Aspiring Metalsmiths Project Blogroll - So many techniques so little time

Each month my Etsy team, The Aspiring Metalsmiths, does a blogging project where we choose a specific topic and then everyone writes a blog post addressing the chosen topic. This month's topic is  "The technique I want to learn next". Oh my goodness, I could probably write a novel on the is topic. Being completely self taught and having only recently began my adventures in metal work, there's an endless list of techniques that I desperately want to learn. So after alot of going back and forth I have decided that there are actually two techniques that are a tie for the technique that I would most like to learn next. I can't really put one higher on the list than the other so I'll just share some examples of each technique.

The techniques I want to learn next are known as flush setting and foldforming.  Flush setting involves taking a small faceted stone and setting it in metal in such a way that the top of the stone rests flush with the surrounding metal. For example notice how the stones in this ring by myheartmonster are set directly into the metal of the rings band.

 

In order to do this technique successfully, one must have a few special tools. I have asked Santa to bring me these tools for Christmas so perhaps I will get to try this technique in the new year. Keeping my fingers crossed.

The other technique that I would love to learn is known as foldforming. This is a technique in which sheet metal is folded, hammered and manipulated in various ways to give the resulting piece three dimensionality and shape. Here are just a few awesome examples of this technique.

 

This technique doesn't require any specialized tools. All that you really need is a hammer and a vise and a good pair of earplugs probably wouldn't be a bad thing. So I might tackle this one first. I will try to keep you all posted on my successes and failures as I embark on teaching myself yet another new way to manipulate metal and make pretty little trinkets. Wish me luck.

Now take a few minutes to see what my teammates want to learn in the new year. I'm sure it will be an interesting mix of techniques and you might just find a new favorite artist. Thanks.

• Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
• Gayle - http://thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com
• Jessica @ Abella Blue - www.abellablue.com/blog
• Sylvia Anderson - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/
• Autumn Bradley - www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
• Scrollwork Designs - www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
• Claire - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/
• Carole - http://www.caroleaxiumdesigns.com/journal/
• Heather - http://mistyridgedesigns.blogspot.com
• Brandy - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com
• Esmeralda (SilverBlueberry) - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
• Stacy http://formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
• Steph Stargell Designs - http://stephstargell.com

New Items Listed

Have you checked out www.mistyridge.etsy.com lately? If not stop by and take a quick look. I have added a few new items just in time for Christmas shopping and will be adding more all week. Here's just a quick sampling

New items due to be added all week this week stop by and check us out.

All I Want For Christmas Is.....This and This and That oh and Maybe That Too

Dear Santa,
I have tried to be a very good girl this year and I have several things that I would love to have for Christmas. Please put the following things under my name on your list. Remember you should find me on the nice list by the way. Thanks Santa. Take care and fly safe. Can't wait to see what ends up under my tree.

Heather's List of Big Girl Toys

1.This lovely little rolling mill












2. This little PMC and Enameling Kiln

3. These stone setting Burs

4. This gravers set

5. This great little texture wheel

This is just the top 5 on a really large list of toys, oops I mean tools, yeah tools of course, that I would love to give a happy home to. Of course silver wire and sheet are always welcome as well. Please oh please oh please Santa don't forget me and don't skip my house.

Updated info on the Etsy NASA Space Craft Contest

Well wonders never cease. LOL. Hi all I just found out that I am getting another chance at the NASA Etsy space craft contest. Apparently there were some technical issues with the previous judging and voting process. You can see what Etsy has to say about what happened at this link if you're interested

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6694098

I would really appreciate it if you all could possibly take a minute to go vote for my rocket nite lite. It is very important that you be a registered member of Etsy.com in order to vote. You can get info on voting  and a link to register an account here
http:/.../www.etsy.com/nasa

Once you have a registered etsy account, please visit this page to vote for my entry
http://www.etsy.com/voter_list.php?ref=voter&room_id=117

Thanks for all your help. Also it is important that you only vote once otherwise Etsy reserves the right to disqualify an entry that they feel is trying to stack the deck with multiple votes from one person. Please help me pass this along and get as many votes as possible by sharing with your friends and families. Thanks in advance. You guys rock.

