New Artist Interview: SilverOpal

Artist: Meilikki Grondin of Braintree, MA

Store: http://www.silveropal.etsy.com/

1.What do you make?
I make all sorts of opal jewelry set in sterling silver.

2.Are your items sold at any brick and mortar stores?
I am currently in negotiations with a shop on the beach in New Port Rhode Island.

3.What inspired you to start selling your work?
I ended up getting so many requests for my pieces; It was the logical next step.
I thoroughly enjoy getting up everyday and working with the most gorgeous stones on earth!

4.What is something you’ve always wanted to learn how to do or make?
I want to learn any and all old crafts, weaving, pottery, hedge craft etc.

5.Do you sell at festivals or markets? How does this compare to online sales?
I am looking into selling at King Richard's Faire in Carver Massachusettes, on weekends in September and October.
6.Outside of your shop life, what else do you do?
I act, sing and dance for fun.

7.What has been your biggest ever sale?
A four inch pendant with brilliant opal teardrops. It sold for $750.

8.What kind of things do you have planned for the future of your business?
In the near future I plan on opening a shop to sell renaissance jewelry and in the distant future I plan to make custom bridal jewelry in opals.

9.What other information would you like to provide shoppers about your shop?
The vast majority of opal jewelry is made in Australia; I make all my pieces here in the USA.
I only sell jewelry that is silver in colour, sterling, white gold, platinum etc. No yellow gold.

10.What is the best piece of advice you've ever received, regarding business or otherwise?
Get right in there and study all you can about the other companies in your field, see what you can expect and what really works.

11.Do you have a blog or any other websites? Let me know so I can make them known!
I am planning on opening up a site on Silveropal.com in a few months so keep a lookout!

In celebration of October's birth stone (Opals!), Meilikki has graciously offered a grand coupon!

Please use the code SuzLuc in the message to seller when you make your purchase, and do not pay until Meilikke has sent you a new invoice.

Vacation Time

My husband and I have finally reached our 5th wedding anniversary! Can you believe it? I breathe a sigh of relief for some odd reason. To celebrate it and the fact that this will probably be the last year we can before we have kids, we are going on a vacation.


We were very lazy in making plans and took the easy way out which means going to Greenville, SC. It's a beautiful place with lots of neat things to do around it. But it wont top last year's vacation, we took a cruise and it was just marvelous. But this year will be relaxing, with a hint of adventure (we may take a hour hike to a waterfall or something).


I am very excited to leave for Greenville, I am very excited for even tomorrow to end so I can switch into vaca. mode. I am there in spirit already and I have my mind tethered to my body with a fraying lasso, that won't hold much longer. I am ready to go relax.

New Artist Interview: Little Monkey

Artist: Jackie of New York

Store: http://www.littlemonkey.etsy.com

As fall is coming I decided another artist who knows the value of a good quality scarf was in order. Aside from that she has beautiful shots of things she is truely inspired by in her new town and elsewhere.

1. Sum up your current life in one sentence.
My life is a crazy whirlwind; I never know what is coming next!

2. What do you make?
My first love is photography. I love going out and exploring new places and taking LOADS of pictures. This is the majority of what I am offering on Etsy. I hate to be idle, so I am often exploring other mediums and that has led to the knitting and crocheting. I make handknit scarves, hats and some baby items like mittens and booties. At various times, I also do some painting and drawing.

3. What inspired you to start selling your work?
I started using my photographs as a way to decorate the bland walls of my very white apartment. Everyone who came in (from friends and acquaintances to the UPS delivery man) all assumed that was what I did for a living, so I decided to sell some prints.


4. What is something you’ve always wanted to learn how to do or make?
I would love to try learning metalwork. This is one thing I have never done, despite forays in glass, wood, fabric, etc. One of these days….

5. How did you learn the (main) skill you sell in your shop?
My mother taught me to knit and crochet when I was little, and I decided to try it again a couple of years ago. Turns out, it’s like riding a bike – as soon as I picked up the needles, it all came back! The photography is self taught.

6. Where do you find inspiration in your day-to-day, or during creative slumps?
Whenever I am blocked, I have to go somewhere outdoors. I love parks or any green spaces, and places near the water are great. Since moving to New York, the Brooklyn Bridge is my new love – all the bridges are really a great inspiration; the sheer magnitude is staggering.



7. If you could be doing anything anywhere in 5 years, regardless of real life, what would that be?
If money and reality were no object, in five years I would be living in Southern Italy in a little cottage on the sea, with olive trees and rosemary everywhere!

