Artist Feature - ANNA of A ROSE BY NAME

A member of the ETSY Bead Weavers Street Team, Cleveland Rocks Street Team and Boomers and Beyond Street Team, avid military supporter, wife and mother of two teenagers...Anna is one busy woman! Anna hails from Akron, OH, and has been bead weaving for several years, admitting that as time has passed the designs have become more intricate and the beads even tinier.

The Bead Woven bracelet, "Geometric Gemtones" featured above, is available in Anna's Etsy shop (http://arosebyname.etsy.com/) and is listed for $40 USD. I think this bracelet is exceptional for a few reasons: L-O-V-E the pattern, the colors are perfect, the square button is the perfect finishing detail that really defines the quality of this piece.

To learn more about Anna, visit her blogs: http://arosebyname.blogspot.com/ and http://arosebyname.wordpress.com/

Artist Feature - ABBI CARICCO

Located in the mountains of western Virginia, Abbi Caricco (aka Lunachick) is a jewelry artisan and chainmailler. She strives to make unique and one-of-a-kind pieces showcasing intriguing gems and interesting shapes then coupling them with more traditional materials like sterling silver, aluminum and brass.

A few examples of her chainmailling talents and use of unique gemstones can be seen above. The chainmaille piece is a Steel Byzantine Patterned bracelet and can be purchased for $15 USD. The Peruvian Pink Opal necklace can be purchased for $25 USD. Both pieces can be found at http://lunachick.etsy.com/

Artist Feature - SPARKLY STRANDZ

Located in Friendswood TX, Sparkly Strandz began making jewelry more than 10 years ago. It all began while in college when a family friend, who was also a jeweler, taught her how to string/knot pearls. In addition, Sparkly has been crocheting for over 25 years! The combination of her talents are used to create wonderful and sensible crafts.

An example of her crochet work can be seen above. The adorable little Cowgirl Booties can be found in her Etsy shop (http://sparklystrandz.etsy.com/) for $12 USD and come in pink, lavender, black, and white and are available in sizes 0 - 9 months.

Artist Feature - EVA ESPIRITU

Eva Espititu (aka Alilsumptinsumptin) is an avid animal lover and proudly donates a portion of her sales to help animals in need. So far this year, Eva has raised and donated over $1,000 USD to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to help support their cause of ending cruelty to animals.

In addition, Eva enjoys creating one-of-a-kind artisan jewelry creations and has been doing so for about three years. Her love of whimsy and lampworked beads is deftly expressed throughout her jewelry designs. Each lampworked glass bead is truly art in miniature.

“Grrr, Wild Thing 2” is featured above and can be purchased from Alilsumptinsumptin’s Etsy shop for $70 USD. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this choker style necklace will be donated to HSUS! To see more of Eva’s work, go to http://alilsumptinsumptin.etsy.com/

Artist Feature - MY FAIRY BABIES

Hyla is the driving force behind My Fairy Babies and Faewood Creations. A mother of three and located in Weedsport, NY, Hyla creates adorable little fairy-themed plushies and whimsical jewelry designs!

Hyla has been offering her creations on Etsy since June 2007 and is a proud member of the Fantasy Artists of Etsy who specialize in Celtic, Medieval, fairy tales, and invented creatures.

Hyla is also very proud to announce that she was the winner of the Fantastic Fall Fantasies Contest! Her doll “Guinevere: The Queen Autumn Fairy” was the winning entry! Guinevere, pictured above, can be purchased in her Etsy shop (http://myfairybabies.etsy.com/) for $15 USD. Additionally, Hyla’s “After the Rain Fairy Earrings", also pictured above, can be purchased in her other Etsy shop (http://faewoodcreations.etsy.com/) for $20 USD.

Artist Feature - PATRICIA VENER

Patricia Vener (aka Silver Dragon Designs), in my opinion, is a beadweaver extraordinaire! The details and precision in her work is beyond words. I can only imagine the time and patience she must have to accomplish these wonderful miniature works of art.

A resident of Handen, CT, Patricia originally hails from New York state. It was while in NY at the tender age of four, she visited a local museum. Mesmerized by the textile and beadwork of Native Americans, she knew art was in her future.

Patricia's path as an artist, however, was a combination of both fine arts and performing arts. She is a retired ballerina as well as a published artist, having done illustrations for a CD picture book, “Papa Cardinal Finds Breakfast” by Sandra Wellborn. If dancing, drawing, painting and beadweaving weren't enough, Patricia also hold a Masters Degree in Astrophysics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy NY and has worked as an astronomer and still teaches astronomy as an adjunct professor for University of Maryland University College!

