On A Roll Today

Wow talk about a burst of creativity. I sat down last night to create one or two new banners to my shop. Turns out I made sixteen instead. Not sure where all the extra creativity came from, but it sure can come back anytime it likes. I'm definitely not complaining! I do have a goal to list 1000 banners. Hopefully I will, fingers crossed! To check out more of my banners you can visit my shop here: www.simplybanners.com

Fur Baby Claudius

I was in a chat the other day with a fellow Etsian who had mentioned if anyone wanted to help out her sweet foster kitty Claudius. I checked out her shop and read a listing asking for donations to help in Claudius' care. Having such a warm heart for all fur-babies especially kitties I just had to help this precious baby as much as I could. I'm sure a little bit here and there could definitely go along way. So if your an animal lover like me please feel free to read more about Claudius here: www.kittyskrafties.com

Featured Artist of the Month

This month's featured artist is fellow Etsian variation of Bay Area California. I got a chance to interview her and ask her about her beautiful collection of bead dolls. Here is what she had to say...

What type of art work do you do?
For now I'm working with beads, but I also sew, knit, crochet, make collages, some bookbinding and letterpress,
metalsmithing, graphic design and animation. I'm always trying new things. I love to experiment and combine skills.

How long have you been creating?
Since I first begged my mom to teach me to sew clothes for my Cabbage Patch Kid dolls in the 1980s...

How much time do you spend working on your craft?
It fluctuates -- sometimes as little as an hour or two a week, and sometimes as much as 15 hours a week. I have a full-time job to pay the bills, so that, unfortunately, takes priority.

What inspires you to create?
The amazing work I see from other artists and crafters, past and present, across all mediums. Anything that makes me say, "I want to be a part of that!" The community that comes with sharing your work and learning from fellow artists. Nature, culture, science. Travel. Even the seemingly mundane things around me. All of this informs and inspires my work, and drives me to create!

Do you have a designing process?
I totally make it up as I go along! I just start dabbling with materials, become totally absorbed for a few hours, and voila! Not everything I make is successful, and sometimes I have to abandon things and start over. But in the back of my mind, I'm always thinking about my projects, whether consciously or not.

Where do you do your creating?
In the comfort of my home sweet home.

Have you always been artsy?
Yes and no. There have been periods in my life when my "artsy" side remained dormant because of school, work, or other obligations. This is when I'm the least happy.

Do you have another job?
I do. I work in the tech industry.

Where do you sell your pieces?
Just for now I sell my beaded dolls on Etsy.

Do you enjoy what you do?
Absolutely. I love it!

Do you have a favorite piece in your shop?
Hmmm...the doll in the center of my shop banner. She's like a mascot, in a way. Since my shop is evolving, I will probably have new favorites frequently.

You can see more of variations creations in her Etsy shop Variations

Some new items added!

I've had my Simply Banner shop up and running for a while now. I decided to add a new line of labels to my shop. I'm so happy with how they turned out that I decided to post a sample on my blog. I have four different label templates in my shop now, I plan on adding more in the very near future. They feature some lovely backgrounds and oh so sweet graphics which I have purchased from some very talented artists online. Each round label is priced at $3

You can find my labels, banners and avatars in my Etsy shop here: simplybanners.etsy.com

Argh! You call this glue!

It's been a while since I blogged about anything. I decided to come back and write about a gripe I have. As a jewelry designer and crafter I thought it would be nice to have some earring cards to go with my artisan earrings. I wanted to use some pretty scrapbooking paper as the cover of my cards and realized I needed a gluestick. After a hunt for a really good glue stick at my local craft store. I picked up a Scotch craft glue stick. It was a tad bit on the high price but it said for crafts so it seemed perfect. Boy was I wrong! I got home that night and sat down to make my cards. I glued the pretty paper onto my cards, dazzled them up with some cute embellishments here and there, they were so pretty. A few days later when I went to use one of my earring cards, I noticed the pretty paper was starting to pop right off the card. Ummm isn't glue suppose to help things "stick"?
I will never, ever buy this type of glue again. I desperately would love to finish my cards without having my paper popping off. So if anyone has any good glues they would like to recommend please feel free to comment your favorite type. I've tried using the liquid glue as it seems to stick the best. Unfortunately when I tried that type it made my paper pretty icky looking with the final result!

Featured Artist of the Month

This month's featured artist is Carrie Murtha of Lexington Kentucky. I got a chance to interview her and ask her about her beautiful collection of unique handmade gifts. Here is what she had to say...

What type of art work do you do?
One-of-a-kind paper-clay animal art dolls.

How long have you been creating?
Ever since i first got my hands on a pack of crayons. As a child, I was always "making things", entering art contests, and taking classes.

How much time do you spend working on your craft?
I spend many, many hours each day crafting.

What inspires you to create?
I feel an innate need to create constantly. It's like eating or sleeping for me...I have to do it. Many things inspire my work....nature, animals, seasons and holidays, vibrant colors, flea market finds, retro toys....

Do you have a designing process?
My process is very organic. I don't do preliminary sketches. My sculptured dolls just sort of evolve as I go.

Where do you do your creating?
I have a bright, sunny room upstairs in my house where I do most of my creating. I also rent a studio room with some other artists here in Lexington.

Have you always been artsy?
ALWAYS!! Growing up, I took lots of classes....pastel, drawing, photography, painting, etc. Then I discovered paper-clay in my 20s and fell in love with it. I have been making my animal art dolls ever since.

Do you have another job?
I quit my job a few months ago when we moved from Atlanta to KY, so now I am trying to make it as an artist full time an exciting and daunting task! I consider my other "job" my cat rescue volunteer work.

