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Handmade books and various art explorations
Archive for the ‘Contests and Giveaways’ Category
Sunday, January 15th, 2012
Sweet! It’s nice to check my inbox and see an uplifting message amidst all of my junk mail. This morning I learned that two of my images tied for third place in a competition at Fine Art America. How cool! Without further ado, here they are:
The theme of the competition was “Swirls and Twirls.” My favorite piece by a different artist in the competition is this one:
Here is what the contest administrator had to say: “Congrats to you all! Beautiful images! We had 16 pages of entries…AMAZING! Everythig, and I am so serious, everything…was so neat and beautiful and different. What a talanted group of artists! Thank you all so much of taking part in it!”
This is a good way to start the day… 
Tags: art, finalist, Fine Art, wee planets, winner
Posted in Contests and Giveaways | 1 Comment »
Saturday, December 3rd, 2011
Congratulations to winner Lynn of Envision It Glass in Bryan, Texas! Lynn won an 8″ x 8″ glossy print of a Wee Planet from my gallery as a thank-you for helping me celebrate the recent publication of my artwork in The Eagle. Lynn chose Wee Planet Historic Downtown Bryan (shown below):
 This artwork was a finalist in the 2011 International “On the Street Where You Live” competition sponsored by Cloth Paper Scissors magazine, and was subsequently published in the Sept/Oct issue of Cloth Paper Scissors.
This planet is also available for purchase as a framed fine art print or stretched canvas in sizes up to 40″ x 40″ on my new shop, http://nikkimarie-smith.fineartamerica.com
 The close-up below also makes for striking wall art:
 Congratulations again to Lynn! I hope you get as much enjoyment from this artwork as I did in creating it!
Tags: birds, bryan, canvas art, downtown, fine art prints, giveaway, panorama, texas, wee planets
Posted in Contests and Giveaways | No Comments »
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
It’s ready! Below is my latest Wee Planet creation: Wee Viking Football!
This planet joins my ongoing series of local Bryan/College Station Wee Planets. The Bryan High School’s stadium turned into a very cool (and very athletic) planet. I like to work on a large scale, so this planet is over three feet square, too! If you would like to learn more about how I create Wee Planets from 360 degree panoramas, check out my Wee Planet tutorial here.
If you live near Bryan/College Station, Texas, be sure to check out the November 6th Sunday edition of The Eagle. I am honored that they will be featuring my Wee Planet artwork. So to celebrate, I’m giving away an 8″ x 8″ glossy print of a local Wee Planet! (See my Wee Planet gallery here.) To enter, simply leave a comment on this post or on the Wee Planet tutorial post. (Or Share, Digg, Tweet or Like it and let me know!) Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you win! I’ll announce the winner at the end of the month. (And if there are a lot of entries, I’ll add an extra planet print or two…)
Tags: art, contest, giveaway, wee planets
Posted in Contests and Giveaways, Photo and Collage Art | No Comments »
Friday, July 1st, 2011
Meet my pet dragon:
The inspiration for this home was two-fold: our broken A/C with temps above 100 degrees, and fire which can both warm and destroy.
It was 103° outside, two small kiddos at home, the A/C didn’t work (and the repair company that worked on it didn’t return our calls for over a week!), and then I made the mistake of cooking something on the stove-top…I should have had a PBJ sandwich…
This piece is constructed from tissue paper treated with ice-resin which creates a translucent effect. An inner support was built out of a transparency sheet cut and hinged to shape, and flame-colored parchment leaves form a separate base and perfect accent.
This is one of my entries in the Cloth Paper Scissors “Home Sweet Home” challenge.
Hot summer days, winter evenings by the fireside…What memories does this evoke for you? Let me know in the comments below!
Tags: Add new tag, art, challenge, cloth paper scissors, home, ice resin, ice resin paper, tissue paper
Posted in Artistic Creations, Contests and Giveaways | 3 Comments »
Friday, July 1st, 2011
Though maybe I should have called this piece “Living in a Fishbowl…”
This home is a tribute to those who have lost homes due to flooding. It uses two of my favorite techniques, printing digital imagery on tissue paper (not as hard as you might think!) and ice-resin paper which creates the coolest translucent effect! An inner support was built out of a transparency sheet cut and hinged to shape. A child’s toy fish is on the roof for a finishing touch.
This is one of my entries in the Cloth Paper Scissors “Home Sweet Home” challenge.
Confession: OK, it’s my daughter’s fish toy. What’s the craziest thing you’ve swiped for an art project? Leave me a comment and let me know!
UPDATE: This piece was published in the Nov/Dec 2011 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors!
