Featured Artist -- StoneCafe Creations

This week's featured artist is Kris Stone of StoneCafe Creations. A fellow Fabulous Artistic Mom and Etsy shop owner, Kris offers a candid peek into her life as a stay-at-home mom through her camera lens.

Tell me a little about yourself and what you do.
I am a wife, mother, and photographer. I stay home with my two precious boys and do some photography on the side. I mostly do portrait photography and some photo journalism. But I do get some images I would love to share with the world, and that is how I got started in Etsy. Random pictures of life in general!

What 3 words best describe your work?
Random, fun, photography


What inspires you?
Motherhood. There are so many things that are apart of motherhood that I have never really seen photographed. The picture of "Mount-never rest" is one of those examples.

What drives you to create what you do?
I need to create. If I don't I think I might go crazy! Motherhood impacts a lot of what I take. I am working on a year (or years) long project of taking creative pictures that represent motherhood. I also include pictures of complete randomness... like flowers with bees on them. Flowers are part of life and to find one with a bee on it is completely random!


What makes your work unique?
It random. It's about life in general. But it is random.

What role does your work play in your life?
It comes in third place. Above all, God is first, but in regards to my family, I am a wife to my husband first, a mother to my two boys second, and if I have some time, I can play with my photography.

What role would you like your work to play in your life?
I like where my photography comes into my life. It's how I unwind. I have set a rule for myself, if photography impacts the way I care for my family, or my relationship with God, then I have to put photography aside until I get things right.

How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
I am planning to continue to do photoshoots and develop the business more, but I am hoping to do more with selling random pictures and having more caption contests.


Where can we find you on the web?
Shop: http://his4ever247.etsy.com
Blog: http://www.stonecafecreations.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/his4ever247

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.

EtsyGreetings February Challenge - Vote and Enter to Win

Voting is now underway in the February EtsyGreetings Challenge. The theme for this month's challenge is "Luck of the Irish." Fun, right?

Non-members who vote are entered to win the card selected as the challenge winner. The deadline to vote is March 4th. So, are you feeling lucky?


Photo courtesy of five dot design.

Dear Kid Saturday

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.

Yeeeeeeeehaw, cowgirl!

This week was "Texas week" at preschool and you were really into it. I find it hilarious, by the way, that every time I break out the camera now, you feel the need to model for me. Where in the world did that come from? You silly thing.

Our week got off to a bit of a rough start. Sunday night I caught you watching TV in the playroom at about 10:45. That was a new one - you'd never come out of your room after bedtime before, and I certainly never expected to find you hiding up in the playroom. We had a little talk about how important your sleep is (and how sneaking around is not OK), and got you back to bed, but you were up bright and early the next morning at 5:15. Although you insisted you weren't tired, you sure were grumpy all day. This not-sleeping-much thing seems to be a little bit of a trend, and I'm hoping it doesn't last long. I'm kind of thrown for a loop - it's not as though I can make you sleep. Maybe it's just another way you're trying to exert some control over your world. It's hard to be three, huh?

After the crazy game of family freeze tag we played Monday night, you'd think you would have slept in Tuesday morning, but you were up at 5:00 again. I was a little worried that you wouldn't make it through preschool, but you actually did fine. You wore a fabulous outfit that day, by the way - brown skirt, bright pink and yellow striped socks, light-up tennis shoes, too-small Colts jersey, and a tiara. Lately you really like to choose your own clothes, and I feel like it's a good way to let you express yourself a little bit. I tend to think if I let you have control over things that don't so much matter (what's for lunch, what you're wearing, what kind of craft we'll make, etc.), you're be more likely to listen when it's time for me to be in charge. So far, so good. Besides, what's the harm in mismatched clothes if they make you feel like a princess when you walk out the door, right?

We had a very interesting conversation on Wednesday about "showing off." For some reason, you pressed hard for a precise definition of "show-off," and then spent a long time trying to convince me that you "never ever ever are one." I asked whether something had happened at school, but you insisted that you were just "wondering." I think there's more to that story, but I didn't want to push it.

On Thursday, you got to wear your cowgirl outfit to school. Fun! That hat sure did look funny on you! When I picked you up, though, you seemed sort of sad, and you told me that one of the girls had forgotten her cowgirl stuff. I asked if she'd been upset and you said, "No. I just felt sad for her." That's so sweet, girlie girl. I'm so glad to see that you're starting to think about how others feel - now we've got a great foundation to work from on a whole lot of interpersonal issues.

