UMBRELLA SPECIAL OFFER!

My "Romantic Rendezvous" umbrella was a big hit in the Designer Showcase at the CHA show in Anaheim, Calif, last month. 

In fact, I've had so many requests that I am having a limited production made for anyone interested in having one of their own. 

I'm now taking PRE-ORDERS for the umbrellas. As a special offer to my friends and fans, the umbrellas also have an extra special price IF place your order by MARCH 3... Only $29 each! That's a savings of $20 (would other sell for $49 each).


Here's the manufacture's description....

• Made from 100% polyester pongee waterproof fabric
• Image imprinted using heat sublimation technique to prevent discoloring
• Opens up to 41" span
• Can be reduced to a collapsed height of 9"
• 8 ribs made from strong fiber for extra support
• Each rib consists of 3-section aluminium for flexibility and strength
• Main holder made from reinforced plastic

The umbrella features one of my popular red-background wildflowers, ROMANTIC RENDEZVOUS. The original painting can be seen on my art website, www.lindacalvertjacobson.com.

Let me know if you would like to get in on this pre-order special. I need to know by Saturday, March 3 to get you on this list so you can take advantage of the $29 offer. Call me at 830-624-5302 or email linda@casadelinda.com today! You can also check out a sample in person at Casa de Linda Art Center. We are open Tues-Sat, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

REFLECTING ON THE CRAFT & HOBBY ASSOCIATION WINTER CONVENTION 2012

We had a wonderful four days in California, Jan. 29-Feb. 1 attending the Craft & Hobby Association's 21012 Winter Convention and Trade Show.

CHA DESIGNER SHOWCASE
Several highlights to mention but at the top of the list was getting to one of the artists featured in the "Designer Showcase." We are able to set up a display of product mock-ups and marketing materials for potential licensing for my wildflower art. Art Directors and company representatives walked the showcase over a 2-day period, Jan. 30-31. We were able to give out a good number of press packets and business cards and will soon start the follow up. As you may know, my wildflowers have been featured on watches sold in the UK for the last 4 years and we are hoping to continue to build on that success! As you tell from the photos here, we continue to look at fabric (as seen on the umbrella, purse and pillow) as well as paper and other product applications.

FUN WITH MAKIN'S CLAY

We were able to spend many hours walking the trade show, seeing new products, talking with company reps and getting to try various materials during Make-it-N-Take-it sessions. An exciting opportunity that came my way as a result was the chance to "play" with a great air-dry polymer clay from the folks at Makin's Clay. I had a chance to do several small projects, with the thoughts of summer art camps AND classes for adults in  the back of mind the whole time. This polymer clay is easy to use and only limited by your imagination. I'm posting some photos of items on display in the Makin's Clay booth to give you just a small glimpse of what can be done. You can be sure that classes in using Makin's Clay will be on the next Casa de Linda schedule!


MAKE IT AND GIVE IT

Thanks to the folks at iLoveToCreate, David and I both got to play a bit using Scribble Stamps on simple quilt blocks. But we didn't bring these home. Instead, the company was inviting folks to create blocks that would be make into quilts and donated to children's homes. How cool is that?! We had a great time. There's a special connection for me personally with iLoveToCreate. These are the same people who own the Duncan brand of ceramic paints and supplies. I did lots of business with them back in the 1970s and 1980s when, along with my family, I had a business called Linda's Ceramic Supply in my hometown of Floresville, Texas. This was huge wholesale and retail ceramic shop that started with a tiny kiln and 13 molds that I bought for $100 in 1976. It ran its course and due to a downturn in the economy and a downward spiral in the ceramics industry as a whole in the early 1980s, we closed the business in 1986. But it was a great run while it lasted and Duncan will always be a part of creative past and have a special place in my heart.



