Wordless Wednesday - Sesame Street Rocks

Featured Artisan -- Epheriell

This week's featured artisan is Jess of Epheriell. A fellow Etsyian and super talented jewelry artist, Jess offers gorgeous contemporary designs that are both simple and stunning.

Tell me a little bit about you and what you do.
I am an Aussie girl who has discovered her passion in creating sleek, artisan jewellery! I also love to work with yarn and beads and gemstones, and I also make jewellery from sea glass that I collect at the beach down the end of my street. I love wandering slowly along the beach looking for a glint of treasure on the sand! I also have a lovely English fiancé, and a ridiculously cute cat named Gobbolino…

What 3 phrases best describe your work?
Contemporary metal jewellery

What inspires you?
Nature inspires me… as does the metal itself. When working with wire, you have so much freedom – but as with any material, limitations also.

What drives you to create what you do?
I work in a very ‘intellectual’ job, and I find working with my hands just brings me an incredible satisfaction. Until I began crafting, I always felt as though there was something missing in my life – now I can’t imagine life without it!

What makes your work unique?
I think every thing a person makes is unique, because it comes from their hands, and so every piece – even if the look the same – never can be. I am trying to find unique ways to shape my material, and I’m always trying new designs. Who knows what I’ll be making in a year’s time?


What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
Currently, making jewellery is a hobby (or perhaps, obsession!) for me. Sometimes I think I would love to be making a living from it, and other times I don’t want to take the freedom out of it by doing this. I’ll just keep creating, and whatever happens, happens, and could not happen any other way! (kudos to the Matrix, here, for the quote…).

How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
I will keep crafting for the rest of my life. I can see this becoming a bigger and bigger part of my life – and it’s nice to know that if I ever have kids, I’ll have the ability to make some money from my craft. My main aim is just to keep enjoying what I do, and to keep creating new designs!

Where can we find you on the web?
Blog - http://www.EpheriellDesigns.com
Website - http://www.Epheriell.com
Etsy - http://Epheriell.etsy.com

Are you an artist or craftsperson? Would you like to be featured here? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment here with a link to your shop, and I'll be in touch about future opportunities.

Featured Artisan -- Gala Glass

I'm so honored to present this week's featured artisan, Angelo Tiozzo, an Italian-born glass artist who has been creating handmade crystal glass creations for over 50 years. The artist behind Gala Glass in Toronto, Angelo hails from Murano, Italy, the world's premier center for crystal glass artistry. In 1966, Angelo traveled from Murano to Canada to exhibit his talents at the 1967 World Fair and Exposition in Montreal with a rudimentary knowledge of English and just $20 in his pocket. After the Expo, he stayed on and helped build Gala Glass, a small workshop made up of Murano artists in Canada. Many thanks to Angelo for participating in this interview!

Tell me a little bit about you and what you do.
I was born in Murano, Italy (a small island close to Venice), known worldwide for its deep tradition in glassmaking. My family was quite poor, so when I was eleven years old I started working in the famous Murano glass factories. I have been doing this for over 50 years now. My wife and my sons are now part of the business which is great!

What 3 phrases best describe your work?
· Handmade creations

· World class craftsmanship

· Affordable

What inspires you?
Everything inspires me, but I think that nature (and all its wonderful colors) is my biggest inspiration. I try to think of what people would like and make it into a work of art.


What drives you to create what you do?
I like to innovate and to dream up of different designs and shapes. It’s part of me, it comes from inside.

What makes your work unique?
All the creations we offer are handmade so they are, by definition unique. No two creation will be exactly the same. The fact that I am originally from Murano and have worked with the great Murano glass masters for over a decade also gives me a different perspective on glass art.


What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
I’m a workaholic – my wife and son are the same way – so work plays a very large part of our lives. Most days it does not feel like work because we are lucky to be doing something that we love.

How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
Today as in the future, I seek to find creations that appeal to people. I love what I do and always try to create the highest quality possible.


Where can we find you on the web?
You can find all our handmade creations at our online boutique: www.galaglass.com




Are you an artist or craftsperson? Would you like to be featured here? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment here with a link to your shop, and I'll be in touch about future opportunities.

Dear Kid Sunday

Welcome to this week's installment of "Dear Kid." As always, full credit to Christina of Cutest Kid Ever for the fabulous idea. Want to write a "Dear Kid" letter of your very own? Learn more about how to participate here.

Hi baby girl,

I took this picture on Friday after you absolutely INSISTED there was no way you could possibly take a nap. See? Here's the proof, missy moo. The second I tucked you in on the couch, you were out like a light.

We had a nice week, I think. Don't you? You had gymnastics camp on Tuesday and Thursday, which you LOVE, and we were making secret plans for Daddy's birthday and Father's Day this weekend. We surprised him with a party at Buca di Beppo and lots of friends, and then had a cookout at our house last night for Father's Day. You've been super well-behaved considering the late nights and I know Daddy has appreciated it.

