Jenny Hoople and Her Bunny

by jennyhoople

My name is Jenny Hoople, my business is Authentic Arts http://www.jennyhoople.etsy.com/ . A few years ago, I saw job's tears for sale in Johnny's seed catalog. The description said that it was a natural bead, so I thought I'd try it out. I ended up with a whole tin of seeds, but they were so light that when I made a necklace with them, the clasp kept coming around to the front. So they sat, unused, in my basement for a few years.

This July, my mom and dad were visiting and my mom, as usual, wanted to stop by a craft store. While I was waiting for her, I kept walking up and down the bead aisle thinking about what would go well with the grey job's tears. I bought a few things and made a necklace. My mom liked it so much that she asked me to make her one, and since I had materials left over, I just tried to come up with as many different designs as I could. Well, when I got done with that, I had to buy more materials and really, I couldn't stop making necklaces! A lot of things were coming together in my life, bringing me to this, so I jumped on it and started selling them. I decided to use knotted silk because I like its history, it's more romantic! I choose "natural" materials (stone, bone, wood, shell, silk) because even when altered by human hands and arranged and strung by them, the beauty of the processes that formed them breaks through and dazzles me. It's so fulfilling to finally be able to use my creative side (B.A. in fine arts, millions of crafty hobbies) as a part of my livelihood. You can see from the picture that my workroom is...the coffeetable in my living room! I sit on the bean-bag chair. Please note the neglected fishtank and my small bunny helper under the table :)





















I've always needed to work and live in the same space, I need to be where the action is!

Cutie Patootie Beads

The name of the featured etsy shop Cutie Patootie Beads came from the term of endearment that the artist called her granddaughters. She writes "they certainly do inspire me, it is wonderful to see something through their eyes." Enjoy a visit to her shop www.cutiepatootiebeads.etsy.com/.

by CutiePatootieBeads

I will start by saying that I use to be a Stained Glass Artisan. I loved the work, but it was very difficult to take with me when I traveled. I looked for something similar, which lead me to Jewelry. All of the different types of jewelry making, the textures and colors were amazing.So I am a self taught Jewelry Artisan, I have been making Jewelry for about 5 years now. I try almost everything I can. My latest project is bead weaving, non-loom. I love it and it is very addicting. My work space is usually the dining room table, but I will bead when and where ever I can.So as long as my fingers and eyes hold out, you will find me beading and making Jewelry somewhere. LOL.

Cash, Barter, A Delicously Intense Stitch

Enjoy a visit to http://waywardradish.etsy.com/ for a wonderful voyage of delightful colours and design.

by waywardradish

Hand embroidery is a very portable art. Needle. Thread. Scissors. Always good for cash or barter. Perfect for a wandering hippie decades ago. Especially one with no clock in her life. Me. Now,though,I have clocks. But this is the calm. A deliciously intense stitch. A bullion knot. A raised cup. A solid square inch can take over an hour. For me, that's fun. Also why I still have a "day job."My Etsy shop focuses on embroidered jewelry. Stuffed earrings, for instance. Tiny or big. All weightless. Pictures never quite convey the smile of them. But seeing them on yourself, on another woman, all wariness goes poof! That I enjoy.

My work space = my couch + my coffee table. My couch is also my photo backdrop. I try to separate my embroidery floss by color but they always end up in a heap. For me, disorder feeds creativity. I expect to have a Collyer Brothers demise under embroidery thread.

Education? Several Erica Wilson crewel kits and her writing. She is my true inspiration.Hope you visit my shop: http://waywardradish.etsy.com/ (double click photos to zoom).To see archival photos of the obsessive denim of my hippie days: http://www.flickr/photos/waywardradish.com

Arion

Arion's Etsy shop is named after the Greek myth. Arion is mentioned in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, where the Captain reassures Viola that her brother may still be alive after the shipwreck, for "like Arion on the dolphin's back, I saw him hold acquaintance with the waves." Arion is said to be the first and best composer and citharist or lyer-player of his time. On his return from an artistic tour in Italy, he was kidnapped by pirates. Arion sang a praise to Apollo, the god of poetry, and his song attracted a number of dolphins around the ship. Arion threw himself into the sea, but one of the dolphins saved his life. After that, he lived happily ever after and was flourished by his artistic talent. Enjoy a visit to her wonderful shop http://www.arionjewelry.etsy.com/

by Arion Jewelry

Hello, my name is Jihee Kim. I was born and raised in Seoul, Korea. I am the mother of two adorable boys and the wife of a supportive husband. Currently I live in the romantic city, Seattle. I came to the United States for my masters degree in business and worked for an international financial organization for several years in Washington D. C.. I started creating one day when I took a whole day long class of “How to make your Earrings” at the community college with little expectation. After that class, I couldn’t stop making new earrings for my family, friends and myself. The rest is history. My favorite materials are pearls, garnet, ruby, amethyst, peridot, tanzanite and so on. A lot of my jewelry is made with these semi-precious or precious stones with sterling silver.

