*FEATURED ARTIST of the week* ~~EverydayMoments~~

EverydayMoments



1. What do you create?

Fine Art Photographs or as my business card says ‘Funky Art Prints for your Abode’ :).

2. What led you to take up your craft?

My boyfriend and I bought a very nice camera 2 years ago when we sold our house. We bought it with the intention of opening up our own photography studio. I actually wanted to do this then but I had never heard of Etsy and really didn’t know how to begin as far marketing my photography as art, etc. So we kind of gave up on it and he started working as a graphic artist and I took a job working for a photography company. But then I discovered Etsy and I decided to pursue what I had originally wanted to do.

3. Which part of your work do you most enjoy?

Hmmm, that’s a hard one, I love all aspects of doing this. I really enjoy looking for beautiful things to take photos of. I travel a lot with my day job and I’m always coming across really cool old signs or a beautiful tree by the side of the road. And behind my house there’s a field and woods which provide tons of inspiration.



The other great part is that once the photos are made I get to come home and download them into the computer and see which ones I can really turn into something cool and awesome. Not all of them work. That’s when the truly creative part begins, playing with the colors, making them look vintage or putting filters on them to give them a dreamy quality. To me it’s the equivalent of having a new box of crayons and a coloring book. It’s just fun.

4. Which part do you find hardest?

FINDING TIME TO DO IT! That is sooo hard for me. I get up really early in the morning to go to work and when I travel and see all this awesome stuff I want to photograph but I usually have other people with me who just want to get back home….I don’t want to inconvenience anyone by having them stop at every cool sign or tree we pass. Then I make a mental note to go back to ‘this little community’ or ‘that roadside park’ to get photos but then I don’t have the time or energy to do it. What I would LOVE is to do this full time. To get up on my own schedule and leave when the light is perfect and just photograph every beautiful, fun, inspirational thing I see. And then come home and play on the computer with it. I’m currently looking into local venues for my art so I’ll be able to make that a reality. That’s my goal, to be able to support myself running my own business. I’m going to make it happen!


5. Where do you get your inspiration?



Nature for the most part. Colors, vintage photos.

6. Do you participate in any etsy groups, and if so, which ones?

I’m a member of the Etsy Bloggers Street Team and I’m working on getting a membership at PoE (Photographers of Etsy Street Team).

7. What's one material your shop can't live without?

Hmmm, my camera isn’t really a material but since I work in visual arts I don’t really have a specific material. I love my camera though, it’s a Nikon D-80.



8. What is your favorite item that you have purchased off of Etsy?

Wow, that’s a hard one. I’ve actually bought a lot of things at Etsy. I love so many things there! My favorite has to be a cardholder I got from Broundoor.



It‘s really awesome.

9. If I could sell one item from my shop today, it would be...

It would probably be my photograph entitled ‘bloom’.



It’s been on there awhile and gotten a lot of views but no purchase. I think it’s so pretty and inspirational. I always like to create items that would look good hanging in your creative work space.

10. If I had enough money to pick one item on my wishlist from any shop on etsy to buy, it would be...

I absolutely love everything in 5pm Studio’s shop.

This is one of the things I’d like to have from there. I’d love to have all her coffee cups, bowls and dishtowels lol. It would be hard to pick one thing that I love the most. I have a ton of jewelry in my wishlist too, but I just bought new plates so I’m all about buying coordinating things for my kitchen right now.


11. What are the top three favorite items currently listed in your store?

The ones with the most hearts are :

Approaching Evening
Love
Landing



12. What undiscovered artisans would you recommend the world to know?

Adam Paulek Pottery
Grit Goods Jewelry
Dana Miller
Slurk Girl
Moll Doll
Pocket Full of Posey
Noirliliana
Funny Cake
Bode 22
Sweet and Tranquil Bath and Body
Drink and Dream

I’m sure I have a lot more ‘undiscovereds’ in my favorites ….


13. What is the best advice you have ever received?

If you want something bad enough, you can make it happen.



I had that instilled in me from early on and I think I’m finally taking it to heart.

It's my BUFDAY!!

Ever since I can remember, my mother has always made my birthday a super special, off the hizzy, giganto big deal.



This has forever been embedded into my brain as the only way one must celebrate their special day. I have, thus, always made a HUGE deal out of my birthday in making sure everyone knows it's happening..... all day long..... sometimes the whole week. I came home last night and the minute I stepped in the door, a good old Kuntry version of a Birthday song filled the air, there were streamers and balloons, confetti and candy.



Even a pin the tail on the donkey, all set up and ready to get his tail on!



Up until this point, I had no idea my boyfriend knew quite how much this day meant to me. But he gets the giant HATS OFF TO YOU award for being the best man alive!!!



So that's all! Happy Birthday to me :)

The Future is Heather's

Does everyone know Heather Future?



Whenever I need a sensory pick me up, I go and visit her shop. Whenever I need some social inspiration, I visit her blog. She's one of the many amazing artisans in the "links you'll love section", but I feel all of the extras on these pages can so easily be overlooked! So here it is right before you :)

She recently had a contest for the chance of bragging rights and a lovely collection of buttons for captioning this piece. I did not win...... but that's okay..... hhhh..... I'm okay..... The wonderfully talented TulipPlusPanda was victor over all!

