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Originally uploaded by lemachidesigns

One of my Etsy Boomers and Beyond buddies has done this beautiful ACEO on felt. I just love the image and the colors!

Interview with a Talented Artist ~ sixsisters

This is the fourth in my interview series with talented Etsy and other independent artists. Recently I had the privilege of interviewing Joan (Six Sisters ) Her artwork is spectacular. If you are looking for something unique with a bit of whimsy and magic, take a look at Six Sisters' shop!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born and raised in Philly. I attended the Univ of the Arts and got my BFA in Art Education. I marrieda few years later and moved out west. I started raising a family and art took a backseat. I moved back east after a divorce and I love being back in the city.

2. Tell us about your current work and anything else you have in the works.

I do a lot of watercolor and drawing. At present my shop has many fantasy centered works. I am startingto get into polymer clay. I want to make some fantasy pieces in a new medium. I sell at a shop in Philly called VIX Emporium.

3. What prompted you to open an Etsy shop?


I saw an article in the local paper about a artist who was selling at Etsy. So that day I decided I wanted to try it. I had tried another online shop but wasn't happy with the experience. This fit perfectly.

4. How long have you had your Etsy shop?

It will be a year on July 28th. It is hard to believe.

5. Tell us about your Etsy shop. What is the name of your shop and what do you offer there?

The name of my shop is Sixsisters. I am one of six girls so the name seemed to fit. It is easy to say and remember. I sell paintings, collages, cards, aceo's and drawings. I hope to have more candles and some items to support breast cancer awareness. My niece died of breast cancer at the age of 26. So I want to be able to raise some money for that.

6. Do you have a favorite medium? If so, what and why?


My favorite is pen and ink. I love the way the ink flows onto the paper It is so immediate. No erasures there! I do have some skill that I have developed in that area. I guess that is why I enjoy it so much.

7. Was there a Major influence in your life?

I loved the work of Kathe Kollwitz. She brought so much emotion to her prints. They were very political because of the times but they are so relevant for today too. Themes of women and children and war.

Learn more about Kathe Kollwitz.

8. What inspires you?

I get inspiration from music and reading. Everyday life and the people around me. I am an observer and like to watch people's gestures and the way they stand or move their arms.

9. What are your favorite materials?


Paper and pencil. Everything I do begins with drawing. I would be lost if I could not draw. I have learned so much from that.

10. Are there any materials you consider a MUST-HAVE for your art?


Good paper is a must have. It has to be of good quality or I don't think the work looks good.

11. How do you promote your goods?


This is one area I really need to improve on. I am afraid I am at a loss as to what to do to promote myself. I have tried several things. I need to be more aggressive about it.

12. What is the most important lesson you've learned since you started selling you own creations?


That the journey is the best part. Be present and enjoy everything and everyone you meet. You never know what will happen or where it will take you.

13. What advice would you give to others who are thinking about or have just opened an Etsy shop?

I don't like giving advice. One thing I would say is that you need to be honest with yourself and try to enjoy the people. There is more to life than money.

14. Do you have a favorite Etsy artist?

That is too hard to answer. I have many favorites and I wouldn't want to hurt anyone.

There is so much talent and creativity at Etsy.

For stunning aceos, watercolors and collages, visit Six Sisters Etsy shop. Joan's handmade items are so special!

Many thanks to Joan aka sixsisters for granting this interview and for sharing her designs and inspiration!

Paulette at Paper Nosh

If you want true paper luxury, be sure to visit my friend Paulette's shop, Paper Nosh on Etsy. She is an extremely talented artist who makes paper luxuries, giclees and rubber stamps. Don't be fooled by lookalikes. Paulette's designs are the originals.

Here is one of Paulette's original pieces:

From Paulette's shop:

The Castle In the Mists ~ My interpretation of a dream like French Castle done to look like an old antiquarian book cover.

This is a Giclee, stretched and mounted canvas, 18 x 24. Attention has been paid to the finest and most magical details. Second image is a close up of the crown in the Castle Crest.

Gorgeous giclee (pronounced "zee-clay") canvas print, stretched and mounted and ready to hang. This is a digital (large format) print that is produced by the application of millions of tiny ink droplets sprayed onto canvas. The archival based inks used are specially formulated so that the fine print can last from 100 to 200 years. The visual quality of the print is extremely high and the color saturation and definition are stunning. A museum quality mount has been done and the staples are hidden.

No watermark will appear on your finished piece. The 3-D effect on the image is just to give you an idea of dimension on the finished canvas piece.

Click on the pic to go to Paulette's shop. Her business is expanding so quickly, that she is in the process of re-vamping. She will be adding more products soon but be sure to Mark her as a Favorite!

Mother's Day - Who the heck is Anna Jarvis and why should we care?

Hi everyone! Mother's Day is our EtsyBloggers blog carnival theme this week and it is a topic close to my heart. My grandmother, Bee, attended the very first Mother's day in Grafton, West Virginia in 1908. Anna Jarvis was the lady who started Mother's Day to honor her own mother, Ann Jarvis and she started it in Grafton because it was her mother's hometown. Bee attended Mrs. Jarvis's Sunday School class and had her picture taken in 1911 as part of the Ann Jarvis Memorial Sunday School Class. The picture represented the group of all children who had ever been taught in Sunday School by Mrs. Jarvis and my grandmother was one of the youngest in the picture since Mrs. Jarvis taught Sunday School for many years. Bee remembered that Mother's Day in 1908 very well even though she was only 6 years old. Anna Jarvis sent carnations for all the members of the congregation that Sunday. The day was also celebrated in Philadelphia since that was where Anna was living at the time, however, the service in Grafton began a half hour before the service in Philadelphia making Grafton the home of Mother's Day. Andrews Methodist Church, where that first Mother's Day was celebrated (and where Bee's grandfather was pastor for many years) is called the National Mother's Day Shrine. Here are some pictures of the church.

