I Heart Purple.

Purple was always my favorite color as a child, that was until i discovered yellow. (But shh! don't tell Purple i said that!) Yellow has quite a competition on her hands after i finished making this necklace. The facets in these gorgeous necklace. The facets in the Amethyst rondelles are to die for!!

Monarch Awakens

Thea actually found my blog through my post about Georgia, and boy am i happy she did!! She owns a lovely shoppe called Monarch. Her gorgeous photographs are wonderful, but she took it up a notch, but turning her lovely artwork, into beautiful pieces of art you get to wear. And nothing gets me more then an amazing jewelry artists!



1) How long have you been crafting?

I started taking art classes in Woodstock, NY when I was 11 years old. My teacher held classes in her home and encouraged us to experiment with collage, sculpture, sewing, drawing and painting. In high school I majored in photography and art. I thought I would pursue graphic design in college but got sidetracked by my love of nature and ended up majoring in Biology instead. I took some years off from creating while in college. It wasn’t until 2005, when I took time off from teaching to stay home and raise my son, that I picked up my camera again. I haven’t put it down since.



2) Did you always craft in this genre?

Jewelry design is new to me. Last Christmas I decided to try my hand at making my art wearable and began experimenting with resin and jewelry design. Taking photographs is when I feel the most joy, although I still enjoy collage and drawing as well. I use jewelry design as a way of sharing my photographs.



3) Who or what inspires you?

This is a tough question because there are so many artists that have inspired me. I would have to say my mother has been my greatest inspiration. Her love of nature and photography were great passions that definitely trained my artistic eye. Next would have to be the artists I have met through blogging. Misty Mawn was one of the first bloggers that I connected with. Watching her work evolve and having her support and friendship really gave me courage to further explore my artistic passions. I have also been inspired following the journey of Kelly Rae Roberts. Her honesty, openness and willingness to share her journey has been invaluable to me. Watching her career blossom has been exciting and inspiring to me.

There are too many photographers that inspire me to list them all.

I am inspired by many art forms. Mary Oliver’s poems speak to my heart, and when editing a photograph sometimes one of her poems will come to mind. You will find many of my photographs have been dedicated to her poems.

Music also serves as inspiration. Listening to The Weepies gets my creative energy flowing like no other music I have ever listened to. I hope to create some drawings or photo collages based on some of their songs.

But the best inspiration for me comes from just being outside in the sun and fresh air, surrounded by nature. My camera helps me savor the details of my surroundings and is a practice of gratitude for the beauty around me.




4) What challenges have you found while taking your craft into the business world?

Having very little experience in business and being a stay-at-home mom of a 2 ½ year old has been challenging – especially from a time management perspective. There is so much to learn about business management, web design, jewelry design and photography. Sometimes it is hard to know where to concentrate my time and energy. Start up costs are also a very real issue. Jewelry design has a lot of up-front costs associated with it.



So go up there and click on her links, she's a friendly gal, and would love to hear from you!

Good Bye Sissors, Hello One Year.

Each little scissor represents a customer who thought i did a superior job and told customer service about me. So, for me to work at Joann Fabric for like two months and get 5, well, i think i did a good dern job! :)



One year ago today, i hung up my Joann apron, and started my personal (and professional) journey working at an AMAZING gallery called Timothy's. Happy one year anniversary to me!

*This is the longest amount of time, I've ever stayed at a job, go me! What better way to celebrate then helping children rot their teeth out tonight. Whoo!*

So much to do!! :)

Howdy ya'll..



[Strawberry Peace] necklace. So perdy. Strawberry quartz, Sterling Silver, and Swarovski crystals. How divine! :)

My goodness, so much is happening in my cheery Cherry world. Currently I'm quite serene, i just came back from my FAVORITE tea house! I'm in love with this tea house, and can spend hours there. They have brilliant selection of teas, a wonderful staff and the most delicious biscotti I've ever had.



Other then that, my website is in the last stages. It's taking WAY LONGER then i have ever anticipated. I've been uploading and fixing images, writing descriptions and inputting all of the info on my site for about 10 hours and not even slightly finished. It's quite overwhelming.

Amazing Olga!

I have been drooling over this pottery for too long!!! Which gives me just another wonderful reason why i have feel a desire to post about Olga's gorgeous work. Her shoppe is called Ola Design.



1) How long have you been crafting?

I studied Product Design at Coventry University (in England), during which we did a wide variety of projects, including several hand-made pieces. It was fun, and I always had good results, so I've always been doing something. My serious efforts, however, began only one year ago. I had plenty of time on my hands and my passion for art really took me over.



2) Did you always craft in this genre?

