Collagist

I hope everyone is having a great week.  With the hectic Holiday season in full-bore, sometimes it’s the little things you forget.  And while we would never consider customer service a “little thing,” heck, exceptional service is what makes us different, we thought today would be a good time to focus on communication.  Specifically, ways for you, our valued customer, to recommend an improvement to our product or service.

Believe it or not, you actually have five ways to reach us, talk to us, and engage in productive communication with the Collagist team.   Here they are:

1) Telephone – Yes, it may be considered old-school in today’s high tech world, but who doesn’t like the option of picking up the phone to reach out and communicate.   We believe in this avenue so much that we put it right where you want it, on top of the Collagist.com homepage for all the world to see – 508-925-7474.

2) Website Contact Form – If you have questions about placing your order, need a custom quote for your project, or simply want to make a suggestion, head right over to our contact form and say hi!

3) Blog – Well this is an easy one.  See this blog you’re reading?  If you look below, you’ll see two words, “No Comments.”  Let’s change that!  Drop us a note and we’ll be sure to respond.

4) Facebook – Oh ya, Facebook isn’t just for the kids out there, it’s also a serious business tool.  If you happen to be one of the 500 million people in the world on Facebook, why not check us out, “like us,” and engage with the Collagist community!

5) Twitter – Last but certainly not least, Twitter is the newest way to reach us.  Short, sweet, and to the point, Twitter gives you 140 characters to make a recommendation, ask a question, or simply say “hi.”  If you’re doing the Twitter thing, let’s follow each other!  We have over 130 followers right now and growing by the day.  We love Twitter and so will you.

So there you have it, five ways to reach out and talk to us.  Don’t be shy, tell us what we can do to help YOU do more with your pictures!

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that many of our customers are raising little ones.  After all, most children enjoy playing the leading role in a pictorial.  We here at Collagist love children and know how expensive it can be to raise them, especially around the Christmas season.  That’s why we wanted to point out a great deal going on at Gymboree.  For a limited time you can get 30% off everything in your cart (both in stores and online).  Need more?  How does free shipping sound.

This is one of those too good to be true sales, so jump on it right away and don’t forget who’s looking out for you!  With all the money you save, maybe you want to check out some collages? Just a thought

Thanksgiving is behind us and we have a slighter larger belly to prove it!  Don’t look now, but December is about to begin, which means cold weather, hot chocolate, snow, skiing, Christmas, more snow, more hot chocolate, more snow, shoveling, mittens, and yes, more hot chocolate.  The Collage of the Week covers it all!

(image from http://www.layoutsparks.com/1/181005/let-it-snow-collage-31001.html)

One major holiday down, one major holiday to go (well two if you count New Years Eve)!  As we head into the first week of December, the Collagist team would like to present one Christmas theme collage idea every Sunday throughout the month.   Today’s idea comes from the Disney family and shouldn’t take more than 2 hours of your time.

Hate feeling under the weather?  So do we.  That’s why today’s project will come in handy this month as the temperatures drop (we’re just outside Boston, which means snow is on the way soon).  Below you’ll find everything needed to create the perfect Tissue Box Cover Christmas gift for the soon to be sick friend or family member.  Enjoy!

Materials

Scissors or 2-inch circle craft punch, available at craft stores, Photographs or digital images, Colored paper, Mod Podge sealer, matte or gloss, Paintbrush, Plain plastic tissue box cover

(image from http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/photo-collage-tissue-box-cover-670465/)

It’s Friday, which means it’s time for a little collage history lesson, as we do each and every Friday.  I know some of you may still be in a food coma from the Thanksgiving feast, but here’s a little knowledge taking you into the weekend.

Q:  When was paper collage first discovered?

A: It’s believed that the the earliest examples of paper collage are the work of twelfth-century Japanese calligraphers.

According to artist Susan Krieg, Japanese calligraphers prepared surfaces for their poems by gluing bits of paper and fabric to create a background for brushstrokes. Later, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in the Near East, craftsmen cut and pasted intricate designs and used marbled papers as part of the art of bookbinding..

