Yours Truly on Crafty Chica's Inspiration Friday

Guess WHO was featured on Kathy "Crafty Chica" Cano-Murillo's blog today?? She even "outed" Krissi (about her unnatural relationship with glitter).

Diary of a Crafty Chica: INSPIRATION FRIDAY: Skelekitty!


I've noticed a new kitty on the crafting scene - and she literally is...a kitty! This friendly feline has her own web site, a blog and gobs of personality. I was recently able to grab hold of her and ask her a few questions before she sprang out of my hands to go back to her owner's art room. Can you say finicky? By the way, her owner is the talented Krissi Sandvik.

CraftyChica.com: Tell me how you came to be, Miss Skelekitty? Did you get shortchanged from your nine lives?

Skelekitty: Heck no, my nine lives are just beginning! I was introduced to the world in the summer of 2006 when Krissi donated the very first Skelekitty piece a local kitty rescue's annual fundraising auction. Krissi has always loved animals and became fascinated with the Day of the Dead celebration when she lived in San Francisco's Mission District. She thought the spirit of Dia de los Muertos (that is, celebrating the lives of loved ones) fit in perfectly with a kitty adoption organization. Pretty soon, people started asking to see me in more art, so Krissi created a whole line featuring me and my skelecritter pals called Skelekitty and Friends.


Q: And now you are a rockstar kitty - you have a line of stamps in your likeness! Tell me, how did you decide on the poses for the stamps? Did you get final say?

A: Well of COURSE I have final approval on all of my images - I'm a kitty who's definitely not shy about speaking her mind! The stamps were chosen by the nice lady who runs Stampa Fe art stamps in Santa Fe, New Mexico - she picked her four favorites to start off with. The response to the stamps has been so positive, you may be seeing some brand new Skelekitty stamps (and maybe some other skelecritters) soon.


Q: Tell me about your owner, I hear she is very crafty!

A: She sure is - she's always gluing something to something else and started Sacramento's coolest FREE craft night, Scary CRAFT's Night of the Creators. Even her MAIL is crafty! Here is a tutorial!

In addition to her paintings, she makes quilts, reconstructed clothing, shrines, jewelry. Krissi has always loved language and writing and has started to play with photography too! She especially enjoys a challenge where she has create outside of her comfort zone.

Q: How does having a pet helps a person's creativity?

A: Animals are wonderful muses because they are so loving and funny. One of the most popular pieces was inspired by a hungry kitty rubbing against her human's legs when they come home at night.

The antics of Krissi's kitties and dog are often the inspiration for paintings. Anyone who has ever lived with a cat or dog (or small children) will be able to relate to "The Two Sides of Skelekitty."
Q: Will you share your favorite pieces by your owner and how she made them - I'm sure you sat and watched every moment of their creation, right?

A: I imagine everyone expects the portraits of me are my favorites, but they'd be wrong! Like Krissi, my favorite pieces tend to be ones where she experimented by using her favorite imagery within a not-typically-Krissi themes. Painting The Roses Red, which was created for an Alice in Wonderland themed show, is a good example.


I also like the pieces she makes with a real sense of irony, like her "Diet Shrine" art quilt.

Krissi Sandvik. I must share that she told me she never was a fan of glitter until she went on the Crafty Chica cruise and became converted. I think this picture proves that! Krissi is a mixed media artist based out of Sacramento, CA. Visit her blog to see more of her work at http://www.krissisandvik.blogspot.com/

Would you like to submit an article for Inspiration Friday? Click HERE for the guidelines. -SUBMIT your piece with INSPIRATION FRIDAY in the subject line and email to kathy[at]craftychica[dot]com


Peace, love, and glitter!
Kathy :-)

What's Your Poison?