Tags: art, challenge, cloth paper scissors, home sweet home, ice resin, ice resin paper, tissue paper
Posted in Artistic Creations, Contests and Giveaways | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 18th, 2011
I’ll be honest, I’ve visited less than 50 of the 800+ blogs so far this year. I was tempted to do one final mad dash through OWOH yesterday, but I decided to spend some quality mommy-daughter time instead and visit your blogs in a more leisurely fashion over the coming weeks. So thank-you to everyone who stopped in to say “hello,” and especially to those who took a moment to get to know me a little better. It’s been a great ride and I’ve discovered some inspiring artists and thought-provoking bloggers along the way. I look forward to meeting more in the weeks (and months) to come!
Congratulations to the following lovely folks! I’ve included an image from each of their blogs to give you a teaser and encourage you to visit them as well if you get a chance. Drum-roll please:
Carmen who said:
“Oh wow thank you Nikki, yours was one of the blogs that really stood out on the tour, your creations are so unusual. Please could I have Wee Planet Swanage? It makes me think of fantasy/folk stories and the edge of the world.”
Here is an image from Carmen’s blog. Do check it out, she has such a fun writing style! “Hi Nikki! YAAAAAAYYYYY!!!! I LOVE your wee planets!
Sorry you didn’t make the CPS calendar… I hope you’ll keep trying just like I plan to.
It is SO hard to pick from all your awesome planets, but I finally decided on Planet Path that you made for Tina. It only seems right that since I’m lucky enough to be teaching at PC that I should have a wonderful reminder of her.
Thank you SOOOOO much!!”
Shelly and I have something in common – we both submitted art to the Cloth Paper Scissors calendar contest this year. Below is her delightful entry, painted on license plates! I LOVE it! Please do check out her blog! “I enjoyed your blog including the book structures. I would love to win one of your prints. Please add me to your drawing. Stop by for a visit if you have the change.
Have a lovely day!”
I’m still waiting to hear back from Kim about her favorite planet… Please do check out her lovely blog, RAEvN’s Nest: Thank you to everyone who participated! I so enjoyed meeting new friends and visiting so many wonderful blogs!
Have a wonderful day!
~Nikki
Tags: contest, giveaway, wee planets
Posted in Contests and Giveaways | 3 Comments »
Saturday, February 5th, 2011
I’m happy to be participating in the One World One Heart (OWOH) global blog giveaway event for 2011! This is a worldwide meet-and-greet virtual tour for bloggers complete with door prizes.
So, what could be more appropriate for this event than to give away a whole world? A “wee planet” to be precise. (Or rather, several…I’ll be adding one giveaway for every 100 comments so spread the word!)
The first prize is an 8″ x 8″ print of one of my “wee planets” (winners choice). Each mini-world is lovingly created from 360 degree panorama photos and ready to explore. If you had your very own world to escape to, what would it be like? Perhaps:
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Planet Path
Rural Bryan, Texas
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Planet Winter Hotel
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Planet Swanage
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Planet
Tongariro Volcanoes
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OR, your choice of wee planet from my gallery!
P.S. If you’re a photographer (or just handy with a camera) and live or travel somewhere beautiful, colorful or unique, please remember me — I’m always looking for great 360 degree panorama photos to create new worlds from. I don’t get to travel much these days as I’m enjoying the company of my toddler and a brand new baby, so all of my traveling is virtual at the moment!
My other love is the book arts, creating and binding one-of-a-kind artist books by hand. Last year I also gave away a “mini-booklace” (a mini-book necklace – wearable, functional art). I’m not sure if I’ll have a chance to create a book for the contest this year, as it is hard to find art time (or sleep time!) with a newborn… =)
B.T.W. – My latest wee planet (shown here) is currently a finalist in the 2012 Cloth Paper Scissors magazine calendar contest, “On the Street Where You Live.” I’ll find out the results on Friday the 11th – wish me luck!
UPDATE: Regrettably, my wee planet didn’t make it into the 2012 CPS calendar. It truly is an honor to be a finalist, and encourages me to submit more art in the future. Thank-you to all of those who wished me luck!
To enter, simply place a comment on this post. Be sure to include a valid email address so I can contact you if you win!
Deadline to enter: Midnight on February 17th
Winners will be announced: February 18th, 2011
Remember to check out the other participating blogs by clicking on the logo to the left.
This is the 5th and final year, and I want to say “thank-you” to Lisa for hosting this event for the past five years and helping so many of us make connections with fellow bloggers. And of course, a big thank-you to *you* for stopping by. I hope you can take the time to read some of my other posts to learn a bit about me and my artwork, and if it interests you, please do stop by again. Good luck, everyone! I’m off to visit your blogs now…
UPDATE: Comments are now closed! Winners will be contacted and results posted shortly. Stay tuned…
Tags: giveaway, wee planets
Posted in Contests and Giveaways | 94 Comments »
Saturday, September 18th, 2010
Finishing this His/Hers/Ours Goals journal has been one of my artistic goals this summer! =)
 This is a completely handmade dos-a-dos journal, using acid-free paper, bound with a variation on the Centipede binding style over raised supports. It lays flat for easy journaling.
