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Day 13 - new stationery sets

Published
by
robayre
on February 14, 2011
in General Update, Projects, etsy and shop update
. 1 Comment

Before Christmas my sister asked me if I had ever thought of making a bunting notepad that would be more “manly” as opposed to the more feminine bunting notepad and stationery set I already carry. The answer was no, I hadn’t thought of that, but I often get the greatest ideas from others, so for Day 13 I created a new bunting in black and brown.

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I’m so thrilled with this new stationery set and notepads (I have printed some notepads, but not padded them yet.) Like my other stationery sets, they come with 20 sheets of lined stationery and 10 envelopes. I drew the patterns on the bunting by hand. The envelopes are all solid brown, handmade by yours truly, and are self sealing for your pleasure, um I mean, ease. I have just added one set to my Etsy shop.

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Thanks for the idea, Chris!

Getting the ball rolling

Published
by
robayre
on January 30, 2011
in General Update, My Artwork, life and shop update
. 2 Comments

1.29.11 papers

Going into the studio Friday to make those little book pages got the ball rolling. Friday night and Saturday morning I started and then finished this little beauty.

Circle Series Number 17

As you can see in the top picture there was a lot of tiny paper cutting. When I started out I fully intended it to be aqua and rust. The piece decided that it wanted to stay mainly green blue, although there are tiny subtle touches of warm coloring here and there. It is now affordably available in the shop.

Then yesterday after reading about my sloppy studio woes, my sister came and took over in the Studio Re-Organization Mission of 2011. It probably goes hand in hand with her chosen profession in mathematics, but boy, can that girl organize and systematize. My studio is straight, and I’m more ready for Thing-A-Day than ever before. My rolls of fancy papers no longer need to stand in rolls, but can be put away flat on my big paper shelves, my resin materials have their own place, my zines have their own shelf, and the snozberries taste like real snozberries!

I think I’m back to creating, folks

Finished Project round-up

Published
by
robayre
on December 4, 2010
in General Update, Projects, etsy and shop update
. 1 Comment

 I’ve been meaning to share some finished projects for a long time now.

handmade and available in my etsy shop

It’s no secret. I’m a yoyo fiend. Back in August I got the idea to make some zipper pouches covered in yoyos and I have finally finished and added three to my Etsy shop. I love how they came out. My favorite is the one above. It was by some weird luck that I found a zipper that matched the fabric perfectly and now I want to make more with solid colors. I think it displays the texture of the yoyos so much better. Something like that would be perfect for a wedding.

finished zipper pouch

My sister gave me the idea to add wrist straps. This makes them a perfect size for a clutch or wristlet to use all alone, rather than to keep inside your purse. The straps are attached to the zipper pull and are easily removed.

yoyo zipper pouch by robayre

I quilted all the yoyos by hand, then sewed the purse itself by machine. I anchored the yoyos to the pouch, so they are on there sturdily.

And then last month I showed a progress shot of some jewelry pieces I was working on and forgot to show the finished product. Here are the rings. The one of the left is made from a retired library book’s pages. The one on the right is made from a vintage world map print.

Book Lovers Ring  vintage map ring

I loved the one on the left so much I wanted to keep it for myself.  It occurred to me to just make one for myself, so I did that this week. It’s funny how excited I was to have one for myself. I wear handmade all the time, but it’s almost always from other artist’s work.

custom order

I love it when customers come to me with GREAT ideas for new products. Like earlier this year Claire wanted some of my notepads, but on a larger paper and then asked if I had envelopes. Ta-Da! Why not turn my bunting designs into stationery? Then for the above commissioned piece - a customer asked if I could make one of my treasure boxes but with “you are my favorite” on top. Brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that before? I’m sure I will be making some more of these.

Lastly, a friend recently got a puppy. He’s a maltipoo. He was so tiny (under 2 pounds) and when they took him outside he’d just start shaking from the cold. So tiny, in fact, that they couldn’t even find any pet coats or sweaters that would fit him, so I made this little coat from some fabric I had on my shelves. It’s a red and white print of skulls and cross bones :)
11.19.10 Benny coat 11.19.10 Benny in coat

I made it at home, just guesstimating his size and I was amazed that it fit him like a charm. It just has a strap underneath and they loved that because then when they take him out to to the bathroom he doesn’t accidentally “go” on it, like he would if it was a full bodied sweater. It wasn’t until after I made it that I realized they could probably also make some really stylish sweaters for inside just from old patterned socks. A hole in the toe, a couple slits for his legs and he’d be super cozy.

