The Past Few Months In Photos

It is time to play catch up from the past few month using photos in order from the last blog post till now....

I participated in the Broad Ripple Art Fair Student Sale!

I organized and put on our school's K-8 Art Show. These are some linocut landmark prints from 7th graders! They are pretty talented!

Became a couponer, who gets lots of things for free (but does not store stuff under beds or in kids playrooms like that show...). Thanks to Coupon Pro, Coupon Mom, and Money Saving Mom for getting me started in the right direction and for their updates!

Thanks to them, I am now the proud owner of items like.... 150 boxes of pasta (that I earned $1.50 back when shopping), 32 sticks of deodorant, 25+ boxes of brownies, 43 containers of tic tacs, tooth paste, shampoo, and conditioner for a lifetime and lots more. I have been waiting for my school to host a food drive or something.... I do no need all of this, but it was all FREE! Maybe couponing leads to hoarding....I think both of those shows are on TLC.

Went fishing in St. Petersburg Florida with my husband and two awesome friends!

My sister-in-law got married. I took a photo with a giant yellow pepper!

I became the next American Idol!

Not really, but I had a ton of fun taking photos behind a rear projection screen!

I did eat a lot of crab legs while attending the Home Video Studio Getaway 11 and the "Hanley Awards" in Las Vegas.

Currently I have been adding new Rainbow Crayons to my shop and preparing to go back to school (I am an art teacher).

So there you have it... Summer has been so busy and has gone by so fast. I hope you enjoyed the photos and stay tuned for a giveaway from our Facebook Fan Page and a sale in our Etsy shop!

New Treasury Widget

I love using Craft Cult's site for a variety of things Etsy! I am especially loving their treasury widget. This new tool allows one to search all the Treasuries they are in or they have made, customize the look, and get an html code to post on their website or blog.

Check out the current Etsy Treasuries I am features in (I found 75 total, but the most recent are some Front Page-worthy Valentine's Day Treasuries!

Welcome 2011!

Happy belated New Year to everyone. I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday.

We have returned from vacation and are currently working on our 2011 line of New Rainbow Crayons and ideas for our shop and blog. I wanted to share our two newest and updated Rainbow Crayon items.

Building Block Men Rainbow Crayons (Solid Color Set of 8)

*They are actual Lego man size, but cannot refer to the word "Lego" on Etsy*

Egg Rainbow Crayons (Set of 5)

While you are shopping around for Valentine's Day, do not forget our Heart Rainbow Crayons both in Jumbo and Mini Size, as well as a card to go along with your gift to say, "I'm Yours."

I would love any feedback or comments you have! Thanks for checking in with us!

CYBER MONDAY DEALS

Hello all! I have been away for the last week or so due to the passing of my grandfather. I have not been able to announce my sales, so sorry for the delay, but check out what we have for you this weekend!

15% ETSY BIRTHDAY SALE

Art 2 the Extreme has been with Etsy for 3 years today! Happy Birthday to us!

Have you been wanting one of our custom t-shirt blankets? Need a party favor pack of Rainbow Crayons? Today is the time to get 15% off your purchase!

Just enter "MYETSYBIRTHDAY" in the coupon code section when checking out!

BOGO SALE ON RAINBOW CRAYONS

There is still time to shop my BOGO Sale on sets of Rainbow Crayons until Monday at midnight!

This is the listing you should use if you would like to BOGO on any set of 3 Jumbo Rainbow Crayons or 6 Mini Rainbow Crayons of the style of your choice. Just make sure you mention which you would like in the "Message to Seller"

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Preview Sale

Happy Sunday!

Today I am previewing my Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale, where I will list a limited amount of BOGO Rainbow Crayon Sale items. My Rainbow Crayons make perfect stocking stuffers for all ages, so make sure you take advantage of this awesome deal!

Today through Monday, November 15th at midnight- Buy 1 Set of Rainbow Crayons (3-Pack Jumbo of 6-Pack Mini), get a second set of your choice FREE.

You must check out with this listing for the BOGO to be valid. Only 10 BOGO deals are available through tomorrow night!

Are you having a sale currently or on Black Friday/Cyber Monday? Post your sales in the comments section!

Well... It Was Not Quite Moby Dick...

The last three days have been the longest ever while I participated in the "Whale of a Sale" Children's Consignment Event in Zionsville. While the children and baby items were a great deal if you have kids, it was not a huge catch for me and far from the "Moby Dick" I was expecting. For those of you "crafters and artists" out there who participate in shows and events, I am sure going to have a hard time from now on, participating in any type of show that is not specifically an art, craft, or holiday boutique. Here are a few photos I took...

On the plus side, I did get a few great finds from the

sale and hang out with some wonderfully talented ladies!

(Above)

I LOVE Vera Bradley! I for the big bag for only $7.50 and the small purse for $5!

They were almost brand new!

I bought this super cute hat from Two Seaside Babes and the necklace from MadrinDesigns! Oops...I think I left the tag on all day... My husband loves the hat!

The photos below are some of the gorgeous work of MadrinDesigns. Each time I visited her booth, I saw something new that I had not seen the first time. She creates her unique pieces with a vintage-modern flair and floral theme.

My favorite part was looking at all the talent and meeting new people. I had many good things come from talking with other vendors and artists these past three days and am glad things worked out the way they did!

Two New Treasuries

I really love the two most recent treasuries I have been featured in. The first (above) because the colors go so well together and all of these artists will be present at the Bloomingtion Handmade Market coming up! I am always impressed with the talent when I attend this show as a vendor and am honored to have my Jumbo Heart Rainbow Crayons chosen among these wonderful handmade items.

