What A Great Giveaway!

Dear Ones...Lesley Venable who I talked about in my last blog has just announced a fantastic giveaway. Seriously...don't miss out on your shot at this one. A beautiful multi-layered Reliquaries Altered Book like the one she is teaching in her workshop at my studio in February can be made just for you. I want one! All you need to do is mention Lesley's so cool class on your blog and link to her on my Studio Retreats page. Leave a comment on her blog that you have done that and your name is in the drawing. Lesley's blog has all the info.

AND if that wasn't enough....one of the first 5 people signing up for her class will get 50% off their registration fee. That's a 1 in 5 chance. Good odds.

This "Bound Reliquaries" book is so beautiful and Lesley is one of the finest, most talented artists I have met. I can't wait for her to teach this class and I can't wait to see who wins this work of art.

Very Venable

Yes, there is another wonderful artist coming to teach at KC Willis Studio Retreats! Lesley Venable will bring her gorgeous and rich "Bound Reliquaries" to my studio February 4-6, 2010. A substantial project-based workshop that will allow you to create a treasure to keep for a lifetime. You will learn techniques that will enhance the work you do and inspire you to new places.

I love how Lesley puts it..."Together we will create an altered book (8.5" x8.5") complete with reliquaries to hold your most precious relics. The pages and alcoves housed within the covers will be enhanced using vintage ephemera, fluid chalks, aged fabrics and fibers, inking, tape transfers, stitching, old photos and more.
In preparation of this class you will find the relics you treasure, those objects you wish to remember in a special way and over three days we will share our visions and stories as we work."

Wow...all that and the beauty of Colorado in the winter and Mr. Lesley's famous hot chocolate in the studio kitchen! February is prime ski season and the slopes of Vail are only an hour and a half away. I say make a vacation out of it.

You know I just can not believe how blessed I am that I have met wonderful artists like Lesley and that they have become my friends. And now to open my studio door to them and the artists who come to learn from them is really a dream come true.

Head to Studio Retreats and claim your spot at Lesley's wonderful workshop. Seating is limited.

See you there.

Giveaway Winner!

Hi Blog Land....Thanks for all the great comments and links for this giveaway. I appreciate each and every one of you! Everyone who commented, mentioning to me that they had blogged...got their name in on the drawing. And the winner of this $300 Lipstick Ranch shopping spree is Sherry Goodloe! Congratulations to Sherry! I look forward to seeing what you pick out from the Lipstick Ranch site, my dear.

Thanks everyone for all your great support and enthusiasm. I am so glad I started blogging a few months ago. I have made so many great friends.

Blessings and love.

Been Camping for Four Months Now

Just a quickie before I call it a day...and what a long, fun day it has been. Four months ago I launched my on-line workshop, KC Willis Collage Camp. I thought perhaps a dozen or so brave souls would pack their tents and take a trip with me. Bu there are now 150 Campers (don't worry I have plenty of sleeping bags) and I am constantly amazed at the beautiful work they have made an are continuing to make. For those of you who don't know...Collage Camp is a six-video on-line workshop where I spill my guts...showing you step-by-step the techniques I use to make my fabric collage art.

So to celebrate the party we have been calling Collage Camp, for the next four days (through Sunday, September 13th) the Collage Camp registration fee is $70 instead of $98. Cool deal, I'd say. So there you have it. Collage Camp for a mere pittance. Come play. Make art. Tell a friend. Would love to have you.

And don't forget my $300 Lipstick Ranch Giveaway ends on Sunday too. See previous few posts for details. Blog about this sale. That'll count.

Nighty-night, dear friends.

And Then There's Sarah

Facebook is a very cool thing. I have met the most wonderful people there and have even done a wee bit of art promoting and shameless dog bragging. But most of my Facebook friends are from lands far, far, away....like New York or the hinterlands of Georgia. You hardly ever really meet them. But a few months ago I "made friends" with the most amazing and talented woman...the beautiful Sarah Fishburn. And the coolest thing was that she lived about a half an hour from me in Ft. Collins, Colorado. I dashed up the road one morning at her invitation and spent an incredible few hours with Sarah, her work, and her amazing art collection. While I was there she interviewed me for the Holiday 2009 issue of Pasticcio, the very cool art publication that she creates with Angela Cartwright. I really wanted to interview her.

Now I'm an artist on the inside, but on the outside you'd never know that I had a creative bone in my body. I'm all tennis shoes, comfy jeans, and yard sale t-shirts. Fashion sense that makes a statement is a gene I do not have. I always envied people who are artist on their insides and ooze creativity in their personal styles. If you look up the words bohemian beauty in the dictionary there would be a picture of Sarah Fishburn.

Now I get to tell you the coolest news...Sarah is teaching a workshop in December at KC Willis Studio Retreats here in Longmont. Excuse me while I run outside and dance in the streets. This is going to be an amazing weekend. I can't wait to see her teach her techniques and inspire the lucky 12 that get to take this class. Her work is richly layered and hauntingly beautiful. Full of emotion.

And mentioning Sarah's class with a link and letting me know on this blog that you did will get you in the drawing for the $300 Lipstick Ranch art giveaway taking place on September 12th...so get to it. And yes...if you have blogged about the Studio Retreats 2010 schedule, or JoAnna Pierotti's class and this one, and you leave a comment that you did so on each blog your name gets put in the drawing three times.

Ragtags Studio Central: Artist Books and the Elements of Design....December 5-6, 2009
with Sarah Fishburn.

Extending $300 Shopping Spree

Hi All...Just a quick note to let you know that I am extending the deadline for the $300 Giveaway to September 12th. I forgot we may not be around Labor Day weekend. Actually...I forgot this was Labor Day weekend. This gives you plenty of time to blog about my workshops, Joanna Pierotti's workshop and in the next few days you will have Sarah Fishburn's workshop AND Lesley Venable's to mention...all at KC Willis Studio Retreats. Talk about any of these in your blog with a link to the Workshops page and leave a comment on any of my blogs and you are in the drawing, my dear. $300 worth of art from Lipstick Ranch. Who wants it?