Etsy Love – Ang’s Divine Designs

Next up in my Etsy Love series is Angie from Ang’s Divine Designs who sells beautiful, affordable jewellery.  Angie’s shop is full of beaded delights at very reasonable prices and I think anyone would struggle not to find something to suit their taste!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and where the inspiration came from to start your Etsy shop.

I started making earrings several years ago when I found out that my daughter could not wear anything that was not nickel free. Any time metal is in contact with her skin, she’ll break out in a rash and itch. At the time she wanted to start wearing jewelry we couldn’t really find much she could wear; so I started making earrings for her with nickel free hooks. When I started making jewelry I knew I found my creative outlet! I loved it! I started showing people I worked with what I had made and started getting requests. I have enjoyed it ever since. My goal has always been to create affordable, attractive earrings/jewelry. I try to get the best deals on my materials so I can keep my prices low for you.

2. Do you have a favourite piece? Tell us about the thought process involved in creating it and why it is your favourite.

I don’t really have a favorite piece. I love creating jewelry, but I am my biggest critic too.

[Well I guess I will choose my own favourite for you! These seed bead bottle earrings are so unusual (and I just love rainbows!)]

3. What is the biggest milestone you have achieved so far whilst selling on Etsy?

I love and appreciate that I have had over 200 sales in less than 2 years and I am always excited when my creations go over seas!

4. What are your future plans for your shop and crafting in general?

I love to come up with new ideas and create new jewelry. I would love to get the word out more about my shop!

5. And finally let us know where we can find you.

You can find me here:
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/AngsDivineDesigns
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Angs-Divine-Designs/140295905981439
Pinterest: pinterest.com/AngDivineDesign/

Etsy Love – Rrizzart

Next up in my Etsy Love series is Robin from Rrizzart who sells mixed media art, decoupaged jewelry, collage art, embellished crosses and jewellery boxes.  Decoupage is one of the few crafts I have yet to try and I really enjoyed browsing the vast mix of colours and textures available in Robin’s beautiful shop.  Another key feature of Robin’s designs is that they are one of a kind, meaning you have the opportunity to receive something truly unique!    

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and where the inspiration came from to start your Etsy shop.

I have been crafting for years – I’ve worked in every medium imaginable, starting with sewing and cross-stitch and mostly making things as gifts and for my own home. Inspiration really took off when I started working at Michaels several years ago and found myself exposed to all kinds of wonderful stuff! I wound up working in mixed media and decoupage mostly because I love the endless possibilities to combine color and texture. My Etsy shop came about the way many others’ do – I simply had too much stuff to keep for myself!

2. Do you have a favourite piece? Tell us about the thought process involved in creating it and why it is your favourite.

I don’t have one specific piece that is my favorite, but the ones I enjoy making the most are my decoupaged embellished crosses. As I was raised Catholic, I was always drawn to the shape of the cross and the ornate embellishment of early churches. To me it is not so much a religious symbol as it is a more general spiritual expression of faith and hope. I find the shape of it aesthetically pleasing, and I try to make each one in a way that will personally connect with the viewer on whatever spiritual plane they find themselves on. The possibilities of color and embellishment are endless and I never plan them out beforehand – I just let them become what they want to become.

3. What is the biggest milestone you have achieved so far whilst selling on Etsy?

I think my biggest milestone on Etsy is the fact that I am here at all! I didn’t start my shop here until I was 50, and I didn’t know the first thing about business and even less about computers. Before I opened my shop I couldn’t even open my email without my daughter’s help! I have learned so much! The fact that I am approaching my 2 year “Etsyversary” and have sold well over 100 items astounds me every day.

4. What are your future plans for your shop and crafting in general?

My plan right now is to just keep growing and adding new items. At some point I would like to add more of the textile work, such as embroidery and crochet, that I started with years ago. As I make a lot of my own clothes by altering and embellishing thrift store finds, at some point I may introduce another shop for ‘altered couture’.

 5. And finally let us know where we can find you.

You can find me here:
Etsy Shop: http://www.rrizzart.etsy.com/
Twitter: @rrizzart
Facebook: Rrizzart

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions Robin.  It is evident that you have worked really hard at your craft – not just in terms of creating your beautiful items, but in learning about computers and business.  It is inspiring to see that all of your hard work has paid off and I wish you even more success in the future (and happy Etsyversary when it comes)!

Etsy Love – Susan Windsor

Next up in my Etsy Love series is Susan Windsor who sells note cards, prints, pendants, magnets and calendars made from original watercolour paintings in her delightful shop.  I really enjoyed browsing Susan’s shop – her watercolours have a delicate, impressionistic air to them.  Each piece is beautiful in its own right but has been cleverly adapted into a useful object!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and where the inspiration came from to start your Etsy shop.

I started painting in high school. Watercolor was the first paint I tried and it stuck with me. I tried working with oil paints, but they just take too long to dry! 🙂 I’ve painted off and on since then. A little over two years ago I heard about Etsy from a friend who had a shop. I was so intimidated by the idea, but she encouraged me to really consider selling my art. I have a degree in graphic design, so I knew I could scan my paintings and format them well enough for cards and prints. Once I invested in a pretty good printer, I knew I should start on Etsy.

2. Do you have a favourite piece? Tell us about the thought process involved in creating it and why it is your favourite.

My favourite piece is the Restaurant Waiter.   It’s my favourite painting to date, because I remember the learning curve it was for me to paint it. I did this while taking a class about eight years ago. The teacher encouraged me to not use any black paint, but instead to choose varying dark colors for the shadows. By doing that, it added real depth to the painting. The things I learned from that teacher have affected most of my paintings since then.

