[click through any image to see in shop. all images property of joanna's photography]

Today I’m interviewing the Red Bracelet. She creates wonderfully unique bracelets. As for the artist, her favorite color is red, and on the weekend you’ll find her eating peanut butter, coffee and salad for breakfast followed by many hours of making jewelry. Her dream vacation is to be at home relaxing or to travel to Thailand, LA, NYC or Canada.

She works on a lean table from wood with high chair and lots of colored and clear plastic boxes to organize all small components inside and craft tools and materials. The room has lots of windows and air. She states “I think that what make it easy for me to sit for hours and work. I have a place in the corner of my table for a laptop, but I try not to touch it with dirty hands.”

She is a mother for 2 children: Shelly (11.5) and Alon (6). They live in Tel Aviv, Israel. She is 38 and well educated with a MA is in political sciences and communication. She is also a co-manager in PR firm. Her  husband works in a family business now, after 10 years of managing in Adidas Israel.

ART BACKGROUND QUESTIONS
What started you in your art/craft?
As all good things in life are accidental, I designed and created a unique turquoise hamsa-hand necklaces. One pair, for myself. For years I think that turquoise is a vital color, I have design lots of jewelery from metal and sometimes combined turquoise components. My love to this color is mostly in the jewelery field, not connected to folklore believes, but to fashion taste. I think this powerful color is well with almost every color. I had all materials [already] because I needed to add some products in a shop [to] get to a certain sum for [a] credit card transaction. I took calcium, polymer clay etc. I had some stones I bought 3 years ago during a vacation abroad and used only few of them since. Crafting tools I had already. It all combined together to a wonderful strong and unique look.

Many people were asking me to make for them. I was use to such requests since I craft[ed] jewelery as a hobby for over 10 years. But this was different. It looks like no other thing…I decided to respond and accept the orders. After few month of marketing to shops I started to get the interest of on-line marketing. This format was really cool because it suits my life-style as a career PR woman.

What are your favorite materials/tools?
I LOVE TO KNIT!

Who’s your biggest inspiration?
When I got married my grand mother, which came long-long time ago from Bulgria to Israel, put in side my bra, at the morning of the wedding day, a [clove of] GARLIC! She said that it will protect me from evil-eye and will assure that only good energies are around me. That strong memory was on my top of mind when I first created this turquoise-turquoise… which is another belief of my grandmother. This family tradition gives the concept a real meaning.

Who has been your closest supporter?
My DH… my husband helps whenever he is able and willing to fill my requests for buying materials or send something when I cant. My kids are wonderful too and tells me all the time how talented I am and how they adore my collections. Since my daughter is a trend setter&leader at school – all the girls bought necklaces.

How long have you being producing your work/How did you get started in it?
[I have been crafting jewelery for 10 years], but the LuckXury collection for more than a year. It is a unique developement of usual jewelery I use to make.
A fashion design[er] look and a marketing concept – An interesting combination between something an eye haven’t seen, believe, spirituality, fashion, material and design innovation and true wishes.

Where do you hope your art will take you in the next year?
Etsy front page 
Developing continuity for LuckXury collection… The main idea is running in my head but I need some time for creating it.

Is there anything you want people to get/take away from your work?
Yes, optimistic, believing in the good, hoping for the best, feeling the
Joy of color and remembering good energies each time the eyes looks on LuckXury jewellery

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
To find a category and have friends connected to it
To be real lightened and friendly
To be a giving person – customers will be back!!
Oh, and Good pictures

Check out Red Bracelet on Etsy, through her website, and facebook page!

Today’s featured artist is the owner of Mew Mew Shoppe, a fun, cheerful and inexpensive jewelry shop on Etsy. She creates one of a kind jewelry with lots of semi-precious stones. I asked her some of the usual questions about herself, so we all have a little insight to her as a person. Her favorite color is black: “I can’t stop myself from buying black. I don’t know why.” On the weekends you’ll find her eating a breakfast of eggs – her favorite food that she could eat 24 hours a day. In the afternoons she loves going for a run or a hike “…or shopping, haha. [She's] incredibly happy in all of those situations.” If she could go anywhere in the world she says “I’d love to do a tour of Europe… I’ve never been, so I always thought it would be incredible to go! I have a 3 week tour across Europe I have all planned out in my head…. someday!!!!!!”

