2012 art calendar giveaway!

I am so happy to have put together my first art calendar that I wanted to celebrate by giving one away! This 2012 Art Calendar is made up of twelve of my original whimsical artworks carefully selected by me.

Inside you will find a colorful collection of my favorite paintings:
- January | Dandelion Wishes
- February | Connected in Love
- March | Abstract Swirl
- April | Weeping Willow
- May | Sunflowers
- June | Connected in Truth
- July | Spiral Sun
- August | Dragonflies
- September | Fireflies
- October | Autumn Vines
- November | Breathe
- December | Connected in Spirit

Calendar Details:
- 4.25"x11"
- 13 sheets including cover
- list style calendar for all my fellow list lovers, easy to write in birthdays and important events.
- printed on high quality matte 80lb cover weight paper
- hole punched with raffia ribbon for hanging

How to Enter:
Simply leave a comment below, telling me which month’s artwork you like the most! For bonus entries, please share this giveaway using @CreativeStash on Twitter and/or Facebook and leave an extra comment on this blog to let me know.

The winner will be chosen randomly next Thursday, January 6 using Random.org. Please leave me a way to contact you in your comment – otherwise your prize will be passed onto another winner. Good luck! xoxo

If you don’t want to wait and see if you win, click here to grab this calendar from my shop!

peace, joy, laughter, love and cookies

We’ve had a busy month of decorating, crafting, enjoying holiday events and lots of baking. Wishing you a very happy holiday filled with peace, joy, laughter, love and cookies. Much love from our family to yours! 

- The Fagans -

"Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
Dr. Seuss 

last chance to save 20% in my shop!

Today is your last day to save 20% on jewelry and handmade gifts in my shop Creative Stash on Etsy! Simply enter coupon code HOLIDAY20 at checkout.

I am happy to include free gift wrapping and a special note for items sent as a gift. Simply request free gift wrap and let me know what you want to say in your note in the "Message to Buyer" section.

Holiday Shipping: For Christmas delivery, the last day to place orders with regular shipping is December 17th. For two day priority and overnight shipping requests, please e-mail me and I will do my best to accommodate you. 

Happy Holidays! xoxo

art prints and greeting cards now available!

Art prints are available in Creative Stash shops online at Society6 and Fine Art America!

Greeting cards are available in the Creative Stash shop online at Fine Art America!

It has been a dream of mine to offer prints of my artwork for the longest time. It's so simple in theory but, it has taken me awhile to get to this point. I finally found a local art scanner to professionally scan my artwork at a rate I can afford and I have been slowly working through my collection of paintings starting with my newest mandala series. I couldn't be happier to have shops at Society6 and Fine Art America to help bring art prints of my work to collectors.

When you buy a product from Society6 or Fine Art America, they produce it using high quality materials, they give you multiple options to customize your order such as print size, with a frame or on canvas and they ship it to you on behalf of me, the artist.

If you are thinking about giving art for the holidays please note that Fine Art America's Christmas delivery cutoff for ground shipping is tonight at 5pm.

new mandala painting now available in my shop

The newest painting in my mandala series, Connected in Spirit is now for sale in my shop. I finished this during Art Every Day Month. It's so much fun and many people have commented that it looks like a ceramic tile. I love handmade ceramic tile so, I am flattered that some think so! This is an original acrylic painting on canvas measuring 8"x8"x1".

Connected in Spirit is the third painting I have made loosely based on the spiritual chakras. Here are the first and second mandala paintings I created this year. Connected in Spirit is a whimsical, colorful work of art.The color violet represents the Spiritual Crown Chakra which is positioned at the top of the head, connecting us to one's own spirituality and encourages us to live in the present. This chakra is often pictured as a lotus flower opening to allow spiritual awakening in an individual. The red petals around the outside of the design represent a lotus flower. A Mandala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". Wherever a center is found radiating outward and inward, there is wholeness - a mandala.

My Holiday Sale is running until Dec 15th. 20% off my entire shop simply enter code HOLIDAY20 at checkout. I am happy to include free gift wrapping and a special note for items sent as a gift. Simply request free gift wrap and let me know what you want to say in your note in the "Message to Buyer" section.

Click here to visit my shop.

20% OFF SALE on jewelry and handmade gifts

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! To get into the holiday spirit and share the love, today I am announcing a big SALE in my shop Creative Stash on Etsy! Save 20% on Jewelry and Handmade Gifts with coupon HOLIDAY20!

Plus, Personalized magnet sets are BOGO for the holidays - buy one get one half off! Customize your set with your photos of family, wedding, yours or your child's artwork, nature, a vacation to remember - whatever you want. 

I am happy to include free gift wrapping and a special note for items sent as a gift. Simply request free gift wrap and let me know what you want to say in your note in the "Message to Buyer" section. 

