Sweet Repeats Studio Shoppe

This week's featured artist is Jodi of Sweet Repeats Studio Shoppe, aka http://www.lucysweetlucy.etsy.com/. Jodi is based in Aberdeen NC, outside of Raleigh. She's been an Etsier for 3 years and opened shop August of 2007.

Sweet Old World HeART - Joy

How did you choose your shop name? I started my blog (Sweet Repeats) before I started my Etsy shop. Originally my blog was a place to share my thrifty finds and cool bargains that I discovered around town. I had a real need to be frugal during that period of my life and instead of being ashamed, I opted to embrace my thrifty side and make a hobby out of yard saling and thrift store shopping. It was my dream at the time to open a shop that was more than just a thrift store. I envisioned having a store where customers came and found unique items 'upcycled' into artful endeavors. Thus, Sweet Repeats was born.

As time evolved though, I turned to art to heal some old wounds and began showcasing art on my blog more than my thrifty goodies. It was actually one of my blog readers who became my first customer when she requested to purchase one of my collages for her daughter. I couldn't have been more thrilled! That request was definitely a turning point for me. I started to believe that just maybe, maybe...I was an artist after all.

What is your specialty and what drew you to it? I am a mixed media artist/painter. I have come to be known for my distinctly textured paintings that often incorporate whimsical subjects. While my work isn't monochromatic, it's close. Typcially, my paintings have only 2-3 main colors that are then complimented with black and white, sometimes with a touch of some surprising contrasting color.

My favorite subjects right now have been houses and villages. I have been drawn to this subject for a while now, I suppose it's because I'm so far from home (I live over 600 miles from my nearest family member) that I am constantly revisiting the places where I've lived and loved.

My Hometown

Another reason I paint so many different houses and villages is that out of everything in life I have, one thing I don't have yet but want so badly is a home of my own. I want my kids to remember our family in a house that is ours. I'm almost consumed by this desire which sometimes I feel like it's a regret....a regret that I have yet to have achieved this goal of mine. My paintings help me cope and sort out my feelings of homesickness and desire to accomplish greater things in my own little world. I do all of this in a happy whimsical way though, which I think people enjoy seeing the brighter side of life despite our struggles. It's like a statement of optimism, in my own creative way.

Pick one item you have created and provide link either from your shop or flickr. What inspired the “birth” of this item? As I stated earlier, one of my themes over the past year has been on home, community, the sense of belonging, and finding that place in the world you can lay down your roots. I've interpreted my theme in a whimsical way using colors of blue, white, black and pink. My work is distinctly textured which is symbolic of the layers of our lives, emotions and motivations in this world as we embark on our own journeys.

Does this item have any personal significance to you? This piece is also special to me because I created it as part of a series of work in which a few pieces were selected to be featured in the Nov/Dec 2008 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine. In that issue, I wrote my first article! I can't tell you how much that whole process has changed my life. I feel now more than ever, that I am truly on the right path in life.

Jodi's article in ClothPaperScissors Magazine!

What is your favorite part of the process of creating your item? Truthfully, I love coming up with happy color combinations and creating background after background. It's almost like the thrill of the trip, the planning, the seeing everything come together just before you get to the final destination. Of course, I love when I finally complete a project, but it's often met with a tinge of sadness that the journey is over with....and then, before I know it, it begins all over again!

Please briefly describe a workday in your “studio” and how you created this item. I work full time as a bank manager so a day in my studio is something I rarely get. Rather, I work at night, stealing away a few minutes or hours whenever possible. On the weekends I make up for what I don't do during the week. A lot of Friday nights are spent working feverishly into early Saturday morning. I try to do as much as I can in the few hours that I can muster here and there but at the same time, I doubt myself that I'm even doing enough.

Regardless, I'm still happy with all that I've been able to accomplish without any formal training. As far as my process goes, I typically incorporate a lot of paper items and acrylic mediums which add texture to my work. Then I slowly build up washes of color with acrylic glazes before I complete my subjects. I like to embed secret messages in my pieces....some you can see, others are not to be revealed to anyone but myself.