You were bored Friday morning, so I decided to let you "cook." I pulled a bunch of old stuff out of the pantry, gave you some water and some measuring spoons, and let you go to town. Here's what you made:


Mmmmmm.... muffins! That was fun, huh?

I love you so much, sweet girl. Can't wait to see what next week has in store for us.

Sincerely,
Mommy

I Swore I Wouldn't Do This...

Sorry to all my Facebook friends who tagged me in their "25 Random Things" notes. I've forsaken you and decided to post my list here. Why? Because it's Friday, I suppose, and I'm feeling... candid. Deep breath.... Here goes.

1. Aside from once when I was too young to remember, I'd never been on an airplane until I was 23. Growing up in a small town, I also had zero experience with public transportation. My first flight was solo, and to NYC. Learning to get around the city changed my life forever.
2. I talk waaaaaay too quickly, too loudly, and too much. I know this about myself, and yet can't seem to change it.
3. I have a tendency to change the subject or go off on strange tangents.
4. I am curious about everything and annoy my husband by asking questions constantly to which he can't possibly know the answers.
5. I had an adverse reaction to a prescription drug in 2002 that caused very pronounced Parkinson's-like symptoms for six months. I still experience tremors and myoclonic jerks from time to time.
6. I am incredibly, horribly, debilitatingly shy. I overcome it daily.
7. I mostly hate to talk on the phone. This does not mean that I mostly hate my friends, which they sometimes fail to understand.
8. I dearly love hot weather.
9. Lots and lots of random things choke me up - pageants, standing ovations, kids singing, marching bands (why?!), reading to my daughter... The list goes on and on.
10. Most days I feel pretty, regardless of my weight, my clothes, or whether I'm having a good or bad hair day. This has only been true since I hit 30.
11. I never wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. Now I can't imagine having taken any other path.
12. I've written poetry since I was a little girl, but have only shared a few pieces I wrote for a class in college. I have books and books and books full. I can't get rid of them, but don't know what to do with them.
13. I spent a year in college intentionally waking myself up from dreams to write them down in detail. Those journals are some of my prized possessions, but are way too personal for anyone else to see.
14. I pierced my own ears several times in high school while working after hours in a salon.
15. I absolutely love thrill rides.
16. I have a strange and horrible phobia related to corpses and large bodies of water.
17. I would very much rather be busy than bored. I go nuts when left alone with my thoughts.
18. I'm absolutely never satisfied. Never.
19. I need quite a bit of personal space. I don't like this about myself and want to get past it... or at least hide it better.
21. I sometimes eat bologna sandwiches for breakfast.
22. I was a print model for about 5 minutes (OK, maybe it was a little longer) in 1998. I found it incredibly strange to be paid for looking a certain way.
23. My hair caught fire once at a wedding.
24. My husband spilled an entire glass of red wine down the back of my dress at our wedding.
25. My life, despite my perpetual grumbling about minor annoyances, is really pretty great. I'm very lucky.

Have a great weekend!

Fab Etsy Find -- Amazonite and Coral Necklace

Alright, I'll admit it - I'm ready for spring. Hence today's fab Etsy find, this gorgeous amazonite and coral necklace from 57 Design Studio. I just love this simple, positively juicy color combo. Makes me want to throw on a white linen dress and bury my toes in some warm sand. Mmmmmmmm....


Longtime blog readers may remember Hilary and 57 Design Studio from a previous feature. Hilary blogs at Designing Hilary - please pop in and say "hi."

What's your fave Etsy find of all time? Share it with us here!

Wordless Wednesday -- Sheer Auditory Perfection c. 1967

Stocking with Artiste Tomorrow Night -- 9 PM EST!

Join me tomorrow night, Wednesday the 25th, at 9:00 PM for Artiste's final February stocking. I'll be bringing you lots of brand new stuff from the Freshly Crafted line (yes, I've been a busy girl!), and a couple of Retrocrafted surprises. Here's a sneak peek:



If you're new to Artiste or to HyenaCart, you're in for a treat. Artiste brings you a wide variety of gorgeous, eco-friendly, handcrafted goodness, all made for you with love by a work-at-home mama. All of our listings go live at 9:00 PM sharp, so be sure to scope out your favorites in advance and be there on time to pounce. Fair warning - the best stuff goes fast!