Grass & Stars Mini Zine No. 2

Published
by
robayre
on November 17, 2010
in General Update, Projects, etsy and shop update
. 1 Comment

I’m so excited to announce that I have finally finished my second issue of Grass & Stars. It’s still a mini zine, but not as small as the first teensie issue.

I’m thrilled with the final outcome. It has articles and artwork, as well as a comic and interview with a stranger. I’ll tell you, those last two parts are what kept me from getting this issue out much sooner. The comic is the third comic I’ve ever done and all of them have been part of a series called “How to…” The “interview a stranger” article is also supposed to be an on going article in Grass & Stars. I had the idea originally when I first wanted to make a zine, way back in high school. It’s something I know would definitely push me past my comfort zone because I’m not the type of person to talk to strangers, let alone ask them if I could interview them, take their picture AND publish it. It scared me so much, that I basically chickened out for the first issue and just interviewed myself, lol. When I finally did the interview for this new issue, the person was so sweet and kind. It was a great first interview and I’m sure they will get easier for me from now on out.

The zine is 16 pages long and has a limited edition run of 26 numbered books. The cover is a hand colored relief print. After 26 the originals are gone, further issues will be open-ended reproductions, so get one while they are available.

Oh, and I can cross this off my 2010 to-do list and this makes me very, very happy :D

The new zine is available in my Etsy shop now, and if you never picked up the first issue, that can be found there as well.

Blades of Grass No. 7

Published
by
robayre
on October 18, 2010
in General Update, My Artwork, etsy and shop update
. 0 Comments

I just added this new painting to my Etsy shop, AND I listed it for a mere $30 because I really hope that it finds a loving home soon. Scoop it up while you can.

I made this piece in the same style as the larger piece (No. 4) for my sister. I really liked that piece so much that I had to make another to put in my shop. This piece is smaller, but much bolder in color and has a red edge all around it.

Here is a progress picture, mostly because I loved the color palette.The piece uses my favorite color combinations, red and green, without being Christmasy. I love the energy that these complementary colors create.

The piece is a petite 3.875″ x 4.875″ and if you click on the link to the shop listing, you can see it in size relation to a pencil.

I’m a nerd

Published
by
robayre
on May 28, 2010
in Cool Links, My Artwork, Projects, etsy and shop update
. 5 Comments

Here is my second animated gif for number 2 on my to-do list. Here’s number one from earlier this year.  This time I made it bigger so you can actually see what’s going on.

Last week I was walking from my car to our house when I saw the brightest yellow finch. It’s been so long since I’ve seen one, I thought it was an escaped pet bird at first. The very next day I was at a BBQ birthday party and saw the boldest Indigo Bunting. It kept flying up to the bird feeder just a few feet away from us. THEN the very next day I was on a bike ride and a bright red Cardinal swooped right in front of me. I view brightly colored birds as a sign, and remembered this mail art piece I made and decided to list it for sale in my Etsy shop.

I recently discovered the coolest (new-to-me) artist through flickr. Alyn Carlson is a very talented artist, graphic designer and actress. She makes the most wonderful art hats, and they can be found in her Etsy shop here. I love how she posts often about colors, often in a Pantone theme, which really speaks to the graphic designer in me too. Well, lo and behold, this week she featured a photograph I took of my tootsie in grass, on this post. And then today, she shared my silver cast and handspun yarn Grass Ring. A woman who also loves grass is a woman after my own heart.

New Series - Blades of Grass

Published
by
robayre
on May 3, 2010
in My Artwork, Projects, etsy and shop update
. 1 Comment

I think I mentioned last week how I’ve been working on a new series of paintings. As usual, I continue with my love for the grass image. I have two complete and I’m pretty excited about the whole series. It’s all I can think of, and when I’m not painting I’m scribbling down notes and sketches for more pieces. I can’t create as fast as the inspiration comes, and that’s a good thing. Today I listed the one above in my Etsy shop.

Here is a progress picture from last week. My drawing table was a complete mess. I like how, even though it is entirely painting, it almost looks like collage or mixed media because of all the lines and details.