Here is what she has to say about her work and jewelry:

What started you in your art/craft?
I love jewelry but it’s just out of my price range most of the time. I’m not cheap, but I’m frugal… and spending $80 on a pair of earrings isn’t always in my budget. So, I started making the ones I thought I could make myself, and just got started from there! :)

What are your favorite materials/tools?
I love everything I work with, honestly!! It’s hard to pin down one thing! I do love photography, though I’m not very good at it. This hobby gives me a great excuse to pull out my camera and try to get creative, practice and tweak to my heart’s content tho. You can never take too many good pictures of jewelry!! :)

Who’s your biggest inspiration?
I’m not so inspired by one person in general… but I’m very inspired by where I live, Vancouver, BC. Not only is it a stunning city, and everywhere I look, I find something new and interesting! It’s really easy to be inspired in a city that’s so beautiful!!

How long have you being producing your work/How did you get started in it?
I’ve actually only been creating since last April and I opened the shop in May. I was unemployed at the time and desperate for a hobby for it worked well!! :)

Where do you hope your art will take you in the next year?
Honestly, I LOVE my current job, so I have no hopes for my jewelry outside of it being an Etsy shop I entertain at night. I would love to sell a few more items, maybe be featured a bit more, but I’m very happy with the current state of my shop and the feedback I’ve received so far!!

Is there anything you want people to get/take away from your work?
I just want people to feel special! Ever piece of jewelry should be special or it shouldn’t be purchased or bought in the first place. If you don’t feel special wearing it, then it’s not good enough for you… and I want all my jewelry to feel special to whoever buys it! And want them to feel special waring it!

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
Don’t give up. Don’t get frustrated. Don’t think less of yourself if things don’t go as planned. There is always a very special market out there who will be interested in exactly what you have to sell. You just need to find them and reach out to them… but they’re there, so don’t give up!

Make sure to check out her amazing work!

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!

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!

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]

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]

Today I’m interviewing Lisa of Estancia Designs . I asked her what her favorite color was and she responded  ”Oh gosh, well, favorite color to wear hands down is black. I am a blond and I love black clothes. Plus, it makes getting dressed a no-brainer and most days I don’t like to have to think about what I’m wearing. My favorite color to look at, any shade of blue. It’s very calming and reminds me of the water.” On weekends you’ll find her cooking for her family, walking her dog, and entertaining friends. For breakfast she eats leftovers, she’d rather have left over pizza or baked ziti than “regular” breakfast food. Her dream vacation is somewhere with sunshine, a pool, tropical music and a perfect margarita.

Here are her responses about her shop:

What started you in your art/craft?

I’ve always loved crafting, learning to crochet and teaching myself how to knit at a young age, then on to cross stitching in my early 20’s. I’ve done all kinds of projects from hot gluing shell wreaths to faux stained glass windows in my house. I took a cake decorating class and the first cake I made was my sister’s wedding cake! I have a “go big or go home” attitude! So it was a natural progression to creating jewelry.

What are your favorite materials/tools?

Right now I’m very much into gemstones, rutilated quartz in particular. I find it fascinating! I use mostly sterling silver, with some gold filled wire and components and am now making my own earwires and headpins. I love my little creme brulee torch!!

Who’s your biggest inspiration?

Always has been my mom. They just don’t make ‘em like her anymore! She’s a wonderfully upbeat, positive, loving, generous, courageous person. I aspire to be like her. In a nutshell, this is a woman who learned she had lung cancer at 79, had an entire lung removed and subsequently was on oxygen 24/7. Now at 81 she is only on oxygen half of the day and is just as full of life as ever! She’s a very determined, fun-loving, positive individual.

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

I’ve been creating jewelry for about 6 years, selling on Etsy for the past 2 1/2 years. I started selling it on Ebay and quickly learned that I wasn’t getting paid what my jewelry was worth so I stopped selling there. I’ve also sold on Ruby Lane and did ok there but not fantastic. Then I found Etsy and I’ve never looked back. I’ve learned a lot on Etsy, from a technical standpoint as well as business standpoint. In addition to selling on Etsy I have my own website and most recently have started doing art shows. My business is growing and I have been lucky enough to have been featured in my local newspaper a few times too. I guess you could say I put the cart before the horse by mainly selling online initially and then branching out to the local market after, but that was a confidence issue I needed to overcome, and I have.

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

I hope that my business will continue to grow as it has been and maybe one day make the featured seller spot on the front page of Etsy.

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

I want people to know that when they wear a piece of my jewelry that they are wearing a piece of my heart and soul. That a tremendous amount of love and care goes into each and every piece and that they are truly possessing a labor of love. I also hope that they will wear my pieces for many years to come as they are timeless.