I hope you enjoyed today’s lesson and be sure to check back every Friday, as we here at Collagist aim to become your source for all things collages.

From the team at Collagist, we’d like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.  And since we know many of you will be taking pictures today, why not do more with them by creating a special Thanksgiving collage, just like the one below.  Best of all, FREE shipping on all products as a way for us to thank you for supporting Collagist!

(Thanks to Jsnyder2779 for the image)

Just launched a FREE SHIPPING special on all Collagist products. Please take advantage of this special offer before Dec 4, 2010. This special offer could be applied to all the Photo Collage and Canvas orders and could potentially save up to $14 on your orders. This offer is not only valid on large canvas posters/collages.

Cheers

It’s Monday and the Thanksgiving holiday is only a few days away.  I’m guessing some of you are finalizing travel plans, setting the cooking schedule, and preparing to watch lots of football.  So it only makes sense that this week’s Collage of the Week has a Turkey Day feel to it.  How cute is this!

(Thanks to http://www.toppartyideas.com for the image)

It’s Friday, which means we’re introducing a new weekly feature to better educate and inform those interested in art of the collage as you head into the weekend.   Let’s just call it Collagist Friday Collage Trivia, or maybe just CFCT?  Well, you get the point, so kicking off our first edition of CFCT is the following question:

Q:  The term collage derives from the French “coller,” which means?

A: Glue, sticky, to stick.

According to wikipedia, the term was coined by both Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in the beginning of the 20th century when collage became a distinctive part of modern art.

I hope you enjoyed today’s lesson and be sure to check back every Friday, as we here at Collagist aim to become your source for all things collages.

As you may have guessed, we here at Collagist love all things collages.  Defined as an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole, what’s not to like about this form of art?  And with a name like Collagist, it would only make sense that we’re a valuable resource for those looking for info on collages.  So with that as a backdrop, here are some of our favorite online collage related sites:

Awesome Collage Blogs:

http://www.chrisjlange.com/art.html – Collage portraits of Nintendo game characters like Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool?  How awesome is that!

http://www.paintedcottage.typepad.com/ – A blog about Collage, Mixed Media, and Encaustic Art with a vintage flair.  Photos of current work, book and video reviews, discussions, and technique.

http://www.kohlage.com/ - Kohlage is a site dedicated to the expressive art form of collage. It is a place where artists can go to showcase their works and/or find inspiration in the work of others.

http://acollageaday.blogspot.com/ – A Collage a Day is an ongoing project that involves creating and posting a new 4″ x 4″ collage to the site everyday.

Collage Organizations:

http://www.collageartists.org/ – Collage Artists of America was founded in 1988 by nine Los Angeles-area women proficient in a variety of media who sought to expand their creativity to encompass collage and assemblage. Two years later the current name of the organization was adopted and membership has grown across the United States. Many members are or have been instructors at all levels of education and exhibit widely both nationally and internationally.

http://www.collageartforcancer.org/ – The Art for Cancer Network is dedicated to providing innovative art programs for people living with cancer. COLLAGE is inspired by a belief in the power of art and creativity to transform lives.

http://www.nationalcollage.com/ – The National Collage Society is an art foundation formed to foster the appreciation and interest in the art medium of collage. Collage as an art form has only been identified during the 20th century. The NCS, Inc. promotes the advancement of collage as a major art medium and assists in the education of the public through exhibits, workshops, lectures and publications.

http://collagemuseum.com/ – The IMCAC is dedicated to the collection, study and exhibition of collage, assemblage, construction, montage, photo-montage, digital collage, concrete poetry, collage poetry, film, sound collage, and other constructive arts.

How Do I Collage?:

http://www.collagecollege.com/ – Collage College is an on-line resource guide for collage and mixed media artists. I try to cover topics of interest, such as collage and mixed media technique, copyright, sources of public domain images you can freely use in your own work, collage materials, links and more.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=collage+techniques&aq=f – YouTube sourced video tutorials.

http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/collagesartscraftsideasprojectskids.html – Projects and tips designed to introduce children to collage.

http://www.collageart.org/ – Dedicated to the art of collage.