Welcome

Double exposure self-portrait

Thanks for visiting my blog! You can see my photos and original designs at my WEBSITE .  My handmade artwork is available through my ARTFIRE SHOP or my ETSY GALLERY. You can also see a large variety of products with my designs on them (sneakers, ties…) at my ZAZZLE GALLERY.  See my ebook on Inkjet Printing on Lutradur at my WEBSITE, or at my ARTFIRE SHOP, or on LULU.  

Interested in learning to print on fabric or lutradur, or how to sell your artwork online?  I’ve written three books, which you can get in Kindle format or the printed version, or order right here as PDF downloads. Just click “add to cart” for whichever book(s) you’d like to purchase.

Sell Your Artwork & Crafts Online, only $7.99  

Inkjet Printing on Fabric, only $10.00  

Inkjet Printing on Lutradur, only $10.00 

I also have several classes up on CraftArtEdu.com including Inkjet Printing on Fabric, Inkjet Printing on Lutradur, and Handmade Pet Collars.

Follow my Facebook fan page. Email me at heidirand@gmail.com for more information.

 

World Turtle Day 2013

Happy World Turtle Day! Started in 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue, World Turtle Day was created as an “annual observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world.”

This is the legendary Woody, who once ran away from home and was returned to a very distraught George by a young man who found him a street over behind our house.

Susan Tellem, one of the founders of American Tortoise Rescue, has some great recommendations for things that both adults and children can do to “help to save turtles and tortoises for the next generation:

• Never buy a turtle or tortoise from a pet shop as it increases demand from the wild.
• Never remove turtles or tortoises from the wild unless they are sick or injured.
• If a tortoise is crossing a busy street, pick it up and send it in the same direction it was going – if you try to make it go back, it will turn right around again.
• Write letters to legislators asking them to keep sensitive habitat preserved or closed to off road vehicles, and to prevent off shore drilling that can lead to more endangered sea turtle deaths.
• Report cruelty or illegal sales of turtles and tortoises to your local animal control shelter.
• Report the sale of any turtle or tortoise of any kind less than four inches.  This is illegal throughout the U.S.”

Click here to find more valuable information on the American Tortoise Rescue website.

New Art Classes at The Village Shops and Galleries

May through July Workshops & Classes

Spring and summer – a great time for creativity, learning and inspiration. We’ve gathered a fantastic lineup of expert instructors for a wide variety of classes held at The Village Shops and Galleries’ new classroom. We’re at 10330 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito (between Eureka and Stockton, free on-street parking).

Pre-registration is required for all classes. Contact the instructor to pre-register. Class sizes are limited. A class may be cancelled if the minimum amount of students is not met. Visit The Village Shops and Galleries’ website for complete class descriptions, instructor biographies, and policies.  Click here to see all upcoming events, including classes.

INTRO TO CREATIVE SEWING with Tani Martinat

Beginning sewers welcome! Fun, fast introduction to the mechanics of using a regular sewing machine. Please bring your own machine with owner’s manual and accessories. If you don’t have a machine, the instructor can bring one. Sat 5/18 from noon to 4:00 pm.  Fee: $50. Email: tani@TaniMartinat.com

UPCYCLED PLASTIC BAG TOTES with Karen Morita

Don’t throw your plastic bags into landfill! Learn how to transform grocery plastic bags into a reusable strong tote bag. Learn to cut the bags, connect them to one another, and use basic crochet stitches to create tote bags & small change purses. Sun 5/19 or Thurs 5/23 or Thurs 6/6 or Sun 6/9:  from 1 pm to 4 pm.  Fee: $50.  Call Karen at (510) 525-8614

INTRO TO LEFT-HANDED CALLIGRAPHY with Douglas F. Jones

Learn four different techniques for writing the classic italic script. Series of 4 classes, take any or all.  (1) Right-handed: use right -hand stroke sequence: Sat 5/25 from noon to 2 pm; (2) Sideway method: write with a more natural flow by turning the page to 90 degrees, allows for beautiful flourishes: Weds 6/5 from 4:00 to 6 pm; (3) The typical “hook”, using left-hand stroke sequence, with letters written from left to right & backwards: Weds 6/19 from 4:00 to 6 pm; (4) The upside-down technique: requires letters to be formed upside-down, allowing the creation of graceful flourishes: Sat 6/22 from noon to 2:00 pm.   Fee: $20 or $90 for all four. Email: dfjones23@att.net

Doug Jones Left handed Calligraphy

PHOTO ART : ALTERED IMAGERY WORKSHOP with Heidi Rand

Learn to transform your photographs into works of art with different software programs , techniques, and methods. Enhance your original photos to achieve unique and artistic effects. Sun 5/26 from noon to 3:30 pm.  Fee: $50 Email: HeidiRand@gmail.com