 A dos-a-dos book (from the French meaning “back-to-back”) is a binding style where two (or more) books are joined back-to-back with the fore edge of one book next to the spine of the other, sharing a common back cover.
 A detail view of the binding, showing the spine of the two outer journals, with the fore edge of the midde journal in between.
I’ve entered this dos-a-dos journal along with two other handmade books (my Alphabet Caterpillar Book and my Mini Music Booklace) into the Cloth Paper Scissors Artisan Search 2011. As I was on a roll, I couldn’t resist upgrading it from a 2-in-1 his/hers journal to a 3-in-1 “his/hers and ours” journal. Comments welcome! The finalists will be announced September 27th… Wish me luck!
Tags: dos-a-dos, handmade book, journal
Posted in Contests and Giveaways, Handmade Books | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
This charming little mini-book is 3/4″ square. It has covers recycled from a discarded bracelet, sheet music pages (love it!) and is coptic bound with a clasp for attaching to a necklace or bag.
The striking black, white and red makes it perfect for a night on the town. It is a beautiful one-of-a-kind accessory for a book or music lover! (That’s me!)
Tags: handmade book, mini-book, music
Posted in Contests and Giveaways, Handmade Books | 1 Comment »
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Congratulations to the three (yes, I said three) winners of my 2010 One World One Heart giveaway! (Winners were chosen by random number.)
First place goes to Sharon from Texas who had this to say:
“The photos are so unique! Wow! Amazing. It would be hard to choose. And the idea of a book. My mind is running in circles now.
Oh Nikki! I’m so excited! I’m going to do a happy dance when I finish emailing you! I love the wee planets photos and would have picked one of them if I had not peeked at the mini book. I’ll have to pick that wonderful mini book! It is amazing! Thank you, than you, thank you! Wow! I still can’t believe that book! I can’t wait to see it in person. Thank you Nikki. You have made my day!”
You can visit Sharon’s blog here: http://happeningsonchaosranch.blogspot.com
This mini-book is 3/4″ square and filled with lovely red mulberry paper; covers are parts from a bracelet and it has a coptic stitch binding. Ready to be attached to a necklace or bag and filled with love notes, thoughts or photos of your sweeties!
And because I loved your happy dance, I’m including a print of your favorite Wee Planet, “Tongariro Volcanoes” too. This is based upon a panorama photograph of the Tongariro Volcanoes by my friends Ralph and Susan Bussard and converted to a wee-planet by yours truly:
Second prize goes to Kerry of Minnesota who says:
“AACKKK! I’m a winner! Oh wowza! Now I have to CHOOSE? Yikes. Hard choice. I think first I’d chose the book if the first prize winner does not come forward. And then it came down to the Old Tree and Bridge…. hmm…. eeny meeny miney moe… I think I will pick Planet Bridge! Yay! I’m so excited! I love your blog. I have been contemplating blogging myself…”
I hope you do start blogging, Kerry! It’s a great way to document your “journey”, whether that represents your life, your art, your family or your other passions. Let me know if you do and I’ll be your first follower!
Here is the Planet Bridge that Kerry chose:
Bonus Round:
I decided to add a bonus-round drawing just among all of the folks who commented on another post and/or became a follower of my blog. My way to say “thank-you” for your thoughtfulness, you’ve made my day!
And the Bonus Round winner is Mary-Beth of Canada who says:
“Nikki, your wee planets are amazing, I’d love to be a proud owner!! LOL And I’m a sucker for mini books too! Great giveaway!!!
Nikki, thank you so much for this!!! I am so thrilled to own one of your wee planets! It’s so funny cuz when I revisited your blog last night, I had a feeling I had won one of these!!!! Eerie!!! LOL I would love to have That Old Tree, I think it’s absolutely lovely!”
Mary-Beth also commented on my “Book of Home” post and kindly said:
“Nikki, I wanted to say what a wonderful little book this was and I love all the images you used in it, especially the tree! Fabulous!!“
Thank-you, Mary-Beth! You can visit Mary-Beth’s blog here: http://myjourneyintoart.com
And a big THANK-YOU to everyone who visited my blog during OWOH. I hope to see you back soon!
Photography Credits for above planets:
Planet Tongariro Volcanoes – photo by Ralph & Susan Bussard; planet by Nikki Smith
Planet That Old Tree – photo by Steffe; planet by Nikki Smith
Planet Bridge – photo by Andrew Prokos; planet by Nikki Smith
P.S. Do you have a great 360 degree panorama photo that you’d like to see turned into a planet? Just let me know!
Tags: giveaway, handmade book, wee planets
Posted in Contests and Giveaways | 1 Comment »
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