I'm Growing and Opening a New Studio!

 I had no idea what to expect when I moved back to Indiana about 2 years ago...I knew I'd do something, I just wasn't exactly sure what it would be.  Having left the comfort of a corporate job...it would be a new chapter and a new beginning. 

 

When I moved back, I found the ideal location to live and work.  I live in a historic building in Newburgh, Indiana, on the banks of the Ohio River.  It's perfect...my town has quite a few antique stores, a few artists, a few galleries, great restaurants, friendly people and amazing water views every day of the year! It's really an incredible set up! I have loved every minute of it and not once regretted "ditching" my corporate job and moving back to "small town" America.   

Yet, at the same time, I am outgrowing my present space!  There are times when I need to have help kitting for classes...my current studio is on the 3rd floor, so it's not exactly conducive for moving boxes and boxes of art and craft supplies...and there's not a lot of room for additional people to help me do my business...and, routinely, I get requests to stop by my studio for a visit.  I've had guests from all over the USA, from New Zealand, and this year the Director of the Indiana Board of Tourism even paid a visit to my humble little studio.  

So, when the office space, on the first floor of my building became available...I jumped on it! And, I am so excited about what that's going to mean for me and my business...I'll be able to do a lot of things that I've only dreamed about until now.
 

It's my plan to develop a working studio where I can host gallery nights and pop up exhibits.  There are so many wonderful local artists whose work needs to be seen. I am planning to work with The SW Indiana Council of the Arts to make this happen!
My new space will also allow me to develop a space to create videos and more online content.  I could not be happier about everything my new space will allow me to do! It's not my intention to be a retail store, with regular hours...at all. I'm a hippy artist and keeping a regular schedule ain't my bag these days. Instead...it's my goal to create a maker space that will allow me to expand on the things I'm already doing...and I think it's gonna be pretty dang cool.

It's all really new, and happening really fast...I get the space around the first of November...and I can't wait to get started.     

 Make sure that you're following me on Facebook at Ken Oliver Crafts to see more of how the plans come together!

Family Business and Gratitude

“I sew a little prayer and a little good wish into every card I make," is what my mom said when I picked up a bunch of watercolor cards yesterday that she’d just sewn for me. And, that, just kind of blew me away, because I know it's true.

   

 As a "solo-preneur" I never know how things are gonna get done and I am really grateful that I can rely on my family for some of the day-to-day tasks that I need to accomplish. No kidding, I've actually asked my dad to help me kit and sort scrapbook paper. 

Lately, my mom has been helping with sewing watercolor card fronts together. And I could not be more grateful to her for help. I just love this image of her hands sewing (can you see the love?)...she's been a seamstress all her life, her work is amazing.  She's sewn window treatments, draperies, and accessories for homes all over the United States and been included in publications and house tours for over 40 years. And even to this day, designers and folks who worked with my mom in the past, tell me they always loved working with her, loved her designs, and often tried to figure out how she created some of her wonderful projects. 

So, I would have never imagined while I was in college, or busy working at my corporate jobs, that at some time in the future, I'd have the opportunity to work directly with my parents, in a business, almost every day. I am grateful for their time, talent and for their years of experience in running their own businesses. Most people don't get this opportunity and I am blessed daily for it, and it never would have happened had I not left the corporate world and ventured out on my own.  

The fact that these watercolor cards are even a class is also somewhat of an accident, it seems a few store owners had seen some of my Color Burst demos and suggested that a watercolor card class would be great...and it is, in this class I get to teach a number of Color Burst stamping and painting techniques, and I'm starting to get enough requests for the class that we're going to have to find a source for the cards...it's not like I can ask my mom to sew thousands of cards every week.  

 

 So until I find the source, we'll keep making the cards by hand, and each one will have a little prayer and a little wish sewn into it, and I am so happy to be able to share these cards with my students, because they really are handmade with love.  And I am so grateful that my journey has brought me home and given me the opportunity to work with my family in ways I never imagined and I could not be happier! 

Til next time, 

Ken

  

Art at the Edge, Spring 2015 With Ken Oliver Crafts and For Keeps Sake Events

You may be in the doldrums of winter now, but it's time to start planning for spring and I could not be happier to let you know a little more about Art at the Edge in Spring of 2015.

There's no doubt that spring is one of the loveliest times of year in our little corner of southwest Indiana, in fact, it was last April that I decided to move back to Indiana after many years away...I'd visited with my family for spring break...and I was hooked.   

Spring in Newburgh brings saucer magnolias, tulips, daffodils, and dogwoods...southern Indiana is one of the lushest garden spots in the Midwest.

