My other (wedding) blog

So I talked a little while back about starting a blog for my wedding planning. And, although it’s had a VERY (and I really do mean very) slow start, it’ll be better (hopefully) once my life gets back to a feasible routine.

Please, take a moment and check it out if you’re interested :)

(And also, if you’re wondering about where the name “My Grandmother’s Lace” comes from, it’s because I’m using a lot of my great-grandmothers lace (very old stuff!) for my wedding – it’ll be amazing, and a fun connection to my family, even though I never met her)

- and please bear with me, I’m still trying to find a template and design that works! -

Artist Interview: My Saturnalia

mysaturnalia

Today I’m interviewing Amy from My Saturnalia, a shop on Etsy selling photographs. She’s been selling on Etsy since May of 2009 and is a member of the “POE Team” (Photographers of Etsy Street Team). “Believe it or not,” Amy’s favorite colors are earth tones, especially brown. Her favorite breakfast food is “something homemade with love,” and her favorite weekend past time is spending time with her family and friends by a bonfire at the beach with “sparklers, marshmallows and kids running around everywhere.” If she wasn’t doing that, she’d be at a love show from her favorite band. Her dream vacation is to see “every and any art museum around Europe.”

Here is what she has to say about her art:

What started you in your art/craft?
Photography has always been a constant in my life, ever since I received my first camera, a Kodak Disc, at age 9. I remember lining up all of my stuffed animals trying to get the perfect shot. I took darkroom photography in high school and when I was 18 years old I built a portfolio and took off for art school and the rest is history!!

What are your favorite materials/tools?
First thing that comes to mind is nature and my surroundings. I just cant get enough of the ocean, trees, flowers, sunsets, there is always something beautiful to photograph. My Nikon camera of course, my computer and now my Argus 75 to create my TtV images. Can’t live without them!!

Who’s your biggest inspiration?
Well there is nothing like your first right? My first inspiration in photography was Edward Weston. I love the way he captured light against ordinary objects, it mesmerizes me still.

How long have you being producing your work/How did you get started in it?

I’ve had people tell me for years that I should sell my art. I finally took them seriously and it has been just within this past year that I am now selling my work online. It was the best move I’ve ever made for myself!! The idea of my work being displayed across the country and across the world is thrilling to me!!

Where do you hope your art will take you in the next year?

In the next year I want to branch out to more galleries here on Cape Cod. My work is currently on display and for sale at The Black Crow Gallery in Sandwich, MA. Also more online exposure, the ETSY front page would be amazing!

Is there anything you want people to get/take away from your work?
To inspire someone is my ultimate goal. Is it cliche for a photographer to say they want someone to make a connection with their work? I strive for that along with warm, happy, peaceful feelings.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
Enjoy the ride, just when you think you get it, there is still so much to learn. So have fun!

Here’s some of Amy’s work:

[all images are property of My Saturnalia]

Be sure to also find Amy through Twitter and Facebook!

Welcome to 2010, everyone!

Sorry, I’ve been a bit behind in the blogging world – life was a bit crazy from the holidays (and the fact that my fiance’s family has a gazillion birthdays in December and January). I’ve still be recovering a bit and realized that I’m behind on my blogging – so my apologies!

This artist interview is a bit belated, but I still wanted to give Wendy of Cathartic Slant her feature!

Here’s what Wendy had to say about her shop:

“I create collages and stationery products using a variety of materials. I love paper, and Hollander’s in Ann Arbor, Michigan is one of my happiest places! But I also love to recycle and incorporate re-purposing into much of my work as well. The mailbox has become such a dreary place, filled with junk and bills. I create cards that I hope will be a pleasure for people to receive, and brighten their day. I also create other stationery products that bring just a little luxury to one’s day. These little luxuries do not have to be at extreme cost. The goal of Cathartic Slant is to provide skillfully crafted and lovely (and sometimes humorous) products at a reasonable price that also keeps in mind what is good for the earth.”

Her work is a adorable and resourceful! Be sure to check out her fun items!

And the Winner is….

Number FOUR (Trisha!)! :) You can see the results from random.org (so I couldn’t be biased at all! :) )

Picture 4

Picture 6

Congratulations, Trisha!

REMINDER: Last Day for Giveaway!

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway I wrote about last week. Today’s the last day! Enter to win snowflake vinyl stickers.

On a side note, I’m wanting to start up a blog to show everyone all the craftiness that’s going into my wedding, but I can’t for the life of me think of a name for it. Everything I think of has been taken!  Any suggestions?

Artist Interview: Happy Hound

Today I’m interviewing the owner of Happy Hound, an online shop featuring hound stationery and much more. She herself loves the color green and on weekends is found by the fire reading a good book. Her favorite breakfast food is Eggs Benedict, and if she could travel anywhere in the world she would go to Thailand and sit in a thatch roofed hut on stilts in the water.

ART BACKGROUND QUESTIONS
What started you in your art/craft?
I was unable to find sophisticated sighthound tags, notecards or stationery, so I started making my own. I use antique Victorian Illustrations of Greyhounds/Whippets, Napoleonic Bees, Sheep,Stags,Dogs, Horses and hundreds of other images for the tags and printed merchandise. Additionally, I like to make healthy homemade cookie treats for my Italian Greyhound and thought others mike like them as well.