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

Jewelry is a hard business to build, for most of us you don’t just make your first few items, put them out there or on the internet and the sales come flying in. It’s a lot of hard work, but very rewarding when you see those sales start to come in and the happiness your pieces create in the people who purchase them. When I sell a piece I still get the exact same feeling I did when I sold my very first piece several years ago…elation, excitement, rush of adrenaline, and I hold my breath a little until I get the customers feedback, and then I let it out. Give world-class customer service to ensure repeat business. Utilize all the free-advertising you can when you’re starting out, don’t put all your eggs in one basket (see my answer above), use your mouth…talk talk talk about your product where you go and whatever you do WEAR your jewelry everywhere. Read fashion magazines and watch fashion shows, pay attention to the upcoming fashions and try to let them inspire your creations. If designing and creating are your dream then don’t give up. Keep learning, about your craft, about how to promote your craft, and ALWAYS think outside the box. I feel limits and parameters are strictly for budgets, otherwise don’t set parameters or limits on your creativity in designing, creating or promoting and you might be surprised at the end result.

[all images property of Estancia Designs]

Make sure to check out her shop, and maybe find a Christmas present or two for people on your list :)

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

What started you in your art/craft?
I don’t know… I’ve always made drawings and little things like that for as long as I can remember. Both my parents are artistic people so maybe it’s in the genes?

I made the concious decision to follow art as a way of life when I was about 17. I had attended CSSSA at Cal Arts for Creative Writing the previous summer and was floored by the work being done in the Visual Arts Department. Since then, I’ve become more and more dedicated to painting and image making in all its forms. Going to art-school really solidified my determination to translate what I love in to a way a life, not just a career. It allowed me to expand my definition of what art is and can be.

What are your favorite materials/tools?
Oil paint has been my absolute favorite since the very first time I used it. I love its ability to dance back and forth between being translucent and completely opaque. The longer I work with oil, the more abundant a resource/material it seems. It’s a medium with tons of hidden secrets and tricks. And I love the smell.

Who’s your biggest inspiration?
Can I pick two? Kiki Smith and Sylvia Plath. If I can be as fearless in my work as they have been in theirs, I’ll be on the right path.

How long have you being producing your work/How did you get started in it?
I’ve been painting for 12 years now but didn’t start showing my work professionally until about 4 years ago. In November 2007, I gained representation at a San Francisco art gallery that I’d had my eye on for quite some time. I worked on my portfolio for a year and a half before I finally felt somewhat confident in my submission. That year and a half of work paid off and I gained gallery representation at HANG Gallery in San Francisco.

I built my etsy shop, black fence, a little over a year ago. In this time, the response the etsy community has had to my work has been so heart warming. I’ve received so many personal letters from people telling me that the work has touched their heart. It makes the trials of the art-business entirely worth it.

Where do you hope your art will take you in the next year?
This next year, I plan to follow the art where it leads me. I’ve been putting together a body of work which I hope to turn in to an exhibition here in San Francisco. I also plan to begin a very intense plan for my etsy shop: re-curating it every three months to keep it full of fresh work.

Is there anything you want people to get/take away from your work?
For as idealistic (and possibly annoying) as it sounds, I want people to walk away with the knowledge that they aren’t alone in the world.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
I would say to trust the work. Don’t worry about sales and things of that nature so much in the beginning. Concern yourself with what you like, what you want to see in the world, and learn to trust yourself and your process.

There’s a lot of bumps in this road. Having a healthy art-practice, free of outside pressures and other people’s definition of what it means to be a success, make the hurdles so much easier to get over. Keep working. No matter what.

Now, onto her art:

What started you in your art/craft?
I grew up as an only child, so salt dough, painting, sewing, drawing and sculpture building were all forms of entertainment throughout my childhood years. They still are throughout my adult years…

What are your favorite materials/tools?
At the moment it is working with Resin. I have just launched my first line of Resin rings inspired by the works and colours of Andy Warhol.

Who’s your biggest inspiration?
As an art teacher I am constantly exposed to different ideas and inspirations of the artists we study in class and of course, more than anything, the students!
I love Year 7 in particular because they are still so fresh and uninhibited with their ideas.

How long have you being producing your work/How did you get started in it?
I’ve been making different things for over 15 years, from paintings to felting, to sculpture to jewelry design.

Where do you hope your art will take you in the next year?
I would love to increase my Etsy sales and I would like to start selling at Market stalls around Melbourne.

Is there anything you want people to get/take away from your work?
A love and appreciation of colour.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
Create what YOU LOVE, and don’t worry about if anyone else will like it. If you like it, someone out there will. Never compromise your artistry.

Make sure to check out her shop! And her blog!