Latest Sale from my Etsy Store! YAY!

A wonderful lady named Elizabeth bought this necklace tonight. This is by far one of my more elegant pieces and looks good on just about every skin tone and every age for that matter. I have gotten a lot of compliments on this piece at trunk shows and craft shows that I have been to since I created it last Fall. It is made with two kinds of fresh water pearls - smooth round white pearls and gold (what I call) rice crispy pearls. All findings are 14k gf. I am going to miss this necklace, but I am ecstatic that it sold and is going to a good home :)

Treasury Time!!!

I not only snagged a treasury on etsy this morning, but I am also featured in two other treasuries!!! I am pumped up right now please take a moment and check them out :) The amount of clicks (clicking each of the 12 items) not only helps people's views go up, but also makes the treasuries more popular - so the more clicks the better!

Here is mine: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=5663


the treasuries I am featured in
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=5649

and

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=5625


woohoo!

NICE

I just checked my flickr account and it gives you a little memo if someone blogs about one of the pictures you posted. WELL Sweet Figments featured one of my necklaces on her blog that features other artists using red in their pieces - I feel so honored! It came out of the blue, and I couldn't be happier :)

THANK YOU!!!!

Check out the awesome blog @ : http://sweetfigments.blogspot.com/

I am FEATURED!!!!

	Hello everyone, I woke up and found out I was being featured this morning! Please check it out @ http://www.nakpunar.blogspot.com/ and Check out their etsy store as well! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5594473 Thanks!!! - Morgan

Artist Feature: Gourdzilla

I was stumbling around etsy the other day and found a really interesting artist who goes by the name of Gourdzilla, well that is her etsy name. Her real name is Selma Gunn. Selma creates beautiful pieces of art out of gourds. I was literally blow away by how much detail and intricacythat goes into each of her pieces. She was gracious enough to grant me an interview to learn a little bit more about her and her craft.




Tell me a little something about yourself
I grew up in a small town in central Wisconsin. I still live there except for the winters where I go to sunny Arizona. I have two children, girl and boy and two handsome grandsons. I just celebrated my 50th wedding anniversary June 30th.
Tell me a little about your business...

My little town has an art club which my mother and a few other folks started up in the late 40's called the Rural Rembrandts. Their purpose was to promote art in rural communities and they became affiliated with the State University of Madison, Wi. It was unique in that other small towns followed in their footsteps starting groups and had their own art contests which once a year the winners all congregated to a final show in our state capital, Madison and was judged again. The winners were then put in a traveling show that went all over the state to different cities displaying their works for a few weeks at a time. This routine is still going on to this day and our club is thriving. The web site for our club is www.ruralrembrandts.xbuild.com My gourds are on that site under my name-Selma Glunn

How would you describe your influences and artistic style
I hope I got my talent and interest in art from my Mom. She owned a restaurant in our town and held many art meetings after hours. They would clean off the tables and set up painting well into the nights. I have worked in many mediums and have settled on gourd art a few years ago. What inspired me was seeing so much gourd work in Arizona. It is the greatest thing to transform those dirty things into works of art. I can not wait to finish one and go on to another. Once I get past the peel that is attached to them so the leather dyes will adhere it is like staining a piece of wood. It is unbelievable the prospect of embellishments for them. I especially like using natural finds. When I am on the golf course the girls are used to me trailing off into the woods looking for interesting stuff for embellishments.

Where do you sell your pieces?
I sell at shows in our area and in Arizona. I also sell them in a cute restaurant in a neighboring town and a coffee house that was transformed from a grist mill. We live in a tourist area with lots of lakes and have many visitors both summer and winter.

Do you have any secret hobbies?

I am an avid golfer and I even took club champion last year. I was awarded my own parking spot with a reserved sign. I will fight for that spot in August again. I will need lots of luck.

What is your favorite color?
My favorite color is burgundy. I like bright colors and am always playing with the color wheel.

What is your favorite moment as a seller?
My favorite moment as a gourd seller is when people ask "what are those made of"? Many people have not seen them made into an art form such as mine.

Do you like to cook?
Oh boy do I love to cook, mostly baking. It is most rewarding when my son in law comes around. He is my best eater and loves my cooking.

What is your favorite way to end your day?

I love to curl up to a book before I close my eyes for the night and that is what I am going to do right now.

I hope that yall have a few moments to check out her store and her awesome craft! click here to see her store

A really nice way to wake up this morning!

I woke up this morning wondering if I should go to the gym this morning or after work...I'm glad I checked my email instead! I received a note letting me know that Little Things Designs from etsy.com had featured my jewelry on her blog. She said some really beautiful and kind things about my jewelry that made me smile so huge!

Here is a link to her blog : http://coolcraftymom.blogspot.com/

And here is a link to her etsy.com store called Little Poppy Designs where she creates cute and fun little toys, clothes, and hair accessories for the little ones: http://LittleThingsDesign.etsy.com


It is things like this that really keep an artist like myself going. Thank you so much!

JUNE ARTIST FEATURE : Elise Towle of ArgyleWhale

I am really excited about this month's featured artist Elise from ArgyleWhale - a wonderful store I found on etsy.com and fell in love with. ArgyleWhale has a great collection of prints, paintings, sculptures, journals, and stationary - just to name a few things Elise does! Her style is endearing and adorable. I had a little interview with her the other day and would like to share it with all of you :)


Tell me about yourself as a person, a little background, where you grew up, high school, college, current job, etc.

