TURQUOISE TUESDAYS!

As you may or may not know, Pantone has recently announced Turquoise as the Color of the Year!

Why is this big news? For those of us with an addiction to this most desirable of colors, it is very welcome - it means we can continue to wear all of our favorite turquoise jewelry collected over the years, without fear of seeming hopelessly out of style!

I have a huge stash of glass beads, lucite, and the real deal - all in varying shades of this versatile greenish-blue, and will be putting them to good use. My current favorite metal to pair with turquoise is copper - a warmer look than silver, and something different from the usual silver or gold - although those are good standbys too!

In honor of this distinction, I am establishing "Turquoise Tuesdays", where on each Tuesday - I will be offering a special price on select Turquoise items in my Etsy shop:

debbiecarroll.etsy.com

High Desert Bracelet: http://bit.ly/9C5wwX

Bronzed Copper & Turquoise Necklace: http://bit.ly/9G3OrO

For this first Turquoise Tuesday, I am offering 20% off the items featured in the photos, please visit my Etsy shop each Tuesday for a new special offer - for a limited time!

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January Color Sale

After the holidays are over and winter sets in, I often find myself in a bit of a funk - I think this happens to a lot of people in January. It's usually best to take this time to get organized and start thinking about Spring, sunshine and warm weather - and for those of us in Central Texas - the end of cedar season!

January also seems to be the time of the year to "nest", and freshen up our homes, so I thought, why not host a sale on my Etsy site? Not just your run of the mill, ho-hum white sale, but a sale on

my VERY colorful art prints, cards & cards sets!

Purchase one print, card, or card set from http://www.debbiecarrolldesigns.etsy.com

Receive 50% off your second item (equal or lesser value)

If you purchase only one item, I will extend a 20% off discount.

The sale extends until January 31st, and does not apply to originals.

And, if you have any sure-fire cures for "January-itis", I'd love to hear about them!

An Interview with Brandon Lynch of Artisan Style

Happy New Year!

I don't know about all of you, but I'm really ready for a fresh start this year and optimistic that it will be much better than 2009.

Don't get me wrong, lot's of very good things happened in 2009, but hopefully a lot more good things will be in store for us in 2010!

My most exciting news is that my artwork is now represented in Dallas, at the Artisan Style Gallery, a wonderful and eclectic space in the uptown area by the Crescent Hotel. The gallery is situated in a lovely old home dating back to the early 1900's and is filled with colorful, energetic art carefully curated by owners Brandon Lynch & Steve Iha. Their goal? To provide a twist on the traditional gallery and offer affordable artwork to everyone. To visit their site and blog: http://www.artisanstyle.net/ and http://blog.artisanstyle.net/

I was lucky enough to learn of this little gem and meet the owners while in Dallas this fall, and they not only invited me to be part of their gallery, but will also be hosting a two-person show for myself and Gina Dunn this Spring with the opening reception tentatively scheduled for March 26th! Needless to say, this is very exciting and if you will be in Dallas during that time, I'd love for you to attend - more details to come later!

In the meantime, I had the opportunity to interview Brandon and here are some of his thoughts about the gallery and current are scene:

dc: What was the decisive factor for you to open the gallery?

bl: The decision to open Artisan Style was a direct result of the current state of the economy. Both my partner and I worked in advertising; he sold airtime for NBC and I bought airtime for clients such as Ford and AT&T. In May of 2008, he was laid off. At that point, so many people at my company had been let go as well that I was working 10 hour days. The day he was laid off, we sat down and talked about what our plan of action was going to be. Within minutes, we had our laptops flipped open and we were searching for commercial properties that would be perfect for an art gallery. Art had been something that we fell in love with at the same time, at a gallery in the Bishop Arts District. It was something we were both passionate about, taking trips to New Orleans on a regular basis just to see the galleries. The only vacation time I took from work was to drive to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, one of the nicest art towns I have been to. The decision to open the gallery was an easy one. We knew it meant a change in lifestyles and a lot of hard work, but we also knew it would mean that we were doing something we both loved. Fortunately, it has turned out to be just that.

dc: What do you feel is different about Artisan Style from most traditional galleries?

bl: In creating the gallery and the concept behind it, there were two important factors that we knew were going to be the foundation of the gallery. First, we wanted to remove the notion that original artwork is a luxury item only afforded to the wealthy. Second, we wanted to find a gallery location that would allow us to make it inviting and create a warm and friendly atmosphere. That is largely why we opted for a neighborhood setting in an early 1900’s home. I have heard other gallery owners say that they make their galleries approachable by adding friendly sales staff, and one even said they “placed a rug symmetrically on each side of an added partition used as a wall to create a home-like environment.” I had to laugh at that, because strategically placing rugs symmetrically on each side of an added fake wall is not “home-like” or inviting.

dc: What is your background and how does it add to your success as a gallery owner?

bl: I graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2005 with a degree in corporate communications and public affairs. I was fortunate to get the first job I interviewed for out of college at MindShare, the buying arm for J. Walter Thompson. My schooling and my work experience with the media are the reasons we have been lucky in getting as much press as we have. The small article in Daily Candy, which took three press releases to even get a call back, ran on November 13, 2009. I am still seeing people almost every other day that say they saw us in Daily Candy. Being able to market the gallery and the artists is imperative, and I am lucky that I can do this on my own without the need to hire a PR firm or spend thousands of dollars on advertising. Although we do continually advertise, as I believe it is necessary for branding, we do so in affordable publications. The bulk of our advertising budget is set aside for solo and group shows.

