Out on a Limb

At the
Moon Dancer
you can find my new creation
Out on a Limb!

As the weather turns to fall I am inspired to set aside my

colorful palette (temporarily of course)
and go
"Out on a Limb"
and enjoy a more
subdued sophisticated ageless
color scheme and theme.

Once again I am frustrated with myself that I didn't take before
pictures of this children's dresser
that had stickers of lambs and flowers stuck to
mismatched paint
before I recreated it.
I love how this dresser inside and out!
The edges have a beautiful old world gold gild as do the knobs.
I love the combination of taupe base with the soft gray drawers and insets
against the soft black check and dot pattern.
I hand drew and cut the tree and bird stencil on temporary paper
that I could just kick myself for now!
The tree took forever to cut every little delicate branch
and now after seeing how it all came out
I would have loved to do a whole series of bird themed things
in this style,
but this one is going
to truly be an original.
The final touch was to add wheels
so you can move it from your sun porch
to your hall way with the change of seasons!
It would also be awesome in a children's room
for a boy or a girl!

The dresser has a hard varnish covered by a waxed finish
so it's durable but still has the softness of an old loved
piece.
Let me know what you think of this new color choice and if you still
recognize me in this work even without pink or purple!
I wanna hear your comments.

Donations

I could paint full time just giving away donations for fundraisers and benefits.
I lecture myself over and over again about sticking to a dollar amount a year or the number of donations or the time I'll take to do donations... and I just don't listen.
I could justify my choices by creating scenarios for possible financial gain through the advertising of my work and that it's a tax write off but the truth is...
It just feels good to help someone out.
Maybe because I've been a special events coordinator for years and I've been they one begging for donations I'm more sympathetic or maybe it's that I am so glad it's NOT ME with those big woes.
Actually, I think if we would all just give a little bit more
we would all be better off and what goes around comes around.

On the subject of collaboration and cooperation,
this wooden crate was donated by Julie Vonachen of Moon Dancer,
where I sell most of my work right now.
It was a very old Cutty Sark crate with the prohibition stamp
label on the bottom of the box.
After a little discussion, Julie (of course)
decided to donate this crate to the
Peoria Art Guild Auction
for their Sept. Art Show held on Peoria's Riverfront.
We plan to fill it with beautiful hand crafted items
from the Moon Dancer to give to the Art Guild next week.
My assignment was to paint it to reflect the vibe of the store.
I just couldn't paint over the stamp!


But I am OVER THE MOON about my
Mr. Moon Man!
I'm hoping women swoon over his
metallic copper and silver features.
I tried to create a relaxed enchanting expression
that will render them helpless...
to not bid a billion bucks that is!!!
This is a treasure no matter which way you look at it!
I cut the moon and stars from Chinese pine used in
board breaking demonstrations
so they are full of good positive energy!
The box is painted on all sides
so it will look good no matter
where you display it!
I'd love for one of you to adopt
this magical piece and keep
the art world rolling!
The message here is live from your heart!
Reach for the moon and fall among the stars!
Live Inspired!

Check out my next post to see what
I've been working on for SALE!
Check out my brass jewelry here.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/susbyme

I'm here, I'm there, I'm everywhere!

So, where am I? What am I doing?
I've gotten that question a lot lately.
The answer is, I'm everywhere.

The Adventures of Amy
and Her Army of Artists

This blog post is to catch you (and maybe me too)
up to date on what has been happening to my life
and business, Something Unique Studios,
since I gave up my glorious art palace in Bartonville.

~Introduction~

Right now my studio is at my home again...mostly...kind of....
Due to a wild series of events, the kind they
write soap operas and adventure films about
my studio has changed locations several times recently.

I'll try to stick to the Cliff's notes when possible
but let me warn you...
This is a novel not a short story.

~Chapter 1~
To the big city.
I'm in my quiet studio behind the
Old State Hospital Building in Bartonville.

