Interview of the week: Melissa Hart, aka catscradle

This week I interviewed Melissa Hart, from catscradle.etsy.com, and found more about this fellow Fabulous Artistic Mom. She is a nature lover, mom of four, talented jewlery artist and breast cancer philanthropist. So pull up a chair and sit in our our coffee talk:

Corinne: Where do you get your inspiration?

Melissa: I do what feels right to me. Some inspiration comes from what I like to wear, and some comes from nature.

Corinne: You call yourself a “southern gal” living in the north. Where do you call home these days?

Melissa: A quiet little town called Ellenburg Depot in the northeast corner of New York state.

Corinne: Do you spend a lot of time outdoors with your kids? It seems all your jewelry is very nature-inspired.

Melissa: I actually prefer to play indoors with my kids--I have two who enjoy playing piano and two who enjoy cooking with me. I like to dream about gardening--we're planning on planting a veggie garden with the kids and I'm working out details for a flower garden as well. I love the colors and shapes nature offers.

I enjoy spending time with my family. If I had to choose an outing, I would spend the day with my husband and our four kids--at the zoo! We all have a wonderful time when we go to the zoo; the kids are always looking to learn something new and my husband and I take advantage of the wonderful photo opportunities.

Corinne: are a lot of jewelers selling their things online. What do you think sets you apart from your competition?

Melissa: I create pieces that I have fun with; if I don't have fun with it, you won't see it in my shop. I feel that each piece I create has a unique buyer and the right buyer will eventually come along.

Corinne: That’s a great attitude! Your style is very young and hip, while still maintaining an elegance. What do you contribute that to?

Melissa: I'm always looking at what's selling in the mainstream and make my own jewelry loosely based on current styles.

Corinne: What materials are you drawn to working in?
Melissa: Silver- or gold-plated copper with glass and natural stone, but I'm extending my sterling silver usage.

Corinne: What piece of yours is your favorite right now?

Melissa: I have two favorites; the carnelian butterfly brooch and a spring-y two-strand necklace with a red jasper cab.

Corinne: One of my favorite things in your shop are these silver stardust turquoise earrings. What is silver stardust? I am enchanted by the hoops but can't quite tell what they are.

Melissa: Stardust is a term that refers to the texture of the hoops. It almost looks like it was rubbed with coarse sandpaper.

Corinne: I find your ACEO’s really interesting also. I noticed this is a pretty popular thing on Etsy. Can you tell me more about these?
Melissa: ACEO is also called ATC. ACEO is "Art Cards, Editions and Originals" and ATC is "Artist Trading Cards." I plan on integrating ACEOs with my greeting cards at first, then maybe selling them as stand-alone pieces of art. I also have several series in mind right now.

Corinne: What do you do to get over creative block or to take a break from creating?

Melissa: I browse the internet, get caught up on e-mail and visit discussion forums.

Corinne: Anything else you want people to know?

Melissa: I've been working with beads for nearly 10 years now, starting with creating rosaries for my parish bookstore. I have extending my bead-working to creating jewelry including bracelets, earrings and necklaces. I am continually looking to learn and perfect new techniques to further expand my line. I hope to begin offering rings in the near future.

Corinne: Do you have a website or blog in addition to your etsy shop?

Melissa: My website is http://www.catscradlecreations.com and my blog is http://blog.catscradlecreations.com. I also have a patterns site at http://patterns.catscradlecreations.com where I post free crochet and knitting patterns.

See Melissa’s jewelry in her Etsy shop: www.catscradle.etsy.com

Artist of the Week- Holly of Winklepots

I interviewed Holly, from Winklepots.etsy.com, and found out a little more about the lady behind all the delightful creations. While working as a stay at home mom, that very underpaid position that I, for one, have come to love, she somehow finds time to create and run her growing etsy shop! Holly makes children’s clothing, all hand painted and original, and adorable little accessories to complete the outfit. She shows an apparent loathing of stencils in her very justified pride in her painted creations. My favorite is her tattoo inspired kids’ shirts. So grab a cup of coffee and sit in our little chat about her art, kids, and more:
Corinne: Where do you get your inspiration?
Holly: From everywhere. The store, zoo, nature, etc. There's always something beautiful to paint. My girls inspire me too. Sometimes their favorites, at the time, make it onto a tee.

Corinne: What sets you apart from your competition?
Holly: I don't tend to paint anything "juvenile." I like my creations to look real, not overly cartoonish or childish, even though it's for children. Honestly, I try to paint what you won't find in stores and I strive for a really unique look.

