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/
 

The Thrill of the Hunt

Don't you just love the adventure of finding new materials, and being inspired by colours, finding treasures- old and new. Antoinette enjoys the hunt for materials and finds it almost more fun than making the objects. She says ...I'm always looking for great sales and interesting fabrics and yarns. This makes for original and one of a kind items. Have fun visiting her Etsy shop~ Ants Accessories at http://www.ayoka.etsy.com/

My name is Antoinette and I am AntsAccessories. During my regular job I am a freelance makeup artist. There can be long intervals between projects and I needed a way to stay productive and creative. My husband bought me a new sewing machine complete with embroidery options and things started to take shape from there.

I love fabric,yarn and beads and just cannot resist searching for bargains and new,
fun things. Antique shops and Thrift stores are also becoming an interesting source for my pincushion addiction. So really my shop is a product of addiction and obsession. As long as I have a need to collect materials and create things I will have my Etsy shop.

I am endlessly grateful that I am able to live a creative life. And again because I am given the opportunity to share it. I thought at first it would be hard to part with the things I took so much care making. But the experience has been quite rewarding, and my customers are very encouraging. So...I keep sewing.

I don’t know that I can give advise on keeping organized since my work space and storage system is continually a work in progress. But for anyone who is uncertain or hesitates to push forward I say "Don’t stop, keep doing this thing you are driven to and good things will follow".

OwlyBaby

Take a peek at this little cutie, Lucy. Mom enjoys creating handmade adorable outfits and other gorgeous items. Enjoy a visit to her wonderful Etsy shop www.owlybaby.etsy.com.

by OwlyBaby

Hello! My name is Becky and I’m a new stay-at-home mom to my lovely daughter Lucy. I started Owly Baby when she was 2 months old because I was bored of sitting at home while she napped. I was used to working 70+ hours a week, so the stay-at-home lifestyle has been quite a change for me and my family. My husband is a professional baseball player and soon-to-be Lutheran pastor (ELCA). We are *almost* in transition between his two professions and a move to a nearby town. Just like most of the readers out there…I love to create. I’ve been a lifelong crafter, drifting in and out of painting, scrapbooking, jewelry making and sewing. Our apartment in very “cozy” (i.e. small) and my workspace is our kitchen table. This means that to eat dinner, I’ve got to put away the sewing machine and tools! It really forces me to be organized. I am very lucky to get a sewing room in our new home later this month. YAY!One of my best organizational tips is to put all small, related items together in a plastic or net bag. I then hang the bags in my closet for easy storage. Because the bags are see-through, it’s very easy to grab what you need! As a sewing tip, I love to use masking tape to take out a whole row of stitches at once or to clean up stray threads. What I enjoy most about sewing is making my own patterns and trying out new ideas, so I tend to have a lot of one-of-a-kind items. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I have so many new ideas I *try* to write them all down. I’d guess that only 70% of my ideas make it to paper and only 10% of those ever see the sewing machine. The thing I love about ETSY is that I can make 30 one of a kind items and still be in business!!!Thanks for looking at my shop and a special thanks to Etsy Studios for this opportunity to share!Become a Facebook Fan of OwlyBaby and get in on special deals! Search OwlyBaby on Facebook!