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!

Creativity Team Meet up, Final Day

Today we have the final installment of images from our local Creative Team get together.  I think you will agree that these are amazing works of Art created using Color Burst, mixed media art boards, stencils and mixed media techniques.

We would love to see your Color Burst creations, use the tag #KenOliverCrafts or #KenOliver on social media and share with us.

Creative Team Meet Up ! Day 2

Yesterday we shared a great project by Kimberly that she created during our day on creative fun, today we are sharing more images from our fun day and a few more of our projects 

How's this for a selfie!!!!!, smile Ken, Kimberly, Nikki, Krista and Dakri

Krista and Nikki in full flow

Dakri's turn now to take a photo !

Ken and Nikki

Here is a peep at some of the art created, come back again tomorrow for the final installment.  

Have you checked out the Ken Oliver Crafts Facebook page?.  Make sure to follow us because coming soon there will be an opportunity for you to join in the creative fun every month alongside the Creative Team.  More details to follow.

Trust Your Strength Tag

Creative Team member Zoey Scarpelli has taken tags to a whole new level with Color Burst,  see how she has created this work of art on her blog here.

Zoey says:

Hello Everyone! I'm Zoey and I am super excited to share with you my first projects as Creative Team for Ken Oliver!

I created this colorful tag and I had so much fun playing with the color burst!

The star is from the Ken Oliver Studio Set 1 and guess what I used to stamp it? Yes, you guessed it right... I used Color Burst! I used Alizarin Crimson and Yellow Ocher.

I have to admit that I had to try this technique few times before getting the perfect stamp because I was adding too much water - this one you see in the tag is a second generation stamp and I am truly impressed how the result is vivid!

The background of my tag is covered with tissue paper, gesso and then colored with Ultramarine Blue Color Burst. I added strips of drywall tape and covered with some more gesso before blending the Terre Verte Color Burst with the background. 

I completed the background with some more stamping, sewing machine stitch  and other little details to create some more interest!

Before assemble everything together I cut a piece of vellum and colored it with Alizarin Crimson Color Burst and I love how the transparency of the Vellum still "mix" with the background creating a fantastic Violet-blueish shade!

If you want to check out the tutorial, head over my blog!

Stay Happy Stay Creative, till next time! 

Ciao Zoey

New Creative Team Announced Ken Oliver Crafts

I am more than a little excited today to announce a new creative team!  It's been a really challenging proposition and I am about a month overdue in naming the team!  Why?  Over 500 crafters, artists and bloggers from around the world sent in submissions.  

I was overwhelmed at the task...and had to call in some support to help with the decision making process.  

You know, if it was up to me, I'd choose EVERYONE! If you submitted art, and weren't selected for the team this time, thank you so much for your submissions, I loved looking at every single one.  And, keep in touch as we're going to feature guest contributors regularly.

I am so very proud of the team we've assembled...CONGRATULATIONS to all!  We have a very talented, well-rounded, world class team.  We have members from Germany, Italy, Canada, Ireland and the USA.  And, the new team features mixed media artists, stampers, card makers scrapbookers, lifestyle crafters and painters!  We wanted to offer a wide variety of arts and crafts "disciplines" to make it really interesting every day!

The new team members are:

Sharon Callis, Ireland

Krista Riley, USA

Nikki Davis, USA

DAKRI Sinclair, USA

Buffy St. John, USA

Zoey Emanuella Scarpelli, Italy

Diana Hetherington, Canada

Tracy Pounds (Miss Tracy), USA

Dunja Dücker, Germany

Kimberly Jones, USA

Laurel Beard, USA

Jeanne Streiff, USA

Jessica Frost-Ballas, USA

Yvonne Blair, USA

Giovana Smith, USA

I have extremely high hopes for the team...each one is so talented and I am so grateful that they've chosen to work with my products.  And I know that you're going to love the works of art they create.  

I started to do a bio for each one of them on this post, but I decided that we should "spotlight" each one of them separately to introduce them and let you know a little more about each team member.  I'll start the "spotlight" blog posts next week, so make sure to check back.  I'll send out Facebook reminders too, so you'll make sure to catch every post.  

In the meantime, follow them on Facebook...follow them on Instagram and Pinterest!  You are gonna love what you see!

Please join me in wishing everyone CONGRATULATIONS!  

I am telling you...this team is gonna rock the house! 

til next time,

Ken

Maya Road and Ken Oliver Crafts Winner Alert

Hey everybody, thank you again for joining us on our blog event with Maya Road!  The projects were incredible! If you missed any of the days, scroll back through the past few posts to see exactly how gorgeous the cards and projects were.  I need to announce the winners of our prize packs that included Stick It and the amazing Tool-It-All!