Offers are good through December 15th. Last day for Christmas orders shipped within the US is Dec. 15th. and shipped International is Dec. 2nd. If you need a custom quantity or have a special request please contact me via email at krisfagan (at) cox (dot) net. xoxo

a simple advent calendar

I found this easy, no frills advent calendar idea over at Simple Mom and as soon as I saw it, I knew I would create it. Easy, no frills and free (I had all the supplies) = my kind of craft!  I love Simple Mom's idea of using post it notes for each day. I had a bunch of them around the house and they allow you to be flexible with the activities by removing or switching days easily.

For my calendar, I used an earring display I made for my booth, cut up some 8.5x11 card stock into strips 4.25x2, folded them in half, wrote numbers with black colored pencil and added the post it note inside the flap.The kids and I decorated the cards with simple patterns. Then I hung them on the thread. Easy peasy!

I chose a mix of activities for the month: some crafty, some fun, some magical and some that give to others. Here are some of the activities I have planned:

• Attend a holiday play
• Visit a holiday light display
• Make paper snowflakes
• Drink hot chocolate and watch a holiday movie
• Donate to the Phoenix Children's Hospital
• Bring treats to the kids teachers
• Drive around town to see lights
• Tape quarters to toy or game machines around town
• Pop popcorn and watch a holiday movie
• Buy toys to donate to toys for tots
• Go ice skating
• Bake cookies
• Go through books and toys for donation
• Make gifts for teachers
• Open a gift and bake cookies for Santa!
• Have a Merry Christmas!

My 5 year old wondered what we were making and when done he asked me to read a few activities. The wide eyed happy look on his face made me really excited about them too!

art every day month: day 30

Well, its the final day of Art Every Day Month and I am a little sad to see it go. The creative momentum I had this month was invigorating! My final work is this mosaic featuring art made during the month of November. I got the idea to make a college of my AEDM creations from this wonderful mosaic over at Deborah Velásquez's blog. I love her work, she made some amazing things pieces this month as did so many artists! It was fabulous to see what other artists were creating each day and how they approached the challenge. Some went with the flow and let the creativity unfold, some had a theme for the month and others practiced a specific skill or medium. All of it amazing stuff, truly!

It was interesting to see how my medium jumped from day to day and how much jewelry I end up making! That kind of surprised me. I am so grateful I choose to participate. I first learned about AEDM in 2009 and every year I thought oh no, I couldn't possibly find the time and energy to create every day. Well, this year I found the time and the energy and it was so much more rewarding then I ever imagined. I felt really content, calm and happy this month. My husband even mentioned today that I seem a lot less anxious lately. Maybe all that jumpy energy I have is really my creative spirit trying to burst through. Something to think about the next time I am feel extra jumpy. 

Thank you to Leah Piken Kolidas, of Creative Every Day for putting together the Art Every Day Month challenge! And thanks to all who participated for the inspiration each day, positive vibes to continue on and for warming my soul with creative joy. And thank you for stopping by, seeing what I was up to and leaving your fabulous comments. Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a new year of love, passion and creativity!

To view the posts of other AEDM members for Day 30 click here.

FREE shipping for black friday / cyber monday

This weekend only, enter coupon code FREESHIPPING during checkout to get free shipping to anywhere in the world for any item in my shop Creative Stash on Etsy! Plus, Personalized magnet sets are BOGO for the holidays - buy one get one half off! Customize your set with your photos of family, wedding, yours or your child's artwork, nature, a vacation to remember - whatever you want.

art every day month: day 24, happily grateful

Today I am reflecting on all I have to be grateful for. I am grateful for my sweet boys and my loving husband who make me happy every day. I am thankful for life, love, family, friends, art, health and all of YOU. Thank you for reading my blog, leaving your thoughtful and smile inducing comments and for just being here. Hope you had a very Happy Thanksgiving! Much love to you and your loved ones. xoxo

To view the posts of other AEDM members for Day 24 click here.

art every day month: day 22

Alphabet Bunting

Art Every Day Month at Creative Every Day.

Almost complete on this piece based on my alphabet bunting painting. I just need to fine tune a few spots and add in some sparkle paint!  

These sweet bunting flags would be a cute personalized painting in your chosen colors with a child's name, family tree, husband and wife or simply a short saying. If you are interested in a personalized painting for a gift this holiday please contact me to discuss at krisfagan (at) cox (dot) net. I would be delighted to work on a cherished piece for you!

To view the posts of other AEDM members for Day 22 click here.

BOGO for the holidays!

Personalized magnet sets are going BOGO for the holidays - buy one get one 50% off! Customize your set with family photos, wedding pictures, artwork, nature, vacation photos - whatever you want!

