Walk on the Geeky Side with LizStaley!

LizStaley’s journey to the geek side of creativity began long, long ago in a state a few over from her current residence. When liz was very little, she wanted to help her mother paint ceramics. Her mother, knowing what kind of “help” a young child with a paint brush could be, gave liz a paintbrush, a cup of water, and a rubber ducky. It took poor liz awhile to figure out that whatever you paint is supposed to change colors when you paint it, though! (her mom is just as “evil” as liz, apparently!). Suffering from PTPD (Post-Traumatic Painting Disorder), she has been a creative fiend ever since: crocheting, making very cool buttons (drawn from sci-fi, do drawings, sew, and come up with new ideas!

In LizStaley (Liz' shop on Etsy), you can find an incredible array of cool, different and nerdy items: hand-crocheted fishnet gloves (fingerless and otherwise), buttons with great and smart-alecky sayings from various TV shows, movies and games, unique keyboard wallets and keyboard button chokers!



Liz' keyboard wallets are amazing! Crafted from keyboard circuit board covers, with handsome images (usually anime, but not always), they have one pocket for bills, and two pockets for your ID and credit cards. They are very sturdy and even survive washing and drying!


I also like her keyboard KEY chokers - especially
"ByteM3"!



And the buttons in Liz' shop are legend!! Wait...she hasn't done that set, yet! Seriously, she has button packs from the series "FireFly", the "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Star Wars", "Labyrinth" and "SpaceBalls" movies, as well as gaming oriented and just plain geeky or sassy buttons! We're hoping to badger her into making some for "Monty Python & the Holy Grail" next! But, in the meantime...why is the RUM gone????? (couldn't resist!)

LizStaley is a born geek whose hobbies include (of course!) watching anime, playing tabletop role-playing games (Dungeons and Dragons; Big Eyes, Small Mouth; D20 Modern, West End Games' D6 System, etc), building web-pages, and playing on GaiaOnline[dot]com. She also has a gallery on DeviantArt and Flickr, both of which you can find with the user name lizstaley as well.

Tribbleyarn is a work in progress, where liz will be selling her handspun yarn, in the future!
Liz’ blog has all sorts of interesting posts, from crafting with YouTube videos, coverage of conventions (anime and other) and more! Click HERE to visit liz’ blog. Fair warning: Liz is an emote junkie, so when you visit her blog... BE WARNED!!

Liz also writes and illustrates a story that she publishes to the web. She’s been working on this project since high school, with it evolving as she did. It may eventually even be published! You can check out her story by clicking HERE.



"Tribble Claus" is LizStaley's entry for Etsy's EAST
Winter
Wonderland Challenge.

Isn't he adorable???



If you want to VOTE (all Etsy members get FOUR votes) and be put in for a chance for a FREE PRIZE PACK, to be awarded to FOUR VOTERS, click HERE! It costs nothing to VOTE, look at really great pieces and possibly WIN some really GREAT PRIZE PACKS, with earrings and other great items.

Feeling Better with SummerSea Herbs!

SummerSea is an incredibly gifted and giving artisan, as the members of Etsy's EAST (EarthPath Artisans Street Team) and any of her friends and colleagues can tell you. For example, the proceeds for her Cold and Flu Tea go to benefit breast cancer victims who are struggling to make ends meet while struggling to stay alive.


Tracy Wilkinson of SummerSea Herbs has been a practicing Green witch for many years and has been a certified medical Herbalist for ten years. All of her products, whether teas, essences, resins, oils or smudges, are made with the utmost care and skill. Making herbal products is an absolute joy for Tracy. Making them the best she can is an obligation for her. Packaging them as responsibly and attractively as she can is her gift to the environment, as well as to her client. Her love of Nature comes through in her work AND in her lovely product photographs.



Tracy’s concern for the environment means that she keeps packaging to a minimum, with reusable, recyclable containers. Her concern for her patrons means that she uses only the best ingredients:

“I make my herbal products with the finest organically grown and ethically wild-crafted ingredients available. Why Organic? Because I believe that my products are truly better when I use ingredients which have NOT been irradiated, treated with pesticides or sprays. Your body and spirit needs good, clean energy! Making every product with only organic ingredients costs a little more, but it's worth it!”

SummerSea Herbs is a small company, and she personally makes all of her wonderful (and wonderfully packaged!) products in small batches, by hand. This ensures quality control and product effectiveness.

“I have taken great care in blending your item. All my medicinal and magickal formulas are tried and true, developed from the personal needs of my community over the years. It makes me very happy to help people through the use of herbs!”

Whether you want a delicious tea or need an incense blend to assist in magickal workings, you can be confident that any product you purchase from SummerSea Herbs will be the absolute best! I have purchased several items and will definitely purchase more!

For further information and to keep up with SummerSea Herbs, check out Tracey's blog HERE.
While you’re at it, pop over to the Winter EAST Challenge and VOTE! You can vote for up to FOUR items, just by “Adding Item to Favorites”. It’s FREE and, best of all, Etsy members who vote are put in for a random drawing for a FREE PRIZE PACK, with LOTS of great items made by EAST members. There will be FOUR winners! Click HERE to check out the entries! You can see SummerSea's entry below :)

CraftyMoose is VERY crafty!!

CraftyMoose, in Hudson Valley, NY, is an artisan with a wide range of interests and a solid grounding in various types of crafting. She is self-taught and has enjoyed painting, needlework, quilting, polymer clay and jewelry making.



CraftyMoose has recently rediscovered a love of beads and has returned to the art of french beaded flowers.

Craftymoose is also introducing a new line of one-of-a-kind beaded art dolls and suncatchers. Her art dolls are unique, often with a whimsical flavor, such as the "Very Happy Cat" beaded art doll, which has a huge smile, licking its lips - why? Ask the FISH shown in its tummy!


CraftyMoose is currently advertising a SALE on her HOLIDAY pieces, which might be your opportunity to get some lovely paper angels or funny snowmen!


Follow CraftyMoose in her blog HERE.

Treasures Galore! from PersonalTreasures

Don't we ALL love treasure-hunting (and FINDING)? /dreams of Johnny Depp and Jack Sparrow (that's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow!) Well, this artisan creates the kinds of treasures that would be part of a wonderful trove!


PersonalTreasures and MufiJewels are Etsy shops run by a jewelry designer with a broad range and perspective, as well as a deep background in the arts, including being the recipient of a grant for the National Endowment for the Arts.

PersonalTreasures is a shop geared to high-end, elegant designs, with top-grade components, such as the Russian Amazonite necklace shown above, a "Looong Hessonite Necklace" and many more! Most pieces are one-of-a-kind designer jewelry.

Mufi Jewels, Phyllis' other Etsy shop, has simpler, more casual jewelry, with similar high quality materials. There, you will see very simple, but wonderfully designed, pieces such as a Chrysoprase Pendant, Fire Agate necklace and these Labradorite Hoop earrings. These Montana (Blue) and Bronze Earrings are a great (and neutral color-set) accessory!



Phyllis Mufson, of Philadelphia, PA (USA), currently lives and loves living as a jewelry artisan and creative career and small business coach. She helps people "move from places (in their lives) of exhausted possibility to new challenges and fulfillment."

Among Phyllis' past experience is working as a textile artist for years, which still influences her perspective as a jewelry artisan. Phyllis designs her pieces with an eye toward how the pieces will "drape" on their wearer, looking to compliment the wearer's form and attire.

All of this goes to say, if you want someone whose work you will TREASURE, visit PersonalTreasures and Mufi Jewels on Etsy, the online marketplace for handmade articles.


If you are interested in following Phyllis Mufson's work, check out her blog. I found some very inspiring business tips there!

If you wish to look into a small business coach, visit Phyllis' business website HERE.

WinterEAST Challenge on Etsy - VOTE and WIN!

HEART YOUR FAVORITE ENTRIES IN THE WINTER WONDERLAND CHALLENGE AND WIN AN EARTHPATH ARTISANS PRIZE PACK! YOU CAN FIND THEM IN OUR FAVORITES!

Click HERE to pick your favorite item and heart it to cast your VOTE!



THE ITEMS WITH THE MOST HEARTS WINS!

To reward the VOTERS, there will be RANDOM DRAWING to win PRIZE PACKS! THERE WILL BE FOUR WINNERS!

The WinterEast Challenge runs Dec.15- Jan.7th

The EAST team of Etsy has issued a challenge to all members to create an item that falls in the theme of "Winter Wonderland".

Voting is open to all Etsy members (buyers AND sellers):
Pick your favorite item HERE and heart it!

You "heart" an item by clicking (on screen's right hand side): "Add Item to Favorites".

The entry with the most hearts wins! There will be four winners.

As a reward to voters, gift packs filled with promotional items from participating member shops will sent to four lucky voters, determined in a random drawing on January 7th!

You can view all the entries here, in our (EarthPathArtisans') Favorites!


Search with the tag "East" Etsy-wide for other items and other member shops!

Etsy is an online marketplace for handmade items of all types and using all media, sold by their makers. It is a terrific place to shop, whether to buy or "window shop", full of a variety of pieces from body and bath products (handmade, of course) to teas to e-books to oil paintings to crocheted or knitted to stationary items to leather goods and clothing to copper, gold or silver jewelry. There are many whimsical items, as well, such as pin-on buttons with entertaining or even irritating sayings.

Canadian Soul!...Or is that Caribbean Soul?

You may know that Jimmy Buffett's music is called "Caribbean Soul"? Well, I want to introduce to "Canadian Soul", in the form of Joanne and her lovely artwork, found in her Etsy shop, CoconutPalmDesigns!



Joanne is Canadian "to her core," of Jamaican-Lebanese extraction, with a notable sense of humor. Her family is very important to her. So much so that she packed up and moved to Belize four years ago, when her parents decided to make a change.

Now living with her family on a 32 acre tree farm in the making in the hinterlands of Belize, Joanne can finally use her graphic design background to create art of her choice! Joanne's diverse background may add some spice to her art, but her humor definitely adds flavor, as well!

From lovely watercolor ACEOs to bright and cheerful signs, Joanne's work is her own unique style. I love her signs - and immediately "hearted" her signs for addition to my pool area - while still admiring the soft lines of her watercolors. Joanne's hand-drawn art seems to strike a chord with people.



Check out CoconutPalmDesigns on Etsy; you'll be glad you did! And you can keep up with Joanne and her exploits via her blog, as well :)

IndieFinds' Blog - Etsy Artisan Promotion and Instruction

While wandering the wilds of Etsy's How-To and Storque, trying for more and more information that will help me as a new(er) online seller of handcrafted items, I was directed to IndieFinds blog.

Curious, I followed the trail and found a great site where new Etsy sellers are introduced to the Internet public and various helpful tips can be found, along with the blogger's own shop and life information. DottyRal has been blogging for a bit, learning as she went (as most of us are doing).


She and some colleagues (SchOOLLOcker and Littleputbooks) even put together what looks like a very helpful utility, the Etsy Mini-Blog! I have not yet figured out the fine steps of how to install it, but that's only because I haven't had time to read the conveniently provided and helpful FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) and TOU (Terms of Use), conveniently provided.

All of this information was like finding an oasis in the desert! I currently have three shops on Etsy: BerryPatchDesigns, UnderCurrent BodyWear and SilverShadow Designs. Starting off with this many shops may seem a bit excessive, but each is a bit different. BerryPatchDesigns is a shop that I share with two of my closest friends, who also make handmade jewelry. UnderCurrent is sort of an "alternate lifestyle" shop, instituted at the repeated requests of various friends - it is still "under construction."

While it's not clear how the new Etsians are selected for featuring, it IS clear that IndieFinds is a place to look for great finds: new shops, tips, selfless promotion of others and a study in how to self-promote, as well.

Hats off to IndieFinds, DottyRal, Littleputbooks and SchOOLLOcker for putting so much work into creating such a helpful and generous tool and site for budding online artisans!!!!

Today's Free Rice

Whoot! Just hit a max donation (for me) of 1280 grains of rice :) That's vocabulary level 47 /big grin! That's the FreeRice online charity donation, previously posted.

Etsy Artisan JenniB on Martha Stewart!

Doesn't this look YUMMY??? Too bad! It'd give you a major tummy-ache AND end up with a trip to the dentist!

This is a terrific example of "faux food"!

Etsy artisan JenniBOriginals will be on Martha Stewart on Friday, December 7th, teaching Martha Stewart how to make faux holiday treats. JenniB specializes in creating lovely faux food delicacies, among other things.

Faux food is very popular among restaurateurs and food vendors, since the display stays looking "good enough to eat" and is an "appetizing" display! "Faux" is French for "articial" (fake, in other words).



The faux holiday treats make great presents, holiday displays for your home or office and even tree ornaments!

Etsy is an online market specializing in handmade items, usually sold by the artisan who created them, or sometimes a small group of them. There is an incredible variety of items including clothes, original artwork, jewelry, health and beauty aids, toys, buttons with sayings, magnets, stationary, glasswork, furniture and oh-so-many more items! Since all of these are handmade by individuals, purchasers are giving the gift of someone's time and creative energy, instead of mass-produced items that benefit a faceless corporation. That's what the "Buy Handmade Pledge" is all about - more on THAT another time (but I took it).

Anyway, don't forget to check out JenniB's segment on Martha Stewart on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7th. Holiday treats like these are truly a TREAT!

It's All About Art for Indigo Luna!

This mixed-media Mermaid Gourd is one of Indigo Luna's latest (and loveliest) creations! It, and many other lovely creations can be found in the online artisan venue, Etsy, exclusively for HANDMADE items of all types.

Rachel Kitterman, AKA “Indigo Luna”, self-defined art addict. Rachel’s primary passion is fabric; she has been making art quilts and dolls for over a decade now. Rachel’s Etsy shop is full of an incredibly eclectic collection of art in so many varied forms that it’s impossible to put a single label on it: paper, altered art, mixed-media, knitting, crocheting, jewelry, artist books, photography. As Rachel says, ”Pretty much, if it will hold still, I'll make art out of it!”

Indigo Luna creates whimsical self-ejecting Moo card holders, mini-artists' books for great ideas, mixed media ornamental post cards and so many more items, from incredible to incredibly cute.



Among the many hats she wears (and those she makes, like the autumn scarf shown here), Rachel is a sign language interpreter, an energy worker, a minister, a blogger, a wife to a wonderful and creative man, and a mother to two wild and amazing little girls. All of these roles combine to shape her art and artistic vision.



Rachel’s hand-drawn and hand-colored mandalas are truly beautiful, both as art and meditative focuses. She creates mandalas in various themes – whatever strikes the right chord at the right time. The wonderful thing is how wonderfully the shape, lines and colors combine to speak the theme.

“When I create mandalas, I enter a meditative state. The lines and colors just seem to flow out of me.”

The word “mandala” comes from Sanskrit and means “sacred circle”. The circle symbolizes the womb of creation. It is an artistic representation of the cosmos and a focus for meditation. Indigo Luna's mandalas are beautiful to look at, no matter what spiritual path you follow! Shown above is an Autumn Earth Mandala Wall Hanging that Indigo Luna created for a challenge for the EarthPath Artisan Street Team on Etsy.



Rachel is a 5th generation Oregonian who has traveled in the United States, but cannot conceive of wanting to live anywhere but in her lush and verdant home state, where she studied plants and gathered mushrooms as a child.



Rachel’s work has appeared:
2005 Quilting Arts Calender (cover)
Artella Magazine
Art/Quilt Magazine
Fiberarts Design Book 6
Many juried shows

Indigo Luna's blog is a great place to track her latest wonderful creations and exploits!

High Marks for Earmark Invitations!

Looking for "different" holiday cards? Take a look at Earmark Invitations' Rudolph card! The recipient will be GLOWING when they see Rudolph's nose!



Earmark has a wide variety of greeting cards (individual and sets), invitations, terrific magnets (individual and sets), cool and cute theme pencils, journals and banners (graphics designed for Etsy shops).



Far from being the “average” stationary shop, they even have a “contempt” series of cards, with “cutting” remarks (remember how much PAPER CUTS hurt!)


I love the very inspiring "Adventure" magnets, with quotes by Mark Twain, Belloc and more. You can get individual magnets or a set of 6. My favorite is the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and make a trail."

There's even an environmentally friendly and attractive series starting, with soy ink and recycled paper!

Earmark Invitations is a proud member of Etsy’s online handmade artisan community since August 2007, but have been creating charming and varied stationary items for a good bit longer.

Earmark does custom work and has a separate listing for custom printing on your purchased cards. This can be especially terrific for special events like birthdays, retirements, anniversaries and (of course) the holidays! Former customers have praised Bridgette and Mike for their speedy and accurate service with custom work.

Bridgette and Mike ARE Earmark, located in San Diego, CA, USA. They do (and love!) custom work and will cheerfully bend over backwards to provide excellent service, as the comments from their customers show!

If you live in or are visiting San Diego, you can find Earmark Invitations at the OB Farmer's Market, every Wednesday from 4-8 PM in Ocean Beach.

You can also find their products at Cyd's Gourmet Café (Peoria, Illinois) and soon at My My, (Hatboro, Pennsylvania)

Online at:
www.earmarkinvitations.com
http://www.indiefixxshops.com

If you are interested in carrying their lines of greetings, stationery or invitations, contact them via their shop on etsy or email bsb@earmarkinvitations.com

The charms of earthcharms!

earthcharms is an artisan on Etsy who works with gems and macrame to make lovely and intriguing jewelry and accessories. Other blogs have shown the infamous “Wench’s Choker” (which I like a lot) and perhaps even the “Polarity Choker”. Not many have shown the “Zombie’s (censored)” or “Give Me Back My Aaaarrmmms” earrings.

earthcharms’ profile says far more about her than I EVER could! This is a MUST-READ profile. The quick and dirty is that earthcharms is an artisan who has a shop on the Etsy online artisan marketplace.



earthcharms' humor and style are irrepressible and entertaining and her soul is “owned by a thieving cat,” among other things. Her jewelry is similarly unique, with a distinct style and charm. Virtually all of earthcharms’ pieces are assembled with a desire to be both attractive and helpful – or, in some cases, flat-out hilarious!



Among the pieces in this oh-so-entertaining artisan’s shop are jewelry and accessory sets, geared toward helping the purchaser achieve an end: the “Health” and “Studious” assortments. I love these sets!! Each contains a choker, earrings, charm, pocket stone and tealight. Jewelry whose stones’ metaphysical qualities enhance an ability or achieve a state, along with candles and pocket stones for the same purpose!

I particularly like earth's earrings - well wrapped wire, with wonderful and different stones, all intended to enhance the wearer's state of being. Great wrapping and great stones, all combining to become lovely, earthy and feminine earrings.



earthcharms’ identity is as firmly rooted in her sense of self as the element she admires most: Earth. Most people, thinking of Earth, think of it as being rigid and inflexible. Far from it! The Earth and all on it are constantly changing: islands being “born” in the sea, mountains and beaches getting smaller, grain by grain. This, too, is one of this artisan’s truths: “No story ever ends”, she says.



Other places to keep up with earthcharms' creations and exploits would be her blog and website.
She is also a member of some web communities:
Myspace
etsylove (ning)
flickr
http://picasaweb.google.com/salyxwoodbine/

Giftbearer's Many Gifts

Pippit Carlington (AKA Giftbearer on Etsy) has been creating …everything… ever since she was 2 years old. At age 5 she was composing songs on the piano and teaching herself to play by ear. From there, the world was waiting! Now she is a skilled jewelry artist of 23 years, with a shop online on Etsy and displays her work in many other venues.

“Seeing something made from nothing into a beautiful object has always been a gratifying experience to me, so I keep doing it and trying to top the last thing I made.”

Giftbearer, as Pippit is known on Etsy, has very detailed work with an wide range of styles, no doubt rooted in her diverse heritage. There is a very unique flavor to her lovely jewelry, as you can see.


"A Hint of Something Deeper" is one of Ms. Carlington's personal favorites, due to its complexity and details. This piece seems to have a Polynesian flavor.



"Medicine Man" and "Many Muses" both display definite Native American influence.


She is an incredibly prolific and productive self-starter, as her professional and artistic resume shows. Formal training includes Callenwolde Center for the Arts, The Atlanta College of Art, and Atlanta Jeweler's School and Studios.

Ms. Carlington has exhibited in many showcases, exhibits and galleries, and has been featured in many shops. For a complete list of this incredibly energetic artist, check out Giftbearer's profile on Etsy.

Pippit works in several mediums including acrylics, watercolor, drawing, clay sculpture, and jewelry. She is in the process of teaching herself more elaborate wire wrapping, metal stamping, and additional bead weaving stitches and is also exploring further into PMC (precious metal clay). She also hopes to
learn Chainmaille and would one day love to go to an artist retreat to take some intensive classes in more advanced metal fabrication.



A multicultural influence is evident in her work, reflecting a widely diverse heritage including Iroquois Indian, Hawaiian, Russian Jewish, and French Canadian. She is strongly influenced by nature, political and social issues, and uses her art to educate the public.

“The sense of community in our country is not what it used to be … people must pull together to make good things happen.”

Pippit is also a very caring person, who “puts her money where her mouth is.”

She has mentored artists with mental illness in a psychosocial rehabilitation program she developed called Artvision, which she operated out of her home on a shoestring budget. The project was fully self-supporting, receiving no government funding. Artists in the program received help and guidance in learning all aspects of how to run an art-based business. This prepared them to earn money using a talent they already have.

Many other volunteer efforts benefited from Ms. Carlington’s generosity of spirit, as well, including online support and treatment information line for persons with autoimmune disorders and Hurricane Katrina survivors.

Most recently, Pippit has initiated an innovative new marketing plan among artists on Etsy called the “90 Features in 90 Days Challenge”. If you are an Etsy seller who would like to increase your sales, learn more about the 90 Day Blog Challenge, check out the thread and sign up HERE! Some sellers whose sales were previously stagnant have already reported sudden sales after 28 days with 54 participants! (I have noted increased activity)

Other Online Sites for Ms. Carlington (Giftbearer)'s work:
SmashingDarling

Mindt (items available in this store soon)

GiftBearer’s Blogs
http://artlifenewsblog.blogspot.com/ (including features on Etsy artists)
http://giftbearer.zaadz.com/blog
http://blog.myspace.com/giftbearer

Giftbearer's Flickr Profile and Photostream:

The Art Jewelry Collective Street Team Blogs:
http://artjewelrycollective.blogspot.com/
http://artjewelrycollective.wordpress.com/