Where do you sell your pieces?
Etsy, SpookyTime Jingles, Pfatt Marketplace and at a local KY gallery.

Do you enjoy what you do?
Absolutely! It can be challenging at times, but I am extremely grateful to get to be imaginative and creative every day!

Do you have a favorite piece in your shop?
I would have to say my favorite piece is this piece... Click Here To View I was really pleased when I finished this piece. I loved incorporating an antique clock frame into my artwork. It looks like a little theater, so it feels very magical and fun.

Do you have a blog set-up?
I love blogging and meeting other creative bloggers! Mine is The SnipPet Girl Talks Art and Animals: www.snippetgirl.com

You can see more of Carrie's creations in her Etsy shop TheSnippets

Featured Artist of the Month

This month's featured artist is Lori Storrs of McHenry Mississippi. I got a chance to interview her and ask her about her beautiful collection of handmade mosaics. Here is what she had to say...

What type of art work do you do?
Lately I've been focusing on mosaic work, but I'm quite the dabbler. I take mini-vacations from my mosaic work and paint, draw with graphite or pen and ink, collage and occasionally throw in a little mixed media to shake things up a bit. I've recently begun to do a little bead work here and there, and also crocheted scarves chock-full of handmade gifts for Christmas! So far, I haven't met a craft or art form that I haven't loved. Most of the time I'm completely enamored.

How long have you been creating?
For as long as I can remember, and my family tells me I was creating before then. I just got into mosaics a few years ago, and before that it was mostly drawing and painting.

How much time do you spend working on your craft?
Not nearly enough to keep me satisfied! It's hard finding that balance between having a full-time job and a having a full-time passion. When you throw in a family and household obligations, it can be next to impossible to find the time to work on anything that can be seen as less than necessity. When you have a driven need to create, you make time. I would estimate I'm able to make about 20 hours a week of actual studio work time, in addition to countless hours made up of 15 minutes here and 20 minutes there of networking, promoting, researching, designing, daydreaming and planning. When I'm not working on my art, I'm thinking about working on my art.

What inspires you to create?
Everything. Sometimes I'm surprised by it; sometimes I'm completely blindsided. It can be a mood, a song, a smell, an object in the sun and the way the light hits it. It can be a brainstorm or fleeting thought, which is why a small camera and sketchbook go wherever I go. Sometimes inspiration is more elusive, or may even refuse to come at all. Those are the times you've got to dig in your heals, dig out your sketchbook, and dig up your previous ideas. If an artist waited for the inspiration to create, they may just miss out on a whole lot of creating!

Do you have a designing process?
It's hit or miss, depending on how much time I have. I usually sketch out the rough idea and try to get my color scheme and any design issues worked out before I begin. Sometimes I do a little research on my subject matter ahead of time to familiarize myself a bit more, and other times I dive right in and work out any issues as they come along.

Where do you do your creating?
I do most of my work in my studio, which is actually one end of my really long bedroom. I do as much work as I can outside, because I'd rather be out there than inside. When it's cold or rainy, I grout on the kitchen counter because it's across from the sink but also next to the back door where I can empty my water bucket.

Have you always been artsy?
Always. It was a little strange, because I was the only artsy individual in my family, and still am for the most part. I remember being very young when my grandmother would take my crayons away for coloring outside of the lines. I also remember her mother, my nanny, winking at me as she gave them back and saying to her "Now Arlene, that's child's got fire in her, you quit tryin to put it out!"

Do you have another job?
I'm also the office manager at an engineering firm. I'm the token right-brained thinker surrounded by a host of left-brained, statistic speaking, number crunching individuals who regularly greet me with one raised eyebrow and the skeptical look on their face that says "I have no idea what you're going to do next, but I'm willing to bet that I'm not going to understand it at all." I'm okay with that.

Where do you sell your pieces?
I sell them online in my Etsy shop, and will soon be selling them in my ArtFire shop . I also sell my work at a coffee shop and gift gallery in nearby Wiggins, Mississippi, called the Mocha Giraffe, and do a few art festivals and craft shows here and there.

Do you enjoy what you do?
I LOVE what I do, and I hope to be able to do it full-time one day. Creating makes me happy, makes me whole, makes me a better person. What's not to love about that?

Do you have a favorite piece in your shop?
That's a tough call, because I don't sell anything that I don't truly love and would enjoy having in my own home. Since I have to choose one, I'd probably go with this one... Click Here To View because it's different. I hadn't done anything like that one before, and haven't really done anything like that since, now that I think about it.

Do you have a blog set-up?
I do, www.dirtylowdown.com I originally started my blog as a way to promote my artwork and show works in progress, but it quickly evolved into a way for me to showcase other artists and their work, and a way to let them know I appreciate them and why.

You can see more of Lori's creations in her Etsy shop dirtroadsouth

I'm in the mood for spring, are you?

Got the winter blues?
Check out these Etsians wonderful shops for some spring inspiration ♥

Gardenia Sunflower goat's milk soap $4.00
By: LostRiverRags

Spring glass necklace with pendant

By: aniasjewelry

Flapper Hat Spring Green $15.00
By: ClackamasCrochetChic


Handbag in Blooming Mums $30.00
By: lanedesigns


Mini Origami Dress Birthday Card $3.75
By: KittyKatCards

Grand Opening =)

I finally just opened up a new shop on Etsy. This time I will be selling strictly banners and avatars. After having such a huge hit with my banner listings in my jewelry shop, I thought it was time to expand them into a separate store. Hope you will check out my new shop!

Simply Banners