Franklin The Turtle Box

I created this little box for a wonderful repeat customer of mine. He liked my Bob the Fish Box, but needed a turtle. Not just any turtle, it was a special turtle named Franklin. In his quest for the most "Franklin-like" turtle, we discussed what I had and it was not 'Franklin-like', so he ordered just the right stamp and sent it to me. I used it and returned it with the completed box.

This sweet box now lives with his God-Daughter in France and graces her life. A reminder of love and care. There are many wonderful aspects that aligned in this brief transaction. Overall, it was a gift of love done for one person from another. It is the people who make the effort in our lives, who take the time, who go that extra mile that make all the difference.


Life is not about getting 'through' things. It is about the journey as we proceed.
What we learn along the way coupled with the the final arrival.

This takes time.
Love takes time.
This was a true gift of love - thank you for letting me be a part of it!

Patricia

Artist Creativity Box

Rubber stamped with lots of artsy images, this handmade cherry box is ideal for jewelry or nothing at all.It measures 5" wide x 5" deep x 7" high (12.7 cm x 12.7 cm x 15.87 cm ).Perfect for the artist in your life. Maybe that's you! Maybe an aspiring art student. A place to stow ideas, thoughts or record your artistic endeavors.

Adorned with a turquoise blue knob, blue fringe and black and yellow feet. The knob sits perched atop a yellow gold square stamped with black kanji symbols. Lined on the inside bottom with black velvet. Blue fringe adds a whimsical playfulness to this altered art box.

My boxes are hefty, handmade and I must say - beautifully handcrafted! Not flimsy ones from a craft store or imported. All boxes are sealed with a clear spray finish. Careful attention to detail resides in all the work from our studio. My husband builds the boxes and I adorn them. We're career artists and have been for 25 years!


My boxes are quietly making their way into esteemed collections around the world.
Will yours be one of them?

More boxes can be found on my etsy site:
http://tattoodreams.etsy.com

48.00
FREE domestic shipping

Margarita Rubber Stamped Salt Box

Summer may now begin!! I just listed this fun new box to my etsy site. Margarita Rubber Stamped Salt Box- This handmade cherry box measures 5" wide x 5" deep x 6" high (12.7 cm x 12.7 cm x 15.87 cm ). Perfect for the tequila lover or margarita aficionado. The top opens by way of a lift off lid. The 'knob' is a wooden lime wedge!
Salt on the rim- no problem! I've added sparkly 'salt'--nifty huh!!
This box is unlined and designed to hold salt or what ever other party needs you wish to have on hand.
This small box looks great on a kitchen counter and will be the life of the party! Laughter and tequila- does it get ANY better?

PEACE LOVE & MARGARITAS

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, ASK FOR TEQUILA AND SALT

A great hostess gift for that special summer party!
Also makes a great wedding gift with a bottle of the finest agave tucked alongside!

More boxes can be found on my etsy site:

It's almost the weekend- treat yourself, jump start the economy and have fun!!!!

If you're in Salina Kansas at the Smoky Hill River Festival in Oakdale Park, come by our booth and see all our TattooDream boxes. We're in booth #12

Cancer Sucks Rubber Stamped TattooDreams Box

This handmade cherry box measures 8" wide x 8 3/4" deep x 7 1/4" high (203.2 cm x 222.25 cm x 184.15 cm ). Cancer Sucks- I know first hand. I lost my Mom to breast cancer before mammograms had been developed. I was 15. She was 45. I know the toll it took on her, me, our whole family. I've seen this repeated among too many friends.

Why did I make this? Perhaps to aid in my own healing and help others. In creating this box, my hands found themselves reaching for a wide variety of word stamps in my collection. Everything from "laughter" to "sorrow". Tears mixed with paint and this empty box was transformed. This disease, like so many others, transforms. It brings so many emotions and memories to the surface.
My box may be just the 'right' gift for a friend going through this. Some days you laugh, other days you cry and in the end, you find a healing balance that gets you through whatever fate is planning on handing you. A good place to write down your feelings and tuck them inside. A cathartic worry box that can help.

Finished with a clear spray on the outside and left natural maple on the inside. Lined with black velvet on the bottom. Trimmed in shades of pink.

My boxes are quietly making their way into esteemed collections around the world- let yours be one of them!

••I love making special things for special people!••

More boxes can be found on my etsy site:

Tribal Mask Box

This TattooDreams creation is my Mask Box. Another of my recycled, reloved, cigar boxes. It measures 7" wide x 7 1/4" deep x 6" tall (17.78cm x 18.41cm x 15.24cm.) This box has a hinged top that easily reveals the contents you decide are the treasures most important. It's lined on the bottom with sultry black velvet. Emblazoned with an exotic array of culturally alive masks. These rubber stamped masks are from my tribal collection.

Inside the lid is stamped a crow with a verse from the Desiderata:
"You are a child of the universe.
No less than the trees and stars"

This box has amber feet and would match any decor no matter how contemporary, primitive or eclectic!

My boxes are quietly making their way into esteemed collections around the world.
See more of my work at http://tattoodreams.etsy.com

••I love making special things for special people!••

FREE SHIPPING on all domestic orders!

69.00 on my esty site

Patricia

Saying "I Love You" With Art

Nothing quite says "I love you" like something handmade. It holds within it the spirit of the maker, the breath of the artist, the soul of the imagineer who found a new way to express themselves.

To buy from an artist helps support them in what has become a most trying time. In doing so, you are also helping keep alive the 'can do' spirit that built this country. You're keeping your money alive in the U.S, buying American made art and craft and not buying imports. You are supporting another human being.

I sell my work on etsy.com and at art fairs accross the country. On any given weekend there are hundreds of my friends and I selling what we make in 10' x 10' white tents. Sometimes set up in parks or parking lots, we are there.
We are not a traveling circus- though we know most of our fellow artists.
We are a family of another kind- we help and look out for one another. Kindred spirits some would say.
We jury for each show one at a time and are granted an opportunity to show based on the quality of our work. If the weather and crowds are good, we hope to sell. If we sell, it means we too can contribute back into the economy.
This is our job.
This is not a hobby we dabble in.
This is what we do for a living.

We need your support now more than ever.

I say this not as begging. I say this because we are part of what makes the fabric of our culture.
We are the makers of art that is being made now.
We're the artists that can inspire tomorrows artists to follow their passion.
We are the ones that bring an esthetic quality to people who understand the importance of living among work that is
handmade, not generic soul-less 'stuff'.

We are the dreamers you read about.
The 'different drummers' you may have secretly admired.
The kid who ate glue and doodled incessantly in the corner of the classroom.
The odd girl who got picked last for volleyball teams but could draw amazing clouds.
The kid with mismatched socks that was mesmerized by what they saw out the school bus window-
The kid who had a million thoughts running inside their head-yet sat alone twisting their hair.
The one who didn't fit in then is the one whose work you may admire now.

This is who artists are.

Their ideas fill journals
paper napkins
sketchbooks
post it notes
the backs of their hand
canvasses
bits of paper
-the walls of their minds.

We make what you love.
We love to make what we do.
We love it more
when you love what we make enough
to trade
what is valuable to you
for
what is vital to us.

This is fair trade.

This is the process of buying art.
Investing in passion.
This is necessary
and this- in essence -
is love.

Patricia Hecker

Featured in the photo, The Artists Imagination Box
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35401858

Feel free to fall in love with something in my on-line shop.
Throw passion to the wind and toss it into your shopping cart and
painlessly pay with Pay Pal.
Your life will thank you.
Your soul will smile!

★ Check Out the Legs on that Box!! ★

Step right up! Children of all ages---a Circus Box!
Great for any adult whose inner child needs to come out and play--
Simpler times--
when the circus came to town.
The lions and tigers and sequined elephants oh my!
Plastic balls holding orange juice with a small white straw---nestled in a bed of ice!
Toys that spin and whiz and whirl.
Pop-corn vendors in red and white pressed uniforms.
Ropes and nets and painted cages and families together.
Before cell phones and the interruptions of life as we have it now.
Step back and remember simpler times!

In my etsy shop awaiting you to take it home!

55.00

FREE Shipping

Patricia
TattooDreamer

Shaman Spirits TattooDream Box

Some things look yummy up close. This Shaman Spirits Box was one of them. It was on my etsy site for less than 24 hours and sold to a past collector. My husband captured this boxes' aesthetic in a wonderful way!

Here's to making art and selling art!

Patricia

SOLD!!

TattooDreams Booth Shot

Art fair artists set up their mobile galleries in a 10' x10' footprint. Some opt for larger booths. Extra costs are double booths and corner access. All these criteria affect the layout and flow of traffic ones work will generate. This is my new booth!
Jon built the panels and, for the time being, the walls are raw wood. He did a magnificent job! Plans include wrapping each panel in carpet. As funds allow, this will transpire.

Selling a body of craft differs greatly from selling art for the wall. How I interact with the collector is different, and I'm learning so much by watching them interact with my work. Also I'm learning who gravitates to this body of work, in essence, 'who is my target market'? It's all good. I needed a new challenge and the psychology of sales has long fascinated me and understanding it directs how I market my work.


My TattooDreams are inspired by the images that resonate deep within our minds at rest. Oftentimes these dreams are awoken later the following day when some visual, scent or memory of a dream is recalled. The mind is a fascinating place to sketch our ideas, transform our thoughts and create inspired artistry. Dreaming is 'billable time' since my ideas come to me in my dreams! Being asleep and unconscious at the same time is awesome!
Thanks for your continued encouragement as I explore part of myself and this new body of work takes shape!

Patricia

Way Cool Artists Box

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(¸.*´ (¸.*`¤~ This is my Way Cool Artists Box. A handmade cherry box constrcted by my husband Jon, it measures 8" wide and 3 3/4" deep and 6 3/4" high (20.32 cm x 9.52 cm x 17.145. cm ). An artsy box with shapely purple feet and a very cool handle that says ARTIST on one side and CREATE on the other side. The top opens by way of a wooden lift off lid. Inside, the bottom is lined with black velvet for a great look. It will hold so many things and look great on a desk or where you chose to place it.
Lots of fun artistic images to capture the eye and engage the creative spirit!

