Blog break

Hi everyone!

I have been considering taking a break from my blog for a while now but kept pushing through! I do enjoy searching through other shops and writing my spotlights, but that's all my blog has become recently. I want to do more with it, but I'm just isn't happening at the present moment. Therefore, I have made the decision to take a break from blogging for right now. :( This doesn't mean I won't stop by with an occasional posting at times, and who knows when I might just start back up again! You can still find me on Facebook and in my stores:

Etsy
Artfire
Zibbet
Craft is Art

Happy shopping!

Sarah's Spotlight - Chicken Lips

Fall has hit New England; the leaves are starting to change, and I'm enjoying some cooler temperatures after a really hot summer! Although I hate the fact that winter comes after fall, I love the colors and scents of autumn in New England. It's hard to beat this time of year! However, browsing around Etsy today left me uninspired. I searched "autumn" and "harvest" without much luck. Granted, I found some great items and shops but nothing quite up for a spotlight. I then searched "pumpkin" and happily came across a truly unique shop!

David is the artist behind Chicken Lips, my new favorite store. He creates unique and whimsical folk art using Papier-Mache and Paperclay. David admits that he has had a creative streak since he was a young child. Play-doh and finger paints were favorites, and he made his first art doll using dried apple heads at the age of 10. Before tonight, I wasn't entirely sure what a dried apple head art doll is. A quick google search will answer most questions, so check out this website for more details. I'm even more impressed that David was making these art dolls at the age of 10 once I saw what it was! I'll admit that I was still a pretty big fan of dolls when I was 10, but I certainly wasn't making my own. However, David kept perfecting his art, and today Chicken Lips is a successful business with its own flair.

David makes all of his creations completely by hand. He uses his skills as a graphic designer to shape his Chicken Lips creations. He does not use moulds to design any of his work and all items are one of a kind. As stated above, his art is made from Papier-Mache and Paperclay. Hand made wooden bases and legs give extra support. After the Papier-Mache is shaped and detailed, he applies a coat of Gesso before painting. Each piece is also coated with a sealer before it is ready for sale! David has a great video of this entire process on his website. Click on "About the artist", and you will find the video at the bottom.

I love the list David gives of what inspires him: his goats, chickens, and goose, and all things vintage. I admit it's an interesting combination, but it seems to work because the finished product is great! If you want to know more about Chicken Lips, you can also visit David's blog. And anyone in the Bloomington, California area should check his website for a list of craft shows in which he will be participating this fall! His store is ready for Halloween - shop early, so you can enjoy your Chicken Lips Folk Art all season!

Sarah's Spotlight - Bear Paw Rustics

I typically feature shops with a lot of information in their profiles to help guide my spotlight. But I came across Bear Paw Rustics and decided to break tradition. In preparing for fall, I recently searched "autumn" in Etsy. One of the first items that showed up was a handmade birdhouse. My father, who sadly passed away two years ago, loved all of our backyard critters. His favorite birthday or father's day gift was a 25 lb bag of sunflower seeds. We never had many bir houses, but there was an endless supply of bird and squirrel feeders. I think we are the one family that doesn't mind if the squirrel manages to climb up the "squirrel-proof" bird feeder because there's always enough to go around! So Bear Paw Rustics hits a special chord in me. I also hold a special place for fellow Mainers! Although I've transplanted myself to Boston, I'm still a Mainer at heart.

This store owner does much more than create bird houses. Bear Paw Rustics also sells various types of art, stools, coat/key racks and walking sticks. All of the coat/key racks are made of salvaged items. Everything else starts in nature. Birdhouses are made with jute, hemp, pine needs, moss, sticks, deer antlers, pine cones, and other great forest finds. Each birdhouse has its own unique character to make it one of a kind! The owner includes a great picture of a bird nesting in a birdhouse in his own backyard.

I am equally impressed with Bear Paw Rustics' assemblage and salvage art. I particularly like the way he paints wood disks into flowers and trees and then incorporates them with sticks and other objects found in nature. It's such an interesting combination and creative way to turn nature into art! The shop owner uses antique and vintage hardware to make intriguing coat/key rack. And of course, each rack starts wood to bring each piece back to nature.

Also be sure to check out the hiking/walking sticks. Most are made from rock maple, but this store owner has turned a few weathered pool cue into hiking sticks. Each hiking stick has a wrist strap for easier travel. The store owner hopes that his line of hiking sticks will encourage everyone to get outside, exercise, and enjoy nature!

What is most impressive is that this shop owner carries his personality throughout his store. Each piece is one of a kind and has its own mark, but looking through the shop, you can see patterns and trends emerge. The shop owner does a great job keeping a consistent style. Bear Paw Rustics is approaching 300 sales, so we know he's doing something right! Be sure to show this great shop some love!

 

Peek a boo!

