4.28.2009

Hello everyone!

It's been a while...:)

I am pretty much recovered from my back to back illnesses and so it's time to get rocking in my blog again! Hopefully I'll be done compiling all the names I have to be able to get going on my blog features again next week!

So as I said in my last post, I had a couple of treasuries to share with you.

Here are the two I was featured in. Aren't they beautiful?



As well as being in these beautiful treasuries, I was shocked to find out that one of MY treasuries was picked to grace the front page. I was so delighted! What made me so happy is that the treasury wasn't your typical treasury, it was bright and playful whereas so many of the lovely treasuries on the FP are more tonal and tend to have a sophisticated bent.

Here's the full treasury:


Here's the link to the Flickr shot showing my treasury on the FP: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28488923@N05/3445298976/

It did bug me that my treasury was rearranged, but I've been told that's normal so why dwell on it, right?

Hopefully I'll have more one day!

I've got a few pictures of my work area to upload to show you and, of course, I still have 20 million things to edit and list if I would just get off my butt...:D

See you all later!

4.19.2009

Ick!

Hey guys,

Just touching base with you all seeing as it's been a week or so!

Sorry about the seeming inactivity...I was struck down on Thursday night with a stomach flu and I'm not quite over it yet.

I have a whole bunch of treasuries to show you as well as some new pieces and once this gets kicked, I'll get right to it!

Be well and I'll try to do the same...:)
Sha

4.09.2009

Nabbed another!

It's really crummy outside right now and so I needed some brightening up.


Feel free to click the actual treasury and comment and click the items...or maybe even buy them!

Spring Forward Treasury

4.08.2009

PENDANT WINNERRRRR!

Hello guys!

The WINNER of the GORGEOUS pendant by Rachel of UniquePaperBoutique IS:

*drumrollllllll*

Tommye of I'd rather be stitching

YAY! Congratulations Tommye! I hope you LOVE it!

I'll be contacting Rachel to tell her the winner...XD
I love giving gifts away!

Be well and enjoy your day!

4.07.2009

Treasury time!

Hello again!

So you'll notice that Poster Child Sunday was never posted and Wonder Wednesday won't be posted either.

The reason is because the list I created with all the poeple who are interested in participating has somehow gotten corrupted and so now i have to go back and recollect ALL the names and then gather all the info for the people I have already featured.

Seeing as compiling the list took some time to begin with, methinks this isn't going to be a quick job to redo and so until it's done, both features have to wait a little while...:( Hopefully, I'll be done compiling again by Sunday, but I make no guarantees...life has a habit of happening!

Now, enough melancholy and on to the good stuff!

I managed to nab a treasury spot this week purely by chance and I was honored to see that one of my Team mates over at EtsyQ was sweet enough to include me in HER treasury this week. I also completely forgot to showcase another EtsyQ member's lovely treasury and so I shall do so...:D

Here goes!

My treasury was inspired by a friend of mine who's eagerly awaiting to be married come summer...:) Nothing like a White Wedding to get you singing the wedding chant!


These are the two treasuries that I was featured in. They were made by JulieWebb, an AMAZING Photographer, and Suza, a crocheter of UNIQUE talents! Go check out their shops!


4.04.2009

What's up!

Hello Gang!

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a necklace and earring combo and in the time it took me to leave home and get to work, the necklace along with another listed at the same time were sold! gotta love it when that happens!


This is the necklace that lasted all of an hour in my shop...*lol* A coworker of mine had seen it on me along with my contest piece, Sun Shower and fell in love with them. They look GREAT on her too! OH! I didn't get to tell you all that Sun Shower won it's category...YAY! I keep forgetting to contact the young lady who's going to make me a stamp on DA and I'm supposed to be featured in many journals on DA....exposure is always good!

The Saturn necklace and earring have beads all made from glass. I had seen a piece at the bead shop I frequent that was a similar design. it looked challenging to do and so I decided to make something similar. it did end up giving me a challenge because I wanted to beads on each side to be in the same place...:) It was a really fun piece to make and it makes me happy that the beads that I bought through my Mom's Birthday Gift-certificates to the bead shop have found a good home...:D

That said, the earrings are still up for grabs!
Earrings

They are fun and dangly and flirty...I love the way they catch the light!

In other news, Poster Child Sunday is tomorrow, but it'll be later in the night that it'll be up and running seeing as I'm off to my Mom's this weekend and she's got no computer or internet. It WILL be up though! I have a TON of new names to go through and so many pieces to be inspired by! THANK YOU to everyone who's interested!

