Feminine and Oh So Pretty

Be sure to drop by this new etsy shop Blushing Dove Boutique  http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlushingDoveBoutique

where you are sure to discover lovely little pretties including very cute handmade jewelry and accessories.

by Blushing Dove Boutique
My name is Amy Lilley, and I live in Newark-on-Trent (UK). I have always loved art and making things, but had very little time to pursue this interest whilst studying an English degree at university. In my final year of university I was fortunate to meet my best friend, and love of my life, and we married soon after I graduated (last August). Being out of uni, out of work, and living in a new place, I had mixed emotions.

On the one hand I found myself overjoyed at the excitement of our starting out our new life together, yet I also felt a bit down and isolated because of all of the changes. It was the need to occupy myself whilst I was looking for a job that really sparked my creative side. At university I had dressed a bit wacky, and was often mistaken for an art student. Now married, I had ‘toned’ it down a bit in relation to my dress sense, and I think making headbands and jewellery became my more hands-on creative outlet.

My favourite place to work is at my kitchen table! I spend so much time in the kitchen, and love all of the hubbub that goes on in this part of the house. To me it is a place of productivity, play, relaxation, fellowship, family, and inspiration. I can't think of a better place to be creative!

I love all things cute and girlie, and consider my pieces fun and playful, yet pretty and elegant. I want women of all ages to look and feel every bit as beautiful as they are in my pieces, and hope to grow my ‘Blushing Dove Boutique’ into a small business.

Here are a few favourite quotes:

'The real act of discovery consists, not in finding new lands, but in seeing with new eyes'-Marcel Proust

'You can't find a value under a microscope'- Captain Corelli (Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres)

'There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is.'-Albert Einstein

‘Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have’ - Ecclesiastes 6:9
 
 

Here is Amy in her 'work space',( her kitchen) and her happy little helper/ companion, Dolly.

 
Visit Amy's blog www.facebook.com/BlushingDoveBoutique
She is a member of 'Team Imagination':

http://willcreate4adollar.com/
http://officialhouseofimagination.blogspot.com/

Getting Back to Nature

Ashley's combined love of Physical Geography (thus her beautiful nature-based artwork ) and beautiful paper is where her inspiration comes from. She dabbles in flocking, stamp carving, embossing and a little bit of computer-aided design. Enjoy a visit to her quaint Etsy shop...a must visit (I'm going there right now!) http://www.ashleypahl.etsy.com/ .

by AshleyPahl

Although I have been crafting since early childhood, it was the experience of creating my own wedding invitations that led me to stationery design. With some training in screen printing, the Print Gocco was a good place to start. I also dabble in flocking, stamp carving, embossing and a little bit of computer-aided design. Although I was working as an office assistant and finishing my degree in natural sciences, I could not quiet my creative side. I set up shop as http://ashleybug.etsy.com/ on Etsy in October of 2007 to test the waters.

The ball got rolling pretty quickly, and in December of 2008 I opened http://ashleypahl.etsy.com/, changing my business name. Around this same time I had my first baby and moved to Chicago, where I currently work.

My design space, which started out as a closet in my student apartment, has morphed into a system of labeled Tupperware bins, re-labeled and re-used baby formula cans, and shelves in contained cupboards in our new family apartment. To keep my life less hectic and more organized, I try to pull out only what I need for each project as I work at my desk in my living room. It's my dream to have a room dedicated solely to my craft someday, but until then, I enjoy working at my desk near the windows with a view of the Windy City.