Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Paper Peddler and Etsy Paper



I think there’s a few of us who know Sarah, be it face-to-face or in cyber space. And we know she loves PAPER. But she loves something more…that’s being a mother. Her two daughters, Sydney and Natalie, are really her first love (you really need to check out these two adorable girls), paper takes a second. Her creations in paper show her love of life, she definitely lives in the present, where it counts the most.

Sarah’s third love would have to be the Etsy Paper Street Team. She is so involved with this group. She is involved with membership, promotions, the team blog, and team twitter.

Enjoy this interview, visit her shops and blog. Let her know how much you enjoy her spirit.

How did you get your start in the world of art?
I have been an arts & crafts lover since I was a little girl. My dad had (still has) an art studio in the basement and I used to enjoy sitting down there with him and watching him work on his art. I liked to keep him company and I would often have my crayons, paper & coloring books with me so we could work on our art side by side.

Do you have a ritual you perform before you start creating?
I don't really have a ritual but my craft room has to be organized before I can really get into things. The funny thing is that it seems my mind is much more creative when I have a huge mess. There are times when I have a clean and organized space and I just sit at the craft table with no ideas or motivation - go figure?

What do you like best, the creative process or the final creation?
Hmmm....Hard to say. I do really enjoy the whole process of creating, especially when the ideas flow smoothly from one thing to the next and I'm in "the zone" or the "crafting mode". I enjoy the planning and putting together of my projects but I do also love the final creation. I make my husband look at just about every card I make, lol.

What are your favorite art media, tools, and supplies?
When I think about the tools I couldn't live without (or better yet, I would absolutely have to replace if something were to happen to them), I would say that my laptop (listing items, my etsy shop), my Xyron machine and my Cricut machine would be the three main things I use constantly. As far as my favorite supplies go, that answer is easy. It would of course be paper!



When a creative block happens, what process do you go through to get the creative juices flowing again?
Sometimes, I like to sit on the floor of my craft room and just go through all of my paper collections/pads. Organizing and thumbing through them usually sends a flow of ideas through me. There are other times when I really want to create something but I sit and stare blankly around the room. I generally find that when this happens, if I leave the craft room for a while and go do something else around the house or with my girls, I can return to the table and get busy without any blocks.

What do you hope your art says about you?
I guess I would like it to say that I am happy & love what I do:)

What is your greatest dream and greatest fear as an artist?
I don't really have any fears so to speak. I love crafting/creating & I try to enjoy every minute I get to spend doing it. I really feel that if I am in the present moment while I am creating, nothing but good will come out of it. I also feel that if I am moody it is not a good idea to create at that time. I believe that those "vibes" good or bad transfer into my work and it will be noticed by others. I try only to craft and work on my shop when I am at peace and happy.

Dreams? I guess I am living them now. I have a great and very supportive family, I haven't had to work a "real job" in over four years. I get to spend as little or as much time in my craft room as I want and no one gives me a hard time or guilt trip about it. I tell my husband he's a good boy & I do know how lucky I am to have him and my girls. I am in the process of learning to "live in the present moment". The past has passed and tomorrow is not guaranteed.



What are your goals in art, and in life?
For both art & life... To be happy with who I am and fulfilled by what I do/create.

Tell us a little bit about yourself—where you grew up, your life now, other creative pursuits, other interests and hobbies.
I was born in Atlanta and raised in metro-Atlanta. I have lived in Georgia for 32 years. I am happily married and have two wonderful girls (ages 6 & 4 1/2) that keep me busy outside of the Etsy world. My girls attend a private Montessori school (we are entering our 5th year there) which requires a lot of parent participation and volunteer hours - so I put a lot of time into their school & education. I served in the Marine Corps Reserves for six years (many years ago) and wouldn't trade the friendships or the experiences & training for anything. As far as hobbies go, my love of paper is at the top of the list. I also enjoy reading and music, Sudoku, Cryptograms and math puzzles (I was in the Intelligence field when I was in the Marine Corps), spending time with my girls and helping them find and focus on their creative energy (my 6 year old loves to write & illustrate stories and make her own books). I am not a religious person but am currently very much into exploring my spirituality. At this time, I am enjoying learning about Physics and the Universe and how to live my purpose. I have spent a lot of time reading and learning about life and where I fit in over the last two years. It's a learning process but I am happier than ever and wish it hadn't taken me over 30 years to discover how things "work".