Don't forget that Wonder Wednesday is still going...it's the post right below this one, so get going! That pendant will be off the shelf and into someone else's hands unless you give it a shot...you gotta be in it to win it! :D

Have yourselves a FANTASTIC weekend!

4.01.2009

Wonder Wednesday! UNIQUEPAPERBOUTIQUE


Ever stumble across something so innovative it took you a few minutes to realize exactly what you were looking at?

Yup, that's what happened to me when I first came across this person's GORGEOUS, STUNNING jewelry. Now, don't get me wrong, I thought it was gorgeous and stunning before I even knew what it was! But somehow, the meticulous and time consuming process just made it that much more precious.

I am VERY proud to be encouraging the creativity and innovation of Rachel from UniquePaperBoutique.

This lovely lady is very new to Etsy, but I have a feeling it won't take long for people to find her or her beautiful creations...:) She's been working SO hard to revamp her shop's look for the better, working on her pricing and descriptions...She's just plain been working hard!

Something else she's worked hard on is what to Giveaway! You guys get the chance to win a BEAUTIFUL pendant made by Rachel worth 36$. Have a look see! Who here can tell me they DON'T want this puppy? *sees no raised hands* Thought so...:D


THE RULES
For ONE entry
♥wander on over to UniquePaperBoutique's Etsy Shop
♥select your favorite item from her shop
♥come back here and tell us what it is, and most importantly, a brief explanation WHY

For ADDITIONAL entries
ONE more entry: read the interview below and briefly tell us what part you liked most.
ONE more entry: Heart UniquePaperBoutique's shop
ONE more entry: Follow GiftedDesigns on Twitter
TWO more entries: blog about this Giveaway and Feature on your own blog! Don't forget to provide the links back in your comments so we can see...:)
TWO more entries: follow my blog! You'll find the Follow box to the left by scrolling down a bit...:) If you already follow me, just say so and it'll count!
FIVE more entries: Purchase from either Gifted Designs or UniquePaperBoutique! Purchasing from both triples your entries to FIFTEEN! Don't forget to tell us what you got by linking to it in a comment...:)

So that's a possibility of 28 entries...;) Of course, you don't HAVE to do all that, but I'm sure you'll want to! A random number generator will be used to choose who wins! Just make sure to include as many comments as you have entries...:) Don't forget to leave me contact info too!

Now let's find out more about the lady behind these lovely works of art!

1- What started you down the path to creating your own papers?

Years ago I had begun pondering the uses of paper. I had visions of hand formed, waterproof paper bowls. One day when I was rather upset with my husband, for good reason I might ad, I went to the basement and stayed there for months. Large garbage bags full of disaster were filled in search of my vision. Out of frustration I laid one of my wet and soggy disasters on a flat screen. Out of this my non-traditional paper was born. Oh, and I did manage to create my bowls as well.

2- What is the process in creating your own paper?

My paper is not a conventional paper. It is very thin and created from acid free white tissue. I wet sheets of the tissue paper, add acid free book binding glue to the mix, flatten and press the paper. At this point, depending on the use, shapes of cut tissue are embedded into the larger sheet. Now there are three different paths of applying color and the occasional extra fine sparkle. Acid free light fast inks and dyes are applied to dry, damp or very wet paper. The effects differ greatly. An oven and sealant are also involved at various points in this process as well.

3- What is parastyrene and how durable is it?

It sounds mysterious doesn’t it? The type I use is a clear, very thin and flexible, plastic. It was the only substance I could find that allowed me to create the pieces of jewelry I had in my head. It is easily cut by hand and I can stick a pin through it also. People freak out when they touch and hold my work. It looks like glass, is less than a millimeter thin and is as light as a feather.

As far as durability goes, it is water proof and stands up to everyday abuse when combined with the polymer sealant I paint on the edges of each piece. My jewelry takes a good deal of abuse. I have worn the pendant around my neck for about eight months, accidentally showered with it a few times, and it is still wonderful!

4- Do you intend on ever creating your own dyes to compliment the papers you create?

I could see when I am old and have little to do with my time creating my own dyes. Honestly, the array of colors I can choose from when I purchase by the bottle is wonderful. The shimmer and iridescence in some of them are outstanding. Of course I mix and ad powder shimmers to them as well. The time it would take to ad a step in the lengthy process is not worth it monetarily. However, creatively creating my own dye batches sounds delicious!