And Art at the Edge will be held April 24th-26th, right in the heart of Newburgh and, like last time, our local shops and merchants will offer some special deals for anyone who comes to Art at the Edge...you'll find antique shops, upscale clothing boutiques, gift shops, great restaurants and most of all a beautiful view of the Ohio River.

 

And I could not be more excited to teach workshops in Newburgh, with one of my new paper collections, Hometown, it's a collection of craft papers inspired by our historic little village.  It's going to be fun to see the places and sites that are the inspiration for Hometown.   

This time, we're offering 4 incredible classes featuring products from Graphic 45, Um Wow Studios, Ken Oliver Crafts and lots more...I like to create classes that pack lots of retail value and lots of value in the techniques you'll learn...this is going to be one heck of a creative weekend.

Here's what your weekend at Art at the Edge includes a lunch and dinner at Newburgh's famous Edgewater Grill with it's amazing river views, classes, Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, a Sunday morning workshop, a tour and some time with me in my studio, an onsite store with great prices and lots of brand spankin new products, a historic walking tour of historic Newburgh and lots of time to explore your creative side.  

For Art at the Edge Spring 2015 I've teamed up with For Keep Sakes Events to help me manage some of the administrative aspects of holding an art event of this size.  I've worked with For Keeps Sake for years...when it was a retail store in St. Louis and now as an event organizer...For Keeps Sake owners Nancy Wethington and Timmie Taylor have been in the craft industry for years and I am really happy that we're planning this event together.  

  

There's a certain kind of "joy of living" around Newburgh and I can't wait to share it with you...whether it's a stroll by the river, pausing for a moment to enjoy our river views or shopping in our shops and boutiques...you will love spending time with us in Newburgh. 

 

And one of the things that we're known for is our amazing sunsets...there's something about the way the river meanders past our town as it flows westward that makes a sunset here spectacular...most evenings the sky is ablaze with color.

Signing up for Art at the Edge is easy, simple follow the link to the For Keeps Sake catalog of events complete the "sign up" sheet and send your deposit to Nancy or Timmie to reserve your spot...it's that easy and I guarantee you'll love the time you spend with us down on the river in Newburgh...I hope to see you here. 

Art at the Edge...Studio Open House and Tour

Art at the Edge was a really special time for me...It was the first time that I've ever organized an event independently and the first time that I've ever invited people from all over the world to come to my home in Newburgh, Indiana to make some crafts.  Although, our classes were held across the street from my home/loft/studio...it was the perfect opportunity to throw the doors wide open and let everyone come in to see where I live and work. 

 

And honestly, it gave me an excuse to sweep the floors and get the place spruced up a bit. My space is really unique in that it is an historic building with 12" thick brick walls, and some cool architectural details. A business of some kind has occupied the space since 1803...at first a livery stable, then later a theater, then a place called the Scuffletown Saloon.  Needless to say, there's a lot of local history within these walls.  

While I had people in the house, I took the opportunity to show some cool die cutting techniques with Stick It, embossing powders, micro glitters and dies.  

 

It was kind of cool to invite everyone into my workspace to play. 

 

And since I've only been in this new space for a few months...I loved getting to share it with my friends at the "Edge." 

 

What you don't see in any of these photos are the amazing water views I have from every window...the river right outside my windows is a never ending source of inspiration. 

 

I loved getting to show everyone how using Stick It can make gluing even the most intricate die cuts in place a breeze.  

 

And this was really cool...the Vice President of my local bank popped in for a visit...come to find out, she's a lifelong friend of one my best crafting buddies...it really is a small world.  

 

Naturally, I had a few Halloween decorations out...like a doll head under a cloche...creepy and elegant at the same time. 

 

I loved sharing my creative space and some diecutting techniques with my friends at the "Edge." It was one of the things that made Art at the Edge really fun for me. 

It's Less Than 2 Weeks Until Art at the Edge...

With less than 2 weeks until the first Art at the Edge, preparations for the event are in full swing at Ken Oliver Crafts LLC!  (that is code for "panic mode").

Last night, I started preparing class kits...and I just stepped back for a minute and thought, WOW! This event is gonna rock!

The supplies and materials have been ordered, paid for, shipped and received and have been sitting in my living room and studio for a few weeks...and seemed more to me like a pile of boxes that I've had to step around and move a few times...

But last night, when I started opening the shipping cartons...it all started to seem real.  Art at the Edge is going to be a really unique event...I didn't set out to produce a "grand" event...I simply wanted to invite a few friends over, to experience the quaint river-town where I live and to craft for a couple days...

and was I ever surprised...people are coming from 12 states and traveling some great distances just to attend!  Art at the Edge is turning into a world class, boutique style art event that is going to blow the minds of everyone who comes...

