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.

Etsy Artist of the Week - Mychelle

This week's featured artist from the ACE team is Michelle of Fun Stuff by Mychelle. She makes recycled, re-purposed, and reusable items, mostly out of fabric. She is doing her part to help save our environment! You rock, Michelle!Is there a story behind your shop name?
I have been using this spelling online because it's different and stands out from the traditional spelling of my name.

What made you decide to open your own shop?
I have dabbled with selling things I made since I lived in KS, but never in an organized way. I love the concept of a community market of handmade goods for the world.

What is your favorite material to use?
Anything re-purposed or recycled. We too often get rid of things when an item is no longer functional in its original purpose.

Talk briefly about your favorite item:
My favorite item is the lab skirt tote. It is the most directly re-purposed item, made from an old skirt in a Labrador retriever print. Maybe it's my favorite because I love dogs!

What are your creative inspirations?
This is hard to answer because I never know when inspiration is going to hit me. I suppose it happens most often outdoors in nature.

Are you a crafter full time or part time, and how do you find time to create?
Part time, I often work on projects while hanging out with my husband or friends.

Who encourages you to create?
My grandmother who has always been a crafter, and also the members of the ACE team.

Do you have any advice for other shop owners?
I wish I was in the position to be giving advice, but I am on the learning end of this curve.

Do you have a blog or website?
No, I believe it is better to do one thing right than many things part way so I am working on becoming more proficient on the Etsy site and getting to know the ACE team members better before venturing elsewhere.

Tell me any other interesting things about yourself you'd like for me to include in your article:
I was born in IA. Then my family moved to IL, WI, then NC. I grew up in Raleigh, NC before moving to Greenville to attend ECU where I met my wonderful husband from KS. We moved to KS for four years before returning to NC. I am happy to be back home.