I got my stapms today from one of my featured Etsy sellers :SugarSkull7

I'm really happy with the way it came out. Now I can stamp my logo on all of my stationary! Thank you Kim!

My next featured Shop is Elevenish

Her Etsy shop is a celebration of childhood!

Here is what she says about her shop:

I attempt to create whimsical illustrations that depict the essence of little children, from their rosy cheeks down to their chubby little toes.

Where do you get your inspiration? Well, before my giggling baby came along, I was inspired by Carolyn Haywood. I remember my Mom reading me her books and always being intrigued by the sweet illustrations. I also have a collection of prints by Jessie Wilcox Smith and Bessie Pease Gutmann.

Is there any particular color combination you prefer? Oh, this is a tough one...right now, I am in love with cream. I love that almost anything matches it, and I love the richness it adds to almost any color. So, I guess I love anything with cream!

What is your favorite item in your shop? I think this is my favorite item so far. Even though my baby is almost 10 months, she really was my model for the girl. My baby has long hair that covers a little bit of her face like the way the little girl in the picture does. And I love her thoughtful look. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17002041

What are your favorite Etsy shops? Oh dear, such a hard question! Underthestairstudioshttp://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19747086retrorepohandmadehttp://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5215180BellaSophiahttp://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5123248

My next Etsy Shop feature is on Haannh's Shop

She is a talented artist from Malaysia. She specializes in painting on silk. Her work is really beautiful. Check out her shop - there are some really nice pieces in there.

When was the very first time you painted on silk?Almost 3 years..Can't remember when..

Are there any particular elements you like to paint the most? (e.g. flowers, geometrical shapes...)I was inspired by natural environment and cultures...I love the combination of retro and abstract form.


How did you decide to join Etsy?When I found that there are so many nice and talented people to mix around in Etsy :)


What is your ultimate goal in silk painting?To create a beautiful living environment :)

New at this one.... Quilting

Decided to use Kai's old t-shirts to make a quilt. I am not particularly happy with colors, but it's my very first attempt at quilting. Kai seems to enjoy it and that's what counts for me.

Some melting ice along the way....enjoying my new camera :)

Lost River Cavern, PA

Yesterday we went to see the Lost River Cavern. The tour guide told us that nobody ever found where that river actually leads. It does not show anywhere on the surface, so they believe that it's going to under the ground lake somewhere. Kids really loved it. It wasn't big, but was still interesting.

They said it takes about a 100 years to grow a tiny little stalactite.

http://www.gpdesignsart.blogspot.com/

Another wonderful Etsy shop:

Designs by Gina

This month she is offering a free shipping at her shop so stop by to check it out.

Gina is very comfortable with her artistic calling, because she believes in her calling.

She says: "My mission is to glorify God by being exactly who He made me to be-- a creator/artist and placing special, one of a kind, meaningful gifts into the hands of people- that they will always treasure, forging a forever bond between giver and receiver! If you are looking for that kind of gift..."

Snowflake Designs

is my next shop feature from Etsy.com

She is a young designer of unique jewelry pieces. Every item is special and one-of-a-kind - just like snowflakes! Isn't that a beautiful thought! Each piece is made with thought and care, with emphasis on the overall effect rather than strictly adhering to one certain technique. She is a self-taught jewelry artist and uses glass beads, gemstones, pearls, wood, polymer clay, and even recycled paper in her designs.
Snoflake Designs is always improving and perfecting her technique. She is always open to suggestions for the better of her work flow and customer satisfaction.

SnoflakeDesigns was kind to share her inspirations and creative ideas with us, so here they are:

How long have you been creating jewelry?

I got my first introduction to jewelry making as a class project in the fourth grade. I was immediately hooked! Well, I'm almost 30 now and so obviously, my styles and techniques have changed a lot since then. I've shown my work at dozens of art shows and festivals and now on Etsy. My goals for the future include continuing to learn new techniques to improve my collection and eventually I hope to sell my jewelry in a few small boutiques.

Do you have any particular materials you like to work with?

I use a very mixed media approach to designing jewelry. I work with gemstones, pearls,glass, wood, and shell beads, polymer clay, wire, and even recycled paper. I feel that this approach gives me more flexibility to exercise my creative muscles. Some of my favorite gemstones are amazonite, amethyst, and citrine.

What is your most favorite item on Etsy ?
I am constantly amazed at how much talent exists in the Etsy community and I have so many favorites. But to name just one, I have to say these sarcastic little notes really cracked me up: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20107451 from Neat Things

What inspires you when you are creating new pieces?

I often find inspiration in nature. For instance, I recently created a necklace made of pearls and smokey quartz that was inspired by a snow covered branch of pussy willows. Also, sometimes the materials themselves really inspire me. A certain gemstone might just beg to be used in a particular color combination. Sometimes my ideas start with a sketch and then I build the jewelry from there. Other times, I just figure it out as I go!

