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.

Eclectic Figments: SuperMom and Artisan!

Figments…err…Eclectic Miscellany…errr…Kathleen (!) is a working mother who loves to create unique pieces of jewelry in what little spare time she has, selling them online in a venue for handmade arts and crafts called Etsy, which has been in the news lately.

Kathleen is a “mild-mannered” (?) software support consultant who sheds her disguise in the evening to become: SuperArtisanMom! She is a mother, wife, cook, housekeeper, crafter, scrapbook creatrix and more! She also loves to travel, read and go to the movies.

Kathleen grew up in a house full of books and handcrafted objects. Both parents were very creative: her mother painted, sewed, did silversmithing, read, did needlework and was a children's librarian; her father taught theatre and acted in and directed shows. Not surprisingly, all the pixie dust flying around settled on Kathleen:

I love to create fun, wearable pieces of art and these Figments are the result.

This is Spirit of Fire, one of Kathleen's elemental based pieces.

Another is Pele, part of her wonderful Myth Cycle group. The central piece is a fiery lampwork bead and the entire piece is divine!


There are many members of the Myth Cycle group and some that are distantly related, like the Thunderbird, out of Native American spiritual beliefs.


For the Cure is a necklace for breast cancer awareness. The proceeds from the sale of this piece go towards the treatment of and search for a cure for breast cancer.

Kathleen is also an active Etsian and is a member of multiple Street Teams:

The INCrowd, a group of Etsy artisans located in Indiana. Enter "incrowd" in your Etsy search to find them.

EarthPath Artisans Street Team (EAST). A group of people who walk similar alternative spiritual paths, focusing on beliefs in the world of Nature. Enter “EAST” in your search to find EAST members!

etsyBEAD street team, Etsians who create beads or beaded jewelry.

Tranquil Beading Oasis (TBO), a group of jewelry and bead artisans. Enter “TBO” on etsy to find the creations of these many talented artists.

Since we are both member of EAST, one of Etsy's Street Teams (Yay, EAST!), I had often seen Kathleen's lovely jewelry in our forum discussions, admired her range of styles and wondered what sparks her inventive fires. Here are her answers to some of my nosy questions:

Q: If you had to pick ONE piece of art or book that continually inspires you, what would it be? And why?
A: Inspiration....hmmmmm....probably a small watercolor that my brother did MANY years ago called "Paradise Lost". Eve has pulled the apple from the tree (a sparse tree, no leaves, just a trunk and one branch) and the tree and apple are bleeding. She has her hand to her cheek as if to say "Oh no, what have I done?". Adam is slumped against the base of the trunk like a rag doll. It is very simple yet says so much....

Q: One movie that is your absolute, bottom line favorite - and why?
A: Movie...I don't think I can name just one...I love "While You Were Sleeping" but "Stranger Than Fiction" ranks right up there and I can't leave the original "Pirates of the Caribbean" out of the running either.

Q: Favorite element and why?
A: Element - Air - it is all around us, within us, cushioning an protecting us, sustaining us and giving us life.

Q: What do you hope to learn to do in the next year (2008) that you do not know how to do now?
A: In the next year I would like to learn to.......do lots of things....make lampwork beads, work with stained glass, make anything pottery related. WILL I get to any of these? I don't know. The local center for the arts has pottery classes and I may try to take one in the spring, if I can find the time! Between working full time, being a mother and wife, doing housework, spending time online, making my jewelry, doing shows and working with other local craftspeople to promote our crafts and handmade items in general I don't get much free time!!!!

You would need to check out Kathleen's Etsy shops, Figments and Eclectic Miscellany, to truly appreciate her range and depth of inspiration. Do so, at once. You WON'T be sorry!



And don't forget to BUY HANDMADE! These are gifts that show the recipient that you cared enough to give more than money; you care enough to make sure they have something different. Many handmade items are unique or very limited editions!

Celtic Rover in the DownUnder!

NerysPurchon of Etsy skillfully crafts lovely and unique bags and lives a unique (and enviable) life, living a roving lifestyle in their 29’ Caravan:

“…being a Celt, I am nomadic by nature. After my 5 children were grown, my husband and I decided that life in a house was too static. We have been living on the road with our two little dogs for many, many years now. Our way of life means that we can be on a beach, in a forest or a desert as the mood takes us. We can stay for a short while or a long time...if neighbours become troublesome, you simply start the engine and move on!”

Don’t we ALL wish we could do that, sometimes? Fortunately, their Caravan has 58 compartments, most of which are filled with supplies for Nerys’ wonderful fiber art creations. They stay connected to the Internet while on the road with a pretty hefty 3G fast broadband connection. Home base is Perth.
One of Nerys’ creations that caught my attention was her “Tribble” bag (The Tribble), made from soft, rich brown Merino wool , with lots of great add-ins: lovely dichroic glass bead, magnetic catch, Scotch-guarding for stain protection, zipped inner pockets for small items, durable but attractive inner lining, a key catch for easy access to your keys and a charming lavender scented herbal packet.
Another charming and versatile bag is the
Little Darling, which is knitted from 100% wool and then felted, creating a lovely and long-lasting accessory, whose colors will go with many outfits and seasons. The strap is long enough for hand or shoulder, there is a beautiful purple bead accent and lavender scented herbal sachet. The “Little Darling” is also Scotch-guarded for stain resistance.


Possibly one of Nerys’ most interesting creations is the Sari Bag, made of yarn from recycled sari silk.
Besides being utterly lovely, with LOTS of goodies: dichroic beads on front and back,a colorful beaded dragonfly, beautiful colors, a separate but included cell phone/iPod pouch, magnetic closure, zippered pocket, satin lining and convenient key catch. The frame will keep the bag’s shape and the material is Scotch-guarded for protection. There is , of course, the lavender herbal organza pouch from the herbalist’s grand-daughter J
The bag description points out how unique this bag is and that, like the Hill Tribes silver and African Kazuri beads, this yarn aids women trying to help themselves:
“Recycled sari silk is the most unique yarn. Silk thrums from India's weaving mills are handspun by women's cooperatives and cottage industries into gleaming, richly coloured silk skeins. Each recycled silk skein is handspun creating natural inconsistencies and a rather scrappy nature; to make any project, no matter how simple in design, instantly charming and unique. No two skeins of this yarn are the same, so every product made from this is one of its kind”
Recycled sari yarn purchases support women's development groups in Nepal and provides additional income to support their families.
Originally from North Wales, Nerys and her husband came to Australia in 1969 and bought a run down little farm of 16 acres. Through months and years of toil, they created a herb farm and a business creating cruelty-free, natural skin and hair care products.
Later, drawing on a lifetime of knowledge about herbs and their uses, literally learned at her grandmother’s knee (her grandmother was the valley herbalist and healer), Nerys began writing about herbs and essential oils, natural healing and a couple on food.
After several years, Nerys got sick of deadlines and wrote 3 e-books on herbs and natural healing (all of which are for sale in her shop.)

"Mummy Boo", intended as a fabric hug-fest for children with stress or anxiety, is scented with lavender oil, this relieves stress and aids sleep. MummyBoo also has an incredibly sweet card from Mummy to the child, and a basket of Guatemalan "worry dolls".

Besides the lovely bags that I’ve mentioned above, Nerys’ shop contains lovely, rich colored and textured scarves and cell phone/IPod pouches she’s made, with terrific textures, as well as charming stitch markers and Nerys’ e-books. And, coming soon, a small range of essential oil blends for Lovers, Stress, Headaches and a few more, some using convenient roll-on applicators!