Category Archives: Artventures

Unruly Art Market Recap 👩🏻‍🎨🎪✨️

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What a beautiful day for an exorcism….I mean an art show! Thank you to everyone who came out to the Unruly Art Market yesterday (I wish I had gotten pictures of all of you). It means the world to me that so many people in my life showed up because you see me, and you understand that art runs deep in my soul and fuels my very existence. By doing so, it’a testament of how much you truly support and believe in me, and my heart is so full right now 🥰✨️

It was also so rewarding to connect with so many new artists and reconnect with others I have known for years. Being surrounded by your amazing artwork was so fulfilling! 🖼✨️

A big HUZZAH to my friends Ellie and Strazz for venturing out early to set up, helping me keep my shit together all day, making sure our crew was fed and taken care of, lending their canopy to Melissa, staying late to help take down.. and so much more. Frank and I are so blessed to have such caring best friends in our corner. We seriously can’t thank you two enough! 💎✨️

Shout out to my incredibly talented friend April Adams for wanting to give back to all her creative friends by putting on such an amazing show and motivating me to take a break from vendor retirement! It was so great to be a part of something that was truly created to support artists. 🎪✨️

Thank you to Loren at Crow and Calico for your hospitality and being my first sale of the day! Can’t wait to come back to see my It’s Gonna Be That Kindof Mornin’ Pee Wee Herman art piece on display at the bar and to spend more countless hours getting my kitty fix in from Whiskey Tea! 🥃😻

Last but not least, a shout out to my husband Frank, who not only is my rock but puts up with all my shenanigans and is along for the ride for all my crazy ventures. Even when one minute I am on a high inspired and motivated and the next minute, I am overwhelmed and pulling my hair out. You see all of me, and I hope one day you can at least say I never made your life boring. 🤪🌙

I am exhausted today after weeks and weeks of preparation, the show, and now to unpack and inventory everything, but it was all so worth it to get unruly with all of you in the name of art! 👩🏻‍🎨💗

Stay Strange & Magical✨️
LDG Nicole

An Unforgettable Evening With Howie Mandel

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Never let anyone tell you that your art will get you nowhere, because getting amazing seats and going backstage at a Howie Mandel show is a pretty epic place to be! 🤩✨️

This weekend was filled with so much joy and perspective. At one point during the evening I was looking up at the beautiful ceiling of the Genesee Theatre and it hit me that this unforgettable evening I was having with my husband all stemmed from a piece of art that I envisioned and created.

There I was, 45 years old, standing next to Howie Mandel, all because I had picked up my drawing pencils to engage with my 8-year-old inner child. The little girl who fell in love with a movie that made life less scary, because there was always the possibility that a high-energy, baseball-card-collecting, Dorito-munching, home-goods-smashing, bully-revenging, apple-juice-pissing, homework-eating monster of a friend was just a bedtime away.

That’s when I got this overwhelming sense that my younger self would be so proud of where her art has taken her. That she would be so glad she never listened to those who told her that art would get her nowhere. Because although it has not made me rich financially, it has blessed me with so many amazing life experiences that my younger self could have ever imagined. And to me that is somewhere.

5 years in the making, and I truly can not thank Howie’s Manager Rich enough. Not just for an unforgettable evening but for also pushing me to take a risk and ship an original piece of artwork to him because “Howie saw it and loved it so much”. The heart of this “little monster” is now fuller than “an elm tree”😆💗🌳 and you made that happen.

Stay Strange & Magical,
LDG Nicole

*Tattoo featured in reel was done by the incredibly talented Luke Reubelt at Untold Gallery.

Unruly Art Market May 31 at Crow and Calico will Feature Artist Living Dead Girl Nicole and More!

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Well, the cat’s out of the bag, and in a way, so am I.

As many of you know, about six years ago I went into a bit of a vendor hibernation. I started selling my artwork on consignment with Closet Collectibles, and it has been much easier to balance my time and energy by focusing on my in store display. That way, my collectors can browse and purchase my pre-made pieces at anytime.

In other words, I usually turn down vending events. But this one is different.

My incredibly talented and supportive friend, April Adams, is putting together a special event to give back to her network of artist friends by creating a space for them to be seen, supported, and celebrated. She is bringing together a community of amazing creatives and giving them more exposure and opportunity to share their creations. Since I am not currently working, the timing felt aligned, and honestly, it felt like a calling to show up, support her vision, and stand alongside her and other local artists.

So with that being said, I am officially dusting off my vendor booth gear for this event and it would mean the world to me if my art collectors would come out and be a part of it. It will be a fun opportunity to purchase art from real human artists (no AI here), jam out to live local music, stuff your face on delicious grub from local food trucks, sip a drink or two at the hosts’ tavern, meet some adorable goats on the farm, and even get your own creative energy flowing with a live paint and sip. And it gets better… its FREE to attend!

Unruly Art Market
Sunday, May 31st, 2026 at 12pm
Crow & Calico Tavern
25956 S Egyptian Trail, Monee, IL 60449
RSVP on the Facebook Event Page
Follow & Support on Instagram

Everyone involved would truly appreciate helping us out by spreading the word about the event. You can easily do so by sharing this blog post with your email contacts, social media followers or by texting it to anyone that would love to support the arts and have an unruly good time doing so!

Stay Strange & Magical,
LDG Nicole

Donate A Killer Prize For Flashback Weekend Horror Con

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🏕️ Happy Friday The 13th Boils & Ghouls! As you may know, I volunteer as the VIP Prize Coordinator for Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Con and the countdown has already begun for the convention to return again this year.

As the spine tingling fun of the announcements creep in, I am now summoning artists, creators, and business owners who want to be part of the terror by donating prizes for the convention’s exclusive VIP Party raffles!

The VIP Party is a killer event attended by Ultimate Ticket Holders and Celebrity Guests, making it the perfect place to have your creations and products showcased in front of the most dedicated fans and the celebs at Chicago’s largest and longest running horror movie convention.

😱 Want to become a prize sponsor? Visit this link to learn how you can contribute and get involved!

😱 Know an artist, creator, or business whose items would make a killer raffle prize? Summon them by sharing this post!

Who knows… your prize might just be the one everyone is dying to win this year! 🎟️ 🧟‍♂️

Stay Strange & Magical,
LDG Nicole