The piece featured above, "Red Sky at Night" incorporates a Russian variation of the Peyote stitch. The earrings can be purchased in her Etsy shop (http://silverdragon.etsy.com/) for $80 USD. To learn more about Patricia, read her Blog at http://vener-art.com/

Artist Feature - REN ADAMS

A traditional Chinese brush painter, Ren Adams (aka PlasticPumpkin) calls Albuquerque, New Mexico home. Ren works in a variety of mediums: mixed media assemblages, pencil, marker, acrylic, Chinese brush painting, watercolor, oil pastel, pen & ink, and just about any material that isn't nailed down.

Having limited exposure in graphic arts, I found this statement to be particularly insightful, "While some artists shun people who work 'across the board,' I embrace and explore the inherent differences between artistic mediums. Each speaks its own language, offers its own native terrain, and awakens the senses in enjoyable ways." Well said!

To learn more about the artist, visit Ren's Etsy shop (http://plasticpumpkin.etsy.com/). The painting, "Trio of Sea Nettles" featured above can be purchased for $40 USD.

Artist Feature - ANNE DUNDAS

Being a jeweler myself, I can truly appreciate the work of a fellow jeweler. Anne Dundas does a superb job of creating colorful and chic works of adornment!

Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Anne has been creating jewelry since 2004. However, her talents do not stop at jewelry, Anne also is a lampworker; creating colorful and whimsical art in molten glass. Believe it or not, her talents do not stop there either. Anne also does graphic design! You can see examples of her design work here: http://www.annedundas.com/graphics/

The piece, "Moon Glow", pictured above, features dyed purple moonstone and a handmade Byzantine chain in sterling silver. The necklace can be purchased in her Etsy shop (http://annedundas.etsy.com/) for $215 USD. Simply gorgeous!

You can learn more about Anne and her many talents here: www.annedundas.com/blog

90 Artists in 90 Days

I hope I have piqued your interest over the past week with my Artist Features. But, are you scratching your head wondering what all the Artist Features are about? Well, let me take a moment to explain.....

As many of you know, I have a virtual shop on Etsy.com where I currently market my jewelry. Etsy has grown substantially over the past two years and continues to grow everyday. In the spirit of community, a number of Etsy members joined in the 90 Artists in 90 Days Challenge. The goal is to have 90 participants feature one of the other 90 participants in his or her Blog each day. It’s kind of like a “meet you neighbor” activity. Not only are the 90 participants getting to know each other better, but the readers of each of the 90 Blogs are also getting to know the Etsy crafters on a more personal level.

So, I hope you will stay tuned and get to know the remaining 90 artists and crafters just a little better!

Artist Feature - EARMARK INVITATIONS

Headed up by Bridgette and Mike, Earmark Invitations aims to "Create Happiness" in paper. And I must admit, many of their designs did put a smile on my face!

But don't be fooled by their name, invitations are not their only product. Greeting cards, personalized journals, and even pencils can be found in their Etsy Shop, Http://earmark.etsy.com/

In fact, the adorable Apple Pencils (pictured above) can be purchased for only $1.00 USD. Wouldn't that make a teacher's day?

If you ever need personalized greeting card, birthday cards or note card sets, they will be more than happy to accommodate your needs. Oh, and those birthday cards....for $7.50 they will use the names, text, colors and/or images that you would like! How special would your recipient feel?

You can learn more about Earmark Invitations at: http://eigreetings.blogspot.com/

Artist Feature - GINNY HEADLEY MASERANG

Texas resident and jewelry designer, Ginny Maserang, strives to create unique and original works of art jewelry. Rarely making the same piece twice, Ginny prides herself in creating beautiful jewelry by using semiprecious gemstones, wire, and glass. She carefully chooses the colors, textures, and materials to create balance and richness in her designs.

The necklace featured above is entitled, "Olive Branch, Tree of Peace" can be purchased for $93 USD in Ginny's Etsy shop (http://thatsheadley.etsy.com/). This exquisite necklace features freshwater pearls, citrine, serpentine, and apatite gemstones. A true work of art!

To learn more about Ginny and That's Headley, visit her blog at http://thatsheadley.blogspot.com

Artist Feature - TIFFANY TESKE

Tiffany Teske has loved photography since she was 7 years old, though it would be many years before the shutter bug’s bite would truly take hold.

Tiffany studied ballet, creative writing, and art in high school but did not take photography classes. Instead, she was in the “after school photography club" and was taught by a science teacher how to use the darkroom. Some the chemicals got into her blood and after roaming the US for 5 years (Arizona, Florida, Connecticut, & New York) she settled in the small town of Carrabassett Valley, Maine. While there, Tiffany decided to go to the University for.... nursing? Well, she did start the pre-requisite courses, but luckily fate stepped in! After one summer color printing course and some credit mishaps on the University’s part, she switched her major to photography. Tiffany graduated from the University of Maine at Augusta with both an Associate of Arts in Photography (Magna cum Laude) in 2000 and a Bachelor of Arts Joint BA in Art and Photography (Magna cum Laude) in 2002.

