p+j = <3

I just bought these awesome earrings from Inedible Jewelry. Two sisters that make all of their own clay charms.





I can't wait to recieve them!

Art For Dreamers

Cari owns a great shoppe called Sea Dream Art. When i saw these amazing tree painting, i saved it as a favorite for quite a while. It's just amazing! When i finally wrote a messege Cari, she was so sweet!! She not only wrote me a reply, she went out of her way and sent me the art card!! I was floored. Thank you so much Cari! I hung it on my way.:)



How long have I been painting?

f.o.r.e.v.e.r



Did you always craft in this genre?

I pretty much will paint anything that doesn't move. Sometimes even things that do move...my cat Jules is a good example...he likes to "help" me paint. :)

Who or what inspires me?

Poets. Especially Rumi, Hafiz, Victor Hugo, Poe, etc. Musicians.Especially Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, Don Henley, Stevie Winwood.





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

Hmmm, probably just the very act of marketing it. I would be happy if I could just stay in my studio and paint all day and have someone else do that part, but I know it's a necessary evil so I do it.



Check out Cari's other prints and paintings at her Etsy shop!! She would love to hear from you!

Eeee, so cute! :)

Personalized Charm Jewelry! So cute! So You!!

Not An Odd Forest Afterall !

Lynda has a shoppe called Little Odd Forest. I've been getting her e-mails and looking at your website for AGES now, and i finally got the courage to messege her. Everything from her products, to the pictures to the website itself is AMAZING!! I know you'll agree!

littleoddforest.etsy.com is her link. Sadly the computer i am at right now won't let me link properly, but i shall fix it later tonight.



1) How long have you been crafting?

On and off all my life i think! I used to make gifts for my friends, sew them pouches, sew and draw on paper to make cards, even made fancy book covers for all my "ugly" school books and files. One time, my mum refused to give me more pocket money to change my ugly wastepaper basket, so I totally transformed its look by covering it with all sorts of colored magazine ripouts. If you were referring to crafting as a business/livelihood, it was in 2004.



2) Did you always craft in this genre?

By this genre, i assume you mean sewing? I first learned how to use a sewing machine during my school holidays before i started high school. We had to take Home Economics, and my mum (whose grandma, my great grandma, gave her a wonderful, now retro-looking, Singer sewing machine) taught me how to use a sewing machine before school started. And i got hooked onto it! Praises from my teacher (You can sew such a round circle/straight line!) helped too ;p I could hand-sew, but being naturally impatient and a little perfectionist, half the time i'll just destroy what i've created due to dissatisfaction with the wonky sewing lines or slowness of it all!
Otherwise, I've always just been doodling and drawing, alot. I've so many sketchbooks I've lost count. And ever since I had my first computer, I've been doing illustrations on it as well.


3) Who or what inspires you?

Design wise, everything and anything can inspire me. People watching, just walking down the busy streets, shopping, movies, music, a day lazing at the beach, colors, a good design book etc. Even boredom inspires me, because I like to daydream and imagine the strangest things, I also remember most of my dreams at night (I dream almost everytime i sleep!).
Business wise (i treat crafting as my business because I'm determined to make a decent living out from my passion, I don't believe in the stereotype that we should starve to create), my mum's strength, determination and hard+smart working ethics inspires me. Lee Kuan Yew, my country's (Singapore) first prime minister, also inspires me (in a totally different and non-political way) - to be able to "build" and "grow" my passion, from start to somewhere (I'm not saying finish because I don't think there will be one!), is my lifelong goal.



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

All kinds of unimaginable ones! Mostly people. Because I'm in Singapore, Asia, in general (excluding Japan) does not believe in paying more than US$30 for a purse that is not a well-known international fashion label, most people here don't give two hoots about handmade/ ethically produced/ sustainable designs etc. and paying decent $ for it. It's mostly due to our culture, and education, but on a positive note, things are changing, although slowly. Thanks goodness for the internet, otherwise, I would not have met "comrades" from all over the world! Especially from the US!, and I might just have given up long ago...



She knows how to win my heart. Look how cute everything is, AND she has a cherry bag! So go to Lynda's etsy or website and stock up for the holidays! :)

Eggcellent!!!

I think these earrings are EGGactly what you're looking for!! A cute enamel miniature egg in a copper frying pan hangs from silver colored jump rings and stis on a Sterling Silver ear wire.

Wear with matching Eggcellent necklace!!

Art by an Inspiration.

Naomi has a shoppe easily remembered as Art By Naomi. When i 1st saw Naomi's posie paper clips i was immediately excited. BUT when i saw all of the other amazing things she created, i knew i had to message her. Naomi is such an inspiration! All of her work has such great flair, and admire how many genres of art she creates in.




1) How long have you been crafting?

I can't really remember a time when I wasn't making or creating. As a child I loved paint, paper, glue and the snip, snip sound of scissors cutting paper. Both my mother and father were creative folks so our home was a very stimulating and nurturing environment to grow up in. I especially loved making my own paper dolls from the sears catalog. My creations were really quite organic, I'd cut out the models glue them to cardboard and create lovely crayon fashons for them.



2) Did you always craft in this genre?

I firmly believe that one genre very often leads to another so no I didn't always incorporate collage elements in my art, I started out as a painter and loved creating greeting cards. Collage and mixed media just naturally evolved from card making. It's only been the last five years that collage has been a major focus and outlet for me. I still love to paint and haven't put my paint brushes away yet.




3) Who or what inspires you?

Well the list could go on and on when it comes to inspiration. When it hits you it's more of a spontneous coming together then a well thought out formula or method, at least that's been my experience. It could be anything from the color and shape of a pear to the bigness of the sky or the smallness of a dew drop. Inspriation for me is usually made up of the things I love, am drawn to and curious about, color and texture play a huge part in that mix.



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

Of course the biggest challenge at the start is believing in yourself and your product. It's been my experience that we tend to rely heavily on human approval. This is not bad or good, it's just a learning and growing phase of our creative development. Any serious artist tho, has to grow from this place to finding their own voice, trusting it and being satisfied with their own approval which includes giving oneself permission to fail.
The next challenge for me was in the area of pricing, not getting to caught up in the dollar value of my art but also not degrading it by underpricing myself. There's definately a huge learning curve in staying passionate about the art without seeing it merely as a product or a means for profit.



So, go up to the links above and check out her work. She makes even more goodies of all kinds on her etsy. Check um out! :)