Art, dance, food, love, and other obsessions

Undiscovered Etsians! vol 15

2010-04-22T17:41:00.001-07:00

The next installment in the series! I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one... 3 of my last 4 have made it on to the front page, let's keep the trend going!

Ohdeedoh...

2010-04-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

I was featured on ohdeedoh.com last month! I had wondered where all that extra traffic came from :)

Here's the link!

Undiscovered Etsians vol 15!

2010-04-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

Movin' right along! It's amazing how many treasuries one can score when one pays attention :) It's also amazing how many undiscovered shops there are out there that definitely deserve some attention!

Have a look-see before it expires!

Undiscovered Etsians! vol 14

2010-04-05T11:33:00.000-07:00

These artists are amazing, talented, beautiful, and yet remain undiscovered on Etsy!

See the treasury here and visit these awesome shops before it expires!

Undiscovered Etsians! vol 13

2010-02-21T22:09:00.000-08:00

I had almost forgotten how fun treasuries are to make!

Can you believe these fabulous new talents I've found? Visit the treasury here before it expires!

Nerdtastic!

2010-01-25T14:54:00.000-08:00

All with the hearts and souls of true science lovers gave a shout of joy yesterday as I finally completed my NERDY EDITION ALPHABET POSTER!

I can't think of a better reason to have broken my unintended blog silence...

Buy one on Etsy for each nerd you know.

Yay for getting work done!

2009-10-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

I finally finished and listed my Original Edition alphabet poster (nerdy edition coming soon)!

See it on Etsy HERE.

The O so Fabulous PDX!

2009-10-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

So I was playing with etsy's fun and handy "shop local" tool and was astounded at the amount of gorgeous etsy shops and raw talent found stemming from my own city of Portland, Oregon. It inspired this bright and sunny treasury- Portlanders, take pride!

See it on Etsy here. And don't forget to go click! :)

Interview with a master photographer

2009-10-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share this link.

It's a fascinating interview with a fantastic photographer, David Anthony. It's a great read for anyone, but especially those into fashion and/or photography (and, as always, the pics are amazing)!

Undiscovered Etsians vol. 11!

2009-10-02T17:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, up to vol. 11 already?
Here they are.. 9 beautiful new shops in all their glory :)

Find it on Etsy here!

ACK! What I saw was not what you all saw..

2009-10-02T13:55:00.001-07:00

So I finally took the plunge and bought a (fabulous!) new computer.. turns out, it was much more needed that I thought! When I excitedly opened up my art on the beautiful, bright new monitor what did I see?? Ugly gray shadows! Everywhere! By no means do/did my actual prints look like that (they are lovely, if I do say so myself), but I just now was able to see what anyone with a decent computer monitor would see when they clicked on my photos!

Le sigh... well, at least they are all fixed now so people can see what my art really looks like (and not a gray mess!) Apparently it was waaaay past time for a computer update... and thinking about what other tools of mine might need updating!

Sorry for the little rant, but I was a little upset to see how misrepresented my art was.. by me and my sucky computer!

New photos

2009-09-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

I just got some new photos from a test shoot I did a while ago with the amazing Brendan Coughlin. Hairstylist was Sheenon Olson- he made me look incredible :) Both of these guys are ridiculously fun to work with!

As always, you can check out my online portfolio at modelmayhem.com!

handy dandy treasury finder tool

2009-09-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

So recently I was moaning on the Etsy forums (as I often am)... this time about the time-consuming task of finding out whether one is currently featured in any treasuries.

Someone kindly responded to my posting, told me to shut it, and directed me toward the nifty craftopolis.com. It has a treasury finder feature! Simply type in the name of the shop you wish to find and it will do so.. if there is anything to find. What a handy dandy tool.

I discovered I am currently featured in 2 treasuries! Check them out before they expire :)
Haunted House treasury!
Furry Friends treasury!

This girl that I used to know...

2009-08-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

So I have a new favorite clothing designer- one that I have the amazing fortune of getting to model for this week! Her name is Sarah Seven... yes, that is her real name. How do I know it is? Because I've known her by that name since she was 10 years old- since we went to middle school together.

