He's Green, Hairy, and a Pretty Laid Back Dude

Have fun stopping by Minty Fresh Monster Apparel http://www.etsy.com/shop/mfmapparel where you will find original screen printed graphic t-shirt designs from the minds of a creative duo Saman & Erica.

They are brought to you with love on 100% cotton, sweatshop free American Apparel tees. "We have organic and standard shirts for men, women and kids!"

by Minty Fresh Monster Apparel
"Hi! My name is Erica. My boyfriend Saman and I run Minty Fresh Monster Apparel. Saman designs our shirts, I run the business side of things, and the Minty Fresh Monster plays video games and reads comics while we work.

 Although we are both from Minneapolis, we now live a short drive from the city in the town of Northfield, MN. I'm there finishing my fine art degree at St. Olaf college, and Saman is completing a year apprenticeship with the school's art department. The following pictures are Saman's desk, one of our storage space, and one looking out the windows on Division Street in Northfield. Northfield is a small college town of 20,000. We live in a one-room apartment above a pet shop. It's kinda cute.

Saman draws all the time. Robots and monsters are definitely favorites, but he draws pretty much everything. We decide together which of these drawings will become vector art and then eventually make it on a t-shirt. He either uses Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator.

 Once the shirts are printed and ready to ship, they become my responsibility. Next year we hope to get a separate studio, but for now shirts are folded on the kitchen table and stored on shelves running down the wall of our apartment. It will be great to get some more space so we have room for a few more designs!"

He's green, hairy, and a pretty laid back dude.

Follow the Minty Fresh Monster!
http://www.facebook.com/MFMApparel
http://twitter.com/MFMApparel
http://www.flicker.com/photos/mfmapparel

Our Beautiful World

Enjoy a visit to Bedermann Art http://www.etsy.com/shop/BedermannArt where you will find inspirational photographs with vibrant images. "Everything I create is original, my photography is completely unique with some photos enhanced using Photoshop to bring out a stunning quality".

by BedermannArt
My favourite quote is "Love is shown by what we do, not by how we feel" (Author Unknown).

I have always loved photography, and when it went digital, I knew I had to try it. I bought a cheap camera and loved it. I experimented with Photoshop and other imaging programs and decided this was for me. I made the purchase of a great Canon SLR camera and through trials and triumphs here I am, continually learning and improving.

I can completely forget about problems when I am out in nature, concentrating on the perfect image and correct camera settings.

People loved my work and I was asked to show my photography in a few local Art Shows.
Lots of compliments and purchases and so I thought I'd give Etsy a try! I also have a gallery at Betterphotos.com DonnaBedermann. My workshop is just a computer, camera and lenses, and the beautiful world!

My Etsy shop has my Fine Art Photography as cards, 5x7,8x10 and square 6x6 and 8x8 prints, they are beautifully printed with lovely details.Some are enhanced to bring out an artistic quality clearly seen in the image.Please enlarge the photos to see the details. They are easy to pop into a frame, and there you go, original Art!

"I Like My Studio To Be A Disaster"

Spring has sprung and as Lauren shares "spring is a time of rejuvination and my cup is overflowing with ideas". Stay tuned for the addition of original paintings and some prints as well in her wonderful Etsy shop

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/LaurenSatlowski

 where you are sure to find something you love.

by Lauren Satlowski

My name is Lauren Satlowski and I'm a lifelong artist from Detroit. About 5 months ago I moved to a rural area of Northern Michigan and am experiencing a major shift in my work triggered by this dramatic change of scenery, for example my experimentation with abstract compositions. I have explored a wide array of subject matter and techniques throughout my education but I would best describe my work as surreal, figurative, colorful and contemporary. I am a drawer first but have mainly been working with paint for the last five years. I also love working with my hands and crafting items out of things I have lying around my studio.

For as long as I can remember I have been a collector. I collect everything I find that has some visual or sentimental interest to me and have a difficult time throwing anything away. My studio is full of boxes filled with folders full of magazine scraps, photos, old drawings, boxes of tiny plastic animals, beads, glitter, tiny disco balls and marbles, doll parts etc. This library of source material is vast so organization is vital. My organizational methods are unexpected, however, because I don't group items into categories. I group items intuitively based on their relevancy to me in that moment. I group and regroup them through an elimination process based on my reaction to them. With a project in mind, or even just a group of keywords describing my feelings, I sort through the items intuitively and the categories end up ranging from "things I'm not interested in at all right now" to "things that will become part of my next project". Sometimes a project idea defines the elimination process and sometimes the elimination process defines what will become the project. It's a process I have developed and adjusted for myself over the years and I find it makes creative blocks almost nonexistent.

In short my studio can become a huge mess fast. For the most part I really like my studio to be a disaster. I need that reckless abandon. In between projects I'll clean up and regroup my supplies and image library and start from the beginning with a clean slate, but as I'm working things quickly become chaotic. I like to wallow in the clutter and sit on the floor with it spread out all around me. I have an easel, a drafting table and a large flat worktable but I often find that my favorite way to work is sprawled out on the floor like when I was a kid laying on the carpet with a coloring book and crayons all around.

My Lovely Etsy Friends

I remember the very first time that I stumbled apon Etsy. I was entranced and spent the whole evening exploring all of the wonderful handmade items. It was love at first sight and one evening of many that I would spend in the magic of Etsy. I became an avid fan and loved the many unique Etsy finds that I could share as gifts for my family and friends. 

Little did I know that in time I would open my very own folk art and vintage jewelry Etsy shops and share a blog that features wonderful Etsy artisans and their creative spaces. Thank you for sharing your many heart warming stories and being a part of my creative journey. I enjoy the opportunity to share your stories with others and being a part of such a caring community.

There is also a little bit of a voyeur in us to want to have a peek into your wonderful creative spaces and creative mind!

 I am always looking for more Etsy shops to feature. Please contact me if you are interested!

Thank you for all of your wonderful comments!