Cat's Corner

New Blog Challenge New Rules

2009-08-27T21:48:00.005+01:00

After some consideration as to how I can boost entries to the current Blog Challenges I've come up with the following strategy to try out:

You can now enter anything created by yourself that fits the theme of the challenge, this might be a photograph, traditional artwork, embroidery, sculpture . . . absolutely anything handmade as long as you can take a photograph of it and email it to me or post a link.

The aim is to creatively interpret the title not just straightforwardly depict it.

There will be a month to submit your entires then a week for voting.

A prize will be awarded to the winner and I reserve the right to award any additional prizes I feel appropriate.

In the event of a tie I will choose the winner.

In order to enter you should make some effort to promote the competition, post a link on your blog, Facebook, Twitter anything you feel helps others to find the Challenge.

There will be a promotion and chat thread on Etsy, which I'd be grateful if you joined in - a link to the thread will be posted with each new Challenge announcement.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Onto the next Challenge.

The theme is 'Creature Comforts'. Please use this title as a basis for creative interpretation. Post your links on this thread or email me a copy of your entry to amazoncat88[at]googlemail[dot]com

Join in the Creature Comforts chat and promotion thread here please drop in and help promote the competition as well as your own work.

The Challenge will close on the 1st October after which voting will be open for 1 week.

Sorry for the silence . . .

2009-08-27T08:57:00.005+01:00

. . . I've been very very busy firstly at a veterinary practice clocking up work experience for when I apply to university. The practice I was at is really lovely, which is quite a blessing as the certainly aren't all.

I also had a baby hedgehog brought to me, which unfortunately died suddenly. This apparently isn't entirely unusual although it is obviously quite upsetting. The little fellow had been coming to the vets with me everyday as it needed regular feeding. About a day before it died we noticed some soreness around its bottom and phoned a large veterinary practice that does all the work for a big rescue centre in London and my vet followed the advice of the expert in London in terms of treatment. The baby suddenly went downhill that evening and I called a lot of local hedgehog people for advise, most of them weren't in or passed me onto somebody else and when I did eventually talk to somebody she wasn't all that helpful and told me I'd probably killed it with the medication I was giving it. All rather unfortunate and given that by the time I was off the phone the poor little thing had died not a great evening but it wasn't until I went back to the vets to continue my work experience that I realised just how rude and unhelpful this woman was. Apparently she stormed into the vets that Saturday and started shouting at the nurse on reception in front of the whole waiting room that she'd killed it and they should all know better. Luckily the people there are really nice and didn't blame me for the crazy shouting woman but I felt terrible. I didn't intentionally mention which vets it was as they were doing me a favour and didn't really deserve to get dragged into anything, they were after all following professional advise. Unfortunately there's basically nothing I can do as I can't even be 100% certain who actually went in and did the shouting as there's a little group of women here who all take in hedgehogs and work together, none of them live close to my vets (which annoys me even more because they clearly made a special trip to do the shouting) so it really could have been any of them. Sorry for the rant but I haven't really had anybody to talk to about this; the whole experience has really put me off and I now feel I can't take anymore hedgehogs to this particular vet.

In more positive news Apple finally got back to me after months and months and I have a job! It starts in a couple of weeks, which is great after nearly a year of basically no money. I should also be starting A Levels around that time so my life is going to suddenly get quite busy. The only slightly annoying thing is that I told the Job Centre people that I had a job and they said 'great but you still have to keep applying to places until you start even though you already have a job', so I have to waste my time and that of the companies' I'm apply to applying for jobs I don't want or need; it is frustrating and seems very silly.

I will be launching another Blog Challenge before the end of the week and put up some Artist Features so keep checking back for updates.

And the Winner is . . .

2009-08-10T22:10:00.002+01:00

As we have a tie I will select the winner of this round, I hope that's alright with everybody. As Amie, who is the photographer of #6 won the last round I will award this round to Southern Girl who took #1, I will be in touch with you shortly; well done to you both.

My personal favourite for this round was #2, taken by Kimberly Rose, I love her original take on the theme, not to mention it is a stunningly well taken photograph.

More news and an Undiscovered Artist Feature coming up later in the week.

'Hidden' Competition Entries and time to vote!

2009-08-03T19:45:00.003+01:00

It's time to vote for the winner of the 'Hidden' photography competition so here we have the entries:

2.
3.
4.
5.

Please use the poll on the left hand side to cast your vote, remember to vote for the photograph that you think best suits the theme 'Hidden'.

The rules for voting are as follows:

- please do not vote for your own entry

- please take the time to promote the competition and the voting on your own blogs, websites etc.

- voting closes at midnight GMT on Monday 10th August.

Show and Tell and Established Artist

2009-07-30T22:04:00.008+01:00

First of all a final push for the photography competition which will end at midnight (GMT) tomorrow. Please, please, please take a few moments to pick out a photograph from your snaps that you could title 'Hidden' and email it to me or post a link to it on the competition post.

Next I have a few photographs of recent bits I've been working on.

First off a load of dragons in all shapes, sizes and colours.

Next some random bits and peices, unfortunately my oven lied to me and the moth that took my AGES got a bit burnt but I'm hopeful that I can rescue it with some acrylic paint. The little dragon at the top is attached to a glass pendant bead so I thought he deserved a little extra attention than just being left in with the other dragons. The luna hare is particularly special - a 100% unique design inspired by 'Masquerade' by Kit Williams - if you don't know about the quest for the golden hare that was a big thing in the late 70's - early 80's in England make sure you google it!

Here a few owls that I'm making for charity:

And lastly a phoenix I felt inspired to make having finally finished the Harry Potter series this morning. It took about three hours, which is slow going for me but I quite like how it turned out although I've got a few ideas out what to improve when I feel brave enough to make another one.

All these items are for sale, I will probably list them on Etsy eventually but it takes me a while so by all means get in touch if you would like to buy something or would like to see more detailed photographs etc.

Onto an Established Artist Feature - today we have Dawn Montgomery of First Light Glass, who I have a strange feeling I've featured before but I can't find the feature and I really love the work in this shop so if we have had it, we'll have it again and if we haven't so much the better.

1. How long have you been an Etsy seller?

I have been selling on Etsy a little over a year now.

2. Where do you get your inspiration?

I get my inspiration from my daily life. Sometimes it's a bird landing outside my window like in my blue heron pendant

Or sometimes it's a walk on the beach which inspired several pendants:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17879068

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20240895

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20850315

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17714548

My children also love to give me ideas. One daughter was studying Earth Day at school so I created a "recycle" pendant and an earth pendant. Another daughter came up to me after her piano lesson and suggested a music notes pendant

I finally started keeping a notepad with me to write down my ideas (and my children's) as I think of them.

3. How much time do you put into your shop on average weekly?

I probably work 25 hours a week on my business. In addition to creating I spend time updating my listings, posting in the forums, adding pictures to flickr and posting in my blog. I think I spend just as much time trying to help people find my shop as I do creating.

4. What's your favorite item you're selling at the moment?

My favorite item is my organic twigs bowl. I love the way the shadows have an amber color and change shapes with the light.

5. Tell us about three other Etsy shops you love and why.

I love Lady Bumble Bee. She makes amigurumi stuffed animals that are so sweet and have such personality. My two daughters love her stuffed animals and love getting them for special occasions.

The second shop I love is Enfin La Voila. This shop is from Belgium and makes personalized notecards with vintage inspired designs. I love these notecards because they are very unique and I know that no one else in town will have the same notecards.

The third shop I love is Athena Creates. She makes these wonderful unpaper towels. I keep them in my kitchen and my kids use them instead of paper towels. Throw them in the wash and they're ready to use again. It cuts down on waste and germs.

6. Pets? Family?

I have been happily married for 17 years and have three elementary age children - a boy and two girls. I also have a black Labradoodle puppy, Bear, that has made life around our house very exciting. Bear never runs out of energy and is constantly dropping a ball in my lap to play catch with.

7. Tell us about a typical day in your life.

During the school year I work during the morning then spend all afternoon driving my kids around to dance, tae kwon do, golf and piano. Now that it's summertime, I seem to be spending a lot more time taking the kids to the beach and pool and less time in my studio working.

8. What other interests do you have?

I love reading, painting and walking the puppy. I find I mostly read children's books now since I screen them before I let my kids read them. There's a lot more choices in books than when I was their age. I also love painting acrylic landscapes. I spend every July in the North Carolina mountains and paint while I am there.

9. Anything else?

I love meeting other creative people and have met many great sellers on Etsy.