She was cute and popular and I was scrawny and, well.. in the band. Strange that our paths should cross again in such a way! I suppose I have metamorphosed into something decent over the years (lucky for me as I love to be in front of a camera in pretty clothes :) She has become known as an amazing up-and-coming fashion designer, being featured on Etsy and the like and selling in multiple stores around Portland. I've heard she is taking her things to NY for fashion week!

Her clothes are outstandingly feminine and beautiful and I adore her attention to detail.

You can find her online at any of the below locations!

Her Etsy Shop

Her website
Her blog

Hopefully I will be able to post photos of my shoot with her soon! I am very excited for this one...

Vegetarian-friendly refried beans

2009-08-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

I've heard that Portland is the most vegetarian-friendly city in the country. If this is true, I feel sorry for veggies trying to make it work elsewhere... because it can be pretty darn hard. One of the most difficult things my husband and I have been dealing with is being honest with ourselves and actually taking the time to look at labels or ASK if an item on a menu is vegetarian. I quickly became fearful of doing this as it seemed many of the dishes I loved *secretly* had animal products in them! One of the big ones turned out to be refried beans. Our beloved beans were hiding a dirty secret- animal lard. yuk. So we had little meltdowns and cried a bit (not really.. ), then I got it together and started looking into making my own from scratch. As it turns out, it's really not that hard, the beans keep in the fridge for quite a long time (nearly a month), and they taste WAY better than any I've had in restaurants or bought at stores.

You'll need:

2 cups dry pinto beans
8 cups water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
One or two large cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
2ish tsp salt, depending on how salty you like it
Optional: salsa, tomatoes, onion, cilantro

First, wash your beans in a colander and sort out any funky or shriveled ones.

Pour the beans into a large pot and add the water. As soon as the water starts to boil, turn it down a bit but still continue to boil. Let cook for about 2 hours, adding water as it evaporates (keep the water level about an inch above the beans). Stir occasionally.

After the 2 hours, the beans should be soft and dark in color. At this point, add the vegetable oil, garlic, and salt.

Bring the pot to a low boil again, and cook for another hour or hour and 1/2. They'll start sticking to the pot, so you'll need to stir them occasionally to keep this from happening too much.

After the hour to hour and 1/2 is up, the beans will stick to the pot like crazy.. at this point, turn off the heat and mash. After all is said and done, I like to add a bit of my favorite salsa to the mix OR some freshly diced tomatoes, onion, cilantro, etc..

This turns out so well.. it really hits the spot!

Heck yes

2009-08-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

Remember when I mentioned this little guy getting into the Geek Chic gift guide on Etsy? Well, apparently he has graced Etsy's much coveted front page as well! Check him out in my shop.

And I never would have known it either, if it hadn't been for the discovery of www.socialmention.com... a pretty neat resource! It also showed me which blogs and other social media I have been mentioned on recently.

Undiscovered Etsians vol. 10!

2009-08-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

I swear I don't usually stake out the treasury! I've just gotten lucky the past few rounds.... honest!

Be sure to check out these shops! They're all great :) Here's the link to it on Etsy.

Undiscovered Etsians vol. 9!

2009-08-14T12:02:00.001-07:00

Wow, I'm usually not this on top of getting treasuries (notice how close together vols. 8 and 9 are??)... This one was complete random chance. I was like "hm.. wonder what's going on in treasury land". I go in and there's 1 minute left on the 333rd one... "Score!" I say. And BAM, there's numero nueve.

So, I've decided that I'll no longer be swapping artists in and out when first sales are made... although it's kind of fun and exciting, I think the original features really deserve to be spotlighted for the full 2-3 days.

Visit it on Etsy here! As always, don't forget to give it some clicks and love.

Big changes- Starting with my name

2009-08-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

So, I've been getting a ton of inquiries about material goods being added to my Etsy shop.. ie., printing my illustrations onto t-shirts, canvas tote bags, magnets, and the like. I guess this is a cry out from the pressure of a bad economy... "Please turn your luxury items into something useful so I have an excuse to buy them!" At least this is what I like to think people are thinking. Well, I've always thought it'd be fun to do screen printed clothing, bags, and the like, so I've decided I will do just that!

Before all this happens though, I need to do something about my brand name. I got an image of a great nerdy screenprinted tee with the label "courtneymcornett" on it and shuddered. (Like many others before me) when I joined Etsy I had no idea my user name would be stuck with me permanently as my shop name! Ah well, the time is now and I've been brainstorming for my new brand identity. Everything that I've come up with so far has been unabashedly nerdy.. which pleases me to no end.

I'm coming close to settling on one (or two in case my first choice is taken), but it's not too late to hear some new ideas! Let me know if you have a brilliant-beyond-brilliant idea for my new shop name. But only if it's good.

You can find me on Etsy here.

Undiscovered Etsians vol. 8!

2009-08-09T19:55:00.001-07:00

I love love love showing off my new finds :) ... And I think this batch is exceptionally good!

Don't forget to go click!

The first step is admitting you have a problem....

2009-08-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

Some of you may wonder what the deal is with the incredibly fabulous shoes in my header... Those would be comme il fauts- the most sought after shoes of Argentine Tangueras, the Manolo Blahniks of the dance world. So adored by tango dancers, the comme il faut website won't even post entire pictures of their new shoes to avoid copycats. They're so nice to look at, I figured if people saw them first thing they came here, they might just stick around and read my blog ;)

I have a pair. Not to make you jealous or anything. Mine are denim with gold accents, and make my feet look much more similar to the cute, impossibly tiny ladies feet that Disney says are the ideal. Which is saying... well, a lot. Unlike the typical shoe-addict though, the high price of them keeps me at bay (barely) from buying many more pairs than I'll ever be able to dance through. After two years of use, *my preciouses* are just starting to get a little loose, the inside edges of the soles are wearing and the denim is becoming faded; the inevitable process of so many great dances wearing away a great pair of shoes. The positive being, of course, a new pair of beautiful shoes in my near future.

I'm thinking maybe something more "ultra-feminine".. perhaps similar to these:

Is it so wrong that silky fabrics, bows, and skinny heels make me salivate? I don't think so....

Truth is though, I haven't always been a sorry, shoe-obsessed addict. The journey was actually an obsession that led to the obsession. I discovered Argentine Tango in my first year of college... let's just say it kept me busy. Alright alright- I was out every night, soaking up the music, the atmosphere, the people, the dance. If I didn't dance for a few days I started getting antsy (withdrawls, I suppose). I met my husband, Adam, through dancing tango... he was the host and teacher of a dance that I attended (I guess that would make me the student- oo la la!), he was much better than I was and still is by far. By the time we met, he had traveled all around the country teaching and DJing and hosting dances, knocked my socks off with his freaky ability to learn any new dance move in about 5 seconds flat and everyone raved about his classes. To my surprise he fell for me too and I suppose what happened (and if you've never been obsessed with tango, you might not understand) was that our obsessions with eachother slowly replaced our obsession with tango. Three years later, we still dance; we still go out to see the people and soak up the music, but we now dance to simply hold eachother- the shoes are there to make me feel pretty for him, as is their job.

If you've never seen Argentine Tango before (no, it's not the rose clenched in the teeth, marching across the dance floor... that would be American Tango), here's a little sample:

If you decide to try it out, let me know! But remember: It's just a dance, and they're just shoes... but they sure do look nice, and it's OK to love them.

Mmmm.... Sea Veg!

2009-08-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

Since I've not mentioned it before, I'll fill you in- about a year and a half ago, my husband and I became vegetarians. Let's just say I took an environmental ethics class, started reading some of the philosophical literature and found that I could not logically or morally justify my lifestyle. I realized I had two options: don't think about it or change. Bah! How frustrating. So I did change... and it's been a journey. The best part (aside from no longer having the moral weight on my head) has been the cooking experiments! Sometimes a loved recipe will just need a slight tweak or omission of meat to make it vegetarian friendly.. other times it will indeed be a complete experiment.

One of these such experiments will ensue as soon as I get my mail ordered ingredients, and I'm very excited to try it! My husband's favorite dessert is a jello-like vanilla cream usually served with berries and a fruit sauce. This treat is called panna cotta and is usually made with gelatin (yeah... it is an animal by-product; made from ground up hooves, bones, and other sinewy tissues). I just happened to run across this recipe on cutivatinglife.com, that uses in place of gelatin.... moss! Before you say "whoa dude.. you're crazy," I did a bit of googling and found that this moss has been used for hundreds of years as a thickening agent in china and, slightly more recently, Ireland.

Anywho, I got all worked up about it and (after much searching locally with zero success) I ordered a small package of dried Irish Moss, also known as Carrageen Moss, online from the folks at seaveg.co.uk. So, I eagerly await my mailorder seaveg and the kitchen experiment that will follow! I'll let you know how it goes.....

Returning from the dead + Undiscovered Etsians Vol. 6!!

2009-07-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah- it's been awhile! But, can you blame me? I just graduated with a degree in anthropoology- I mean, anthropology- and now I'm supposedly ready for "the real world." That last term was a stressor and I hardly had time to get all my school work done, much less keep up with Etsy AND modeling AND blogging....

Anywho, I'm back from the dead and better than ever... got lots of ideas for my Etsy shop, so we'll see some fun changes and new takes on old themes. Keep checking in and I'll do the same. More to come later... for now, here's my first treasury in far too long! Right where we left off: Undiscovered Etsians Vol. 6!!

Go HERE. Enjoy. And don't forget to go click.

2009-03-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Brand new painting! (18" x 24" acrylic)
We all know one of these girls-- you know, those girls with the unbelievably gorgeous red hair...

Find it on etsy or you can contact me directly to buy any of my artwork!

Geek Chic

2009-03-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

My little Equus caballus is featured in the Geek Chic gift guide on Etsy!

Sweet, dude...
Remember kids, there's nothing cooler than a Chic Geek. In the words of Bill Nye: "Science Rules!"

See it in action here

Solving the Mysteries of the Universe One by One...

2009-03-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

Take my poll... together we shall solve the mysteries of the universe. Let's start with the Bermuda Triangle phenomenon.

Bring on the Mayhem

2009-03-01T17:28:00.000-08:00

So... I finally decided to accept my fate and join Model Mayhem. Jobs won't be finding themselves, after all! We'll see how it goes...

Check it out! (and if you're a fabulous photog or designer.. hit me up..)

http://www.modelmayhem.com/courtneycornett

The Fabulous Janeane Marie

2009-02-28T17:35:00.001-08:00

I just shot last weekend for an amazing local (Portland, OR) designer.. Janeane Marie! She has some of the most amazingly beautiful looks so of course I was thrilled when she asked me to model for her :) Shot by the amazing Ben Piago, the photos (I've seen thus far) have turned out great!

Personalized Prints!!

2009-01-31T10:13:00.000-08:00

I love beyond love getting requests for custom prints! It lets me draw new animals without feeling guilty for neglecting other projects, and I get to be really creative with fitting in the personalization!

I think most often people get these as gifts, which is awesome... I've given a few as gifts, myself, since I started doing them :)

What animal would you get personalized for yourself?? I'd have so much trouble choosing for me... I'm such a crazy animal lover, I'd probably get a whole zoo to spell out my name :)

My Little Koi friend

2009-01-27T20:27:00.000-08:00

I just have to promote this little guy tonight. He's so beautiful (even more so in person)!

He's not a print.. he's an ORIGINAL 5x5 inch pen & ink illustration done on 100% cotton, acid-free, heavy-weight paper. I love the simplicity and richness of these four colors working together!

Little Koi needs a new home as he is getting antsy staying here with my cats. He has expressed interest in taking up permanent residence at your place...

Click here to visit his Etsy page!

Amazing, Undiscovered Etsians! Vol. 5

2009-01-24T17:39:00.000-08:00

OK, so I've slacked a bit on posting my treasuries for a bit.. sorry! Here's my latest, though... Introducing the incredible artists of Vol. 5!

Visit the treasury here, and click to your heart's content!

Word of the day: Palindrome

2009-01-23T20:48:00.000-08:00

I love palindromes sooooo much! Some of my favorites:

-Neil, a trap! Sid is part alien!
-Doc Note: I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod.
-Todd erases a red dot.
-T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad. I'd assign it a name: gnat dirt upset on drab pot-toilet.

OK.. maybe you guessed it by now if you didn't already know what it meant. A Palindrome is something that is spelled the same forwards as well as backwards, like racecar!

Sorry about that last one, TS Eliot.... Though I can't say I completely disagree....

