GETTING TO KNOW...Angie of Cute and Sweet

We have such talent on EtsyFAME - it's a pleasure to feature another talented Etsian every week.

This week we are getting to know Angie of Cute and Sweet

What region do you live in?

Midwest, WI
What kind of items do you create?

Hair accessories for the young and young at heart!

How long have you been creating?

Forever. I don't remember a time when I wasn't. Specifically creating hair accessories, I've been doing that for almost a year.

What are your creative influences?

My two little princesses who have a ton of curly hair

Do you work outside of the home/studio?

Not currently
If you could be in someone else's studio or kitchen, whose would that be?

I would love to be in ANYONE's kitchen who can cook. I'm an awful cook.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What are your goals with your business?

In five years my youngest will be entering Kindergarten (eek!) so I will most likely be working outside the home. But maybe if sales continue and more opportunities arise I won't have to!

Do you sell wholesale?

Sure!
Where else can your products be found (name B&M stores or internet urls, including your own)?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuteandsweetx2/

http://www.myspace.com/cuteandsweetx2

http://www.myspace.com/cuteandsweetx2
Are you a member of any organizations or have any affiliations?

Just on Etsy. Wist (WI street team), Etsymom, etsykids, FAM

What is your education as it pertains to your craft?

Self-taught
Pick one product and describe it briefly and how long it takes to make a certain item in your store.

I'll pick my woven headband….any one of them. These are the most fun to make and take at the most 15 minutes—if all goes well. I have so much fun coming up with color combinations. Just when I think I have all the color combinations I could possibly have, colors sort of jump out at me!

Getting to Know...Corinne of Daydream Art Studios

Another feature of another great FAMEr...
What region do you live in?
Grand Rivers, Kentucky- A small resort town in western Kentucky bordered by two lakes. We were even named one of the most romantic places by Cosmo a couple of years ago! Very pretty and lovely, especially in the summer time!

What kind of items do you create?
I make jewelry, both fun and kitschy types and also modern, one of a kind gemstone jewelry. I also paint and create mixed media art.

How long have you been creating?
As long as I can remember! Even as a child, I would spend hours in the yard with a sketchbook! I sold my crafts when other kids sold lemonade, and even had a business selling handmade personalized leather key chains when I was in the 6th grade.

What are your creative influences?
Some of my favorite painters are Salvador Dali and Frida Kahlo, but I try to stay current and am always finding new painters that I am inspired by. I have tons of artist friends and like to think we all inspire each other to try new things. A lot of my art is inspired by music I listen to while I work and the beautiful area I live in.

Do you work outside of the home/studio?
I have a part time job out of my house placing exchange students in host families in the area. Its very rewarding and interesting. My main job is my art, and I am saving up to remodel the outbuilding on our property into a respectable studio where I can have children's art classes and affordable workshops.
If you could be in someone else's studio or kitchen, whose would that be?
My mother always said "we're Irish, and the Irish aren't known for their cooking." Our family joke is that if its frozen, that's our "old family recipe." So in some kind of rebellion, I learned how to cook. I love it, and would probably stay in my own kitchen. But, if Paula Deen wants to come over and show me a thing or two, she's always welcome here! I love butter!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What are your goals with your business?
I hope that in five years, my studio is complete and I am teaching again! There are no after school programs here and want to fill that need. I also home school my daughter and would love to have art classes for other home schooled kids in the area.

Do you sell wholesale?
Not currently, most of my work is one of a kind and I just haven't ventured into this yet. I'm considering looking into it, though.

Where else can your products be found (name B&M stores or internet urls, including your own)?
I have my own website, http://daydreamartstudios.com/ as well as a daily blog, www.daydreamartstudios.blogspot.com I also show and sell my paintings at the PAPA Gallery in Paducah, Kentucky.

Are you a member of any organizations or have any affiliations?
Paducah AreaPainter's Association (PAPA), and Bluegrass Etsy.

What is your education as it pertains to your craft?
I have a degree in Art Education, and am always learning and educating myself. I have an addiction to art dvds and books.

Pick one product and describe it briefly and how long it takes to make a certain item in your store.
My newest favorite is the Shell and Freshwater Pearl bracelet. (Picture attached) I made this with shell slices, so the shape is modern on the outside, very geometric, but also very organic. I'm super interested in taking geometric shapes and contrasting them with something very natural. I also added freshwater pearls that I work together so they move and dance as the wearer moves. I also threw in some faceted cut Czech glass beads for some subtle sparkle. It took me a few hours to get this bracelet just the way I wanted it, but was very happy with the results.