Adventures in Metal

Recently Etsy co-hosted a contest with NASA. The contest called for handmade art designed and produced to commemorate the end of the NASA space shuttle program which is scheduled to be terminated in 2011. Now it just so happens that my etsy team, The Aspiring Metalsmiths, also does a monthly design challenge and this months theme required that we step outside our comfort zone and make a non jewelry metals piece. I took this opportunity to design and build a mixed metals collage/sculpture which I submitted to the Etsy contest and will also submit to the AMT monthly challenge as well.
For my entry I designed a nite-lite that features a couple of set stones and an "orbiting" space shuttle and planet. I hand punched the back drop and set a red sea sediment jasper in the upper left hand corner representing a planet, perhaps THE red planet i.e Mars, and a white mother of pearl shell on the lower right to represent the moon. I then etched a small space shuttle and a ringed planet and attached them to opposite ends of a clock hand. By inserting the battery into the clock mechanism, the space shuttle and the planet "orbit" around the etched earth foreground piece.  As the shuttle descends behind the earth the planet is just rising and beginning its journey across the sky. Lastly, I attached a small light fixture to the back of the piece that takes a typical 7 watt nite lite bulb. When the light is turned on the light shines through the punched "stars" and casts a myriad of constellations onto the wall.
I had alot of fun making this piece and will probably try to make more non jewelry items in the future. Until then take a look at these pics and let me know what you think.

Take a look at a video of the rocket and planet in motion at this link
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32112936@N02/5193630953/

Show and Tell - The Aspiring Metalsmiths Monthly Blogroll Project

As I mentioned the other day, I am a member of a wonderful team of jewelry and metals artists called The Aspiring Metalsmiths. This is a great group of metal artists of varying skill levels and years of experience in the craft of handmade jewelry and metals art. The group gets together daily on the Etsy forums to share ideas and inspiration with one another in all aspects of jewelry design and small business marketing. In addition to the daily doses of camaraderie in the Etsy forums, the team shares a blog and flickr pool on which we share pictures of our recent designs and hold monthly design challenges etc. Recently the team decided to begin a monthly blogging project. The way it works is, team members will blog on the 10th of every month on a predetermined topic. At the end of each post the author will include a list of links to team members who have chosen to participate in that months topic so readers can get a variety of unique points of view from a group of like minded individuals. This being the very first installment of the Blogroll Project, the chosen topic is sort of a meet and great with the challenge being to show our workspace. So ready or not, here we go.

I know some of the chatter in the forum the past couple of days has been about teamies cleaning their work-spaces in preparation for this blog challenge. Well be forewarned, I am totally keeping it real and to borrow a phrase from my teammate Clarity, you're getting to see my chaotic workspace in all of its "ghetto-fabulous" glory. LOL  But seriously, this is what the work room looks like currently because 1) I have been extremely busy trying to get ready for a show during the last few weeks and 2) I have been having a flare with my MCTD so every bit of energy that I have had over the last month has gone into actually making new items and working on preparing listings for my etsy shop. So without further ado....
 
I'm really quite lucky because I have an entire spare room that I have been able to dedicate to my work area. Within the room I have set up three basic stations/areas. The first station is my design layout and etching area

The second area is my beading table with all of my many beads and baubles, my hammers, pliers, and other miscellaneous items that always seem to land there.

The third station is where I play with Fire! If you look in the lower left corner you'll see my handy plumbers torch. If you look really close you'll see my two small butane micro torches setting on the table on the right. In the back corner is a bunch of long neglected glass rods for making glass beads.(Note to self: Make some beads already!!! LOL)

Well that's basically it. The only thing missing is the computer station with my desktop computer and my bookcase which is full of magazines and books on jewelry making. So now you've had a glimpse into my chaotic little corner of the universe. I know from the looks of it it's probably hard to believe I ever get anything done at all but I promise it's organized chaos honestly it is.

