"Sidra" by Author Kate Fitzpatrick is Now Out!

As soon as my good friend Kate told me that she was writing a book, I could not wait till the day it arrived! Now the time has finally come and I placed my Amazon.com order the minute I heard it was released!

IN A NEW FANTASY FOR YOUNG READERS, TWO GIRLS SHARE AN UNBREAKABLE BOND WHEN THEY DISCOVER A MAGICAL WORLD.

Sidra is released by author Kate Fitzpatrick.
SUMMARY:

When Stella and Violet first meet one another at summer camp in upstate New York, they don’t become instant friends. But when the two girls realize that they are the only ones who can see a spectacular purple and white star glowing in the night sky, they begin their journey of friendship together, one that will ultimately lead them to a magical world called Sidra.
Sidra, by author Kate Fitzpatrick, is a book for young adults about two girls who discover a new world and a whole cast of fascinating characters. One rainy night, an elderly centaur shows up at Stella’s house and implores the two friends to join him on a mission to stop an evil sorceress named Desdemona from destroying his world. The girls accept and accompany him on a dangerous quest where they will meet other beings from Sidra, both good and evil. Stella and Violet will not only discover an exciting new world, but will also learn the true depth of courage and love that lies within themselves.

Sidra will appeal to all readers, both young and old, who enjoy fantasy fiction.
It is available online at amazon.com. Just type in "Sidra" and "Kate Fitzpatrick". Or, click the link:

BUY SIDRA THE BOOK HERE!
It should be here in about 5 days.. hopefully in time for me to read while I am on spring break (one of my favorite holidays as a teacher)!  Buy a copy and let me know what you think! It is going to be B I G!

The 2nd Edition of Create.Collect.Trade. is Out and For Sale!

The Pre-sale listing is out for the 2nd Edition of Create.Collect.Trade!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19176011

If you are an art collector, coffee table book lover, or ACEO artist, this is the book to get! There are both artist and elementary student ACEO and ATC artworks featured in the collaborative book. There is even a "How To" section on marbling with shaving cream!

This is a wonderful book for teachers, artists, and book lovers alike!

The first edition last spring was a huge hit and received national attention!

I only have 1 copy of the 1st edition left for sale. 

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19175797

Visit the book blog for more information, to learn what ACEO and ATC art is, or to give back to Project ATC! http://createcollecttrade.blogspot.com

Updates and What's New!

Hi everyone! It has been a week since I have updated... yea... I know... It has been a busy week getting back into the swing of things, but I want to catch you up on what I have been doing!

I finally have my place clean!!!!!! I do not think it has been this clean since I moved in, but this time it is ORGANIZED! This is a picture of my new shelf, which is much taller than me. This has most of my current projects and materials I work with stored in it for safe keeping and ALL IN ONE PLACE! Do you even have that problem where you cant quite keep it all in one place or stay organized? It drives me nuts sometimes.

I also got my GOCCO! It came in less than 3 days from Japan! I have not got the chance to use it yet due to my busy schedule, but brainstorming ways to use it and things to make. I know I want to make my fiend's bridal shower invitations using it. Now if only I could get a hold of her to start!

I also finished the ACEO book I have been working hard on the last 3 or so months! I want to thank everyone who has supported this project and waited very patiently for the book. It took about a month longer than I had hoped it would, but now I have worked out the kinks and feel like a pro, so the next edition should be super speedy and just as amazing! I am so impressed with the artists and the student artists involved.

If you would like to order a copy for yourself and support this project (all proceeds go towards buying copies of the book for students and ACEO education) you can snag one of the 2 copies that are at pre-sale SALE PRICE in my etsy shop, or click on the Blurb icon to the right of the blog.

Here are a few sneak peeks at the student pages. More sneak peaks can be found by visiting the Official Book Blog for Create. Collect. Trade.

Blue and Brown Treasury

I got another treasury last night! I don't think it meshes too well with each other, but I liked the items! The theme is Blue and Brown and the link can be found HERE.

Some of my favorite etsians are in it as usual... KateFitzpatrick, Shaylamaddox, and I have purchased that exact headband from PurpleLicious before (she has a great shop).

In other news... my spring break is over today. I am getting ready to go to school and prep for tomorrow. I did get a ton accomplished over break, despite the unforeseen trip to Missouri. I am finishing up my book tonight and sending it to the publishers tomorrow if all goes well. It seems like I have been saying that FOREVER, but things keep coming up. I will be thrilled when my students have copies in their hands!

