Halloween Party

Jason and I hosted our 2nd annual Halloween party this weekend. I really had a blast decorating this year. I wanted to spend as little money as possible, so I limited my purchases to streamers, balloons and scrapbook paper. It was fun to deck out my dungeon-y basement with over 100 balloons and hand made pennant banners. I also covered old tin cans in Halloween themed paper, and made cute little food labels that I had my guests write on with the name of the dish they brought. My guests really got into the spirit of the decor and used their fanciest handwriting!

RAWards Semi-Finalist!

Yesterday evening the RAW:Omaha semi-finalists were announced, and I am excited to be able to say that I am one of the three semi-finalists for Accessories Designer of the Year! The semi-finals will be held at Sokol Auditorium on Thursday November 21st. I'll be bringing all of my accessories including some brand new statement pieces that I'm currently working on.

To check out the rest of the artists that will be showing, and purchase tickets for this awesome event go here: http://www.rawartists.org/omaha/rawards2013.

In other slightly related news, there are six new wooden badges available at Watercolor Submarine. These badges are hand cut and painted, each is a unique little piece of wearable art, and they make great stocking stuffers (for those of you who are already doing your holiday shopping).

Woodland Circles Update

I couldn't resist taking a picture of some of the new log slice paintings I've been working on recently. I wanted them all to be a surprise for my upcoming holiday craft shows, but I'm just too darn excited about how they're all turning out! Don't worry - there will still be a reason to visit my booth at the holiday shows this winter, this isn't all of my new creations, so some surprises are still in store for this craft show season!

New Brooches

It looks like there are some new wooden brooch designs in the works. Be on the lookout for the watercolor submarine; it may end up in your stocking this holiday season...

RAWards Update - Thank You's - and Lots of Little Critters Hatching

Thanks to all of those who voted for me this past week I've made it to the next round of the 2013 RAWards! I am now grouped with five other Omaha accessories designers who also got plenty of votes. The next step is to wait while the Omaha judges decide which three designers will be showing their stuff at the semi-finals show on November 21st. I'll know if I'm in on October 18th, and I'll be sure to share the news right here on my blog. If you'd like to see all of the fine artists that made it to the top five of their craft visit the RAW Omaha website here: http://www.rawartists.org/omaha

I'm feeling pretty pumped about all of my Watercolor Submarine accessories right now, and I'm in the process of prepping for the holiday season, so... I spent a good chunk of my day working on a brand new batch of river critters badges! So far they've been drawn, cut, and painted with their first coat.

RAWards Voting and River Critters Badges

Don't forget to vote for my hand painted jewelry in the 2013 RAWards competition. Remember, you can vote once per day through October 9th. Thanks for your support!

The newest addition to Watercolor Submarine is the River Critters line. I wanted to pay homage to my home state, so these animals can all be found in and around Nebraska rivers. Each critter is hand cut and painted onto scrap wood (sustainable!) and has it's own story to tell. My particular favorite is Petey the Pallid Sturgeon. Pallid sturgeons are very dinosaur-esque fish. If you get the chance to see one in an aquarium (or in real like if you're extra super lucky) you'll have a hard time taking your eyes off of him!

Download and print Petey's story and coloring page by clicking this image!

RAWards Voting Day 3 - How I Make My Handpainted Seashell Jewelry

The accessories I design and create through Watercolor Submarine are a labor of love. Each necklace takes me anywhere from 1-4 hours to create. Today, I thought I'd share the process I go through to create my hand painted seashell necklaces.

I begin by selecting, thoroughly cleaning, and drilling a hole into each seashell. I don't always select 'perfect' shells, because I believe the imperfections that naturally occur in each shell add to their beauty and uniqueness.

I then layer on the color. Using bright watercolor pigments and ample amounts of water, I dab on colors. This is my favorite part of the process, because I get to let the water do its own work, and the results are often more beautiful and surprising than I ever could have imagined!

After the color dries, I use a tiny brush and black acrylic paint to outline a sea creature onto the shell. This is all done freehand, so no two paintings are ever exactly alike. Next, colorful bubbles are painted on the shell with acrylic paints to add accent.

At this point, the painting is finished, so I seal the shell to protect against water and UV light. I then use the hole I previously drilled into the shell and a length of wire to turn the painted shell into a pendant.

A chain is then added to complete the necklace. I use several different types of chain, but may favorite is stainless steel for its durability.

Finally, a small tag is attached to the necklace that describes the character featured on the complete one-of-a-kind jewelry piece.

Thanks for visiting and don't forget to vote for me for RAW:Omaha's Accessories Designer of the Year! Vote on my RAW Profile at RAWArtists.org/KristiSchmit

RAWards Voting Day 2

It's day two of seven for RAWards voting. Please help me win a chance to showcase my original jewelry in the semi-finals by voting HERE.Your support means a lot to me! I know the site was slow yesterday, but it seems to be running much more smoothly today. The deadline for voting has been extended one day due to the issues they were having with the website yesterday, so you can now vote once per day through October 9th!

All of my hand painted seashell jewelry features an original character that is part of my Aquatic Avenue Crew, a group of eccentric ocean dwellers and undersea neighbors. Each one-of-a-kind necklace or trinket tray comes with a description of the character it displays. You can read more about my characters by checking out the free downloadable coloring pages on this blog, click HERE. Below is an example of one of my favorite characters.

Thanks for your support!

RAW Voting Starts Today

In May I participated in a RAW: Natural Born Artists showcase in Omaha. I had a blast showing off all of my hand painted jewelry, and checking out the other artists' work. Each year RAW honors the top artist in their category (mine being accessories) in an event called RAWards. The first step in promoting my jewelry is to get as many votes from my supporters as possible. So, for the next 7 days I'll be posting all about the artful accessories I put my heart and soul into creating through Watercolor Submarine, and asking for your help to advance to the next round of RAWards!

Click HERE, take a small moment to register your email address and vote for me from my RAW profile. If you're feeling extra generous come back and do the same tomorrow. You can vote once per day through October 8th!

Here is an example of what you're voting for. All of my jewelry features some type of water-dwelling critter: