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all posts related to blog and art shop announcements and news

The Artyologist Turns Two

It is my blog’s second anniversary, woohoo! Although does that mean I am entering the “terrible twos” now? I hope not! (Actually, the anniversary is tomorrow, Jan. 27, but as I wanted to post this on Friday instead. . .  here I am a day early!)

I can’t believe that it’s been two years since I started this blog, or for that matter that it’s been an entire year since the first anniversary. I feel like all I ever say lately, is “I can’t believe how fast the time is going by”, but really what else is there to say? It does go by quickly 🙂 When I started this blog, two years ago, I really had no idea what I was doing. Actually I still don’t. Pressing that “publish” button was the scariest thing! I had no idea if anyone would ever read my blog, and I wondered if I had made a big mistake in thinking that I should be a blogger. But, it turned out that starting this blog was one of the best things I’ve ever done- not only has it proven to be fun, and a great creative outlet, but I’ve also met so many lovely people through it. (Either because they are readers, or because I discovered their blogs, since I was no longer intimidated by “putting myself out there” so to speak). Two years in, I have no intention of stopping any time soon!

Last year, I marked the 1 year anniversary by doing a blog makeover. As I still quite like the blog format, I am not planning any sort of changes on that front.* I thought that, since I didn’t do any sort of 2017 year end recap or the like, I would today re-share some of my favourite posts from the past year, as well as posts which have proven to be the most popular with readers. I kind of like to look back at old blog posts from time to time. 

I feel like sometimes in this digital age, we always have to have “more”. New posts, all the time. Fast and disposable like the rest of our culture is. We look at something for a minute, and then immediately move onto the next. We quickly scroll through our readers and feeds, trying to get through the list, without taking the time to enjoy. Social media in it’s very essence is always about the “new”. But, even though it is web based, it is ironic that amidst all that, there are still our blogs. A digital scrapbook of sorts, which capture the memories of a year gone by. I don’t know if I would notice the passage of time so much, if I didn’t have this blog. The very act of taking photos, and creating posts is a way to capture a memory, and then it gives you something to look back on (which makes you realize it was so long ago! And also how many phases my hair has gone through). I’m just rambling now, but all that to say, it’s nice to, instead of always looking forward, take a moment to look back as well.

Thanks so much to all my lovely readers who follow this blog. You are the ones who make this so worthwhile and fun. I mean, I could still blog if I had no readers, but that would be super boring. So, thank-you!

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The 5 Most Popular Posts

Well, the number one most popular post I ever wrote was my history of harem pants- it was still the top post for 2017, and I wrote it in the summer of 2016! But, since it is from two years ago, I will share the top posts of 2017 instead.

bringing back coupon busters, one pair of shoeclips at a time, the artyologist

Bringing back “Coupon Busters” One Pair of Shoeclips at a Time

a sentimental history of lockets, the artyologist

A Sentimental History of Lockets

shopping ethically for vintage repro

Shopping Ethically for Vintage Repro

vintage-blogger-meetup-2016_edmonton the artyologist, Blogger Meetup with Jessica of Chronically Vintage

My First Blogger Meet Up with Jessica of Chronically Vintage

Operation Save the Petticoat (Or a Simple Petticoat Alteration), the artyologist

Operation: Save the Petticoat! (Or, a Simple Petticoat Alteration)

Apparently my tutorials are popular. I shall endeavour to do more things this year, so I can turn them into posts 😉

My Personal Favourite Outfit Posts

Lilacs and Love letters, the artyologist, portrait feature

Lilacs and Love Letters. This is the post that almost didn’t happen! And it is one of my favourites.

Modern Girl Goes Vintage, the artyologist, navy blue and tan skirt

Modern Girl Goes Vintage.

Wearing Vintage (Or Other Alternative Styles) vs. Wearing a Costume, the artyologist outfit

Wearing Vintage (Or Alternative Style) vs. Wearing a Costume. Discussing the differences between dressing up in a different style and dressing up in a costume.

A Feather in My Cap. The first “public” photoshoot!

Fashion Revolution Love Story: An Ode to a Humble T-Shirt. This was a fun post to write.

Five Other Memories

Tea and Tulips on a February Day, the artyologist, teacup and vase

Tea and Tulips on a February Day. I just really liked this photoshoot and wanted to re-share it.

The Artyologist Art Shop. I opened my art shop in July!

Tanith of Tanith Rowan Designs and I hosted our first My Vintage Cover challenge in August, and it was so much fun!

I was Interviewed for Alive Magazine, talking about ethical fashion!

Falltime at the Farm, the artyologist, hanging-apples-with-fence

Photo Journal: Fall Time at the Farm. Some experimenting with my camera and lens at the farm. I was also happy with these pictures and just wanted to reshare.

*I said above that I had no plans to change my blog format, but, that being said, are there any things you wish were different about the format? Any ways I could change it to make it easier to read etc? Thanks!

The Artyologist Shop, December Update

Well, this is long overdue- not a shop update per se, but an actual blog post! A couple days can easily turn into a couple weeks if you are not careful . . . and here we are. Well, I’ve been working on so many things lately- it seems like I’m doing everything all at once and not really getting anything accomplished. I have recently added two new designs to my shop though, so I thought I might as well put up a quick update, and hopefully next week things will quiet down enough that I can get some proper posting in! Who am I kidding. . . the closer we get to Christmas, the more things there are to do 🙂 Is December a busy month for you too?

So, first is my new “The Heavens Declare” watercolour and hand lettering. You can get this one as a print (in various sizes), as a phone case or as greeting cards. I offered note cards of these at my recent Christmas craft sales- and they all sold out!