On my etsy site:

50.00 SOLD!

Patricia

☆:*¨¨*:Cosmic Star Box:*¨¨*:☆

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(¸.*´ (¸.*`¤~ FEATURED TODAY...my Cosmic Star Box ! This cute cube-like box has an array of stars emblazoned all over. The top opens by way of a sliding lid which allows for full access. Inside, the bottom is lined with magically soft black velvet. This box is 4.5" wide x 6" deep x 6.50" high. Fun orange and magenta feet with black trim make this a wonderfully groovy box!

I think this box is laughing!!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

On my etsy site
$40.00

Patricia

๏ Airstreams & Dreams ๏

It's important for one to have a dream. Martin Luther King had one. We have one! Actually, we have lots of dreams. The decisions we make daily either help us come closer to those dreams or keep them further at bay.
After 24+ years circumnavigating this fine country of ours, we want to own an Airstream. Having once been owners of a tow behind camper, an Airstream is the quinessential camping vehicle. Some days the plan involves restoring a vintage model and outfitting it in retro barkcloth and sleezy lights draped around the windows with multicolred aluminum drinkware. Other times, when grandeur de jour takes over, the Christopher Deam models dance in our heads. Either way, the plan is to someday own, what we fondly call, a "silver turd", taking it to National Parks and exploring the great out west and parts we've not fully explored.

These shining examples of Americana have become highly sought after vehicles of years gone bye. When the open road and camping were what Americans did. We're old fashioned enough to embrace this concept but would outfit our turd (there's a fun use of words) with an espresso maker, Starbucks coffee, 360 thread count sheets and down comforters. Only the finer creature comforts for these 'campers'!

So with 'camper lust' firmly engrained in our minds and no budget to buy one, we stopped by the factory on our way home from Ohio. There,nestled among a well kept but older neighborhood of Jackson Center,Ohio sits the carefully manicured Airstream Factory. Daily tours are offered, but to keep 'turd lust' to a minimum, we refrained and saved that for another trip. Many buildings comprise this small factory that must employ the entire town. The office has a well laid out gift shop with parts and do dads for the turd afficianado. (Another set of bizzare words..........)
I knew this to be 'blog fodder' upon arrival! We took in the office and giftshop and venutred outside to take a few shots of vintage models that adorn the parking lot. We got some cool shots just before a monster storm set in.


Our theory of sales is to 'always leave them wanting more'.
Airstream in it's shimery, reflective nostalgic brillance did just that.
♬ Someday, our turd will come!! ♫

Patricia

By Hand Gallery

The last few weeks have consisted of working almost simultaneously on 3 bodies of work. Hecker Design work for the shows we're in, ArtfulSmiles for the Denver Orthodontic Convention and Tattoo Dreams work for my upcoming exhibit. Tomorow we'll deliver 35 pieces for the exhibit which runs from May 21-July 4th, thereabouts. We'll miss the opening but hope all goes well.
Featured tonight is one of three gourds I made in the exhibit. This is the Friendship Vessel.
It's emblazoned with a poem I wrote with stamps in hand. Lucky for me it all fit, as there's no erasing on a gourd!!! I love working with gourds. Their organic nature, smooth shell and warm caramel color I find lucious! I plan to grow some this summer if my green thumb is up to the task!

IT IS THE VESSEL OF FRIENDSHIP THAT FILLS TO THE RIM. THAT OVERFLOWS, EMPTIES AND FILLS AGAIN.
A BOTTOMLESS PIT OF COMFORT THAT ALLOWS HONESTY, LOVE AND COMPASSSION, TRUST TRADED, HOPE....RESTORED.
ME LOOKING AT MYSELF AS YOU REFLECT ALL THAT IS IN ME, IN YOU.
THIS IS FRIENDSHIP.
THIS IS LOVE.

To all of you who have been so supportive of me the last few weeks and months, I hug you with open arms of thanks!
♥
Pat

By Hand Gallery
101 W Kirkwood Ave # 109
Bloomington, IN 47404
(812) 334-3255

"Friendship Vessel" 95.00

★ Artist TattooDream Box ★

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(¸.*´ (¸.*`¤~This is my Artist TattooDream Box. Here's to all artists who hone their craft and share themselves and think......outside the proverbial box!!! This box can hold your creative dreams, desires and future projects. It also 'works' for art collectors..........anyone with an afinity to the creative spirit!

It measures 6" wide and 6" deep and 7" high. Trimmed in bright red handpainted wood feet with sexy black fringe! Very boho and fun! A wonderful hinged lid that closes without a clasp. Inside the box it's lined on the bottom with sultry black velvet. A great box to enjoy as an art or conversation piece.
★
50.00 buys this box on my etsy site.
http://tattoodreams.etsy.com

Patricia Hecker
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