Do you have more than one Etsy shop and/or other online shops, or a blog?
My main shop: Paper Peddler: http://paperpeddler.etsy.com
My 2nd shop: Marmaduke Alley: http://marmadukealley.etsy.com
My blog: Paper Peddler: http://paperpeddler.blogspot.com/
Twitter:Paper Peddler: http://twitter.com/PaperPeddler1
Flickr: Paper Peddler: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paperpeddler/

Saturday, August 22, 2009

August 22’s Pink Saturday

Welcome to my fifth edition of Pink Saturday. This edition is going to highlight four shops from my Etsy Greetings Street Team. I hope you enjoy the pink and check out their online Etsy shops.

Hi card from Happy Elephant Designs:


My Thoughts card from Card Maven:


Pretty in Pink from Macaroni and Glue:


Pink Organic Shapes from PaperSquid:


Thanks for reading. And check out Beverly’s blog too. You’ll find other participants in this wonderful Pink Saturday.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

The Eclectic and Electric works of Jan Rogers


The artwork of Jan and Shane is some of the most eclectic and electric works I have seen in a while. They run the gambit of all media. Jan is a master of scrapbooking and card designing. And Shane’s jewelry work speaks for itself.

I joined the group Mixed Media Art Group with Shan for the obvious reasons, networking, inspiration, etc. But as I was exploring, I noticed that the creator of this social network was from Tulsa, and her name was very familiar. Well, long story short, we met at the Oktoberfest in Tulsa, OK, in November of 2007. Jan and her entire family came by my booth and purchased one of my “mini wall art” pieces. If I remember correctly, it took her entire family to help her decide which piece to purchase. I just sat back and watched…it was very interesting to watch the dynamics of that family. You could tell this is a very close knit family, and I mean that in the most positive way. They respected each other and listened to what each one had to say, even down to the youngest.

Enjoy this interview and check out their blog. Their blog is a great way to keep up with their full schedule.

How did you get your start in the world of art?
My mother was an activity director for some of the local nursing homes and she would take me with her sometimes and I got to color...lol mostly on the walls. That was when she realized I loved to paint and she bought me every paint by number there was out there. As I grew up some I went to senior ceramics with my grandmother and learned about creating ceramics and painting them. I got into my teen years and boys and didn’t create at all until I meet my husband Shane and we had our children. I loved unicorns and had collected them for many years and it seemed one by one they were being broken. So I was driving by a ceramic studio one day and saw one in the window. I knew I could paint it, but everyone still believed you had to use glaze....well me being me I disagreed. I went out and bought some regular acrylic paint and went to work on the bisque and before long it seemed everyone wanted to buy one from me.....then over the years Shane and I played with a little of every kind of medium from ceramics to scrapbooking to card making to altered art, just about anything we could get our hands on. So there you have my funny little story. You can visit Shane and I all the time at A Memory To Scrap in Broken Arrow where Shane teaches various classes and I do layout pages.

Do you have a ritual you perform before you start creating?
For us we just jump into it. On some items they tell me what to do and what colors they want to be painted.

What do you like best, the creative process or the final creation?
I am never happy with what I create...to much of a perfectionist I guess. But as long as everyone else likes it I am ok. That is worth more than a million dollars when someone brags on what we have created.

What are your favorite art media, tools, and supplies?
Everything from vintage items, paper, twigs, found items-you name it.

When a creative block happens, what process do you go through to get the creative juices flowing again?
I like to read books, and search online to see what is being sold on Etsy.

What do you hope your art says about you?
That we have a crazy funky style and that we are just being ourselves…not falling into someone’s shoes.

What is your greatest dream and greatest fear as an artist?
As everyone I would love to be known and to be able to sell my art and it to be collectible. My fear is to lose my creative ability.

What are your goals in art, and in life?
To continue on my creative journey and not let life get me down.

Tell us a little bit about yourself—where you grew up, your life now, other creative pursuits, other interests and hobbies.
I grew up in Wagoner, Oklahoma and I love to play bingo...lol. My kids tease me and say that is a old person’s game. We are foster parents to doggies that are in various rescue organizations.

Do you have an online shop or shops, a brick and mortar shop, or a blog?
My blog is http://janrogers1968.blogspot.com,
My ning site is http://mixedmediaartgroupwithshan.ning.com.
My Etsy shop is http://janrogers.etsy.com

Thursday, August 13, 2009

"One-of-a-Kind" creations by Jenna


If you want “one-of-a-kind” greeting cards, you need to visit Jenna’s shop. Her flair and creativity for color and layout really stands out in her art. My decision on the photos was hard to make. I usually pick out a few of my favorite, but all of Jenna’s work was my favorite. Visit her shops on ArtFire and Etsy and form your own opinions. Her blog is also worth the visit and the follow.

