It's A New Day! Hastypearl

It's A New Day!

Hastypearl

Hi, guys...friends old and new that have been reading this Hastypearl blog!

I have some great news...

After a wonderfully interesting process and passing of time, 

I will be moving my Hastypearl presence away from Blogger, 

over to my very own site...

Hastypearl.com !

Since the beginning of Hastypearl in 2012, 

I've found myself wondrously In Over My Head!

Happily, I have found at EVERY turn, 

Generous Sharers of their knowledge, 

that have HELPED me every step of the way.

If there is Any one thing that I can encourage you to do

...it's to ASK FOR HELP!

Not one to have ANY problem with doing that, 

I have learned SO much.

The best part about that, 

is that there will ALWAYS be opportunities for us

to Give Back of the knowledge that we possess...

and I Love doing that. :)

 We, Pay It Forward...like the movie said. 

So, you will still find me at Hastypearl Etsy, 

where you will find lots of amazing Vintage Finds

...cause I love hunting for the very best and unique pieces out there.

And, I'm still buzzing around Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.

All of those links are listed on my Hastypearl.com

home page.

I'll still be blogging away, 

about things going on in the Hastypearl Art Studio, 

publications that you can find me in, my garden and travels beyond.

I love sharing my life with you.

This Blogger blog, will stay Open.

~I love looking back on the postings of workshops 

I have hosted and the friends that I've made there.

~I love rereading the Artist interviews I have done...

I could Never leave those behind!

(I have some wonderful NEW interviews 

lined up that you will enjoy reading for sure.)

It's been so much fun here, but its time to move on!

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For those of you, that have followed me from the beginning, Thank You!

It's been great to look over at the Feedjit register, 

and see you tip toeing through my words.

Those of you coming from all over the world, 

 have been mind blowing.

Whether you have stopped in once or many times...

Thank You!

Please sign up on the right side of this page, to continue on with me.

With those signatures, I will finally start a Newsletter.

I want you to be the first to hear about my new 

Mixed Media Art and gift listings, 

and special sale announcements in those 

upcoming Hastypearl Newsletters.

I'm excited that for the first time, Hastypearl art 

will now be sold right from Hastypearl.com

Sign up either on this blog, or over at Hastypearl.com

Of course, I hope you will tell you friends and family about Hastypearl.

To the many people that have helped me along the way...

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Doing cartwheels...

Lets get started!!!

Its a New Day!...Laura aka hastypearl

What Do You Do, When You Get THAT Invitation ? Hastypearl

What Do You Do When You Get THAT Invitation ? 

Hastypearl

That's a leading question, right?

I didn't specify, if it was a Bad invitation or a Good one, did I?

Well, I am happy to say that it was recently for me, a Good one.

A Very Good one!

I have happily and only recently met local San Antonio artists, 

Michelle Belto and Lyn Belisle

Michelle, because of an Encaustics class that I took from her, 

and Lyn, 

because she opened one of the encaustics mornings, for Michelle. 

We also had a Very Happy incident, 

where I was able to connect them,

 with a sudden opening to teach at a Texas Art Workshop.

That was one of those meant to be moments that made at least 4 of us smile, 

and I'm pretty certain that their students smiled, as well.

Anyway, back to my original question!

I happened to be looking through Lyn Belisle's 2015 Workshop schedule, 

where she has the dates linked back to pertinent info.

I found this one date...December 12, 

that didn't have a link.

I FB messaged her inquiring, 

and her response really surprised me....she replied...

I signed You UP !

The first thing that I thought was ....AWESOME !

Not, hmmm...I wonder if I have that date available?

Not, I wonder what she will be doing?

I just thought....AWESOME!

I figured if it was snake handling or something TOOOO risky, 

I could decline.

Otherwise, it didn't matter WHAT she was going to be doing, 

I knew I was in.

Further explanation arrived and I learned that it wasn't just going to be Lyn, 

it was also going to be Michelle!

WHAT???? :)

Turns out, 

they had scheduled some time together in Lyn's beautiful studio, 

to work on some ideas of things that they had been tossing around.

I and two other ladies, were invited to be guinea pigs of sorts, 

and I couldn't have been more thrilled!

So, I guess you have deduced by now, that to the invitation, I said,

YES!!!!!!

The following are a few pics of some of their Mixed Media Art pieces and 

some of the things that we played around doing.

It couldn't have been any MORE WONDER FULL !

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Someone once told me, 

that in any area of your life, 

you should find/seek out people that you admire, 

and simply, do what they do.

For me, its been fun to see how many times that its really been instead...

Laura, watch and see, how you are being GIFTED with connections, 

of people that you admire.

 Its easy to attribute it to Gods hand in my life.

Who else could I trust more? :) 

These two singly, have More Amazing Talent imaginable,

but together, they are a powerfully, compatible Force !