CHA: IT WASN'T ALL PLAY
Yes, we had a great time getting dabble with paint-n-clay, but we also spent several hours in business seminars presented by CHA. This is a great perk of being a member of this national organization. David spent time in two workshops focused on the Internet and Social Media. I participated in a seminar led by none other than Leatrice Eiseman, Director of the Pantone Color Institute. Pantone is that company who, through tons of research, announces the what color or colors will be hot in the coming year. By the way, for 2012, it's Tangerine Tango. While one color tends to get the spotlight, the seminar was really about 9 palettes that will be showing up in homes, fashion, and more in the coming year. It was just amazing to learn what all goes in to selecting the palettes and where those influences come from.


Ahh...SUNNY CALIFORNIA!
The CHA 2012 Winter Convention was held in Anaheim. David and I both love this part of California! The Anaheim Convention Center has done a great job of landscaping the grounds and the tall palm trees lining the walkways, creating nature's patterns, are a special treat. David snapped these photos outside of the convention center.

CALIFORNIA...HERE WE COME!

Each year the Craft and Hobby Association holds a huge winter convention in California. This is the meeting place for all things art-n-craft. Companies from across the U.S. and beyond will have booths to showcase their latest-n-greatest products. Designers will have a special section within the trade show as well as the Designer Showcase room to showoff their designs to potential licensing directors who visit looking for what's new. Days are filled with workshops and seminars galore and lots of opportunities to network.

We were last at the CHA winter convention in 2009 and are thrilled to get back this year! As a Designer member of CHA, I've been accepted into the Designer Showcase for 2012 and will have the opportunity to set up a table with my wildflower art for licensing.

Show dates are Jan. 29-Feb. 1. David and I will be flying out to Anaheim on Sunday, Jan. 29. We'll set up our table in the Designer Showcase on Monday morning and will have a chance to meet-n-greet art directors, manufactures, members of the press, other CHA members and fellow artists during a Designer Spotlight Event on Monday evening.

During the day on Monday and Tuesday, we'll be walking the convention when we are not taking workshops. We'll dismantle our Designer Showcase display on Tuesday night, check out of our hotel on Wednesday morning and head home.

As you can tell, I'm looking forward to our trip and getting to participate, again, in this national, annual convention! Coming up: International Art Expo in NYC March 20-27!

ADULT ART CLASSES STARTING JANUARY 2012

Here's what's scheduled at Casa de Linda Art Center, New Braunfels, Texas, for the first few months of 2012:

FOR ADULTS... Whether you want to paint on canvas, paper or glass, we've got you covered. 