5- Your jewelry and sun-catchers are absolutely stunning. Aside from those applications, how else have you used your craft and will we be seeing them in your shop?

Thank you for saying about my jewelry and sun-catchers. I love them too!

Yes, I make works of art, frames and covered wood vessels with my paper. The hand molded vessels I spoke of have been put on the back burner until I am famous and people will pay zounds for them! The frames are my least favorite right now to be honest so they may not make it to my shop. The covered vessels and art will appear at some point. I am overwhelmed by the internet and Etsy, as I am a newbie. I am unsure if all of my work should live in one spot or do they need to play in separate sandboxes? Do I sell them framed, I would dread that, or unframed. Really, how do you buy a framed piece of art for a space in your home? I couldn’t. Time will tell. If any of you have ideas or insight, feel free to contact me!

6- What would you say has most influenced your artistic direction?

Mental stability, time constraints and physical space all play a part in my artistic direction. I have created many forms of art including murals, watercolors and pastels. My bigger more personal pieces have eluded me for many years. Mental blocks due to the tapestry of happenings in life. My daughter is just 4 years old and she is the bulk of the time constraints and I live in a smallish space where I have to work on the space in which we eat our meals. The paper art fits well enough into all three of the aforementioned categories. So the paper and I are friends and I truly love it for all its beauty. It lets me play with color and that is always at the center of my work.

7- You’re very young by Etsy standards. In fact, you joined on my birthday! Do you have any other places where you’ve sold your jewelry and art?

Happy belated birthday wishes to you. I’ll be timelier with my wishes next year!

As far as selling on the internet, no, just Etsy for the moment. My youth on the internet shows. Unfortunately my gray hair and wrinkles are apparent in the real world.

At the end of this past year, I did a few shows with my jewelry and I am in one shop. I just started making the pieces in October after several months of product development. So this is a brand new path for me. My goal is to place in at least 8 shops this year. As mentioned above, I have done many forms of art so this brought me to many venues. I have done murals in peoples homes, sold work privately, used to sell watercolors at small shows as well. My pastels are very personal. I hope to start creating them again soon. This time I will sell them, but they are pricey.

8- What part of the entire process would you say is your favorite part of being an Artist/Vender, starting from the concept all the way to listing the finished piece?

The color. Playing with texture and the juxtaposition of color is what drives me. There are endless possibilities. I adore how the dye and ink run together or splash erratically when I flick a brush. Collaging the sheets of paper allows a second phase of color play. Subject matter has never been the draw for me, just how will I represent it with color.

9- What goals would you like to accomplish by your Etsy Anniversary next year?

In my head I make a great featured seller. Also, I hope people seek me out to look at my lovely wares. Actually, I love when people look, just to look because they enjoy the beauty of my work. Specifically, I would like at least 40% of my income to come from Etsy. Really, I think I can, there are no other options!

10- What is your favorite book and why? :)

This would be Surrealist Games compiled by Alastair Brotchie. It is an odd compilation of all that is surrealist including photos, quotes, art and thinking games. One line from the book is, “Have you had the experience of re-entering a dream at the point where it left off, one or more days before?”.

A thinking book.

Thanks for reading a bit about me and thanks to Shannon because she rocks! (Isn't she the sweetest?!)

Wasn't that an interesting read? I'm always about learning new things and I certainly learned a thing or two...I also have an urge to buy that book!

My very favorite piece that I wanted to bring home has been taken from me...*queue overly dramatic music*...but that didn't stop me from ogling THESE favorites too!
Summer Orange, Bit of Purple and Green, Handmade Ink and Dyed Pressed Paper, Pendant on Sterling Silver Snake Chain
Pink, Blue and Purple, Handmade Ink and Dyed Pressed Paper Earrings, Hung On Sterling Silver
Sun Catcher, Light Catcher, Handmade Ink and Dyed Pressed Paper, with Translucent Greens for a Window ornament, car, office, home

Feel free to link us to your blog or Etsy shop in the comments...we'd love to see what you've got! The WINNER will be announced the same way Chris was in the post below...:D So be sure to come looking!

Have fun reading and admiring her absolutely gorgeous creations and thank you to everyone who enters in support!

And the winnnnerr isssss......

The WINNER, according to a random number generator, for the divinity inspired Angel Wings Soap is!!!

CHRIS!

I'll be heading off to give Soapdeli Chris's email so that the prize can be sent off to it's new owner!

Stay tuned for this week's Wonder Wednesday! WOOHOO! I LOVE giving away such gorgeous handmade goods!
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