Feel the Love

I've been basking in the glow of new love while making all these "just married" Christmas ornaments this week.

So sweet for a couple's first Christmas tree.

Sign-a-pa-loo-za!

All of the rectangular door/wall hangers currently available in my shop are only $20 through the end of December! These signs each feature original acrylic paintings and look beautiful on your front door, hanging in a nursery, bathroom, or any other room of your home. Each sign takes me around 3-4 hours to sand, drill, draw and paint, and I typically charge $30 per sign. However, you can snag one for $10 off during this Christmas sale!

My shop: www.tangentsbyshs.etsy.com

Thank you!

Thanks to everyone who came out and supported local business at the Modern Makers Holiday Bazaar! It was one of my most favorite shows ever!

Koala Krazy

I now have a koala painting available on etsy - woohoo! Aren't koalas just the cutest? I always want to just pick them up and give them a big hug! But... then I think about those claws and choose to admire them from afar.

Anyways, the claws in this painting won't hurt you, even if you do decide to give it a hug!

The moon in the trees

Today I finished my favorite log slice painting to date! It is definitely a one of a kind piece. The log slice itself has two separate paintings one on the 'front' and one on the 'back' in a spot where we removed a little branch. I love the effect of the moon sitting behind the tree branches, and, of course, I enjoyed painting all the adorable woodland critters!

I'm bringing this one to the Handmade Omaha show this weekend - stop by to see it in person, or to purchase! If it doesn't sell this weekend it will be available in my Etsy shop.

Collecting Supplies in the Cold

My husband, Jason, helps me collect and prepare all of the wood sliced that I use in my artwork. Here he is yesterday, cutting apart one of the dead cedar trees from the grove (all of my wood slices are salvaged from trees that have already passed away from natural causes). It was pretty chilly work, but I even sacrificed a freezing hand when I took off my gloves to snap this quick picture!

Peek-a-boo Paintings

I'm working on some extra special log slice paintings with adorable peek-a-boo extras included. Here's a little look at the 'peek-a-boos' :

Penguins are Available

My brand new needle felted penguin ornaments are now available in my Etsy shop! Woohoo!

Custom Christmas

The past few days I've been working on some custom Christmas ornaments. Special orders are my absolute favorite jobs. I love hearing other people's ideas and using my creativity to make them something totally unique!

Wednesday Painting Excitement

Today, I'm working on a couple of unique and definitely one of a kind wood slice paintings that I'm especially excited about. Here is a little sneak preview of one of them. They will be available for your first chance to buy at the Handmade Omaha Holiday Show. Check out my "Upcoming Events" page for more information.

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who came out to see me at the Handmade Indie Designs show last Saturday. It was a fun day of early Christmas shopping!

Snowflakes, Evergreens, and Ornaments - Oh My!

It's November: the month in which our attention completely glosses over Thanksgiving and we focus on Christmas preparations. Okay, so we still spend a little time on turkey and pumpkin pie, but it does seem like Christmas comes earlier every year!

I'm busy creating wood slice ornaments. My particular favorites are the snowflake ornaments. Check 'em out in my Etsy Shop, and order yours before holiday prep time runs out!

PS. Just to clarify: I personally LOVE Thanksgiving: the food, the family, the FUN. And just as an FYI - I never shop on Thanksgiving day, because I want everyone to be able to have the day off to feel thankful and just plain full.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Tangents! Make sure to eat an excessive amount of candy!

Penguin Brigade

I've been working on some new needle felted ornaments that I will have available at craft shows and soon in my Etsy shop. I love how cute and soft these itsy-bitsy penguins are.

GIANT ghost

Last weekend I got to enjoy dropping off this 3 foot tall ghost to its new home. Compared to the things I normally make, this 3 footer is a giant! I am always thrilled to do custom orders like these that get me a little bit out of my comfort zone - it's a good way to get those creative juices flowing!

 

This close up I took even has an actual ghostly orb in it. I guess I made my giant extra realistic, and he attracted the real thing!

