After watching & agonizing over my husband as he recooped and then spending 5 days in the hospital being cleansed from the over medication by my own doctors...I think I deserve a break!
Just relax and "breathe 1-2-3"...BUT WAIT...I HAVE TO CATCH UP WITH MY ETSY SHOP! Need to make more things, need to find out what more neato stuff Etsy has cooked up for us...AND OF COURSE MY CUSTOMERS! ...how about a Fall Sale Oct.1-22
A while back I asked this amazingly talented artist, Simone; curator of the online gallery Ammiki.com , Etsy shop owner of Honeycup and others, and writer of the blog, girlstartup.com to design my blog banner.Above you'll find my new obsession with hair accessories (also have some new brooches too)using old & new elements and adding my "Goodwill" inspired embellishments to the mix.... strangely i'm too close to this work to judge it...not sure if it's good or not.
I met Jacy through an Etsy forum thread...I was so impressed by her spirit & passion, and when I saw her work, I felt it showed through...the following is all in her own words:
"It was the third grade that I knew I wanted to be an artist. Not just paint a pretty picture, but I wanted the life. I wanted to eat, breathe and sleep art and of course make a living off of it. High school came, and a combination of teenagery-emotions mixed with acrylic paint, had me funneling an artistic game plan. It was then that I knew my medium was paint and my fav subjects were anything in creation.
Skip about 10 years into the future, and I was stuck. At some point throughout this "game plan" of mine, I gave into a regular job and settled. I was unhappy and frustrated, sitting 8 hrs a day with no creative outlet. Can you imagine? Can you relate? Up until December of last year, I was working for someone else and not for myself, like I had wanted all my life! I realized at that point that I was scared of change & scared to take a chance. I was too self-conscious about my artwork and didn't allow myself to go through a normal artistic process. Instead I settled on a typical 9-5 job that constantly drained my ideas & energy.
But on December 2nd, 2010, my prayers were answered and I got...fired! What?! Actually, I wasn't even upset or nervous. I knew there was a bigger reason for it and I secretly felt it coming. Dare I say I was even happy & excited about it! I don't know how to explain it except that I knew that God was watching. That day I went home and not even 2 hours of being let go, I was cleaning out my dusty art studio & sharpening my paintbrushes! It was time for action!
It has been almost 3 months since then and I have never felt so free. My paintings are thriving & my name is getting more exposure. I am even able to sell my work in a new Agawam Ma store called "Hidden Treasures", an entire shop of handmade creations. Only 15 minutes away from my home in Enfield, CT! My Etsy store & online blog has been opening doors to so many great relationships & opportunities, including this one. Who would have thought that I would go from doodling on old receipt papers & boxes right into scribbing a guest post on a wonderful blog? (Brownie points! But seriously Ellen is wonderful).
I always knew it was what I wanted, but now I know that if you step out with confidence & faith, it can happen!
In one of my blog posts "How to Get Over Fear", I talk a bit more about my situation & give tips on how to not let Fear consume you. I list the lies that Fear likes to tell us & a list of what we need to say back.
We all come from different walks of life, but we have one common thread: we are human & we were created to create. Whether it's a hand-knitted floral blouse or assembling organic homegrown veggie Easter baskets, we use our hands to bring something new to this world. My hope is that we all can not only embrace that responsibility, but that we learn to see that we do have something we can offer to the rest of the world. That is the true essence of who YOU are!"
"Hidden Treasures"... 143 Main Street, Agawam, MA 01001
Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00am-7:00pm ...Sun 12:00pm-5:00pm
Website: http://www.artbyjacy.com
Etsy Shop: http://thiswayup1.etsy.com
Blog: http://thiswayupshop.blogspot.com
**To be announce later in few days, the new "streetnoodles" blog banner designed by Jacy at Thiswayupshop.
Process: Marionettes with Geahk Burchill from Etsy on Vimeo.
"Fiction Failed This Family" by Ocelli from Ocelli on Vimeo.
Both these videos were reproduced here on this blog from Etsy's blog section, with the kind permission of Geahk Burchill.
We all know the irrational "fear of clowns"...I know I have experienced it, BUT Geahk's work is a bit refined, in that I find myself caught in a "twilight zone" of being fascinated, haunted, and a bit repulsed and uncomfortable by each intity he creates...not because they are so alien to me BUT that they touch upon a "magic mirror"...reflecting & amplifying the image I sometimes see and fear in the shadows of my soul.
The first video concentrates on the artist and his process...the second delves more into the results of his colaborative efforts. I did ask about his "pivotal moment" with the idea of marionettes. The following is a shortened paraphrase version of his response to a similar question last year.
In 1998, Geahk attended the birthday party of a friend's boyfriend. He didn't know anyone there except his friend Sue. It was held at a strange little apartment in Berkeley, CA...it was decorated everywhere with rusty trinkets, old dolls, small animal bones & sixties rock posters. There were children toys from the 1950's and a lot of candles handmade and melted down to the stubs stuck to the fireplace mantle. The carpet had been scavenged from an old theatre by the landlord and was an insane tangle of curling vine patterns with red flowers.
What made the party special was that someone had loaned the host a video camera. They were all poor artists from poor backgrounds...Geahk had never used a video camera before then. BUT like kismet, they all realized at once that they had to use this opportunity...they set up the grey crate (coffee table) as the stage...a little teddy bear with strings & bic pens acted as a controled puppet while more & more objects from all around the house were gathered to create a whole cast of characters with an organically ad lib story line emerged.