If this item is part of a special line that you do, has there been an evolution in your process? For example, if we were to compare the first one you made to this one, what differences would there be, if any?
This piece is actually part of an ongoing project that I'm doing where I am revisting every place I've lived over the course of my 40 years (shhh!) whether it's the town itself, or street where I resided. I have been working on this series since July of 2008, and believe it or not even with all the paintings I've completed, there are still more towns and streets I have yet to commerate with my work. It's been an eye opening journey to say the least!

The only thing that I have been doing consciously different than when I first started is to work in groupings of no less then three pieces at a time. I feel that collectors and potential buyers appreciate having groupings of my work that can either stand alone, or make a nice statement when bought together.

You can follow Jodi on Twitter, check out her blog, see her portfolio on Flickr, and visit her shop!

Featured Artist: Karen’s Kitsch

In this week's spotlight is Karen of Karen’s Kitsch. Karen is based in the Raleigh/Durham area of NC and has been a seller on Etsy since November 2007. She also has a website she started April of 2005.

How did you choose your shop name?

Well my name is Karen and kitsch sort of means chintzy, fun, funky, campy art or collectibles, so it seemed to fit my whimsical style. Plus the great alliteration which makes the name easily memorable doesn’t hurt either!

What is your specialty and what drew you to it?

Jewelry is my current specialty and what drew me was a pair of earrings I saw in a little boutique in New Orleans, November of ‘04. I loved them and bought them for my brother’s girlfriend for the holidays. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for me) they only had the one pair. I loved them and wanted more. I was a studio art minor at Skidmore College in ‘95 so I though “I could do that.” And, well…eventually…I did!

Vintage Image Earrings with Pearls

Custom Photo Charm Mother's Bracelet - Single Strand

What inspired the “birth” of this item?

I started off making earrings with vintage French postcards, and still do, which was what inspired me originally. But then all of my friends were having babies and my aunt sent me a mother’s bracelet when my second son was born. I immediately thought, “I should add a charm to this with a picture of my kids. Wait…I could totally make these, WITH charms of my friends’ kids!” They started off just as a new baby gift for my friends, but they were hugely popular so I added them to my shop.

Does this item have any personal significance to you?

Most of the jewelry you see on my sites I made for me or for a friend. So all of the photos are of my kids or my friends’ kids and I think that is pretty cool.

What is your favorite part of the process of creating your item?

Cropping the photos just right. I love to see the pictures people choose. Once, for cufflinks a bride-to-be was having made for her fiancé’s groom gift, she sent me photos of the wheel and the headlight of his jeep. He was totally a jeep guy. I cropped them for round cufflinks to just fit into the silver bezel. They came out so great!

Custom Sterling Silver Cufflinks

Please briefly describe a workday in your “studio” and how you created this item.

I recently started working at a full time job outside of my home so a workday these days is a rushed 15 minutes here and there whenever I can. Okay let’s be honest, it’s hours into the night after my kids are asleep when I should be asleep. But I love it, and I forget the time and everything else while I’m working. It’s like when I was in College and I’d go into the studio at 4 in the afternoon, then I’d look up and it would be 3 in the morning and I had no idea how that happened. I’ve always loved getting lost in a project. The thing I love most about what I do now, is that every piece is special and unique to the person who ordered it or who will be receiving it. This way, working never gets rote or boring.

Visit Karen's shop to see more great items!

Biology 101 with The Crafty Hedgehog

This week's featured artist is Emily of The Crafty Hedgehog. Based in Burlington, Vermont, Emily opened her Etsy shop in June 2007 and has been going strong ever since!

String Bean Frog

How did you choose your shop name?
Oy! When you open your Etsy shop, you are required to choose a name. I racked my brain because I wasn't sure at that time what direction I wanted to take the shop in, crafts-wise. I finally just decided on Crafty Hedgehog because I'm crafty and hedgies are cute. I figured I could change it later. Turns out, Etsy doesn't allow that. So Crafty Hedgehog it is.