A friend asks me to do an art show for her
out at the Shoppes at Grand Prairie,
because she has to be gone.
Thanks Leslie Schenkel of the Twisted Chicken.
(It's not like you drop everything every time
I call and ....oh...wait...never mind).

~Chapter 2~
Just for the day.
I go to fill an obligation just for the day.

Two hours into it I'm telling the owner
of Simply Everything Boutique,
Jennifer Slater,
with Scentsy Wickless Candles,
how she needs to change her whole life
because this beautiful space she is renting
is going to waste!
In no time I am
covering boxes with fabric table cloths
and making displays out of beach balls and
flower pots. People stream in!
Little did I know at the time that
Jennifer may be the only person on the planet
that takes on more projects than I do and she
makes me seem sedate!
I call a few friends and we put up art and in
a flash Jennifer changes her life to
sell retail while I push...I mean...uhhhh...
encourage Peoria to embrace the arts!
Things are beginning to really fly when-
eeer-r-r-r...... things hit a gigantic bump
in the road.

~Chapter 3~
Oh God
Seems Jennifer's son is allergic to the
midwest and they instantly have to move
to Florida
unless they enjoy the color blue on their kid's
face most of the time.
Just as I get ready to pack my paintbrushes
God answers my prayers and the phone rings.
God? I say?
No, Julie- the phone answers.
She's calling to say that Moon Dancer has to
move instantly and she is soon to be homeless!
Yyiiipppiiiieee I say.
OH, I mean, that's terrible....
Let me see what I can do to help you....I say.
(visualize me dancing the hallelujah jig singing
Oh, thank you Jesus, oh, thank you Jesus...)

~Chapter 4~
Under the Moon

Well, Bon Voyage Jennifer.
Welcome Julie Vonachen owner of Moon Dancer.
Simply Everything Under the Moon is created.
Finally. I'll be settled.

The store is coming together while
Julie masterfully mixes art with her magical retail.
The place looks magnificent.
Just as we settle in we find that
we HAVE to move again!
UGH!
Never fear! It works out for the best...sort of...

Our NEW location 205 across from Old Navy
at The Shoppes At Grand Prairie
is beautiful, with rows of great windows
allowing light to pour through the whole store!
It's glorious! Fantastic!
It....has no room for my studio...
sigh....

~Chapter 5~
One World

Well, it just so happens
that I needed to paint an 8' square canvas
and I had asked Bob from One World,
if I could use the Lagron Miller store next door, to paint it
since it's been empty for so long.
He says, there's no lights or water, floors, ceilings or walls...
I say- no problem. I just need space.
Space he has!!!
In I go! I move my studio in and paint my name on the doors.
He asks- do you think other artists
would be interested in space here?
I say sure! Things are taking off!

Now the space is under construction
and will have walls, water and more
when they are done...but in the meantime...

Yep. Can't paint during demolition.

~Chapter 6~
The Corner Stone

As I haul my displays yet again, off to a corner,
and stack my furniture to the top of my garage,
I get a call from my friends,
The Dentinos who own,
The Corner Stone Building,
downtown Peoria, Illinois.
What a magnificently beautiful building.
The Grand Hall is amazing but there
is also room after room of wonderful enchanting
space in this historical building.

They say- I'm hoping you can help us.
Do you know people who may need space, they ask?
Well, as a matter of fact....

The Dentinos LOVE this building and
the arts and music too!
They want to rent their facility out
to as many local artists and musicians
and healers and teachers as they can
as well as weddings, receptions, birthdays, etc!
I'm working with them to do just that!


~Chapter 7~
Lucky 7?

Now, some of you who know me have heard me
say on more than one occasion-
When I take over the world....
(with the appropriate accompanying hand motion).
This is just one more step
in my
world domination through art plan.
I want to remind people that I am taking over the WHOLE world...
So, the answer is-
YES- I am still working with Julie at Moon Dancer.
YES- I AM STILL selling my art there and special orders can go through Moon Dancer
or you can call me directly.

