Featured Artist

This week's artist is a fellow leatherworker. Come and meet Gill from England!


Briefly describe what you make?

I make retro style suede and leather belts.

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

Leather would be my material of choice. It’s available in a whole range of finishes and colours and some of the textures are amazing. I adore suede too – it is so tactile.

How long have you been creating craft?

I’ve been crafting since a child and always had a real flair for art at school. My Grandma taught me to knit when I was 8 and I still pick up the pins thirty-something years on! I’ve tried my hand at most crafts but the one that I have never been able to master is sewing – I would love to learn how.

How did you get started?

Making and selling belts happened by pure chance. I found a book of suede swatches and remembered being given a belt way back in the early 70’s made from different coloured suede, so I set to and made one for myself. I wore it to work and was amazed (and delighted) at all the compliments. I left work that day with 4 orders! And I continued to get lots of requests, including one from my mum who’s in her sixties! I found a good local supplier and bought in a range of suede and leather and built up a stock. I did my first fair in July 2007 and have a regular stall at a city centre arts and crafts fair here in Leeds city centre.

Where does the name of your shop come from?

A clever play on words and I have to give full credit for my shop name to my partner John. I had my first craft fair looming and needed a name as I wanted to create professional signs and tags. I had been racking my brain for days and mentioned it to John. Within 5 minutes he’d come up with ‘Easily Suede’ – I love it and get lots of positive comments from customers.

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

That’ I thoroughly enjoy making every belts and that each link is cut by hand – not by machine as some people think. And I have the hard skin and blisters to prove it!!

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

Show off! Blow your own trumpet! If I’d just accepted the compliments at work without saying I’d made the belt, none of this would ever have happened and I’m loving every minute of it! I don’t think I’ll ever make a living from it but I’m broadening my range and playing with different designs and enjoying ever minute of it.

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Come and look at Gill's suede and lether belts at her Etsy Shop.

While you are at Etsy come and see us and all of the new things that we have been adding to our shop! And don't forget - buy handmade for the holidays. Give a gift that is truly different!

Featured Artist

First, I would like to point out the change in the title of this column. I will still be writing about a different artist every week! And this week's artist is very different - a soap maker!


Here is our interview with Karina!
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Describe what you make?

Handcrafted soaps and lipbalms using quality ingredients, essential and fragrance oils, and catering to men, women and children alike!

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

I love working with fragrance and essential oils--there are so many combinations of scents that can be created, and invent some new ones along the way. I also enjoy the cold-process method of making soap, and knowing that every single one of my products was made fresh from scratch--it's relaxing, therapeutic---plus it makes my home smell WONDERFUL in the process!

How long have you been creating craft?

I started making soap 2001.

How did you get started?

I first learned to make soap a few years ago when my husband was sent on a business trip to England. The corporation paid for the wives to go as well as a "show of support" and, well, there was not really a whole lot to do and I didn't want to sit in a hotel room inbetween business dinners and social events. I discovered a place nearby that offered a professional one-day course in soap making and arranged to have a class there. Later on, I took several soap-making courses in Oregon, and continuously read books, learned new techniques, etc. I then joined the Handcrafted Soap Maker's Guild in 2003 which is a great way to network and learn new skills. Lip balms just followed naturally (I started making them last year) as I wanted to offer variety in my store as well. It can be a lot of work, but it's also quite rewarding :)


Where does the name of your shop come from?

Well..my name is Karina..and everything you see in my shop was created from my own two hands....so...the store name KreatedbyKarina naturally followed--rolls off the tongue quite nicely, don't you think?

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

It's amazing what a certain scent can make you remember. And feel. Lemon zing makes you refreshed...peppermint; alert. Warm and spicy scents bring an aura of comfort. I love working with new scents. As soon as I get in a shipment of new fragrance oils I tear open the box and immediately open each one to get a full wiff of the essence of what I will be working with. And I write down what it reminds me of...how it makes me feel. It's from there I can take the next step: using it properly to invoke those same feelings and memories in you. I want to capture a moment of life in every single bar. That's most important to me.

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

Love what you do--keep doing it--and don't ever look back!

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Wonderfully different! This is a shop that you must see and buy from! Take a look at KreatedbyKarina.

While you are at Etsy, come on over and see the new things that have been added to

Featured Artist of the Week

This week we have something different - a paper artist. Come meet Row, the artist at



Describe what you make?

I create papercrafts with a particular emphasis on memory preservation ( also known as scrapbooking, photo albums), journaling (compositions books), and memo keeping (notepads, planners and jotters).

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

I love, love, love paper. The possibilities are endless for what you can create and alter with just paper and glue. The paper doesn't even have to be designated just for crafting. I love to re-purpose newspapers, magazines, cardboard, packaging, and other paper items. You just have to see the potential in something and then work towards realizing it.

How long have you been creating craft?

I've been crafting since I was a child but I've been involved in a dedicated form or another of crafting for over 20 years. I've enjoyed fabric crafting, painting, sewing, and now papercrafts. Papercrafts is my absolute favorite because I can incorporate all the other crafts I've done in the past into my papercrafts. For example, I can sew on paper, or use fabric cut-outs, or add a little inking or painting.