I'm Fine, with having two new people in my life, to Admire :)

Its at times like this that I always think of,

Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you.

They will pour into your lap a good measure-

pressed down,

shaken together, 

and running over.

For by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you in return.

Boy Michelle and Lyn, 

was I given a Good Measure :)

I'm so glad that you stopped by to visit!

I hope that you are enjoying these Wonder-Full days....

Best,

Laura  

One Thing Leads To The Other... Hastypearl

One Thing Leads To The Other...

Hastypearl

As you well know by now, 

half of my heart resides in the Hill Country, in Texas, 

and the other half belongs to the Rocky Mountains, in Colorado.

Right away, you can see that I have Great Taste, right? :)

A while back, one of my favorite Art and Business Mentors, 

(I have quite a few), 

told me to start submitting my art, 

and One Thing Would Lead To The Other.

 I took her advice.

After all, What Would I Have to Lose? 

While I always know that Providence is in control 

of everything 

that happens in my life, 

including the good AND the bad, 

I still love watching it play out.

For instance...

A Colorado Home Owners Association reply letter from me 

and sent to a neighbor Betty Bradley,

with my Hastypearl Etsy and Blog addresses in the signature, 

led her to explore my Etsy shop.

After that, 

she asked if I would submit a piece of my Mixed Media Art 

to a fund raiser for a ministry, that we have known about for years.

Of course I said, Yes!

I didn't know that she was the President of the Redstone Art Foundation, 

that holds an annual Art Show, to raise money for 

Art Scholarships for High School students 

headed to Art Schools.

She asked me to participate in that Art Show

....my very first Show Ever!

Again, I said, YES! 

See?

One Thing Leads To The Other...  

I'm sure that you have had similar things happen to you, both large and small.

This past 2015 Labor Day weekend, was when the Redstone Art Show took place.

It wasn't easy long distance preparing, shipping and setting up

...but I am So Glad that I did it.

It has given me a total new respect, 

for those of you who do this on a regular basis.

Now I can see what you guys go through :)

It was a wonderful learning curve and I feel so much better for it.

I am thrilled that I have been invited back,

 and even asked to make the name tags!

So, while I worked Many hours daily at the Art Show, 

I also found time,

 to practice shooting in Manual mode with my camera

...another wonderfully steep learning curve!

Lets face it, every where in America is beautiful, 

so all you have to do is look around, and snap!

Below, are various photos that my husband took of my space.

The weather was all over the charts, 

but the fantastic enclosure that it was held in, was not only charming, 

but also very safe for the Art.

At closing time, we enjoyed the great restaurants in the Redstone area, 

and as Always, found a few necessary minutes out in nature.

One day at the Art Show, was funny hat day.

I had a hat, but didn't have the Funny!

Larry suggested that I find and attach something that I had made, 

so I used my handmade leathery envelopes and lavender filled pouches.

The side benefit was that it smelled great :)

I'm not sure how people Actually took me serious, but I had to get in the game!

Larry took the following pictures of me with my customers.

I was actually Emotional when I downloaded them and saw them for the first time.

Whether they were buyers or not, it gave me such joy, 

to expose people, and some for the first time, 

to my idea of story telling with Vintage Items.

It was a brand new concept for many.

I told them, that I have a philosophy, that Art doesn't have to be Flat!

And, that there are more kinds of art than Oils and Watercolors

...both of which I love.

I want my Art to reach OUT AT you and beg you to touch it.

I want it to Move.

I want it to flutter in a breeze.

And most of all, I want it to do that Over and Over again.

I have had patrons tell me that they can see something new 

in my pieces, every time that they look at it.

High Compliments...the Best !

So, Look at their body language as I help them find their own stories.

If that is all that I came away with, it would have Been Enough.

Makes me soooooo happy!

These Mixed Media Angels, are a few of the pieces that found new homes.

I was Thrilled to learn that the angel above, named Beauty, was featured in 

Both the Aspen and Glenwood Springs newspapers.

With so much great art to choose from, 

I was Really Honored.

I was surprised when my friend Janette, still wearing her pajamas,

 appeared at my door with one of the newspapers one morning !

Beauty, was sold to a customer, that didn't know about the features!

I have another theory that can be Patience Testing.

Maybe you already know about it.

The piece above, was called, Thimble Heart and 

was far and away, my most "Favorited" Art item on Hastypearl Etsy.

Way over 1000 people gave me the thumbs up on this piece.

The cost was unbelievably Affordable.

(I have a friend on Etsy that tells me that I should raise my prices:)

So, why hadn't it sold?

Poor SEO? Too much Art on Etsy to choose from? Some other reason?

No.

Here's my theory... 

I think its because it was WAITING for its owner.