 

Stumped

My parents recently did some fresh new landscaping around their home. Ever since I can remember, they've had green shrubs surrounding the front of the house, and they tore those out. I don't feel nostalgic about the loss of the bushes, though. They were always covered in very scary spiders. I'm sure the eight-legged nightmares aren't happy about being evicted!

During the tear-out process we realized that the stumps left over from the bushes were pretty neat. I seized that stumpy potential and brought home three of the remnants. They're currently drying out in the greenhouse. It's going to take all the patience I can muster, but I'm envisioning some pretty epic works of art coming from these after they finally dry!

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Typically, in the winter months, our greenhouse is shut down completely. In the past it's been used as storage or an extra place to finish woodwork. This year, we're testing out a new, greener, approach. Last weekend, Jason and Tim helped me set up a few 'dirt boxes' which I planted with (mostly) cold-weather vegetables. I did sneak in a few peppers and tomatoes as well, just as an experiment. I'm hoping that by Christmas I might even have a few fresh veggies. What a present that would be!

The set-up looks a little sloppy, but I think it'll do the trick! You can even see that I've already got zucchini, yellow squash, lettuce, and peas sprouting! Hooray!

Halloween Decorating

October is really flying by! I finally got my Halloween decorations out in my house. I especially love that little white ceramic ghost - I just want to give him a hug!

'Cause I'm HAPPY

I've been piling up an abundance of scrap wood rectangles from making crosses, and I just couldn't decide what to do with them. I only knew that I wanted them to be happy. So I decided to take my idea quite literally, and I made these happy little signs:

Each sign is an original hand painted work of art and is approximately 5 inches by 2 inches. They make a wonderful and upbeat gift for a friend or coworker, and look extra cheerful sitting on a bookshelf or the corner of your desk!

Order yours today for just $7.50 in my etsy shop: TangentsbySHS.Etsy.com

Wild Inspiration

I visited the zoo on Sunday and collected all kinds of color and pattern inspiration. The aquarium is a particularly inspirational place!

Good Bye Garden

Well, the weather people are predicting patchy frost for this evening. My house sits in a low spot, so "patchy" typically means "at Kristi's house". I'm always telling Jason that I think our house and lawn are in a special climate zone separate from everyone else in town. Our flowers bloom last, our tomatoes freeze first, and our grass takes exceptionally long to get green. I've learned to outsmart the weather, though, and I made sure to pick ALL of my available produce this afternoon, so none of it will have mushy frozen spots in the morning. My flowers, on the other hand, cannot be saved, and so I decided to post this commemorative photo of them in all their glory.

Just in case this possible "patchy frost" becomes a reality, I wanted to be able to say 'Good Bye' flowers!

It's always sad to see the flowers go at the end of the summer, but I know it makes the first bloom in spring all that much more awesome!

Art! Upstairs

These past couple of months I've spent an abundance of my time creating hand painted wooden signs. Each morning, I climb the stairs to my studio with dreams of creating a spooky house sign for Halloween, a Thanksgiving sign with cheerful pastel squash, or a cute little whale sign for everyday (because whales are awesome...)

And each morning I pass this sad paper and tape sign pointing towards my studio:

Finally, I decided the embarrassment of this paper sign was too much to bear, and so I decided to create a new and improved sign for my studio:

After hanging this beauty up, the old sign immediately went into the recycle bin, and I no longer have to feel sad and forlorn each morning as I walk up the steps to my creative space. What a relief!

The Painting Process

It's rainy and a pretty darn chilly outside today. It's so chilly, that I've already had two cups of tea. I needed to cheer myself up, so I turned on all the lights in my studio, and I'm just doing a little painting today. Here's a picture to prove it!

A New Friend

While weed eating yesterday, Corinne discovered that we had a new outdoor pet at the shop. This little (BIG!) guy was still hanging out in the same spot this morning. It must be a hot spot for long-legged, large-winged, exoskeleton-sporting critters.