The second treasury I love because it is named after one of my favorite paintings, The Starry Night. Make sure to take a look and comment!

Carnival Open House Wrap Up and Craft Fairs!

After two busy weeks of crafting, I am finally sharing some photos from the BRAND PHOTODESIGN Open House Event last weekend! As an added note, my photos will not do theirs justice, so I am excited for when they will post the event photos!

I was kind enough to be invited as part of the planning process for this event! I was in charge of the "Arts and Crafts Area" where Art Lessons and Parties by Nicole Lewis and my Rainbow Crayons were featured. Debbie with Table Tops for Tots provided the cutest child-friendly chairs and tables for my Rainbow Crayon area where families could try out my newest Rainbow Crayon shapes and sizes!

Descriptions and examples of Private Art Lessons...

Jamee with Setting the Mood is a special event design and decor specialist. Her work is so stunning that words cannot describe (so check out the latest parties and events she has designed...including a candy bar and a Confessions of a Shopaholic party). She created everything you see in the photos that was carnival themed. If you attended, she was the wonder-women behind the food counter setting out and cooking all the delicious treats!

The event was AMAZING with tons of free food, games, and prizes. We even had an indoor bounce house and cotton candy station! Dan and Brooke Brand are amazing photographers and I was very impressed with their photography, professionalism, and facility. I look forward to working with them in the future both with my art, and future photography needs!

Become a Fan:

BRAND PHOTODESIGN

Table Tops for Tots

Setting the Mood

Did you attend this event? What did you think? What was your favorite part? Comment below because I love hearing from readers!

Fall Ideas and Treats!

Since Fall is approaching quickly, I wanted to share my Fall/Halloween line of Jumbo Rainbow Crayons in my shop for your viewing and shopping pleasure. There are sooo many people having Fall weddings, eco-friendly weddings, Halloween parties... you name it! These crayons make perfect favors or treats to hand out!

This year, I will be handing out my Mini Rainbow crayons instead of candy. It is more healthy and kids will get longer use out of them! I always do custom listings and Party Packs, but I will also be listing a Trick-or-Treat pack at a lower price to encourage people to shop handmade and be healthy! Do not get me wrong..... I LOVE candy. It is just something fun and different.

FALL JUMBO STYLES:

-Leaves

-Pumpkins

-Jack-O-Lanterns

-Ghosts

MINI STYLES:

-Mini Pumpkins

I am having two special offers for blog readers...

*Buy any set of Fall or Halloween-type Jumbo Rainbow Crayons and get a FREE Rainbow Crayon of your choice.

*20% off all bulk orders of 50 crayons or more. This can apply to wedding favor listings, back to school classroom treats, Party Packs, Halloween packs, anything in bulk. I usually do 10%, so this is a better deal!

This deal will run though October 1st, 2010, but you have to mention the code "Fall Blog" in the "Message to Seller" section when checking out!

A Week in Review: Favors, Tie Dying, and Craft Night!

What a busy week! Check out these awesome things I did!!

RAINBOW CRAYON WEDDING FAVORS

On Monday and Tuesday, I finished up several Rainbow Crayon wedding favor orders. The colors for one wedding I was creating favors for were tangerine, magenta, and lime! How fun! Here is a photo of some of the Rainbow Crayons!

TIE DYE T-SHIRTS

Wednesday was full of art! I tied-dyed some t-shirts to try some new dyes. I have always used RIT dye, but it always fades and washes out. I went a different route this time and tried the Jacquard Tie Dye kit I bought at JoAnn Etc (see photo/link below).

This kit worked sooooo much better and the dye stayed in. We dyed the shirts, left them bundled (and rinsed the shirts till the water ran more clear), then washed them in the bundles in the washing machine with soap. I guess that is the correct way to do it. I did see where you should leave the dye in for 24 hours on other sites I searched, but I decided to follow the directions of the kit. We also pre-soaked the shirts in soda ash for 20 minutes before we tie dyed. What dyes or techniques have you used???

Here are some pictures together of the bundle, then how the shirts came out!

I was a little concerned that if I washed this shirts right away, that ALL the dye would come out. Nope! They turned out great!

Above: Other shirts we made...

Above: My first attempt ever at a V design and it worked.

Too bad I forgot to take a real picture of it!

Above: The Swirl

Above: Lines technique

CRAFT NIGHT

I have seen all these posts for Etsy Craft Parties, so I decided to start a Craft/Art Night! I figured, why do crafts just on one day of the year like Etsy is promoting?! It happens to be Etsy's Birthday on June 18th, the day they are suggesting others to throw a craft party, but I want to do it all summer!

I organized my first Craft Night, which met last Wednesday with a great turn out! The craft or theme for the first night was Lino-Cut Greeting Cards. I have so much fun carving stamps and art out of the soft-cut linoleum that I wanted my friends to try! Some of them were a little nervous to do this for the first time, but everyone had a blast! Here are some photos that show all the fun we had and the outcome!

Kelly has carved and is ready to print!

Melissa is carving away!

Some of the creations drying on the rack.

Monograms were a popular design for greeting cards. Artists had to remember to write/carve the letters backwards in order for the card to read correctly.

Kate applying ink to her tree design! This was one of my favorites!

Very cool flower design that Melissa made!

My first stamp carving of the night and the outcome... Pretty awesome birthday card I think!

More of my first card design...

My second carving/card design...

The aftermath...