The best part of making jewelry is creativity. Creating makes me feel great and alive, especially seeing the final creation of one of kind beautiful jewelry with one of the most beautiful materials on earth. My Studio is located in a comfortable and convenient location: my living room. My husband made my studio in the corner of our living room facing the yard outside. In the morning, the sunlight comes deep inside and shines on my studio. It gives me a lot of sunlight, inspiration and energy. Morning is my most favorite time of the day.

There are two desks for my computer and my working area. On the right side of my working area, I put frequently-used tools and materials. There is a black storage box with many small drawers and a brown open basket. The see-through drawer for the findings and brown basket are for my tools. At the back side of my work place, there are two wooden cabinets for storage, one for all my beads and jewelry. The other is for my shipping materials.

On the top of the cabinet, I display some of my creations. Most of my jewelry is stored on the stackable organizer trays inside of the cabinet as shown on the picture.

I started only a short time ago to make my jewelry. Life is full of surprises. I never dreamed to be referred to as a “Jewelry designer”. Recently, I learned how to create jewelry with PMC (precious metal clay) as well as metal smith. I am going to introduce my new jewelry line for PMC hopefully soon. I keep learning and learning. Please watch me grow and evolve through my jewelry creations. Hope to see you at http://www.arionjewelry.etsy.com/ store.

My blog is www.arionjewelry.blogspot.com. Please stop by!

Thank you for viewing my story.

Stylish Ornaments

Whoa!!! ...where did the time go! Sorry everyone...crazy week at work this week. Keep watching for more great Etsy Shops and artist features coming up! If you are an Etsy shop and would like a feature on my Etsy Studios blog, I'd love to feature you...just leave a message!

Be sure to visit today's feature shop http://www.stylishornaments.etsy.com/.

by Stylishornaments and Crafts

We are best friends and we like to do lots of things together. Last winter we were looking for ways to have even more fun and to chill out during long winter evenings and we ended up with playing with salt dough. The results were so encouraging that we went on and started to make angel figures and Christmas ornaments. We liked them so much that we decided to share our creations with others and also to expand our range by making more items, both in terms of numbers and variety. Our brand products are angels for every occasion. We also create tons of various seasonal products: witches, jack o'lanterns and the like for Halloween, Christmas ornaments, hearts for Mother's Day and so on. Each item is hand-made and therefore unique in form, shape and style. We also use different materials, mostly salt dough, acrylic painting and varnish, but also wooden frames and raffia. And we constantly try new things and techniques, adding new collections to our repertoire.Our inspiration comes from recognition of special occasions and events, like Christmas, Mother Day, etc. But we often catch ourselves at simply looking at a thing we have just seen and thinking how it would look like in a particular setting, for example, hung on a wall, or a Christmas tree. This usually brings good ideas not only how the product should look like, but what methods we need to improve in order to make it look better.

Designer Knit Trends and Fashions

Lana O'Neill is the creator and designer for KnitBerry.com site. She has a passion to make stylish accessories for women. Her designs "come from intense research of fashion and seasonal trends and color. I pick my favorite designers, which for this Fall 2009 season are Marc by Marc Jacobs and Chanel. I then decide what type of hat or scarf would go with their runway outfits, and that's how I create my items. " Enjoy a visit to her stylish Etsy shop http://www.knitberry.etsy.com/ and her website http://www.knitberry.com/ .
Don't forget to have a peek at her adorable children's knits too.

byKnitBerry

KnitBerry.com website started 2 years ago with primary focus on handmade knitwear for children. Many people saw what I have made for my little kids and wanted me to make them the same thing. But I also had a passion to make stylish accessories for women. That is what I am primarily making now and of course I cannot forget about the kids so I design fun hats and make outfits as special orders. I knit just about anywhere - at home, in the car (while my husband is driving), while I wait for the kids to get off school, on vacation... I knit when I get inspired, and that can happen just about anywhere, so I always make sure to bring my knitting needles, and a notebook, just in case I need to sketch a design while it's fresh in my head.

My favorite needles to use are the circular needles. Many people ask me why do I use two "needles on wires" and it is because it is easier to measure the knitted item. It is also easier on my hands, because on straight needles the knitted fabric seems to weigh down on my wrists. Lately, because of so many projects, my hands have been suffering. I am trying to limit my time knitting and that also means choosing most meaningful projects to make, since I can only make so many. My designs come from intense research of fashion and seasonal trend and color. I pick my favorite designers, which for this Fall 2009 season are Marc by Marc Jacobs and Chanel. I then decide what type of hat or scarf would go with their runway outfits, and that's how I create my items. Hope you enjoy wearing them as much as I enjoy making them!