Enjoy!

How did you get your start in the world of art?
A few years back, I had a birthday party to go to and went shopping for the gift and card. I didn't see anything I liked! It was at that point I figured I should just make my own. I use to scrapbook on a regular basis so I had all the supplies! With the craziness of life and not having much space to spread out my work, it was hard to complete a scrapbook without spending gobs of time on it. For me making greeting cards is gratifying in the sense that I can complete a card in a small amount of time.
My cards started out very simple in design. After many experimental projects I found that hand stamped and embellished type cards are my favorite to make. Now I always hand make my greeting cards. Not only was I giving someone a unique greeting card but it was also personalized. It always makes someone feel good to give them something handmade and from the heart.

Do you have a ritual you perform before you start creating?
No ritual to speak of. I tend to design cards based on my mood.

What do you like best, the creative process or the final creation?
I love the creative process. The final creation always gives me a sense of accomplishment but it's the process that truly is the fun part.


What are your favorite art media, tools, and supplies?
This is a tough question for me to answer! I really love everything that I work with. However, if I had to pick my favorite material would be paper. Paper is what makes a card and is the foundation for each of my creations. I absolutely love handmade and glittery type papers. My favorite tool is my Fiskars rotary paper cutter. It is the best paper cutter I have come across and I bought it at Michaels with a 50% off coupon, you can't beat that! Swapping the blades in and out is super easy and you can even get blades that cut patterns, like waves and scallops.

When a creative block happens, what process do you go through to get the creative juices flowing again?
If I experience a creative block I have to stop and walk away from the crafting table. Crafting isn't enjoyable if you are frustrated. The last thing I want to do is be frustrated with myself over a hobby I love.

What do you hope your art says about you?
I believe my cards say that I am not only creative, but also warm and caring. I enjoy making cards for the people in my life.


What is your greatest dream and greatest fear as an artist?
My greatest dream would be that I get contacted by Hallmark about buying a card idea of mine. I don't really have any fears except for maybe burning my hand with the glue gun or getting a paper cut.

What are your goals in art, and in life?
My goals in art are to have fun and come up with new creative card ideas.

Tell us a little bit about yourself—where you grew up, your life now, other creative pursuits, other interests and hobbies.
My name is Jenna and I live in Issaquah, WA just outside the big city of Seattle. I am a Washington native, born and raised. Currently I work in real estate and love helping people buy and sell their homes. My hobbies include cooking, reading, scrapbooking, gardening, spending time with family/friends, and card making! I live with my boyfriend and we have two adorable kitties. I love papery things and have a huge collection which I use to create my masterpieces (at least I think each card is a masterpiece!). It is a wonderful past time and hobby for me. I've been a member of Etsy since February 2007 and have been selling since May 2007. I joined the ArtFire community last year in November and hope to make this my number one online store.


Do you have more than one shop(s) and/or a blog?
I have an ArtFire shop at http://cardsbyjenna.artfire.com.
Also, an Etsy store at http://cardsbyjenna.etsy.com.
I always welcome visitors and followers at my blog: http://cardsbyjenna.blogspot.com.
My other links you might enjoy are: Facebook: http://facebook.com/jabberingjenna
and Twitter: http://twitter.com/cardsbyjenna.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

An Interview with The Queen of Cups


Each of Beth’s pieces of art is very unique. I have to describe her mixed-media style as vintage. But there is so much more to it than that. She describes her style as “shabby-chic.” The majority of her pieces are layers upon layers of collected papers and stamping, making each of them “one-of-a-kind” collages. Be it a card, or a tag, or any size of art she creates, you can tell from her finished pieces the love and joy she expresses in this medium.

Enjoy this interview. Let her know just what her art brings to you.

How did you get your start in the world of art?
I've always loved art and making art. But I never had really focused my efforts on anything specific. A few years ago my friend invited me to a rubber stamping party. I immediately fell in love with stamping and making cards as I've always been into correspondence. The style of the stamp club didn't suit me and I soon found myself having developed my own style of collage and rubber stamping. My style seems to progress daily as do my themes.

Do you have a ritual you perform before you start creating?
The only ritual I have before creating is turning on the radio!! I've got to listen to music while I create! Oh, I always wash my hands, too.

