Sunday, September 30, 2007

Featured Artist of the Week

This week's featured artist is


Here is our interview with Joy, the artist -

Describe what you make?

I make lampwork glass beads, which means I spend a lot of time over a hot torch melting glass into wonderful shapes. Then I use those creations to fashion into jewelry. I enjoy using silver mostly, but recently have ventured into the gold scene.

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

Glass is my favorite, but I also draw and paint. My avatar on Etsy (the cute little monkey that represents my shop) is a drawing of mine.

How long have you been creating craft?

All my life I've been up to some kind of art, but I started in glass about 2 years ago.

How did you get started?

On a whim, really! I saw a "Make Your Own Glass Beads" kit in a art supply/hardware store, and I thought "That would rock!". I took it home, made a couple of hundred dreadful lumps of molten glass, and here 2 years later I have the right tools and equipment (along with a lot of practice!) and can make a beautiful bead. I have never taken a class though.

Where does the name of your shop come from?

Monkeys are my favorite animal. I live near Boulder on a street that has Boulder in it, so it seemed a logical choice. Plus, there's a lot of flinging that goes on in my studio!

What would you most want people to know about your work?

Many people assume that I just buy glass beads and make jewelry out of them. Because I make each of the beads in my pieces by hand, one at a time, each one is unique and different. I also try never to have repeat pieces. If its sold, its the only and last one you will ever see.

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

Be patient! It takes time before people start to see that you have something they want. Keep creating and eventually you will be recognized for your efforts!

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Joy is a wonderful glass artist. You must see her work at her shop Boulderglassmonkey

She has a blog site too so take a look at that as well!

While you are at Etsy come see the new things that I have added to my shop!


Sunday, September 23, 2007

Featured Artist of the Week

This week's artist makes great and very different infant wear. You have to see this! Our artist this week is FASA.



Describe what you make?

I make clothing for infants (currently sizes newborn to 24months, but I'm hoping to expand to bigger toddler sizes soon). Every piece follows a theme of love for the outdoors & nature.
The majority of my items are hand painted, using a design that I drew, then hand made into a screen stencil, and then hand painted into the clothing.

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

I love working with fabrics. All of them.

How long have you been creating craft?

I've been crafting since I was very little. We didn't watch a lot of TV in my house growing up, instead my mom taught us how to make things with our hands; knit, crochet, sew, draw, paint, bead. My dad taught us how to do wood working and wood burning. I fell in love with ALL of it.
As an adult I've had the opportunity to share crafting with more children than I can count. While I was going to college at Indiana University, I worked at the Boys & Girls Club running the art room. My career has had a lot of focus at camps, where I've shared many skills with the kids that came through the "Handy Crafts" area. (And I absolutely LOVED have FULL access to my own kiln!)

I've been selling my goods here and there for about the last decade. It started because I sew almost all of my own clothes. I get many compliments when I'm out and about, and my husband started to push me to tell people that I made them instead of just smiling and accepting the compliment. Once the word was out, people wanted me to make them things.
I've made bridal party purses, shirts for Phish groupies, custom boxing shorts for professional fighters, items for craft shows (candles, purses, women's tops, little button dolls, and the like), and all my own maternity clothes.

How did you get started?

I started making this infant line of clothing out of a personal need. My husband and I are avid outdoor lovers. Whenever we have spare time you'll find us on top of a mountain or in the middle of a lake. We love kayaking, hiking, backpacking, camping, climbing, and all things similar.

Like many (if not all) parents, when our son, Bryce (named after Bryce Canyon), was born last summer we wanted to dress him similar to how we dress, and to reflect the things we like and do. However, it was not as easy as I would have hoped to find these types of clothes. So I started doing this for my baby. Then I got to thinking that we can't be the only parents who would like these, so just this summer I put some up on my etsy shop.

Where does the name of your shop come from?

My shop name is a nick-name for a nick-name. I adopted the nickname "Mufasa" in high school. I ran on the cross country team. There was one particular sectional meet in which around 300 girls were running the race. The starting line was set up terribly: we were all lined up at one end of a large field. We had about 100yards until the field ended, and there was a 5 foot wide path that went into the woods. As you can imagine it was a huge bottle-neck mess. In the middle of the field I was pushed down. The crowd had no where to go except over me (many were wearing one-inch long cross country spikes). I ducked and covered, as my life flashed before my eyes.
I was OK, just a little cut up. So when the coast was clear I got up, and SPRINTED the entire race (2.4 miles), finishing around 100th (I was hoping for top 10). A friend was watching the race on the sidelines and said that she had felt just like Simba when Mufasa gets killed by the antelope. The name stuck. Later friends shortened it to Fasa.

What would you most want people to know about your work?

I'd like people to know how much thought, effort, and care goes into ever step of every piece. It takes me a long time to come with just the perfect design to put on the clothing, and then I make sure that I make the screen stencils well. After I carefully paint the main colors, I do black detail work by hand paint brush.
I also know (through personal experience... I swear my child is going to not only participate in extreme sports... but INVENT the next one!) how hard kids can be on clothing. So I heat set the paint to be sure it will withstand MANY washings!

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

#1: Never give up. Whether you're trying to learn a new craft for personal fulfillment, or taking the next step to try and sell your goods, it can be a challenge. Don't let that get you down, and keep persevering till you've accomplished for original goal!
#2: Follow your instincts more than what others tell you. When you're the artist ONLY YOU can say if something's good or not. Don't let what others say compromise your visions.