The other one I have added to the shop is this below, titled “Little Library”. Unfortunately it is only available as a greeting card, because I painted it too tiny to be a print. (Prints start at 8″x10″ and I painted this at 2″x2″. Note to self: paint larger things!) But, it works quite well as a card- for all my fellow book lovers out there!

Well, that’s all for now. I hope you all have a great weekend and see you next week!

The Artyologist Shop, September Update

hens and chicks, the artyologist shop

This shop update is looooooong overdue, and I don’t have as many new pieces to share as I would like to. However, I have added a couple of watercolours and several photographs to my Artyologist shop this month, so I thought I ought to share them!

Also, you might have noticed already, I have now updated my shop tabs in the upper menu and sidebar of the blog. Now, if you click on “art shop” (or the pictures in the sidebar) you will be taken to my Art Shop page. Once on this page, you will see images of each item I have for sale, and when you click on the image you will be taken directly to the Society 6 page for that item. 🙂 I hope to be adding more pieces very soon, and I will update the page each time I have added a new piece of art! And as for the new pieces I mentioned in the beginning, read on!

I did the watercolour and pen above, “Hens and Chicks” last Fall. It is available as a giclée print, either framed or unframed. I also thought that this piece lent itself well to being a good stationery design so it is also available as greeting cards, in case wall art isn’t your thing. And I have also made it available as a fun phone case! 🙂 It is available for several different iPhone and Samsung phones.

hens-and-chicks,-cards-and-case, the artyologist shop

The other watercolour and ink I have is “Alfalfa Bouquet“. I posted this one on my Instagram, with no plans of adding it to the shop right away, and then had several lovely people ask me to add it, so here it is! It is available as an art print, framed print, phone case or cards.

alfalfa-bouquet,-blog-post, the artyologist shop

I have also now added some of my photography. I have a sort of series going on currently, as all of the pieces are of abandoned buildings. They are available as prints, framed prints or canvases.

Hidden Door, framed print

hidden-door-framed, the artyologist shop

The Tithe Barn, canvas print

the-tithe-barn-canvas, the artyologist shop

Architectural Contradiction, framed print

architectural-contradiction-framed, the artyologist shop

The Homestead, art print

the-homestead-print, the artyologist shop

Heritage, art print (ps. this is the door in the abandoned homestead above)

heritage-art-print, the artyologist shop

Well, that’s all for a shop update for now! I am working on a new piece, and hope to add it “soon”. 😉 Also, one other thing to note is that Society 6 often has sales and free shipping offers, so if you are interested in purchasing a piece from me (in which case, thank-you so much!!!) then I would suggest checking to see if they have a promo going on. 🙂

I hope you all have a lovely Friday and weekend!

The Artyologist Art Shop is Open!

artyologist art shop now open

This post has been a long time coming. Today I am pleased happy thrilled ecstatic to announce that I have now opened an Art Shop! This was one of my major goals for this year, and although I was originally hoping to do it in January, I suppose that July is the next best thing. 😉

I have talked here on the blog before about how I have started selling my artwork at local art shows and sales, and how I hoped to start selling online as well.  Actually starting this blog was originally supposed to be Step #1 in starting to “get my name out there”. I don’t know if it’s really accomplished that at all, as I don’t post very much artwork, and mainly focus on vintage and ethical fashion here, with the odd photography post thrown in. Though the blog has turned into something other than an art blog; that’s OK as I do really enjoy it as a creative outlet for everything else.

Anyways. Once I accomplished the scary Step #1 of starting a blog, and then the intimidating Step #2 of selling and showing at local art shows, it was time to tackle the seemingly impossible Step #3 of creating an online shop.

I am the sort of person who procrastinates and over thinks things. 🙁 The more I think about something and hesitate from jumping in with both feet right away, the greater the chance is that I will never actually do it. And that is exactly what happened with the plan of opening an online shop. I was originally planning on opening an Etsy shop in January, but ran into some technical difficulties and ended up not being able to go that route. After much research, I discovered Print On Demand, and decided that this would be a good way for me to start selling online. Part of me really wanted to join the ranks of Etsy sellers and do the whole printing myself, and wrapping up packaging and all that fun stuff. However, logistically it just didn’t work out, for many reasons, one being that, since I live in Canada, the shipping prices are astronomical. Choosing to sell through a Print On Demand shop out of the USA will, I hope, be better for customers. I have decided to sell through Society 6, as they often have sales, and offer promotions like free shipping, and most importantly, they do a high quality Giclée print.

the artyologist, art shop

I now have an “Art Shop” tab in the upper right corner of my header. Well, actually the shop tab has been there for a while, there just hasn’t been anything on that page 🙁 But I now have an actual shop, so if you click through, or click here, it will take you to my products page, which then links over to Society 6. It has taken me a lot longer than I thought it would to get my artworks ready to sell, so right now I only have three pieces up. However, I decided to open the shop anyways, otherwise I honestly think I would never get it opened! Society 6 also offers products other than art prints, so even though I am beginning with just art prints, and framed art prints, I might offer other products in the future. Stationery, notebooks or phone cases perhaps? I have some other pieces that I have finished and which I am planning on adding to the art shop as I find the time. (Seriously it takes a lot longer than I think it will!)

I will periodically update here on the blog, when I have added new items, or when there are special promotions and I will continue sharing my artwork here. But, fear not- this is not turning into an art blog! It will remain what it has always been- Life, Art, and Style. A little bit of this and that, since I can’t stay in a “niche’ to save my life 😉

Oh, and I have also started a new Instagram account solely dedicated to my artwork, illustration and photography. I would love it if you would follow me there, and if you would like to, you can find me at: @theartyologist_studio.

I’m really excited about this new venture, so thank-you all for reading through this post, and for letting me share my exciting news with you! 🙂