Of Flying Birds and Friendship

One of the best things about being an Etsy seller is the relationships you develop with other Etsy sellers.  I have been very fortunate to get to know quite a few very talented and completely nice people through these connections on Etsy.  Many of the improvements in my shop since I started in October 2010 have been developed through feedback from other Etsy sellers.  And there is no way of counting how many of my sales have been a direct result of another seller's hard work in putting together a stellar collection that has graced a front page on Etsy.  I am truly grateful to everyone who has helped my shop along the way!

I recently worked with Danielle of HandyMaiden to develop a couple of custom stamps to be used on her shop's packaging.  To say that I was excited about getting to work with her on this project would be an understatement!  If you are an Etsy regular, it is highly likely that you already recognize Danielle's work as it is truly original and absolutely beautiful.  Her shop was recently selected by Etsy as the Featured Shop, an honor she truly deserved. 

Here's a look at the stamps I carved for Danielle.  I love that one of the first things that people will see when they purchase one of Danielle's beautiful necklaces is a stamp of an image I carved for her shop.  It is truly flattering to be asked to be a part of Danielle's shop in this way.  Thank you Danielle! 

All packaged up and ready to send to HandyMaiden!

Golden Heart Dove in Flight Necklace

 

Kingfisher Necklace

*****

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A stamp for my husband

I am very fortunate to have a wonderful husband that is not only very supportive of my time spent creating, but also happy to sit with me at craft shows, give me valuable feedback on my designs, and encourage me to grow my shop even more. Since I have a day job, most of my free time is spent working on my creations and keeping up with my shop.  Through it all, Jeff has been 100% behind me.  So with a little free time today, I carved his image into a stamp.  No more need for him to sign his reports at work with his name!  He can just stamp his image on the signature page and call it good!  :) 

Carving it out.

The progression of the stamp as I work it out.

 

The final product!

Hemingway in the shop

Here is the newest design in the shop...Ernest Hemingway. 

This one was a fun one to carve!  Look at the beard!  I listened to one of my favorite groups, Mumford and Sons, while I carved out this stamp.  Turns out, this was the perfect music to carve Hemingway.  It took a little time to get it right, but I think that this little stamp will make some folks happy.  :)

Oh, these dogs...

I would venture to bet that most dogs are like mine...they don't know any tricks, they make messes and don't clean up after themselves, and they rarely give themselves a proper bath.  Yet, they always want a treat as if they have done all of those things.  And we relent, give them the treat.  Why?  Because they are just too dang funny for words!  My two dogs, Punky and Scout, are constantly play fighting with each other, making more noise than their little sizes should be able to make, and are always, always, always tracking in dirt, mud, grass, leaves, bugs, sticks, etc., etc., etc...  But they have one quality that outshines all of these terrible habits - they always make us smile. 

So here is my latest item in the Etsy shop...a begging dog journal!  You need one of these, right?  :)

Sometimes you just gotta dive in...

You know how it is to come upon something in life that, though a little scary maybe, you know deep down you just have to do it.  You start thinking about all that could go wrong if you do it, all that could go wrong if you don't.  But the more you think about it, maybe the biggest that thing that could go wrong if you don't do it is that you will regret not giving it a try.

So...just dive in!  Make the leap...move to that faraway town, take the dream job that means a pay cut but a happier life, say yes to him or her!

And...while you are at it, take a look at my latest card and journal!  :)

New...Camera Cards and Journals

I am with the school of thought that old school film cameras should never be entirely replaced by digital cameras.  But, when was the last time you scouted for some film?  I remember the days of an entire aisle being devoted just to film, being confused as to which speed I would need and wondering if the lighting would would be sufficient to have my photos turn out well.  And do you remember having to buy those flash cubes for your camera?  Remember waiting a week to get your pictures back, hoping that they all turned out okay?  I am showing my age here. Those were the days of no do-overs.  You had one chance to get the picture right, and all of your hits and misses were forever recorded on film.  In the present digital age, we just snap a photo, view it on the camera, and make any adjustments we need (no blinking this time! turn the flash off! adjust for the shade!) and try, try again until we get it right.  Don't get me wrong, I love my digital camera and would never part ways with it.  But there is just something about film cameras that, even though they can be a pain to work with,  I will always love.

I crafted my newest stamp based on a camera from the film age.  The stamped cards and journals would be perfect for just about anyone I think.  My hubby spends a lot of time outside for his job in search of wetlands and he remarked how he would love to use one of the journals to keep track of the many photos he takes.  Of course, he will have to pay for one I told him.  ;)

Welcome to the New Blog

So, I have been meaning to get this blog started for some time now, at least since I signed up to start selling my resin pendants on Etsy.  That was in October.  Well, here I am now, ready to start sharing all of the shop's exciting news.

Etsy is full of very talented artists offering a variety of very unique products.  I have been very happy with the positive feedback my shop has received so far from fellow sellers and buyers alike.  It has truly been a very positive experience.  It has also broadened my crafting horizons.  When I started the shop in October, the idea was to only offer resin pendants using my own designs.  I was not certain how well the shop would be received and so I naturally kept my expectations low - after all, I am a self-taught artist and the folks on Etsy are just so darn good!   I am happy to say that my expectations have been exceeded and I now want to go at it with all I've got!

With that, I have moved into other areas while keeping up with creating resin pendants.  I am now offering hand stamped cards using stamps that I have hand carved.  So far, the cards have had a remarkably good reception, having been featured in treasuries already and added as favorites for several folks on Etsy.  I have a few more ideas up my sleeve and I hope that more than a few of them work out.