Never Give Up on your Dream

You will love shopping at KhaliNoveau's Etsy Shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/KhaliNouveau where she has many wonderful treaures. I fell in love with her little birds. Have fun exploring!

by KhaliNouveau

My name is Aiysha Khaalid, nickname Khali, I am a full-time artist with a bachelor degree in Fine Arts. I'm a painter, an illustrator, a mixed media artist, and crafter. I am the owner and creator of the Etsy shop called KhaliNouveau. The name of my business is a combination of "Khali, a nickname given from my family and "Nouveau", French for ‘New’ inspired from the most famous and my favorite art period, Art Nouveau.

Creativity has been in my blood since an early age. I have been an artist for over 15 years. What inspires me to become an artist is my love of art, and artworks by Frida Kahlo, Gustav Klimt, and newly discovered Hayv Kahraman because of their original artistic style and feminine beauty in their work. Their use of details, strong symbolism, and strong composition in their artwork affects my creative energy into making my own style.

As an artist I like to experiment with all kinds of materials and mediums but I mostly feel comfortable with a few. My base mediums I like to work with are acrylic paints and graphite pencil on smooth surfaces such as canvas and printmaking paper. These are my personal choice because honestly, I fail horribly in watercolors, and oil paints are quite messy and difficult to work with. I have no special technique or process that makes my artwork unique. I do re-sketch my ideas often. Some people assume as an artist, I am artistically adapted to any art style like great masterpieces to computer graphic design. But I only limit myself to what I do best and my expertise is painting in my own way and I do not mimic another artist’s technique.

My greatest accomplishment thus far has been working at an established art gallery in Dubai. I always wanted to work at an art gallery and did not expect to be living and working that dream in the Middle East. I gained so much insight on the art world and it’s a lot of work helping to run an art gallery. Ten years from now I see myself teaching art again and owning an art gallery. If I had to give one advice for new artists, I would say that don’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes, that’s part of the learning process as an artist. So never give up on a dream or something that you are passionate about.
 
 

Enjoy a visit to Kathryn's Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/DycheDesigns .

"So stop a while, meander through the pages of my shop, take in the sights, dream, laugh and dance along the way and lets see if we can find you something you truly love and connect with."

by Dyche Designs

My name is Kathryn. I was born in Wales, grew up in Oxfordshire (UK), and now live in Virginia with my husband and two cats.When I lived in the UK I worked as a Human Resources Officer for a biotech company but after moving to the US I decided to take a break. It wasn’t long before my husband and I realized that I was so much happier as a result and I opted to make the break permanent. I feel extremely fortunate to have such a supportive husband and to be able to pursue my crafting on a full time basis.

About My Art/Crafts
I have always loved walking into stores that have a wide selection of items so it came as no surprise that my online shop ‘‘Dyche Designs’ naturally evolved into housing a variety of my own crafts.What I create depends a lot on what I’m feeling at the time. I don’t try to fight it, I just go with it. Most recently I’ve found myself drawn to creating mixed media artwork and love how I am able to loose track of time and myself in the process.

I’ve also spent many hours sat at my sewing machine creating bags, cushion covers and pin cushions. During the fall my thoughts turn to knitting scarves and at various times throughout the year I can also be found crafting jewelry.

Another favorite of mine are soaps and candles. Nothing beats the smells that emanate throughout the house whenever I pour them.

The Creative Proces
The thing I love most is the flexibility and freedom that comes with creating.I am not an organized person so the creative process for me is kind of a chaotic and random event. I have a real aversion to following instructions and have a hard time planning or designing anything in advance. I typically sit at my work area and through experimenting with different colors, textures and materials I create a piece that I feel happy with.



Where I Create
I am extremely fortunate to have a dedicated craft room where I do computer work, jewelry making and house all of my supplies. That said, I have a tendency to spread to other areas of the house and can often be found sewing in our dining room or painting in our sun room (the light is so beautiful in there).

It is an amazing journey that I find myself on and couldn’t have achieved any of this without the love and support of family and friends. Thank you to everyone who supports the handmade community.

Favorite Quote
“Love, peace and jelly babies”.

http://twitter.com/DycheDesigns

http://dychedesigns.blogspot.com/
 

"Only One"

Be prepared to be "awwwwwed" by these fabulously adorable knitted treasures. You are sure to fall in love when you visit Only One's etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/bgordon2 .

Have fun browsing!

by Only One

"The gift of a knitted bear, which has been carefully and lovingly made, will be treasured far more ... and chances are, it will still have a loving home long after more commercial toys have been sent to the charity shops." ~ Sandra Polley

I am a 28-year-old elementary school teacher, and I’m currently on maternity leave with my beautiful 6-month old daughter. During her naptimes, I knit (when I probably should be doing laundry or catching up on sleep!). I just started my Etsy shop, called Only One. I named it Only One because each item is the “only one” of its kind! Also, when I was young, my parents called naptime an "only one", and each of my toys would be perfect for little kids to keep them company during their naps. 



I love to knit, and I especially love creating unique toys and collectibles that make me smile. For years I mostly knit teddy bears, altering patterns by shrinking the heads, lengthening the arms, etc. Now I design and knit many different toys, usually with bright colors and distinct personalities. Several of my toys have cute poems included too.

Usually, I knit in my family room because that is where I’m most comfortable, but that can get a bit messy. Recently, my husband suggested that I take some time to organize my supplies, so we found a 4-drawer cart that fits next to my sofa. Now all of the main supplies (needles, felt, thread, etc.) are conveniently located, organized, and hidden away.

I’m always adding to my Etsy shop, so I hope you’ll visit often!



Cheers,

Bonnie King