Check out Corinne's Etsy site: daydreamartstudios.etsy.com
Make sure you take a look at her "kitsch and rock and roll" section - it's so fun!!

Getting to Know...Sweetpickles Pottery

It is always so wonderful to learn about the artist behind the art. Today's Featured FAMEr is Melanie of Sweetpickles Pottery!

What region do you live in?
I'm a Southern girl! (born and bred LOL!)

I'm in Louisiana and LOVE it! :)

What kind of items do you create?
Hand painted pottery and ceramics. (sometimes other things if I get in the mood. I like paper and stickers and glue and canvas and paint. well, you get the picture. )

How long have you been creating?
I think the first thing I painted I was probably about 12. But steadily the last 4 or 5. What are your creative influences? I daydream about things that might be fun to draw or paint all day long.. My children sometimes are veyr influential in what I paint as well. I am always sketching or writing things down so I don't forget an idea I have. Although I might not use it right away. I have tons of them tucked away.

Do you work outside of the home/studio?
No, and I am so grateful to be able to stay at home and raise my children and be able to work on my craft at the same time.

If you could be in someone else’s studio or kitchen, whose would that be?
If it were a kitchen I would say Paula Deens its so homey and yummy too..

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
What are your goals with your business? Provided hubby doesn't decide to transfer somewhere else by then) I hope to have grown my business and possibly open a little studio of my very own with a paint your own pottery studio. I go back and forth with this ALL the time. I've been there and done that so I know the hard work involved.

Do you sell wholesale?
Yes, YES and Yes..

Where else can your products be found (name B&M stores or internet urls, including your own)?
Right now they are currently in my etsy store, and a little shop called "The Cat's Meow", and also on the website teapartytreasures.com

Are you a member of any organizations or have any affiliations?
The wonderful FAM Team, of course.

What is your education as it pertains to your craft?
Absolutley NOTHING! I went to school to be a kindergarten teacher. Although now that I think about it maybe that is why I liked that age group so much. All the fun arts and crafts!

Pick one product and describe it briefly and how long it takes to make a certain item in your store.
I would have to pick my tea set for little girls probably. I love it. Its one of my favorite things to paint. I can spend hours on it.. I must confess. I ponder what I want different about each little set I paint. I have sold so many of these I have lost count. Its something I can't seem to keep enough of in stock!

You have to check out Melanie's shop: sweetpicklespottery.etsy.com
She has gorgeous products that would make excellent gifts for yourself - or, if you have to, someone else!! My favorite product (besides the tea set, of course, is this Personalized Wedding Monogram Platter. This would make such a fabulous housewarming gift, too!! Thanks, Melanie!!

Is this a healthy obsession? You can make it so.

Ana Talukder Simpson

theprettypeacock.etsy.com

How shamelessly obsessed are you with your Etsy life? I am pretty new to Etsy. I really knew very little about it coming into it. I was never even a buyer (I know, booooo on me, but I have bought a load of stuff since then!). In April of this year, I decided to list a few of my creative endeavors and, lo-and-behold, people liked them. My first listing was just over two months ago and I am now shamelessly obsessed with my Etsy life. I know you have all been there and still live here.

I am a stay at home parent with two small children (5 and 2) and I consider the work I do for my shop on Etsy as my ‘work’: My real-life, tangible, get-paid-for-it-in-real-money, work. My children are my joy and butterflies and all those other happy, lovely images one gives when they talk about being a mother. All true –most days.

Being an obsessive Etsy shop owner takes its toll on our little ones, loved ones, friends, relationships, etc. I make no apologies for wanting my shop to succeed or being in love with my work, but I do not want it to negatively affect my life, because, then, what would be the point? So, I invested in an inexpensive little timer with a loud buzzer to keep my obsession in check , and what it ended up doing was help me manage my time and invest it where it needed to go – so EVERYONE is happy! Don’t get me wrong, there totally needs to be more hours in the day, but at least now, I have more definite direction of where my time is going.

