Izile

Meet Stephanie!

www.izile.etsy.com

What are your name, Etsy name, profession and location?

I'm Stephanie, but often go by "Nie," and my Etsy name is Izile. "Jill of all trades" is the only way I know to describe my "job" and I live in Brooklyn, NY.

Married? Single? Do you have children? Do any animals dwell with you?

Divorced, no kids, no pets allowed.

What medium/s do you work with and where did you learn how to do this?

I like working with whatever media I can get my hands on. Colored pencils, watercolors, oil paints, polymer clay, wire, rocks, anything and everything that's not nailed down is fair game. I'm almost completely self-taught in all regards. Never had a formal art class, not because I didn't want to. So, I just jump in and muck it out myself.

Do you have a specific area you work in and how much time per week do you devote to your art/craft?

When it comes to my Magic Vial Pendants, which is mostly what I'm doing now, I like to work on the couch, in front of the tv. I'd guess I put about 15-20 hours a week in on a good week.

What inspires you?

Nature, mostly. There's endless variety and change of color and texture and everything else you could want.

Is there a medium you haven’t tried that you’d like too?

Yeah, I've wanted to try PMC (precious metal clay) but between the expense and home-firing difficulties, I'm just not sure if it'd be worth the cost to try a blind leap at it.

Now some questions from our fellow Etsian’s.

Question by www.luluvillage.etsy.com:

Would you rather be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond?

Can I be a frog? I don't think frogs eat their own kind.

Question by www.Marysusan.etsy.com:

If you were trapped in an abandoned cave, and could only have three artistic materials with you, what would they be, and why?

Some sort of hard-wearing, durable paint, so I could paint on the walls or even keep a record of events; non-toxic clay, so I could have cups and dishes and containers and pottery in general; and a blow torch, so I can see what I'm doing, play with textures and how things react to fire, and to help fire the clay.

Question by www.luv4sams.esty.com:

What is the one item you created that you are most proud of?

That has to be my Unicorn Nebula painting. I had this huge canvas, 24x30, and I just sat down, and in one four hour session with watercolors, just painted and painted until I was done. I loved it. So did my Mother, who immediately took it to hang in her bedroom.

Question by www.AriaImages.esty.com:

What are five of your favorite Etsy shops?

www.Laurali.etsy.com

www.Merimask.etsy.com

www.Tangocatgems.etsy.com

www.Thyme2dream.etsy.com

www.Wildspirits.etsy.com

Question by www.Damselle.etsy.com:

What is your worst time wasting habit?

I get caught up doing research; and I digress, and while I might have meant to only look up one little fact-check thing, I'll end up reading several pages of unrelated material.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be. - Douglas Adams
Thanks Stephanie!

Listen UP!

My computer is dead...R.I.P. (stupid %$#*&!* thing!)
Lesson: Make sure you backup your family pictures/photos on another drive or you will cry for a very long time. Also, if you have important emails containing important information, registration, codes, or anything else, make sure you print it and file it. *more crying*
I only have the very basic functions. It's really cramping my style.

Anyways, I should be getting a new one by Friday! Wooooohoooo!

The featured Artist of the week will hopefully resume next week when I have the ability to post a picture.

Tomorrow the window company is FINALLY coming to complete the window installation. We'll see if that actually happens.

There is a cool blogger at http://30while30.blogspot.com/2008/04/16-earth-day-giveaway.html who is having an "Earth Day Giveaway". You need just leave a comment on her blog on how you try to help the enviroment. That's it! Easy Peasy.
She also has an Etsy site at www.MarkMyWords.etsy.com.

We are all doing dandy here. Wishing Spring would get here just a tad bit faster but we do see hope on the horizon.
I can't wait to post some pictures of my Spring flowers!
Maybe I 'll try to force some Forsythia. Hmmm.....

papernclay

Meet Linda!

http://www.papernclay.etsy.com/

What are your name, Etsy name, profession and location?

