The Firebird Festival is tomorrow

Just finishing up the last touches for the ArtyPantz booth at the Phoenixville Firebird Festival.

In celebration of the bird.....here are some of this years offerings.

Baby phoenix necklaces, with collage matchbox gift boxes.

The back of the box tells the story of the Phoenix burning and the baby bird rising from the ashes.

Various fabric birds, packaged in nests and gift bags

 Paper birds in paper mendhi hands

Stitched paper birds with fan tails

Cloth and paper birds

Wild Phoenix Wands

The festival starts Saturday December 11th at 4:00.

Go to the Firebird website for the schedule of all the amazing events.

The bird burns at 8:00.

http://www.artypantz.blogspot.com

Dancing Owl Stick Puppets Trio

Last week I woke up from a dream where I was making owl puppets. Obviously birds are on the brain....
Just finished bringing the dream to life and you can get them on etsy! They are printed on heavy card stock, hand cut and assembled. Each owl has two wings that are attached with paper fasteners so they can move.

Click here to go there and buy them by the trio!

http://www.artypantz.blogspot.com

New Collage Art for Sale at ArtyPantz Etsy

Here are some new collage art postcards designed for the ArtyPantz Baby Art Etsy Store

Each packet contains two of each of these four designs.....

....the copyright notice is not on the actual cards, just these scans.....

BABIES IN THE CABBAGE PATCH

BABY ORCHESTRA

WATER LILY BABIES AND SWANS

SPECIAL DELIVERY BABIES IN BASKETS

And so that was a fun morning over here, but now a big mess with paper all over the place.

This always happens when doing collage work!

www.artypantz.blogspot.com

Phoenix Exhibit at Artisans Cafe in Phoenixville

If you are in Phoenixville anytime in the Month of February, please drop by The Artisans Cafe on Bridge Street and check out the art exhibit inspired by the Phoenix! My painting "Phoenix Woman" s on display there, and some fiber art phoenixes in nests as pictured above. Also featured are clay birds by Lisa Muller and friends, stunning photograph art of Henrik Stubbe Teglbjaerg, plus limited signed editions of Henrik's Firebird Photo Book. Artist Lynn Miller contributed acrylic paintings on mirrors, canvas and hand drums, a beaded piece on wood, plus a lamp! There is an inspired oil painting too but can't remember the artists' name.

http://www.artypantz.blogspot.com/

Hummingbird Hat

For a long time I was really into mermaids, and created a whole line of Swinging Tail Paper Dolls called the Magnetic Personalities . These dolls are still for sale on my website, including but not limited to a Mae West Mermaid, Frida Kahlo, the Statue of Liberty and more......But for the past year or so birds have taken over.

Come to think of it all of those mermaid paper dolls do have wings.....so maybe this Year of the Bird that I feel coming on isn't really much of a leap.....haha! In a couple of weeks or so I'll be a adding a whole collection of everyday bird ornaments called "Little Birdie Sing to Me" to my etsy store. Stay tuned for that.

Right now I'm in the process of designing a large painting of a woman with phoenix wings for an art exhibit in February!

www.artypantz.blogspot.com

Last Post This Year on the Firebird Festival

The Firebird Festival was fantastic. The Fire Dept estimated about 5,000 people gathered to watch the bird burn. It was cold but not as cold as years past. It was a crisp and clear night and everyone was happy.

It was so good to see kids walking around carrying the lanterns they made the week beforehand. Unfortunately, The Children's Procession of Light didn't really materialize as envisioned, because it was nearly impossible to round the kids up for the parade. We were to meet in front of the theater at a certain time but not many managed to show up.

The parade itself was kind of strange in that there didn't really seem to BE a parade. Suddenly the bird puppets took off and some of us went with them.......I heard later that we went at the wrong time. Oh well, next year it will be better, now that we are experienced.

The Artisans Bazaar was fantastic and people bought up all birds from the ArtyPantz booth in a period of about one hour, so that was wonderful. In fact planning to make more birds and offer them for sale at www.artypantz.com. Stay tuned for that. Some people who own an art gallery bought one, and asked me to contact them so they could sell them in their gallery. Ho hum. I bought up a bunch of fabric yesterday to make birdies galore.