I typically set up my email/convo time for fifteen minute segments a few times a day. I make sure that after every thirty minutes of Etsy work, I take a break and hang out with the kids – even if that means just getting out the Play-doh or having ‘tickle-monster-time’. For those more involved projects, I wait until my littlest is napping or they are both in bed for the night. Twenty minutes is devoted to setting up shipments for the next day, another thirty to plan new designs, etc. You get the idea. It is all pretty magical. Oh! And if you get real fancy – you can get a timer with multiple features like counting up, so you can hit “start” right as you begin a new piece so you know exactly how long it takes you to create it for pricing. Shamelessly working the double-duty. Gotta love that.

Success in Happiness

By: Ana Talukder Simpson

theprettypeacock.etsy.com

I was supposed to be a doctor or an engineer when I grew up. I was supposed to find joy and excitement in studying molecule arrangements or solving a proof. I think I rebelled against my East Indian parents by completely lacking skills in both departments just out of spite. I have always been drawn to the arts – I loved creative writing, each and every art or music class that I took, I daydreamed and created and did it all in a somewhat secret manner because I couldn’t possibly make a realistic career out of any of it. When I was fourteen, I had decided that I would pursue a career in law. That would allow me to major in something fantastic like Philosophy or English and still have that “realistic career” that my parents desperately wanted for me. I ended up majoring in Political Science and Philosophy, took the LSATS, and applied to law school relatively heavy heartedly. I remember the day that I got some acceptance letters, threw them in the trash and decided that I had enough of trying to please someone other than myself. And life began for the first time for me.

I spent the next few years trying to figure out what my “dream” was – I still had to help pay the bills, so I worked in corporate America all the way up until my first child was born. I spent the following two years after his birth completely decorating our new home, remodeling and getting prepared to have a second child. Now I have my two children, a lovely husband, our house is decorated just the way I want, my stint in corporate America was successful but completely unfulfilling and here I was at a time in my life where I had the luxury of putting real thought and motivation behind my creative endeavors.

I started a shop on Etsy somewhat on a whim. I had been selling my pieces here and there for a little over a year and I was working in a new medium and very much in love with the creative process once again. When I opened my Etsy shop in April of this year, I had no idea what to expect. Here it is three months later and I have learned so many invaluable lessons and have a more solid understanding of how my glorified hobby is now a full-fledged small business and I will treat it as such. I could go on and on about the lessons I have learned, but the most important one is that I have found success in my own happiness. I am not the corporate business woman that my parents hoped I would be – or that I even at one point hoped for myself. I have truly become so much more. Success is not the six figure paycheck, or power. It is ultimately judged by happiness. Hope you have found yours.

Etsy Fame Featured Seller: Andrea Baker

Andrea Baker has been creating her beautiful products in her home in North East Columbus, Ohio for the past 6 years. Her creative focus is on making quality handmade handbags, tote bags, sleep masks, and business card cozies. She also makes beautiful and functional aprons that are anything but ordinary.

Andrea is a mom to two young girls, ages 11 and 2, and is happily married. Her work is influenced by her mom, her family, and the world around her. Much to her credit, she also manages a part time position as a parent consultant outside of the home at a local school. She’s also active in the school PTA and added “I believe that when parents are involved in their child’s education, their child does so much better academically.” She’s also an active member of the Etsy street team Fabulous Artisic Moms (FAM).

She began her early training by the traditional method: through the teachings by her mother. She has mastered her craft skills through experience and experimentation. When asked which was her favorite projects she responded with the business card cozies. “I love to make my business card cozies. It has two pockets so you can hold 40 or more business cards. It is a simple project that only takes about an hour to make.”

Andrea currently sells her handmade goods on Etsy. To contact Andrea Baker, please visit her Etsy page.

Welcome to Etsy FAME!

Etsy FAME, or Fabulous Artistic Moms of Etsy, is comprised of a talented and ambitious group of artists who strive to create genuine handmade goods for all of mankind. We are diverse in both our personalities, our locations, and our handmade wares.

Enjoy a variety of shopping opportunities for people of all ages, and meet the artists who make their creations by hand, with the love and attention to detail you won't find elsewhere. Such categories as:

Accessories
Art & Photography
Baby & Toddler
Bath & Body
Ceramics & Pottery
Children
Clothing
Fiber Arts
Edibles
Holiday Items
Home Decor
Housewares
Jewelry
Pets
Recycled & Reclaimed
Stationery & Paper
Vintage

Each artist maintains her own store. Please inquire with the appropriate store owner with any questions regarding the products in their store. Thank you very much for visiting Etsy Fame!