Now take a few minutes to take a look around the studio spaces of some of my esteemed teammates. Just don't rub it in if theirs is all nice and tidy. LOL

• All Wired Up Jewelry Designs - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
• Brandy, The Frogs Pond - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com/
• Carole Axium - http://www.caroleaxiumdesigns.com/journal/
• Clarity, Scrollwork Designs - http://www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
• Esmeralda, SilverBlueberry - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
• Golden Water Creations - http://www.goldenwatercreations.blogspot.com
• Jessica Lopour - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
• Joy - http://joypeckjoy.blogspot.com/
• Nancy Creations - http://nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
• Stacy (Form and Funktion) - http://formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
• Steph Stargell Designs - http://stephstargell.com
• Sylvia Anderson - http://www.SylviaAnderson.blogspot.com
• Lisa, SandyToesJewelry -   http://sandytoesjewelry.blogspot.com

Back to Blogging

Well I've really neglected the old blog this year. I noticed my last post was way back in March. With the year almost at its end I have vowed to revisit the blog-o-sphere. I'm gonna try to get things back on track here and begin to post again on a regular basis.

So why the long hiatus? Well, it's been a crazy year around here. I am very happy to say that my dad is still recovering very well. This month is the one year anniversary of his laryngectomy surgery. This time last year we were so busy with his nursing care and recovery my mom and I barely had time to breath much less do anything else. He was a very sick fellow but he is improving everyday and is cancer free as far as we know. He is eating now and hopefully the feeding tube will be removed next month. We have been very blessed.

As for me, things are about the same. I have been trying to learn more advanced metal smith techniques to apply to my jewelry. I've been learning to make bezels and set cabochons which has been a lot of fun. I found this wonderful group of artists on Etsy called the Aspiring Metalsmiths. They are a wonderful group of exceptionally talented artisans and have been integral to my learning new jewelry and metal skills. They are so very friendly and forthcoming with wonderful advice and encouragement. Please take a few minutes to check out their beautiful work in there Etsy shops. You can find a list of members and links to each one's shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/teams/5627/aspiring-metalsmiths  
Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

So bear with me and we'll see how this works out. I have some new pieces that I'll be sharing on occasion. I want to try to share some of the neat techniques that I'm learning as well so hopefully there will be some techniques posts coming. I'll try to keep things as interesting as I can and not bore you all to much. I would like to introduce you all to some of the great folks in the AMT and do some feature posts to showcase their amazing work. So hang in there and hopefully we will have a fun and informative blogging year.

Till next time.........

Getting Centered and Reoriented: I Need Your Help

I just checked in on my blog for the first time since my last post which was oh so long ago. I noticed right away that unfortunately I have lost a few followers during my unfortunate hiatus. I have been taking some time during the last couple of months to try to rest and re-center myself. As you know, if you have read any of my last 4 or 5 posts, my family has been dealing with some health issues involving my father. I am so glad to report that he is doing quite well now. His surgical site has healed very well so he is not currently requiring the extensive dressing changes and wound packings. They finally removed his temporary feeding tube that was in his nose and replaced it with a more permanent peg tube which has helped him to be more comfortable. He is slowly regaining strength and is trying to participate more in his own care and feeding. Now that he and my mom are both feeling more comfortable with his care, I have been able to return home. Now, I can provide my nursing services via telephone, which I do on average about once a day ;). (You know I love you mom and dad).

So now I am slowly trying to get back into my routine. I want to get the blog going again and I have been reading up on all of the Etsy storque and forum posts about blogging and improving blog content. So I am posting this evening to ask for your help. Just prior to my forced hiatus, I had developed a blog plan which I was attempting to incorporate. What I would like from you guys is suggestions.

What do you look for in the blogs you follow?
Why did you choose to follow MY blog?
Please help me out here guys. Help me to get my flow going again. I am open to all suggestions so let them rip.

Thanks so very much.

New Photography Shop

Hi all,
Hope all are doing well. Still trying to get back on track here. Trying to get my strength back after helping with dad. He is doing pretty well. He finally got rid of the feeding tube in his nose and they put a permanent feeding tube directly into his stomach. It was an outpatient surgery and everything seems to be going well so far. I think he feels much better not having that constant irritation in his nose and throat. I think now he will be able to do better with his swallowing exercises and hopefully learn to eat again, in time.

In the meantime, I would really appreciate it if you all would take a look at my friends new Photography and Art shop on etsy. She takes some really great photos and alters some of them into some awesome artistic representations of her original photos. I would really love your feedback on the shop and any ideas or suggestions that you may have. She is considering using her photos on other items that could be multi-functional, but isn't really sure as to what others would find most useful. What would you all suggest? Thanks for your input and for taking a look.