He was a very willing subject, staying almost completely still while I snapped dozens of photos this morning. It may have something to do with the cool temperatures causing his fragile insect body to seize up in these early morning hours. I'm sure he'll be on the move again after the sun gets his buggy little system going.

This was my favorite photo of the bunch. Someday, when his praying mantis band really takes off, he'll use this as an artsy album cover. He'll have all instrumental tracks with ridiculous titles like, "Six Legs into the Sunset on a Sunday Afternoon." And I'm certain that his album title will be "Pouring Our Hearts Out on a Porous Concrete Wall."



Images Copyright 2014 Kristi Schmit

Important Announcement - Shops Merging!

For the last two years, I have been managing two Etsy shops, two artistic businesses, and too much confusion. I've been struggling to fully embrace either shop name: Tangents or Watercolor Submarine, because I hate to let one of them go. I love the way 'Tangents' lets me feel like an artist and a math whiz with its dual meaning, but I also love the bright and wonderful imagery that 'Watercolor Submarine' conjures up in my mind. Juggling the two shops has finally pushed me to my limit, though, and I've made the decision to use 'Tangents' as my sole shop name (for now, I still have a soft spot for Watercolor Submarine...) You can now access this blog by typing TangentsArt.com into your search bar - woohoo!

Over the next couple of weeks I plan to merge all of my hand painted, original home decor inventory into one Etsy shop: TangentsbySHS.Etsy.com You will still be able to find splashy little whales, furry little foxes, and all things aquatic and woodland, they will just be in one convenient location!

I have also made the decision to discontinue my hand painted seashell jewelry line. The necklaces that are currently available at WatercolorSubmarine.Etsy.com will be the only necklaces offered for awhile. I'm not ruling out the possibility of a future seashell jewelry line, but, for now, my artistic muse is taking me in a different direction. I've really enjoyed the thrill of finding the perfect shell and painting a tiny scene on it, and I still have many lovely pieces available for the time being. Check 'em out before they're all gone: WatercolorSubmaine.Etsy.com

Fall Weather

The past couple of days We've been experiencing a chilly fall breeze in Randolph. The kind that sneaks up on you at the end of August and makes you think, "What happened to summer?" I'm already feeling a little nostalgic for swimsuits and flip flops, but I'm also looking forward to my favorite decorating holiday, Halloween!

I know it's still a little early for this sort of thing, but wearing my fall sweater the last couple of days really got me in the mood for creating some new Halloween decorations. I'm not at all into the gory, horrifying types of decor (I can only assume that they are used solely for shock value), but I absolutely adore the cute, little, spooky type of Halloween decoration! I've been dreaming about making a haunted house door hanger since the end of last fall, and so I've finally created this personalized piece for my own front door.

I'm particularly excited about the 'glowing' appearance of the windows in the spooky mansion. I'll hang my sign sometime around mid-September. It's so hard to wait, but I don't want to be the only silly soul on the block with Halloween decorations up before the end of summer!

If you'd like a spooky mansion sign for your front door as well, I am currently taking orders. Each sign is hand painted by me, and is $35.00 with personalization. You can order one from my Etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/201175760/personalized-halloween-door-sign-spooky?ref=pr_shop. If you live in the Randolph or Omaha area or Nebraska, contact me through email: Kristi.r.schmit@gmail.com, and I may be able to work out a delivery option that will save you money on shipping!

Fall Cedar Slice Collection

My fall cedar slice collection is here! I've created three brand new original painting designs to celebrate the upcoming autumn season.

1. Black and Gold Faux Bois 'Spooky' Tree: I love the exaggerated wood grain look that a faux bois design offers, and adding gold metallic paint makes this tree very 'pretty' for something called 'spooky'

2. Metallic Pumpkins: thinking of fall always conjures up images of pumpkins and seasonal squash, I wanted to include a large white pumpkin as the focal point of this piece, because I'm really pushing this 'white after labor day' motif

3. Fall Foliage: my personal favorite new design features a sprig of dusty miller, an acorn, and a branch laden with fall berries. It's the perfect fall floral arrangement eternally preserved in a painting.