My name is Linda Hartman and I live in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch country. I sell on Etsy under Papernclay and on Dawanda under papernclaynglass2, I also blog at www.papernclay.blogspot.com .
When I originally started selling on Etsy I made Polymer clay items and origami. Hence the name Papernclay.....I only acquired a kiln later and hesitate changing the name of my store after people are coming to know who I am there.
I am a floral designer by trade, I never tire of the beauty I find in flowers.

Married? Single? Do you have children? Do any animals dwell with you?

I am single right now. I do have 2 children. Rachel is in college pursuing a career in accounting and Jerry is still in grade school fighting his way through 4th grade. Buva is the half Boston terrier/half ??? who lives with us . Buva is the dutch word for boy. A word my father called the youngsters, I think when he forgot their names, it fit for all of them.
What medium/s do you work with and where did you learn how to do this?

I love working with paper including cards, scrapbooking and especially origami. I have less time for it now that I also fuse glass,make jewelry, and entertain myself with polymer clay. All of which I learn mostly with the vast knowledge I find on the internet. I am a member of the cgge and when I run across something I question I ask on their forums and other members are very gracious in the sharing of their knowledge.

Do you have a specific area you work in and how much time per week do you devote to your art/craft?

My kiln is in the basement and my dining room has become my work area for jewelry making and polymer clay.I fold origami in front of the computer cause that's where I find most of my diagrams and keep my origami books.
I spend a good deal of my time making my craft and when I'm not creating I follow up with listing on Etsy and Dawanda, my blog,flicker, they're all very time consuming. It's difficult to give an exact time estimate but when forced I'd have to guess 3-4 hours a night. I've learned to make friends with the dust bunnies under my bed instead of fighting them off.

What inspires you?

Nature,people,ideas,children...it's hard to know as one goes through any given day what will appear and give inspiration.

Is there a medium you have not tried that you'd like too?

None I can really say right now but I will, I'm sure, continue to try new things.

Now some questions from our fellow Etsian's.

Question by www.luluvillage.etsy.com:

Would you rather be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond?

Definitely small fish in a big pond. So much to explore...being a big fish in a little pond would be confined and boring.

Question by www.Marysusan.etsy.com:

If you were trapped in an abandoned cave, and could only have three artistic materials with you, what would they be, and why?

Easy! paper,clay and glass!

Question by www.luv4sams.esty.com:

What is the one item you created that you are most proud of?

I made this angel in honor of my mother for a creative challenge and it means a lot to me as did my mother. She would always treasure the handmade items I gave her. This item is very simple but has a lot of interesting detail-polka dot dress,pearl heart and Swarovski dangle, slumped body.

Question by www.AriaImages.esty.com:

What are five of your favorite Etsy shops?

...very hard to choose, there are so many excellent shops here!
1- www.smokeylady54.etsy.com - she's my favorite! full of spit and vinegar but yet so sweet!Her determination is inspiring and she's has been very supportive encouraging to me . I can't say enough nice things about her.
2 www.Joanmiller.etsy.com her porcelain beads are fabulous and she lives nearby me too!
3- www.Jenmaestra.etsy.com - amazes me with how she takes an ordinary item, pencils and creates beautiful art in an unsuspected manor.
4- www.downtothewire.etsy.com - has very desirable items for me simple yet very detailed.
5- www.metallicus.etsy.com- beautiful wire wrapping another art that fascinates me!
Question by www.Damselle.etsy.com:

What is your worst time wasting habit?

I try to use time wisely. Time on the computer is so consuming and much of it is wasted but also very necessary to what I do.

Thanks Linda!

pilot1022

Meet Tom!

http://www.pilot1022.etsy.com/

1) What are your name, Etsy name, profession and location?

Tom Taylor and I am called Pilot1022 currently I am a retired Private Investigator living in Sacramento, CA. No I am not a pilot, I got the nickname from my hobby, traction kiting. It’s like land yachting but with parasail kites. I got yanked out of my kite buggy so much (Yes, the kites can and will lift a person off the ground) and I was getting so much ‘air’ time friends started to call me pilot, the name stuck.