How did you get started?

I got started in papercrafts as a child when my mother used to roll up glossy magazine pages into slender tubes. We would cover juice cans or boxes with these colorful tubes to make them into pencil holders or other crafts. From that point on I became acutely aware of the different designs and texture of papers, cardstocks and cardboard. I realized that paper didn't just come as an 8 1/2 x 11 white sheet. I realized that so many things can be done with any type of paper. That realization evolved into making my own books, cards, gift boxes, decorations, and albums. Papercrafting has allowed me to express myself while creating items that were useful in my daily life. Nothing is more personal to me than to give a handmade card or tag or to add create my specially themed album as opposed to buying one off as store shelf. Lots of time and effort go into each of my projects and that is part of the giving or gifting process.

Where does the name of your shop come from?

If it isn't obvious by now, my name is an indication of how much I love paper. Patterned, textured, or handmade paper--there is possibility in it all. I love paper, I am papersilly.

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

I expend a lot of time and effort in my projects. I never sell them with the primary intent of making money. It's a cliche but money really isn't everything. Personal pride and satisfaction in my work is more important to me. I want people to enjoy my products and be proud to own it. Whether they ever realize the amount of time and effort that went into it, I want it to be obvious in the detail and quality of the item.

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

Do what you love and love what you do. If your heart is not in it, it reflects in the quality of your creations. You either MAKE an item or you CREATE it. You either do it as a HOBBY or an ART. It's your choice how you elevate your efforts. Another piece of advice-- find potential in everything you see. Whatever you do can be so much more than the beginning stage. The end result can be a treat or surprise to someone, it can be a comfort or a joy, it can treasured and kept forever. You just have to elevate to that level.

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That was a great interview, and Papersilly is a great shop to visit.

While you are at Etsy come see the many new things that we have at our shop!

BUY HANDMADE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

You are about to start racking your brain for what gifts to get family and friends for the soon to be here holidays. You will walk through the malls and look in each store and see the same things that you saw last year. You think to yourself, "What did I buy for Mary last year? I can't give her that again!" The holidays are supposed to be fun and festive - not a marathon shopping excursion weekend after weekend with no results. And then when you finally find SOMETHING, ANYTHING and buy it, wrap it, and give it with a smile - that gift some how makes its way back to the store on December 26th to the return counter.

You know you know what I am talking about! Would you like to avoid all that? Would you like to buy something that will not be returned and will be appreciated. It is easy. Would you like to know the secret? Sure you would. Buy handmade!

Buy gifts that have been created with love by an artist who has put talent and effort into making that gift. No worry about if it has LEAD in it! No concern if it is a recall put back on the store shelf!

So this is a good idea, eh? Where can you buy handmade? ETSY! This is an internet site that is a world of handmade. There you will find wonderful craftspeople and artists with great and unique things ready to sell to you!

Start by looking through the great artists that have been featured here on our site. All of them have shops there. Come by my shop and find some really unique and different things.

Don't exhaust yourself before the holidays even begin! VISIT ETSY and enjoy yourself this year!

Artist of the Week

This week's artist is a jewelry artist. The shop is called Alegro Arts and it is a shop on Etsy.


Here is our interview with artist, Gary.
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Briefly describe what you make?

Handmade jewelry and beads. Right now, I'm focusing on stringing, beadwork, and polymer clay.

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

I love working with natural stone, theres just so much variation and possibility that I could never come up with on my own. My wife will find the most amazing stone or glass beads, and its a challenge to come up with ways to use them.
I started working with polymer clay last year, and I really like the possibilities of that medium. I finally made some pendants that I like well enough to try to sell last month.

How long have you been creating craft?

As long as I can remember. But not always jewelry. I just love to learn and work with my hands, so I try to pick up whatever people around me are willing to teach. I've learned cross-stitching from a friend of mine as a way to pass time on long bus trips. I've done some sewing, crochet, painting, airbrushing, and even air brushed t-shirts at a comic book store for a while.

How did you get started?

When I was a musician, I worked for a while in musical instrument repair. A lot of the techniques used there are the same as jewelry making, like silver and brass work, soldering, brazing, and plating. I started doing some repair work on silver jewelry, then my wife pushed me into going all out into making my own.

Where does the name of your shop come from?

Allegro is a musical term, it means "brightly, with spirit" I was a music major and professional musician for a while, and I liked the term. I decided to call it "Allegro Arts" instead of "Allegro Jewelry" because I know I may change gears and find new mediums whenever I get inspired.

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

Every piece has a story, some inspiration that made me put it together that way. That does make it a little difficult for me to make multiple copies of a design, but it works for me.
Im not really in this for the money. If I make enough to pay for my hobby, I'm happy. I may not be rich, but I do enjoy what I'm making, and that comes out in the designs.

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

Don't try to follow trends or make whats hot right now. Make what you love, what inspires you. If you just try to make stuff that sells, you'll be bored with your work.

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Come and see Gary's work at Allegro Arts!

And while you are at Etsy come visit with us and see all of the great new things that have been added to the shop for the holidays!

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