Required Reading

2009-01-23T15:04:00.000-08:00

I love Steven Pinker's The Moral Instinct. It should be required reading for everyone in this world. Although, I'm not sure if it would make life easier or more complicated.... For a fairly short article, it's full of good stuff. REALLY good stuff! Thinking is good for you. Read it here

Being a sort of awesome model sucks

2009-01-13T12:54:00.000-08:00

I work with a local modeling agency. I do OK working locally, but apparently I have the "look" for international work. The first time I heard this, I thought it was great! I could work all over the world getting high-paying, fun jobs!

Now I realize what it really means: I am too "high fashion" to be really successful doing local "commercial" stuff... and the chances are quite long that I'll make it in the international market. I'm not trying to sound pessimistic, it's just a matter of odds. Might I be stuck in limbo forever?

I'm just a little annoyed at the whole modeling thing right now because my meeting with the International group was rescheduled.... again. Bah! *Rips hair out* Sometimes I feel like they're toying with me. I'd like to know whether or not I'm going to be able to finish school this spring or not.

----------------------------------

On a lighter note, I'm so happy with the way my Etsy shop is running right now! I'm starting to get consistent sales every week or so. It may not sound like much, especially to you Etsians who get antsy if you don't get several sales every day, but I think it probably takes a while for fine artists to get established and start seeing that kind of response. Happy thoughts!

www.courtneymcornett.etsy.com

Go buy some art from me! More happy thoughts for all!

Amazing, Undiscovered Etsians! Vol. 2

2008-12-28T16:22:00.000-08:00

This is the Second treasury in my undiscovered artists of Etsy series! Check them out.. you won't be disappointed :)

Here is the link to it on Etsy-- Go, click, buy, love!!

Gearing up for V-Day.. new listings!

2008-12-28T00:17:00.000-08:00

I've been working on my darn alphabet series for a pretty looonngg time. Don't get me wrong, it's been fun! But it's just been a while and I haven't been indulging my every drawing whim lately.. so it's nice to have an excuse to do something different and add a little more diversity to my shop!! Introducing "Love Cats"--

I love these guys :) I hope you do too!

I'm thinking about offering different background colors for an interesting twist as well.. I guess I'm going to wait to see what sort of response I get from the black and whites though. Input anyone?

Word of the day: "Sternutation"

2008-12-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

It may just be this awful cold weather, but lately I've been sternutating like crazy. It always seems to happen when I'm least expecting it, surprising myself and everyone around me! At least I don't have a funny sounding sternutation like some people...

Sternutation: The act, fact, or noise of sneezing-- www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

Amazing, Undiscovered Etsians!

2008-12-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

I remember how amazing it felt to make my first sale on Etsy! That, plus my new found love for treasury making equals... my "Amazing, Undiscovered Etsians!" treasury series! Enjoy, everyone... especially you, those you have yet to make a sale. I will be looking at your shops!

Here's the first:

Here is the link for you to go, click, and be merry!

Treasury goodness

2008-12-21T01:09:00.000-08:00

I love treasuries on Etsy! It's such an awesome way to build community support by getting people excited about promoting their fellow crafters! I made a treasury tonight that I'm very excited about! Here it is!

I was also featured in a treasury- Oh joy! Here it is! Go little Xenops :)

Becoming a blogger...

2008-12-20T21:26:00.000-08:00

Ever since blogging first became a "big thing" I have been increasingly wary of it (I'm not usually a fan of "big things" or fads.. whenever I do something trendy I feel the urge to say "bahhh"). From a societal perspective, it is a fascinating phenomenon; the internet, especially blogging, has created the ability to communicate with people all around the world super-fast, and its sudden and increasing popularity can only lead me to believe that, in this world of technological advances and efficiency, we still need to reach out to others and experience their humanity. I suppose blogging just lets us do it super-fast and with high efficieny :).

Well, so here I am- a new blogger and recent joiner of twitter. It's not because I have anything particularly interesting to say or anyone to keep up with, but mostly it's my own little experiment. Maybe I'll meet some new friends, learn some interesting things from other bloggers, and perhaps say something interesting myself! Oh, I've also heard it's a good way to promote one's online shop ;) So.. wish me luck, and buy something from me!

I am an artist and I love doing unique little animal illustrations. I've done an alphabet series and am trying to finish up a nerdy edition which is awesome for those smarties in the family :)

Check out the rest of my shop at the fabulous Etsy.com

http://www.courtneymcornett.etsy.com