You said the sweetest thing on Monday. We were just sitting around and you were thinking hard about something. Suddenly you looked over and said, "Know what, Mom? True love is what I'm really looking for." I had to give you lots of cuddles for that one. And we had a great talk about what love is and what it means between people. You told me how much we all love each other in our family, which I thought was pretty awesome.

You're experimenting right now with a particular kind of defiance. I'd love to tell you that you're good at it... but you're really not. It's more of a playing-dress-up-with-being-bad kind of thing. Every now and then when Daddy or I say "no" to something, you'll give us a mean face and try out some nastiness. On Tuesday you said, "Mom, whenever you say that, I make a sign that says 'NO MOMS ALLOWED!'" Oh my goodness. You're also testing out what happens when you kick things gently, like the couch. Our interaction usually goes something like, "That's not very nice behavior." "Oh yeah? How about THIS behavior?!" Very strange. I'm hoping it's a short-lived phase, since it's really not very consistent with your personality and, frankly, you're not really giving it much effort. Still, it's interesting that you feel the need to try.

We've implemented a new rewards system for the summer - you're learning lots of new life skills. Because you're sometimes reluctant to try things you don't already know how to do perfectly, I thought it would be cool to make a sticker chart and give you some rewards to work toward. Boy, that sure did the trick. You can now get your own breakfast, pack your own lunch, get dressed, hang up your clothes, take care of your own bathroom business (yay!), and open all kinds of tricky containers. After only a week I've already shelled out a new sticker book, a little stuffed puppy and a Fancy Nancy game. That's called "working the system," my friend. Nice work. I'm gonna have to up my game this week!

You had a big emotional breakthrough this week. We were watching a movie that had a happy ending, and you cried because you were happy. I mean, you really, REALLY cried. You were so confused and upset about feeling sad and happy at the same time that you wanted me to hold you and rock you for a long, long time. You kept saying that you didn't understand why you were feeling so sad. I told you what a grown-up thing it is to feel empathy, and how proud I am that you care so much about other people.

We've got a big week ahead - lots of preparing to do for our Seattle trip! Thanks for giving me so many great opportunities to love, laugh, and grow with you.

Sincerely,
Mommy

I Want It

Isn't this pretty??? This gorgeous ocean jasper wire wrapped ring by Casto Creations is custom made. I'm in love with this perfectly imperfect pink, but it's also available in green, white, or tan with a variety of patterns. Get it here. And be sure to check out the Casto Creations blog here.

Are you a creative blogger? The Creative Bloggers Blog Ring is all about paying it forward - supporting other creative people through blogging. You can get involved here.

Wordless (or is it Wordful?) Wednesday

Featured Artisan -- Lisa of LMcreation

This week's featured artisan is Lisa of LMcreation. Lisa creates pretty little handmade pouches, wristlets, and bags that feature fabulous prints and fun color schemes.

Tell me a little bit about you and what you do.
My name is Lisa, my company is LMcreation and I make handmade handbags, purses, business card holders ... basically anything that I can sew. I'm a working mom with a full time day job, and I've been sewing since I was a little girl. I enjoyed crafts and learned to sew making dolls clothes! I've always enjoyed sewing as a hobby and even made some of my own clothes when I was a teenager.


What 3 words best describe your work?
Contemporay, Colorful, Functional, Fun (OK, that's four, I know I cheated!)

What drives you to create what you do?
I'm inspired by the many, many beautiful fabrics that are available these days. When I see the right fabric I just know that it's got to be made into a special bag or wristlet or whatever.


What makes your work unique?
I aim to make the best quality piece that I can in my own style and with fabrics that really appeal to me. When everything comes together in the right way it almost feels like I've made a fabric sculpture, not just a bag or purse.

What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
Sewing and creating new things is a way for me to relax and express my artistic side. That's the most important role for my work and I don't want it to change. Even though I've been sewing ever since I was small, I didn't try to sell anything because I didn't really know what to do or have a way to find customers, or even think that people would buy my things. LMcreation came along much later. I think that discovering Etsy motivated me to start LMcreation. Finding a site just for handmade goods and that was friendlier than ebay meant I could set up an online business in a few hours, which was just fantastic. I thought about it for two or three months then started my store in January 2008. I really didn’t know anything about running a business, but luckily that didn’t stop me. I’m still learning a lot and hopefully getting better each month. My husband has been a great help here, and helps out with a lot of the “boring but important” bits like keeping track of the finances when I'm short on time.


How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
Now that I've established that I can generate steady business for LMcreation online, I've started to do craft shows as well. I've still got a lot to learn but if I can do eight or ten shows a year plus keep my online business going (plus be a mom and keep my regular job!!) then I'll be happy for now. I would love to make LMcreation my full time job one day, but that would need some careful planning.

Where can we find you on the web?
You can find me on Etsy www.LMcreation.etsy.com, on Twitter http://twitter.com/LMcreation and on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew_lisa/


Are you an artist or craftsperson? Would you like to be featured here? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment here with a link to your shop, and I'll be in touch about future opportunities.