YES-I am still working with Bob at One World to see if we can get artists to rent space and consign their work there.

YES- I am working with the Dentinos at The Corner Stone Building to try to build their events business and bring arts and music and learning to that space in a creative way.

YES-I'm going out of town almost every month to visit my grandchildren!

~Book 2~
will be about my plans to work as a designer for DecoArt
http://www.decoart.com/,
my ESTY shops and plans to get my {SIC} greeting card line ON LINE!

I'd love to hear from you!

For now follow me:
Amy Boettcher
Something Unique Studios
http://www.etsy.com/shop/susbyme
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php
http://twitter.com/momboe
http://www.myspace.com/somethinguniquestudios

Collaboration at it's best!

THIS is
Collaboration!

This is what happens when you throw
ego aside and work freely
with others
just to see what magic can happen!

Artist Andrew Odum
is a fabulous copper artist,
(as well as all around nice guy)
from Peoria, Illinois.
(We are designing a hero cape for him now,
but don't tell cause it's a secret. Shshshssssshhhhhh!)

Andy designed the base
and I cut and painted
a top to go on it.
Then we worked together
to design the details
around the base
(Although actually Andrew did all the actual work!)

I chose a celestial green instead of a
traditional blue background because
of the beautiful colors
found in the copper itself.
I love how Andrew wove the details
inside the larger copper spiral
so that no one would catch
toes or clothes
on the table.
Brilliant!

The table is painted with and assortment
of metallic finishes and topped
with a high gloss, durable varnish
finish that will take a lot of spills
and be easily washable.

The table is tall and was designed as
a social bar table where friends
could stand around and jaw about
their latest successes.

The subconscious messages through
subtle art images and design
are found throughout the table top.
Dream, Wish and Shine
along with the basic
necessities of life,
Eat, Drink and just BE,
are randomly mixed
together
with images of
celestial peace, growth and balance.

I'd love to hear about what you see in this art
and how you feel about
my photos of it or
composition or
choice of colors....
Express yourself and
Enjoy!

They're bbaaaaccckkkkk

To a visual artist,
pictures are just about the most important thing
and when 5000 of them get accidentally trashed it can be
life changing.
When praying desperately that they would come back
I heard my mother's voice say (again)
Be careful what you wish for....
Somehow we got 10,271 pictures back!
(Am I a good pray-er or what!?)
They are not in any particular order and all
albums and sense of order is gone...
(Be specific, be specific, be specific)
so...
As I sift through the
thousands and thousands of pictures
I will randomly post art of interest
just so we will have a record of my work
and you can begin to see all the pictures
I meant to post all these months and years ago and never got around to.
They all have a story of some kind that I'm sure
you will be looking forward to:)
Here's a warm up.

I just loved these.
Here's my bird phase.
10x10 canvas over wood.

Did I mentioned that I was wanted by the FBI?
I met this gentleman at the 724 Reserve send off party while I
was painting faces.
He works for the FBI and has a non-profit organization
of his own he wanted a logo from me to use on his site.
My father was in the FBI before becoming a probation officer
here in Peoria so of course we bonded.

My step brother was sent off to Iraq last year
with unit 724 and just got back.
I was there face painting to show support for our troops
and Brian Mackoway, my step bro.

I really do ya know....
Love you all to the Moon and Back again.
Thanks for watching.
Come back soon!

Where Have I Been?

Many of you have noticed that I've been MIA for a while.
There has been a LOT of A while I was gone!!!
This is a quick run down
but I promise to add
pictures and details soon!

I left the end of May
to help bring my new grandson, Isaac,
into this world
and bond with my older grandson, Alex,
who just turned 3, while I was in Texas for the month of June.
(Yes, I am a grandma and you'll just have to put up with seeing these corny pictures.)
(You can get all the glorious details on earlier blog posts).


