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 - My Little Chickadee Creations

In addition to knitting, I also hand stamp birthday and holiday cards. I consider this to be my first craft, as a friend introduced me to the world of stamping a few years before I started knitting. I've come to learn that I much prefer knitting since I have a start and an end to a pattern. Sitting on the floor with all my paper and stamps in front of me can be a little overwhelming! Once I have a design created, the rest of the process is much easier, but I feel I have to be much more creative when I'm stamping. However, I love hand-stamped cards and other goods. Indeed, my wedding invitations were stamped by LamaWorks. Today, I came across My Little Chickadee Creations on ArtFire and immediately fell in love with her stamped tiles.

Ellie, the woman behind My Little Chickadee Creations, started stamping over 10 years ago. Like me, she started first with cards. Unlike me, Ellie started experimenting with stamping on different surfaces. She came across Travertine tiles, and her product line was born! These tiles come in assorted sizes which she uses to make coasters, trivets, magnets, ornaments, worry stones, and more. Ellie offers a large selection of baby announcements and save the date magnets.

As I browsed through Ellie's shop, I found myself wondering just how exactly her creations come to be. Luckily for me, and all of you, Ellie answered that very question recently on her blog. I try to give a quick summary here, but be sure to stop by her blog for all the details.

Ellie uses travertine tiles because they are absorbent and therefore make great coasters. This type of tile holds up well in heat and humidity, so sweaty drinks do not get your table and counter tops wet. Ellie notes that ceramic tiles are sealed and will therefore not absorb moisture.

Since these tiles are so great at absorbing moisture, how is it that the ink/paint from the stamps doesn't come off? I know a little drop of water can ruin a card! The answer is quite simple. Ellie bakes her tiles after stamping and painting them. While I usually only use pictures of items for sale in the shops I feature, I really liked this picture from Ellie's blog of her tiles cooking in her toaster oven. All coasters, tiles, and trivets come with padded feet on the bottom to keep them from scratching surfaces.

Ellie has such a large variety of stamps and uses such great colors on all of her products! If I had come across her store when I was first planning my wedding, I would have had to seriously consider her save the date magnets! Be sure to also visit her Etsy shop and Facebook page.

Sarah's Spotlight - R. Schneider Art Studio

Today I decided to search "Painting" on Artfire to see what new stores I came across. The first few pages were filled with some great paintings but nothing quite my style. Then I came across R. Schneider Art Studio. This place is great! Anyone who has followed my blog knows how much I love animals, especially cats. Ms. Schneider speaks right to my heart with her art!

Ms. Schneider is a self-taught artist. I am always slightly jealous of artists. My mother is a graphic designer and majored in fine arts in college. She always says she'd rather draw the tomato than cook it. I picked up absolutely none of her artistic skills. Stick figures are about as creative as I get! So I'm slightly in awe of people who can pick up a pencil, crayons, pastels, or paint and make something beautiful out of it. Ms. Schneider is certainly a well rounded artist. In addition to painting, she talents include ceramics, knitting, cross-stitch, photography, poetry, and most impressively composing music for piano. That's a talent I have not yet come across in these spotlights!

Ms. Schneider currently has three main series of painting: Meditations on the Maine Coon, Socrates, and Red Collar Dogs. My family has often had part-Maine Coon cats, and I love these gentle giants! Okay, our first cat was not so gentle, but she was pretty big! The cat in this series is named Atlas, and he strikes new poses on different colored backgrounds to form great collages. A true cat lover can never have too many cats, and these paintings are a true testament to that statement.

Socrates is another cat series. This single cat painting captures the true essence of the cat's will. You cannot tell a cat to do something. The cat must decide on his/her own to do something.

Red Collar Dogs have polka-dot legs and striped tails. And of course, they all have red collars. Ms. Schneider writes that she loves "Van Gogh red" and used that to inspire this series, which includes some single dogs, some pairs, and some collages. 

In addition to these main series, Ms. Schneider also has a Little Bird Series, abstract paintings, and some adorable cat-themed art cards. I love all of her work - her animals are too adorable! What's also impressive is that each piece not only comes framed but that the frame is part of the artwork. Many of her frames are also painted to expand the print. If only my walls had some extra space that needed to be filled...

Ms. Schneider also has an Etsy shop: http://www.rschneiderartstudio.etsy.com