I'm not really into licensing out my little kitty face that much, not because I don't want to ('cause we know how self-centered I am - I'm a CAT after all!), but because the "big" thing hasn't really come along yet. However, I do like to get involved with the handmade community whenever I can - hence the licensing of my cute little mug to Stampa Fe for rubber stamps. But did you know that I also have agreements in place with a few of my favorite artists, allowing them to make and sell official Skelekitty merchandise? Yep. It is the truth.

I'm very excited to tell you about a brand spanking new joint venture with the lovely and gifted Kit Cameo, blogger, writer, cat-lover, geekery aficionado artist and friend.

We've collaborated on a project / product that involves this image of me, some bar ware and Kit's not inconsiderable gift for etching, all of which resulted in "Skelekitty Poison Shot Glasses."

Now you can "name your poison" and drink it too (silly kitty).

7/30/09 - UPDATE!! Well, the first two etched shot glasses have been sold! However, if you're dying to have one (or more), contact Kit.  You should also check out her other wares in her ArtFire studio and Etsy shop.

In a New Medium: Chalk!

It looks like yours truly will be making her very first skel-appearance at Sacramento's long-running sidewalk chalk art festival, Chalk-It-Up! To Sacramento on Labor Day weekend 2009.  The Chalk-It-Up! To Sacramento festival started 19 years ago, and was one of the very first "Sacramento things" Krissi and Ron did when they moved here in 2000.  Now here we are almost 10 years later and she'll be one of the artists.  Let's not lose focus here, though, since *I* will be the one immortalized in sidewalk chalk. Oh, wait a minute, maybe that's not so immortal after all.....

In any event, Krissi will be representing Body Tribe Fitness and wanted me to ask you what you think I should be doing to best represent this unusual midtown gym and its physical subculture.  All ideas are welcome!

xoxo

SK

In Print

Howdy gang! I got home from a kitty-prowl the other day to find a package in the mailbox from Guadalupe's Fun Rubber Stamps in Santa Fe (they make and carry the line of Skelekitty rubber stamps).


Hmm! Santa Fe local hot-spots publications. I wonder what's inside?


OOH!! Lookie!

And Lee also sent me this cute hang-tag bookmark she made using some cool techniques AND two of the Skelekitty stamps!


Be sure to send photos of YOUR Skelekitty stamped projects and I'll post them here with a link back to your blog or home page.

If you don't have your Skelekitty rubber stamps yet, what are you waiting for???


Available NOW! StampaFe.com 505-982-9862.
$13.80 each (get a discount if you buy the full set).

Which ONE would YOU wear?

Howdy cats and kittens!

Well, never let it be said that this kitty lets the grass grow under her paws! The rubber stamps are still being poured, assembled and mailed out to folks and here I am looking at the reality of the very first SKELEKITTY TEE SHIRT, but I need your assistance in picking the design. We will only be offering one design first, and we want it to do well so that we can offer more designs in the future!

CLICK THUMBNAIL FOR LARGER IMAGE:

Here is the plan thus far: we'll be getting American Apparel "girlie" shirts in several sizes from M-XXL (they run SMALL - click here for a size chart). The design will be silk screened on a black tee with high quality white "ink" plus one or two color inks, depending on which design we do: green for the mermaid tail, pink or purple yarn, red for the heart and red for the shoes/tattoo/cherries with green for the cherry stems. We're looking at using the same people who did Suzi Boneshaker's awesome tees (Krissi has both of Suzi's designs and they pass her tough quality assurance tests). 

So what do you need to do? VOTE! Yeah, I know, you thought we were done voting last Tuesday (nice job, America, by the way). There's a poll at the top right of my blog, so just cast your vote for your mostest favoritest tee design. Remember we'll only be doing one shirt, at least for now, which design should it be?

Feel free to comment if you have more input on colors, sizes, shirt styles or anything else!

Skele-snuggles (it's getting cold outside!),

SK

Stamp Details and A Fellow Kitty in Need of a Home

Howdy cats and kittens. Here is some more info on the NEW line of rubber stamps of yours truly that I posted about yesterday:

• Prices are $13.80 per wood-mounted red rubber stamp
• A 10% discount is available on full set of 4 stamps purchased from Guadalupe's Fun Rubber Stamps /Stampa Fe Art Stamps.
  