This particular piece is 12 inches square, so a pretty decent size to hang on a wall. Lately I’ve been wanting to go bigger and I think it stems from my desire to hang larger pieces on my own walls. In this series I plan on creating pieces of all different sizes, from small canvases (like my artomat pieces) to BIG BIG BIG. We will see how that goes :)

Three things

Published
by
robayre
on April 21, 2010
in Coverage, General Update, etsy, life and shop update
. 1 Comment

I saw this “three things” list on Leethal’s blog and decided to participate myself.
Three names I go by:
1. Rob
2. Robbie
3. Robs

Three jobs I have had:
1. Night audit/ front desk clerk at a hotel
2. Nursery supervisor at a church
3. Study hall aide for 7th and 8th graders

Three places I have lived:
1. at my parents house (residential neighborhood)
2. In a farmhouse out in the country
3. In an apartment building, next door to a murderer (really, not kidding at all)

Three favorite drinks:
1. Slurpees
2. Thai iced tea
3. Boba drinks

Three TV shows I watch:
1. Lost
2. 30 Rock
3. Check Please (chicago pbs)

Three places I have been:
1. Juneau, Alaska (not on a cruise, thank-you-very-much)
2. Blarney Castle in Ireland (and yes I kissed the Blarney stone)
3. Breaking for “REAL BEEF JERKY” in Texas (I also break for cheese curds in Wisconsin)

Three places I would like to visit:
1. Japan
2. The East coast of the United States
3. Seattle (I’ve been, but only stayed overnight and didn’t get to see anything really)

Three favorite old TV shows:
1. Six Feet Under
2. Arrested Development
3. My So Called Life (but, I can’t watch it anymore. It’s like looking at old awkward pictures of yourself, it’s embarrasing and makes you start reflecting on a time you’d rather forget.)

Three favorite dishes:
1. Home cooked in the crock pot - Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana
2. Tuna Casserole (my mom’s dish)
3. Sausage & Rotini (my mom’s dish)

Three makeup/beauty products I cannot live without:
1. soap
2. deoderant
3. toothpaste (other than that, I really can’t think of anything I couldn’t live without. I won’t die if I can’t find my mascara.)

Three things I’m looking forward to:
1. This kind of makes me sad because a thing I’ve been hopefully looking forward to, will most likely not happen
2. I’ve been dealing with this today
3. And, it’s hard for me to think of anything else to look forward to right now.

Wow, that didn’t really end on an uplifting note. I think I will add another category just so it doesn’t seem so sad.

Three songs that make me happy:
1. As Is - Ani Difranco
2. Halloweenhead - Ryan Adams
3. Breakin’ Up - Rilo Kiley

And then just for fun, A bonus round: 3 things I made and added to my Etsy shop recently:


This handbound journal that I’m in love with. It’s similar to one of the very first items I made and sold on Etsy, eons ago. The inside pages are an assortment of different papers, and each page is next to a different kind of paper. There is watercolor paper, graph paper, and even some papers I designed and printed myself. I really need to make one for myself, because describing it right now, I want to take it out of my shop and just keep it. Control yourself, Robyn. lol.

This orange and aqua spiral stratum ring. I actually made it as a custom order for a customer who apparently decided they didn’t like it because it still sits there days later. booo. Oh well, I like it and I probably wouldn’t have thought to use those colors if they hadn’t requested it.

Lastly, here is one of the 3 or 4 alphabet badges I made. It’s also being featured in this alphabet inspired treasury. Cute!

Please play along! Let me know if you posted three things too, I’d love to read them.

What I’ve done today

Published
by
robayre
on April 2, 2010
in General Update, My Artwork, etsy and shop update
. 1 Comment

I’ve listed two new paintings to my Etsy shop today. The first one can be found here. They are in the same style as my Artomat pieces, which can be seen here. These paintings are based on collages I did during Thing A Day in February.

The second painting can be found here.

Also, I sold these miniature books that were commissioned. I LOVE the smaller one. It looks like it’s leather bound, but really it’s a fancy textured paper. I’ll have to keep my eye out for more papers similar to these. I have another one to list in my etsy shop, but I’ve been thinking of turning it into a necklace.

New Paper Wrapped/Coiled Rings

Published
by
robayre
on March 22, 2010
in etsy and shop update
. 1 Comment

I’ve added 4 new paper wrapped spiral/stratum rings to my Etsy shop, click on the images to take you to their listing.
I am in love with the one above. It’s made from a world map.

And this one is made from a road map. I think they are so beautiful from afar, and if you look up close you can see that it actually map pages.

 

I also made these two, an orange and a pink ring. They are equally stunning. I just love the details.

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