Category Archives: Art

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Its a Dog’s Life Teal Tea Towel

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Its a Dog’s Life!  My last post was about cats (along with some embroidery).  I’m equal with cats and dogs in my love of them and have always had one or the other for a pet. For my Spoonflower shop, I chose dogs to give equal time with cats to create this tea towel to celebrate dogs!

Is A Dogs Life Tea Towel

These whimsy dogs are in various stages of a “human” life – gardening, shopping, walking, wrapped in a quilt, playing at the beach, cooking, being a sheriff, and just being an angel. The background is turquoise teal green with a darker teal border. I designed this tea towel based on my fabric collection “Its a Dog’s Life”.

The tea towels are available from Roostery for purchase, while I have coordinating fabrics available from Spoonflower and direct from Phyllis.

Woof!

Phyllis

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Merry Christmas in Red and White!

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I want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, filled with love and laughs and with good health! How did Christmas get here so fast? It seems just a blink ago, we were celebrating Christmas in 2014.

Christmas Pappermint

My thoughts have been in red and white the past few weeks while preparing for Christmas. Maybe it’s because I have been eating so many of those pretzels covered with white yogurt and crushed peppermint candy. Its one of my favorites and I’ve been eating it non-stop since Thanksgiving. I’m almost to the bottom of the current container, so I will head out in the morning to stock up again and then diet later when the candy is no longer available!

I would love to hear the little traditions that you repeat each year for Christmas, the little things that have become special for you.

Wherever you celebrate the holidays, I wish you the best!  I know for some it can be a sad time, or bittersweet with memories as life’s ongoing events don’t take holidays.

I want to give Thanks to our military for keeping us safe and to their families for their sacrifices!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Phyllis

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Pantone Radiant Orchid – Beautiful Color!

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A lot of you already know that the Pantone Color of the Year is Radiant Orchid 18-3224. I love this color – its such a beautiful shade and can go with so many other colors including the monochromatic colors that go with it. When I was in Atlanta for the Atlanta Gift Market, I saw this beautiful Color of the Year display in the Loloi Rug showroom.

Pantone Orchid displa in Loloi

As you can see, there are so many beautiful colors in the monochromatic color scheme that can be used in your quilting, art and design that can be used alone, in combination with other shades or with complimentery colors. I love the bluish tint to this color. This display emphazied paint with the paint brushes (top left edge of the photo) and paint chips combined with rugs that go with these colors to give you an idea of all the possibilities of Radiant Orchid. (And I have to add that Loloi has the most beautiful rugs!)

You can see prior Color of the Year selections on the Pantone page by scrolling down.

Have a colorful day!

Phyllis

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Quilt Art Used for Quilt Shop Signs

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I’m always flattered when someone contacts me about my art or fabrics. I was especially delighted when a new quilt shop contacted me about using my Quilt Art for their store signs. Jody Winn, the owner of  “A Winn-ing Quilt Shop, LLC“, contacted me prior to the opening of her new quilt shop.

Winn-ing Quilt Shop Store Sign

 

A Winn-ing Quilt Shop, LLC, opened on July 3, is located at 1002 Diamond Ridge, Ste. 1050, Jefferson City, MO, 65109. I hope if you are in the area you will stop by and check out her great selection of fabrics and notions! Jody found my art on products in my Zazzle store and wanted to coordinate everything with my art and business products for her store. Jefferson City looks like its about half way between Kansas City and St. Louis. These cities are frequent locations for the Spring International Quilt Market so maybe I will be able to visit Jody’s shop some day.

The above sign is on the building above her store. The sign below is on the store window. And if you are driving around in Jefferson City, you may also spot a similiar sign on her car door.

Winn-ing Quilt Shop store Sign

 

My quilt art is also being made into a fabric collection, titled “Xanadu”, and is due out soon. I will post more information when it’s ready for shipping.

Meanwhile, I have been adding more products made with my Quilt Art to my online Zazzle stores. My main store, PhyllisDobbs, has lots of products with colorful quilt designs in assorted color combinations, including business cards, smart phone and tablet cases, return address labels, mugs and much, much more for the quilt lover. I also have a business store, BusinessWithFlair, that concentrates on business related products designed for any quilt business. I hope you will check them out.

 

I wish Jody a big, huge success with “A Winn-ing Quilt Shop, LLC”.

Phyllis

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ArtBizJam – Interview with artist Lori Siebert

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Lori Siebert, a very successful licensing artist, tells why she is excited about being a part of the artist retreat ArtBizJam next month. Lori, licensing artist Paula Joerling, and product developer Anne Brown and I will be hosting a fun packed and educational artist’s retreat at the beach in Destin, Fl.  It promises to be an unforgettable weekend.

You can find out more at www.Artbizjam.com

Lori Siebert ArtBizJam
In addition to happy hours, a shrimp boil and lots of freebies and surprises we will also be sharing valuable information on running an art-driven business.