Thank you so much for featuring me!

http://firstlightglass.blogspot.com

http://firstlightglass.etsy.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34735816@N06/

Worstead Festival, life and Undiscovered Artist WireArtInk

2009-07-27T21:57:00.005+01:00

No update over the weekend due to demonstrating lacemaking at the Worstead Festival in Norfolk. I got through two bookworm bookmarks on the first day (really really basic stuff) then had a huge fight with something more complicated over the next couple of days - it is pretty distracting having people staring at you whilst you work plus I was in charge of the 'demo pillow' which meant hopping up and down several times an hour to show children (and some quite big 'children') how to do a bit of simple lace. I quite enjoyed the experience, although the beaurocracy gets worse every year. The Bookworms I made will go up for sale on Etsy over the next few days. If you are interested in them please get in touch - I can easily make them to order.

I made a point of going and seeing the Seal and Raptor Trust people who were extremely kind and accommodating as I took photographs for them. I will be putting some on my DA over the next few days so if you are interested keep an eye on there.

I'm also working on getting more of my mother's lace online so please go and have a look at her DA site.

I had a call from a lady across the road from us last week about a baby hedgehog her spaniel had dug up. I had him here for three days but sadly he died Saturday night. I believe 'Snuffles' had lungworm induced pneumonia, which kills a lot of hedgehogs. I will be using a suitable wormer as part of 'first response' treatment from now on, although it was probably too late in his case it was horrible watching the poor little thing die gasping for breath and if I can avoid that happening to any others that come into my care I'll gladly accept the additional expense.

Another reminder about the photography competition: 'Hidden'. You've got four days left to enter and it would be lovely to see more than four entires this time!

Onto an Undiscovered Artist Feature - this time we have Anotina of WireArtInk on Etsy. I seriously love the stuff in this shop - so unusual and interesting. I find these pieces have a very tactile aesthetic due to the mixed medias used in them. I imagine I will be buying from this shop in the not too distant future so if you see something you like you'd better get in first lol!

How long have you been an etsy seller?

I have been and etsy seller since May 2009.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Much of my inspiration comes from organic form and movement. I am most inspired by trees!! They have several types of textures, move with the wind and grow into expressive shapes.

How much time do you put into your shop on average weekly?

I average about 15 hours of work a week into my shop.

What's your favorite item you're selling at the moment?

Currently my favorite item in my shop is The Mermaid. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26489711 It is the piece that strongly represents what I strive for in my work. It is a mixed media piece with wire, beads. yarn, rope, glass enamel paint and beads. The wire swirling throughout it gives it movement while the yarn, rope and glass texture lends to its raw energy. It is a good balance of movement and rawness.

Tell us about three other etsy shops you love and why.

Three of my favorite shops are: The Midnight Orange. I love this shop because the seller really shares herself with the buyers with stories about herself and her work. When I look at her shop I feel really drawn in. It becomes a personal experience. Being a new seller it has really shown me the power of making things personal.

My Second favorite seller is SAsessories. I plain love this artists work. I feel as if we are two dogs spotting each other from a distance. I really identify with her style and if I were more jewelry focused I would strive to make similar stuff. What I love most about her work is how organic and wild it looks. I always like to imagine myself wearing one her necklaces at Burningman.

My third favorite shop is Twisted Silver Jewelry. When I first look at this shop was totally amazed with that this artist was doing with jewelry design. It like wire sculpture for your neck. I thought what a great way to fuse jewelry design with fine art.

Pets? Family? Tell us about them.

I have two cats, Willamina and Jordan. Both cats are tabby tan with gray strips. They have different color eyes. Willa has blue, shes part Simiese and Jordan has yellow eyes, shes all tabby. Both cats love my work!! They like to chase the wire like its a ball of yarn.

Tell us about a typical day in your life?

A typical day for me is I wake up at 6:30 and get ready for my day job. Currently I teach wire sculpture and ceramics to adults with disabilities. I start work at 8am and begin my studio at 9:30. We take a 15min break at 10:30 and a 45min lunch at 11:45. Studio ends at 2pm, my students go home and I work on paperwork and or studio ideas until 4pm. I get home around 4:30, eat dinner and relax until 6pm. Then I start work on my etsy shop or work on project for the shop until bed time at 10:30. Right now I'm really trying to find a balance between making the art work and promoting it .

What other interests do you have?

When I have the time my others interests are thrift store shopping with my friends. Its always a real treat when I find an article of clothing that is practically new or a really fabulous book!! I'm a huge book collector!! I just can't seem to catch up with reading them all. Currently I'm working on Bram Stoker's Dracula.

I also love to hang out at my favorite coffee shop. There I work on my wire sculpture, read, listen to music or chit chat with friends. I've made some great friends and some good connections there!

Is there anything you think we should know?

Thank you for promoting my shop! I am so enjoying my etsy experiences here and the friends I am starting to make. Everyone is just so nice and up front with positive advice. Also I am really excited over the idea of promoting myself through the internet verses the gallery system.

update and Undiscovered Artist ScallyRags

2009-07-21T17:28:00.007+01:00

So you've probably noticed the complete lack of posts recently - sorry about that, I've had a lot on my mind and haven't felt much like blogging.

I'm really struggling finding work and things are getting a little desperate - I even got turned down by McDonalds which I find a bit insulting. I should be starting A Levels (again) in September but I won't know if I can have a place anywhere until after the GCSE results come out at the end of August as they give places to the 16-18 year-olds before adult learners. I will definitely need part time work as I will have to pay for the course.

I've got a pile of new clay creations and a few more on the go but in order to actually get a post out this evening I'm afraid you'll have to wait for photographs.

The photography competitions will be having a bit of an overhaul - details of which I will be giving shortly. Thanks to all those who have entered the current challenge so far. I won't be opening voting just yet as I haven't pushed it as much as I should have and it doesn't seem ideal to vote on just three entries. If you would like to enter the current photography challenge please, please, please do - details of how to enter can be found here.

I think it's only fair to give you an Undiscovered Artist Feature after so long a delay so today we have the creator of Scallyrags, I think her name is Jillian but I'm rubbish and forgot to save it in her interview file so very sorry if I'm wrong.

As you can see she makes excellent funky clothing and other fabric dohickies. She's only had one sale since she opened in December so go check her out!

How long have you been an etsy seller?

I opened my etsy account in December, but I didn’t start posting to March.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Everywhere, music, bright colours, my friend their a big part of my inspiration

How much time do you put into your shop on average weekly?

About 15-20 hours

What's your favorite item you're selling at the moment?

Some of my favourite items are my bow pins, The sailor jerry love is one

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26613671

Tell us about three other etsy shops you love and why.

Amber84: Is a graphic designer, that made my logo, I just love her work.

MissCAlexandria: Is a jewelry designer, I love craftsmanship for her earrings

alenecouture: Is my sister, she makes resin belt buckles, and jewelry

Pets? Family? Tell us about them.

Mom, dad, an older sister, and dog (Pinecone) that we got from the spca about a year ago.

Tell us about a typical day in your life?

Typical day get up, eat, slower, take Pinecone out for a walk. Then work on designing, or sewing, then play around on etsy (post some items, post in the forums, or chat rooms)

On a lucky day maybe I get to do a photo shoot.

What other interests do you have?

Photography, I do my own photo shoots

Is there anything you think we should know?

I love make things, I went to school for fashion art, I might be going to school in September for photography. I love to learn new thing

new clay items, photography challenge extension

2009-07-10T16:32:00.007+01:00

okay so I haven't been about much recently - sorry. Torchwood on the BBC every evening this week is partly to blame. My birthday was Tuesday, I had quite a quiet day but I did go to a children's petting farm called Wroxham Barns in the afternoon and fed lots of cute things including the lambs, who are now very big and probably don't really need bottle feeding any more. In order to appreciate the true sadness of this birthday outing you must appreciate that I spent about two months of this year lambing (mostly paid) in various places around the country so it was a little pathetic to pay somebody for the privilege of feeding their sheep and generally getting soaked in a rain storm but it was better than sitting at home doing nothing and I enjoyed it more than I should probably admit.

I do have photographs of a few new polymer clay critters for you. Sorry for the slightly rubbish quality:

These will probably go on Etsy soon but please get in touch with me if you are interested in purchasing any of these in the meantime.

I need to sort something out about the photography challenge as so few people are entering - for now I will re-issue my pleas for people to enter no matter what level their photography.

The current photography challenge is 'Hidden'. Please submit any images that fit the theme 'hidden' to this thread. The rules are the same as last time. To enter your photographic take on the theme please comment on this post with a link to your image. Submissions will close at midnight (GMT) on Sunday 19th July after which I'll open a poll to choose the winner, whose photographs I will feature in my sidebar as I am currently featuring the last winner and I will send them something handmade by me - probably a little dragon.