My name is Elise Towle Snow. I'm living in Salem, Massachusetts right now with my husband and our two bunny pals (Hodge and Yoshimi). I graduated from Montserrat College of Art a couple years ago and now spend my time working at an artisan bakery, a local cafe and on Argyle Whale.

How long have you been in business? Do you sell besides etsy.com?

I started Argyle Whale the moment I got home From my honeymoon this January. Previously, My husband and I shared a business selling clothing on Etsy (Lazer Beanz). That endeavor was really fun and taught us so much about selling but neither of us felt that we wanted to continue working on it. It was growing and had some success but as we went along we realized that we enjoyed clothing design more as a hobby. I wanted a more efficient business that was set up to grow smoothly and I wanted more design freedom. My primary venue right now is Etsy but I'm beginning to court a few other options as well.

What is your favorite thing to create?

Creating anything in any media makes me really happy. I enjoy experimenting with new materials and techniques more than anything and the beginnings of projects are always my favorite part. I also have to admit that I love drawing fat bunnies in peculiar situations.


What is the best thing that your craft does for you personally?

Making things has always been my biggest source of delight. and at this stage in my life, Argyle Whale gives me freedom and a clear goal to aim for. I work two retail jobs that I really like but I know I won't want to be doing forever and Argyle Whale is an endeavor that I hope will grow into something I can sustain myself off of in the future.

What has been your favorite moment as a seller?
My favorite moment is actually occurring right now! I was selected to compete in Etsy's design face-off challenge and I'm going crazy counting up votes in the competition. It's pretty much the most exciting thing that has happened to me in a long while.
What is your favorite way to end your day?

The end of the day is really my favorite part! I usually stay up late working on projects and finish when my husband gets home from work. I make chamomile tea and toast and we snuggle on the couch with the bunnies and watch a movie.


You can find all of Elise's beautiful work (which is for SALE) at her etsy shop at http://argylewhale.etsy.com

I want to thank Elise for letting me have an interview with her! Good luck!

FEATURE: Heather Renz of BumbleBird

I recently had the opportunity to find an artist on etsy.com named Heather Renz, owner and creator of BumbleBird. Heather paints, sews, and designs. Her work is indeed whimsical and endearing, I fell in love with a few of her paintings I saw in various parts of etsy and then looked through the rest of her store. Her imagination enables her to create such soft and lovable characters and subject matters. I had the chance to do an interview with her and here we go:

1. Tell me about yourself as a person, a little background, where you grew up, high school, college, current job(s), married, children.
I am originally from Oregon. My parents moved around a lot during my childhood and we finally settled in a small town near Mt. Hood on the Columbia River Gorge. I met my husband in 2001 and shortly after, moved to New England. We have two vivacious little girls ages 1 and almost 3.

2. Tell me about your business name, how did you create it? How long have you been in business? Do you sell besides etsy.com
Bumblebird is the name of the first plush toy I created for my daughter. She loved it! I enjoyed creating little bumblebird so much, that I had to use the name for my business. I opened my shop on Etsy in the fall of 2007. I currently sell my paintings, prints and plush on Etsy and have been fortunate to have my work in galleries on both coasts…

3. Describe your artistic style
I find my art to be stylized and whimsical. I love simple shapes and vibrant colors in my paintings. For my plush characters, I favor a more subdued and natural color palette with a little kick of color now and then.

4. What is your favorite color
My favorite color is red. It can change from time to time. Other color favorites are olive green, golden yellow, and the occasional teal.

5. What is your favorite thing to create?
I love to create by painting or sewing. Currently, my favorite thing to create is my plush bunny babies. These are the little babes dressed in a bunny bunting. The fabric is so soft to work with and I enjoy embroidering the expressive eyes onto their little faces and then adding blushed cheeks for a finishing touch.

6. Do you like to cook?
I do not like to cook…My family used to say, “How are you going to find a husband if you don’t cook?” I told them I plan to marry a man who cooks! They laughed….but I did. My husband has the wonderful and natural ability to make a spectacular dish without a recipe, from the meager contents of our fridge.

7. Do you have pets?
I have a crazy/sweet black haired cat named Shayla. She is 11 years old. Someday, we would like to have a dog…

8. What is your favorite season and why
My favorite season is late summer and early fall. It’s warm and I’m relaxed. It’s a great time to get together with friends outdoors. It’s also the time of the year when I go back to Oregon and visit my family.

9. If you could have any talent that you don’t currently have, what would it be?
I would love to be able to sing and play the piano. I am seriously considering taking lessons…

10. What is the best thing that your craft does for you personally?
Creating art is a necessity for me. Especially now that I’m a mom. I need that part of my old self to still exist. It lifts my spirits and takes my mind away from everyday life…and brings joy when I see my young daughter so excited by a new creation or painting away along side me!

11. What has been your favorite moment as a seller?
My most favorite moment is when I received such heart felt comments about my work. To know that it has touched someone and brought them much joy is the reason I will continue to create…

12. What is your favorite way to end your day?
My favorite way to end the day is relaxing on the couch with my husband, while enjoying a glass of red wine. Then climbing into a warm bed for a full peaceful night sleep…


You can check out all of Heather's designs and creations on her blog and etsy store!