We are keeping this gathering small and we are almost at full capacity. Also registration closes on August 10th (Saturday).

For the past month I have been sharing interviews with the “instructors” that will be participating. This weeks interview is with Lori Siebert but be sure to check out interviews with  and Anne and myself.

Why did you want to be involved with ArtBizJam?

One of the wonderful things about creative people is how they love to be together and share ideas and support one another. I truly value my creative friends. This is an opportunity to do just what I love…spend time with fun, interesting people and share what I have learned along the way… while having an incredibly fun time.

What will people get out of attending this particular workshop? 

A lot of camaraderie, fun, bonding and support from other creative people…thought provoking conversation about your dreams and goals, practical classes about the business side of things, good fun, wine, the beach.

What will people get out of attending this particular workshop?

A lot of camaraderie, fun, bonding and support from other creative people…thought provoking conversation about your dreams and goals, practical classes about the business side of things, good fun, wine, the beach.

What makes this workshop/retreat special and different from other workshops?

When we talked about how to make this different,we decided on two things…make it small and intimate so we can really cater to the people who attend…and make it about BOTH side of the brain. We all love to create…that is a given…but,we also have to find ways to be efficient and make money…so we can continue to make a living creatively. This is what we want to share.

How do you reconcile your passion of creating art with the business side of art?

I am really lucky in that my husband is my business partner and we have an agent,CourtneyDavis. I really do get to focus on the creative. But,it is important to have an understanding of our business as a whole and where it is going.

What are you looking forward to fun-wise with ArtBizJam?

Time with really great, creative folks…great food,sharing,learning from one another…an overall re-charge!

You can read more about the classes, schedule, instructors at ArtBizJam.  If you have any questions, please contact me or one of the other instructors.

We hope to see you at ArtBizJam!

Phyllis

 

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Interview (with myself Phyllis Dobbs) for ArtBizJam!

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This week we are starting a series of interviews with the instructors at ArtBizJam, which is a creative/art business retreat being held in Destin, FL September 18-22, 2013.  The instructors along with myself are Anne Brown, Director of Product Development at Magnet Works and Studio M and artists Lori Siebert and Paula Joerling. My name was drawn out of the proverbial “hat” to be the first interviewee!

ArtBizJam artist retreat

Why did you want to be involved with ArtBizJam?

Conducting a retreat has been in my mind for quite a while. I love attending retreats and enjoy teaching so it was natural to want to host one. This one came together almost as a product of a magic wand being waved with some fairy dust – the four of just all wanted the same thing and were so excited about it. As a teacher at ArtBizJam, I feel that I will get as much out of it as will the students. Any time you meet someone and network, you automatically gain from it, whether you are the teacher or the student.

What will people get out of attending this particular workshop?

The attendees will benefit on several levels. They will have fun and create cherished new friendships and an experience that they will treasure. They will learn how to improve their business to get it to the level that they want as well as work smarter with their business side. Working smarter makes us more productive while giving us more time to enjoy the benefits of being creative. And the attendees will also relax and rejuvenate by being being creative in new areas, taking these techniques and incorporating them into their creations. Taking time to creatively play will give you the energy and spark to create new ideas. We have some fun surprises that will delight everyone there – you will love every minute in this beautiful gulf coast area.

What makes this workshop/retreat special and different from other workshops?

Most workshops focus on only one area of your business, mostly taking creative classes.  This one also focuses on the business side as well as the creative. You can have a creative business but if you don’t know how to promote and grow it, you will not get as much as you can from it.
We are also keeping ArtBizJam small so that its a more intimate retreat where individual  business or creative needs can be addressed.

How do you reconcile your passion of creating art with the business side of art?

All our art and creativeness comes from the right side of our brain. We tend to really love that area and want to stay there. But when our art is our business, we need to venture into the left side of brains. I know its not as much fun, that left side, but there are ways to make it that way.  We can be just as creative with the business side and that’s what I strive to do to make my business side as interesting as the creative part. Its all the same coin, just different sides, and I find it fun to flip it back and forth, well at least some of the time!

What are you looking forward to fun-wise with ArtBizJam?

Laughter and camaraderie! When ever a group of women get together, no matter what the reason from serious business to just relaxing, it always turns into laughter at some point.  And that’s especially true with artists. We become close knit as we get to know each other and that forms into friendships. We always enjoy getting together any time that we can. The laughter is the perk that always happens!

Phyllis

 

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Atlanta Gift Market – Trends and Friends!

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I just returned from the the Atlanta Gift Market, which is always a favorite trip of mine! There is always so much visually stimulating eye candy, swirls of color, and great times meeting up with friends.

The trends I saw this time in still bold colors, were bags. Bags, bags, bags, everywhere – tote bags and purses. The gift showrooms all had some kind of bag as well as jewelry and most likely some kind of clothing like a top or scarf. As far as motifs, the owl was still who-who-ing away.