Blending modes

THE ART OF THE CLOTH DOLL with Deborah Tanaka

Learn to cut, sew and assemble selected doll bodies and embellish them with flair creating a one-of-a-kind 3-dimensional soft figure for exhibit or play. Using fabrics, trim, buttons, flowers, thread, wool and felt, you will express yourself through the 3-D soft figure. Students 12 years and older.  Sun 6/2 or 6/16 or 6/23 or 6/30: from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm.Fee: $60 + $25 materials fee. $25 due upon registration; registration required 2 weeks in advance of workshop Email: deborahtanaka@ymail.com

Deb Tanaka doll workshop

EXPRESSIVE WATERCOLOR PAINTING with Yuvak Tuladhar

Series of four classes. Yuvak will show you how to paint watercolor with the combination of free flowing transparent and more controlled opaque watercolor methods. Beyond teaching the techniques, he will inspire you to learn more and excel. Students 13 years or older. Fri 6/7 & 6/14 & 6/21 & 62/8: from noon to 4 pm. Fee: $140 for four classes.  Email: yuvakt@gmail.com

Yuvak Tuladhar Two Girls

HANDMADE JEWELRY WITH YOUR INKJET PRINTER with Heidi Rand

Learn to make personalized jewelry with your own images, designs, or artwork. We will explore techniques to create unique earrings, necklaces, bracelets and pins from paper, fabric, and lutradur that you print on your inkjet printer. Sat 6/8 from noon to 3:30 pm.  Fee: $40 plus materials. Email: HeidiRand@gmail.com

Fabric cuff bracelet

PAINTING WITH KIDS with Grace Taormina

Paint a flower or butterfly on a 12″x12″ canvas using acrylic paints. Lean how to use different types of paint brushes and try a variety of paint techniques. Bring an apron or old t-shirt to protect your clothing. All materials provided. Ages 7 to 17. Wed 6/12 or Thurs 6/13 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Fee: $35.  Email: Grace.Taormina@gmail.com

POLYMER CLAY PENDANTS with Grace Taormina

Create beautifully detailed pendants using art stamps and polymer clay. We will experiment with a variety of materials such as mica powders and paints to enhance the detailing of your pendants. Use these pendants to make jewelry or to enhance other mixed media projects. All materials provided. Wed 6/12 from 3:30 to 5:30 pm. Fee: $50. Email: Grace.Taormina@gmail.com

ALTERED ART BOOKS with Grace Taormina

Alter an old board book with an array of mixed media techniques to create a one of a kind art book. Learn how to age, crackle, colorize, texturize, stamp and stencil papers. All materials provided. Thurs 6/13 from 3:30 to 5:30 pm. Fee: $40.  Email: Grace.Taormina@gmail.com

SELL YOUR ART ON ZAZZLE.COM with Heidi Rand

Learn to sell your artwork and designs on Ipod cases, jewelry, skateboards, home decor, postage stamps, and hundreds of other products! In this hands-on workshop, Heidi will guide you through the steps to open your own store on Zazzle, upload a set of your images, and create at least five different products. Expert tips to design your products, write descriptions, maximize your profits, and use free social media tools to market your store. Sat 6/29 from noon to 3:00 pm. Fee: $45. Email: HeidiRand@gmail.com

Zazzle, honeybee design necktie

EXPLORING LUTRADUR with Heidi Rand

Learn to create unique art with this exciting new product that combines the best qualities of fabric and paper. Lutradur looks, feels and folds like translucent paper and doesn’t tear or fray. It’s the perfect medium for a wide variety of mixed media art, crafting, and sewing. Sun 7/7 from noon to 3:00 pm.  Fee: $40 plus materials.  Email: HeidiRand@gmail.com

Interested in teaching? We’re always adding new instructors, just email me at HeidiRand@gmail.com

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Photo Art : Altered Imagery Workshop

Learn a wide variety of techniques and programs to transform your photographs into unique art that you’re proud of, that you can print and frame — for yourself, for gifts, or to sell.

Blue girl rose kaleidoscope

If you’re ready to take the next steps with your photos, to stretch your creativity and artistic imagination, I’ve got just the workshop for you. We’ll explore how to enhance your original photos to achieve unique and artistic effects using Adobe Photoshop Elements. Elements is a very powerful, but affordable, image processing program.  The techniques that I teach can also be accomplished with other programs, and we’ll discuss them as well, including GIMP, a free image processing program.

Blending modes

Space is limited, and we’ll work on your images at the workshop, so pre-registration is required. For more information or to pre-register, email me at heidirand@gmail.com. If you can’t make the workshop, email me for other options, including private classes, books, and ebooks.  And here’s a list of my other art and craft workshops.

Sunday May 26th from noon to 3:30 pm at The Village Shops and Galleries, 10330 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito (between Eureka and Stockton, free on-street parking). The cost is $50.

Barn owl pocket watch collage

 

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Baby Bird Season

It’s springtime and our garden is bursting with new life. Butterflies laying eggs, plants and flowers blooming, and today’s most exciting: a towhee mama bird sitting on her eggs in a nest! But wait, you have to hear the whole story. George was gardening when the bird flew out of a small fir tree that we have by the pond – we keep it in a pot and use it as our Christmas tree. He kiddingly said to her, “What, you have a nest in there?” After peeking in he saw that indeed she did! She’s so well hidden, this is what you see at a glance:

Mother towhee hidden in fir tree

I didn’t want to disturb her, so I used a long lens to get a photo of her on the nest. She blends in so well with the tree, but the eye she’s keeping on me sparkles.