Artist Feature - MaruMaru

2009-07-06T22:25:00.004+01:00

Oops no photographs as promised today as I had a phone call asking me if I could change an appointment I had for Wednesday to today so I ended up having to go into the city in torrential rain! On the way back the bus driver went straight past my stop despite me pressing the button, standing by the door and asking the driver to stop (he ignored me) so by the time I'd walked the extra stop's worth home I was soaked through to the skin, literally.

Don't forget the photography challenge - I don't want to have to extend it again. Please enter a snap and get your friends to do the same.

I do have an artist feature for you though:

MaruMaru sells a lovely variety of vintage inspired jewellery in her Etsy store. Her work is very bright and beautiful so make sure you take a look at her store.

How long have you been an etsy seller?

I just had my 2nd Etsy anniversary last month and still going strong :)

Where do you get your inspiration?

I'm inspired by fantasies from when I was a child. I wanted everything to be in pink and blue like cotton candy, ride on a unicorn and eat ice cream all day long. My grandmother owns a very large land in Japan and made it into beautiful garden that is now a popular tourist attraction. I would spend my childhood in her garden looking at blue Hydrangeas wishing I could take it all back home with me. In my shop, you will see lots of flowers from rose cameos to Czech flower beads.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26671859

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=26671359

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26025038

How much time do you put into your shop on average weekly?

All day everyday… or as much as I can. I'm on the computer a lot, so most of the time I'm trying to promote my items when I have time. I usually go through spurts of making items. I will make around 10 items in a day, and then wait another week or so to make new items.

What's your favorite item you're selling at the moment?

I absolutely love these earrings and they are very popular.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26932867

I like how at one angle they are a different color like an ocean blue, and at another angle they look pink and orange like a sunset.

Tell us about three other etsy shops you love and why.

I like this shop because her designs are gorgeous! I want to order this one in a poster size.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25810409

Another shop I love is this one

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5335087

She has the pink and blues that I love and it reminds me of cotton candy or a fun birthday party :)

I also love cute pouches, so I've bought a couple items from her during Christmas

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=33137

Pets? Family? Tell us about them.

I have a pet tuxedo cat named Neko. Neko means "cat" in Japanese. She's pretty lazy and only gets up to eat. She's an indoor cat and she's pretty fat, but fat cats are always the cutest! Her tummy mops the floor lol

Tell us about a typical day in your life?

When I'm not playing around in my jewelry supply box, I'm at the movies or drinking champagne!

Party, county show, photography challenge and general update!

2009-07-05T20:36:00.004+01:00

So I had a BBQ / Garden party thingy for my 21st birthday yesterday, which is why you haven't had an update for a few days (really busy organising etc.), my birthday isn't actually until Tuesday but in order to have friends from Cambridge and people with young children in attendance it seemed better to hold it at the weekend. All in all not a bad little event and everybody seemed to enjoy it. No photographs I'm afraid partly because I'm rubbish and partly because I was quite busy and didn't have a lot of time to take them. A friend stayed over and we had a polymer clay making session (or two) so there are some new dragons to show you once I've photographed them!

I spent Thursday at the Royal Norfolk Show, which is basically a HUGE agricultural show with lots of things for all the family to do as well as livestock judging, working dog displays and equestrian stuff. I was supposed to be working with the RSPCA in the doggy creche but I found the whole thing rather frustrating (the other volunteers were very enthusiastic but had little practical ability) and got far more out of the general networking I did. Through the show I should now have a dairy placement to add to the work experience list for vet school applications, a placement at a veterinary hospital in Norfolk and I made nice with the Seal and Raptor Trust people who also take in abandoned reptiles so I may do something with them at some point.

PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLEGE 'Hidden'

Please follow the link for more details of how to enter but basically take a photograph that you think fits the theme Hidden and post a link to it. If you can't post a link for any reason leave a message and I'll give you my email address to send it to.

That's it for now but photographs of clay thingies and an Artist Feature coming up tomorrow!

'On the Other Hand' the results

2009-07-01T19:24:00.007+01:00

And the winner is:by Amie McCracken of Iamalive on Etsy. Congratulations. I will be in touch shortly to arrange your prize.

Other entries with their artists as I didn't give you this information before:

By SouthernGirl of SouthernGirlFlorals on Etsy

by Dongedy of Dongedyframe on Etsy. This is my personal favourite of the entries if I'm aloud to say that.

by Jen of SedonaShots on Etsy

Well done and thank you to everybody who entered.

Please remember to get your entries in for the next photography challenge on the theme 'Hidden', we only have one entry so far so please post something even if you're not a photographer, you must have something to share. Can we please try to keep all the entries as replies to THAT post as it gets a bit confusing for me if they are all over the place.

Undiscovered Artist - The Little Fox

2009-06-30T16:13:00.006+01:00

Today is far too hot, I'm beginning to have concerns about keeping the cresties cool enough if it gets any hotter. The heat always makes me very tired, especially as it tends to stop me sleeping - give me a nice snowy day any time! Not much going on on the art front at the moment as I'm planning a party for my 21st birthday on Saturday which I'm sure is more stress than it's worth!

Remember to get your votes in for the photographic challenge. Also we only have one entry so far for the next challenge 'Hidden' so be sure to get your entries in too!

Please, please could you all go over to Pets Jubilee Furbabies and vote for little Ghost in their monthly contest (scroll down, he is 14) as he is seriously unloved at the moment and nobody wants a sad gecko on their hands, he promises to love you forever with his cold little heart if you do!

We haven't had an undiscovered artist for a while (mostly because I've been a bit rubbish and neglected the blog) so we have thelittlefox who paints beautiful, sometimes dark paintings and makes little dolls of her characters. She is very new to Etsy but I'm sure she will be very successful with such lovely items. She even added some fun new questions to her interview so make sure to give it a good read!

How long have you been an etsy seller?

I am still very new at this, as I listed my first item this May.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I grew up as an only child, and since both my parents worked pretty long hours, and very often brought work back home, I guess I became adept to using my imagination a lot and always fabricating quirky little scenarios in my head. I started painting very early during my childhood, and I especially loved (and still do) Andersen's tales and Carroll's Alice books.

I enjoy painting girls of unspecified age, that look girly and serious at the same time. I was always fascinated with what may be hiding behind a phenomenally simple expression, what story might that person tell if he/she was given the chance...I like making up quirky scenarios about their life, but in the end it's always them that make me go one way or another.

My influences consist mostly of graphic novel artists, such as Michael Zulli, Simon Bisley, and John Bolton in particular.Neil Gaiman's The Sandman Series, (actually anything by the man is inspiring), Blythe dolls, Tim Burton's movies, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Cure, Lewis Carroll's and Andersen's book, the Grimm Brothers. Anything sweet and enigmatic at the same time. But really, if an image swims around my head for days, the inspiration for it could be anything...sometimes it's a dream I just had and that's why I always keep a sketchbook by my bed!"

How much time do you put into your shop on average weekly?

I try to paint everyday, and sew a doll a week ( If I can squeeze it in! )...

What's your favorite item you're selling at the moment?

Oh, that is a tough one... I love this one, which was my first commision on Etsy,

and this is my dream home...

Tell us about your most enjoyable experience with a customer.

A couple of days ago, a lovely (and very cool) 13-to-be year old girl commisioned me to do a painting for her birthday. The theme evolved around the Cinderella story, but she wanted it done in a slightly punk way. She was very open to ideas and suggestions, and allowed me plenty of freedom as an artist, which I find most important. And best of all, she loved the outcome!!

Tell us about three other etsy shops you love and why.

Simbiosis by Julia - I adore her pouches!

LillaLotta - perhaps the most beautiful ribbons I have laid my eyes upon

We've Got Paper - cuteness ahoy!

Pets? Family? Tell us about them.

I live with a lovely Siamese that is pictured in this painting, as well as my lovely boyfriend (or boy-hedgehog, as I call him), who doesn't whine when I stay up late because I 'just have to get this on canvas'...

If you could have lunch with and pick the brain of any artist living or dead, who would you choose and why?

ooh...Salvador Dali. I have always wanted to ask him if his lifetime seemed to him as lucid as his famous melting clocks...

What other interests do you have?

I work as an architect and interior designer.

Is there anything you think we should know?

-I have 3 degrees in Architecture, History of Art and Interior Design.

-My favourite thing to do as a child was to draw my own graphic novels ( which my mom still keeps somewhere...lol)

-I still own my very first plush toy. It was a gift from my dad the day I was born, and although it lost its nose and tongue many-a-years ago, I still can't find anything as adorable as him. I named him The Sad One when I was 3.