8. Do you sell at festivals or markets? How does this compare to online sales?
I have just moved to New York, so I haven’t had much chance to get my work out yet, but I have participated in the Artists & Fleas Market in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This is an awesome, year-round, indoor market with fantastic artists from the New York area. I was really pleased with the results.

9. Outside of your shop life, what else do you do?
I am a graduate student at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, studying Urban Planning. This takes up a fair amount of my time, but I really love it, and Brooklyn is such an inspiration for my studies. From my apartment, I can see the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, as well as the Empire State Building – it’s an awesome and humbling thing to wake up to every day.

10. What kind of things do you have planned for the future of your business?
I would like to use some of my imagery in other projects – possibly apparel or accessories. The idea is not fully formed yet; I am sure late one night, I will get some inspiration and a few weeks later you will see it in my shop!

11. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received, regarding business or otherwise?
I think the best piece of advice I have received is to just “go for it”. Even if you don’t sell a single thing, expressing yourself is SO important. You may be surprised – other people do tend to appreciate your work.

Jackie has kindly offered a coupon for you to save on both her scarves and her prints, just for reading this interview!

When you have finished your shopping, please enter coupon code SuzLuc into the message to seller at the final purchase. Do not pay until she sends you an updated invoice with your great deal!

Terribleness

Ohhhhhhh (she sighs with a bit of groaning from inside), it's miserable being sick. Last night I felt cold, ridiculously, unendingly cold. And I shivered til I cried. I slept under 5 blankets. And I mean thick, hand-crocheted yarn blankets. This morning after a great nights sleep (thank God for Advil) I almost went to work but decided to play it safe and stay in. Sorry co-workers, I know you missed me. Thank goodness I did tho, I feel just as rotten still as I did last night. Very feverish, alternating every hour or so from hot and soaked in sweat to freezing (I pulled on a knit sweater and pants and laid on my front lawn in the sun at the hottest part of the day to warm up; it was an unsuccessful effort).

So what did I do all day? Well, I slept alot, watched a favorite movie (Anne of Green Gables, which I watch at the beginning of every fall) and tried to accomplish something useful. Basically, I just fiddled online though. It was useless. I feel dizzy walking, and my hands feel to weak to master my tools in my usual way, besides the fact that I don't feel the slightest bit creative when all I can think about is blahhhhhhh....

Sorry. Even my blog today lacks joy and effort. To make up for this, I can promise you a new interview coming soon with another new artist. Check back for this in a couple days when I (hope, dream, and wish) will feel better.

New Artist Interview: Ingersworld

Artist: Ingermaaike from Harpefoss, Norway

Stores: http://www.ingersworld.etsy.com, http://www.ingermaaike.etsy.com
Blog: http://www.ingermaaike.nl

I love a good quality toy! I had so many when i was a child that still remain in my possession. I have recently become a little obsessed with findin other unique, quality children's toys. I believe Ingermaaike of Ingersworld is creating beauties that will last for years to come, making memories for so many children that hug them into their adult years!

1.Sum up your current life for us in one sentence.
I am a fanatical felter who loves to experiment and push at the boundaries. Mainly self-taught, as I am too contrary to be taught.

2. What do you make?
I make fiber art of all kinds. In my store I sell toys of felt and I have another store where I sell mostly scarves.

3.Are your items sold at any brick-and-mortar stores?
I have plans to do so in the future but for now Etsy is my only venue.

4.What is something you've always wanted to learn how to do or make?
I would love to learn to work metal, the real smithing of large objects.


Herbert, the deepsea flobberworm

5.How did you learn the skill you sell in your shop?
I followed a one-day workshop once, and understood the principle of how felting works; the rest is history.

6.If you could be doing anything anywhere you want in 5 years, regardless of your current life, what would you be doing?
I have just moved from the Netherlands to Norway, and in 5 years time I would love to have refurbished our barn so I can start a real B&M store there, selling creations from my European teammates there as well.

7. Do you sell at festivals or markets? How does this compare to online sales?
I have been to one fair so far and sold really well. I have yet to meet the right people here. But will certainly be attending fairs here in Norway too. It is great fun to actually meet the people who want to have what you have made.

8.Outside of your shop life, was else do you do?
I am a mother of three boys, a wife, and love to be able to fill my days with crafting and messing in and around the house.


9.What has been your best sale?
Sometimes I will get a return customer that is so enthralled with what I make that they come back time and again. They keep me going on and on.


10.What other information would you like to provide shoppers about your shop?
It is a shop that will evolve over time as I never make the same twice, keep an eye on it and be surprised.

The mouse that would

Interview With, Well, Me!

I am going to be featuring new artists soon, and as a sample and beginning, I decided to feature myself so that you can learn more about me!

