Welcoming A New Year and An Aspiring Artist

Happy New Year everyone!

To celebrate the New Year, please help me in welcoming Sherril to the Etsy community with a visit to her etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/sywang. She is an aspiring artist who creates handmade realistic and contemporary original oil paintings on a variety of canvas sizes.

A NEW LOOK for the blog coming soon with special giveaways and tips!

by Sherril Wang
I guess I'll just start off by saying hi! I'm Sherril Wang--I'm a 15 year old aspiring artist from the suburban jungle of Beaverton, Oregon. I work mostly in oil paints and occasionally in pencil/charcoal and have taken private art lessons for over seven years. Although I have just started selling my artwork online, I also plan to approach small local coffee shops and hangout spots to hang some of my paintings.

You can view some of my more casual art at www.tinyurl.com/syw-art
(don't worry, it just links to my Photobucket!).

Thanks for reading! :)

Re-Thinking & Re-Creating

Be sure to stop by Mistle and Toe http://www.etsy.com/shop/mistleandtoe , a lovely shop where you will find upcycling, recycled crafts, and eco-friendly items. We create recycled fashion, home decor accessories, and recycled art.

by Mistle and Toe
Our names are Sarah and Tiff and we started Mistle and Toe, an eco-friendly design store. We are from Ohio and Minnesota respectively and became fast friends when we met in college. We started this as a Design Collective for both ourselves and for a few of our creative friends that will be joining us as the months go on. We are inspired by the creative possibilities and challenges of upcycling things to keep them out of the landfill and still make them beautiful! There seems to be a stigma around re-using goods, and we love the challenge of re-thinking and re-creating them into purposeful things once again. There is always a surplus of stuff, so what's not to create?

We wish we had studios where we could store all of our great supplies and have endless space to create, but for right now, we are making do with any space that is available in our respective homes. We like to call them our "craft lairs"! But Sarah's father just made her a shelf that has helped tremendously in organizing all of her supplies that correlate to specific items that she is making. We think that this is essential to being organized! And we also recommend focusing on one type of item before moving onto the next -- we love getting so excited about the possibilities of new wares, but fully finishing one line of items before starting the next has helped us to remain sane :)

When we are not creating wares for Mistle & Toe, Tiff is working on her own strategic sustainability consulting business to help small businesses and non-profits integrate sustainability and green initiatives into their organizations. That and training her little rescue dog :) And Sarah is doing community outreach for a charter school in Troy, NY.
 

A Little Corner Space

Enjoy a visit to AvaGirlDesigns http://www.etsy.com/shop/AvaGirlDesigns where you are sure to find something adorable. You will find lovely baby photo props, knitted beanie and cocoon sets, designer changing pad clutches, diaper and wipe clutches, designer baby wipe cases, and highchair tray covers... and so much more.

by AvaGirlDesigns
I was reading some of the things that you would like to know and I guess I might be a little unconventional compared to some of the artists on Etsy. I do not have a studio or a special place to design my products or hardly a place to make them. I etched out a little corner space in my husbands office that completely annoys him with all my supplies and a very comfortable chair to do all my knitting, and for the Upsy Daisy line which I designed in line of keeping with mom's personal style which consists of Changing Pad Clutches, Diaper and Wipe Clutches, Designer Baby Wipe Cases, and Baby Tray Armor I have to use my dining room table.

 I lug out my supplies, equipment, and materials every time I need to make something. Which is very inconvenient but being a stay at home mom of a 2 and 4 year old in a 1200 sq ft house I do not have many options. I stay as organized as I can but probably like most people things start getting in disarray causing me to waste a lot of time looking for the scissors or my pack of needles.

Since I did open up shop on Etsy I have learned a lot this past 8 months from how to improve my listing from the description to the photos which is an ongoing process but also to make sure you are always thinking on how to improve your products. Could this use an extra pocket or I should learn how to knit a different kind of stitch to make my products more desirable. The key is to keep improving and never give up step back every once in a while and look at your products in different ways see what new and exciting ideas come to you.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/pages/San-Diego-CA/Ava-Girl-Designs/113113922055062?ref=ts&__a=17&ajaxpipe=1


www.twitter.com/AvaGirlDesigns

Happy Happy Holiday Season Everyone

Hello everyone. I am looking for more wonderful Etsy studios and shops to feature! Are you looking for a fun and easy way to promote this holiday season?  My lovely readers (hi there!) enjoy finding out about you, the "artist" behind the creations, your favourite organizational tips and tools and where you create. I feature all of the unique items from your shop and link your shop and any other links to your store through Facebook, Twitter etc.. If you are interested and would like me to feature your shop or a friend's shop, please feel free to say hello and contact me!

http://www.thereddoor.etsy.com/
More great Etsy features to come!!!

Here is free image as a gift, just for you!
Simply save the image and print it to the size you want.
Looks great framed, sitting with your holiday decor or give as a gift for a special friend.