My handmade bottle cap magnet sets are a wonderful gift idea and now they can be customized! These little treasures are made from recycled bottle caps featuring custom images supplied by you! Pictures may be converted to black and white upon request. You can have two of the same set or two different sets made, you decide! Sale ends Dec 14th.

Here are some of the lovely things people say about shopping at Creative Stash:

Love these magnets! The best 20 bucks i ever spent! I can't wait to get another set. ~ Vicky

Super fast delivery and beautiful packaging. The magnets are gorgeous, although that word doesn't seem to do them justice! Thank you so much! ~ Peggy

I got the magnets. they are fantastic!!!!!! every time i need a gift this is what i am giving. i love them so much. I need some for myself. thanks so much! ~ Wendy

Kristen is an extremely talented artist. I love many of her creations and have purchased her jewelry and have her delightful frig magnets. ~ Stacy

To my friends and customers, a sincere thank you for supporting indie handmade businesses and for shopping with me at Creative Stash on Etsy!♥

art every day month: day 21

Alphabet Bunting

Art Every Day Month at Creative Every Day.

I started work this weekend on a made to order piece based on my alphabet bunting painting. I am turning up the brightness and changing the colors of the flags to match a little girls room.

As I was worked on this I thought about nicely this could turn into a cute personalized painting in your chosen colors with a child's name, family tree, husband and wife or simply a short saying. If you are interested in a personalized painting for a gift this holiday please contact me via email to discuss, krisfagan (at) cox (dot) net. I would be delighted to work on a cherished piece for you!

To view the posts of other AEDM members for Day 21 click here.

art every day month: day 19

Making Jewelry

Art Every Day Month at Creative Every Day.

I really have been on a jewelry crafting kick ever since getting a batch of new beads (thanks again Jamie)! I knew what beads I wanted to use today and instead of starting blindly I thought it would be nice to browse some magazines for inspiration.

 

I stumbled upon The bamboo cutter's wife design by Molly Schaller in Stringing Fall 2010 and that inspired the bracelet.

 

Next I came across Tweet Wishes by Lorelei Eurto in Stringing Summer 2010 which inspired the necklace.

I am happy with the final piece thank goodness. I restrung the design over and over again before it finally felt right. I am grateful I found Lorelei's design to help guide me along. I have a tough time creating asymmetrical jewelry but, I love the look so much that every now and then its worth the extra effort.

To view the posts of other AEDM members for Day 19 click here.

art every day month: day 18

A Mandala

Art Every Day Month at Creative Every Day.

I finished the mandala that I started a few days ago. It is playful and full of spirit and it makes me smile. I hope it makes you smile too. I am falling in love with art every day. :)

To view the posts of other AEDM members for Day 18 click here.

new bead and wearable art jewelry

I have been a busy little beader during Art Every day Month and have some new art jewelry and bead jewelry - which are now for sale in my etsy shop. These beauties are all reasonably priced for holiday gift giving!

 Dragonfly Art Pendant Necklace - $33
Limited, whimsical, wearable art

 

Abstract Swirl Art Pendant Necklace - $42
Limited, whimsical, wearable art

Abstract Swirl Art Earrings - $28
Limited, whimsical, wearable art

Yellow and Gray Pearl and Crystal Necklace - $21
Trendy, cheerful, casual chic 

Pink Pearl Aurora Borealis Necklace - $23
Classic, playful, casual chic 

Pink Pearl Aurora Borealis Bracelet - $14
Classic, playful, casual chic 

Black and Silver Necklace - $20
Bold, modern, tribal chic

Black and Silver Bracelet - $12
Bold, modern, tribal chic

art every day month: day 17

An Angel

Art Every Day Month at Creative Every Day.

I decided to try drawing another figure, this time an angel. I'm not really happy with the facial features, those are so tough! It is nice to be creating something entirely new for me. I am using the book Dreamscapes: Creating Magical Angel, Faery & Mermaid Worlds in Watercolor by Stephanie Pui-mun Law as a guide.

To view the posts of other AEDM members for Day 17 click here.

art every day month: day 16

A Mermaid

Art Every Day Month at Creative Every Day.

Last night I wasn't sure if I was going to create any art before bed but, at the last minute I pulled out my watercolor set and forced myself to paint something. A mermaid emerged. I don't paint figures often so I was surprised but, delighted that she showed up. xoxo

To view the posts of other AEDM members for Day 16 click here.

art every day month: day 15

Drawing Bugs

Art Every Day Month at Creative Every Day.

My son took out a library book all about bugs and with that I promised the boys some bug drawing lessons this week. First up ... a praying mantis! I was short on time yesterday so, all I have to share with you is this little bugger. xoxo

To view the posts of other AEDM members for Day 15 click here.

art every day month: day 14

Mandala Painting in Progress

Art Every Day Month at Creative Every Day.

To view the posts of other AEDM members for Day 14 click here.