Ray of Light

Happy Monday. 

Question: What better way to start a new week than with a giveaway? 

Answer: Two giveaways

I am excited to be part of the Designer Favorites Blog Hop sponsored by Spellbinders. Six of their product designers, including myself, have gotten together, chosen a favorite, and are taking part in this hop and giveaway. Head to the bottom of this post for all the details.

Ray of Light

For my favorite, I chose Ray of Light - a die set from my January release.

All my die designs are abstract but this one was specifically created to represent the rays of the sun. And with all the challenges that the world faces right now...who couldn't use a little sunshine?

BE

Within

Mystery

-------------------------

The Fine Print

Hop Along

Head to the Spellbinders Blog to get the links to hop from one designer to the next:

Spellbinders

Debi Adams

Sharyn Sowell

Marisa Job

Tammy Tutterow

Stephanie Low

Seth Apter (you are here)

GIVEAWAY ONE

Spellbinder's is hosting Giveaway One and will give away a bundle of all six designer favorites (dies and stamp) to six different winners. To be eligible, you must enter the giveaway here. The contest runs until August 3 until 11:59 MST. Winners will be announced on August 5 and contacted directly by Spellbinders.

GIVEAWAY TWO

I am hosting my own giveaway. One person will win both a piece of art featured in this post and my favorite die. To be eligible, leave a comment to this post and be sure to tell me which piece of art you would like to win - Within or Mystery. As always, internationals welcome! The contest runs until August 3 until 11:59 MST. Winners will be contacted directly by me so please be sure I have your email address.

THANK YOU. THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Congratulations to Tee of The Altered Paper

Australia 2017: Post 2

Continuing my review of my recent trip to Australia, this is post 2 in a series. You can check out my previous post on my playtime in Melbourne here. 

Today's stop is Ballarat in Victoria where I was part of the Fibre Arts Australia crew. The event was held at The Ballarat Grammar School during winter holiday and we took over the classroom buildings, cafeteria and dorms.

It was a very busy week but I did get a chance the first morning to wander outside the school grounds and find some inspiring sites.

Given that it was winter, darkness fell quite early but at least we were lit one night by the full moon.

I spent the week getting lost on the campus and was always happy to find my friend at the door to my workshop building so I knew I had found my way.

I taught a 5-day workshop called A Library of Memories with a group of wonderfully creative and very cheeky students.

I think it is fair to say that it was a very, very fun experience...

...with a lot of art making happening from when the classroom opened at 7am to when it shut at 9pm.

As a group we created a star book that was auctioned off for charity.

The completed projects were phenomenal and I was amazed at the amount of work that was completed during the workshop.

At the end of the event, there was an exhibition of all the student work.

It was exciting to be able to see the work that created in the other workshops as well. #somuchtalent

A huge thank you to the artists who took my workshop. Looking forward to seeing many of you again next July when I return to Ballarat for round 2.

Next up: heading to Lismore in New South Wales to do it all over again.

Australia 2017: Post 1

I am writing this post in my hotel room in Sydney, Australia as what has become an annual adventure down under is fast winding down. I have had the good fortune to have had the opportunity to be a part of two Fibre Arts Australia events and teach too additional workshops as part of an Art is You popup. Some time to explore this incredible place was also part of the plan. Happy to be able to share my experiences in a series of blog posts, the first of which is now...

Australia 2017 started in Melbourne, where I had some time to acclimate to the 14 hour time difference and play a bit before the work started. I love the urban grit at the heart of Melbourne and the fact that the city is like a patchwork of so many distinct qualities.

It is a big city...

which holds on to its history.

It has pockets of beautiful nature...

mixed with a hipster vibe.

Secret passages, alleyways, and lanes are everywhere. Some filled with shops or restaurants...

and many filled edge to edge with street art.

Oh the street art. Melbourne has been dubbed the stencil capital of the world. And for good reason...

Spent a good amount of time in Fitzroy, a gentrified neighborhood a bit akin to Williamsburg. Many of the street arts pics were capture there. It was also in Fitzroy where I found a cool shop called panelpop, a gallery of sorts where art is printed (and more) on reclaimed materials. It is also filled with inspiration and endless photo ops.

My time in Melbourne went by quickly and after a few days it was time to close that chapter and walk through the door to my next adventure down under.

Next up: Ballarat and Fibre Arts Australia event #1