The birthday boy was Dave Huckins and the rock posters were his. He had done posters for Phil Lesh, David Crisman, Widespread Panic and Stringcheese Incident. He was also a puppeteer with his friend Adam Bolivar back in Boston. The had a troupe together with Sue Kenney (now Newman), called, the "The Scratch Bros. Presto-Digital Phantasmagoria!" Dave invited me into the troupe for a play called "The Mermaid".
More than a decade later, Geahk can't shake his addiction to puppets and marionettes in particular. In his travels, he organized several small troupes with friends and artists. "Twisted Things" & "Skin & Bones", to name a couple.
He started The CastIron Carousel Marionette Troupe with Adam Bolivar in the winter of 2003 in the basement of a shared house in SW Portland. Their troupe has set a tone for a long series of strange, beautiful, gory and unsettling puppet plays for grown-ups.
Please visit Geahk's amazing Etsy site, where he has new designs every Friday! (OMG): http://www.etsy.com/shop/GeahkBurchill
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gb-Designs/179229085425078
Marina's artisan perspective started to form in her early years in the beautiful city of Riga (Latvia), where she was born...she had come from a long line of craftsman of different disciplines.
At the ripe old age of 13, she became a fashion model & for the next 7 years traveled the world...educating herself in a "classroom" we all mistakenly consider glamourous and pampered. If anything it was exhausting hard work...BUT with benefits for a young woman with an exceptional eye for design and the growing skills of an artisan... seeing the "best of the best" made by the "best of the best" is an opportunity that she did not waste.
As you can imagine, true "passion" came from her long involvement in wearable art and the fashion industry. At age 20, after traveling most of the world...she came across San Francisco, and fell in love (as most of us do :D ) . She grounded herself in a position at as waredrobe coordinator of an exclusive boutique, "The Rafael's", which presents handmade wearable art.
It was during her experience at "The Rafael's", that her creativity was inspired by the wonderful handmade designer art jewelry, by some of the most famous and notable artists of the time...some of whom she was able to meet, or view their work in galleries around the world.
It took quite a bit of time to hone her skills & master some of the techniques, BUT a few years ago she finally made the move to being a custom jewelry designer... Marina believes that by wearing handcrafted designer jewelry, you can reveal your exceptional personality. Because of this belief, she feels her designs are very detailed & meticulously handcrafted with hundreds of small detailed & precious components.
Currently Marina has her studio in the heart of San Francisco...and she sells exclusively through Etsy...and loves custom work, so feel free to contact her: contact@mshafran.com with your requests.
Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mshafran
Website: http://www.mshafran.com
JUST REMEMBER... deadline for before Christmas delivery deadline, from my Etsy shop, for the continental US deliveries ONLY, is Dec. 19th.
After that the 2oth seems okay, BUT i can't guarantee. Please be aware that I will be continuing to offer FREE SHIPPING using USPS Priority Mail thru Christmas Eve...WHY? you may ask...I have a theory, that most people buying this late and for who, are all adults (at least old enough NOT to believe in Santa Claus [in public :D ] )... so if this is the case, you can forewarn your friends & family recepients that their gifts are in the mail & may be a few days late.
HO, ho, ho ....Merry Christmas!!!
Meredith, from the Etsy shop, "meredithdada" considers herself lucky that she grew up in a family of artists. Her mother was the strongest influence being an art teacher by trade and being known for her pottery & ceramic work, as well as being skilled in drawing & painting. Meredith got a well rounded education in the arts at a very young age. Her grandmother was a talented artist as well...taught china painting out of her home & was a avid crafter. Her grandfather worked mainly in wood and has taken up painting recently and at 93 yrs. old & still paints everyday. Her father who was a heavy machinery mechanic, retired and pursued his passion for photography & is submerged in it full-time now.
You'd think that with this kind of pedigree and the fact that for the longest time she thought everyone had a full artist studio in their backyard, that she would have chosen Art as her major in college...but NO, she chose to major in Psychology! ...go figure :)
Creative expression had always been a big part of her life & so natural...like breathing. College is suppose to be a safe place to find new roads, to experiment with different options. There was a time in college though, where Meredith focused only on academics & working to pay the rent and like so many of us who know that "art" is what keeps us sane and happy...Meredith pathed her own way to realize how much "art" was NOT a hobby or even an option...BUT a necessity for the balance and fulfillment in her life. With the early encouragement of her future husband, to take her "art" seriously and to get it out there for people to see & enjoy... she finally found the balance & happiness that had been lost to her for a while.
Five years ago, Meredith's beloved grandmother died. She use to make elaborate Christmas ornaments & ball gowns for Meredith's Barbie. She left Meredith a huge bin, full of glass jars with all sorts of colored beads and rhinestones to touch & inspire her...as you can see thru her work in her charming Etsy shop, "meredithdada".
As if "all-knowing", her grandmother gave Meredith the perfect project & skill to be used in her role as stay-at-home Mom... a transitional creative outlet that lends inself to an energetic 2 year old's erratic schedule ..far better than the messy & somewhat dangerous mosaic tiling she was involved with before...which she may return to as her family dynamics change.