2) Married? Single? Do you have children? Do any animals dwell with you?

I have two grown boys from my first marriage, my current wife and my best friend, Roberta, met on line. We have been married coming up to 5 years. We have two great dogs, Dixie an elderly Min-Pin and General a year old Ridgeback hound and Rot mix.

3) What medium/s do you work with and where did you learn how to do this?

I have two mediums. Many years ago I took up Photography and became a successful, wedding photographer. My photography was enhanced thru the tutelage of Ansel Adams before he passed. It was after I had two open heart surgeries and retired that I took up woodworking. I purchased a few tools and learned how to use them when I joined a local woodworking club here in Sacramento. Soon my garage was transformed into a wood workshop, and then my wife got the WW bug, now we have a his and hers workshop. Woodworking quickly became a passion of mine and now I teach turning in our club. I enjoy making furniture and turning pens and related items. In 2007 two of my pens won second and third place in the wood turning competition at the California State Fair.

4) Do you have a specific area you work in and how much time

per week do you devote to your art/craft?

We have transformed our garage into a wood workshop. My wife still works and I am the house husband doing all the chores associated with that lofty position. But I find I spend on average 20 hours a week in the shop.

5) What inspires you?

Whither I am turning or doing flat work I get inspired by the wood. The color, grain and even the smell of wood, will dictate to me the final outcome of the project. I look for nature’s flaws or mistakes in the wood, a knot hole, or crack or some other defect in the wood. I tend to highlight or incorporate that in my work to show that nature is not perfect. For example; while turning a pen I discovered small hole in wood, instead tossing the half completed pen and starting over I found a small gold nugget, (I was a gold prospector at one time) and mounted the gold into the hole. I have that pen in my shop.

6) Is there a medium you haven’t tried that you’d like too?

I am sure there are, but I can’t say right now. I just started to scratch the surface of Woodworking and I learn something new every day. I know woodworkers that have been in the field for 20 or more years and they are still learning.

Now some questions from our fellow Etsian’s.

7) Question by http://www.luluvillage.etsy.com/:

Would you rather be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond?

A small fish, there are so many things to see and experience and not enough time.

8) Question by http://www.marysusan.etsy.com/:

If you were trapped in an abandoned cave, and could only have three artistic materials with you, what would they be, and why?

Funny that you should ask that question, I have been in a few gold mines in the hills of California, but never trapped. I am not claustrophobic so that’s not a problem. CLAY would be #1 so I could make a companion to chat with while I use sunny yellow PAINT #2 to light up the dark cave, and #3 WHITE paint to paint a light at the end of the tunnel. Then I and my companion would walk out to the fresh air.

9) Question by http://www.luv4sams.esty.com/:

What is the one item you created that you are most proud of?

Thinking back of all things I have made or created, either the photos or the wood projects the one item that stands out the most is a small piece of 5 inch wood I hand carved into a toy submarine for my youngest son when he was 7. He’s 27 now and still has it. I did make a photo of the space shuttle Challenger and entered it competition soon after the crash, I saw people walk away in tears after viewing it. That was a very profound moment for me.

10) Question by http://www.ariaimages.esty.com/:

What are five of your favorite Etsy shops?

To tell you the truth, I am so new to Etsy and the time it took to build my shop I haven’t had much time to explore the many shops here. But I will say this, the ones I have looked at are fabulous so much creativity are shown that each one is an artist in there own right. I look forward to spend more time looking at shops and hope to meet some of the owners.

11) Question by http://www.damselle.etsy.com/:

What is your worst time wasting habit?

Well it’s not a time wasting habit, but with my health problems I can only do about 2 hours of any activity at one anytime, and then I have to sit and relax for an hour or so. It’s that resting time I think is a waste.