dc: What type of art do you represent, and why?

bl: We represent contemporary art that is produced by emerging to mid-career artists who share the same belief that we do; that original art should be more accessible to everyone. Opening night, our gallery was full of modern abstract wall assemblages and various paintings by local artists. We wanted people to open the door and have to take a step back because of all the fun, beautiful colors on the wall. I think this worked well for the opening, but we have naturally progressed and have now established a much broader and more eclectic list of artists and styles. We have added sculptural pieces to our collection, landscapes, figurative paintings, and we are always seeking to add other unique pieces to insure we have something for every customer that comes in the door.

dc: Do you predict any trends for 2010?

bl: It seems that people everywhere are becoming more aware of materialism, and how they have taken for granted their ability to buy various and unnecessary items for years (I include myself in this by the way ;)). Personally, we have sold many of our own items we did not need and essentially “de-cluttered” our home as we realized this. Who needs a ton of tchotchkes anyway? I think their will be a sort of “back to basics” trend across all industries. As far as art goes, I have already started to see that people want very specific items, painted a certain way with certain colors. Custom work will most likely increase and the cost is going to have to stay close to what the artist would charge for an already produced piece that is similar in size and subject matter.

EtsyAustin's Craft Riot - a Handmade Revolution in Shopping

Know I've been remiss in posting new material, but I've been BUSY!!!

Here is a great event I'm participating in this weekend (and helped plan), if you are in the Austin area, please be sure to come check it out! We have several Etsy team members participating and it will be great sampling of wares for holiday shopping. Santa will be on hand for photo ops, and since we are teaming up with wines.com, the $3.00 admission will also buy you a glass of wine (bottled water for tee-totallers and underage patrons)!

I forgot to add earlier - we have fantastic goody-bags we are handing out to the first 25 people each day, I've seen them and they are spectacular!

For more details about the participating artists, be sure to visit: http://etsyaustin.blogspot.com/

Bead Sale Today & The Vintage Stockpiler

Over the years I have amassed quite a collection of beads, findings and other "stuff" needed (yes, needed) to make jewelry. Now that I am painting too, I've had to come to terms with the fact that I might never use everything I have in my "bead room" and so, I've decided to sadly part with many of my treasures.

The thing with vintage finds, is that when you stumble across something really great, you must buy it or very possibly never see it again - and before you know it - you have hundreds (maybe thousands?) of beads, stones, pearls, buttons, ribbon, the list goes on!

I have also opened an additional Etsy shop to deal with this addiction:

http://www.vintagestockpiler.etsy.com/

So if you can't make it to today's sale, please be sure to visit my shop when you feel the need to add to your stash!

Interview with Roxana Ramseur, Costume Designer!

As promised, here is the interview with the talented Roxana Ramseur! She is an extremely creative individual and capable of anything she puts her mind (and hands) to! For more on Roxana & photos, please be sure to check out her blog:

http://roxanaramseur.tumblr.com/

dc: First of all, please tell us about what you do?

roxana: I design and build costumes for theater and dance, as well as, theatrical millinery (hats) and crafts (everything that is worn, but is not a hat or clothing (wings, masks, jewelry, shoes, armor...).

dc: How did you get started?

roxana: I've been making things pretty much since I can remember. One of my earlierest memories of sewing is from when I was a tot. Mom would give me a big, dull plastic needle and I would force it (it's very difficult to sew with a dull needle!) through a folded scrap of swiss-dot or whatever remnants were lying around, stuff it with fiber fill, and make tiny pillows.

dc: What is your training and background?

roxana: I have a BA in Textiles and Apparel Design from UT Austin and augmented those classes with UT's amazing costume design (w/ Susan Tsu) and draping (w/ Jim Glavin) classes. the rest of my training comes from work experience in my field - the best way to learn!

dc: When did you know this is what you wanted to do?

roxana: Finally, in the last semester of my undergrad junior year, I admitted to myself that I was studying to be a fashion designer - I had previously considered it an unrealistic sort of job - and declared my major. I left fashion and moved to theater 5 years later, after deciding that I needed more daily access to making things.

dc: What is your favorite project you ever worked on?

roxana: I found immense satisfaction carving bead foam with an electric knife and a rasper to sculpt warrior masks for the opera "Radamisto" designed by Gideon Davey at the Santa Fe Opera (2008). the shape was fill-out with oil clay, a paper-mache cast was made for the mask, which was finally painted and decorated.

dc: What would you like to work on next?

roxana: I am very excited to be designing costumes for writer/director Young Jean Lee's new work "Lear" commissioned by the Soho Rep., which an adaptation of Shakespeare's "King Lear". It will open in this coming January at the Soho Rep. in NYC. I designed her last play "The Shipment" which is currently on tour and playing in Paris and Berlin in the next weeks.

Thanks Roxana, we are all very inspired by what you do and probably a little envious, it sounds very exciting!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is one of my all time favorite holidays, probably because it also my birthday, but I've always loved trick-or-treating, the costumes, and the whole ritual of it all!

While I appreciate store-bought costumes, I truly love making them for my kids & myself. Today I will share a few of our favorites!

If you like costuming, be on the lookout for my upcoming post featuring Roxanna Ramseur, baby-sister to my friend Raquel, and very talented New York costumer & milliner responsible for out of this world designs - she did the hats for "Wicked" on Broadway!