• Be sure to request the discount as we're in the early days here!
• Krissi will have some available for local sale, but not for a couple of weeks. If you're in a hurry, give Guadalupe's a call!
  

Word on the street is that the town of and visitors to Santa Fe are absolutely loving these images, and folks are starting to snap 'em up like a kitty with canned tuna. This news makes me one happy puss!

Thanks to all of YOU for your support and encouragement. I know that I'm only here because you like me (you really like me).

-------

Some of you may have read about Chip and Allyson at Body Tribe - the gym where Krissi works out. What you may not know is that both Chip and Al are also mucisians, art lovers (and Al is an artist) and, above all else, animal lovers. Here's a video Chip posted of a kitty whose luck is turning around since Chip found him. If you think you might be able to improve it even more, drop them a line at chip[at]bodytribe[dot]com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3wXXdXmhYE

Skele-purrs,

>^..^< SK

The First of the Stamps Are IN!

I just heard that the first of the rubber stamps featuring yours truly are AVAILABLE at Guadalupe's Fun Rubber Stamps in Santa Fe, NM (just off the plaza)!

I understand from Krissi, who received an e-mail from the owners today, that they have on hand three of the designs (with the fourth in production as we speak): skele-sirena (me as a mermaid), "Welcome Home" (me rubbing legs) and "Play Time" (skelekitten with a ball of yarn).


For those of you who, like Krissi & myself, are not fortunate enough to live in Santa Fe, despair not! The Stampa Fe online catalog will be updated soon with these designs & prices for online ordering. In the meantime, you can contact Guadalupe's Fun Rubber Stamps directly by telephone at 877-982-9862 and order yourself up some stampage! Krissi is waiting to hear back on the pricing (we should have it tomorrow and will post it ASAP).

Of course, we'll also be sure to let all of our local friends know when we have them available in Sacramento. In the meantime, I'm trying to think up a good prize for folks who use these stamps in their art/crafts for trades, swaps, gifts, their walls, etc., so be sure to take lots of pics as you create! Maybe some Skelekitty bottlecap jewelry??

Skele-scritches,

SK

p.s. I also heard a rumor of a 10% discount for anyone who orders all four stamps through Stampa Fe/Guadalupe's Fun RS, so be sure to ask about it.

ANOTHER Stamp Update

StampaFe Art Stamps let me know today that they have the plates for the Skelekitty stamps in hand! They're working on a big wholesale order (sounds like their business is doing well!), so we're looking at about two weeks until y'all can order stamps! Of course, I will make an announcement right here as soon as they're available for order.

I'm all kitty-happy, 'cause StampaFe is really going all out by putting an ad in Rubber Stamp Madness magazine for the Nov/Dec/Jan issue:


as well as one in the Northern New Mexico Quilt Guild's "Quilt Fiesta" guide!

The Quilt Fiesta is a biennial quilt show held in October on even numbered years in one of my (and Krissi's) favorite towns, Santa Fe, NM. This year's Quilt Fiesta theme is Tradition Transformed: The New Art of Quilting, which, if I do say so myself, fits in pretty well with what we have going on over here - given that the first time I showed up, I was on a quilt!

I think I'll go have myself a little catnip and relax in a sunbeam. Life is good.

Skele-rubs,

SK

Stamp Update!

We checked in with the very busy StampaFe Art Stamps last weekend and received an update on the rubber stamps. They're still on schedule to be in the store by Day of the Dead - probably in about 3 weeks!

I'll be sure to let everyone know through my blog when they're available for ordering. I'll also be getting some to sell to my "local" pals, but I'll only have a few.  The stamps are also available to be purchased by retailers wishing to carry the stamps in their shops.

More info as soon as it reaches my little kitty ears!

Skele-love,

SK

Free Skelekitty postcard - just post a comment!

Want one of these post cards to arrive in your snail mail box?

Skelekitty character and all images ©D.K. Sandvik

Just comment on this blog post. It's that easy! I'll send cards out to the first 10** who comment, or to everyone who comments before Saturday, September 6th, or until I run out of postcards, whichever happens first!

Post cards feature the four images being made into rubber stamps this fall by StampaFe Art Rubber Stamps (each image of me is just under 2" on the post cards).

OH!  And if you have a brick & mortar venue, I'll send you TEN postcards (to the first five venues)! Be sure to mention your store/shop/gallery/boutique/salon/gym... etc., in your comment.

1. Read and follow these instructions:
2. POST A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG - postings listed as "anonymous" do not qualify for this contest.
3. e-mail me with:
• Your name
• Your login/blogger/open id name (as it appears in your comment)
• Your snail mail address
• If you have a brick & mortar, please include the name of your venue (and what kind of business it is).
  

I'll send all the post cards out on Monday, September 8th!

It's For Keeps Now!

Well skeleboys and skelegirls, all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed! That means that the four designs of little ol' me will be sent off to the engravers any day, and we'll have rubber skelestamps to play with soon.

For those of you who are fortunate enough to live in the Santa Fe area, you'll be able to drop in on Guadalupe's Fun Rubber Stamps this Fall for your Skelekitty stamps by StampaFe!



If you're actually near Santa Fe, you should wander up to this awesome little store RIGHT NOW and check out all of the non-Skelekitty goodness (of which there is much, like Our Lady of Rubber and more). The class list is pretty darned amazing too (I bet I would be lots of fun "helping" with those). They're just off the Plaza and up a flight. You have no excuses, really.

Of course, quite a few of us live outside of the Santa Fe, NM area (yours truly, included). Luckily for all of us, all of the stamps designed by StampaFe are available for secure online purchase here. The women of Our Lady and StampaFe are in the process of moving all of the ordering onto the interwebs, but it's not a Big Box Store operation (thankfully!), so only StampaFe designs can be put in your virtual shopping basket. HOWEVER, be not deterred! You can download pdf catalogs for Our Lady of Rubber (my personal favorite - lots of muertos!) and Willard Clark's Santa Fe/Southwest designs. They also have four pages of Kate Cartwright's stunning goddess stamps for your viewing pleasure. Write down what ya want and give the nice folks there a call to confirm prices and order whatever stamps your heard desires (psssst! They're really nice there).

I hope you are all doing well! Skelekitty rubs to you.

SK

This Kitty LOVES Linky Love

Giving is great - don't get me wrong. Oh, but receiving linky love makes this kitty squeeze her eyes with sheer feline happiness!

In the middle of her Spread the Sparkle Tour to launch the new line of Crafty Chica (by Duncan) craft supplies, kits and products, Kathy Cano-Murillo posted about the line of Skelekitty stamps coming out this Fall! Thanks so very, Miss Kathy!

My mom finally finished writing part 1 of reviews on the goodies she brought home from Michael's - all sporting the Crafty Chica label (no catnip - what's she thinking?). If she doesn't get distracted with all the pretty glitters, I think the rest of the product review(s) should be up this week.

Well, it's kitty-nap-time.

SK

I'm Kind Of A Big Deal

I am being immortalized in rubber stamps!

Special thanks to Lee Kellogg of Stampa Fe Rubber Stamps for taking me on! We met Lee at her AWESOME store, Guadalupe Rubber Stamps in Santa Fe, NM during a visit in May and she fell in love with me (how could you not?)

More special thanks to Kathy Murillo (aka The Crafty Chica) for convincing my Mom, Krissi, that she could actually do something like this and to Yoli Manzo (aka Sacred Snatch) for her undying support and willingness to listen.

Stay tuned for more information like contests, prices and the release date, which should be in early October!