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 There are so many things to love about this time of year. One thing that I think is especially exciting for creative folks is that it's a fun opportunity to share our creativity with others, in the spirit of the season. From decorating our homes for the holidays, to decorating holiday cookies, there's just nothing like the holidays to bring out a very special kind of creativity in just about everyone.
How are you expressing your creativity this season? Think of new ways that you can incorporate your favorite kind of art-making into your holiday traditions. Perhaps you can invent your own kind of Christmas tree out of unconventional materials, such as the jewelry stand shown above? Or maybe you can hang a garland made of ATCs? Or create a hand-made decorative label for the carton of egg nog you bring to a party. Or try composing original poems to give to your friends, as very unique gifts from the heart.
Speaking of gifts, we've got some great options for last-minute gifts for creative people on your list…including yourself! Artella e-Certificates and Artella Gift Memberships are meaningful gifts for lovers of creativity, and right now they are both on sale at an amazing 55% off! Keep reading below to get all the details
If you're in a hurry, here are some "quick links" to the highlights in today's Artellagram. You can simply follow the links that you're interested in to go directly to the relevant information!
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 1. Quick, Easy Gifts…at 55% Off! You can now save 55% on last-minute Artella gifts! We've created just the thing for everyone on your gift list: a six-month or full-year Luxury Gift Membership to one of Artella's new Luxury Cabin Memberships!
There are five different Membership to choose from…truly something for everyone on your list (including yourself!):
To take advantage of our spectacular 55% Off Special for Gift Memberships, read the descriptions above, and when you're ready to order your Gift Memberships, go to this page to order your gifts. We'll take care of all the details, deliver the Gift Membership details to your friends in artsy, Artella style! This is also a great opportunity to get or upgrade your own Artella membership at 55% off as well. It’s the best offer we’ve ever had on membership so if you are a current monthly member and would like to save up to 55% on your membership during the coming 6 months or 1 year, this is the promotion to take advantage of.
 There’s also another great option you can use as a gift: If you'd like to treat your friends to be able to explore the wonderful world of Artella Land on their own, what could be a better gift than an Artella e-Certificate, now also 55% off! Artella e-Certificates are good on all Artella eProducts, including all Artella e-courses, eBooks, recordings, downloadable collage kits, Digital Altered Books™ supplies, Artellabets alphabets, and all other downloadable art supplies.
And right now you can get an Artella e-Certificate at 55% off! For example – you can give an e-Certificate to a friend worth $50 in Artella eProduts…but you pay only $22.50! Plus, we take care of all the details, delivering a beautiful, artsy gift certificate to your friends along with your special message. Get more information on Artella e-Certificates at 55% off, here!
 2. NEW! Holiday Art Supplies! We've got several NEW goodies in the Artella Store, just in time to inspire you as you create your holiday cards, invitations and gifts.
Here are links to just a few of our new holiday-themed items!
 3. Artella's Annual Holiday Gift Gala Super Sale Continues! Save 55% on All Artella eProducts, And Get Your Choice of 4 Creative Gift Packs with Artella's Annual Holiday Gift Gala Super Sale! for yourself and your friends. You can save 55% on up to ANY 5 eProducts of your choice. This includes all Artella e-courses, eBooks, recordings, downloadable collage kits, Digital Altered Books™ supplies, Artellabets alphabets, and all other downloadable art supplies! It's our most scrumptuous sale of the year, just in time for the Holidays!
As if 55% off wasn’t enough, on top of that you get your choice of 3 Creative Pie Gift Packs Free! Perhaps you'll select Delicious Double-Crust Delight for Digital Artists, or perhaps the Old-Fashioned Apple Pie for Vintage Ephemera Lovers is more you style! There's a Creative Pie Pack for everyone, and they are all stuffed with free goodies…and that's on top of the 55% discount!
Dive into the Gift Gala Super Sale, here!
 4. Join Artella's Affiliate Program! Have you been wanting to bring in some additional income? If so, you'll be very happy to know that Artella's New Affiliate Program is finally here! After many of your requests and over a year in the making, Artella's Affiliate Program is ready to help you start earning income, just by spreading the word about Artella. The Artella Affiliate Program is free, and within a few minutes, you can be ready to actually start earning real income, receiving 25% commissions, one of the highest commissions available online. Get all the details about Artella's exciting Affiliate Program, here!
 5. Interested in Becoming Part of Artella's Team? If you're interested in becoming part of the amazing Artella Team, check out this post in the Artella Cafe for details. We're rolling out some exciting new features in the coming months and would love to bring a few more wonderful, creative souls on board!
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 We've got some wonderful seasonal items in The Shoppes of Artella, and among them are Anne Davies beautiful downloadable holiday greetings. I hope you enjoy this interview with Anne in our new "In the Studio" feauture!
Artella: The possibilities to ‘create art’ when you’re a novice seem endless – where’s a good starting place?
Anne: I’d say to anyone starting out – try photography. Don’t worry about the type of camera you have to hand, as you can take good photos even with a disposable camera or an old Polaroid. The point is to look at something, frame it and shoot. Take lots of photos of subjects you like such as flowers, mountains, animals etc. Even if the photo is blurred, keep it.
Hopefully, you’re still feeling inspired, so why not go one step further? Dip one of your photos in lukewarm water and scratch the surface using an awl or fine sandpaper. You can remove specific areas of an image this way and give your photograph new life and character. Do the same with some of your other photos. Finally, mount all of your finished prints onto a board or canvas to make a collage. You can then hang your first piece of art on the wall.
Your next mission is to repeat the above, but instead try colouring your images with paints or gel pens – now you should be on your way to creating art!
You can read the rest of Anne's interview, here!
See Anne's inspiring products in The Shoppes of Artella, here.
 If you want more artist interviews from Artella, take a look at our eBooks Artist Profiles Assembled and Artist Profiles Assembled, Vol 2.
Or visit The Artella Daily Muse, where we feature an Artist Profile of a different artist, every single day! |
 ART TIP OF THE WEEK: I live in Hawaii and I can't believe I'm saying this, but sometimes I actually miss wintry weather! So I'm always on the lookout for "cool" art projects that capture winter. Wintry images seem especially suited for an art technique like gel medium image transfers, because the result of a gel medium transfer is usually a bit hazy and mysterious.
This example was created by my mom, Arthiss Kliever. She took a page from a vintage book of fairy tales (titled, appropriately, "The Snow Queen") and created an altered book page to highlight a winter photo. A gel medium image transfer was used to create the magical winter wonderland in the background.
Click here for step-by-step instructions for this project.
WRITING TIP OF THE WEEK: If Winter were a person, what would he or she be like? Create a piece of writing that tells the story of Winter, or perhaps write a poem in 1st-person, from Winter's point of view. What does Winter have to share with us?
Share what you come up with in The Artella Café, here!
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Marney