Art is Where the Heart Is

"Art is where the heart is" and so is your studio space! I am off to enjoy some holiday fun in the sun and will certainly bring a little piece of my studio with me. I am looking forward to relaxing and having lots of time to journal and create new things. I created my little portable art kit with paper, a small paint set and pencil crayons. I am excited to go exploring and pick up some local handmade craft items!

Enjoy a visit to The Backyard Bear http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBackyardBear where you are sure to find wonderfully unique creations with a wildlife theme!

by The Backyard Bear

Hi there. My name is Mary Ann and I have a confession…..I am an Upcycler.

Actually I grew up upcycling before the word was even vogue. Coming from a family of 6 kids and being the youngest my parents were upcyclers as well. This was just natural to them as they were born in the early 1900’s when things were never thrown out. It just was unheard of. I remember watching my grandmother make rugs from old clothes, mittens from old sweaters. She would sew them on her old Singer Sewing machine. My mother had a sewing machine which she only used for patching. I taught myself how to sew by making Barbie doll clothes from worn clothes. I still have that old machine and its wooden case but I now use a more modern one.

I was always creative and my mom, to keep me amused would scour the house to find me items for my craft addiction and would make glue from flour and water. How Eco is that!

I lived in the country and my siblings were quite a bit older than me. Friends didn’t live close by so I would amuse myself. Wildlife became an obsession. I would try to tame every chipmunk and chickadee I could see. I started to draw them and eventually started painting when my oldest brother bought me a paint-by-number set. Back in the 60’s they came as oil sets and I never had patience for the paint to dry before the next colour. I remember putting one on the hot air register and later found that I had created a Picasso from the forced hot air. I can still remember the smell of those oil paints. After that I asked for watercolour paints and now I love to paint using acrylics.

I still have that drive (call it an obsession) to create. You can find me every Saturday morning in the summer at yard sales. You can find me at the Thrift store at least 3 times a week in the winter months. Every item I pick up I look to see what it can be reinvented into. By night time that item has been upcycled into a new life. Spring is just around the corner and that means yard sale season. I just can’t wait to get out there to find more items I can recreate into something useful.

One Upcycle I’m particularly proud of are my teapot bird feeders and bird houses. I came up with the idea a few years ago. It just gives your garden that little bit of sparkle. All of my feeders and houses are made with the birds in mind. They are functional as well as pretty.

Other upcycles which I have sold quite a few of are my sweater mittens. Every thrift store I walk into I look for wool or fleece sweaters with birds, animals, nature embroidered or as part of the fabric. I try to incorporate those parts of the sweater to make the mittens unique. I also make them warm and I’ve had nothing but positive feedback from them. I also started to make leather mittens from old leather jackets and hand paint wildlife pictures on them to make them unique as well. This winter I started to make bomber hats with animal or bird patches to match the mittens I sell.

I started selling on Etsy just over a year ago and I’m a member of a few teams. I feel I’ve done well with my sales and it motivates me to create more. The Oh Canada Team is a great group of Canadians and are the most positive team I’ve been on. They are helpful, giving great feedback to our shops, pictures, items. Giving suggestions of other things we might want to consider making.

On another note, just recently I found the art of felting. I have taught myself using a You-Tube video and have purchased wool roving from fellow Estians. I hope to create my wildlife feltings as life like as I can. My most recent project is a chipmunk. The same animal I tried to tame all those years ago.

It’s sad that we live in a world that tosses away so much without a second thought. We need to teach our kids the art of upcycling. So much money would be saved, the world would be a cleaner place and our children’s creativity would make them more aware of their environment.

My favourite quote;
"One should either be a work of art, Or wear a work of art" ~~~~ Oscar Wilde
My website and blog: thebackyardbear.com

I Have Given A Little Piece of Myself

"I love working with fabric and have recently began exploring the possiblities that previously loved clothing has to offer. I get excited about taking previously loved clothing and piecing it together to make something new". Enjoy a visit to Misti's lovely Etsy shop http://prairiewinddesigns.etsy.com/.

by prairiewinddesigns

My name is Misti and I live in Frenchtown, MT with my husband and two adorable kids, ages 6 and 3 and our golden retiever, Prairie. Growing up on a farm in Southwest Kansas, I learned the value of making something with my hands. My grandmother was the master of making something out of nothing - using whatever scraps she had to make needed items.

While I didn't take to sewing as a teenager, I found comfort in sitting at my machine those lonely nights while my husband was deployed. I learned to quilt while expecting our first child, and have been hooked on creating with fabric ever since!

I'm a stay at home mom and with that comes many sewing opportunities for little ones. I want to teach my children strong values and a good work ethic, so I started selling my wares at the local farmer's market where my son would make and sell pretzel sticks. He quickly learned how much work it was to make a dollar. Once winter hit and the farmer's markets were done for the season, I put my focus on my Etsy shop. I still involve my kids every chance I get. I bought a wall map and my son helps me mark the places where my items have been shipped. It serves as a great geography lesson for him and it serves as a reminder of my success and gives me inspiration to keep creating.

I have a variety of items in my shop, all things I have created with fabric. I have a range of items from purses and diaper bags to barnyard coloring wallets for the little ones. I have many ecofriendly and upcycled items from reusable sandwich and snack bags, reusable grocery bags and toddler dresses that I upcycle from previously loved men's shirts.

PWD Janome:

My Janome sewing machine. My husband bought this for me for Mother's Day soon after he returned from Iraq. It was quite an upgrade as I had learned to sew on (and still have and cherish) my great-grandmother's featherweight sewing machine. Many of you quilter's out there know this is machine is a quilter's dream. You will also notice my thread cabinet my hubby built for me. If you like it you can get the pattern from another Montana artist, Thomas Weightman at http://www.sewhappyquilts.com/.

PWD Fabric Stash:

My beloved fabric stash. I recently got the system to organize my closet. The drawers are perfect for storing fat quarters. I like to store my fabric by project in plastic tubs. A must have: Polar Notions. These are acid free reusable fabric storage sheets. They are a safe, space saving way to store your fabric. http://www.polarnotions.com/

I love creating something with my hands for someone else. I enjoying thinking about that person as I am creating each piece and when it is complete, I feel like I have given a piece of myself.

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/

Twofold Upcycled Fine Art

I absolutely love the idea of featuring other artists. It is a wonderful opportunity to network with others and meet fantastic people. It also provides the opportunity to see some amazing art pieces that are so unique and inspire me to create. Kathy encorporates some amazingly bold and bright colours in her upcycled art pieces. These are one-of-a-kind art pieces that are beautiful and functional too. Enjoy having a look through her shop http://www.twofold.etsy.com/ .

Twofold designs originated from an inspiration to utilize recycled materials in new and inventive ways. Over the last year I have worked out of my home, but have also utilized local wood shop spaces that allow me to take up a corner. It's important to find a well ventilated space when working with the glue and high gloss finish I use! I love using lots of color, so I collect all kinds of magazines to upcycle glassware and other thrift store finds. Durability is important to my designs. The high gloss finish I use gives my pieces the versatility to be decorative but also functional. I recently moved to New York and am working on creating a bigger studio space in my apartment. Can't wait to expand my workspace and start on some bigger pieces!I attached a photo of a wood shop I use as studio space and also a photo of a recent outdoor art walk I participated in.