Realizing that money is tight for everyone...I wanted Art at the Edge to represent a great value...so I did my best to keep the cost to attend really low...but at the same time provide an excellent "retreat" experience....here's an example of the value packed in to Art at the Edge, 

This class kit is just amazing...it's loaded with lots of stuff...it represents a retail value of about $100!  

It has scrapbook paper, a paper pad, a BIG scrapbook album, flowers, ephemera, stick pins, a full bolt of lace...all from Prima Marketing's Forever Green product line.  

When I saw all this stuff laid out together...I was excited about the class!  

 In addition to all the amazing supplies, the class also has some cool paper crafting techniques like paper sculpture and incorporating paints into scrapbook layouts...again, another great value.

This is only one of the classes at Art at the Edge...there's another Altered Frame class that's just about at cool as this.

So, I spent my Friday night, with my mom and dad, packing class kits...it was a big job,

But, we got a system going, a production line, and really made a fun family night of prepping for Art at the Edge...and really the fun we had and the memories we made the work really fun.  I like working with my parents...they like to take breaks to update their Facebook statuses...

So if you're coming to Art at the Edge, here's a little list of some tools and stuff to bring:

Supplies:

Small Bottle of Aleen’s Tacky Glue

Glue Sticks

Tape Runner

Tools:

Scissors

Small Scissors for Fussy Cutting

Bone Folder

Heat Tool

Small Glue Gun

Paper Trimmer

And, bring anything else you like to have on hand when every you craft and scrapbook....if for some reason, you forget something, I'll have extra stuff on hand, no worries!

As Art at the Edge approaches, I am getting more excited every day...I'll be spending the next few days, assembling kits for the other class and prepping for ICE at the Edge...and hopefully everything will get done...I am meeting with the event planner at The Edgewater Grill later today to finalize the meal selections...this is gonna be fun!  

  

And, if I am lucky, between now and October 24th-25th...I'll find a little time to relax and clean up my house...I'm planning to have an "open house" at my studio and home during the event...

It's gonna be fun! 

Creating Beautiful Bezels with ICE Resin by Susan Lenart Kazmer

A couple years ago, I discovered ICE Resin, a product developed by Susan Lenart Kazmer...she is one of the most inspiring artists I've ever met.  If you're not familiar with her work, click on the link above to view her amazing work.    

Susan worked with Spellbinders to develop a line of bezels and pendants...and I became very familiar with the products. I got to teach and demonstrate the products, literally around the world at trade shows and art events...here's a flashback from the blog archives where you can see some of the places and people I met...Creating Beautiful Bezels with Spellbinders Media Mixage...for me, it was an incredible experience to work with the products and to share them with other artists and crafters.  I'd not created any jewelry peices for years...so it was a nice reintroduction to jewelry making. 

And, over time as I worked with the products, I discovered a few techniques and tricks of my own when working with ICE Resin.  For example, the resin in the photo above is tinted with artists pastels...the resin looks like Lapis...it's a cool technique that I love to share in the workshops I teach today.

And, over time, as I have moved on and done other things, artistically and professionally, I still get asked to teach ICE Resin workshops...I absolutely love getting to share the techniques with students who attend.  The student work is always very inspiring.  Very often we create memory pieces...I ask students to bring family photos and personal letters and we set out to preserve family memories by creating pendants and bezels with those treasure images.  

During the course of the workshops, I often end up with some beautiful pieces that I've created with the students as examples and instructional pieces...I've started adding them to my etsy shop,          Ken Oliver Crafts. They're often too beautiful not to share.   

I'm still teaching ICE Resin workshops and in fact, I have a workshop on October 24th in my hometown.  The event is called ICE at the Edge, You can click on the link...or click on the ICE at the Edge banner at the side of this page for more details.  The event will be smaller and more intimate than many of the workshops I teach, and we're going to be in the most beautiful venue...our classroom over looks the Ohio River in Southern Indiana.   

I am getting really excited about ICE at the Edge. Students are traveling from as far away as Florida, Connecticut, and Minnesota to attend.  

If you'd like to enroll, it's really easy, and affordable and the workshop includes dinner...

And, at the end of the workshop, you'll have created 4 beautiful pendants that you can wear yourself, or give as gifts.  

As you can probably tell, I love working with ICE Resin...it's let me create and express my art in lots of new ways...I'd invite you to visit my etsy shop to see more...and hopefully, you'll think about coming to ICE at the Edge to learn how to create these beautiful pieces yourself.  I hope to see you there!