I've finally learned that Everything that I sell, 

has a special owner just waiting to find it 

and it makes me Crazy Happy 

when I can introduce them !

I had a wonderful time visiting with literally hundreds of people 

from the Aspen area and Much farther afield.

I made New friends, which was High on my trips Goals list, 

and I visited with others that I had already given my heart to.

Wonderful things happen to ALL of us.

Sometimes, we can believe the lie, that things like "That" just don't happen to me, 

but if we live long enough, Things like "That" happen to ALL of us.

For me, this past weekend will be one that I wont Ever Forget.

My Biggest THANKS to All of You that 

contributed to my Very Happy Weekend! xo 

Thanks as always for stopping by my blog...

I'm so glad that you did !

 Laura aka Hastypearl

...please check my shop as I will be listing many new pieces of Art and Vintage Parts.

It may seem early, but many pieces that I sold this weekend, 

will be gifts for the upcoming seasons!

It gave me great Joy, to hear my buyers say that they couldn't 

wait for their loved ones to see their one of a kind, finds!

Hastypearl Mixed Media Angel

Hastypearl

Mixed Media Angel

Well, this posting is Both a Happy :) and Sad :( tale.

Ill get the Sad part over first.

I lost the photos that I took to make a step out tutorial, for this piece.

OK. So, not sooo sad, but I was certainly disappointed. 

Not only those images were lost, but also, 

the ones that I took of a family luncheon that I hosted.

You know how it goes.

I am constantly trying to learn more about photography.

Wow, what a steep learning curve it is.

So, I followed some steps for changing 

my camera from the settings that it came with.

I turned left when I should have turned right 

on one of the steps, and I don't know how to 

retrieve the missing photos.

At least I figured out WHY it happened 

and corrected it so that it doesn't continue.

I've learned along Life's way, to try to not have regrets.

There will always be another time, for more photos.

So, the Happy part of the tale, is that I had 

a Wonderful time creating this piece.

It just came together with ease!

I love it when that happens.

Basically, it is comprised of layers and layers.

Starting with a Very Old Lace tablecloth, 

I built up, I think it was 10 layers.

The wood piece in the middle is a paper thin 

piece of wood, that came out of a beautiful wood cigar box.

I thought it gave the piece a little more structure...stability.

I ultimately used grommets in the front and back, 

so that the rusty wire that I strung through them, 

would feel a little more finished.

There is a layer behind the angel wings of some of my 

hand painted watercolor paper, some tulle, 

some stenciling...I used Roxanne Evans Stouts Stencil Girl stencils...

they are beautiful, 

and of course, I used a Ton of ephemera.  

I ran a border of checked ribbon that I saved 

from a purchase, from Trudi Sissons.

If you've never bought anything from her...you should!

The explosion of wrapping fun starts on the OUTside 

of the envelope and the surprises go on and on!

Both artists are as Great as it Gets for Mixed Media Art 

and they constantly provide me with Inspiration! 

So, the recipient of this gift, 

is our newest baby family member.

Girls have been little hard to come by in our family, 

however, it seems to be finally turning 

a bit with this new generation!

There's NO real protection from this angel...

That will come from God, 

but it will be colorful and fun for her little 

busy eyes to enjoy as shes growing.

Her name is Blakely, so that's why you see 

the Vintage Letterpress Letter B.

I hope you enjoyed the "Very Short" Step Out instructions :)

I guess in the end, a tutorial just wasn't meant to be.

Maybe this Mixed Media Piece, 

was just meant to be Viewed and Enjoyed! 

Lesson Learned?

Yep! 

We just need to roll with the punches and enjoy the ride!

Thanks for stopping by!

If you would like to get email alerts when I post, 

just sign up in the space provided in the right side column.

I promise I wont overdo it:)

And as always, I hope that you will pop over to 

my hastypearl Etsy shop periodically, 

to see what's going on. 

I hope that you will keep me in mind for your 

2015 gifting purchases.

Etsy has made it Very simple to shop.

All you need is a credit card and the rest is Easy.

Handmade is Best and even Better, it gets Delivered right to your mailbox!!!

xo...as always ...Laura    

Interview with Artist Carla Trujillo Hastypearl

Interview with Artist Carla Trujillo

Hastypearl

I love the Mystery of Attraction.

Attraction's of All Kinds, go on All Day Long.

You love That flower, she loves the other one.

You love That song, he loves the other one.

There is no explaining it, but its a Beautiful thing!

It's an easy thing for me to say, 

that I am Attracted to ALL things, Carla Trujillo.

A good while back, I found her blog...and read the WHOLE thing.

That happens, when you find that you share 

Important Life Themes with someone.

I feel that I share some very important ones with Carla.

While its likely, that we wont ever meet (but you NEVER know :), 

she is a person that I will always follow 

through this wonderful world called, the internet.

I was pretty excited, when she agreed to do this interview with me.

