Stuff I Love - Trunkt Market

This morning I bring you some treasures from the new Trunkt Market. Hosted by 1,000 Markets, the Trunkt Market is the first and only way to buy directly from your favorite Trunkt artisans.

Take a peek at a few of my favorites.


Ferris wheel 8 x 8 photograph by 1,000 Beautiful Things


Aqua swirl ring by metamorphosis


1958 Buick photograph by James C. Ritchie

Rustic floral petals by At Fallen Leaf Creak


Music To Her Ears brooch by Tilly Bloom


Another World 8 x 8 print by sMacshop


Mini "to the nines" earrings by boldsimple

Find more work by the exceptional artisans of Trunkt here.

Featured Artisan -- Bad Cat Jewelry

Tell me a little about yourself and what you do.
I'm a SAHM who used to work in Early Intervention as a Speech Language Pathologist. I burned out after 10 years, then had a baby...as time slowly became my own (and some days it still isn't), I realized I really wanted to do something creative and work with colors. I needed something that would enable me to work at my own pace and be at home. I had made some jewelry back in college, so it felt natural and right to start making jewelry again.

What 3 words best describe your work?
Simple, classic, clean


What inspires you?
I keep juggling between colors and symmetry/geometry. For me they must work hand in hand. I absolutely love playing with colors, my color wheel, looking at nature to see what she puts together, and trying to recreate that from my mind's eye. However, that being said, if the colors are right, but the shapes are wrong, I need to wait until I find what I need. Therefore, I have jumbled up ideas in my head, but when a piece comes into fruition I feel immense satisfaction and happiness. I'd be lying if I said that other artisans didn't inspire me. Not true. I enjoy the competition and am continually working on my skills to improve and be better.


What drives you to create what you do?
My previous field was not creative and I felt stifled and very unhappy. I create to make myself happy, in turn when someone wears my piece they get a bit of happiness from me.

What makes your work unique?
This is a difficult question to answer. The market for artisan jewelry is saturated and so pieces can appear to be quite similar. I like to think that what makes my pieces unique is "me" and that "I" crafted it. I try to make one of a kind pieces in different variations on a theme. I get bored making the same old same old. I also search for vintage beads that are difficult to find.

What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
Making jewelry is very satisfying to me and therefore it drives me continually. I think about it all the time. When I fall asleep at night instead of counting sheep, I rearrange beads in my head. It is just a part of my life.


How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
I would like to sell directly to customers at shows, as I've been told "my pictures are lovely, but the pieces in person are just beautiful". I would also like to go back to college and get a degree in metalworking so my designs continue to evolve. In the time being, I am continuing to sell on the internet. An important part of why I'm doing this goes well beyond me and my happiness. With each purchase, 10% of the profits goes to Specially for Children (www.speciallyforchildren.com) in Austin, Texas. With my contributions, they can purchase a few more supplies for Art Therapy for children who have cancer. I do this in honor of our friends' daughter who was diagnosed with Brain Cancer a few years ago. She is winning the battle and is quite an inspiration. She has a strong spirit and her parents are amazing and wonderful friends.

Where can we find you on the web?
Blog: www.badcatjewelry.com
Etsy: www.badcatjewelry.etsy.com
1000 Markets: www.badcatjewelry.1000Markets.com

March Featured EtsyBlogger -- Design By Nora

Congrats to this month's featured EtsyBlogger, Nora of Design By Nora and the Design By Nora blog. Nora's Etsy shop is filled with adorable little handcrafted polymer clay stud earrings. She also stocks leather handbags made by her uncle, like this fabulous orange messenger bag. In her own words:

My name is Nora and I love to read, write, draw, paint, make jewelry, make greeting cards, play with polymer clay, listen to music, watch movies and fool around on my computer!

Congrats to Nora for this well-deserved honor. Hope you've enjoyed your month of EtsyBloggers fame!

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.

Hiya sweets,

We've had a pretty eventful couple of weeks, huh? You and I just got back from a week-long trip to see your "other family" (that's what you call them) in California. You got to hang with your aunts and uncles, teach your cousin Twinkle how to do the limbo, and go to Disneyland for the very first time! I had such a great week and I know you did too.

This Monday was our travelin' day. You are usually a super good traveler, but you were really tired, sad about leaving, and impatient to get home to see Daddy. I was too, kiddo. After a some drama at the airport involving the potty and carrying your own bag, you were absolutely amazing on the plane, particularly in light of the fact that we sat at the gate for over two hours before we were able to take off! You talked politely with the gentleman sitting next to you, and quietly colored all the way home. You were really excited to see Daddy and I could tell by the look on his face that he'd been missing you too. You guys are pretty good buddies these days. It was fun to hear you tell him all about our adventures.

At school on Tuesday, you may a really cool little booklet all about our trip to the beach. You drew pictures of us doing different beach activities, and for the first time, I could tell what each activity was. It's so cool to watch you get better and better at drawing! You also wrote your name on the book without any help, and you wrote "The End" on the back with just a little bit of coaching from the teacher. Very impressive, my friend.

