see you later!

I am migrating my blog... please check out where www.brightorangethoughts.com leads you...

This blog will cease to exist on September 30th, 2011... or whenever I get around to deleting it.

Checking in...

Hello, again. It's been a busy while, so I thought I'd check in and letcha know what's been going on in the world of brightorangethoughts.


I've been working on a fantastic new project for blue manatee, www.bluemanateeboxes.com. I've taken the knowledge and experiences I've had from bookselling, art teaching, and being a kid (and a kid at heart) and mashed them together to make some "instructions" on how to play with the boxes the books come in. Because everyone knows that the best gift for a baby/young child is a box. They like the stuff in the box, but they LOVE the box.
On the site, you can check out some of the illustrations I've done, as well as order a 3, 6, or 9 book box for a reasonable, shipping included, price.

The boxtopus, by me. 

Oh, and I also learned to use Photoshop and Illustrator. Booyah. 

In the land of felted goodness, I have a couple of things coming down the pike, too.

blue manatee is having another "manatee mart" on May 13th, at which I will be selling some funny little monsters (see last post) and some delicious-looking felted fruits and veggies, as well as coasters and some other stuff that I'll be frantically making in the next 10 days. 

Really- these look delicious, don't they?

I also love that a long-lost friend from high school purchased one through my etsy site for her mother. 

So stop by blue manatee on May 13th, from 6-9pm, say hello, and bring cash or check if you want to buy from any of our lovely vendors, including Halominer and Uniquely Upcycled. You'll also find hula hoops (a favorite of mine), artwork for children's rooms, lovely picture frames, backpacks and accessories. 

One last tasty tidbit, I'll be entering hue: YELLOW at brazee street studios. Looking forward to getting my hands all yellow for this one. Maybe my feet, too. 

'Til next time, 
Kellib.o.t.

in the beginning...

there was this:

the first incarnation of the abominable snowman...

complete with cute tush.

then came the kool-aid dyed blue versions...

and the giant mohair ones...

many more exist out there, without photographic evidence.

oooh... I'm famous!

As the show at Brazee draws to a close, I'm thinking it's going to be time to start working on more of these little guys... 'cause they've been spotted on my etsy shop and blogged about here:
http://www.ionlylikemonsters.com/

Thanks to jmonster for putting this up!
I'll try to remember to post more of these little guys, just so you can see the evolution of the abominable snowmen...

felted trophies

I've finally let these guys out of my head-they've been taking up space for at least a year now. I remember sitting at a friend's house, waiting for tv night to begin, and it hit me- I think I even made some kind of weird "ooooooh!" noise.
Anyway, I created these felted animal heads for a show called "Multiplicity" at brazee street studios in Oakley. They'll be up until January 10th, or until they all sell. Kind of a big deal for me, as I've not shown my felted before.

I'll gradually post more pictures of the animal heads- if you see one you want, let me know at kelligleiner@gmail.com for pricing info.
These won't be available on my etsy site- at least not for a while.

big things at Brazee

I'm finally resurfacing!
It's been a busy and exciting fall thus far- I arranged blue manatee's holiday art and craft sale, "manatee mart," and I'm currently showing my latest and greatest at Brazee Street Studios in Oakley. I've been working on a series of felted animal heads- think tiny trophies. I'd love to post photos here, but I'd really you'd rather go see them. Not to toot my own horn (but, toot! toot!), these are really my best work, and inspiring me to want to create more larger, interesting pieces. Don't get me wrong, I love my ornaments and animals (see photo), but it's definitely time to move on.

So, here we go, onto the next leg of the adventure...

my very own farmer's market!

Happy May!

I was recently asked to create a set of pieces for a young lady for her 2nd birthday. She's got a fabulous hand-made play kitchen, and she needed hand-made fruits and veggies to go with it.

Her mom was so delighted and said that she had searched for quite a while, but hadn't seen anything so well made on etsy or beyond. It's so nice to hear such kind words- the customers I most aim to please are the youngest.

Naturally, you can visit the farmers market on my etsy shop, and everything is available for purchase.