I started with painting on ceramic and glass and developed my style of fine patterns of flowers and trees with birds and animals gradually. Lately, I felt that I've been limiting myself with ceramic and so I decided to try my hand with canvas painting. I'm enjoying it a lot. There's so much freedom; not to mention the variety of techniques and themes that are just waiting to be applied. I just love it!


3) Who or what inspires you?

There's so much for inspiration around me. I live in a Beautiful part of Canada, with amazing natural landscapes and wildlife, which helps me a lot with new ideas. Art by other artists also helps to expand my horizons. I'm always learning by watching what's going on in the art world. My husband is a great help for me as well. He always gives me good advice and is brutally honest with me. He pushes me forward all the time.



4) What challenges have you found while taking your craft into the business world?

The main thing is learning about the market itself: how, when and where to present my product; trying to understand customers; finding the right way to communicate with customers (language barrier). It wasn't easy. There was a time when I felt frustrated and my confidence began to waver. The Etsy community helped me a lot. People are so responsive; always ready to answer your questions. I don't think my business would have grown any where near as well without Etsy. In fact, it may have stopped before it even started.



Sigh...how i am jonsin for this gravy boat..which is really funny since i don't even make gravey!!! To look at more of Olga's work, click the links above.

Through The Lense.

When time doesn't stand still long enough to capture every moment, you should realize you don't need a camera to capture true reality.

At least you'll have your handy camera earrings to console you on your image loss. Copper camera charm earrings, the perfect jewelry choice for any winning photographer.

Wise Phantom

Erin is a brilliant illustrator who has a shoppe called Phantom Wise. She is currently working on her own deck of Black and White tarot cards. Isn't that cool? Her work has both a whimsical, yet dark feeling to it.



1) How long have you been crafting?

I've been drawing and painting since I was little and I minored in Studio Art in college. I was always terrible at sticking to one medium, though. There was a drawing class where I did my best work finger painting with latex paint. I've only been serious about it in a non-academic setting since 2004 or so, though.



2) Did you always craft in this genre?

Most of my stuff has always fallen under the "acrylic based mixed-media" umbrella. I occasionally delve into oil painting and shadowboxes, and have experimented with silk painting and leather mask-making. I like to try new things but I keep going back to what works.



3) Who or what inspires you?

Lots of things, especially things that are slightly unusual or offbeat. Edward Gorey, Neil Gaiman, Tori Amos, The Dresden Dolls. I like my art to tell stories, so I like to draw on myths and fables and things like that. The moniker of my business is taken from a Lewis Carroll poem and I do a lot of Wonderland-inspired art.


4) What challenges have you found while taking your craft into the business world?

I'm more concerned about the archival value of my paintings and prints, making something with the intent of selling it rather than hanging it on my own wall or sticking it under my bed when it's finished. Figuring out the best ways to varnish or pack things has been challenging, as has dealing with the wonderment that is the USPS. Also, trying to figure out what sells and what doesn't has been interesting, because it never goes the way I would expect. Mostly I try not to worry too much and just have fun, since that seems to be what got me here in the first place.

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For more information on Erin, click on her name above. :)

Cusomize It!

I really, truly love special orders. When someone has something in their mind that they would love to have, and let me create special for them, it stretches my mind to the max. I come up with all these incredible ideas that my mind would not have thought of before.

So, if your looking for something special, something perfectly you, then just tell me to Customize it!

Cupcakes

Ugly Cupcake?? Nah!! If it tastes good, so there are no ugly cupcakes.

I'm feeling kind of down tonight. I don't feel like i have anything to feel down about, so I'd like to celebrate the life i was given. Nothing says more about celebrating life then baking, so i want to share the wonderful cupcakes i made with my friend. What started off as "just making some cupcakes" turned into a 6 hour baking fest to make cupcakes for her son and our friends and co-workers. I never realized how soothing it was to decorate cupcakes, i highly recommend it!!







I'm not quite sure how Martha isn't the size of a sumo wrestler, because her "creepy brownies" had 6 sticks of butter in them!!! They tasted wonderful, as long as your the kind of person who also eats pure sugar crystals with a spoon.



These are the cupcakes i made for my friends. I think i did a perdy dern good job for my 1st
time decorating baked goods.



All and all, it was a wonderful, and much needed, relaxing evening with good food and company. For that, i am quite thankful. :)

Incredible Gypsy Wings

Georgia has an incredible shoppe on Etsy called Gypsywings



I've been admiring her work for some time and finally had the chance to speak with her.

How long have you been crafting?

1. I have been crafting and making stuff probably since I could control my own fingers. My mom always encouraged creativity. When I was about 5, my mom spread out huge sheets of butcher paper on the table and gave me paint. She let me paint whatever I wanted on those papers and then she wallpapered the kitchen with them. For a loooong time our kitchen had wallpaper with different colored hand prints, and planets and random blobs of color covering the walls.



Did you always craft in this genre?