What do you like best, the creative process or the final creation?
I lovelovelove every bit of making art! The process of making my pieces is always such a breeze. I love coming to the end of the process too. The only part that is difficult for me is critiquing my work. I am, I think, way too hard on myself, although I love everything I make!

What are your favorite art media, tools, and supplies?
My favorite part of art is all the paper. I have piles and piles of it! Whether it is plain cardstock, patterned paper, or pages torn from books, I adore it! I am also a big fan of glitter. Bling is so much fun, isn't it?


When a creative block happens, what process do you go through to get the creative juices flowing again?
Since I started creating with my collage style a few years ago, I have only had a few creative blocks. I just wait until they go away and then I'm going again. Of course cleaning my studio always helps! I can always find something "new" and enticing to work with if I delve through the layers on my table and floor!

What do you hope your art says about you?
I guess I hope my art says that I am a happy go lucky, loving girl!

What is your greatest dream and greatest fear as an artist?
My greatest fear as an artist is that I don't like my work anymore. And my greatest dream is to never stop creating. I hope the inspiration goes on and on. Changing what type of art I create is just fine with me, as long as I am continue to create!

What are your goals in art, and in life?
My goals in life are to raise happy and healthy children and to keep my husband happy. :) My goal in art is to make some money!! haha Who makes money selling cards? Maybe someday I will be able to sell some of my pieces to Hallmark!!??


Tell us a little bit about yourself—where you grew up, your life now, other creative pursuits, other interests and hobbies.
I grew up in a small town near Cleveland, Ohio. I've only lived away from Cleveland for a few years of my life. I am the younger of two sisters and have FABulous parents who are extremely supportive of me. I always had excellent art teachers in school and college. How lucky for me! I am now married to the most wonderful man. He is my dream man and keeps me completely satisfied; he is also very supportive of me and my pursuits! We have two smart and beautiful children. I'm so lucky to have them all!
I have bipolar disorder which sometimes keeps me from creating, but also can give me wonderful bursts of artistic inspiration. My disease is stable, thanks to my wonderful family, and I work hard to keep it that way. I try to share this bit about me because so many people out there think that this sort of disease is an embarrassment and should be a secret. I rejoice that I am healthy and am able to draw from my illness in a positive way.


Do you have more than one online shop(s), or a blog?
I have a shop on 1000Markets named The Queen of Cups. I also have a shop on Etsy called The Queen of Cups.: My blog is The Queen of Cups Runneth Over.
Of course my inventory is low right now as I am prepping for my next art show! But I always take custom and wholesale orders!

Visit Papercraft Markets to see more fabulous and talented artisans.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Pink Saturday and Oklahoma Weather

Welcome to Pink Saturday and Oklahoma. We had one of our many thunderstorms pass through this morning. Needless to say that half of our block was affected with the loss of power. It is now restored, Yeah! This gave me the idea of writing about Oklahoma weather.

We do live in what has been termed “Tornado Alley.” And there is always the chance that thunderstorms will bring tornados, lightening, hail, heavy rain, etc. But have you ever been in a “thunder SNOW storm?” Well…that’s what happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the day after spring arrived!

We took these photos, not because it snowed in spring, but because we received 8” of snow in spring. The redbuds were in full bloom and the dogwoods were getting ready to bloom. This is our fourth home located in Tulsa. They have all been in this mid-town historic neighborhood “Swan Lake.” Evidently we like this neighborhood. (Mr. Rogers would be proud.)

This is our back yard. Look at how heavy that snow is. And the Redbuds do look beautiful!


This is the front of our yard. The neighbors Redbuds are gorgeous also.


Say hello to Watson the Dachshund, our 15 year old. The picture was taken after we lost him in the snow. His body language tells all. Does he like snow...NO...and he's German!


This photo was taken about five hours after the snow was finished doing it's thing. Oklahoma weather again! By morning, there was little trace of the blizzard.


Okay, this shot was not taken during or after the spring snow storm, but it's PINK and wonderful. We did not plant it either. It is what I call our "alien" lillies. They just pop up where ever during the summer.

I hope you have enjoyed these photos as much as we love Oklahoma weather. There is hardly ever a dull moment. Oops, what about the “dog days of Summer?” We’ve already had about three weeks of that and we are expecting another four to five weeks again. Hopefully we will get rain, no snow though.

Thanks for reading. And check out Beverly’s blog too. You’ll find other participants in this wonderful Pink Saturday.

I'm Moving!

I am moving my blog to my website at AJ's Design Artz . I hope you stop by!