3. What is the biggest milestone you have achieved so far whilst selling on Etsy?

A few weeks after opening my Etsy shop I found out we were expecting our first child! I thought I couldn’t handle working full time, having a baby, AND keeping an Etsy shop running. Our little guy is now 17 months old, and I have found that I’ve never painted so much in my life as I have these last two years! Having the Etsy shop keeps me accountable to my creative side. I’m most happy when I’m using the gifts I’ve been given. When life is full and crazy, I go to my paints…it’s my therapy. 🙂 I think it makes me a better wife and mother in the end.

4. What are your future plans for your shop and crafting in general?

I’m always up for a new challenging subject matter. It’s so gratifying when I have a finished piece that people will enjoy. I’ve recently starting listing my original paintings along with the note cards, prints, pendants, and magnets. I’d like to start taking requests for new paintings to work on and list in my shop. I may even take the plunge and offer commission portraits through my Etsy shop, which until now have only been done by word of mouth. I’d also like to try painting original miniature paintings that can be made into pendants–wearable art!

5. And finally let us know where we can find you.

You can find me here:
Etsy Shop: www.susanwindsor.etsy.com
Blog: www.susanwindsor.blogspot.com
Twitter: @Susan_Windsor
Facebook: www.facebook.com/susanwindsorartwork

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions Susan.  I am in awe of your ability to do so much!  I also work full time whilst running my Etsy shop and that is tricky at times, but to have a young baby as well must have you rushed off your feet!  Congratulations on all your success and I wish you much more to come!

Etsy Love – Lemon Dear

It’s always great to be featured on someone’s blog so I thought I would share the love and feature some of my fellow Etsyans’ wonderful shops in my new blog series called ‘Etsy Love’.

First up is Susana Johnston from Lemon Dear, a vibrantly lovely shop full of embroidered and illustrated delights.  I really enjoy Susana’s unique style and bold use of colour in her designs.

So let’s get started!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and where the inspiration came from to start your Etsy shop.

 

I am a film maker with a penchant for arts & crafts, in the past few years my love for painting and embroidery have taken over my love for making films and my inspiration for starting my Etsy shop came from my admiration toward all the wonderful artists whose pieces I’ve been coveting for many years via their Etsy shops. Etsy is such a wonderful place to get exposure and to reach people who otherwise wouldn’t have heard about one’s work.

 

2. Do you have a favourite piece? Tell us about the thought process involved in creating it and why it is your favourite.

 

I love each and every piece of my shop, but my big favourite at the moment is the circus ringmaster embroidery, he started as an illustration and it was that wonderful red and white stripes fabric which gave him a whole new life and a whole new dimension and he is my current favourite because of the way he started: so humble in black and white paper and now he is this whole other piece in a fabric that compliments him so well. 

 

 

3. What is the biggest milestone you have achieved so far whilst selling on Etsy?

 

Every single heart, every single shop favourite and treasury and of course, every single sale and positive feedback are all huge milestones. Having an Etsy shop is a constant process of improving yourself and your product. Everyday is a milestone and a reminder to those persons who might want to close their shop to keep on going because greater milestones will come with time.

 

4. What are your future plans for your shop and crafting in general?

 

My Etsy goal of the year is to reach the magical 100 listings. I also would like to complete my 365 watercolours a day project and to keep on making group exhibits in local galleries (My next one is in early March) and hopefully, to have my own art show before 2012 ends. 

 

5. And finally let us know where we can find you.

 

I am everywhere!

 

Etsy http://lemondear.etsy.com

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/dearlemondear

Twitter http://twitter.com/lemondear

Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/dearlemondear/

Facebook http://facebook.com/lemondear

Blog: http://lemondear.blogspot.com 

 

Thank you Susana for taking the time to answer my questions – it was a pleasure to feature such an interesting and unique shop.  I wish you every success in your crafting endeavours!

Shameless Plug

The lovely people at Adorning Schemes gave me a shameless plug on their blog. Go check it out!

http://adorningschemes.blogspot.com/2012/02/shameless-plugs-emma-dickie.html

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Let’s do the Can Can!

I am just loving these Can Can Scarves at the moment! They are knitted using Rico Can Can yarn which is good quality 100% acrylic. The ruffled layers create amazing colour and texture which really finish off your winter outfit nicely.

Red & Silver Can Can Scarf

You can find my full range of scarves by visiting my Etsy Shop!

Rainbow Love – a Valentines Day Treasury

‘Rainbow Love for Valentines Day’ by thecandytree125

Here is a rainbow of valentines day gift ideas – straight from the heart!

Big Red HEART Valen… redtruckdesign… $19.00	Valentine garland, … bookity $28.00	Papier Mache Orange… SuzofHearts $10.00	Rustic Heart Sterli… LittleGreenRoo… $35.00
Yellow heart brooch… urBunny $8.00	Lemon yellow heart … LauraPotterCer… $10.00	Green Heart Mixed M… LiLaO $3.00	Mint Green Heart Sh… woodenaht $28.00
blue heart dish – 3… JDWolfePottery $10.00	Blue Heart and Red … TimeMachineJew… $25.00	Heart Valentines La… StyleBreak $5.99	Crystal Heart Neckl… WildWomanJewel… $34.00
White Hearts Waterc… soulflower $15.00	CALM Purple and Vio… Finnspirations $12.99	Wire Wrapped and Re… ThePurpleBallo… $18.00	Purple Heart Magnet… Mariasbuttons $8.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Hope you enjoy my treasury – just click on a picture to be taking to the item listing on Etsy for full details!