I'm sure that she has done plenty.

I know you will enjoy getting to know her and seeing her great Art Dolls.

Lets get started so that if you don't know her yet, You can....!

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1. Laura: Carla, at what age did you recognize/feel, 

that you had an ability to express yourself artistically

 and what medium was it?

Carla: My artistic journey began around twelve years of age. 

I had won an art contest with a pencil drawing of Christ,

 and my prize was drawing lessons.

2. Were you encouraged? 

My parents were always encouraging me 

and they even went so far as to let me paint images on my bedroom wall.

3. What/Who inspires you?

I think I learn a little from many different artists, 

but the one who really inspired me to explore 

mixed media art dolls is Patricia Anders. 

I first came across Tricia's art dolls in a magazine publication 

several years back and was blown away by her talent. 

I was instantly hooked.

4. What percentage of the time, do you like your finished product?

I would say about 75% of the time.

5. Do you start and finish a piece, 

or do you work on multiple pieces at a time?

I have multiple pieces going on at the same time. 

When one stumps me, I set it to the side and move on to something else. 

Most of the time I return to finish the piece, 

but there have been times where it is 

dismantled and integrated into other works.

6. What gives you the most satisfaction in your work? 

i.e. The idea? The process? The materials? or none of these?

I would have to say that I get the most satisfaction in the process. 

I usually come into the studio with no preconceived ideas 

of what I will be creating. 

It just happens as I experiment and fiddle with stuff.

7. I hear people talk about running out of ideas? 

Does that ever concern you?

Not really. 

When I feel like I have come to a road block, 

its usually because I am burned out. 

That's when I know it's time to walk away 

from the studio for a while.

8. Carla, you know that with pleasure, 

I have read your WHOLE blog all of the way back to 2007! 

It was great fun, to see the changes/evolution of your art. 

You have mostly had a figure, and often a female figure, 

central to your art. 

Can you share where that comes from for you 

or is it just the most fun thing for you to assemble?

I have always been drawn to the female figure. 

I guess I view her as a powerful and mysterious image. 

She can range from simplistic to very complicated 

and I just love exploring those aspects. 

My desire is for simplistic, but the muse usually has other plans.

9. Carla, when I was gathering up your link information, 

I found that you aren't the only Carla Trujillo out there! 

But, your name comes up First and certainly as an Artist!

You have your indiandollartworks blog, 

which is usually the mother-ship for everyone, 

and  your shops on Zibbet and Big Cartel, 

a FB, Flicker and Pinterest presence...

plus you do gallery and art shows! 

Whew!

But your most recent accomplishment was to your surprise, 

being contacted by Art Quilting Studio Magazine, 

for submission of some of your pieces. 

OF COURSE they were accepted, and not only that, 

they were Featured in a 5 page article 

in their Summer 2014 issue!

I wonder, if you could briefly walk my readers 

through the nuts and bolts of how someone submits their work to a publication. 

Did you send them photos/images or your actual pieces? 

How did that work?

I do share the same name with some very interesting people. 

Its funny that you should bring that up. 

My husband had taken a class in ID theft 

and one of the things to check was to Google your name,

 to see what comes up and that leads to some interesting finds.

As for the magazine submission, 

it was not as intimidating as I thought it would be. 

I mailed in the art quilts, 

so they could be professionally photographed in their studio. 

You do have to pay postage both ways and write the article. 

The first paragraph of the article is information about yourself and the art piece,

 and everything after that is about technique. 

The entire article should be no more that 700-800 words. 

It seems like a lot, but when you write the technique, 

it fills up the pages real quick. 

Once everything is submitted, they will email you a rough draft 

for the article with photos for your review.

Then you have to be patient for the magazine to be published. 

I received a complimentary magazine as payment for submission. 

It was exciting to be published!

10. Finally, what is next for Carla Trujillo? 

Is there something brewing that we should be on the lookout for? 

I have so many things in mind and never enough time to do it all. 

I'm hoping to publish assemblage work in other magazines 

and I have been approached about teaching a class online.

I also have been working with clay and love it! 

So, keep an eye out for new materials in my work. 

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So, there You are!

Thanks Carla, for participating in this interview.

I know that your fans will drink up Every word, 

and that you will make NEW fans after they see your amazing pieces.

Your work is One of A Kind.

It means a lot, for someone to see art and say...Oh, that is______'s.

Well, We all say, Oh, that is Carla Trujillo, when we see Yours! :)

And just like happened to you with Patricia...we are Hooked on You !

And Thanks Dear Readers, for checking in again with hastypearl!

I love that you do...

I hope that you are enjoying these Wonderful Days.

In these exceptionally Busy days, make sure that you Take Time to look around and drink it all in!

There are Free Gifts for us...Everywhere we look :)

Best...Laura