Some other facts; I have many interests in life a few are Military history, movie filming locations, photography, writing short stories and Titanic history. The Challenger space shuttle was the most fun shoot, the chair photo is a work in progress based on a Frank Lloyd Wright design.

Thanks Tom!

Peek-A-Boo Kids

Meet Jennifer!

http://www.peekabookids.etsy.com/

1) What are your name, Etsy name, profession and location?

Jennifer Philley
Peek-A-Boo Kids
My degree is in Piano Performance, I teach piano lessons, but what I love most is being a stay-at- home mama!
Crosby, TX just outside of Houston

2) Married? Single? Do you have children? Do any animals dwell with you?
I am married to Lee. He's an astronautical engineer for NASA and we have two beautiful little girls. Ann Alyse is 2 1/2 and Avery is 10 months. We have a yellow lab named Dixie who is almost 5 years old.

3) What medium/s do you work with and where did you learn how to do this?
I have a habit of wanting to know how to do everything. Right now my main focus is sewing and embroidery. I love fabrics - all kinds - ribbon, buttons, and trims. My mom, who is an excellent seamstress, tried to teach me to sew when I was a teenager. It lasted for one outfit and I was done. I then became interested again after I got married and wanted to recover a couch that had been given to us. My mom did the sewing and I did the planning. I watched her and thought it really couldn't be as bad as I remembered. My hubby bought me a sewing machine and I just started practicing and teaching myself to do new things. I would check out books from the local library to get tips and ideas. I started by making curtains in my house. Then, after making baby outfits for a friend of mine, I really discovered what I loved to do and didn't know it. From there, the rest is history, I started making children's items and it keeps growing.

4) Do you have a specific area you work in and how much time per week do you devote to your art/craft? I share an office in our home with my husband. I have a 6-foot table with my computer and sewing machines on it. I also use the entire closet in that room for organization of all my supplies. I work Monday through Friday on my business and every day is different. I do not work in the evenings or on weekends because that is my family time. The time that you can be sure I am working is during my girls' nap time. That's really when I get the most done.

5) What inspires you?
I have to say my kids inspire me the most. Many items that I make are for them or similar to something I make for them. I also get inspired when I have to make a baby shower gift because I like giving handmade, unique gifts.

6) Is there a medium you haven't tried that you'd like too?
Right now I'm learning to crochet and then I'm going to try my hand at smocking.

Now some questions from our fellow Etsian's.

7) Question by www.luluvillage.etsy.com :

Would you rather be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond?
It depends on the day and what I am doing. If it's something I am familiar with and good at, then a big fish. But, if it's something I'm just learning or not good at, a small fish. Does that make sense? I have to say overall, I'd rather be a small fish in a big pond because that means more ideas and more friends!

8) Question by www.Marysusan.etsy.com :

If you were trapped in an abandoned cave, and could only have three artistic materials with you, what would they be, and why?
This is a hard one. I guess since I have to choose it would be a needle and thread (that's one, right?!), scissors and a camera.
Needle and Thread obviously to make clothes out of fig leaves! Scissors to make fun eco-friendly crafts. And...a camera to take pictures to show all my friends on Etsy!

9) Question by www.luv4sams.esty.com :

What is the one item you created that you are most proud of?
I would have to say my hooded towel(s). I love the concept and I love using them. It is by far the most used item I have made for my girls. I also give them to all the new babies our friends/family has.

10) Question by www.AriaImages.esty.com :

What are five of your favorite Etsy shops?
http://www.pursenalityplus.etsy.com/ - great crocheted items
http://www.nappyrae.etsy.com/ - great baby maryjanes
http://www.knottybabywear.etsy.com/ - great baby booties
http://www.jochris12.etsy.com/ - beautiful glass jewelry
http://www.thekeepershouse.etsy.com/ - can't wait to order some fabric baskets

11) Question by www.Damselle.etsy.com :

What is your worst time wasting habit?
Not being organized. When I don't have a plan or a list, I feel like I just run in circles. I am a very list driven personality and when I just try to go at it on my own, things don't get done, others only partially, and then I get frustrated.

