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. :)