The most exciting part of doing this has been how the business has evolved with the opportunity to create custom orders. A few of the custom items I have been asked to make are: custom tags for a Whippet dog show, English Bulldog tags to be sold to benefit Bully rescue, store hang tags and unique wedding table number cards. Each custom order allows for the customer and I to work together in creating the desired items.

What are your favorite materials/tools?

I love the look and feel of Kraft paper. Also I like the clean look of the black images on white ceramic.

How long have you being producing your work/How did you get started in it?
I have only been doing this for the past year. I love antique Victorian illustrations taken from books and newspapers that harken back to a time before photography when artists were revered for their simple, yet beautiful images. I rework the illustrations to create images that are exclusive to HappyHound. To maintain the antique feel , I print only in black ink on kraft or white paper. I have been selling on Etsy since January of 2009.


Where do you hope your art will take you in the next year?

This is mostly a hobby for me, as I have a full time job that I enjoy. About 50% of my orders are custom, so I look forward to working with Etsy buyers to continue creating custom items they will love.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?

My advice to anyone starting in the Handmade arena is to research what is already out there and make sure what you are offering is unique. I have seen so many new sellers open an online shop and then be disappointed that their craft is not flying off the shelves. Some areas of Handmade are extremely competitive with thousands of sellers, so your item needs to be unique in order to stand out from the crowd.

Also, I was unaware when I began how much time and effort needs to go into promoting your online business. Sometimes it seems like it takes as long to network every day as to create!



[all images property of Happy Hound]

Just like Santa’s Elves

I’ve been itching to do this little shop feature because I LOVE the work. SS Woodcraft makes the most adorable wooden toys, that allows kids to pretend and play right along side their parents. I’ve always preferred simple toys to the flashy battery-powered ones that are so prevalent nowadays. Just take a look below at some of the amazing work – and maybe find a fun wooden toy for your little one for Christmas!

[just like mom's]

[just like dad's]

[all images are property of SS Woodcraft]

Aren’t they adorable??

‘Tis the Season for Making Gingerbread

Not-so-surprisingly, the gingerbread cookies that I made right after Thanksgiving (2 batches, mind you) are completely gone! We’re going to be whipping up a couple more batches in the next few days so that we still have a bunch of our traditional yummy cookies for the rest of the Christmas season, which is disappearing much too quickly, if you ask me.

In honor of the gingerbread cookies, I scoured through some pages to bring you some mighty cute (and one very elegant) gingerbread.

[Gingerbread by Clay Scraps]

[Gingerbread hair clip by Pammy Dawn]

[Gingerbread Snowflake Ornament by Seasons of Joy]

Artist Interview: Scenic New York

Today we’re interviewing the husband and wife team of Scenic New York. They get their inspiration from the wonderful state that they live in. Scenic New York’s favorite color is green, and they love to take photographs on the weekend. They don’t usually eat breakfast, but love to eat breakfast for dinner – eggs, toast, potatoes and bacon. No one favorite! Lastly, their dream vacation is to drive Route 66.

Artist Questions:

What started you in your art/craft?
Scenic New York is a husband and wife partnership. We have both loved photography since we were young children. Before we started the shop, we were sitting on the beach of Lake Ontario waiting for the sunset to take photos. As we walked, we picked up beach glass and talked about how to make our photos stand out at craft shows if we were going to sell them there (which we’ve never done actually). Then we decided it would be a great idea to make a frame out of the beach glass. Once we started collecting beach glass we started coming up with different ideas of things to make with it. That’s where the beach glass crafts came from.

What are your favorite materials/tools?
Camera and beach glass.

Who’s your biggest inspiration?
For Heather, the wife, half of Scenic New York, it would be my mother. For Mike, it would be his dad.

How long have you being producing your work/How did you get started in it?
We’ve both been taking pictures since we were children. We started selling the photos about 4 years ago.

Where do you hope your art will take you in the next year?
All over the state! We love to travel to take photos of the beautiful places here in New York.

Is there anything you want people to get/take away from your work?

We want them to be inspired by the beautiful places in New York. To see the peaks of the Adirondack Mountains and the serene sunsets of Lake Ontario and see a place that brings them peace. Whether it’s a mousepad to keep on their desk or print in their home that takes them away to a serene place when they look down at it or an ornament that reminds of a special vacation or memory we just want them to be happy when they see whatever they got from the shop.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?

Don’t worry about following trends or what others do. Do what you enjoy.

I decided to pick out some of their fun Christmas ornaments to show you all, but make sure to check out their shop and all of their wonderful photography!

[all images property of Scenic New York]

Wall Stickz is a wonderfully fun shop filled with those amazing vinyl wall stickers that are so popular right now. And why wouldn’t they be popular? You get to decorate your wall, make it look like you painted a detailed design with relatively no effort or mess at all! Make sure you check out all of the exciting designs in the shop!

Thanks to Shawn, the owner of Wall Stickz, we’re doing a fun and festive giveaway today! Wall Stickz is giving away one of their snowflake decal sets. If you win, you’ll receive:

“- Set of twenty-two 4″ high snowflakes.

- Your choice of color from our color selection.

- Easy step-by-step application instructions.

- Free test decal.”

To enter this giveaway, all you need to do is go visit Wall Stickz’s shop and come back here to tell us what your favorite item in the shop is. Leave us your name and an email to contact you by and your favorite item and you’re set.

The giveaway begins today and will end on Thursday, December 17th at 5pm PST. The winner will be randomly selected from the comments and will be announced on Friday, December 18th.

Enter now, and let everyone know!

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