Thanks, Jennifer!

Cosmic Clean Body

It has been launched!
Our new Etsy site http://www.cosmiccleanbody.etsy.com/ is up and running! We are so excited! It was a lot of hard work and we are very proud.
I’m also making some cloths and puffs. I crochet them from 100% cotton and a whole lotta love.
So if you’re in the market for out of this world, awesome smelling, handmade, cold processed soap, give us a try!
(See mini to the right.)

I changed the layout of my blog. It snowed again here and there is no school. So I decided I’m making my blog more spring like even if there is no sign of it outdoors.
I want to play outside!

Johnna went to the endocrinologist. We now get to wait to see if any of her blood tests indicate why she is such a Thumbelina. We are just hoping they say she’s just really petite. We already know she’s perfect, awesome things come in small packages don’t you know?!

Off to shop online. Wish me luck!

waterfall

Meet Nicole!

www.waterfall.etsy.com

She is the first featured artist on my blog! Read on to learn more about her.

1. What are your name, Etsy name, profession and location?

Nicole Carlson, waterfall. Lampworker but turning into a jeweler I think, located in the beautiful West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada
2.Married? Single? Do you have children? Do any animals dwell with you?
err...been living together so long that we forgot to get married. No kids.
Loki the Bearded Dragon has been living with us for 8 years
3.What medium/s do you work with and where did you learn how to do this?
Mostly Lampwork Glass thought I am starting to make rings in other materials too. I studied glass in Vancouver and Seattle. Worked as a teaching assistant at Pilchuck Glass school in Washington state. earned a lot from that.

4.Do you have a specific area you work in and how much time per week do you devote to your art/craft? Yes, I have a small studio in our basement. It's all mine and I like that very much. Sometimes I work up stairs at the kitchen table because the light is better. Mostly building the boxes and finishing the rings.
5.What inspires you?
Everything. Nature. Things found on the beach. Artifacts. Japanese and Scandinavian design. I see a lot of things in my dreams and try and create these sometimes too.
6.Is there a medium you haven’t tried that you’d like too?
Resin. Porcelain. Pate du Verre. Metal. I'd also like to play around with loom weaving, learn some basketry and hook a rug. I like making things, especially useful things to make living better.
Now some questions from our fellow Etsian’s.
7.Question by www.luluvillage.etsy.com : Would you rather be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond?
Small fish - big pond. More to explore.
8.Question by www.Marysusan.etsy.com : If you were trapped in an abandoned cave, and could only have three artistic materials with you, what would they be, and why?
Oh boy, This one is tough because if I was trapped in an abandoned cave I'd be trying to get out more than anything. And I'd be hungry so I'd want food.
I kind of make do a lot. You know? Use the materials at hand. But I'd want to sculpt, paint and weave baskets or blankets. So I'd want tools. But if it was only artistic materials? Paint I guess. And paper with some pencils so I could write poetry.

9.Question by www.luv4sams.esty.com : What is the one item you created that you are most proud of? I made a necklace that I call the Warrior Necklace. It was selected by Lark books for their 500 beads book. I wear it all them time. Can't sell it. It's kind of special.
10.Question by www.AriaImages.esty.com : What are five of your favorite Etsy shops?
Right now I'm very fascinated by ceramics - so the potters here on Etsy are my faves -INV/ALT design, Sara Paloma Pottery, alina hayes, whitney smith, element claystudio, Cerulean blue, misslo, shoshonasnow, round rabbit, kim westad, Suuskeramiek, sea urchin. Oh shoot. That's more than 5 'huh. Lets not get started on my favorite non trad rings makers. Yikes.
11.Question by www.Damselle.etsy.com : What is your worst time wasting habit?
Pounce and Flickr - I can browse the pretty pictures for hours.

Thank you Nicole!

Tune in next week Monday for another Etsy artist/crafter!