Sample Z BOX - Zibbet

HOLA! Well I felt the need to blog about the sample Z BOX!  What is a Z BOX you ask??  Well first you need to know what Zibbet is.  Zibbet is a an online store of artists and crafters. I have a shop there and you can visit it here.  Z BOX is a wonderful box you can purchase here that is stuffed full of wonderful goodies from various Zibbet shop owners! They are always changing things up so there are different samples all of the time. I sent in 20 of my cards with envelopes with them and my fancy new business cards I got from "MOO".

  Go check it out if you haven't already! You will not be dissapointed!

Edible Finger Paint!

So you want to introduce finger painting to your toddler but don't want to bring in the regular finger paint in the reality that they will put it in their mouth and everywhere else. Well, I'm happy to tell you there is a solution! Edible finger paint and you probably have everything in your cabinet.

Supplies You Will Need: 

• Plastic Containers (One for each color)
• Water
• Food Coloring
• Clothes that can get messed up
• Large towel, newspaper, or a large garbage bag to put under everything

These are the plastic containers I'm using. We're only using primary colors today!





 Flour and Food Coloring

1. Put 2 tablespoons of flour in each container.

2. Add enough water to make a paste. If it's too watery, just add  a little more flour. Too thick? Add some water. You'll get it right eventually!

This is about the right consistancy.

3. Add some food coloring and stir until blended.

This is Anya in her messy clothes wondering why she can't touch the dog after fingerpainting.

Anya enjoying painting! It's her first time doing this.

Her finished masterpiece! Will be on sale at my Etsy shop for $500.00. lol

Anya had a blast fingerpainting and I didn't have to worry about her if she decided to put it in her mouth. She also enjoyed her bath afterward!

How I Papercut...

Ok, so I'm teaching myself how to papercut with the help of some online papercutters. Though they don't know they're helping me. Basically I have done research on what the best paper to use and tools. That's about it, the rest I've taught myself. Supposidly Etsy has been going around shops asking to prove they do their own work. Glad Zibbet doesn't do this! Well, I thought I might as well have it ready, you know, just in case they come after me! Also, I thought some of you might like to see my process.

You will probably see a lot of papercutters using Photoshop to make their designs (Or stealing images off of Google). I don't do this. #1: I can't afford photoshop. #2: I am an artist, why not use my God given talent? Who needs the computer? Although I do use the computer to research and get inspiration. If I see something I like on Google search I'll use the image as inspiration and change it to make it my own. NOT COPY IT!

First I draw out my design. Nothing fancy. Just a pencil and my sketchpad. I do this sometimes at night while watching a movie or before I go to bed.

 Here's the completed drawing.

 The silhouette pape is black on one side and white on the other.

 I then tape the image to the white side of the paper. I only put tape on the part of the image that will be cut away.

 I get my tools ready. My X-Acto knife and a swivel knife. Pink of course.

 I then cut out from in inside of the picture to the outside. It's easier this way. get all the tiny details first!

 Then I pop it out.

 .....Voila! I can't wait to post this one up. I love it!

The Sweet Spot In Your Life

Can you remember that sweet spot in your life? When you had no worries and no one to answer to? I love my husband and my daughter to death and wouldn't change it for the world. Without them in my life it would be a big heap of boringness and loneliness. Although after yesterday having a power struggle with my 2 year old (all day long) made me think about how I wish I held onto that sweet spot just a little bit longer.

There was a short window of time in my adult life where I wasn't in a relationship with anyone and I wasn't working but still living with my family rent free. I was working but I worked for the school system and I had the summer off. I had just broken up with my boyfriend of 6 years and was feeling free for the first time. Funny part is, he initiated the break up. So after the crying and depression went away I thought to myself "Why the heck didn't I end this sooner"?  I was in college and taking all my fun classes. Painting 101 and Ceramics. I would go to school early in the morning for my core classes and then I would go to the gym and walk on the treadmill. Then I would be off to the painting room or ceramics room to just relax and do what I loved. No one was having classes at that time of day so it would always be just me and one other person. A lot of times my art teacher.  I loved being around like minded people and the smell of the paint in the room. The coldness of the room and the "Enya" music playing in the background. Or "Abba" if my friend Missy was with me.  I think we were the only ones who enjoyed listening to it. Anyway, I also loved the smell of the ceramics room and the quietness of it. I would stay at school and work until my heart's content and go home whenever I wanted. My parents never worried too much about me. I was never the one to go out and get myself into trouble. Anwho, that was a short period in my life where everything was just perfect. No stress and no one to answer to. Just me and my paintbrushes.

When was the sweet spot in your life? I would love to hear it!

Photo provided by: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2125

New Pieces and New Paper!

Hello everyone! I've been super busy now that I'm back home in Georgia. I've been working on my paper cut art since there is absolutely no room here to paint. I sold my first paper cut art last week! This is the one I sold....

So I just got my new paper made for silhouette art. It's hygloss silhouette paper that wont fade. It's also a lot easier on my hands! Here are some new pieces I have made. The swinging girl is listed on my Etsy site. http://www.thesketchyeasel.etsy.com/.

I also have a zibbet shop at

http://www.zibbet.com/TheSketchyEasel . I was a featured seller. You can read my interview here. Also I will be apart of the Z BOX. It a box you can buy with a bunch of samples from Zibbet sellers.

Do you have nay ideas as to what you would like to see in papercut art? What do you think would sell well? I would love some outside advice! Cheers!

Moving and Sales

It's been a while but I've had a busy week. We just moved back to Georgia and I've been making some sales in my Etsy shop! I've sold one of everything I believe. Of course the day before we move I get an order to do a custom portrait drawing to ship to Australia! No worries though, I finished it that day and mailed it out the day we left. I'm pretty quick with a pencil! I was excited to sell my "Alice In Wonderland" Papercut art last night. I got all the packaging supplies together and now it's ready to ship out tomorrow. I'm getting some special silhouette paper in the mail so it should be easier to cut. Also, I have figured out how to make envelopes for my greeting cards! You get the choice of having the print on the outside or inside of the envelope. You dont get to pick the print, but I do coordinate the print to your card and you get different designs, not just one! Well, I hope everyone has a fab. rest of the week!

Ashley