Shameless self-promotion

So since this is my blog, this was bound to happen. I'm here to shamelessly self-promote my shop on society6.com which is a really cool website that lets artists, like myself, to put up our work and for people to buy this as a t-shirt, sweatshirt, print, laptop cover, and a lot of other really cool mediums. The site has a lot of really cool artists that do some really cool things and the prices are pretty good for things that someone poured their soul into. To any artists out there that are looking for a place to sell their work, you should seriously check it out. The way it is set up, you just have to put your work up and Society6 does the actual work of printing and shipping your pieces, which in the end, even with the percentage they take of the profit, it is a really great way to get your things out there and gives you a chance to concentrate on your work rather than worrying about how to get it printed and shipped. 

Anyways, I'm just now getting into actually putting my stuff up on there. Right now the piece I'm working on is still a little rough, so it will be up in a couple days hopefully at the most. But I have several ideas that I'm working on and as soon as I can get them drawn up on my computer I will put them up for sale. Right now they are having an artist promotion sale, which means that you can get free shipping, but only until the 16th of June! And only if you use THIS LINK to my store! Though this offer does not include Framed Art Prints, Stretched Canvases and Throw Pillows with insert. Sorry to anyone who was wanting to buy it that way. 

Update: I just put up the design and I am working on getting it up in as many mediums as I can right now. 

But seriously even if you do not buy anything from my shop, you should definitely check out the site. It's got some really great artists on there that have some awesome stuff!

Cute framed collage

My brother just recently got married and for their wedding presents I wanted to do something that would be cute and unique. So after looking around, I decided on something I thought they would both like that would sort of match.

I unfortunately did not think of taking any pictures during the process of making either, because hers I finished making at like 1:00 AM after working on it for several hours and his I just forgot to take photos of because I was in a hurry to finish it.

His:

Hers:

But for the most part it's a pretty straightforward project just from seeing the finished project (hopefully at least). It's a pretty easy and cheap to make. I got the frames at Goodwill and the rest of the supplies can be bought from either Walmart or Hobby Lobby.

Supplies:
Black (or whatever color you're wanting to use) sheet of heavy paper ( I bought some for about 78 cents at Walmart in the craft area) or you can buy the wooden letters or pre-cut out ones if you can find them.
 poster paper (Again cheap at Walmart)
mod podge (I made my own just using water and cheap glue)
a cheap paint brush or a sponge brush (Hobby Lobby or Walmart)
The decorative paper you are using for the collage (I used newspaper but I wanted to use old books from Goodwill but I forgot to buy some before we left and for his I just copied different eras of Batman comics and cut them out).
Backs for hanging the pictures if your frame doesn't come with one (neither of mine did. I got them at Hobby Lobby in a pack in the frame section).
a hot glue gun or strong glue (I used Elmer's strong glue)
scissors

Step 1: measure out your poster paper so that it does not show behind your frame.
Step 2: If you are cutting out the letter, measure it out so it fits so it fits neatly in the middle. As you can see I did not do the greatest job of cutting out the letters but since it was sort of a last minute gift idea I had to make do. I would suggest either using a stencil or buying pre-done letters and just painting them the color you want if you get the wooden ones.
Step 3: Cut out your background pieces. I liked to get a lot of different sizes to give it variety and I would have liked to get it from different books to give it some contrast in colors and font sizes.
Step 4: Arrange your paper how you like on the and glue them down. I liked to layer them and put them at different angles, but you can do as you like.
Step 5: Cover the background with a layer of mod podge using either the cheap paint brush or the sponge brush, being careful not to get it too thick on it. Then glue the letter down and do the same to it.
Step 6: Once everything dries, put a layer of the strong glue down on the back of the frame put down your background. To dry put it right side up and leave it on a flat surface otherwise I found that the glue doesn't dry right unless it has a little pressure (then again it might be because I was trying to let it dry in the car on the way to their house)
STep 7: If you are using a frame that does not have a hook or anything to hang with I got a pack at Hobby Lobby that don't require screws and you just have to put them in with a hammer (or as we did, with a meat cleaver since my brother has yet to buy a hammer).

This would be fun to do as kid's wall decoration too or really anything. There's a lot of fun ways you could do this. I'd love to know if anyone does it and see the results!