I still have 4 pre-sale copies left in my Etsy shop at the discounted price. It features 30 ACEO artists and over 50 elementary 3rd-5th grade artists in it. All proceeds go towards buying books for the students and ACEO education. 

You can also make a donation on the Official Book Blog.

I think I am Going to Go Crazy..........

This week has been crazy in the way or new customers. It is weird how business is because in order for me to sell more, I have to raise my prices. I had recently posted some new crayon designs. Usually my crayons are hot sellers, but I have not spent as much time promoting my shop and products with so many things going on  in my life and three separate projects that need to also be completed this weekend.  The good news is that I completed my first THREE wholesale transactions this week!!!

These orders were HUGE compared to what I normally create at a time. I am sure I have been breathing in a ton of wax fumes (but the crayons are non toxic, so I should be safe right) and that will take its toll in about 40 years. I am almost complete with all three except for packaging, labeling and shipping. The only thing I do not have complete are the Rainbow Butterfly Crayons(see picture from previous entry) because they are so slow and time consuming to make! THEY ARE DRIVING ME NUTS! These large crayons are the coolest ever, but I have to make them one at a time. I have 10 out of 60 to make. I think after these orders, I will not wholesale those again....

In other news, the book I am creating about ACEO Art and Artists is coming along great. I have recently written a grant that will provide copies of Create. Collect. Trade. to all of 3rd grade at both schools (about 110 copies). Please wish me luck in getting this grant because it would mean so much for myself, the students, the artists in the book, and ACEO art in general. If you would like to make a $5.00 donation or donate a whole copy of the book for $23.00 (and get a dedication/donor label for the book) please visit The Official Book Blog for Create. Collect. Trade.

I was also featured in a blog this past week. Elektrajewelry blogged about my shop and my crayons, saying some wonderful things about my products and some of the services and items I sell/offer.

Well... I am hoping things will slow down for a bit, so I can catch up with life! Hopefully I will have more time to blog now! Check back for more updates!

The 2008 edition of  "Create. Collect. Trade. A collection of Artist Trading Cards Created by Artists and Students" is now available for artists to purchase their 2 FULL PAGES and individual copy of. 

"Create. Collect. Trade. A Collection of Artist Trading Cards Created by Artists and Students" is an 80 page yearly publication of ACEO (Art Cards, Editions, and Originals) and ATC (Artist Trading Cards) art created by 25 artists and 25 elementary art students, who use these artists as inspiration. 

This book is perfect for shop and artist promotion, a great coffee table book, and an inspirational guide for visual artists, students, and teachers. 

This handbook is sent out to each of the 25 artists for them to use it as a promotional tool and given to artists, teachers, and art students to refer to for inspiration and interest.

Being featured in this book is a way to share and give back to the art community, while at the same time promoting yourself, your art, and adding this experience to your portfolio. 

I will be updating the blog on a daily basis and providing more information about the book. Please convo me on Etsy or send an e-mail to art2theextreme@yahoo.com

***Create. Collect. Trade. was inspired by Project ATC, where Flickr and Etsy ACEO and ATC artists have donated their cards to swap with elementary art students in the hopes to make this art form become more well known and provide students with the visual opportunity to view actual artist work. 

****Thank you to TimothyAdamDesigns for help and guidance! Please take time to check out his ETSY shop. His work is AMAZING!

I am Creating a Book!

My student-artist ACEO and ATC trade has become so successful that it has snowballed into something HUGE!  I am in the process of creating a book titled "Create. Collect. Trade. : A Collection of Artist Trading Cards by Artists and Students."

I will be looking for shops and artists to fill the space in the book along with student work. This book makes a great promotional tool for you and a wonderful coffee table book as well!  

My purpose in creating this book is to help teach and spread the knowledge and inspiration to artists and visual art students of this unique art form and eventually hold a nation-wide contest for visual art students to be seen and published alongside true ACEO and ATC artists. 

For more information, please visit the book blog.

Create. Collect. Trade.

Or these forum posts...

ETSY thread about the book

ETSY thread about the ATC Trading Experience Between Artists and Students

If you have more information or would like to be a part of this wonderful opportunity, please convo or e-mail me at art2theextreme@yahoo.com

**Blog Image is by Etsian AnnaCox with Purty Girl Designs