What is your specialty and what drew you to it?
My specialty is knitting. I took up knitting about 10 years ago to help me quit smoking. I bought a ball of yarn, needles, a 1 pound bag of Twizzlers, and locked myself in my apartment over a long weekend. When I returned to work, I no longer smoked, but I still took a 5-minute break every hour to knit! I particularly like to knit toys and oddities like knitted dissections. I love making garments, too, but there is no way that I could sell those for any reasonable price. No one wants to buy a thousand dollar sweater! (P.S. It works like a charm, almost a decade smoke-free!!)
Congratulations Emily!! Way to go!

I guess the most popular thing I've ever made is Knitting in Biology 101

What inspired the creation of this item?
Hmmmm. I started out making very cute, very not-dissected frogs (which I still love to make). One afternoon, my husband made a joke about knitting a mutated frog with an extra leg. We started riffing on that idea, and soon the thought of a dissected frog came up. We argue over which of us actually thought of it (I think he just wants a finders fee!).

Does this item have any personal significance to you?
It actually does. I'm not a scientist, but I have a deep and abiding respect for what they do. I worry sometimes that egg-headedness is so looked down upon in America. Like Stephen Colbert says: many people seem to want to know things with their gut, not with their brains. I know I will never make any breakthrough scientific discoveries, but I can craft, and this is my little homage to the beauty of science.

What is your favorite part of the process of creating your item?
My favorite part is the knitting itself. I do like to come up with an idea and see it through the design process, but that can be a bit tedious and often involves a lot of math. I really just enjoy letting my hands do their work while my mind wanders. I can state definitively that needle-felting is the worst part of the process. You wouldn't think that there was anything in the fiber arts that would require you to get a tetanus shot, but you would be wrong. Yikes!

Please briefly describe a workday in your studio and how you created this item:
Well, it really depends on the piece, but many of my projects can be done in a day. Each animal is hand-knit, usually on double pointed needles. I used to knit while I was at work (my boss was awesome that way!), but the economic downturn has made me into an unemployment statistic. So, now I get up, put in a favorite DVD, plop on the couch, and knit for about 6 hours a day. I also knit on the bus, while riding in cars, while waiting for food at restaurants, and at friends' houses. A lot of my studio time is actually spent keeping up with emails and shipping. It's amazing how much time goes into boxing and labeling things.

Knitted Lab Rat in actual dissection tray

If this item is part of a special line that you do, has there been an evolution in your process? For example, if we were to compare the first one you made to this one, what differences would there be, if any?
The dissected frog is part of a biological specimen series that I am working on. It started with the frog, and soon I added a dissected lab rat. I am currently working on a dissected fetal pig, with more creatures lined up after that. The frog itself hasn't changed insofar as the body construction. I would say that I have certainly gotten faster at knitting them up. The innards have become more interesting over time, though. I discovered a beautiful, super-bulky alpaca yarn in a light blue that I have recently been making into "intestines"!

I have had some emails from actual biologists who complain that my guts aren't accurate enough, but for some things I just had to use a little artistic license. I picked out the wool roving for the innards based on my own favorite natural color scheme!

Sculpted Animals by Christina's Studio

We're starting a new series on our team blog interviewing other Etsy artists in our online community. It's a fun way to get to know who's out there and to spread the word to BUY HANDMADE!

The first interview in our series is with Christina of Christina's Studio. You may know her Etsy username as cbarjcrafts. Christina is a fellow North Carolinian from Statesville.

She opened her Etsy shop in September of 2007. Her specialty is sculpted caricature (of sorts) of mostly pets and domestic type animals. She says she enjoys clay because it gives her the instant gratification of dimension.I asked her how she chose her shop name and she said, "Ha! The shop's original name, C bar J Crafts, was a combination of my brother's and my initials...No offense to my bro, but I shoulda thought that one through a little more!"

I wanted to know more about Christy's process in creating a piece. She chose her favorite sculpture and took me through the creative process.Christy says:
As of late, my favorite piece has been one title "Sunday Kind Of Love".

What inspired the “birth” of this item? I'm a big jazz and french bulldog fan and really wanted to do a larger piece with two bullies name Ella and Louis. I couldn't quite decide how to set it up until one day while listening to Etta James sing, 'Sunday Kind of Love' this little scenario popped into my head...and know Ella and Louis now reside in Michigan.