-My list of favourite (famous) people include Neil Gaiman, Tim Burton, Alan Rickman, and Robert Plant.

She also has a great blog: One Little Fox

Established Artist Cabootique

2009-06-27T15:30:00.003+01:00

Okay so the really bad news first - I went to use my camera today and found the glass covering the LCD screen smashed. I've no idea how it happened; I'm extremely careful with my camera and it's been all over the world without incident. Luckily I've phoned the repair centre and they say it will take about 30mins and will cost £20.

So here's what I was planning to photograph before I found my camera damaged:

I made this sketchbook last night for a friend. It's not perfect by a long way but it isn't bad for a first attempt.

Thanks to everybody who has voted in the photography challenge so far. Please vote if you haven't done so already and enter a photograph into the next photography challenge 'Hidden'. Please remember that the idea is to enter a photograph that fits the theme or title 'Hidden' not necessarily a similar image to mine, it might be wildly different in fact!

We haven't had a featured artist yet this week so here we go: Established Artist Cabootique who makes great value jewellry.

How long have you been an etsy seller?

I joined Etsy in April 2008 and very slowly (and nervously) added items into my shop until I got more sure of myself as a crafter.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I get my inspiration from wandering around vintage/thrift/antique stores, mostly. I love to buy falling apart vintage jewelry and clean the beads and use them for earrings, necklaces, etc.

How much time do you put into your shop on average weekly?

I'm getting better at balancing my crazy days, and all of my nights (seven days a week!) are devoted to creating, updating, and editing my shop. When I get a random day off (of my day job) during the week I spend every second I have on my shop!

What's your favorite item you're selling at the moment?

Right now I'd have to say my Strawberry Ice Cream earrings because they're fun, girly, and perfect for summer.

Tell us about three other etsy shops you love and why.

I love The Beady Eye. It's where I go to for all my supply needs! They have awesome supplies ranging from beautiful mixes of gemstone beads to funky head pins and other findings. Another huge plus is that they offer flat-rate shipping to Canada & the US which is perfect for stocking up!

I've never been one to spend tons of money on clothes, but everything I like seems to be out of the price range I'd prefer spending. That is, until I found Drop Dead Designs Suzanne makes beautiful, unique clothes ranging from summery tank tops to cute hoodies and everything in between! She offers free shipping to the US & Canada and most tops are $29! What a steal.

The last shop I'm currently obsessed with is Pink Quartz Minerals. It has a wide variety of make up products, and the owner is one of the sweetest and most helpful sellers I've dealt with! Everything (including applicators and brushes) is 100% vegan and Doree, the owner, is so helpful and will work with you to make sure you're getting the exact color and item that you're looking for!

What other interests do you have?

I love to paint, sew, bake, cook. I've gotten really into New Age stuff and crystal healing lately which I find fascinating!

Let the voting begin!

2009-06-24T20:36:00.005+01:00

I've been away visiting friends for a couple of days so sorry for not sorting out the photography challenge sooner. Okay so here we go with the photography challenge entries. I've left out the entrants' details in the interests of fairness. I also really have issues with fancy titles for photographs so any titles have been replaced by a number (sorry guys) to even the playing field.

The rules for voting are as follows:

Please vote once for your favourite image (entrants please don't vote for your image).

You are welcome (indeed encouraged) to advertise the voting on your blog.

Voting will close on the 1st of July.

The winner will receive a feature and something nice and handmade that I haven't decided what it is yet.

1.2.
3.
4.

I will launch a new photography challenge tomorrow so you can all start thinking about something to enter.

Life update & Artist Feature 'Shiplett'

2009-06-20T22:19:00.005+01:00

Sorry I've been away for a few days; I've got some nasty stuff going on that's taking its toll on me a bit at the moment.

I've been at a lace fair today with my mother. It has made me a bit more confident about my lacemaking abilities (despite having made lace since before I went to school, I've never done enough of it to get good) and inspired me to paint some bobbins so I've bought some plain wooden ones to decorate. I also found an excellent bead supplier and have added to my shiny things collection.

Let's have an Artist Feature today as tomorrow is the last day for getting in entries for the 'On the Other Hand' photography competition. Please get your entries in by midnight tomorrow. Gone on enter, even if you're not a photographer, I'm sure all you creative people can come up with something!

Today we have Lara of Shiplett on Etsy. She makes all sorts of beautiful jewellry with something to suit every person and every budget. She's been kind enough to share with us a little about her life and her art. Please got to her Etsy shop and show her some love. I'm sure you'll find a lot there to tempt you!

How long have you been an etsy seller?

I joined etsy last summer, but have been selling since November.

How do you get your inspiration?

I get inspired with materials. I enjoy going to bead and gem shows and finding new materials. Some materials I use right away. Other materials I may have for a year before I figure out how I want to use it. I create many one of a kind pieces. I am trying to keep track of what I buy in case I want to duplicate a piece I have made.

How long do you spend working on your shop in the average week?

I would estimate that I spend 7-10 hours a week. I am busy mom to three young children so I do not put in as much time as I would like to. My first priority and job right now is to be there for my kids. I can get wrapped up creating jewelry or getting online checking out things on etsy. I try to put my priorities in order and realize that my children are most important.

Weekly, I do spend time on the computer checking my shop, updating, and communicating with customers. I am a member of a local team Cleveland Handmade so I try to keep up to date with what is happening in the group. The team is a great resource and they share wonderful information. Check out the other wonderful artists on www.clevelandhandmade.com/ or type clevelandhandmade when searching on etsy

What are your top three etsy shops that you can’t go a day without stalking?

I find that most of the shops I heart or look at on a regular basis are shops similar to mine. I am drawn to jewelry I guess. And it doesn’t hurt to size up the competition. I like to compare my prices and styles and see if they are relevant.

I love the photography of Gary Heller. He was so kind when I first joined etsy. He gave me photography tips and helped touch up my photographs for free. The most shocking part is I don’t even know Gary! I have never met him. He saw my work and liked it and thought he could offer advice.http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6083529

When I first joined etsy I found a fellow teacher who lives in N. Ireland and we chatted online in the wee hours of morning. I always would check her shop and see how her sales were going. Since her and I joined around the same time. One night I decided to buy some earrings for my sisters and I from her since she was offering free worldwide shipping. Beautiful work. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5528047

I also love the jewelry of simple elements. I always love to check and see what new things she has in her shop. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5793509

Pets? Family? Tell us about those?

I am happily married to Mike for 8 years now. We are the proud parents of twins Elisabeth and Samuel 5 1/2 and one year old Sarah. Since the new baby I am quite busier and have less time for creating jewelry. We have 3 cats (2 girls and a boy- just like our kids) and a fish.

Tell us about a typical day in the life of Lara.

I started to write this but with 3 kids I am not sure this would be all that exciting. I find snippets of time to get online, create jewelry, photograph it and list items. It varies from day to day and week to week how much time I spend on my business. The bulk of my business is customer orders. The beauty of this business is I can work it around my schedule. I get most of my work and creating done when the kids/baby are sleeping or at preschool.

What your favourite item in your shop at the moment?
I have many favorite pieces so it is difficult to choose. I love interesting necklaces with beautiful materials like the Remembering Autumn necklace. The copper colors of pearls are gorgeous and I especially like the double strand with the scattered pearls. The copper medallion is a great focal piece for the necklace. The Funky Chic Hematite Flower necklace gets a lot of attention. I also make a bracelet in the same design. It really makes a statement with the chunky beads and the beautiful sterling silver flower clasp. The Winter Dream necklace looks great with everything. The captivating handblown lamp work bead is eye-catching. It is paired with the peacock colored top drilled pearls attached to a sterling chain. This style has been popular mixing pearls, sterling, and hand blown lamp work beads.

Remembering Autumn Necklace
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19879829

Favorite pieces Funky Chic Hematite Necklace
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23940919

Winter Dreams Necklace
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16206889

What has been really popular for me is my custom designed jewelry. Most popular are the little girl’s bracelets that spell out the child’s name. The design that is selling well right now is the one that my daughter Lizzy helped me design so it is named after her. The Lizzy design incorporates white freshwater pearls with the birthstone for the child in Swarovski crystal. The child’s name is spelled out with sterling silver cube letters.

Little Girl Name bracelet
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24099259

Also, another favorite are the “mommy” bracelets. These are custom made for the mother with the child’s name and birthstones on each strand. There are a variety of designs to choose from. I use sterling silver, Swarovski crystals, 14K GF, Swarovski pearls and Bali sterling.

Double Strand Mommy Bracelet
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16648783

The hammered sterling silver oval links with Swarovski crystals dangling from them look stunning on. These earrings can be custom made with any color of crystal you choose. Great gift for friends or sisters to custom make and combine your birthstones together. Or select the colors you like to go with your favorite outfit.

