Soft and Romantic

I love the colour of soft pink. The way it makes me feel so warm and cozy. Just like my favorite blanket on a cold winters day, in front of a fireplace and sipping some bubbly. Very romantic. I put together a treasury featuring all the romance that soft pink has to offer. Enjoy...

Feminie Touch Treasury

I've been featured in another treasury created by FineEmbroidery on Etsy. A pretty collection of so many wonderful creations in shades of pinks and peaches. So soft and romantic. I'm so flattered to have been chosen amongst so many other talented artists. Thank you so much for including my peaches and cream ring!

Featured Artist of the Month

This month's featured artist is Josh and Kim from Jersey City. I got a chance to interview them about their collection of modern furniture. Here is what they had to say...

What type of artwork do you do?
We’re furniture designers who love sculpture so we try to make pieces that have a big emphasis on form. The work is modern and bold but also functional.

How long have you been creating?
Josh Urso Design has been around since 2002 but I’ve been interested in art and design since I was a child. Both of my parents studied art in school so they introduced me to it at a young age. Our house was filled with paintings, sculpture, and decorative objects when I was growing up. I actually started college as an engineer, thinking I wanted to get into automotive design but switched to Industrial Design after two years and really got into my furniture classes.

How much time do you spend working on your craft?
Craft is one of the hardest things to pin down. It’s just a constant challenge. You can always improve your skills and work to perfect things even if you have some natural talent. Our designs take so long to develop because there is a struggle to invent new forms of craft just to realize what we imagine. I’ve been working with resin for almost 10 years now and it still surprises me sometimes. For me, the overall form comes to me in almost an instant and then there is a year or so of perfecting the design and figuring out how to produce it.

What inspires you to create?
I get excited when I come across new materials and manufacturing processes. (Maybe those two years of studying engineering did have an impact on me.) Finding something new to work with gets me thinking about how I can use it to create something else.

Do you have a designing process?
The process begins when I have that first idea for a new design. From there I generally discuss the idea with my partner Kim who helps to edit it and we begin some preliminary tests of materials and possible ways to make the design. Often a new design will call for a search for just the right material. For example, our rope tables use a specific braid and fiber content that we’ve developed over time. It then takes a year or so to finesse the process. Along the way we may need to change the form to work with our method of creating the piece. Trial and error are some of our best friends.

Where do you do your creating?
We have studio space in a factory building in northern New Jersey . All of our pieces are created there.

Have you always been artsy?
I think based on my parents it was inevitable that I would be a little artsy. They gave me an appreciation for good design, quirky design, and beautifully created objects.

Do you have another job?
I do engineering and CAD work for another company and Kim designs and sells her own jewelry.

Where do you sell your pieces?
We prefer to sell our pieces directly to the public either by buyers contacting us or through sales on Etsy. We also sell through a couple other online retailers including... www.artfulhome.com and www.plushpod.com

Do you enjoy what you do?
Of course! It is both challenging and rewarding to work for oneself.

Do you have a favorite piece in your shop?
Knoop, the rope table, is definitely my favorite design. It took a lot of time, energy, and creativity to get that piece together and I’m just so pleased with the end result. It’s clean, distinctive, and people can’t seem to figure out how we make it.
Click HERE to view

Do you have a blog set-up?
We don’t have a blog but sometimes I think we should.

My Beading Family

A gorgeous treasury featuring all items created by my beading family of the bead hive. Created by Dhea of javabead. Search BHV on Etsy to see more of these gorgeous works of art!

And Another Treasury

And the day just seems to be getting better. I was lucky enough to have been chosen in yet another treasury. Such a lovely collection of pretties created by priya123 Thank you so much for including me amongst all the pretty items found on Etsy.

I've Been Featured

Such a lovely collection of many creations in shades of grays. I'm so excited to have been chosen amongst so many talented artists by KBuchananPhotography in her lovely treasury. Thank you so so much!

My Collection Of Digital Collage Sheets

Polymer Clay Sugar Bead Tutorial

Ever wanted to learn how to make polymer clay beads with a little more glam? It's a basic level tutorial for anyone who has ever wanted to make sugar coated polymer clay beads. This tutorial has 10 steps with colour photos along with helpful hints and tips. Comes in PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat reader in order to view it. Any questions I'm here to help! You can find my tutorial in my shop BeadedParadise

Materials and Tools Needed:
•polymer clay in any colour of your choice
•a jar of clear glass micro-beads
•a bottle of liquid Sculpey
•a bottle of Sculpey glaze
•square cutter
•pasta machine or a roller
•piercing needle
•paintbrush
•some glass from a small picture frame
•parchment paper and cookie sheet
•toothpick

Featured Artist of the Month

This month's featured artist is Claire La Faye of Portland Oregon. I got a chance to interview her and ask about her collection of casual luxury clothing with an edge. Here is what they she to say...

What type of artwork do you do?
I have a degree in Fine Arts, now I do clothing design.

How long have you been creating?
Forever, but under the Claire La Faye label since 2001.

How much time do you spend working on your craft?
More than my family would prefer....

What inspires you to create?
My brain never stops so it has endless time to wonder and ponder. Life is inspiring!

Do you have a designing process?
Inspiration, experimentation and production. I love to work off the dress form as well.

Where do you do your creating?
At home in my studio.

Have you always been artsy?
Always, always, always.

Do you have another job?
Being a mom.

Where do you sell your pieces?
www.clairelafaye.etsy.com

Do you enjoy what you do?
I love it! Can't imagine doing anything else.

Do you have a favorite piece in your shop?
I love the Parisian Princess piece.
Click HERE to view

Do you have a blog set-up?
Not yet, but my website is www.clairelafaye.com