What is your favorite part of the process of creating your item? You know, it really varies. Sometimes I think that sculpting the pieces and watching them come to life is the most awesome part and I worry that when I go to paint them that I won't be able to do it justice. Other times I'm so frustrated during the sculpting process that I'm excited to lay down the paint and see what I'm able to accomplish with color.

Please briefly describe a workday in your “studio” and how you created this item--
Hmmm...well it usually starts off with me turning on some good tunes and then I sit down with a lump of clay in front of me. For the bullies above, I referenced several different photos and played around trying to come up with the most flattering and bully-like positions. Depending on what I'm doing the sculpting process can take anywhere from 2 to 8 hours. Creating fur texture and facial details are the most time consuming.

The actual 'firing' doesn't take incredibly long because polymer clay doesn't require a kiln, so unless I'm really stressed about it, I try to at least begin the painting process the same day. For frustrating coat patterns like calico and brindle or those with lots of specific markings, I may wait until the next day. Painting can take 30 minutes to 3 hours. When I'm finally finished, I do the dance of joy, clean up my ever increasing MESS, and walk in and out of the room to see the piece in different places and angles...in case I need to fix something or add to it.

If this item is part of a special line that you do, has there been an evolution in your process? For example, if we were to compare the first one you made to this one, what differences would there be, if any?
Oh my word, there's a WORLD of difference from my first pieces to what I'm doing now, and I hope that by the end of this year there will be a greater difference- be it in styling or in the execution. If I were to pick one thing that stands out obviously, it would definitely be the eyes.

Strung Out For You

Christy's work is absolutely gorgeous and I really love the way she portrays the eyes in her sculptures. Visit her shop to see what other great works of art she produces! She also welcomes custom orders if you'd like a sculpture of your pet.

Get to know the ACE Team: An interview with Merriwood

We've had shop interviews with most of our members already, but we wanted to pay a special tribute to a very hard-working member of our team, Meredith of Merriwood Designs.

Meredith has earned this distinction by her recent achievements of being awarded her BA degree while being a wife, new mother, and artist! Congratulations Meredith!

Here she is, on the right, celebrating with some ACE team members.

I had the pleasure of interviewing her with a focus more on her personal achievements rather than her art and here is what she had to say...

I earned a 4 year Bachelor of Arts in Human Services with concentrations in Criminal Justice & Psychology in 3.5 years. I felt a little rushed but I can even imagine being in school this semester so I'm glad I'm done now!

Since my degree is not at all related to art I plan on finding work in the human services field, probably in mental health, substance abuse, or foster care. I hope to work full time & still have enough energy for etsy.. well see how that goes! On that note, my shop is taking a new direction because of new regulations with regards to lead testing items made for children. I am in the process of changing things a bit to focus more on child keepsakes such as photojournals.

How did Etsy come into your life?

It was really by random chance. I was talking to someone about where they got their adorable garters and cake topper for their wedding and she told me about etsy. I was in the process of planning my own wedding so I ordered some things & instantly fell in love.

Some of Meredith's newest creations in her shop

I have always been into painting and drawing and sewing. I haven't done any drawing since high school so I have really lost my eye for it but I've been able to keep up with sewing through mending jeans and such. I also picked up a love for digital art which I'm hoping to incorporate more into my new board book projects.
The most challenging part of coping with the demands of school, motherhood, and running a business is time! There is never enough! What is odd is that now that I'm done and have less school involvement I feel like I don't have any at all for etsy because I have to do more work around the house, take care of my son, and look for a job.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything?
Never. I get a lot out of every minute of my life. People my age think I'm crazy to be married and have a kid, but we do things a little differently from most people and go for what we want. We always have a good time doing it in the end.

What advice would you offer someone facing the same challenges you faced?
Don't let other people push their negativity in your head. It is hard to stay positive. We're probably facing more challenges now than ever before.. but just smiling and putting some effort into having fun makes my whole day better. I would also suggest to do what you enjoy doing, despite what others may say about it. If it makes you happy, that's all that matters.

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.