Swarovski crystal earrings/sterling oval
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23940919

Undiscovered Artist - PeggyGsJewelry

2009-06-17T20:51:00.006+01:00

Sadly today has not been great, I think it is well summed up by standing on a nail and grabbing a handful of stinging nettles whilst trying to clear part of the garden - now just imagine a whole day along those lines. . .

Shall we have a more cheerful artist feature? Introducing Undiscovered Artist Peggy of PeggyGsJewelry on Etsy. Her work is some of my favourite out of all of Etsy. It is not a million miles away from my style I suppose so she is something of a kindred spirit.

How long have you been an etsy seller?
I have been an Etsy seller since November of 2008.

How do you get your inspiration?
Many things inspire me. Books, pictures, art, and my husband is a great inspiration. He will see something he likes and ask me what I think and what I can do with it and my mind floods with ideas. I check out different shops and try to find new techniques and ideas. That is what inspired me to learn about steampunk. Found some great tutorials from a shop called Eugena777 and some great wire wrap tutorials.

How long do you spend working on your shop in the average week?
Like most people I start my day going into my shop and end my day at my shop but I put a lot of hours into working on things that I think will be good to put in my shop so it varies. But like most people I probably spen too much time.

What your favourite item in your shop at the moment?
Right now my favorite is my blue steampunk and filigree heart pendant. I know steampunk is quite popular right now but in my area people have not heard of it yet. I found that even though it is new in our area people are fascinated by it and I love working with it and experimenting with new ways to incorporate it into my work.

Pets? Family? Tell us about those?
The "kids" we (my husband and I) have are wonderful. Sara is our oldest dog and our great protector. She is 12 years old and still thinks she is a puppy. Scottie is a shelter rescue dog and has become my shadow. I don't understand how someone could have given him up. He is about 7 years old and we've had him for almost 2 years now. And then there's fudge, our cat. He is the old man at 16 years old and he thinks he is a kitten. Runs around the house and chases the dogs. He also keeps the dogs in line when he thinks they are getting out of hand. That is my husbands and my family now that the last of our boys is grown and gone into the army. They keep us busy.

Tell us about a typical day in the life of Peggy.
Right now I am one of the many unemployment statistics so I have a lot of time to work on my jewelry. I get up, check out my shop, thinking about how to improve my work or improve my shop. Check out different shops and then get into my work for a while. At some time during the day I find time to do the "normal" things like cook, shop and take care of my family. When that is done I go back to my work room and do some more and then end my day on my computer checking things out again, listing new work or figuring out what I want to do next.

What else interests you?
My other interests are painting, quilting, computers, home improvement projects, and of course, my family, even though our boys are all grown and live all over the country and have families of their own.

Is there anything else we should know?
Just want to let people know not to give up on what they really want. Obstacles can be overcome and achieved with persistance and willingness to learn and to try new things. Don't ever be afraid to try something new.

Photography Challenge Update

We have some great entries so far but the more the merrier so if you have a photograph (or what to take one) that fits the theme 'On the Other Hand' please take a look at last Sunday's post on how to enter.

eek people!

2009-06-16T19:16:00.006+01:00

wow I suddenly got popular - 4 new followers overnight! Thanks for the love everybody.

I was pretty ill last night, not sure why, I think it might have been a migraine-type-thing hence the lack of post.

I've entered one of my geckos Ghost into Pets Jubilee's monthly cuteness contest. Please visit and vote for Ghost by commenting on his photograph.

My parents are back from their holiday so the house is suddenly really busy again. It's hard to know whether to be grateful for the company or miss the peace and quiet. Apart from a lot of cleaning prior to my parents' arrival, I painted this greyhound as promised this afternoon, whilst watching InkHeart, which I highly recommend as an exceptional film.

The anatomy is a little off but this really isn't my area of expertise. All in all I don't think it came out too badly. I'm still getting to grips with the acrylics and one of the most challenging things at the moment is the inability to mix the colours on the canvas. If anybody is interested in buying this canvas I am selling it for the Retired Greyhound Trust, please contact me for details.

Artist Feature: MilesOfTextiles

2009-06-14T19:13:00.005+01:00

Sorry for another missed post yesterday; I've got some relationship stuff going on at the moment that is taking up a fair amount of time and energy.

There haven't been any entries into the 'On the other Hand' photography challenge. I will therefore run through the rules again in the hope somebody will want to share a photograph with us:

To enter your photographic take on the theme 'on the other hand' please comment on this post with a link to your image. At the end of the week I'll open a poll to choose the winner, whose work I will do a feature on.

Please enjoy this little interview with Etsy seller Catheline of MilesOf Textiles.

How long have you been an etsy seller?

I have been an Etsy seller since January '09.

How do you get your inspiration?
The textiles themselves inspire me. I'll take a little snippet or whole piece, combine a few of them together, hold them under different lighting, and magically something happens and a new design will pop into my head. That's usually the start.

How long do you spend working on your shop in the average week?
I work on my designs almost every day. Since I'm retired I have the luxury of creating as much or as little as I choose. If a design is really coming together for me I will work almost non-stop on it until it is the way I like it. If its not coming together I'll most likely put it aside and in a few days or weeks it may take on a whole new dimension. Its not beyond me to take something apart many many times until it right.

What your favourite item in your shop at the moment?
This is my favorite pillow for sale at the moment. It is very very plush and soft. Its my favorite because a) it took me weeks to make it, b) its completely handstitched, c) everything on it really came together the way I envisioned it. I also try to master new techniques in working with the fabrics. This pillow has handsewn "shark's teeth" around that white & silver center piece. They added the special touch I was looking for. Also...the gold studding you see around the edges: they are all individually sewn on with fishing wire and are very strong. It gives a dramatic look to the contrasting softness of the fabrics.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24254671

Is there anything else we should know?
I'm retired from the foreign service. I've lived and traveled all over the world. My favorite memories and inspiration for my designs come from my time spent in the Middle East. It is where I bought the majority of the textiles I now use.

Undiscovered Artist - NicksHippieGlass

2009-06-12T22:33:00.005+01:00

I've made a lot more paper pulp today, the termite hill is starting to take shape but I have some concerns about how long it is going to take to dry - anybody with ideas on how I can speed the drying process up please let me know.

I've also been trying to put a cloak together that I started making a couple of years ago but it just keeps going wrong, partly because the instructions are so terrible, it is most frustrating. I need to recut one bit but I've run out of large enough bits of fabric so I either need to try and buy some more (though I bought the last lot in London two years ago so goodness knows if I can get any here) or patch the scraps together, which I think will look too obvious and messy.

Now the boring stuff about me is out of the way, how about we have a look at an undiscovered artist.

Nick of NicksHippieGlass sells some beautiful and unique glass pendants. His main line is in the most adorable little mushrooms suspended in glass teardrops. Who can resist a bunch of cute little mushrooms?!

Nick not only sells these cute little 'shrooms but also makes stunning dichroic pendants such as this celtic knot pendant, which is my personal favourite item from Nick's store.

Go check out Nick's store and his lovely handmade hippie items.

Artist Feature - DaffKnee

2009-06-09T21:01:00.005+01:00

I've had a pretty slow day, partly because of the rain stopping me from doing the outside things I want to get done but I've made a couple of books up today - I've ordered some nice paper and a leather hide and I'm out to make some leather sketch books for a couple of friend's birthdays that are coming up. If they turn out nicely and people are interested I can make these to sell - photographs to come along with rough prices (not sure what it's going to cost me to make them yet).

It's vintage day!

Our first Featured Seller for the week is Daphne of DaffKnee who specalises in collecting up vintage patterns for us all. When I was doing music halls, I had a really hard time finding suitable patterns to make my dresses from and I never thought of buying them vintage (obvious really isn't it?!).

How long have you been an etsy seller?

I joined etsy in Sept 2008. I started selling on etsy in Feb 2009.

How do you get your inspiration?

I am inspired by lots of different things. Sometimes it's a television show, sometimes it's junking at the flea market, sometimes it's when I open up my cupboard doors!

How long do you spend working on your shop in the average week?

I spend about 2-4 hours per day photographing and listing new items, about 4 hours per week ironing out patterns and checking to make sure they are all complete. I also spend about 5 hours a week just checking on my shop, editing, and posting in the forums.

Are there any shops that you can't go a day without stalking?

Roxy Mamas: she makes the most adorable dresses for little ones!
CreatedbyLee: she has sock monkeys and dammit dolls!
knittingmette: I think she could knit just about anything!

What your favourite item in your shop at the moment?