BASIC ACRYLICS These are my on-going classes that let you jump in at any point and renew every six weeks as long as you want to continue to paint with me. Right now, I have openings on Wednesday mornings 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Wednesday nights 6-8:30 p.m., Thursday afternoons 12:30-3 p.m. and Friday mornings 9:30 a.m.-noon. Fee is $135 for 6 classes plus a $95 starter kit for new students.  
OIL PAINTING Gaye Sekula is back this Spring offering a 6-week oil class. The first session that starts Jan. 23 is full. However, we are now registering for Session II, which starts on March 12, meeting on Mondays 1-3:30 p.m. for 6 weeks. Fee is $135 for the 6-weeks, plus supplies (you'll get a supply list when you sign up).  
ENCAUSTICS (NEW!) For the first time at Casa de Linda Art Center, we are offering a workshop in Encaustics. This is a wax-based paint that is applied in a molten state. Laura Ann Beehler will share her love of this unique painting technique during a 3-hour workshop. Choose from 2 dates: Saturday, Feb. 4 (9 a.m.-Noon) or Tuesday, March 27 (10 a.m.-1 p.m.). Fee is $50 per 3-hour workshop, plus a supply fee of $40 to be paid to the instructor.  
WATERCOLORS We are thrilled to have Maren Phillips teaching Intro to Watercolors again this spring. The first 6-week session meets Monday nights 6-8:30 p.m. starting Jan. 23. Fee is $135 for the 6-week session plus supplies (you'll get the list when you sign up). This will repeat for Session II starting March 12.  
PASTELS Learn all about pastels from master artist Mary Johnson. The classes meet for 6 weeks from 1-3:30 p.m.on Saturday afternoons. Session I starts on Jan. 21. The course will be offered a second time starting on March 17. Fee is $135 for the 6 weeks, plus a supply fee of $25 paid to the instructor.  
GLASS PAINTING (NEW!) Shirley Bland is well known for her unique wine glasses and she's now willing to share his tips and tricks with students in 2-hour workshops. Complete 4 wine glasses in each workshop! The first workshop. "Bland's Freeform Landscapes" will be held 10 a.m.-Noon on Thursday, Jan. 26. A second workshop, "Isn't it Romantic?" is set for Saturday, Feb. 11 from 10 a.m.-Noon. A third workshop, "Texas Wildflowers," will be held from 10 a.m.-Noon on Saturday, March 17. Each 2-hour workshop is $30 plus a supply fee of $20 paid to the instructor. You may take one, two or all three workshops. If Drawing is more you style, we have 3 different options this Spring.  
YES, YOU CAN DRAW! Learn the basics of perspective, proportion, line and shape during my 4-week course. I will teach you to see better so you can draw better! Session I meets on Fridays 1-3 p.m. for 4 weeks starting Jan. 13. The course will be repeated in April. Fee is $125, which includes your drawing kit and pad.  
ZENTANGLE® Think of this as doodling with a focus. Zentangle uses repeated patterns to create some of the coolest art you've ever seen. Michelle Robinson is returning this Spring to introduce more people to the art of Zentangle. Choose from 2 dates for the intro session: Saturday, Jan. 28 from 10 a.m.-noon or Thursday, Feb. 16, also 10 a.m.-noon. Michelle will then be back in March and April for another round of workshops, but this time showing you how to introduce color into your Zen designs. Fee is $30 per 2-hour workshop, plus supply fee of $10 for a basic kit or $49 for an official Zentangle kit, to be paid to the instructor.
THE ART OF DRAWING ANIMALS Join Maren Phillips for this one-day workshop set for Monday, March 5. Meeting 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., you'll learn about drawing animals from a master! Fee is $95 plus supplies (you'll get the supply list when you sign up).

Painting, drawing...and more! Keep reading!  
PAPER MACHE Back by popular demand, my paper mache GECKO class for adults! Create a 3-foot critter in this 4-week course. Meets Tuesdays from 2-4 p.m. starting Jan. 17. Fee is $125 and that includes all supplies. Get ready to get messy!
STAINED GLASS Our master glass artist Lynette Clauser is back sharing her knowledge of working with Stained Glass and more. She will start the year off with BASIC LEAD classes. Choose from Monday nights 6-9 p.m. starting Jan. 23 or Tuesday mornings 8:30-11:30 a.m. starting Jan. 24. Meets for 5 weeks and each is limited to 5 students. Fee is $225 which covers EVERYTHING including glass, supplies and use of tools and equipment. (Lynette's INTRO TO COPPER FOIL classes are set to start in March and April).  
PHOTOGRAPHY David is back this Spring teaching folks about those camera settings and giving them lots of tips on how to improve their photography. Course meets for 4 weeks, on Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-Noon. First session starts Feb. 8. The course will be repeated in April. Fee is $125, which includes use of camera during class, CD of images shot, plus a couple of enlargements and mats.  
FUSED GLASS AND JEWELRY MAKING Did you know that you can fuse glass in a microwave? Lynette will teach you how to do just that and more in this 3-hour workshop that meets 9 a.m.-Noon on Saturday, Feb. 18. Fee is $75, which includes all supplies.  
MOSAICS Learn all about turning ordinary objects into extraordinary works of art though the use of mosaics. You bring something cool to cover and Lynette will provide the rest. We will offer two, 2-week sessions in the Spring. The first will be held on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to Noon on March 3 and March 10. The class will repeat in April. Fee is $95 per 2-week workshop, which includes all supplies except the object to be decorated.

To sign up, simply drop by CASA DE LINDA ART CENTER or call us at 830-624-5302.