During this time she met her future husband, who was from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Tiffany now resides in Banff, Alberta, Canada, with their toddler, Quinlyn.

The photo above is entitled "NYC Tulips" and can be purchased for $30 USD on Tiffany's Etsy shop (http://tiffanyteske.etsy.com/).

She explains the process used to create this amazing photograph here: "To begin this unique photographic art I capture an image on slide film. The slide is then projected onto Polaroid pack film which is peeled prematurely. The “waste” side of the film pack, which contains processing chemicals, is then placed face down onto wet watercolour paper and brayed (rolled over with a print making brayer). The result is a one-of-a-kind hand-pulled photographic transfer of the original slide image. The original image can be transferred an unlimited number of times but the resulting transfer will always vary from the last. Each transfer is approximately 3 ½” by 4” in size and is hand signed (both on the image and the mat). This transfer comes with a hand cut, acid free, museum quality archival mat, which has outer dimensions of 8x10."

Artist Feature - STUDIO MARCY

Marcy Lamberson is a glass artist from Atlanta, Georgia. She loves making people smile through her whimsical beads and sculptures. Even her pieces have funny and whimsical names. Take for example the bead in the photo above. It is entitled: "Do Not Get KOI With Me." Oh, that puts a smile on my face!

Marcy uses a 2000 degree (yikes, that's HOT) torch and most of her glass comes from Murano, Italy. Every one of her pieces is kiln annealed for durability.

Marcy teaches and enjoys taking on custom commissions. She works out of her sun room studio overlooking a garden and wildlife. Marcy adds new beads almost daily to her Etsy Shop, so stop by often. The Koi Bead, pictured above, is for sale in her Etsy shop for $16 USD. You can see more fantastic beads at: http://studiomarcy.etsy.com/

Artist Feature - GIFTBEARER

Pippit Carlington has been creating art ever since she was old enough to pick up a paintbrush. At age 5 she was composing songs on the piano; teaching herself to play by ear. She often found herself re-designing things she saw around her. In 6th grade she constructed the class mascot; a 4 foot-tall owl sculpted out of paper mache. In junior high she began selling various art items she had made. Over the years Pippit went on to receive formal art training at Callenwolde Center for the Arts, The Atlanta College of Art, and Atlanta Jeweler's School and Studios. Pippit works in several mediums: acrylics, watercolor, drawing, clay sculpture, and jewelry. A multicultural influence is evident in her work reflecting a diverse heritage of Iroquois Indian, Hawaiian, Russian, Jewish, and French Canadian. Pippit is strongly influenced by nature, political and social issues, and uses her art to educate the public.

Pippit has become involved in a number of volunteer efforts; including providing online support and treatment information to people with autoimmune diseases, and has donated art items to benefit the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

"Fall Finery", a Carnelian and Serpentine Necklace (pictured above), is accented with Vermeil beads and a lovely Carved Carnelian Leaf, typifies Pippit's love of nature. The colors chosen compliment the season and the gemstones have been carefully chosen for their luster and overall quality.

The necklace measures 18" in length and can be purchased from her Etsy shop (http://giftbearer.etsy.com/) for $130 USD.

Round # 7, ART vs. CRAFT

I made the cut. So, if you are in the Milwaukee area on December 8th, stop by the new venue and do a little holiday shopping! It promises to be an awesome event!

http://www.artvscraft.com/

Enjoying some Peace and Quiet

On a personal note: The kids are back in school now, I just graduated Magna Cum Laude with my Bachelors in Business Administration a few weeks ago; now I am enjoying some much needed down time before the holidays have everything kicking it up in high gear!

Tomorrow I will find out if I have been accepted into this winter's Artvs.Craft show in downtown Milwaukee. The event is going to be held on December 8th. I thoroughly enjoyed this summer's event and would be delighted to participate again! This time the promoters will be having a mini-fashion show! That promises to be fun and interesting. You can read more about it here: http://www.artvscraft.com/

I will be adding another installment of my personal interviews soon, so be on the look-out for the new addition!

HERE I am!

Let's see...we've covered topics such as preparing for entrepreneurship, logos, colors, fonts, photography, business cards, quality workmanship, materials, pricing, and a few more. What are we missing? Publicity. Now that your business is coming together, how will you let other people know you exist?

There are a number of outlets that can be used to "get the word out" about your business. I will list a few:

• Website
• Social networking forums/websites
• Press release
• Blogs
• Friends and relatives
• Newsletters

I can't count the number of times I have been asked, "Do you have a website?" Today, the Internet has become a vital tool in so many household across the globe. Even as a consumer, I shop and compare products online. I will even look for restaurant menus online before choosing a location to dine. I check store hours, weather conditions, current events, etc, etc, etc! Not investing in at least a simple brochure-type website is a costly mistake.