Corinne: What medium do you work in the most?
Holly: Paint! (big smiles about this one) followed by grosgrain ribbon. I love making those korker bows!

Corinne: What are korker bows?
Holly: Super cute hair accessories made from grosgrain ribbons. They're shaped into corkscrews, then strewn together and attached to metal french hair clips. They're a lot of fun to make.

Corinne: And fun to give!! I bet they would really sell at craft shows! Do you do alot of craft shows? Which do you do better at, etsy or craft shows?
Holly: I did a few craft shows in the beginning when I made things on a custom basis. I think I only sold a couple of things and mostly used the venues to advertise. Custom orders is NOT the way to go. People want to see/touch a product before they'll buy it, not just take your word that it will be fabulous in the end. I'm currently doing better at Etsy, but as I build up stock, I will try the market booths again. I think the korker bows will do really well and it will give me an opportunity to promote locally again.

Corinne: I love your tattoo inspired kids clothes! What product in your shop is your favorite right now?


Holly: I really love the Evening Orange Blossom outfit. Turquoise and orange go so great together.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10237681



Corinne: Your work looks like you must be an art lover. Who is the artist who inspires you the most?
Holly: I love van Gogh. While my work doesn't emulate his, my favorite piece is the Cafe Terrace at Night. My dining room is decorated after that painting, in golds, deep blues and oranges.

Corinne: I bet that’s beautiful. Speaking of home, where is home base for you?
Holly: The Pacific Northwest, and more specifically, Oregon. Land of the mountains, beach and no sales tax. Lovely!

Corinne: What do you do to get over creative block or to take a break from creating?
Holly: It's so hard to get and stay motivated when I'm chasing after two little kids all day. I have to keep reminding myself that it will get easier as they get older and then I'll look back and miss these times. I paint when I can, usually in the evenings after the girls have gone to bed, and I make korker bows during the day. When I need inspiration, I refer to my "to do" list of painting ideas. Every once in a while, I get on a creative kick where the ideas are coming faster than the time to do them, so I write them down to refer to later.

Corinne: I know I have my hands full with one daughter! How old are your girls?
Holly: My eldest is 3 and my baby just turned 1 in April (sigh, not a baby anymore).

Corinne: Are they into your art too? I bet they paint already so they can be like mom!
Holly: Well, if eating my paint brushes and dumping out my korker bows constitutes being into my art, then yes! (she laughs) My eldest does like to draw, but she usually hands the crayon to me and dictates what she wants drawn.

Corinne: So seriously, pirates vs. ninjas? Who would win the battle to end all battles?
Holly: (very thoughtful) Hm, I think I'll root for the pirates. There seem to be a lot of cute pirates (Johnny Depp, anyone?) and I haven't really seen any hottie ninjas. So the pretty pirates win based on looks. Besides, swords versus fists would likely win anyway.

Corinne: Do you have a website or blog in addition to your etsy shop?
Holly: I have a website, that currently, redirects to my etsy site www.winklepots.com and my blog at http://www.winklepots.blogspot.com

Corinne: If you could give just one tip to a newbie to selling their craft online, what would it be?
Holly: Promote! While there are some sellers who get lucky and are "discovered," that's not the norm. In the beginning, it's important to really get your name and product out there, but beware of joining too many groups. You'll have a hard time keeping up with all of them. It won't be easy, and you'll be putting in a lot of hours just promoting, but remember that you have to work really hard to hardly ever work. All of the promotional time you put in will pay off when word of mouth spreads and the orders start pouring in.

You can see all Holly’s delightful children’s clothing in her etsy shop, winklepots.etsy.com or drop by her blog and get a little entertainment for your day and say hi!

Artist of the week- Novita Beytrison

My artist of the week is a cool fabric/ textile artist named Novita. One of the greatest things about selling online is that I have met so many cool, talented people from around the world. Lately I have been entranced by those who can sew (since I can't!) I have a few pieces being custom made for me as we speak by different artists that will be in future posts, but for now, here's my favorite bag Novita has made:

Ok, so I'm a tree-hugger. We know this. But this lady makes all kinds of bags and purses for all tastes and has a great sense of style. I interviewed her this week about her work, life and style. Please pay her a visit sometime! She writes a very entertaining blog also!

Where do you get your inspiration?

I got most of my inspiration from Asia's magazine, tv series, or during my travel back to my home country - Indonesia or other asia countries.


What sets you apart from your competition?

I believe my style and choice of color is unique. I like to play with colors and trims, by putting a bit left and right, you will make it totally looks different from other's.


What medium do you work in the most?