The winners are:

Velvet Pearson
Beth Karschnick
Rosa Bartz
Elizabeth Williams
Vinita Jain
Phyllis

This contest is now closed. 

If you've never seen Stick It before, watch this video!  It shows you how to use Stick It to glue down those really intricate die cuts to handmade cards, tags and scrapbook layouts!  Stick It will change the way you craft!

Thank you again for stopping by to see our projects with Maya Road and Ken Oliver Crafts! 

Til next time,
Ken

Maya Road and Ken Oliver Crafts Designer Challenge Day 3

Hello blog friends and welcome to Day 3 of our designer challenge with Maya Road! This week we're creating some amazing art with newly released dies from Maya Road, Stick It, and the amazing Tool-It-All!

I am so excited to feature the wonderful work of Jessica Frost-Ballas.  I know you are going to love what she's created.  I've only recently met Jessica, and here's another little thing you'll want to know about her before you visit her blog...she is also a professional harpist.  (I think that is really cool).

 

Her cardmaking style is exquisite!  I can get lost in her blog for hours.  When you visit Jessica's blog, leave a comment to be entered in our contest and give-a-way!  That's all you'll need to do to be eligible for a fabulous prize pack that includes a pack of Stick It Adhesive and the amazing Tool-It-All!  And, you wanna know what?  You can visit Maya Road's blog for a change to win too! 

Please remember, our designer challenge is a contest!  Make sure to leave a comment for Jessica and you'll be eligible for a fabulous prize pack that includes a Tool-It-All and some Stick It adhesive! 

Since this is a contest, we're going to let everyone leave comments open until Sunday night, October 25th.  The prize winners will be announced on Monday October 26th.  And, if you will, please let your friends know about our designer challenge and contest...share our posts to Facebook and Instagram!   You can also go back on comment on days 1 and 2 for even more chances to win. 

Thank you for stopping by today to see how we've been creating with the newest dies from Maya Road, Stick It, and the Tool-It-All!

Making beautiful things has never been easier!
Til next time, keep it crafty,
Ken

 

Maya Road and Ken Oliver Crafts Designer Challenge Day 2

Hey blog friends and welcome to day two of a really cool blog event/designer challenge with my friends at Maya Road and some of my crafty friends.  You are going to love what we have for you today!

We're showing off the newly released dies from Maya Road along with Stick It Adhesive and the awesome Tool-It-All!  Today, I'm sharing the work of Giovana Smith.  I simply love how she created this fabulous card background with Color Burst, then topped it with a die cut "hello." Her color palette is exquisite.  

Now, I need to invite you to Giovana's blog!  She has two more cards that will knock your socks off.  She even hand painted one of them with Color Burst.  You are going to be inspired.

Please remember, our designer challenge is also a contest!  So, make sure to leave a comment for Giovana and you'll be eligible for a fabulous prize pack that includes a Tool-It-All and some Stick It adhesive!  And, visit Maya Road, I can't wait for you to see what their designers have been up to!

Since this is a contest, we're going to let everyone leave comments until Sunday night, October 25th.  The prize winners will be announced on Monday October 26th.  And, if you will, please let your friends know about our designer challenge and contest...share our posts to Facebook and Instagram!

Thank you for stopping by today to see how we've been creating with the newest dies from Maya Road, Stick It, and the Tool-It-All!

Making beautiful things has never been easier!
Til next time, keep it crafty,
Ken

Maya Road and Ken Oliver Crafts Designer Challenge Day 1

Hey blog friends and welcome to day one of a designer challenge with some of my crafty friends and some of our crafty friends at Maya Road.  We're teaming up this week to highlight some of the newest paper cutting dies from Maya Road, along with Stick It adhesive and the amazing Tool-It-All!

First up today is Laurel Beard...I love her style! She uses one of the new Maya Road dies as a mask on a card base that she colors with Color Burst!  Her project shows a really innovative use of die cut paper as a mask!

I know you will want to follow her blog today to learn more about how she created this stunning card!  And make sure to leave a comment for Laurel...this is a contest and when you leave a comment you'll be eligible for a prize pack that includes a Tool-It-All and a pack of Stick It!

Here's a link to Laurel's Blog.  I know you will love her fun style! Leave a comment for her and you'll be eligible for a fabulous prize pack that includes a pack of Stick It Adhesive and a Tool-It-All. Visit our friends at Maya Road too...their designers have been busy creating some fabulous projects!