Social networking may or may not bring direct sales, but could give you sales leads and referrals. I have purchased many gifts from independent business I would not have otherwise known about because of these networking groups. http://www.indiepublic.com is a relatively new site, but is quickly growing everyday.

The mysterious press release. In all honesty, I can devote an entire post to this subject, so I will leave it for another day.

Blogs are fun and a purely personal choice for many business owners. Some feel blogs may give out too much personal or proprietary information. Others use them for keeping in touch with friends or family. And, myself, share little tid-bits that I think and hope other new business owners may find of use or can help them become a little more successful.

Friends and family are a great (and free) source for spreading the word about your business. Ask them to post flyers at their places of business, Church bulletin boards or wherever they have access to. Again, the point is to get your name out there and build your brand identity.

Newsletters are also a great resource. If you are vending at a craft show, ask customers and non-customers alike to sign up for your newsletter. There are several free and low cost newsletter dispersing firms that can help you in this area. Again, the point is to have a constant reminder of your business. (But don't be too pushy or every newsletter will end up in the "junk" folder)

Coming SOON

Soon you will find Elements by Dawn at http://www.circlecircledotdot.com along with other talented independent designers. So, if you are looking for a unique handmade gift, check it out!

The GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY

Networking. It's about meeting other people. Some may be like you, some may be completely different, but more than likely you have something in common with each other.

Why do we network? It may be as simple as camaraderie. Finding a like-minded soul to share a cup of coffee with. Perhaps you are seeking a PR rep, or photographer, or what retail and craft shows are "a sure bet." Networking allows you to find what you might be looking for without having to spend hours researching, making phone calls, and doing some footwork. Basically, it makes your business life a little easier. That's the GOOD.

However, as an artist, the truth is there are folks out there who will want to rip you off. Some will give you false leads just to get you to part with your limited supply of cash. Others will hook-up their friends. (Of course there is nothing wrong with referring friends, as long as the intention is to help a fellow crafter.) Others will copy your designs and present them as their own. Some will try to to blacklist you to up their careers. Unfortunately, the list goes on. That's the BAD.

In life and in business, there are risks. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make everyone successful. But I cannot. We all live and learn. Perhaps the best advice I can give about networking is this:

Don't be lazy! Take advice. But never take someone else's advice as golden. After all, what might have been a success for them, might not work out well for you. That's life. Now go do a little research on your own and couple that with what you have learned from networking to form the best possible advice/leads/scenario. Understand that all risks should be calculated risks! That's the UGLY.

Just a CLICK away

Or maybe a snap.

Great photography. But why is photography important? The obvious reason is that because most crafters either participate in an online gallery of sorts of have their own ecommerce site. Customers cannot touch your product, so you must be able to provide an exceptional visual representation of your product coupled with a wonderful (and accurate) product description.

Therefore, photography is another subject and art form that, besides photogs themselves, crafters need to develop (no pun intended). I'm sure most of us can spot a great photograph right away. It is crisp, clear, bright, in focus, and interesting. More than likely the subject of the photo is quickly identified. These type of photographs are what draw people in. They want to see more, know more, and get their hands on whatever is in the photo. Obviously, this is the type of photography we want to use for our products.

A not-so-great photo is muddy, dull, uninteresting, maybe even distracting. It's a real ho-hum, boring, don't-even-glance-at-it-twice kind of photo. Again, obviously, this is not the kind of photos we want to represent our work.

In my opinion, this is one of the most difficult topics an artist will tackle. How does one get "great photos?" Some folks will tell you it's all about your camera, some will say it's the photo editing software, some will say lighting, and still others will say something entirely different. I have found the truth lies in all of these factors. Some more than others, I must add.

Normally I would just tell you what has worked for me in the past and what learning curves I have had to overcome. However, when it comes to photography the variables are just too great. I don't know what type of camera you have, what your studio set-up is, what type of photo editing software you have access to, what type of spending budget you have, etc.

At this point I am going to make a suggestion that some readers may dislike, and other may love, but....GO READ! Search the bookstore for books on photography, read forums, get a copy of Consumer Reports that discusses cameras, find a few copies of various craft and art magazines that have articles on photography, scour the library, ask friends and fellow crafters for opinions. In a huge nutshell....do some homework. You will save yourself some pain and agony and maybe even some cash by doing some very pointed research.

Where should you start? I love the library. More than likely many of the magazines I have suggested are available (for free) at the library. Ask friends and coworkers. (Some may think photography is a highly guarded secret, so don't be put off if they zip their lips on the subject.)

Of course...take a few shots and choose the ones that YOU think are best and ask for outside opinions. Listen to what they say and ponder it. It is always difficult to separate yourself from your art, and as a human, criticism is hard to swallow. But, hey, when you are able to look at your art or photography with neutral eyes, good things are sure to follow.

Now go do your homework!