I work mostly with light cotton and cotton canvas. For the decoration and finishing , I like to use laces and other trims.


What piece of yours is your favorite right now?
My favorite piece of my bag collection is my Fidela Bag. The one that I put on my shop (and already been sold) is called Flowery Denim. But there will be more to come.





Who is the artist who inspires you the most?

I don't really have one.


Where is home base for you?

My home base is in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Crans-Montana is one of the vacation resort station in the Alps.


What do you do to get over creative block or to take a break from creating?

People watching, I love sitting on the cafe while watching people passing by.


Do you work outside of the home/studio, and if you do, what is your day job?

I don't work outside my home. I am a fulltime wife and mom, and now....also a fulltime crafter ;)


Do you sell wholesale? I don't sell wholesale, but I do accept custom order.


Do you have a website or blog in addition to your etsy shop?
my blog: http://mamanblog.typepad.com/
my website: http://www.pyongbricole.com/


Anything else you want people to know? I am a self-learned bag maker and still having a long list of project on my to-do list. I am thinking to diversify my portfolio by now only making fabric bags, but also other fabric goods (such as apron, gift bag, etc.). Please check my etsy shop and blog frequently for more new stuff.

Artist of the Week- Jen of wysiwigs

I met Jen through the Fabulous Artistic Moms group I joined last week. Her sense of humour and zany writing is only outdone by her creativeness and clever uses of recycled materials in her art. Her Etsy shop has everything from sketches to origami, and her wittiness and all around great attitude is evident from her shop announcement:




Wysiwigs's Shop Announcement
HELLO and WELCOME! I'm always piddling (a southernism NOT a personal problem :o) with all kinds of ideas so I pretty much have something for everyone!



Many thanks to William for his wondermous (a technical term) photos & attention to detail (I'm so THERE)...thanks to my friend (his wife) Suzanne who doesn't seem to mind being the middle part of an OCD sandwich : ) Definitely counted among my blessings, as is Donna (theinvitation), my priceless Etsybuddy with her gorgeous art. What would I do without them??



I am a paper folding fiend, acronym junkie, and breast cancer survivor (see "CRAAPP" below). Wysiwigs (pronounced whizzywigs) stands for, "What you see is what I've got (smile : )" - My obsession with symmetry & love of art and all things vintage blended together to land me here, where we're (all) deleriously happy. More info above my bio. Feel free to convo me with any questions and be sure to let me know if your purchase is a gift - I'll be happy to make a tag (matching, of course...it's a rule : )



CRAAPP - Cancer Radically Alters A Person's Perspective - Spend enough time looking like Uncle Fester (Addams Family) and you will definitely develop an appreciation for those bad hair days - or any hair days for that matter : ) Have a blessed day! - Jen



See what I mean? My two favorite things from her shop right now are this wonderful, whimsical little sketch:
















And this cool origami turned to framed art piece:













Be sure to check out her shop at http://www.wysiwigs.etsy.com/ ! Have a wonderful day, I'm off to enjoy the spring weather....

xoxo

ArtistS of the Week!

I discovered this group of wild, wacky, fun loving, super creative moms this week, and decided to join the ranks! Who are they? Why, the Fabulous Artistic Moms of Etsy, of course! A talented bunch of moms with Etsy stores of their handmade with love goodies. This fantastic group joined together as a street team to help each other out and form friendships based on their common love of art and crafting. All of these ladies have something unique and new to offer the world, so be sure to visit the website, and browse their stores. Mother's Day is just around the corner, so why not give her a one of a kind, handmade with love, for mom by mom kind of gift? Visit www.etsyfame.com to learn more.

Artist of the Week

My artist of the week is Redd Hynes. She originally stood out with this little contribution to The Grid:

Killing time, I went to read her blog and I have to tell you, this chick cracks me up. Her very funny blog, A Little Piece of the Madness, is a hilarious rambling barage of shout outs to other artists, updates on her son, new jewelry she makes and random thoughts that will keep you laughing and very, very entertained. She claims a phD in "kicking your ass," as her education. What does that tell you? Her website is definately as fun and quirky as the 25 year old self proclaimed "dame" is herself. See?

Her jewelry shop on etsy is chock full of fun stuff at a huge deal. I think she must steal, because everything is crazy cheap for what it is. Seriously, if you see a young chick named Redd running around Canada holding up craft shops, offer to take her out for coffee. You'd have fun, I'm sure. I am digging this squirrel ring in her shop:

Check her out! And while you're on Etsy, wasting time, wander on over to my new Etsy shop there, and tell me what you think! For a limited time, get a free gift with any purchase!