Check back with us over the next two days when we'll have more chances for you to win and more beautiful creations to share!

Just remember to leave a comment on the designer's blog and you'll be entered in out give-a-way! And, please share our posts to your Facebook and Instagram feeds.  Let your friends know about our fabulous give-a-way!  

Our contest will stay open until Sunday night, October 25th.  The prize winners will be announced on Monday October 26th.

Thank you again for stopping by today...I know you are going to be impressed with the lovely art you'll see today!

I can't wait for you to see Laurel's art.

Keep it crafty,
Ken

 

Maya Road and Ken Oliver Crafts Designer Challenge

Hey everybody, I need to let you in on a little secret!  This week, some of my crafty friends and I are teaming up with our friends over at Maya Road for a really cool blog event, designer challenge featuring newly released paper cutting dies from Maya Road and a couple of great die cutting accessories from Ken Oliver Crafts!

You will just love the new dies from Maya Road, and I know you will want to see how Stick It and the Tool-It-All make die-cutting and card making easier that ever before.

This designer challenge is going to be great!  For the next 3 days, October 21,22, and 23rd, you'll be treated to creations from some of the best designers in the industry...and, of course there's a chance to win!  All you have to do to be eligible is leave a comment on each designer's blog.  Each designer will give-away a prize pack featuring the tools you're seeing on the posts this week.  And, if you will, tell your crafty friends about our blog hop!  Feel free to share our posts to your Facebook and Instagram to let your friends know about our fabulous give-a-ways! And, visit the Maya Road blog too...their creations will blow you away! 

The contest will remain open until Sunday night, October 25th.  Our winners will be announced on Monday October 26th.

Make sure to check back over the next 3 days when you'll see the work of Laural Beard, Giovana Smith, and Jessica Frost Ballas!  I can't wait for you to see what they've created! 

I can't wait for this party to get started!  

Keep it Crafty!

Ken

    

Color Burst Kids Party! Inspiring Young Artists

Last year, when I started working on the development of Color Burst, I knew there was something really special about the way the product worked...the bursts of color are fun to watch and fun to make.  And, of course, I used Color Burst with some "focus groups" to gauge user response.

I tested with local paper crafters, artists, cardmakers and kids!  I found out that kids really like the stuff!  My first focus group, my nieces and nephew, could not get enough of Color Burst...I even started recruiting friends with kids to get their response...and boy, did they like it!  

And, over the summer as I've been out on the road teaching, kids and tweens are showing up in my classes in increasing numbers...which makes me really happy...inspiring young artists is one of the greatest things we can do.

Even really little kids "get" Color Burst... 

If you haven't seen Color Burst yet, here's a quick video where you can see how it works.

So you can see, it's pretty cool stuff that will let you create lots and lots of watercolor looks in a variety of ways. And, here's another part of the "back story." Art therapists are using Color Burst in their therapy programs with kids and senior citizens...I've been overwhelmed with some of the stories that I've heard.  With Color Burst, nearly anyone can create something that's beautiful and it's so "instant" that it sparks a conversation that enables the therapist and client to begin the work of what art therapy is all about. 

So, over the weekend, I got an email with some photos of a Color Burst Party for kids.  I could not have been happier.  It's almost like a "dream come true" kind of day for me because I am really passionate about kids and art!
Kids gain lots of skills when they create, the learn to communicate, they gain self confidence, they develop pride and self worth...just from the simple act of making art. Here are a few of the pics, so you can see how much fun they had. 

The idea was pretty simple, an art day for the kids, centered around a birthday party.

And they created lots of Color Burst art. 

They even used a few stencils. 

You can see, they created lots and lots of really cool art. 

And it's not so much "what" they created, but it's the fact that a few 8 and 9 year olds got to participate in the "creative" process. 

They had lots for creative, watercolory fun. 

 

And, each kid at the party got to create a photo frame as a souvenir of their day of art at a birthday party.  They even used my 8"x10" Mixed Media Art Board for the project.  

Pretty cool, right? 

I am so glad to learn that kids love Color Burst and that they're finding fun ways to create and share their art.  And, having a kids Color Burst party?  That's the coolest idea. 

If you've not heard of Color Burst or any of the products I mentioned in this post, please see my catalog page here.  And if you'd like to find any of my products, please check with your local retailer or refer to the Wholesale Inquiries page, our reps and distributors will be more than happy to help you find a retailer in your area. 

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope you'll be inspired to create some art...hey, get the kids involved too!

Ken