Towhee mama bird on nest

Her nest is made of loosely woven pine needles. I waited until she flew off for a moment, took a quick photo of her four beautiful blue speckled eggs, then backed off so she wouldn’t be upset.

Towhee eggs in nest

Oh, it’s a great time for a quick reminder. Please don’t prune your trees and shrubs during nesting season, which is all spring and summer. George’s rule of thumb in the Bay Area: don’t prune from President’s Day to Labor Day. Since nests are so well hidden (exhibit A being the photo above), don’t rely on being able to spot the nests before pruning. Also, George points out that hummingbirds build nests all year round here, so please be very careful even during the fall and winter.

Celebration of Old Roses, Sunday May 19, 2013

It’s Rose-O-Rama season in our garden! Our Blue Girl, Graham Thomas, Butterscotch, Sally Holmes, Ispahan, Electron, Heirloom, Double Delight … and many more … are blooming like gangbusters, so I’m extra excited this year about the 33rd Annual Celebration of Old Roses, the very best event in El Cerrito.

Butterscotch Rose bud

Always held the Sunday after Mother’s Day, this year it’s on May 19th, from 11:00 to 3:30. Sponsored by the Heritage Roses Group, it’s at the El Cerrito Community Center, which is just a few blocks east of the main drag in El Cerrito (San Pablo Avenue), at 7007 Moeser Lane (cross street Ashbury Ave).  The event and parking are free, and it’s wheelchair-accessible.

Graham Thomas rose

The heart of the Celebration is the 100-foot display of roses. Everyone from expert rose cultivators to people who just have one rose bush in their yard bring cut roses to share and show off. The roses are arranged by type, so just by cruising the collection you’ll get an education in rose-ology! Have a rose that you can’t identify? Bring a bloom and get an expert’s opinion.

Heirloom Rose

In addition to the rose display, there’s a great collection of arts and crafts and rose-related products for you to enjoy -a wonderful chance to get gifts for the rose and nature-lovers in your life. I’ve had a table with my artwork and crafts at the Celebration for the past eight years, and I’ll be there with the things I make from my original photographs, rose and flower-related, including jewelry, scarves, decorated boxes, purses, cards, prints, and much more!

George always brings a vase full of the roses from our garden, and we’ll have his wonderful handmade soap and all-natural beeswax candles from our beehives. Go to smell the intoxicating roses, then stop by to say hello. If you have any questions about the show, please email me at HeidiRand@gmail.com

How are the roses blooming in your garden?

Lilacs Blooming

We haven’t had much luck getting lilacs to bloom in our garden. So when George told me that the lilac he planted about three years ago was finally blooming, I raced outside with my camera. I was a little sad to see that the flowers weren’t open yet.

We impatiently awaited further unfurling of the flowers, and were finally rewarded with this wonderful sight.
We’re amazed to see that each individual flower is outlined in white. The scent, of course, is heavenly. I had trouble tearing myself away!
Any other lilac lovers out there? How are yours doing this year? Oh, and George doesn’t know what kind this is, so if you know, please leave a comment. Ah, thanks to my knowledgeable facebook friends Joan and Dennis, it appears that this lilac is appropriately named “Sensation.”

Inkjet Heat Transfer workshop

Explore a creative and fun way to put your photos, artwork, and designs onto a variety of surfaces using heat transfers and an inkjet printer. At this hands-on workshop we’ll  use several different products to transfer your images onto fabric, wood, tile, and more. You’ll complete at least one transfer at the workshop, and a handout is included so you’ll be all set to make original gifts and artwork on your own.

Hummingbird and Watch Collage Box: Transfer Artist Paper

The workshop will be held on Sunday April 28, from noon to 3 pm at The Village Shops and Galleries, 10330 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito (between Stockton and Eureka). Free parking and wheelchair accessible. $40 plus a materials fee.

Swallowtail butterfly tile

This is a versatile, clean, and inexpensive way to place your photos and images onto things that you can’t fit through your printer. I’ll show you tips and tricks to get great results from transfers, and introduce you to the best-quality products, including Transfer Artist Paper (TAP), which I used to make the collage box in the photograph at the top of this post.

Another heat transfer product I like is made by Lazertran, a company that makes the waterslide decals I use in many of my art pieces.  The top of this box is a Lazertran heat transfer.

Lisianthus Box: Lazaertran transfer

Want to learn more? Here are some of my blog posts about using heat transfers:

Photos on wooden boxes, part 1

Photos on metal, part 1

Photos on tiles, part 1

Photos on tiles, part 2

Pre-registration is required for the workshop because I’m limiting the size, so please email me at heidirand@gmail.com.  For the complete list of my workshops and other events, go to the workshop page on my website.

If you’re not in the Bay Area, you can learn the techniques at my online workshop at CraftArtEdu, Decorating Wood With Image Transfers.