 As for my shop, things are still sort of on pause until I can regain enough strength to start producing again. Please keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks a bunch. Have a wonderful day.

Wow! Its been over a month since my last post. First of all Happy New Year to all. I hope everyone had a great Christmas Holiday. The holiday celebrations were postponed around here because it was just too crazy trying to help take care of dad and everything to do the traveling, cooking, baking, etc. Besides, its sort of hard to cook a big celebration dinner and such when you know how bad dad wants to eat but can't. So we have decided that we will have a big get together and celebrate when he can eat and enjoy everything with us.
I am finally at home for the time being. He and mom are doing pretty good with his care now that all of the surgery sites have healed and the trach is gone. The only thing left now is the feeding tube which is about to drive him nuts. I know that he can't wait to get rid of that thing. Unfortunately, the speech therapist said it would have to stay until he can safely swallow enough to maintain his weight and nutritional needs. Hopefully it won't be too much longer.
I am trying to get motivated enough to get back to the shop and get some jewelry pieces made. The stress and physical demands of caring for dad and being away from home for over a month  has really got me down physically. I am really exhausted and my arthritis and colitis are both flaring up really bad. Maybe I will be able to get back on schedule soon. In the meantime I appreciate everyone's kind wishes and prayers. Hope to talk to you all again soon.

Wonderful News

Well we made yet another trip to Winston Salem yesterday for a follow up appointment for dad. The surgeons feel that he is progressing very well. They gave him instructions to begin plugging his trach 24 hours a day and to try to melt ice chips in his mouth and swallow them. If he does well this week with having the trach plugged at all times and can swallow the ice chips without aspirating they plan to remove his trach next week when we go back on Monday. That will be such a wonderful thing for him to get rid of the trach. Then the next step will be to learn to swallow foods safely without aspirating anything and then he can finally eat again. I must say that God is Great. He has blessed us so much throughout this whole experience and I must give Him all the praise and glory.
I am so proud of my dad as well. He has done so well and is working so very hard to get well. I just pray that he will be able to continue to progress. I just wanted to give a quick update. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Hopefully I will be able to get back to doing the featured shop posts and blog giveaways soon. Have a great day.

Just Enough Time for a Quick Update

It seems like it has been forever since I have been able to post. They discharged dad from the hospital this past Wednesday so I have been staying with my parents since then to help mom take care of him. He is really doing very well considering the type of surgery that he had and all of his pathology reports came back clear. As of right now he is cancer free and we found out Monday that he will not need any radiation or chemo follow-up. We have been so very blessed through out this whole experience and have had so many answered prayers. I want to thank all of you who have sent your well wishes and who have kept him and my mom in your prayers, you don't know how much that means to me. I pray that he will continue to recover without any further complications.
Unfortunately, mom and pops aren't very computer savvy and I have no internet access while I am staying with them. I came home last night so that I could take care of some things that I just couldn't postpone or reschedule but will be going back later this evening. My friend has been keeping an eye on the shop and will be letting me know if and when any orders are placed. So we are technically still open for business but new item listings have been postponed until I can get a little more free time. Looks like I will be missing out on another Christmas shopping season but that's ok. Family always comes first. Hope that all is well with you and yours. Have a great Thanksgiving. I will post again as soon as I get a chance.

What's Up

Well we got some good news. Dad's pathology report came back totally clear which means they were able to get all of the cancer during the surgery. The lymph nodes and everything were negative. God is good. As for the shop and blog and all of that I am trying to work on new pieces for a show at the end of the month. I will be going to stay with my mom and dad for a few days so I will be away from the shop without any internet access until I get back home so I plan to put the shop in vacation mode. I will be able to take some of my jewelry making supplies and tools and work on some wire wrapped pieces. Hopefully when I return home I will have a few new pieces ready to post in the shop. I have been working on some new etched designs and playing around with some enamels so I am pretty excited to share those. So just bear with me for the next couple of days until I can get mom and dad settled at home and make sure that they are comfortable enough to be alone. Please continue to send your good thoughts and lots of prayers their way. He still has a lot of healing and rehab to do yet. Thanks for all of the well wishes and for keeping us in your thoughts. Talk to you all soon.

