Home for the holidays

Home is not Hawaii or anywhere else that's really warm....
It's Chicago.
So, don't be envious of my holidays away from Saluda.
I don't even know if I have enough warm clothes to
deal with this anymore.

Don't you just love the way the AT&T Cloud looks with snow?
There is something to be said about seeing all
these wondrous, white, powdery flakes ... from afar.
Up close and personal - it's cold & wet & blustery & freezing.
It's only 6 above here today, with
wind chills of -20.

There must be some indoor activities somewhere in
this big big city.
Shopping anyone?
Eating Chicago Pizza at, let's say Lou Malnottis?

How about watching the Chicago Bears football
at a sports bar, just like the olden days?
Warming up with some irish coffee?
Now you can get envious. GO BEARS!

Holiday Schedule & more

Happy Holidays from all of us
at
Random Arts in Saluda

We will be closed from Wed. Dec. 24th through Friday, Jan 2nd.
Re-opening on Sat. Jan. 3rd, 2009.
Have a wonderful holiday & many thanks
to all of you who have continued to support us
throughout the years.

Best wishes to everyone
for a peaceful, healthy and prosperous new year.



Now, check this out!

Coming Soon...
Jan/Feb issue of Cloth Paper Scissors
In this next issue, you will find -

• Projects that incorporate paper, fabric, and hand and machine stitching, plus collage, painting, journaling, encaustic art, and a "green" approach (with recycled items).

• Painted quilts—an intriguing and strikingly successful method for readers interested in a shortcut to making quilts.

• A how-to article on making charms that includes hints for hosting a charm swap

• Special Valentine's projects including painted and collaged heart magnets, embroidered and collaged mail art, and a wonderfully creative yet simple fabric book (the pages are pockets for holding tiny treasures).

• An Artist Profile introducing readers to an artist from Australia who wet felts a delightful array of projects in glorious color combinations.
Details about the next reader challenge "Life's a Beach!"

Patti Brady's new book is here!

Acrylic can mimic oil paint, watercolor, gouache and encaustic; it can be applied in

subtle transparent washes, or troweled as a heavy thick impasto; it can be as

transparent as glass or as dense and black as tar. Because of its ever-changing state,

Patti Brady is covering the most popular techniques for acrylic, making them

accessible to the contemporary artist through a variety of mini-demonstrations

followed by full demonstrations that show how to transform those techniques into

finished paintings.

Want a copy of your own?
Available here and shipping is FREE.

An amazing body of work

One of our favorite customers, talented artist and friend, Lea Nickless of Miami, FL and of Saluda,opened at a one woman show at Freedom Tower in Miami.
Her body of work focuses on
"the book, as art" and can be seen there through January 31st, 2009.

One of my favorite pieces is Angst which can be seen on her blog,
Bound Unbound
Check it out and tell us what you think.

Here are few pictures of her work at it is shown at the gallery. Doesn't it look amazing?

2 RANDOM WINNERS

Thanks to all of you who commented about your
journaling experience & inspiration on my blog.

I'm sure that each and everyone of us has
gained some insight as to what we can do
to continue our journey with pen in hand.

Unfortunately, only 2 journals are
available which means only 2 winners.
So, with that said.....

The drum roll please.........................ratatatatatat
After adding all the names to the hat
2 were chosen at random and the winners are:
Debbie Crane
and
Patti Edmon.

Congrats to both of them. Now all I need is a mailing
address and your journal will be mailed
out to you. Included in each journal
is a questionnaire that each of you need to
read and complete after you have, of course, done some sketching
and journaling.
Any questions, let me know.

Holiday Gift Ideas

The Holidays are just around the corner
and we can help you decide on the right
gift for all the creative friends or family in your life.
We have lots of books just waiting for
you to choose from including
more. . .

Tim Holtz Grungeboard is 50% off




The shop is festively decorated and waiting for
your visit. We're ready for you with
new products, new ideas and inspiration for
last minute gifts, holiday cards, tags & wrapping.

Don't forget that Friday Dec 12th from 6-8 is
Saluda Hometown Christmas.

Inside scoop on the $500. book

Yes, it is now called the $500. book,
but it wouldn't even be a book now if it weren't
for my good friend, fabulous artist and book binder,
Meg Fowler.

It starts with looking at all the journal pages
came in to us - 75 in all.

Here you can see where we began to sew
all the pages together using tyvek
and the sewing machine.

Meg's thought process had to include
all the pages needed to be bound, including
the pages that were double sided and those that
were created in a horizontal manner.


Then there were those that were bigger
than the 5 x 7 size. That led to other
issues... like what kind of binding
does one use on a book this big?
How about, what kind of
cover do we put on this book?
Here's Jen creating the cover with
strips of coordinated cotton fabrics,
that were woven, attached to fusible web,
covered with organdy and then distressed.
Meg added her own upholstery fabric
sandwich for the spine and 14 hours
later it became a book with hand sewn
signatures, completely bound.

So, why is it called the $500 book?

Because some random person was bidding against me
at the Senior Center Silent Auction and there
was nothing left for me to do but... bid on & on & on!
and to support a really really really good organization.
The Saluda Senior/Community Center

The GIVE-A-WAY continues...

Win a journal from a national
manufacturer of art supplies!!!

Do you Doodle?
Draw?
Sketch?
Journal?
Do you do all of the above?
Read on to win. . .

You still have the opportunity to leave a comment on why you journal, what you journal, when you journal etc etc etc. .Why do this? Simply because you might win a brand new hard cover journal from us.

Journal page found here

Here's another one....
We are doing some market research for an international corporation/ manufacturer of art supplies and THEY want to know what we think of their new product.

So, in order to do that we are going to offer 2 journals to 2 lucky winners who respond.
We will do a general drawing, picking 2 names out of the "proverbial bag".
Here is the plan. . .
Comment on our blog why you like to journal, what inspires you to journal, what books you
have read to energize and inspire you and what changes journaling has made in your life.
You have until Dec. 10th to comment on this "call for journal keepers"

This one is mine... I love this one with the white pen, the stamped roof, the black border.

It's a Give-a-way

Do you journal, sketch, draw, watercolor,
paint or just plain doodle?

We are doing some market research for an international corporation/ manufacturer of art supplies and THEY want to know what we think of their new product.

So, in order to do that we are going to offer 2 journals to 2 lucky winners who respond.
We will do a general drawing, picking 2 names out of the "proverbial bag".
Here is the plan. . .
Comment on our blog why you like to journal, what inspires you to journal, what books you
have read to energize and inspire you and what changes journaling has made in your life.
You have until Dec. 10th to comment on this "call for journal keepers".

( I found this interesting journal page by starrgirlsworld.blogspot.com)

There is one rule, and one rule only if you are the lucky winners:

After you do your daily journaling/sketching/etc

in this journal, you are going to complete the questionnaire that is included in the journal
The manufacturer wants your feedback on what you think of their product. If you are willing to
do this then this is the right project for you.

Want to try some "online" doodling?
or
here?

Stop!
It's time to comment on your personal journaling experience and
win a Free hardcover unlined journal.

Comment now . . .