Each wall hanging features an original hand painted design on a cedar log slice (harvested from naturally fallen logs, so it's environmentally friendly). The natural colors of the wood and the rich cedar smell it gives off add a rustic and woodsy touch to these pieces. A sawtooth hanger is attached to each log slice for easy display.

You can snag these three as a set for $40 or individually for $15 a piece in my Etsy Shop: tangentsbyshs.etsy.com


All images and designs are copyright 2014 Kristi Schmit.

Hanging Office Organizers

Some of the latest wall hangings available in my Etsy shop are these functional office organizers. Each wall hanging features a happy little painting and several colorful clothespins for hanging photos, shopping lists, receipts or any other item that you'd like to have easily accessible. I currently have three different styles available: woodland toadstools, geometric mountains, and citrus fruit. The citrus fruit organizer would look particularly adorable hanging in your kitchen!

Special Order for a Mom

Last week, I made a special order log slice painting for the mom of my favorite nephews, my sister-in-law, Melissa. Corinne (my mother-in-law), received a magnet from Jason with the same phrase when he was little. She fell in love with the saying and wanted to share it with her daughter for her birthday. Of course, Melissa's youngest son, Trey, took all the credit for picking out the gift (1-year-olds are good at that kind of thing, am I right?)

An Accidental Butterfly Garden

I spent about 15 minutes this afternoon making good use of my zoom lens at the shop. I hesitate to even make this post, because it so obviously shows that my weeding duties have been neglected lately. But, on the bright side of things, letting the weeds run a bit wild this year in our tree line has attracted hoards of little butterflies. So, if anyone asks, I'll just say that I was intentionally creating habitat for natural wildlife. Yeah, that sounds legitimate.

Side note: it never seems like butterflies are moving very quickly until you attempt to photograph them. After snapping over 100 pictures, these are my best shots. After this little project, I have renewed appreciation for the patience that wildlife photographers must have.

Abstract Ocean Log Slice

I've already painted the mountains and the trees. I had fun reducing them to simple shapes and jumping on this 'minimalism' trend (which, by the way, this is one fad that I'm really enjoying - love those clean lines and geometric shapes!) I wanted to add one of my favorite landscapes to the collection, the ocean. However, for the last several months, I've been annoyed by the fact that I just couldn't make it simple. Today, though, I'm ready to unveil my (mostly) minimalist and (kind of) geometric ocean design.

Currently this design is available in my Etsy shop on cedar slices (CLICK HERE to see it!)

I love using cedar. It has such a rich and wonderful natural scent, and its colors can't be beat!

Let's Eat! The story of an unexpected buyer.

I wanted to share this kitchen sign with you all today, because I'm just bursting at the seams to tell the story of my first sale of this particular model.

Firstly, here is a picture of the exact sign in question:

When I first designed this wall hanger, I expected to sell it to some young, hip, kitchen-loving cook. And it's first buyer was young, and hip, but I'm not sure that his mom lets him cook on his own yet.

Our 5 year old nephew, Tristan, visited my art studio and looked through a bunch of my latest creations. He picked out some signs that I knew someone of his age would like - you know, signs with awesome animals. He decided on the following sign as a present for his birthday:

I wasn't too surprise, because it includes lots of cute whales in some of his favorite colors.

A couple of days later, Tristan finds 62 cents on top of the washing machine. He's a rich man now, and that money is burning a hole in his pocket. So, he convinces Grandma to bring him back to the studio to 'shop'. Apparently, he remembered the fork, knife, and spoon sign from his previous visit, and he has to have it! Of course he has enough cash (he has a way of making 62 cents turn into 20+ dollars when Grandma is around), and so he is now the proud owner of my first ever "Let's Eat!" sign.