I Have Gotten a Little Bit Off Track

Good Morning Everyone,
Just wanted to make a quick post to apologize for not being able to keep up with the giveaways and featured artists segments. I have gotten a little off track with the blog posts recently. They moved my dad's surgery up by almost a week so I have been at the hospital almost all day every day with the exception of yesterday and today. I haven't had the time or the access to the web to keep things going on schedule and I apologize. Hopefully things will return to "normal" soon. Dad is doing really well with his recovery so we are hoping he will get to go home soon. Thanks to everyone for all of their well wishes and prayers. They truly do mean a lot to me. Well gotta run. Have a great day.

The Winner of the Little Girls Reversible Red Pinafor Dress from ArtsyCrafty

Thank you so much to all who entered in the giveaway for the adorable little girls pinafore dress from Artsycrafty. I really appreciate all of your support and participation. If we continue to have good participation then we can continue to have great items donated for giveaways so keep it up guys you all are the greatest.

So without further ado, the winner is.......  

Bombtastic Belle  !!!!

Congratulations.  Judy the owner of Artsy Crafty will be in touch with you soon via the contact info that you provided in order to get your ship to information. I hope that you will be pleased with the dress. Thank you so much for your participation. Congratulations once again.

***As always the winner was determined using the list randomizer at Random.org. I will be more than happy to provide a copy of the randomized list to anyone who wishes to see it. Just let me know and I can send it to you via an email attachment. Thanks***

Meandering Mondays: How to Make Your Purchases on Etsy --Step-by-Step Instructions

Check out step by step
If you have recently made a purchase from a merchant on Etsy and you received a reminder email stating that you haven't paid for the purchase please do not be offended. Often new members to the Etsy community (and sometimes even us Etsy veterans) don't realize that their transaction is not complete until they reach the Etsy screen with a large green check mark beside the caption ' Paid using Paypal'  for items from each merchant they have chosen to purchase from. (You can see an example of this screen at the link in step 5 below).

STEP 1)
You can go back to the check out for your item when logged in to Etsy, click on the grey 'your Etsy' tab at the top of the screen when you log into to your Etsy account and click on 'purchases', in blue, at the top left corner.

STEP 2)
After you filled in your address you see an option with 'pay now with Paypal' That's the button you should click for both credit card or Paypal account payments (even if you don't have a Paypal account you still have to click on the 'pay now with Paypal' button because Paypal is also the company who processes all credit card transactions for the Etsy site). See it here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/starrydesigns/385498824/in/set-72157594527812262/

STEP 3)
This takes you to Paypal. You'll see a screen where you can choose your payment method. If there's currently no money in your Paypal account, or you do not have a Paypal account, you can also choose to use your credit card in the bottom part of the screen: http://www.flickr.com/photos/starrydesigns/365363424/in/set-72157594527812262/

STEP 4)
If you have a Paypal account, you click  'login' on the right hand of the screen as seen here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/starrydesigns/365363424/in/set-72157594527812262/
when you click on 'Login' you will go to this screen,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/starrydesigns/385502008/in/set-72157594527812262/
Now click on the orange button that says 'Pay $XX Now' and the amount of your transaction will be deducted from your Paypal account.

If you don not have a Paypal account then you should have clicked on the 'continue' option (in blue) on the left hand of the screen seen in Step 3:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/starrydesigns/365363424/in/set-72157594527812262/
That will take you to this screen:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/starrydesigns/365363426/in/set-72157594527812262/
Here you will enter all of your credit card and ship to information then click on the orange button at the bottom that says 'Review order and Continue'.

STEP 5)
After you click on either the orange 'Pay $XX Now' button when using a Paypal account OR the orange 'Review order and Continue' button when using a Credit Card, you should be redirected back to Etsy to this screen:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/starrydesigns/385502011/in/set-72157594527812262/
Here you should see a large green check mark beside the caption 'Paid using Paypal' if you see the check mark and caption then your transaction has been completed successfully and payment has been sent to the seller. If you do not see the green check and the caption then no money has been sent to the seller and your items are not paid for yet. If you are still having trouble contact the shop owner that you are trying to purchase from for additional help in finalizing your payment. I am sure they would be more than glad to assist you.