Then back for a few days then off to
Chicago Gift Show
where we met and bought from some great designers
in the
Beckman's Handmade section of the show
as well as
some FAB designers in the permanent show rooms.
Then back for a couple days and off to
CHA Show in Rosemont
with a great designer and artist
Pam Miller who works at Michael's
here in Peoria, IL.

Now you may think that sounds like a full summer but
in the middle of all that
I was still painting orders
for Moon Dancer
where my Something Unique Studios
is located (for right now),
meeting new designers and working with new companies!
DecoArt
is an amazing art supply and painting company
that has recently invited me to participate in there
HELPING ARTISTS PROGRAM,
where I am designing
fun new projects
for creative people
to learn to use their products.

Viking Woodcrafts
has also been generous enough to
share samples of their great wood crafts
for me to create new patterns on
and I'm having so much fun.

Now throw in birthday parties, anniversaries &
wedding showers and you can see
why I haven't had time to blog lately.

Check back soon to actually
SEE the art and people
and hear about a
brand new adventure
that I am
working on
that will change the face of
Peoria
and the
entire
Art World!
(Yes! Truly, it's gonna be THAT BIG!)

It's everywhere, it's everywhere!

~Opportunity~
is everywhere.

Here is a table I recreated for a new
friend and now client I met
while shopping at
Michael's in Dallas Texas.

It has a vintage feel because
of the way I layered several colors of paint,
then I sanded, antiqued, then waxed it.
I don't usually like to work with
Flat Paint
but for this project I think it gave
an earthiness, almost a stone like quality to it,
that I love.
The gold added a richness and sophistication
and the wax made the aging more honest and real
and protects the finish
without shine or chalkiness
(although I did use a matte spray varnish before
waxing because this table expects to get
a lot of use).

You will notice a lapse in time from my last post.
That would be because I have been in Texas for the last 6 weeks
playing Granny B to the most amazing grandchildren.
YES! Grand-children!
My daughter Sarah
just had our second grandboy
and he is beautiful and wonderful...
but that's another story.
While I was there getting ready for the
birth and birthday and birth Day
of these fine lads,
I of course had to get my
weekly dose of
Michael's.
While pondering over which colors from
DecoArt
www.decoart.com.

I was going to buy for my next
art adventure
(yes, another story)
a fun, beautiful woman named
Robin Gregory
asked me
if I knew anything about paints
since I had an arm full of them.
I answered...well, as a matter of fact...
One question turned into two, three, four
and pretty soon we were
discussing, lamps, patio furniture, candles
and shoes!
THIS was my kind of gal!!!
Through our discussion she found out
that I was an artist and she was
an Interior Designer!!!
Okay, Now I know what you are thinking,
because, yes,
everyone and their brother thinks
they are Interior Designers now
because they've watched a couple of
TV shows and decorated
their own livingrooms.

Since my daughter Sarah
actually has her Masters from
Drexel University
in Interior Design,
a few questions made it clear
that this gal knew what
she was doing and her home
is over the top,
breathtakingly gorgeous.

By the time we ended our conversation,
(which was interrupted by a million
phone calls from both of us)
we had exchanged info
with promises to keep in touch.
She called that next day to ask
me to faux finish this table
in time for the big soiree she
was throwing the next week.
She also took me to all of her
favorite designer haunts and introduced
me around like I was a celebrity!
What a wonderful time we had!

Now, my husband can not for the life of him,
can not understand how I can run in to pick up
a $2 paint bottle and come out an hour later
with a new friend and painting project.
I am hoping to get pictures of
Robin Gregory's
AMAZING HOME
for you all to enjoy very soon.

You'll notice the lack of pictures here.
I squeezed this table project in
the week I drove home to pick up
my husband to turn around and
drive BACK to TX that week!

The point is-
If you love what you do
and it shows
you will be a magnet
to like minded passionate people.

Enjoy!