My favorite item right now is my Tupperlamp! I was inspired to make it when I saw the stack of bowls sitting on my counter. It's definately a conversation piece! Check it out for yourself and see what you think....http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19733645

Pets? Family? Tell us about those?

I am a single mother of 4 teenagers. My oldest daughter, Liz, just graduated today! I'm soooo proud of her! My next oldest, Hannah, is a really sweet girl. She plans to join the army this summer as a junior in High School. She will attend basic training the summer after she graduates next year! Then I have a set of Twins, Sarah and Matthew, both freshman in high school. Sarah is a beautiful girl, she loves animals and plans to be a vet when she grows up. She is also a talented young artist who enjoys drawing and painting like "Bob Ross". Matthew is in the NJROTC at school, he has been given the opportunity to go to Basic Leadership Training this summer. It's a big honor for him since they only pick 5 cadets from each school to go.
I am proud of all of my kids!

Tell us about a typical day in the life of Daphne

A typical "working day" for me goes something like this...
Get up around 8am, clean up the house, my sister usually comes over and we talk "shop" We both like to sew and are always bouncing ideas for new projects off each other. She likes to make purses and has recently started making dresses for herself. I like to make toddler dresses as seen in my shop and hats that I plan on featuring soon.
Around 11am, I start photographing my items and listing. I am usually done around 2pm or 3pm. The rest of the day, I like to work outside in my gardens and watch a little tv in the evening.

What else interests you?

I love to go flea marketing and to yard sales. Recently my passion has been vintage sewing patterns, sewing machines, and I am starting to really like searching for vintage clothing. I have started my own blog about my flea market adventures. You can see it here: http://daffknee.blogspot.com/

Is there anything else we should know?

I love to knit and spend my winter just knitting away making baby hats and booties, hats for kids, and want to try to knit some stuffed animals and dolls this winter. I am excited to be a member of etsy and am finding it to be a great site to sell from as well as making new friends!

Oh no now I have to think of new titles!

2009-06-08T19:31:00.005+01:00

I spent this morning undergoing possibly the single most humiliating experience of my life in the form of a 'Back to Work Session' at the DWP office. I remember when I was in year 8 (about 12) at school and we had PSHE classes on finding work and interview techniques, those classes not skipped over the completely obvious stuff that was covered this morning; which can be summarised by 'you have to find a job. In order to find a job you have to look for a job', but actually taught me more useful things. It was almost as insulting to my intelligence (and indeed anybody else's) as the woman who told me my CV couldn't possibly be good enough unless she looked at it and when I said the Cambridge University Careers Service had seen it and were impressed, she said they didn't know anything either.

Sorry for the rant, I just despair rather.

Mondays are a time for new things so here's a little feature of a few newer items for sale in my etsy shop, http://amazoncat.etsy.com after which I will be using Monday's to show off new works.

Gersemi

Frigg

Sunday always comes too late.

2009-06-07T19:06:00.004+01:00

I want to start doing something a bit thought provoking for Sundays so I'm thinking it's a good opportunity to display some of my photographs, possibly without any text. Those of you who follow my deviantart may have seen some of them before (sorry), I'll try to mix some new works in too. I would also be interested in using my image to spark of a photo challenge of sorts, getting others to submit a link to a photograph they have taken on a similar theme.

This week we have an old favourite of mine:

'On The Other Hand'

Quote of the day: 'I took an emotional inventory and realised I have some issues'

Saturday Wait!

2009-06-06T21:55:00.004+01:00

Today we have Undiscovered Artist, Alyce of Fabric Greetings who makes beautiful cards using fabric (it's kind of in the name isn't it). As somebody who has been making cards for many many years, there's not too much in the card making sphere of life that is totally new and original to me but Alyce has some really refreshingly unique cards for all occasions. She was kind enough to answer a few questions for me to share with you all.

How long have you been an etsy seller?

I signed up for etsy in February and then panicked at thought of using the computer for this venture. So it took me until mid-March to convince this old dog she could learn a few new tricks. But my hubby and adult daughter kept urging me on, so here I am. Still learning, but more at ease everyday.

How do you get your inspiration?
I find that my inspiration comes from a variety of places. A piece of fabric catches my eye and I'm off. Case in point - I saw the bra fabric I use in my breast cancer awareness cards at a quilt show and just had to have some. A year later when I was trying to come up with a unique fundraiser for my Relay for Life contribution, I remembered the bra fabric and a light bulb went off. Sometimes it is an occasion that trips an inspirational spurt.

How long do you spend working on your shop in the average week?
I generally sew two to three hours a day. If inspiration is really coming, I can spend an entire day in the studio. My other off line business is making OOAK clothing for the 18" dolls. Computer time takes longer simply because I generally hit the wrong button and have to start all over. I do spend time in the forums every day as that is a great learning experience.

Are there any shops that you can't go a day without stalking?
I can't say that I am a "stalker" of any shop at this point. I am trying to check out as many of them as possible to familiarize myself with the variety being offered here. And I am totally awed by the talent that is showcased on this site.

What your favourite item in your shop at the moment?
I guess that everyone has a favorite item in their shop. Mine happened to be a card with an Emily Dickinson quotation. It just recently sold. So I guess my next favorite is the one dealing with age being important only if you are cheese!

Pets? Family? Tell us about those?
I am a former school teacher who stopped teaching 38 years ago and became a stay at home Mom. Our daughter is a school librarian working on her second Master's degree to become an Archivist. She was just awarded a summer internship at the Biltmore Estate. So we will have a place to explore when we visit her. Hubby is retired from power company. We've been married almost 43 years. Met in high school, married after college.

Tell us about a typical day in the life of Alyce
My typical day starts by 6 AM. I am a morning person. I generally walk 2-4 miles before I start my day. If I am not attending a meeting or teaching at the quilt shop, I am sewing or puttering in the studio. I do love to bake and do that on a regular basis. Anything fabric interests me. I piece "quilty" things, but turn tops over to a longarm quilter to be quilted. I read when I want to really relax - nothing that requires much thought. And if there is a chance to travel, I am all for it as long as my sewing machine is in the car.

. . . It's Friday I'm in love

2009-06-05T21:41:00.006+01:00

Although I'm not sure what I'm in love with, my new bookcase is pretty high up the list though. I can't photograph it for you all yet though because I had to make it up in our hallway and it's too narrow for me to get a shot. I really enjoyed painting it so I'm now looking for a chest of drawers or a cupboard on freecycle that I can sand down and repaint to match.

I had a friend staying last night, hence the short post but I hope you all liked the otters, they are probably my favourite of all the thousands of photographs I've ever taken.

Here are some very rough preliminary greyhound sketches for you to get a sneek peek of that little project. As I think I mentioned before I'm having some trouble with getting the heads right but I imagine I'll get something more or less right in the end (unless I get really annoyed with it and have to give up first).

Tomorrow: Undiscovered Artist Feature.

. . . Thursday I don't care about you . . .

2009-06-04T23:18:00.004+01:00

One of my favourite photographs ever I think. A lucky shot really, I turned round and these three were all curled up together, posing perfectly for me. I only got two shots before they moved, luckily this one was perfectly in focus.

. . . And Wednesday too . .

2009-06-03T22:54:00.004+01:00

Wednesday has been greyer but it's held out enough for me to finish painting my new bookcase, which I will put together tomorrow, then you can have some photographs of my interior design master piece (or something like that).

After meeting Jane of Max and Molly Designs through etsy this morning, I've spent this evening trying to sketch greyhounds - it turns out their heads are very hard to get right. In the event I manage to actually get something reasonable I will be selling/auctioning it for the Retired Greyhound Trust. If all else fails I'll make a clay hound, I'm a bit more confident I can do that.

My parents are currently on holiday and as I don't drive I end up a bit isolated. It is hard to work out if it's better by myself without the stress of dealing with my father's illness and my mother's not coping or with the insanity that is everyday life here but at least there's somebody to talk to who isn't a cat or a gecko.

Another Featured Etsy Seller for you. Today we have Lynne Adamson of Adamsonart, who sells tiny acrylic paintings that double as pendants - very arty! Her work is vibrant and original. I can only imagine the amount of skill that goes into creating something so small yet detailed.

How long have you been an etsy seller?
I opened my art shop in November 2006. It’s very easy to remember for two reasons. One, it’s posted on my shop home page and two, it was Thanksgiving and my daughter was home from college. She had already opened an Etsy shop to sell her own art and said I should definately have one too. She helped me set it up. That was the day my whole life changed. I’m sure you know what I mean. I was addicted from that day forward. My day begins and ends with Etsy. Even if it’s just a few minutes. I can’t sleep if I haven’t checked my shop.