She's also done an exciting experiment entitled Project Lemon. I think we should all get in on it!!



So that's what I've been checking out! That's all for now! Oh, and these:

P A S T I E S

Check it out live in the Etsy Treasury until Saturday evening :) Just click below!



And onFlickr after the weekend.

Featured in this display are:
AlwaysAmy
Everydaymoments
JuliePersons
RigelSauri
ReiGN
farfelue
tanyabond
AllegroArts
fotofiction
Sunyno
ruffeoheartslilsnoty
MichelleAlynn


Now go buy something real nice like! Yee Haw!!

What are you reading?

I realized this evening that I have yet to share my passion for the page with the community! Then I thought, I wonder what everyone else has their imagination buried in. I'll go first. Here is what's in my bag:

From wiki: Mother Night is a novel by American author Kurt Vonnegut, first published in 1961. The title of the book is taken from Goethe's Faust.

It is the story of Howard W. Campbell Jr., an American, who moved to Germany directly after World War I and then later became alternately a well-known German language playwright and a Nazi propagandist. The action of the novel is narrated (through the use of metafiction) by Campbell himself. The premise is that he is writing his memoirs while awaiting trial for war crimes in an Israeli prison.

I'm an avid Vonnegut er. Here's a few of my favorites in case anyone is keeping note :)



And so my question to you is.....

WHAT ARE YOU READING????

*FEATURED ARTIST of the week* ~~Michelle Alynn~~

Bubbly Shnooks

1. What do you create?

My main focus is papercrafts and cards, but I've also been doing a lot of felt plush toys, like polaroid cameras and octopuses. I also plan on putting some fun paintings/collages up in my store and scrapbooking products like stamps, paper tags, patterned paper, and digital scrapbooking supplies, as well. I am a scrapbooker/sewing fiend/animator all day everyday, so I really just make whatever strikes me at any particular free moment and add it to the shoppe!

2. What led you to take up your craft?

When I was little, I regularly went to crafty classes thanks to my mom; my little sister and I were always sewing, painting ceramics or porcelain dolls, even scrapbooking almost every week with her....so for as long as I can remember I've been creating! I'm so happy my creative mom took us to classes and encouraged us to learn and hone our skills.

3. Which part of your work do you most enjoy?

I enjoy thinking up new concepts and figuring out how to execute them and make them work the way I envision them in my head. I also love coming across mistakes or things that don't work out so well as I work; I love those accidental errors that end up being happy accidents in the end.

4. Which part do you find hardest?

I find it the hardest to buckle down and focus on one thing - to see a project through from start to finish. Usually as I work, I get 50 more ideas and they seem cool, too, so I want to start new projects, which means I end up with the beginnings of 51 projects and nothing completed. It's hard for me to pick one thing and finish it before moving on to the next!

5. Where do you get your inspiration?

I get a lot of inspiration from films - movies like "The Science of Sleep", "Amelie", "Juno"



...I also love Edward Gorey, Tim Burton, Dr. Suess, anything old-school Disney. I am inspired after flipping through a home decor magazine, a scrapbooking magazine, a browse through my favorite local indie paper shops. Antique stores, too! Inspiration is all around us daily, it's a matter of what you choose to draw from and take in and use to get an idea moving.

6. Do you participate in any etsy groups, and if so, which ones?

I don't yet, I'm fairly new to Etsy; still trying to learn the ropes! =)

7. What's one material your shop can't live without?

Hmm. Right now, I'd have to say paper...because it's mostly cards. Felt is also vital!

8. What is your favorite item that you have purchased off of Etsy?

I haven't been able to buy much of anything I love just yet, but I did buy some lovely Scalloped Journalling cards from FoxyCropper the other day!



9. If I could sell one item from my shop today, it would be...



The Felt Point n' Shoot Camera is looking for a home...=) Everything on it is hand-embroidered and hand-stitched, and it has a working strap; perfect for kids to play with! I made one around Christmas for a friend and my little brother almost adopted it, he loved it so much!!

10. If I had enough money to pick one item on my wishlist from any shop on etsy to buy, it would be...

I really love this Punk Sock Monkey from siansburys. It's so hard to choose just one thing, though!

11. What are the top three favorite items currently listed in your store?

The Felt Camera,


Set of 3 Felt Donuts,


and the "Owl Are You" Card.


They're my favorites!

12. What undiscovered artisans would you recommend the world to know?

I don't quite know if they're undiscovered, but some of my favorites are:

Kurt Halsey,

Livingroomfloor,
turtlepapers, donniewrights (www.donniewrights.etsy.com),
kittyrobot,
BobHornerArt,
Elles Studio,
Cutesypoo,
Brendrose

...among many!

13. What is the best advice you have ever received?

Hmm. I'm sure there was some life-altering advice, but it's failing me now...so I turn to Dr. Suess:



"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."...best advice ever: Be yourself. Never compromise. Do what you love. =)