<![CDATA[kathARTsis Art Studio

<![CDATA[kathARTsis Art Studio - Blog-Home]]>Sun, 26 May 2013 00:51:36 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[The Journal Club just went International]]>Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:31:43 GMThttp://www.kathartsis.com/1/post/2012/12/the-journal-club-just-went-international.html

I recently shipped off some journals to Australia. When I dragged my son to the post office he said " you sell all over the world now"?
He's so cute.

It's been a nice steady progression and I enjoy coming up with new prompts all the time. I currently have over 50 kids I send to every month, ages 3- 13. A big growth since starting it a year ago. Go on over to the Journal Club tab and check out the details, you just might find that the little artsit in your life is in need of

]]><![CDATA[Holiday Creativity]]>Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:04:22 GMThttp://www.kathartsis.com/1/post/2012/11/holiday-creativity.html

I started preparing for the arrival of our elf Freddie. The boys ask when he's coming everyday and I am a little excited myself!
After all, the look on their faces is just great.

He will make his arrival on Dec. 1 and will deliver little notes most days but every once in a while, they get a treat!

Most notes are simple thing telling them to put up the tree, eat dinner by candlelight or drive around and see the holiday lights. Some days Fredie pulls a little prank like the battle of Lego men vs. Toy Story stuffed animals.

For the treats, they usually get around 2. This year I bought a Brugger's Bagels
gift card and I haven't figure out the other one yet.

All in all, it's worth it all to have ink stained fingers for a little good behavior. :)

]]><![CDATA[I Won!!]]>Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:11:18 GMThttp://www.kathartsis.com/1/post/2012/11/i-won.html

I won! I won! Bead World has a monthly bead challenge in which you buy a bag of pre-selected beads and create something with it. AND I WON!

What a fun way to wake up and find out that you now have a gift certificate to spend on beads. I know I'm excited!

You can find the full blog article here.

]]><![CDATA[What I Made Today, Ed. 3]]>Thu, 18 Oct 2012 22:44:47 GMThttp://www.kathartsis.com/1/post/2012/10/what-i-made-today-ed-3.html

I took my firt metal smith torch class today. I'm so excited with all the possibilities of metal! I got to make a few headpins and this cool ring. Can't wait to experiment some more.

]]><![CDATA[What I Made Today, Ed. 2]]>Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:08:52 GMThttp://www.kathartsis.com/1/post/2012/09/what-i-made-today-ed-2.html

I finished this copper necklace last night. I took me about three days: handmaking the pendant, oxidizing it, sanding it and wire wrapping the necklace. With everyday life jumbled in between of course. I really like the result. It will be perfect for fall.

]]><![CDATA[What I Made Today, Ed. 1]]>Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:55:34 GMThttp://www.kathartsis.com/1/post/2012/09/what-i-made-today-ed-1.htmlI have been into everything lately, I mean everything. I rearranged the studio and it is awesome! I know have full access to all my treasures and I have been playing with it all.

I made this pendant the other day out of polymer clay, stamps and a few watch pieces.

And I made these earrings today. I hand pounded those aluminum drops with a dapping block and hammer. Added freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals. They are now available for purchase on the website.

This pendent was a fun one to make. Again, I used polymer clay and stamps, paint and added a bird charm. Should be up on the site soon.

So, I'm really excited about my new direction. Wish I could just sit around and create all day long!

]]><![CDATA[The Sea Princess]]>Sun, 26 Aug 2012 17:23:26 GMThttp://www.kathartsis.com/1/post/2012/08/the-sea-princess.htmlI finished this piece this morning. It took about three days of building up the layers. I think it was worth it, I'm happy with the results.

I had this idea for a mermaid for awhile now but it wasn't until I read about a Stampington challenge that it finally came together. The challenge was for whimsy with blues, pinks and greens.
Wish me luck!

]]><![CDATA[Mon, Aug 6, 2012]]>Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:08:53 GMThttp://www.kathartsis.com/1/post/2012/08/mon-aug-6-2012.htmlToday's inspiration comes from my 6 year old. I wouldn't blow up the big raft for him (I had good reason, I swear) so he gathered all the noodles we had from a lightsaber swim party and created...

Raft-the-Bonzo. Yeah.

]]><![CDATA[Tue, Jul 17, 2012]]>Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:51:54 GMThttp://www.kathartsis.com/1/post/2012/07/tue-jul-17-2012.htmlI've been missing in action!!!! Not really, just sucking up some good ole' family and friends summertime action.

Summertime at the beach, hiking, and boating. Doesn't get much better than that.

Don't worry, I've been working on some great artistic stuff too!

]]><![CDATA[Bathroom Re-do]]>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:30:43 GMThttp://www.kathartsis.com/1/post/2012/02/bathroom-re-do.html

We moved into our house a little over a year ago. I LOVE my house, but there are a few things that needed and still need changing. One of them is the boys bathroom. It used to be a girls bathroom from the previous owners, as evident from this pic here from the girly chandeliers. It also had white cabinets and a very outdated counter.
I have been wanting to make this bathroom over for awhile now. And finally a couple of weeks ago, my younger son had a water bottle with his name written with Sharpie on the bottom and it made a perfect transfer onto the counter.
I would like to say I tried everything to get it off but truly, it is an opportunity like this that sparks the fire for such a project.

I usually hate prepping a project but this one didn't have that much and went really fast. Here's a good tip: Aluminum foil molds to things really well and makes a great covering for fixtures.

Frog tape is the BEST tape and allows for very little leaking. I was told from the guy at Home Depot that if you wipe it with a wet rag first, there is virtually no leaks. He was right. This tape expands when wet so if you wipe it down first, it provides a barrier before any paint is applied. AWESOME!

I used this 1-2-3 primer from Home Depot. It has a glue base and sticks to everything!! I applied two coats to the counter, meanwhile painting the cabinets while waiting for coats to dry.

The picture below shows counter totally primed and cabinets all painted grey.

After the grey had dried, I applied a brown glaze over the cabinet edges. Just to give a bit of definition to the edges. I love how they turned out! To seal them, I applied 2 thin coats of satin polyurethane. Be sure to open windows, that stuff can make you dizzy!

Meanwhile, I applied the first coat of paint on the counter. I chose a stone spray paint. I have to admit that I was really nervous about the results and the whole concept of spray paint as a counter BUT, after applying a test coat on a sheet of cardboard, I knew it would work.

While waiting for coats to dry, I also changed the color of the mirror that was hanging on the wall. I had this grey terra cotta left over from a different project that worked really well for this mirror. It has a great texture to it.

And... another coat to the counter.
2 coats of paint for the cabinets, 1 coat of glaze, 2 coats spray paint and 4 coats gloss polyurethane to seal, AND 2 coats of terra cotta paint (and a partridge in a pear tree).
And to finish off a long weekend project, a new coat of paint for the walls, of course some new lights, a new red valence, red rug, red hand towels, and counter accessories. Oh... and light switch covers to match the stone counter. Total cost: about $100. Granted I had some paint already in my stash but pretty good overall.

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