Sarah's Spotlight - ZenzPhotography

I was browsing around Etsy earlier today while renewing some of my items and came across this great photograph of a dandelion. Of course, I had to check out the shop, ZenzPhotography, and was instantly impressed with the variety of fine art photography. Tine Eelman is the woman behind ZenzPhotography. She is a professional photographer but new to selling her work on Etsy. She opened her shop exactly one month ago today. Congrats! Tine does have a second shop, Dutch Craft Work, which has been open for over one year. In this spotlight, I focus on the photography shop.

Tine is a native of the Netherlands. In addition to being a photographer, she is also a visual artist and an independent filmmaker. I have to say that all sounds so much more interesting than social worker! What I find really interesting is that Tine worked as an assistant in an agricultural project in Guatemala. She went back to school to pursue this career path but ended up back in photography.

What I find most impressive is how Tine can take an ordinary object, such as a golf ball or the above mentioned dandelion, and turn it into a piece of art through her camera. Tine says that she is inspired by landscapes – not only their beauty but also their exploitation and degradation. Her photographs       “Watch Tower” and “Electricity” certainly depict these elements. She strives to make a documentary of life through her photography. Tine hopes that through this documentary, we, the viewers, are able to see how we stand in relation to the world.

Tine also talks about her interest in different cultures. This stands out in her photography. To capture the 34 photographs in her store, she has traveled to the Caribbean, Asia, Florida, Greece, Mexico, as well as in her native Netherlands.

Tine has participated in exhibitions worldwide. Additionally, her photographs have been used in magazines and books. To say she is accomplished at what she does appears to be an understatement!

Tine is a member of the Etsy Dutch Handmade, Photographers on Etsy, and the Europeanstreetteam on Etsy teams.

Be sure to visit her website for additional information!

Christmas in July sale!!

Instead of writing a spotlight this week, I've been busily preparing my stores for my Christmas in July sale! Enjoy free shipping on all items now through the end of the month. Here are how the shops are set up:

Etsy and Craft is Art: shipping costs will be refunded via paypal or contact me before making a purchase, and I will set up a custom order for you.

Artfire and Zibbet: shipping has been changed to reflect free shipping

Please don't ask me why it varies from shop to shop - each set up page is different, so it's a matter of how many steps it takes to make all the changes! (And how much time I have on August 1 to put my shipping charges back in place!)

Be sure to search "Christmas in July" at all these sights for some other great finds.

For another bit of self-promotion, here are some pictures of my newest scarves:

It's play time for the cats!

Introducing my Catnip Mat! Here are photos of my newest item! 

I love the way it turned out! I admit it was a pain working through all the cabling, but I think this will hold up well to Max and Izzy's claws - at least I'm hoping! If I had all wool yarn in my stash, I would felt one, but I think I'm out right now. That might be a future project.

These catnip mats are made at the time of purchase to keep the catnip super fresh!

Pheoda was happily sleeping until I took out the catnip for this mat. The poor thing drugged herself up, so she wasn't really in the mood for a photo shoot later!

She leaned right over the sniff the mat, but she wasn't quite in the mood to play. I think she got mad at me poking her with the mat to get a good picture! She eventually ran away. I found her later on the ironing board, and she was very close to playing then. She still looks a little dazed in those pictures. Poor girl. I think she might have recovered by now.

Craft is Art

I am always trying to find new ways to get more shoppers to my store. Over recent weeks, I have been learning about other sites like Etsy where you can build your own shops. Many of these sites offer a basic set up for no fee, or you can pay for all the bells and whistles. Although it's more work for me, I've decided to take the plunge and set up some new shops. I told everyone about my new Artfire Studio a couple weeks ago. It took a while to upload everything from Etsy into my new store, and I've only been minimally happy with the results thus far. What I like about Artfire is that they show you if someone has linked to your item from google search which is interesting. But the item views cannot compare to Etsy. However, if someone purchases an item from there, then I will not complain! :) You can upload as many items as you want, and there are no listing or selling fees.

Next I learned about Zibbet. A basic seller can upload 25 items at no cost, so I decided to give that a try. That store is still a work in progress, as I only have 11 of my 25 items uploaded. It takes a while to upload all the pictures and copy and paste my text from Etsy, so I have been a little neglectful. I have not yet figured out if there is a way to see how many views an item has or link this shop to google analytics. I have some more to do here that's for sure!

Finally, I heard about Craft is Art. A basic seller here can also upload 25 items at no cost. However, here, you can import your items (with images!) from Etsy. It still took some time to go through each item afterward and set all the labels and tags, but I started this project today around 12:30 and am already finished! You can check out my newest store here: http://www.craftisart.com/YardByYardKnits. I already have analytics set up for this shop, so I'm curious to see how it compares to Artfire.

I have no idea how these smaller sites compare to Etsy. But I think each has a following of its own, so now I have to see if a cheapo like me will be found amongst all the pro shops that can do more with their stores!