How do you get inspired?
There are so many ways to get inspiration. I may see an image in a magazine or on TV and grab my sketchbook and doodle down an idea before I loose it. I do a lot of gardening and working outdoors is always inspiring. My dog or cat may be hanging out and give me a look and there you go. Get the sketchbook. Everywear I go I carry a little book for doodles. I’m constantly bombarded with ideas.

How much time do you put into your shop on average weekly?
Probably way too much LOL. When I get up, I make coffee, feed the dog and open up my Etsy. I like to spend an hour or so in the forums right off the bat because I’m in the west and the east coast has been at it for many hours already. I’m back again for another hour in the afternoon, usually around 3pm to see if anything exciting is going on and maybe a bit of chatting with my good friends whom I’ve met and become very attached to over the last 3 years.
So probably 3 or 4 hours a day on average.

What are your top three etsy shops that you can’t go a day without stalking?
KDemArte, hemplady4u, TSTreasures. I don’t actually stalk these shops daily but love to check to see what they are up to now and then.

What’s your favorite item you’re selling at the moment?
My pendants right now. I just started doing them a couple of weeks ago and I really enjoy the process. I get to cut wood and sand it. Then I make tiny little paintings which satisfies my Virgo side.

Pets? Family? Tell us about them.
I have a little MinPin named Rocko who gives me lots of inspiration for my pointy nosed dog images. Two cats who are sister torties. I adopted them from a shelter and couldn’t split them up so had to have them both.
I live with my partner of 27 years and we have two beautiful daughters ages 22 and 24 who have flown the nest.

Can you run me through what a typical day for you?
Not very exciting I’m afraid. I wake early, around 6:30 and spend an hour or so on Etsy with my coffee cup in hand. Read the morning paper. Try to walk to the park for some laps and I get out into the garden before it gets to hot. Make some art, back onto Etsy for a bit in the afternoon. Think about making some dinner.
Back to the drawing board (depending on what I have going at the time). Then relax with my guy, catch some TV or a DVD. I like to sqeeze a little reading in. I’m reading The Stand by Steven King for the 3rd time. I love that story and re-read it every few years.

What else interests you?
I’m an avid Nevada History buff so I volunteer at The Springs Preserve in Las Vegas. It is a historical and archological site the also inspires sustainable living. I volunteer once or twice a week. I also gallery sit for a non-profit cooperative run by art teachers. In return they give me gallery space. I love a good movie or a good read and also enjoy swimming. We have a pool in our back yard and I try to get in it as often as possible.

Is there anything you think we should know?
Always recycle, and if you have to buy new, make sure it’s source is renewable :)

You can read more about Lynne in her blog: http://adamsonstudio.blogspot.com

Tuesday's Grey . . .

2009-06-02T22:28:00.006+01:00

. . . actually it's not grey at all, it's been extremely sunny but I feel I have a thing going with titles. I've spent most of the day outside painting my bookcase hence the late post. Painting furniture outside is great, no mess inside to worry about, nice hot weather to dry it quickly, less paint smell indoors; two BIG problems though bugs and grass, which no matter how hard I tried kept getting stuck in the paint. It wouldn't be a big problem if I wasn't such a perfectionist about stuff like this.

I've also been up to some more artistic painting.

Remember the little cat sketch? Well here he is on canvas. I'm thinking of giving him orange stripes and turning him into a tabby but I'm not particularly confident in my ability to pull that off. The other half of the canvas is blank because my boyfriend is going to put something in there as it is to be a gift for a mutual friend.

This one I started over a year ago just for fun but I've now finished it and it turned up way better than expected considering I'd never really used acrylics before. I can't work out if I love them or hate them but I'm interested in continuing to work with them for as long as this creative patch lasts, they tend to come and go a lot as far as drawing and painting goes.

More artist features coming up later in the week.

I don't care if Monday's blue . . .

2009-06-01T18:03:00.007+01:00

Today has been gloriously sunny so I haven't spent a lot of time on the computer. Too much of my day has been spent in B&Q, first of all to buy paint then to return the bookcase I was going to paint with the paint, because when I got it out of the packaging all the wood was split. I hope the weather holds out because I really need to be able to paint outside and I won't be able to do that if it rains, obviously.

Here's a little interview with Etsy Seller, Stony Ghost who makes and sells beautiful hand dyed cushions and t-shirts as well as selling antique and limited edition Stony Ghost prints:

How long have you been an etsy seller?

I've been an etsy seller since june 27 2008

How do you get inspired?
I'm just generally inspired when useing materials to make something. I am also a visual artists, so making objects is the language I understand, and so that is what inspires me.

How much time do you put into your shop on average weekly?
I put a lot of time in, making things, photographing them, spending time in the forums, it's like a full time job. Prob about 25-35- hours a week.

What's your favorite item you're selling at the moment?
My favorite new items in the shop are the simple cushions, which have a clean, neutral feel, and are very versatile in terms of design applications.

Pets? Family? Tell us about them.
I am a young guy so I dont have a family yet. I really want a cat, but at the moment have no pets.

Can you run me through what a typical day for you?
Get up in the morning make coffee, maybe make a few things, relist some items, promote. Then I go for a jog and that gives me time to think, and get out of the house. When I come back I might work on my painting, or prints, and continue to make stuff for the shop. I am really trying to make it work as a possible business, but right not It's fun to have added this new creative element to life.

What else interests you?
I am interested in visual art and design. I am into aesthetics, music, going to galleries. That kind of thing. I also have a gallery space in brooklyn called real fine arts. The website is realfinearts.com if you want to check it out

My goodness an award!

2009-05-31T16:37:00.001+01:00

Well I never, I was just reading through yesterday's comments and lo and behold my little blog has been given an award!

Courtney of http://addictivecreative.wordpress.com has given my blog an award. She says: 'You've been awarded the Lovely Blog Award because I love that you take the time to discover and feature items from Etsy. Your posts are also engaging! Congratulations! :)'

Many thanks Courtney, this is a very special thing for you to do for me and gives me a lot of encouragement with my new venture.

I now have the responsibility of giving this award to some other blogs but as I'm very new to the world of blogging I think I will need to take a bit of time selecting some very lovely blogs and I'll keep you all updated as to when I choose them.

I will start off by passing the award onto:

Kind Over Matter because Amanda and Gen's blog always makes me smile. I especially like the hearts in the woods photograph they posted yesterday.

Creative With Clay because Charan has created a well written and presented blog that not only provides readers with an insight into his creative process but promotes other artists and contains useful articles such as yesterday's post on space saving.

Some sad news and a sketch

2009-05-31T15:55:00.000+01:00

Should we have the sad news first? I think we maybe should. Yesterday I found one of my little baby crested geckos dead, I called it (for I don't know if it was a boy or a girl) 'Lemon' and it was one of my first clutch to hatch and one of the three babies from May. There's a nice little story that goes with Lemon's hatching that I'll tell you now. I incubate my crestie eggs in a polybox at room temperature without any additional heating but due to an unfortunate series of events, the three eggs in my incubator in November got soft boiled (when I went to check them one morning I found the temperature in the polybox read nearly 55 degrees Celsius) and I naturally assumed they had been kill but I never threw the eggs out because it would have really upset my mother (who initiated the chain of events leading to the soft boiling) so they just sat there for months. Then on Christmas Eve I received a phone call from my mother, who was gecko sitting whilst I was away for Christmas, saying she had found them hatched but not looking too alive due to nobody really bothering to check on them because we assumed they were dead. I advised her to spray them immediately and they started to come round, apparently one had some shed stuck to it, which she removed and they both went on to do surprisingly well. Lemon always had a few shedding problems but I didn't think too much of it. All my geckos are pretty slow growing on account of them being fed mostly Crested Gecko Diet, which is perfectly fine. I really don't know why Lemon died, he dropped his tail on Monday for no apparent reason so maybe he was sick or possibly the incident during incubation means he always had something wrong with him, it is just very sad to have had him hatch and live nearly six months only to die suddenly. RIP little Lemon, you will be missed.

In less depressing news, my feature yesterday of Teal Stripes' work has inspired me to do a little bit of sketching. Now you'll remember I said it's something I'm not good at so please excuse the quality but I thought I'd share this little cat drawing with you. I might even do some painting later if I'm feeling brave.

I've got more features lined up for next week. I'd also like to share a little of my photography with you so that's to come as well. If you have a preference or there's something in particular you'd like to see let me know.