A version of this was recently posted in the forums on Etsy in response to the number of non-paying buyers. (I did take the liberty of making a few changes to make certain points a little easier to understand) In the majority of cases, the buyers aren't intentionally not paying for their purchases but rather they are unsure of how to follow through with the Etsy checkout system to completion and payment finalization, particularly in the case of customers who are brand new to the Etsy community. I want to thank Kinchi for posting this for us in the forums as well as Starrydesigns for the great screen shots. I hope this will help others to get a working knowledge of how the Etsy process works. I know that it is a lot of steps but after you have successfully completed a couple of transactions you will have it down pat.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope it is of some help to someone. If you are a shop owner who knows people who are interested in your items but they are uncomfortable with the Etsy procedures please feel free to share this with them.

Wordless Wednesday: EJ meets the Geese

EJ is my little 20lb terrier/chihuahua mix who thinks he is Rottweiler; these geese totally messed with his self image

Bless him. This was his first camping trip. He wasn't sure what to do with himself.

This is much more his style:

(yes he has to take his toy's to bed)

Anyone else seeing a common theme here?

LOL

***CLOSED***Meandering Mondays: Handmade Reversible Little Girls Pinafore Giveaway

Thank you for your interest. The giveaway is now closed as of Nov. 3rd, 2009 at 8 P.M. EST

Good Morning,

In her etsy shop at www.ArtsyCrafty.etsy.com, Judy S. has many really cute handmade garments for both boys and girls in preemie, infant and toddler sizes. She was nice enough to donate an adorable handmade little girls pinafore for this weeks blog giveaway. In case you aren't familiar with this term, a pinafore is what is commonly referred to as a jumper. It is a  sleeveless, collarless dress intended to be worn over a blouse, shirt or sweater. The pinafore, that Judy has so graciously donated, is a toddler's size 2 and is reversible which means you are essentially getting two outfits in one.

One side is solid red with an adorable applique of a reindeer wrapped up in Christmas lights  and the reverse side is a red and cream stripe fabric with an embroidered definition of girl, which reads "girl, n.: curls with giggles". Both fabrics are 100% cotton. The red solid side is baby wale corduroy.  The pinafore has button closures on both the straps and the sides. You could pair this with a solid white or solid green long sleeve onesie to make an excellent holiday gift or keep it for your own little one as a perfect holiday outfit.

So now I know you want to know how to win this adorable handmade garment. Well here are the giveaway entry rules:

HOW TO ENTER. (MANDATORY)
To enter visit Judy's shop, ArtsyCrafty, and leave me a comment on this post telling me which item in her shop is your favorite and leave me a link to the item in your comment. 

Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you if you win!

EXTRA ENTRIES- Each of these must be left as a separate comment

1 - Follow my blog (if you are already following me leave a comment letting me know).
1 - Follow Judy' on Twitter
1 - Follow me on Twitter AND leave your twitter name in your comment
1 - Tweet this giveaway
1 - Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to the post here.
1 - Place my button on your blog.
1 - Post about this give away on facebook then leave me a comment with a link to the post.
1 – Become a fan of Misty Ridge Designs on facebook AND leave your facebook name in your comment
1- Sign up for my email newsletter for news once a month about new items in my shop, special promotions for subscribers only and other great bonuses.
1- Agree to donate an item and sponsor a future giveaway on my blog.
Please use the email me link in the left sidebar under Giveaway Stats. If you agree to sponsor a future giveaway you MUST accept the terms as listed at the end of this post under the heading For Potential Sponsors

***Special Bonus Worth 5  Additional Entries*** 
 If you make a purchase from Judy's shop between Oct. 26th and Nov. 4th you will receive 5 additional entries WHEN your payment clears. Leave me a comment letting me know that you purchased an item from ArtsyCrafty and once I verify with Judy that the payment has cleared then I will add your name to the "hat" 5 more times.

That allows each entrant up to 16 total chances at snagging this great prize!

Leave a SEPARATE comment for EACH entry you qualify for. You must have completed the first entry according to the instructions to be eligible for any bonus entries.

