Newfangled Artist of the Week!

The artist extraordinaire this week is Jen of Newfangled!
Is there a story behind your shop name?
The definition of newfangled is "attracted to novelty" and I am always trying something new. When I see an object the first thing I think is "what I can do with it?" The name also represents this new venture of selling my art online.

What made you decide to open your own shop?
Long Story short: I am attempting to live my dream by selling art on etsy as well as local boutiques and galleries. I am new to selling online, but I love the idea of sharing my creations with the entire world and I love the inspiration I get by browsing through etsy everyday.

What is your favorite material to use?
As a mixed media artist, I use all kinds of materials from paper to buttons to old books. One of my favorite materials is a huge vintage dictionary which is slowly losing all of it's pages. I use it for everything from jewelry making to lining the inside of cigar boxes.

Talk briefly about your favorite item:
My favorite item is my Decoupaged Cigar Box because it features a lovely drawing by a long-gone artist and I love repurposing objects. It's also my favorite object because it was the first thing to sell in my shop.

What are your creative inspirations?
I love the idea of making something new out of something old. When I see an object I just start thinking about what I can do with it, and go from there.

Who encourages you to create?
I am encouraged and inspired by a lot of people in my life: My boyfriend, friends, and family. My boyfriend is always encouraging and supporting me and my friends and family save scraps of paper and other "junk" they think I will like (which I love!!) My sister-in-law is always helping with me projects and giving me ideas. She is also my model on etsy!

Do you have a blog or website? http://www.jdbrown.net

Tell me any other interesting things about yourself you'd like for me to include in your article:
I am a mixed media artist and I love doing creative things with different materials. Right now I'm making bangles out of paper and focusing mostly on different types of jewelry using paper. You will also see a few decoupaged pieces and other random things in my etsy shop from time to time because I can't stick to one thing for long.