2. I have crafted in almost EVERY genre... Like I said before my mom is a crafty, talented lady. She *always* had some kind of crafty business going while I was growing up, and that meant I got to learn LOTS of different things. When I was really young she and my aunt sold hand painted t-shirts and paper jewelry. Then it was wind socks, and handmade children's clothing. For a few years we were really into polymer clay and learned how to make all kinds of goodies with that. Then it was onto beaded jewelry... The list goes on. Non-crafty people always give me a confused look when they ask what we did on our family reunion and I tell them something like "We made papier mache fish and hung them from the ceiling" or "We hiked all of our beading supplies (several huge plastic bins) down into the bottom of a canyon and spent the weekend beading and playing with polymer clay".



Who or what inspires you?

3. I am inspired by everything. Lately nature has played a big part in my creations, for example the butterfly wings and the new series I am working on using sea shells and sea glass. Music inspires me, I have a list that I listen to a lot while I am working. I am inspired by the sunset, or a good book. I have several really great friends who keep me inspired on a daily basis. Basically, I think the beauty of life is my hugest inspiration. There is soooo much beauty to see if we just open our eyes to it.

What challenges have you found while taking your craft into the business world?

4. My biggest challenge so far has just been time. As a mother of 3 boys ages 2, 3, and 5 I am constantly on the move. And when I have time to sit I like to spend time with my husband. It has been a learning experience trying to balance my business and my personal life. I am still trying to find the perfect solution to that, but for the most part I am happy to just work on my business when I can, and building it slowly. It has been a wonderful push for me to be a member of the Phoenix Craft Mafia because we have monthly trunk shows and that keeps me creating.



Isn't her work awesome? For more information, click on her name links above. She is a very sweet girl with some amazing talent!!

Calling All AMAZING ARTISTS!

I spend a great majority looking at other artists, which seems to come in the terrirory of being an artists, so why not join the bandwagon and write about them. I don't only want to post images of their work though, i want to know what makes them tick, so here is my very 1st artist write up.

Peace to you.

Tonight i feel quite ansy. There are many things to be finished. I wish peace to everyone out there who can understand an ansy heart. Have a wonderful evening.

Show Your Sorority Spirit!!

I've been trying to promote myself to soroities for some time now. I guess i'm not trying hard enough, and the times i do try, for some reason i get pushed away. So, when i heard that 70 girls from Alpha Epsilon Phi were coming into the Art Studio i work at, i knew i had to bring in some awesome jewelry for them! (And cross my fingers that someone, any of them, are interested and some beautiful, custom jewelry! What do you think?





Some with their letters. [AEphi]




Some with their animal. [Giraffe]







And...some with their flower. [Lily Of The Valley]

So, if your in a Sorority and want something origional, something that none of the other stores can offer, let me know! :)

Beautiful Grace

Somedays I ponder where are the brilliant and wonderful people are in this world? Often, I'm confused and curious, awaiting the good in others. Some days though...some special days, people walk in briefly in my world and I'm taken aback at their generosity.

I wore this gorgeous skirt to work yesterday...i love it, it's artwork in itself, and i feel so pretty wearing it. I try not to own to many art piece outfits due to my abundance of klutziness. I trip and fall on nothing at least once a day, and for some reason when working in the gallery in this skirt, the invisible rocks on the floor trip me dozens of times in one shift. The world fall though was yesterday. I completely fell down on the ground and ripped off at least 6 of those pretty little flowers. I was beyond devastated. I must have looked as awful as i instantly felt, because a customer came over to me to tell me it wasn't a big deal, that if she had a sewing box she'd help me and that all it took was a simple stitch to put it back together.

Now...whoever said artists who work with their hands can dabble in anything obviously didn't know me, since i CAN'T sew! I've tried and tried and I'm just no good at it, so i said the only thing that came to mind. "If i had a sewing kit, would you help me?" She said yes, and 15 mins later, this women sat on the ground of the gallery and fixed my skirt. It was just awesome! I was amazed that random people, potential customers in my gallery, can be so gracious. I am very thankful!!

Be Aware Of Pretty Jewelry. :)

My friend Yolly really wanted a Breast Cancer Awareness bracelet, and so i tired to make one to her specifications. I wanted to give it to her for her birthday, (December 25th) but she kept asking if i made it yet. So....i sent it to her way early. I think it came out quite well. Don't ya think?





Swarovski Crystals and Sterling Silver, what a great combo!

Nuggets and Trees and Hearts...oh my!

My style changes constantly, which you can really see not only in my jewelry this week, but also in my photography editing as well. :) This week i'm all about simple unique-ness. Long necklaces with eye catching pendants and smaller, more delicate charm necklaces with a splash of color.

I'm not picky with lamps....I love them all.

I love lamp[work]. :)



I love lamp.