My Blog Gets a Face Lift

As I am not at work today, I am taking the time to do a little on-line "housecleaning." The first being unveiling my new blog banner. For those who had seen my blog banner before, it was basically my Etsy banner uploaded into blogspot. However as part of my on-line facelift, the uber talented Renee of http://www.thompsondesigns.etsy.com/ created a customized banner for me.

I photograph most of my pictures on a dark background so it's nice to see bright cheery colors on my banner. Today will be dedicated to photographing and adding new work. With such a busy show schedule, I have had no time to photograph.

All of these are the photos and listings I have created already on both Etsy and Artfire so far. I will be photographing some pocket friendly copper discs I have enameled. What are you up to today?

It Finally Felt Like Fall.....

As I took my afternoon break and went for a quick walk, it finally felt like the beginning of fall. There I was in my short sleeve shirt realizing that pretty soon I will need to purchase a scarf. Tonight I found these: http://www.NandaHandcrafted.etsy.com (proving that you can snuggle up to warmth in style).

An Evening with Jan of Expressive Papers........

Another interview to share with the very talented Jan of Expressive Papers. I think her cards are the cutest. (I mean look at the card above - what a great card to give to a dog lover!) I had the pleasure of speaking with her about her work and want to share my interview with her with you all.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

First of all, let me thank YOU, Janice for kindly featuring my on your blog!

My name is Jan, and although not an artist by trade, I have been a craftsperson as long as I can remember. Growing up in Kansas, I learned how to sew in my local 4-H Club, and made many of my own clothes in my teen years and early twenties. Since then, I've tried out many crafts (most of them self-taught), including embroidery, tole painting (THAT didn't last long!), beadwork,
knitting, macrame, crocheting (I was an abysmal failure at that!) and counted cross stitch.

I'm also a lover of music and took piano lesson for many years. I enjoyed singing in several groups during high school and college, and taught myself how to play the guitar during the years that I was without a piano.

In my youth, my practical nature led me to pursue a nursing career, knowing that it would be more likely to meet my needs for financial independence than trying to support myself through my love of music, arts and crafts.

Now, thirty seven years later (I can hardly believe all that time has gone by!), after retiring from my day job (yes, I did become a nurse), my heart has led me once again back to my love of arts and crafts.

2. How did you get started making cards?

Six years ago, I left my long-time nursing position. Soon after that, one of my friends introduced me to scrapbooking….and I loved it! After a short while of doing scrapbooking, my interest and skills began to evolve to include the art of paper piecing and cardmaking. The REST, as they say, is history!

I've always loved giving and receiving cards, so creating handmade cards has seemed like a natural progression for me.

3. What inspires your work?

I get the inspiration for my cards and paper piecings from just about anything....beautiful scrapbook papers and embellishments, songs, movies, poems, quotes and sayings, nature, life events, my family, my friends, and my dogs!

I'm constantly cutting out pictures from catalogues, advertisements, brochures, etc., to use as inspiration for my cards and paper piecings. And I'm ever-watchful for fun or inspirational quotes and sayings to incorporate into my cards and scrapbook layouts. I love the sense of creativity and satisfaction that I get from making cards and scrapbook layouts/paper piecing sets and I love that other people enjoy my creations!

4. What are your top fashion & beauty must haves?

I guess my taste in clothes has always been for the timeless and classic look. I'm an avid SALE shopper, and I'm so proud of myself when I'm able to find great quality clothes for a good price!

But now that I no longer work outside the home, I'm more than content to LIVE in a good pair of jeans and short sleeve sport shirts in the summer and turtlenecks in the winter. I do most of my clothes shopping now via catalogues and the Internet. I shop LL Bean, Land's End, and I LOVE Coldwater Creek!

5. Where can we find your work?

I still do offer my scrapbook layouts and paper piecing sets and (occasionally) handmade cards and on eBay. You can search for any current listings by my eBay ID, which is "expressivepapers".

Lately, I mostly list my cards on Etsy, and the name of my Etsy Shop is Expressive Papers (http://www.expressivepapers.etsy.com).

You can also check out my brand new Blog for examples of previous work and/or links to current Etsy shop listings: (http://www.expressivepapers.blogspot.com)

I also enjoy doing custom orders, and for custom requests, I can be convo'd through Etsy or e-mailed directly at expresivepapers@msn.com.

An Afternoon with Artgarden on Etsy...............

In my constant browsing, I was blown away by the beauty of ArtGarden's work. This piece really spoke to me, but I assure you that to choose one favorite to share with all of you was extremely arduous. I just love her color palettes and decided to email her to learn more about her creative process so that I could share it with all of you. Below is our interview. To see more of ArtGarden's work, please visit: www.artgarden.etsy.com


1.)Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I live in Sonoma County California with my husband in a small town called Sebastopol. We just moved here from Maui about 3 months ago. We are still getting to know the place , it's a really big change. We also were in France and Italy for 2 months in between the move. I miss Maui everyday at this point , but we are finding some sweet places here too. I am pretty much always thinking about my creative ideas all day from the second I wake up in the morning until bed, so I'm very happy when I get to my creative time, and inspired by so many things. I'm always trying new methods and different mediums just to play and explore. It is my life pretty much, all this creative exploration and expression.

2.)Apart from creating things what do you do?
Aside from making art, I have been a massage therapist for 8 years, getting more into the Thai yoga massage and Shiatsu, taking lots of classes in Seattle and Maui.Other jobs I have done are landscaping and Organic farming, which I love so much, I love working with plants, they feed my soul more than just about anything I can think of.

I love to spend my time with my husband going hiking, exploring new places, gathering lots of creative ideas along the way, juggling, reading, and Salsa dancing or any kind of dancing. We have been doing Salsa dancing together for the last few years, not without a few bumps in the road, but it is so FUN . We just went out to a Contra Dance last night and had a blast.

3.)What first made you become an artist?
I first became an artist at probably age 4 or 5, when I started my love of drawing and coloring, like all the time. I spent a lot of my time as a child drawing and coloring, I remember watching my grandmother doodle and imitating her when I was really tiny. Maybe I got it from her.

In high school I got more serious about it, taking art classes, pottery, and jewelry. Finding that it was my nature to just be creative all the time, I have pursued many mediums in the love of color, texture and design. I've made and sold pottery, basketry, apprenticing with an AMAZING Stained Glass artist for 11 years, jewelry and art.

4.)What handmade possession do you most treasure?
My most treasured handmade possession would have to be our musical instruments, our handmade pottery we use for dishes, and my personal jewelry . Even though they are not hand made(by people anyway) but nature made, my MOST treasured things are my agate, rock and seed pod collections.

5.)Name your top five books.

________top 5 books:______________
The secret life of bees: by Sue Monk Kidd
Non Violent Communication : by Marshal Rosenberg
The Tao of Abundance : by Lawrence g. Boldt
Breadfruit : by Celestine Viate
The Fifth Sacred Thing : by Starhawk