2009-05-30T12:33:00.000+01:00

An earlier update today as I have some time after going to the post office with a big pile of packages, mostly books from my degree that I'm selling on amazon at the moment because I'm seriously snowed under with stuff. Has anybody else had an success selling on Amazon? I'm moving books, albeit slower than I'd like but the commission they take is terrible; far more than ebay. My accounts show that They're taking almost 50% of what the buyer is charged and I then have to pay postage, I'm just not sure where else to list them and I guess some money is better than a box of books I keep falling over.

I'm planning to get on with some more clay sculptures at some point but I've got a commission for a very large termite hill hide, from a leopard gecko keeper to get done. I'm not sure how exactly I'm going to make it as it needs to have a base circumference of 26" and although I'd love to make it out of clay it's going to weigh a tonne if I do.

Onto an undiscovered artist since you didn't get one yesterday:

Courtney of Teal Stripes sells beautiful handmade books and pins.

I've chosen to feature her because I love her unique, vibrant style. Her books make me want to write and draw, it's all so exciting! I'm the sort of person who likes nothing more than a clean sheet of paper or better still a brand new sketch book. The problem is I'm pretty bad at drawing so that feeling of ecstasy at the slight of a new page all full of possibilities normally ends in frustration for me.

The Butterfly Sketch Book was the item that first caught my attention. The idea is very simple but the result is a perfectly executed, stylish design that I think appeals to female artists of all ages or just those who like to doodle.

It would be negligent of me to feature Courtney's work without making a point of showing you all the beautiful detail she puts into her work. As you can see from the photograph above, each page of this book (and many others) is hand decorated with beautiful designs that fir the cover theme. I can only imagine how much time and creativity goes into creating works like this, yet her prices are really affordable; this book is just $20 + p&p.

Well I couldn't ignore the cute little cat could I? This design is adorable whilst offering a stylish contemporary simplicity. The cat reminds me of my cat 'Dotty' who has spent much of this spring chasing blossoms as they fall from our cherry tree.

I love the way Courtney is able to connect with her buyers through these sketch books, creating something so personal to her that will go onto the buyer to make personally theirs with their art or writing. There is something very poignant about the connection she is able to make with her buyers through this sharing and passing on of art.

Finally I wanted to show you some of the beautiful pins that Courtney also makes. As you can see they mostly fall into two categories, little colourful animals (which also feature on some of her books) and world stamps, which I think is a really cool idea. The animals are acrylic on canvas creating fun little characters with an unusual finish for a pin.

If you want to know a bit more about Courtney and her artwork she has an excellent blog: http://addictivecreative.wordpress.com

Friday Feature

2009-05-29T18:43:00.000+01:00

I've spent quite a lot of today asleep, not sure if it's the antihistamines or the terrible headache I've had but either way I haven't got as much done as I'd planned after helping my father with his paper round this morning. I really hate the paper round;

I'm sure letter boxes are an evil invention designed to amputate fingers and the newspaper ink makes my skin go nasty so I have to wear gloves but my father can't do it by himself yet refuses to give it up because he thinks it keeps him fit.

I did a bit of work on some boxes for a couple of orders that were placed this week. I've also got one for a steam punk dragon but I'm not quite sure what I want to do now I've painted the box silver.

As promised two artist features, not particularly undiscovered ones I'm afraid but I fell in love with some of these artists' items: Gillian Rising of NaturalatHeartToo and her sister Ashlee Rising of NaturalatHeart

I really love some of the pieces Gillian and Ashlee have in their stores, in fact I love so many of them it is really hard to decided which bits to show you here, which means you will just have to go and have a good look at their stores. Gillian is just 10 years old but her work far exceeds that of artists many times her age. Her sister, Ashlee is 17 and is equally stunning. Both of them provide an artistic, caring yet professional service that make them

Not only is her product range innovative, stylish and interesting but her designs range from beautifully arty to amazingly cute! They are superb value for money and there's free domestic and international shipping at the moment!

So onto a small selection of my favourite pieces from Gillian's store:

I love this little gecko, partly because I like geckos generally but also because he has the cutest little 'love me' face.

I'm quite into this 60's? kitsch stuff, particularly the little deer. The colours and shapes along with the frolicking animals really make this pendant something special.

So many pretty swirls and flowers, just look at them all! One of the things I love about this artist is how varied her work is, there really is a design to suit everybody.

Should we have just one more? Oh go on then, let's have one more.

This is such a beautiful idea, I've toyed with doing something similar with my photography but I've never found the right tree and we don't get a lot of snow.

Onto Ashlee's store. Her designs are not dissimilar to Gillian's but they each have their own special uniqueness. She mostly works with Maple Wood but there are gemstone based designs such as this one:

I like the way the curves of the shape are echoed and emphasised by the flowers. It's the sort of piece that I want to pick up and feel.

I'm really into red at the moment after years of being far too scared of wearing bright colours. I've recently redecorated my bedroom red and ivory, much like this beautiful pendant. Go on be brave and wear something bold yet beautiful!

Ashlee also has a lot of beautiful little owl pendants in her store, this is just one example and who doesn't love a cute little owl with sparkly eyes.

I hope you enjoy their work as much as I do, go to their Etsy stores and show them some love. If you are or know of an artist who would like to be featured please get in touch.

2009-05-28T20:14:00.000+01:00

Today seems rather to have been one of those days but then I find any days where I have to contact the DWP are a bit like that. I'm just finishing off a commission, which is rather nice. The gentleman ordered another dragon from me a week ago and has come back for another so I must be doing something right! It is a design to fit a LoveLinks necklace based on this dragon. It is still sticky with glaze at the moment so unfortunately I can't provide you with a photograph of the finished thing.

My mother and I watch 'Stargate' most evenings after my father has gone to bed as it falls under his ban on sci-fi so I shall have to love you and leave you all now to get my nightly dose in.

I'm going to feature some 'undiscovered' artists in my next post as I empathise with the struggle to get started selling online and it seems like a fun way to make some new friends whilst promoting the work of other artists. If you know of anybody who is just starting out please get in touch with a link to their/your gallery or store and if I like what you're creating I'll feature you.

Umm . . . Hi

2009-05-28T00:43:00.000+01:00

So this is a really new thing for me. After years of saying 'blogging is for scary people who spend too much time on the internet' I feel it is something I should give a go, partly because I'm a bit of a scary person who spends too much time on the internet.

I guess a good place to start is a bit about me (this is where I normally start complaining that blogging

is for self indulgent people). I'm 20 and I live in Norfolk in England at the moment. I'm in a bit of a complicated place in my life right now because I withdrew from my English degree at Cambridge University in October 2008 because I really hated it as it wasn't what I wanted to be doing and after spending a year sat in the dark seriously depressed I finally decided it was time to make some bold decisions about where my life was headed. I've spent my whole life wanting to be a vet and I've worked really hard to get there but I had some problems during my A Levels that I didn't really deal with too well and I wound up doing a degree in English so I could leave home. The great thing about leaving university before I finished my degree is I will still be able to apply for some government loan towards a veterinary degree. The many rubbish things about it include not being able to get a job because there aren't any at the moment, having parents who can't understand and think I've thrown my life away and not quite being able to work out what the next step is. It's a little bit like that saying about out of the frying pan and into the fire.

So onto something less depressing now: I have a great passion for animals (sort of obvious really), I'm

particularly keen on reptiles, specifically geckos and even more specifically the Rhacodactylus genus of which I am breeding crested geckos; or at least I would be if my only adult female

hadn't died a few months ago. I also have two cats, a rabbit, fish and I occasionally babysit a hamster for my sister and her boyfriend. I enjoy photography, I've even won some awards for it - if you're interested some of photography can be found here and here. I would love to do more natural history photography but it is a difficult art to master and requires the ability to get to remote places (I can't drive yet) and knowledge and equipment that I don't have at the moment. Another great hobby of mine is crafting. I guess I'm pretty lucky in that my mother is an amazing lacemaker (she's been teaching for 25+ years, has won competitions, designed patterns for publication etc.) but she's also into lots of o

ther crafts (and teaches some of those too) so I've always had this empathy of creativity and the support and materials to do things others might not have had the chance to try, at least not all at once. I'm a pretty average lacemaker but I'm a reasonable everything from dressmaking to tamari balls, card making to glass engraving with a special liking for polymer clay sculpting and cute things from textiles. I have an etsy shop for my polymer clay bits and occasional other items.

That's probably enough rambling about me for now. I'm sure those of you still reading are extremely bored!

I'm not quite sure what I want to do with this blog but I'm considering showing off some handmade items I like and interspersing it with some updates about the geckos. I guess I'll play it by ear and see who ends up reading it and what they like reading about. So, those of you still reading (and it's no good skipping to the end without reading the middle bit you know!) please feel free to let me know what you'd like to know more about.

TTFN

Cat x x x