*****NOTICE*****. 
This giveaway is open to US and International participants. This giveaway begins today and will end on Teusday November 3rd, 2009 at 7pm EST.  The winner will be determined using the free random list generator at www.random.org. Your name will be added to the list one time for each eligible entry that you submit. I will post the winner here on my blog on Thurs. Nov. 5th.

Only comments containing all of the requested information will be eligible for entry. The winner must contact me to confirm they wish to receive the prize, and to provide me with the mailing address to which you wish the item to be mailed, within two days of my email notifying you that you have won. If you fail to contact me within two days of being notified of winning you will forfeit the prize and it will be awarded to the next person on the randomly generated list of entrants. 
The winner will receive the item directly from the giveaway sponsor (Judy). I will forward your mailing information to her and she will ship the item to you. 

 For Potential Sponsors
I never ask that a giveaway sponsor send me any merchandise personally. It is the responsibility of the sponsor to pay shipping charges and to ensure that the item is shipped in a timely manner. For this reason each sponsor determines if a giveaway will or will not be open to international participants.
 

Good luck to everyone!


***Note on the JaneasJewels Giveaway***
In my opinion, the last giveaway was a great success. We had 190 entries from a total of 73 unique participants. That means that the etsy shop owner who sponsored the giveaway and donated the free item received at least 73 unique visits to her shop. I will have more specific stats about the amount of traffic that the giveaway generated for last weeks sponsor in the next few days and I will post them in the left side bar. Please check back to see what effect the giveaway had on Janaes etsy shop. I hope others will consider sponsoring a giveaway as well.

Fridays Featured Artist: Kiki from Kikisthings.etsy.com

Todays featured etsy artist Kiki from  Kikisthings. Kiki makes awesome children's  dress up clothes and costumes. As she says in the interview "They're not just for Halloween anymore", they are great for themed birthday parties, school plays and functions, or just for longs days of pretend and play. So take a moment to relax and meet Kiki as she describes her shop, her wonderful items, and how she got started in the Etsy community. Make sure you take a moment to check out her great shop too. Thanks and have a great day.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. (Please include your location)

Well, I'm currently living back at home, just outside of Philadelphia PA with my dad and my dog, Hemi. Right now I spend most of my time in the spare bedroom-turned studio. When I'm not sewing I love gardening and just being outside doing just about anything. I'm one of those "can't sit still" people. 

Tell us about your art/craft. What is it that you create

I make handmade children's dress up clothing and cstumes. Notice that I say dress up clothing--They're not just for Halloween anymore! 

How long have you been doing this? What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I've been running Kiki's Things since 2006. I started with winter hats. Stocking caps, character hats, just crazy pompom hats. But I really began making the costumes years ago. It was the summer after High School with nothing to do and my mom suggested I make up some costumes and sell them at the local community day. They were an instant hit! So I did that for a while but it was only at Halloween (pre internet) so I really couldn't make a living at it. Eventually I drifted away from that business and did other things. I came back to sewing in 2006. I was in a not so good marriage and needed something to do so I started Kiki's things. If you want to know how long I have been sewing... I don't ever remember not sewing...

Are you the only artist/crafter in your family or does it run in the genes?

NO WAY! Everyone in my family does something... One grand mom does hook rugs and is excellent at crocheting, the other grand mom does embroidery and ceramics, and mom is always coming up with some little crafty thing...

Is your art/craft your full time job? If not, what else do you do for a living?

As of June of this year Kiki's Things has been my full time job. I lost my day job and decided to give this a go. It's been so much better than I could have imagined! Its long hours but I LOVE it!

Who or what inspires or influences your work?

Well, I'm always looking to see what kids are in to. (I have none of my own) I look at the toy sections of the stores and also I just listen to what people are asking for. For example, my Mermaid Tail Towels, Last year was my first year on Etsy and I can't tell you how many times I heard "I'm so happy to have a Mermaid Costume- now I don't have to tie a towel around her to pretend" or something like that. That gave me the idea of the mermaid towel. Things like that influence me a lot

Is there anyone you would like to thank for being your biggest fan/supporter/cheerleader?

Well, that's an easy one.... My Family! Mom for giving me the idea, Dad for putting up with Kiki's Things being in his house, Aunts, Uncles cousins who help spread the word!