All in all, the Firebird Festival is a fabulous example of what community art is all about. I can't wait for next year!

http://www.artypantz.blogspot.com/

Birds Birds Birds

Just came in from making a clay bird, that will go into the belly of the giant (30ft high) wooden phoenix which will be set on fire at 8:00 p.m. at the Firebird Festival December 12th in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

Every year our fabulous local potter Lisa Muller gives workshops on how to make them. She takes about a hundred of them and wraps them in various color producing things such as banana peels, eggshells and other random items, then wraps them in tin foil and places them inside the Phoenix. People come back the following day to pick up their bird out of the smoldering ashes. Here is a picture of some of the birds from last year.


The Firebird Festival is always a fun event, and this year I had an idea to have kids make paper lanterns and march in the annual parade along with musicians and giant bird puppets. The Children's Librarian at the Phoenixville Library is graciously allowing me to use their Community Room to conduct an ongoing workshop from 10 to 4 on the Saturday before the Festival, which is this coming Saturday, December 5th! The libary is located on 2nd Avenue in Phoenixville.

It takes about a half an hour to make a lantern. Then you take it home to dry. Once it's dry you add the handle and a battery operated votive candle. All materials are provided. A $5 donation is suggested to help cover the costs.

I hope to see you at the library!

In the meantime I've been making bird ornaments which will be for sale at the Artisans Bazaar on the night of the Firebird Festival. I just added more plumage for some extra va va voom.

This morning I sketched out an idea for a painting of a woman with phoenix wings that I'm going to try to paint/finish before the festival, and offer prints for sale there. If I get it done, the painting will be on display at the Artisans Cafe on Bridge Street in Phoenixville for the month of January, along with other Phoenix inspired artworks.



http://www.artypantz.blogspot.com/

New Coloring Book Cover!

Would You Like a Complimentary Copy of The Interfaith Golden Rule Coloring Book?

The trip to, fro and in Vermont was just wonderful!

Here I am at White River Junction getting ready to come home after a relaxing time with friends. I got the purple felt hat at a church rummage sale for 25 cents and

that box on the left is chock full of organic tomatoes.

I'm very excited that the accordion folding

Interfaith Golden Rule Coloring Book

is now available in several retail stores, as well as in my Etsy Shop.

The book is for ages 4 and up and includes Golden Rule excepts from nine spiritual/religious traditions. (Treat others the way you would like to be treated)

If you would like to enjoy a complimentary copy simply

email your shipping address to artypantzvo@yahoo.com and I will send you one!

Here's what the coloring book looks like once you take it out of the package!

It measures 5 1/2" high by two feet long!

http://www.artypantz.blogspot.com/

Countertop Displays for The Golden Rule Coloring Book

I spent quite a bit of time designing a cardboard countertop display for The Golden Rule Interfaith Coloring Book, to put into stores. I had a big old box, and was measuring and cutting away, customizing it to hold the coloring books, and enough room on top to display an opened book.

Then I thought that somebody must make these displays! So I typed in cardboard counter top displays in my browser and up popped cardboarddisplays.com and after a few minutes found EXACTLY what I was looking for.

They came flat, and easy to assemble. They were plain and I just printed up the information and glued it on. Ta Da! They also sent me shipping boxes to send them assembled to stores.

Today I'm getting three displays ready and full to send to my first three stores!

http://www.artypantz.blogspot.com/

The Golden Rule Accordion Coloring Book On Sale Now

T H E G O L D E N R U L E

“Treat Others the Way You Would Like to Be Treated”

FOLDING ACCORDION COLORING BOOK

Opens to two feet long. Color, then display on a shelf.

A UNIQUE COLORING EXPERIENCE FOR AGES 4-ADULT.

featuring The Golden Rule excerpts from

Traditional African Religion, Christianity, Buddhism, Baha’i Faith,

Islam, Judaism, Confucianism, Hindu, and Native American Wisdom.

adorned with images of butterflies, flowers, and birds.

The Golden Rule Accordion Coloring Book is finished, packaged and on sale in my Etsy shop!

I'm working on some cardboard counter top displays and by the end of this week I can start delivering them to several stores that are waiting for them.

http://www.artypantz.blogspot.com/

My Brush with Fame

Courtney Love just purchased a

Queen of Hearts

Swinging Tail Mermaid Collage Art Paper Doll

from my Etsy store.

Click on the Queen image if you would like one too!