______________________

Fasa's work is adorable. If you have an infant or not, you must go see it!

While you are at Etsy come by and see us too!


Thursday, September 20, 2007

Craft Show Tip of the Week

Talking to your customers - yes or no? This is a question that can be debated for weeks, but it has been our experience that the answer is let your customers look without talking TOO MUCH to them. Smile always. Greet your customer with a friendly hello and then let them look. At most tell them that you are there to answer any questions - and perhaps introduce your work - "I make everything that you see!" Then shut up. Let them look. If you talk more they will WALK AWAY. People like to look and not feel that they are being pressured. Talking to your customers - whether you intend it or not, will be interpreted as pressure to buy. So keep smiling, be friendly and welcoming, but keep your mouth shut. Once they have picked out their purchase and begin the payment process, you can talk all you like.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Featured Artist of the Week

Our featured artist this week has a shop on Etsy called Tippytoe.


Here is our interview with the artist, Christine:

Describe what you make.

I make fun, bright, animaly, floraly, leafy, and vintage inspired costume jewellery and paintings.

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

I love to work with beads, any kind I can get my hands on. I love anything vintage, especially if it's in animal or flower/leaf form. My Oma likes to give me her old jewellery she doesn't wear anymore for me to take apart and re-use. She's pretty great that way. For my paintings I love acrylics. I find it the best for playing around with!

How long have you been creating craft?

I have been creating as long as I can remember. My father was an avid drawer and was always teaching me new techniques to draw birds. I think that's where a lot of my use of nature in my work comes from. Also, my mother always use to sew and when I was really young I use to take scraps of her fabrics and hand sew them into little purses for her. She never would use them though. But at least now she is my jewellery's biggest fan!

How did you get started?

I went to Sheridan College of Art and Design outside of Toronto for glass forming. Once I got out of school I realized that doing glass sculpture was a bit out of my budget. I had always made jewelery for friends and family so I got a couple of jobs working for a jeweler and a clothing designer. After a while of making other peoples work for a living I thought I'd give it a try for myself.

Where does the name of your shop come from?

My boyfriend actually named my shop. Tippytoe comes from a Seinfeld episode in where George and Jerry use it as a code word because Jerry is trying to steal an answering machine tape form Georges girlfriend. We love Seinfeld!

What would you most want people to know about your work?

Hmmmm, I would want people to know that my work is not to be taken too seriously! It's just fun to wear and fun for your walls. It's meant to be enjoyed!

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

Ahhhahaha! I'm not too sure I should be giving advice to anyone. But, I guess I'll say enjoy what you do/make, have fun with it! Don't take yourself too seriously. And the thing I'm still trying to learn is that not everyone is going to like what you make. Try not to take it personally because we all have different taste.

_____________________

Please be sure to come to Tippytoe and take a look at Christine's great work - both her jewelry and her art.

While you are at Etsy be sure to come over and visit with us!








Sunday, September 9, 2007

Featured Artist of the Week

Our featured artist of the week has a shop called Handmedowns - but don't let the name fool you - this is all original work.



Here is our interview with the artist, Carrie -

Describe what you make?

I'm a photography student by day, a knitter and bookmaker by night! I make photography using a large format camera (the kind with the accordion looking bellows) and negatives that come in 4"x5" or 8"x10" sheets. Often I print them in the darkroom using traditional or historical processes, but you can also find more affordable digital prints in my etsy shop. I knit all kinds of things in my free time. I love knitting baby items because they go so quickly, but I'm also a huge lace knitter. The finer the yarn the better! I began making handmade books to store some of my photography because I felt nervous about the archival quality of plastic portfolio sleeves and every day books available in brick and mortar stores. I'm really nuts about the beautiful papers available that are of the highest archival quality!

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

That's really hard to answer because photography and knitting each have a really special place in my heart. I would have to say without photography I feel like half a person. If I go too many days without shooting or printing in the lab, I just don't feel like myself! That can be both a curse and a blessing.

How long have you been creating craft?

I remember being really small and making crafts with my mom and little friends for my birthday party. I would make things with my mom all the time. I can't remember a time when I wasn't crafting!

How did you get started?

I'm so lucky to have been raised surrounded by people I would call crafters. My grandfather is a woodworker, my great grandmother was a seamstress and my mother followed suit, while my grandmother was a knitter. My crafting and creating was always encouraged, and I'm so blessed to have a family that supports and appreciates my need to have a career making photographs. I learned to knit and sew from the women in my family, and obtained a technical aptitude from my grandfather that has certainly played into my success with photography. It just happened.

Where does the name of your shop come from?

I love the idea that people treasure handmade goods, and that often they become family heirlooms or treasures. I wanted my shop to reflect that idea of passing handmade items on like hand-me-down clothing.

What would you most want people to know about your work?

That it means something special to me to make it, and I hope people will see that. I just want to make that connection with one person so that they too will feel something special about what I've made. That's what it means to be an artist: to communicate something using a sensory language. I feel exactly the same way about my handknit sweaters and shawls as I do about my photographs.

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

We can't make everything perfect all the time, and it takes a while to learn how to make things perfect. When you get in a funk or make mistakes, just remember that the lull or the mistakes will surely bring about your next works. A mistake or what feels like a creative block will undoubtedly make your next creations better! Try not to dwell on them... just work through it toward the next thing.

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Carrie does very nice work and you must go look at Handmedowns.

And while you are at Etsy come visit with us!