Eco-friendly,Upcycled,Recycled,Reclaimed & Repurposed

Using her background in Interior Design, Eco-Lectic Events has developed a love for sustainable and minimal environmental-impact ideas. Her shop is a completely eco-friendly event store. She features sustainable and green centerpiece designs, eco-friendly wedding favors and accessories and edible (even plantable) event items. Enjoy a visit to her amazing Etsy shop http://www.divinelionesss.etsy.com/ .

by Eco-Lectic Events

I have been an artist my entire life and started jewelry making and crafting about fifteen years ago. My shop is a culmination of my creativity, eclecticity, education, and ideals. As a result of my educational background in interior design, I also have had the wonderful experience of applying my design knowledge to all facets of event planning.

In the past year I have coordinated two family events - my brother's Bar Mitzvah and my own wedding. What I have brought to Etsy is a unique approach to event decor based on sustainable design ideals. All of my items are eco-friendly, upcycled, recycled, reclaimed, or repurposed and fully customizable. I hope to continue to expand my shop to include creative, original, and earth-friendly items for every event's needs. So much waste is unnecessarily produced in today's events. An event can be created using beautiful items that not only don't harm the environment, but even give back to it.

I create all of my art in my home. I do have an art room, however, I tend to work wherever there is a flat surface (the dining room table, breakfast bar, coffee table, bar top, etc.) I'm a virgo so organization is my middle name. Since I work on many different types of projects (paintings, jewelry, arrangements, etc.), I like to use systems with small compartments, either on wheels or with removable drawers. This way I keep all of my project materials separate from one another.

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Eco-Lectic-Events/112562453595?ref=mf

My Blog:

http://ecolecticevents.blogspot.com/

Hot Pink Chick

Bonnie's artistic style is simple yet sophisticated. She is " a big fan of clean lines, bold colors and understated elegance. You will find that my designs encompass these elements. I believe that sometimes less is more". Enjoy her simply sophisticated styles found in her Etsy shop http://www.hotpinkchick.etsy.com/ .

My name is Bonnie Kanavins, I am a 39 year old wife and mother living in Temple, PA. I am also the owner/designer of Hot Pink Chick on Etsy where I sell my unique, handmade jewelry. I design earrings, necklaces and bracelets in many different styles and price ranges. Some of the materials I use include sterling silver, antique brass, semi-precious gemstones, glass and vintage beads.My current 'studio' is the corner of a spare bedroom in my home.

The desk houses my shipping supplies (mailers, customs forms, postage scale, etc.), my photobox sits on an end table and my tools and supplies are neatly packed in my craft tote. I often like to create while watching a movie with my family or sitting outside at a patio table, so the portability of the tote is very important.This will be my first holiday season on Etsy (my store is still in its infancy at 3 months old), so to prepare I have begun pre-filling customs forms, stocking up on shipping supplies and trying to list as many pieces as possible to offer a wide selection. Please stop by and check me out at http://www.hotpinkchick.etsy.com/!

Knit and Sew

TLK Handknits went to college for Fashion Design with a major in Knitwear. She attended a 3 year fashion design diploma program at Seneca College in Toronto Ontario Canada and describes her creative process of her unique handknits starting with designing from a design of her own and calculating stitch patterns to incorporate into her design for a finished product.

Be sure to visit TLK Handknits at http://www.tinateee.etsy.com/ as seen in VivaLaModa Digital Magazine, July '09 issue, Spring '09 issue of Stitch Magazine, May/June issue of Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine, Winter/Spring Issue of Shut Up Magazine(AtoZ Accessories Guide), Fall/Winter, Shut Up Magazine and can also be seen in Venus Zine Magazine.

http://www.tinteee.blogspot.com/

www.myspace.com/tinteee07

www.twitter.com/tinateee

by TLK Handknits

I started knitting and sewing in my younger years and went to college for Fashion Design with a major in Knitwear. I attended a 3 year fashion design diploma program at Seneca College in Toronto Ontario Canada. I have since then been living in the U.S. and have been seeking ways to explore other options to keep myself busy by handknitting and selling my accessories and clothing at etsy.com. I have been selling my handknits on etsy since Oct. 07.

The creative process of my handknits start off with designing from a design of my own and calculating stitch patterns to incorporate into my design for a finished product. I am currently creating all my handknitted items from my apt and have situated my small design studio in my sunroom. I have organized the sunroom for my knitting tools that are required and use the couch as a sitting area to handknit my designs. A cable scarf can take 11-12 hours to handknit because I use two knitting needles in order to handknit my product. I love the way each stitch looks from handknitting with two knitting needles becuase the stitches are all done by hand. In college I used a knitting machine and have also loved the techniques used via a knitting machine however with a knitting machine there are various stitches that are used by hand while knitting with the machine itself. At some point I do want to purchase a computerized knitting macahine and attach the machine to my computer to create designs.For now I continue to handknit various clothing and fashion accessories with an expansion into clothing. Handknitting takes sometime to knit but the quality of the work shows with each stitch handknitted. TLK Knit n SewTinateeehttp://www.tinateee.etsy.com/