Here is our second Etsy shop : CapriceCreations's

Big Welcome sign is featured on the front page of Caprice's shop on Etsy. She welcomes us into her lovely shop where everything is handcrafted by her personally. She specializes in hand-stamped stationery and home decor as well as hand painted items and embroidery. You will find a wide variety of items here so check her shop often!

PS. she is offering a free shipping only for the month of February, but don't tell her I told you.... shhhh it's a secret! :)

CapriceCreations is very passionate about her crafts and here is a little story from her on how she came up to be in business on Etsy:

As far back as I can remember, I have been creating something. As a child I was always making cards from construction paper. As I grew older, my grandmother taught me how to do many of the crafts that I enjoy today including embroidery, cross stitch, and oil painting. My mother taught me to sew and to pursue my dreams with all my heart.I am a wife, mother, teacher, artist, and volunteer firefighter. I am a strong supporter of Autism Awareness (my son has Asperger's syndrome) as well as MADD and the right to homeschool!My passion is creating! I love to paint, cross stitch, embroider, stamp, and scrapbook. My daughter is quickly following in her mother's footsteps! At the age of 4 she sold her first handmade soap. I was so proud of her!

I also had couple of questions for CapriceCreations and here are her answers:

What inspires you when you create your art pieces?

I get inspiration from everything! Books, magazines, nature, advertisements, even clothing

Do you tend to create in a particular color scheme? I love bright, bold colors, but I don't let that limit me. I can create some amazingly tranquil pieces as well.

How did you start your own business? I have always created stuff. But once I was grown, it was really my Mother-in-law that made me realize that I other people might be interested in what I create as well.

Do you have any favorite shops on Etsy that you'd like to list? Trendy Cards - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5927380Southern Sassy Pants - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=36371Hello Crafty - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5254986

Featuring Etsy Shops!

Today I am starting a new page in my Blog

I decided to help my fellow Etsyans and feature their shops in my Blog.
Here it comes…..

http://www.sugarskull7.etsy.com/ is owned and operated by a multitasker who is a full-time dog trainer, part-time artist..but would love for it to be the other way around. Most of her artwork is in the form of hand-carved rubber stamps. She has done hand carving for over 13 years and brought her art work to perfection. Check out her shop on Etsy and you will find beautiful stamps for any occasion.

sugarskull7's also creates custom handcarved stamps for many shops, taking shop's logo and turning it into a stamp. So if you are a shop owner and need your logo on an stamp, give her a holor! I am ordering mine this week, so that I can stamp my mail, when I send it to my customers.
I asked Sugarskull7 some questions that I though you'd all like to know:

How did you decide to start your own business?
It's something I've dreamed of doing for years but never had time for. Now that I have a more flexible schedule, I've been able to indulge my creative side once again. A friend told me about Etsy, so that's when I decided to try selling my work!

What are your inspirations? Everything around me!

What is your most favorite item in your shop?
Hmmm..it's a toss-up. I like my day of the dead girl a lot, but I just carved a new poison bottle that was really fun. I like how it turned out.

Do you have any favorite shops on Etsy?
Oh yes! If I tried to name them all, we'd run out of room. A few that I really love are TerraMaya, Regalos Del Sol, and fellow carvers Corrabelle, JackBear and Craftpudding. Seriously, though, there are SO many great shops here and I have MANY favorites

And finally, here are some samples of Sugarskull7's work. Enjoy!

You can click on the pictures if you'd like to purchase any of the stamps and it will take you directly to Sugarskull7's shop at Etsy.

Spring is coming!

Just this morning I noticed that birds are singing in the morning. That makes me feel like spring is almost here. I am planning to sit down this weekend and look through my magazines from spring issues and get some inspirations for Easter. But for now - my headbands for girls

My daughter still can't decide which headband color she wants. She seems to love them all ;)

Check them out on my site: www.knitberry.com

KnitBerry is overjoyed

I was just so pleasantly surprised and thankful to all who loves my handknit items! I visited 2 blogs where people named my shop as their favorite. Here are some links to the blogs where I found the comments. This one blow is running a contest so you might want to check it out.

http://periodicstyle.blogspot.com/

And here is the second link where my website was mentioned http://writelysew.wordpress.com/2008/10/19/you-smell-that/
I am so happy that people like my work. I crave customers' happiness more then profits. When I receive my comments from my customers that they enjoy my knitting and that their kids like it so much that they don't want to take it off - I know that my job was done, and done right!

Thniking about coming spring and summer. Tending more and more to go towards my favorite theme - nautical. I love beach and boats, so I want to come up with some fabulous ideas made with 100% cotton just for summer.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21195580
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21194683
www.knitberry.com

My favorite flowers. Besides knitting I also love taking pictures. I love all sorts of color combinations . This one shows my love for blue.

Contest for kids. Come join in the fun.

I am running a contest for kids who like to draw. Come see the rules of the contest and enter - it's absolutely FREE and FUN! http://www.knitberry.com/
Come see last month's winner and her hat!

My first post! So exciting!

Starting my own blog! Never got a chance to sit down and actually do it. So here I am. :)