The moral of the story is: you can aim at a particular customer base all you want, but you're never quite sure who will buy your latest creation.

I'm so happy to have family and friends who appreciate and support my work, and this particular little fan is one of my favorites!

My First Crochet Project

I never feel like I have enough craft projects in my life, so this March I decided to learn how to crochet. I've tried crocheting in the past using books, Google searches, and advice from friends and family members, but I just couldn't get the hang of it. I think that I was probably just in too much of a hurry to really learn what I was doing.

This spring, though, I found this awesome blog (through Pinterest, of course) with a free online crochet class. It includes video tutorials for different stitches, color changes, and a 'how to read patterns' lesson that I desperately needed. If you're looking to learn how to crochet, you must check out the crafty minx blog, and try out "crochet school". Here is a link to a list of the lessons: http://www.craftyminx.com/crochet-school/ The lady who put these videos together put a lot of time and effort into creating this, and I really enjoyed going through all of the lessons.

When I finished crochet school, I decided to use my new found knowledge to make a twin-size afghan for Jason. Let me just say, holey smokes. A blanket is not the best choice for your first crochet project. Nearly four months later, I've finally completed this iceberg colored afghan, and I'm very happy with it! Unfortunately, I'm also pretty burnt out on the colors blue and gray.

Ahoy!

Ahoy all! I just wanted to use up a blog post to show you all some more of my latest door/wall hangers. Each sign is an original painting on a piece of salvaged plywood. I've really been enjoying painting all of these ocean critters, especially the baby whales. Seriously, what's cuter than a baby ocean critter?

Coastal Jewelry

I've been listing lots of new seashell necklaces in my etsy shop. Most of them are made from small shells 1 inch or less at their widest. All of the shells were hand picked in Florida and brought back for me by my cousin, Barbie (how nice of her!) I'm particularly fond of this red and yellow sea urchin necklace.

Summer Arts Bazaar Recap

Thanks to all of you that stopped by Handmade Omaha's Summer Arts Bazaar this past weekend. I had a blast meeting everyone who visited my booth! Now it's back to the drawing board for me. It's only July, but I've already got some fall projects in the works!

Rainbow Mountain Majesty

One of the biggest problems with artsy and crafty people is our tendency to be collectors of "junk" ( I mean, if you consider collections to be a problem). We're creative and hopeful, so it's only natural that we see potential in lots of everyday items. Personally, one of my largest "junk" collections is wood scraps. Scraps of all shapes, sizes, and wood varieties that I use to create many of the items I share on this blog and sell in my etsy shops. Recently my pile of small scraps has been overflowing. I wanted to share my wood scrap bounty with the world, so I created some colorful wooden magnets.

I'm especially fond of these geometric mountain ranges.

I also created some abstract rectangular magnets. It's pretty obvious that I'm into heavily saturated colors right now.

All of these hand cut and painted recycled wood magnets will be available in my online Tangents shop. I'm also bringing a few sets of them will me to the Summer Arts Bazaar this weekend.

Nautical Door Hangers

I've painted up some seaworthy door hangers that are sure to bring out the maritime adventurer in us all. Pirate ships, compasses, and anchors - oh my! I can't wait to debut these brand new decorations at the Summer Arts Bazaar this weekend!

Dive Helmets in Progress

I'm churning out a brand new batch of Dive Helmet pins. I feel very "20,000 leagues under the sea" when I'm wearing mine, and I wanted to give everyone at Handmade Omaha's Summer Arts Bazaar a chance to feel the same.

Tiny Turtle on a Log Slice

I've been painting a ridiculous amount lately, and it has been oh-so-fun. I'll be sure to post more pictures of some of my other creations later, but today I'm super excited about this tiny sea turtle.

I painted him on a log slice with an abstract background. I LOVE tiny things, and I like how cute he looks bubbling about. I'm planning on bringing him with me to the Modern Makers Summer Arts Bazaar this month, so, if you want, you can see him in person there!