ArtBizJam teachers

As artists, we have so much fun getting together and networking, and it’s vital to our business. (Who says you can’t have fun while working!) Since all of us teachers at ArtBizJam were at Market, Paula Joerling, who lives a couple of blocks from Market, had us all over (picture above – Anne Brown (Anne is the Director of Product Development of Studio M at Magnet Works), Lori Siebert, Paula and myself). We had a blast planning and talking about the ArtBizJam retreat that we are hosting in September. We also came up with lots of surprises for the retreat to make it even more fun and memorable.

ArtBizJam is an artist retreat being held in the coastal town of Destin, Florida, September 18-22, 2013. The focus will be on maximazing your business growth, creative time, as well as lots of fun, networking and great food. Please check out the ArtBizJam website to read all the details. Spaces are limited so please sign up soon if you plan to be a part of this “happening” so that you don’t miss out!

ArtBizJam Experience

 

The above image was created for us as a surprise by artist Robin Davis who is just as excited about ArtBizJam as we are and wanted to show all that you will experience at ArtBizJam! She captured it perfectly!

Have a color filled day!

Phyllis

 

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ArtBizJam, A Unique Artist Retreat

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I’m so excited to be part of a new and unique artist retreat, ArtBizJam  with Lori Siebert, Paula Joerling and Anne Brown! It will be held in the beach resort of Destin, FL, home of sugar white sand beaches and turquoise blue water, September 18-22, 2013.

ArtBizJam artist retreat

ArtBizJam is different from other retreats as half of the focus, the Business Side, is devoted to the business aspects of being a professional artist to give you the tools to maximize your business growth. I guarantee it won’t be “business boring”, but filled with exciting classes that you will love and with information you will take to your studios and begin using immediately. The Creative Side of ArtBizJam  will rejuvenate your creativity.

Artist Retreat in Destin FL

Being creative is the nature of the artist, however, its easy to loose our spark or get in a repetitive rut.  We all need to try different things and techniques to keep our art fresh and exciting. All of the classes are being taught by 3 professional artists with years of experience in creating art for textiles, giftware, garden and stationery products, and wall art publishers and by a product developer who has worked with leading top gift companies and will share her expertise in developing concepts, product lines and working with licensing artsts.

ArtBizJam Sept 18 2013

To quote Albert Schweitzer (1875 -1965) In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.

Join us and light your inner fire! All information about this unique artist retreat can be found at ArtBizJam.

Due to the small intimate setting of this jam, spaces are limited, so BOOK EARLY to insure you will be a part of ArtBizJam!

Phyllis

 

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Sew Fun and Quilt Art – New Products!

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The International Spring Quilt Market, being held in Portland, OR, is almost here, less than a month away.  So its natural that my thoughts are on sewing and quilting as the show date approaches. In addition to heading to my sewing machine, I’ve been adding sewing art to a variety of products, in addition to the iPhone and iPad cases that I completed a little while back.

Turquoise is my most favorite of all colors but I do love all colors! I’ve been creating the new products in a new turquoise color range to go with the other color choices I created in this “Sew Fun” pattern of all your favorite sewing accessories.

Cases are available for iPhone 4 and 5 and iPads as well as iPad and notebook sleeves.

These products can all be personalized to include your name, business name, monogram or other words and make nice gifts.

I also added a turquoise color range with my Quilt Art products as well. This binder will make a great album for your quilt patterns and notes and is also available in the sewing art pattern as well.

 

And there is still time to stock up on business cards for your quilting business. They are available in multiple styles and colors and are very high quality with printing on both sides.

If you are not a turquoise nut like I am, there are many other color choices so I’m sure you will find a color fave to accent your love of quilting and sewing.

Sew happy,
Phyllis

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Flaunt Your Love of Sewing with Your iPhone and iPad Cases.

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I love all things related to sewing and quilting! My mother taught me to sew at a very early age on an old Singer sewing machine (it wasn’t THAT old  with the foot petal operation although my grandmother had one). I have my mother’s tins filled with old buttons, etc, a bunch of vintage fabric scraps and her doll pin cushion, all of which I cherish. I used my love of sewing to create a fabric design using my favorite sewing notions  interpreted with a bit of whimsy that I showed you in my last post.

 

This “Sew Fun” art is now available on iPhone and iPad cases so you can flaunt your love of sewing! I created a lot of other products that are available with this art such as iPad sleeves, pillows, iPad book like cases. I’m working on more daily and will be including products such as stationery, business cards, invitations, Kindle cases and more. “Sew Fun” is available in 4 colors as you can see here.

I will be busy sewing and quilting this weekend, getting ready for Quilt Market with my new fabric collection (sneak peek coming soon), a Schoolhouse event and new patterns that I will be posting here. Enjoy your quilting and sewing and remember how its “Sew Fun”!

Phyllis