Our Art Keeps Getting More Fun, More Exciting, and More Beautiful!

Here is another card we made - six of these to go with the 6 black ones previously mentioned, for our customer Betsy who wanted understated cards for condolences.

We were pretty stunned by their beauty once they were painted, cured and trimmed! This is a shot of them on the table before curing or trimming. We REALLY like this border thing - it's simple for Nick to do because he just has to follow the outline of the card. (He still gets to select each piece as he goes!)

Our customer Cheryl made a good point in our comments section...these are NOT just for condolences!! We think people would like these among our selections, so we're going to offer them! Look for a sample to appear on the slide show at the top of the blog, and on the bottom of the blog in the card shop.

We can do them in ANY color scheme for you! What would you like? Purple border on white card stock with brushed gold? Green border on cream card stock with brushed silver? The possibilities are endless! We're waiting for your order!

Our customers have inspired SO many great cards - Betsy, this time, thanks go to you!

Our Sympathy...

We had another request for a card that was initially a challenge but proved to be a beautiful card! A lovely customer, Betsy, wished to have personal, hand-made sympathy cards on hand when the need arose for her to send one. She wanted something with a black border on cream card stock - something quietly stated.

We scratched our heads for a bit, because "border" means straight lines, and we don't do any straight lines! Our collage is done in very irregular lines.

We think our final product is rustic yet very elegant. We used black wallpaper with gold print, brushed gold around that, and added a simple, organic gold leaf.

While we won't be doing these in mass production or adding it to our sample book, we wanted to show you that we can take any request for a special style or color theme!

Thank You, Thank You!

Our first "Thank You" design is here! It was created out of necessity AND inspiration. We needed a cute Thank You card to express our gratitude to those who attended Nick's pool party and gifted him so generously. Our inspiration came from a wonderful art teacher, Katie Goedde (affectionately known as S'ghetti) who gifted Nick with a great array of supplies with which to make cards! There was "bubbly" tissue paper, polka-dot ribbon, and other beautiful colors of tissue. We added some "Thank You" text and turqoise embroidery yarn and voila! Our Thank You card was born! We hope you love sending this card as much as we love making it! Enjoy!

Artism by Nick Has Traveled Halfway Around the World - to Afghanistan!

We are so pleased and proud to announce that Nick's cards are arriving at mail call and being opened by soldiers in Afghanistan!

This is Anthony, a soldier who is showing just how far the cards had come at his barracks in Afghanistan. It's one of Nick's earliest cards, the Autism Awareness card, from when we were making them on colored paper and using only a large sticker on the back. (See samples for how the Autism Awareness card has evolved.

Cheryl B., a very dear customer in Mississippi, is putting our cards in the hands of brave servicemen and women serving our country abroad. Cheryl makes quilts for the soldiers, and each quilt gets a lucky person to be designated as the sender. Cheryl has asked Nick to sign one of his Heroes cards in preparation for her to send it, along with a quilt from Nick, to a lucky member of our troops. We feel so honored to be a part of this selfless effort!

Cheryl is a loyal Artism repeat customer, and you can be sure that she will be receiving several complimentary Heroes cards in her next order, so that they may travel to our troops along with her quilts.

Looking at these photos gave me chills and happy goosebumps! Thanks also to Chase, who was the photographer who made sure that Cheryl got the photos into our hands to share with you on the blog. Along with the photos of Anthony holding the cards is the American flag flying over the Bagram Air Base.

Cheryl, your work is making so many people smile...Nick, while he is making his cards, and the troops,who are getting Artism greetings and cozy quilts made with love. Get ready to be well-stocked with Heroes cards for your next several quilt deliveries to our dedicated troops! We so admire YOUR dedication, too!