How did you learn your art/craft?

I learned from my mom at the beginning. When I was little she made a lot of my clothes and I was always "helping"

Do you have any formal training or education in fashion design?

I do. In High School we still had sewing class which I just about lived in. Then I went to The Craft Fashion Institute (a trade school) to learn Tailoring. I also attended the University of The Arts, here in Philadelphia where I majored in Photography. I'm much more of a Fine Art Photographer than a studio photographer. I think the study of Photography gives me the eye for detail that I use in creating these costumes. My art background, I think, gives me the ability to look at a cartoon and pick out the necessary elements to make the costume on sight.

You make and sell several different types/lines of children's costumes.  Which do you find yourself most drawn to and why?

I'm really proud of all of my works. I'm most proud of the things that are totally "mine" like the mermaid tails, the binkie-pahnts simply because they are my own ideas that people happen to like enough to purchase. That's an awesome feeling!

What is your favorite material or medium to work with?

Plain old simple cotton. It's so easy to work and you can make it do just about anything, it can be plain or fancy. It's my fav.

What advice would you give to someone who would like to try to learn your craft? Are there any hazards or dangers associated with your art/craft, for example working with certain materials or tools, etc.?

I would say that you just have to try it and start simple. Make a pillow first don't try to make a wedding dress your first time out. Sewing is pretty safe. I mean I do have cuts  from not being careful with the scissors and I stab myself with pins (not on purpose, of course) a lot but I'm not the most graceful so that's just me.

On average how long would you say it takes you to complete a piece?
Most of my pieces take about 1.5 -2 hours from start to finish.

What is your favorite item from your shop? Why?
I Love my Mermaids, both the costumes and the Towels.  I think I love the costumes because they were one of the first things I made way back when... and like I said, the tails are totally designed by me.

Can you describe for us your creative process and or what a typical day is like in your studio.
Right now my day starts around 7:30 am; I answer emails, do some online marketing and pull out items to be packed for shipping. Then I just sew, sew, and sew. Walk Hemi (my dog) at lunch time, then more sewing. I usually take a couple of hours off around dinner and just chill out. I'll answer more emails and do more marketing in the evening. I also get myself ready for the next day by cutting out and lining up items to be made for the next day.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat.....

What motivates you to create?
 I have no idea. It's just something I feel I need to do. Like breathing for me...

Do you do custom requests for your art?

I do most of my work this way. I've made ghosts, candy costumes, dogs, cats, video game characters, you name it...

What is the most unusual custom request you have gotten?
Last year I was asked to make a Hurricane for a 6 month old baby. I pulled it off and it actually came out really cute.

How did you discover etsy?
Last year my mom gave me an article from, I think, the Wall Street Journal talking about etsy and a few other online venues for crafters (I told you this was all her idea). I read the article and checked it out. .The rest is history...

How do you promote your business?
Anywhere I see an opportunity to promote I do. On line (if it's free it's me) I'm on Facebook, Craig's list, Twitter. I post to the Etsy forums almost daily, I do craft shows where I make sure everyone who comes to my booth leaves with something with my web site on it. I even put up flyers on community bulletin boards.

Knowing what you know now about online selling and running your own business, if you could start all over from scratch would you do anything differently?
I would never have stopped like I did in the beginning. I wish I was a little more organized but that's just how I am. (I know where everything is!)

Do you have any advice for other artists?
No matter what other people say, just keep doing what you feel you need to do to express yourself. And never stop trying...

Where else can we find you online and/or locally (i.e galleries, boutiques, etc.)?
 In addition to Etsy, I'm on Artfire. www.kikisthings.artfire.com
I have my own site www.kikisthings.com as well as several consignment shops on line.
I'm always looking for new places and boutiques!!

Who are some of your favorite Etsy sellers or indie artists?
PEEKO apparel & vintage I love her clothes!
Carolhanna- She's on Project Runway- what's not to love!
HollywoodSpotlight- has great vintage jewellery!
There's just too many on Etsy to mention!


Kiki's Things
www.kikisthings.com
www.kikisthings.etsy.com
www.kikisthings.artfire.com
kiki@kikisthings.com