1.Sum up your current life in one sentence.
I have finally discovered who I am and what makes me happy; while this does not tell me what I will be doing 10 years from now, it sure fulfills me daily, which makes me a better wife, a more excited friend, and a happier person all around.

2. What do you make?
I make so much stuff and every 6 months, get the urge to learn a new skill! But as of right now, I paint, draw, pastel, woodwork, stained glass, bead, sew, quilt (a tiny amount, still learning), and um, well i forget what else. But I am also learning to cast jewelry out of molten metal!

3.What inspired you to start selling your work?
Stuck in a retail job that I thought would lead to a fullfilling businesss management career, I lost interest and filled my time with learning a new craft (jewelry). With business, design, and people skills under my belt (as well as many big sales through coworkers), i decided to officialize my self as a super small business owner and start a real shop. I am pushing hard to make this fit my income needs so that when i go to school ft in spring i won't have to go to another crappy part time job!

4.What is something you’ve always wanted to learn how to do or make?
I dream constantly. At the top of my current list is metal fabrication and jewelry casting, flying planes, and latin dancing.

5.How did you learn the (main) skill you sell in your shop?
I picked up a box of beads at a yardsale, stole a pair of plyers from my husband and set to work playing until I learned how to create good quality jewelry. Now and then I do peruse magazines, websites, and other for inspiring ideas or even simply beautiful things to look at.

6.Where do you find inspiration in your day-to-day, or during creative slumps?
Everywhere! A favorite pen and how it fits my hand even cheers me! Trees and shade on a warm day, a well designed website with groovy items, the kindness of a stranger, the hugs of my husband or kisses from my cat.

7.If you could be doing anything anywhere you want in 5 years, regardless of your current life, what would you be doing?
I have a huge goal with this shop. It needs to support me. Not my entire family but I want to pull my end of the deal and still be a stay-at-home mom when I start having kids next year or so. In 5 years, I want to be found in my studio next door to my home with my radio on, and one or two little buggars locked inside the white picket fence of my studio yard. I want to be playing, teaching and crafting with them. That is my current dream.

8.Outside of your shop life, what else do you do?
I am a constant maker. I am also a movie watcher and a reader. And a forever student. I am currently taking a jewelry casting class, learning the lost wax process of metal casting. I am totally a sucker for the love and admiration of my husband. And I looove to just relax with good friends over dinner.

I hope you enjoyed this sample!

In My Dreams!

My hubby and i have been thinking dreamingly of redo-ing our kitchen lately. It's really just a money pit, so much so taht we are afraid to even start working on it (we bought the house 2 years ago) and have just avoided it like the plague by eatting out 5 days a week. We have consequently gained about 10 lbs each. Bummer, but good inspiration to either start working out or redo the kitchen.

True Love Signed Print by FashionCandy

When I say redo, I really don't mean redecorate. I mean rip everything down and start from plywood floors and bare studs. My husband might find one or two walls salvagable, but I am so grossed out by the previous tenants of our house that I want to just start from scratch. You would to, trust me! (crack pipe, anyone? Seriously.)

So, I find myself looking today on Etsy (where else would I spend my spare time?) at kitchen goods, and while we first require important things like a better fridge and stove, and well, walls and a floor, we will eventually be ready to do the redecorating part, involving all the super cute handmade towels, and spice racks, etc. I also envision myself purcasing a great set of colored pots and pans.

These items will some day belong in my kitchen.

Spicelab Bar by PurposeDesign

Family of Three by SayYourPiece

Vintage look kitchen embroidered Pots and Pans tea towel by
thetatteredtowel

Oh, The Drama of School

One of my favorite things about being an artist is learning a new type of art. Sometimes it something i create in my head and just do w/ little experience or knowledge of previously; I'm just determined to created the picture in my head. And other times the new art skills are learned through my forcing it on myself, aka. a class. This method is obviously especially good for the more complicated arts, such as the lost wax jewelry casting class i am taking now. I really don't think this is something i could figure out on my own very quickly with out a few years of trial and error. Hence my mega excitement that i get to forgo that option and jump right in. But because i have forced myself into this, dates and deadlines are now being forced on me, (well, not really forced, my prof is super laid back) meaning my brain needs to jump into gear and figure out what i am going to do. I am having the worst trouble figuring out what i want to cast. I have carved a ring that i went blank on design wise, a bird that my dog then ate, another ring that i dont think i even like, and now, a branch. yes, a branch of wood. i think that i like it a lot but i think i may have gotten too excited and maybe botched it up a bit. maybe its fixable. Regardless i fear i am supposed to walk in to class Wednesday with a ready to cast item, which i have not, since my dog (Diesel) ate the bird i had just finished. Dumb dog