On Wednesday, you brought your imaginary brother with us to Target. On the way there, he tried to jump out of the car! Can you believe it? You calmed him down by telling him we could get him a new hat and some stickers at the store. Hmmmm... Luckily, he behaved himself and we were able to get him some stickers although I thought a new hat might be a bit much. Apparently, despite the fact that he's "very old and as tall as our ceiling," your brother really likes Disney princess stickers.

On Thursday afternoon you were determined to skip your nap, so you tried to convince me that playing prevents tooth decay. That's a new one and I have to applaud your creativity. I still made you nap, though, but I made sure to check for cavities when you woke up.

You arrived on the scene Friday morning in an apron and announced that you were a "cake artist." Cool! You got to work right away on a "big beautiful art cake." Very nice.


You were very annoyed about nap time again, and informed me that I was "making you a disaster." Trust me, we'll phase it out when you no longer need it - you're the one who complains about being sleepy every afternoon, silly! It's been awfully rainy around here, and we've been feeling a little restless, so we broke out some new games when Daddy got home. We played Chutes & Ladders (you can count to 100 now!), Barrel of Monkeys, and real grown-up dominoes. You always think I'm trying to trick you into doing math when we play games, so you like to flub numbers on purpose just to see if I'll notice or insert nonsense words when you're counting. You're always on the lookout for evil mommy plots these days. Guess I'll have to up my game!

I adore you, girlie girl. Looking forward to another great week of learning together.

Sincerely,
Mommy

I Want It

I'm loving the look of brass jewelry these days. Add a birdie and I go positively weak in the knees. The Sparrow's Treasure earrings by Michabella Creations are simple, sweet, and stunning - the perfect complement to a sundress or my favorite flowy linen skirt. Get them here. And while you're at it, check out the Michabella blog for a peek behind the scenes of this cool handmade jewelry line, the love child of two longtime friends.

Featured Artisan -- Studio Marcy

This week's featured artistan is Marcy Lamberson of Studio Marcy. An Etsy veteran and all-around fun gal, Marcy creates amazingly intricate, teeny tiny glass goodies.

Tell me a little about yourself and what you do.
I am a lampwork glass artist and teacher living in Atlanta, Georgia. I primarily make handmade glass beads for jewelry artists with my 2000 degree torch, tools and kiln in my home studio overlooking my backyard garden.

What 3 words best describe your work?
whimsical sculptural glass


What inspires you?
Seeing things that make me or my customers smile. I strive to make "happy" beads and glass objects.

What drives you to create what you do?
It is something inside me that makes me feel whole when I'm working with glass. I think a lot of about what will stretch my abilities and teach me something new while making it while also making me smile.


What makes your work unique?
My beads express who I am as an artist and glass bead maker. By looking at them, you can pretty well guess what my personality is like. Optimistic with a large dose of humor all show up in the work I do. But also that I enjoy custom work that the customer has given me- like the photo of Sprocket the Westie who wears a pink and purple collar. I love making that personalized bead for my customers. One of my favorite requests was a person who wanted me to make a focal of her kitty cat wearing a pink tutu, dancing and wearing a pirate patch. That is so "Marcy Lamberson" ...quirky, amusing and fun.

What role does your work play in your life?
My glass work is a large part of my life. Other than my family, some organizations, (mostly related to glass) I make glass art. My hours spent on my business exceed 60 per week or more. I love what I do. I will show in more galleries and enter more competitions. I had a well known beadmaker tell me, "You're a serious beadmaker making non-serious beads." Yep, that's me!


How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
I will evolve considerably. I will still be making the Etsy fun beads and doing lots of custom orders, but I plan to teach more both nationally and internationally. I've got a lot of knowledge that I love sharing. I'm also working on a "gallery" line of beads that are a little more serious and yet still whimsical in nature.

Where can we find you on the web?
The best place to find me is on Etsy - http://StudioMarcy.etsy.com. I add about 3 new beads daily to keep my inventory fresh. I also have a basic website, StudioMarcy.com that will help direct you there or to my daily blog about glass and creativity which is http://StudioMarcy.blogspot.com Also if you google my name, Marcy Lamberson, you will find a lot about me.

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.

All About My Mom

Happy Friday, all. Thanks again to Facebook for a fun way to waste a few minutes. A college friend tagged me for this one and I couldn't resist. The idea is simple - ask your kid some questions and see what she has to say.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
"Don't get in trouble."

2. What makes mom happy?
Being good.

3. What makes mom sad?
Ouchies.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Knock knock jokes.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Blonde hair.

6. How old is your mom?
Five fifteen.

7. How tall is your mom?
This tall (hand on my head).

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Work.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Go to the doctor's office.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Daddy.

11. What is your mom really good at?
Jumping rope.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Hockey, because she doesn't know how to ski.

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Play with me and make sure I'm safe. (covers me with kisses)

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Quesadillas.

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Playing with me.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Snow White.

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Play in the sand, play games, have fun! (kisses me) I love you, Mommy!

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Wearing the same clothes and having the same ponytails.

19. How are you and your mom different?
Wearing different clothes and.... I'll be right back.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
The hugs.

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Chili's.

22. (She added this question) What makes Mommy burn?
Candles.

23. (Also added) What makes Mommy hurt?
A bad owie that's red and that's bleeding.