Welcome to ACE!

Welcome to the ACE Team Blog! What exactly is an Ace Team? ACE is
short for Amazing Carolina Etsian. We are a small group of artisans living in North Carolina who have come together to support and promote one another's efforts as we sell our handmade goods on Etsy, an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade. We sell a wide variety of handcrafted items that include anything from purses to jewelry, you can check out all the team members and our individual Etsy shop links here.

Following the ACE Team blog would be a great way to get to know each
artist, as we share our stories about the things that inspire us to create.
It's also a great way to stay informed about our latest activities,
contests, giveaways, promotions and group sales we offer.
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit!

Ace Team Member Main Sites

Looking for more information about the ACE Team members? Check out these members' main sites other than their Etsy shops!

UberArt - http://uberartworks.com/
Laksaware - http://www.laksaware.com/
Newfangled - http://www.jdbrown.net/
TraceyGurley - http://www.traceygurley.com/

ACE Team Member MySpace And Facebook Pages

Looking for more information about the ACE Team members? Check out these MySpace and Facebook pages!

UberArt - Facebook
EBSpider - http://www.myspace.com/ebspider
InTheLightGlassworks - Facebook
Laksaware - Facebook
TraceyGurley - Facebook
Pampered Papier - Facebook
A Green Elephant - Facebook
Maria's Funky Treasures - Facebook

ACE Team Member Blogs

Looking for more information about the ACE Team members? Check out these fantastic blogs!

UberArt - http://uberartshop.blogspot.com/
PamperedPapier - http://www.pamperedpapier.blogspot.com/
JazzTurtle - http://www.jazzturtlecreations.blogspot.com/
MariasFunkyTreasures - http://www.mariasfunkytreasures.blogspot.com/
EBSpider - http://www.ebspider.blogspot.com/
TraceyGurley - http://www.traceygurley.blogspot.com/
DenimNotes - http://denimnotes.blogspot.com/
Laksaware - http://laksaware.blogspot.com/
White Hope Designs - http://armyapronstrings.blogspot.com/
Newfangled - http://jdbrown.net/blog/

An interview with Kingfishercrafts

This week's talented artists are Kathy and Alistair of Kingfishercrafts. They make gorgeous beaded jewelry. A treasure to wear and an awesome one-of-a-kind gift!
Is there a story behind your shop name?
We are named for the Belted Kingfisher that stalks our creek for minnows.

What made you decide to open your own shop?
We opened our shop because we moved to the deep woods of North Carolina to escape the New York Rat Race. We now commute to work in fuzzy slippers.

What is your favorite material to use?
We love beads. Kathy even had a dream a while back that she was eating beads for breakfast. Yum!

Talk briefly about your favorite item:
Our favorite item changes daily. But right now we love our Evergreen Chandelier Cluster Necklace.

What are your creative inspirations?
We draw inspiration largely from nature: Sticks, stones and bones.

Are you a crafter full time or part time? If full time, how did you make the leap?
We are full time crafters right now, trying to put into action the best principles of successful Etsy store owners. This means a daily schedule of operation: time creating, time shooting pictures, time blogging/networking, etc.

Who encourages you to create?
We are encouraged by each other first and foremost but next by the kind and supportive voices in our heads. "You're really good at this." "Wow, you should share this gift with the world." "If you don't get to work you will starve."

Do you have any advice for other shop owners?
Too soon probably for advice since we have only had a few sales so far. But since you asked, Taking good pictures. Since all we have on the internet are largely visual cues, taking good visually interesting product shots is vital.

Do you have a blog or website?
We are working on a blog write now as I continue to read and absorb Andy Wibbels great book - Blog Wild. http://kingfishercrafts.blogspot.com/
We recently launched another store selling Fairy Dolls that we are really excited about:
http://www.thefairyfrontier.etsy.com

Tell me any other interesting things about yourself you'd like for me to include in your article:
Although our stores focus on Jewelry and Dolls we love all things handmade. Kathy is an incredible puppet, mask and costume maker and I am a photographer/videographer and emerging media adventurer. Its an exciting time to be alive regardless of the world's current state of affairs and we have always believed in embracing the new. Feel free to reach out to us we can be a useful resource and we love to support others in their pursuit of happiness.

MadHattersPottery - Featured Artist

The featured artist for this week is Candice from MadHattersPottery.My name is Candice and my shop's name is Mad Hatter's Pottery. I am primarily a painter who got sucked into the delicious tactile world of pottery! I started making little teapots (hence the name Mad Hatter's) but switched gears when I became eyeball deep in little teapots and ran out of people to give them to! Enter soy candles! It's never a dull moment between throwing, glazing, firing, pouring!

I chanced on Etsy one day when I was doing a search and it was a perfect fit. I am having too much fun!

I also have a vignette in The Shoppes at Farmers Hardware, an upscale emporium in an historic building in Boone, NC.

I do this "full time" -- as in I don't have a job with a paycheck. I'm never at a creative standstill as it is as important to me as air. If I'm not making my candles, I am painting, writing...the only thing I regret is that I'm a lousy singer!

I have two awesome teenagers who are creative beings in their own right and growing up too fast, so I am enjoying the time I have left with them at home.

Here are all the places I can be found:

http://www.madhatterspottery.com
http://www.trunkt.org/madhatter
http://www.flickr.com/photos/madhatterspottery/
http://madhatterspottery.blogspot.com/

Blossom, Etsy Artist of the Week!

Lori of Blossom, aka Blossom Sundries, is the featured artist this week.Is there a story behind your shop name?
Blossom Sundries is the name of the herbal soap business I started ten years ago but as time went on I began to develop a new passion for mixed media art and I kept the name because the name took on it's true meaning to me - I was growing and blooming in all areas of my creative life.

What made you decide to open your own shop?
The only time I am truly happy working is when it's for myself, working with my hands and creating new things.

What is your favorite material to use? Found objects and vintage materials.

Talk briefly about your favorite item:
Not sure that I have just one. But I would probably say I treasure my old photos the most.

What are your creative inspirations?
My creative inspirations come from just about everywhere, but most of it would probably come from my creative family.

Are you a crafter full time or part time? Full time.

If full time, how did you make the leap?
My husband is a full time artist who designs and builds his own line of furniture, so he has always encouraged me to be a full time artist, so I had the support and that's huge. It wasn't that big of a leap for me because I had been a stay at home mom for so long and we had learned early on how to live frugally and pinch pennies where ever possible. I have tried to go back to school for web design but I was miserable.

Who encourages you to create? My husband, mother, mother in law, my boys.

Do you have a blog or website? I have a blog.

Tell me any other interesting things about yourself you'd like for me to include in your article:
We live on a small farm in Western North Carolina and I continue to make my herbal soap,
which can also be found in my shop along with my art.