MIAMI ART SHOW REPORT

As you may know, David and I flew out to Miami after Thanksgiving weekend to check out some of the art shows that turn Miami upside down the first of week of December every year. While there, we visited Art Expo Solo, the main objective of our short trip, plus Red Dot and Art Miami. We arrived on Tuesday, Nov. 29, in time to take in the opening gala for the Solo and Red Dot shows. We returned on Wednesday for another visit and to walk the mammoth Art Miami. Unfortunately, we had to leave early Thursday morning, the same day that many of the other shows opened.

This Miami art phenomenon started about 10 years ago with the first Art Basel, an international, high-end show that attracts artists, art collectors and celebrities from around the globe. Generally held the first week of December, Art Basel started a trend of art shows that has grown every year, filling up empty lots with pop-up galleries and hotel rooms with hundreds of guests. (Here's a view of Miami at night from our room on the 16th floor of the Marriott Biscayne Bay.)

We were there to check out Art Expo Miami, which is put on by the same people who do the long-running Art Expo NYC every year. We want to see what it was all about and get to meet, face-to-face, with reps of the company. (David and I at the entrance to the Solo show. It was held in the same building as the Red Dot show. And I need to mention that we had a celeb-sighting of our own...Jane Seymour! Yes, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, who is also an artist. I mustered up the courage go up and talk to her as well but drew the line at asking for a photo!)

While we've done shows in NYC several times (Art License Expo International and Surtex), our objective in the past was to promote the licensing of my wildflower art. We had talked about doing the Art Expo but had not taken that step...until now. After walking the shows and meeting with the reps, we signed up for Art Expo NYC that's scheduled for March 22-25. I'm taking my wildflowers to the heart of Manhattan! We'll be in the Solo portion of Art Expo, in booth #1145. The last photo posted here is a night-time shot of one of the many palm trees draped for the Art Miami show. Look closely...these are men's, long-sleeve shirts! I just love artists!! We look forward to returning to Miami for next year's shows and to have a little more time to check out the city! Our 2-day+ trip only whetted our appetite for both. We took out a little time to walk the downtown area and spent a few hours at a market overlooking the bay. Can't wait to check out the art deco buildings and Coconut Grove. So much to see...so little time. We will be back!!

SPRING 2012 ART CLASSES AT CASA DE LINDA

Here's a sneak peek at the Spring 2012 schedule. We have a fantastic line up!

News: Cafepress store closed

I've decided to close my Cafepress store (www.cafepress.com/casadelinda). This was the print-on-demand site where you could order products with my wildflower paintings, and more recently, my husband's photo images. Both David and I have been increasingly dissatisfied with the quality of the products and service. We do appreciate everyone who has purchased from the store over the years. I'll be looking for a new source to be able to offer my wildflowers on products in the future.

NEW ART-2-GOGH PAINTINGS & FALL SCHEDULE

We've added 4 new paintings to the ART-2-Gogh Painting Party selection for October and November. Check them out and let us know when you'd like to come paint with us! Visit www.art-2-gogh.com for the current calendar and more information!

CLASSES AT CASA DE LINDA ART CENTER

Adult art classes in oil painting, watercolors, pastels, drawing, photography, and stained glass are starting up over the next few weeks in the studios at Casa de Linda Art Center in New Braunfels. Plus we have stained glass for ages 10-16; painting for ages 5-8 and for ages 8-12. Full schedule is available on our website.

SOME WONDERFUL LOCAL PRESS!

I was recently interviewed for a business profile for the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung's monthly Business Journal and it ran yesterday! Nice write up about Casa de Linda Art Center with a focus on our ART-2-Gogh Painting Parties.

CELEBRATING OUR FIRST ANNIVERSARY!

It's a busy day today getting ready for the Casa de Linda Art Center First Anniversary Open House tomorrow. If you are in the area, drop by and help us celebrate. FREE art demos, refreshments and more. Also the official opening for our fall exhibit, "Eyes of Texas," featuring photography by Jennifer Wilson, Bill Brockmeier, John Mohar, David Jacobson, Rick Tolar, Jordan Palmer, William Waldron, John Reinke, Kay Reinke and Darryl Patrick.

ART-2-GOGH PAINTING PARTIES FOR OCT & NOV 2011

Join the fun! Come paint with us this fall...