The interior of the National Mother's Day Shrine

The beautiful stained glass window Bee's parents gave to the church in the late 1800's

Four of the original Sunday School chairs from Ann Jarvis's class.

The downstairs room with Ann and Anna Jarvis memorabilia and the letter from President Wilson stating that he proclaimed Mother's Day a national holiday but saying that he would not actually be the one to make the formal public proclamation because he wasn't good at making proclamations (really a remarkable letter from a sitting president)

It is a beautiful church and if you ever get to Grafton, WV, I hope you will stop by to see it.

Anna Jarvis loved her mother and wanted to honor her but more than that she wanted all mothers to be honored. Without Anna's persistence, we would not have a national Mother's Day and that is why we should care. As a side note, Anna lived to see Mother's Day become a commercial success and was dismayed with all the commercialism. Anna's original idea was that this day should be a day where we spend time with our mothers, do some public service or just participate in something that would honor our mothers.

I also wanted to honor my own mother with this post. Mother's Day is a bittersweet day for me. Mother was the best mother a person could have and she passed away on Mother's Day in 2006. Mother was my first home, my first friend, my first enemy. She became my best friend. I miss her with all my being.

Mother, c. 1950 when she was a teacher in Baltimore County, Maryland.

Another Day & a Basic Etsy Tutorial

Well, another day and we are still not back in business. Our website developer had planned to go on vacation this week so what a terrible time for this to happen. I am not really getting anywhere with iPower and so it is just a waiting game now.

In the meantime, I have been creating (or trying to - LOL) and browsing the various blogs and Etsy shops. There are so many cool products out there and so many talented people. If you are creative, you might want to take a look at Etsy and open up a shop. There is not much initial investment other than your materials, creativity and 20 cent listing fee per item (there is a back-end fee and a Paypal fee if you decide to use PayPal but both fees are paid after you have been paid by your buyer).

Here is a really quick tutorial on Etsy. I am not an Etsy expert so this is very basic as far as what you need to open a shop. First, you need an account but you just go to Etsy and click Register at the top of the main page. Registration is free and all you will need is a shop name, a password and an email address and you are all set. Please take a little bit of time in choosing your name though because once you choose it you cannot change it. My name is PaperFields and it must be run together like that for registration purposes. In your actual shop when you title it you can separate the words.

Next is setting up your shop. You go to My Etsy and on the left is the navigation bar and that is where you will find Shop Setup, Profile, New Items, etc. To setup your shop, you will click Shop Setup > Appearance. You will input your shop name and then you probably will want to have a banner at the top of your shop. Banners have to be 760 x 100 pixels. I have a graphics designer who does most of my graphics and a normal fee would be about $25.00-$30.00.

Then you will want to introduce yourself in the Shop Announcement and tell everyone a little about yourself so just prepare as small or large a blurb as you would like.

You can decide if you want to take custom orders or not. I have decided not to offer them for the time being. You will click a box for yes or no. Then there is a box for Alchemy Announcement. This is just a place where you let folks know that you don't take custom orders or, if you do, you tell them what you are willing to do as far as special order requests (there is another part of this but as a beginner you do not have to worry about it unless and until you are ready). Finally there is a message to Buyers. It usually is a thank you and a reiteration of your policies.

As far as policies, I use my Profile to tell folks my policies. I also use the Profile page to tell people about any other websites I have, groups I belong to and my blogs. You can also inform people about your copyright.

Now that you are all setup, you will want to start adding items. It is actually pretty simple. In the left navigation bar, you click Items > Add New Item.

• Title & Description: You will need a title and description of your item and the materials you use.
• Tags: You will want to add tags so people doing a search can find your items. If you make handbags, you could use the tags handbags, purses, totes, etc.
• Choosing a Category: You will need to choose a main category for your item and this is easily done by choosing a category from a list of categories in a drop-down box. (you can only choose one category per item but if your items fit into more than one category like my cards which could go in Paper Goods or Art, you can list one item in one category and another item in another category to get the most exposure)
• Shipping Costs and Carriers: Next, you will decide on your shipping costs. I include shipping with my cards and only ship to the United States. Until you are familiar with shipping, you might want to stick to shipping to your own country. You don't have to choose a shipping service but it is a good idea to let people know how you are going to ship their products wherever you have your policies listed. As you add your first item, you will come to a page where you can actually choose a shipping profile, designating what countries you will ship to, how much shipping is and how much additional if any you are going to charge if people purchase more than one item.
• Adding a Photo: You will also come to a page where you will upload a photo of your item. You just take the photo directly from your computer and upload it.
• Payment Methods: You will have to decide what payment methods you are going to use. PayPal is really a must-do because people can pay with their PayPal accounts or their credit cards but you can also decide to take personal checks and money orders. I take personal checks with all my businesses and have not received a bad check yet. You just wait until the funds clear before shipping and let folks know that is what you are going to do.
• How Much to Charge: One more thing you will have to do is designate price per item and how many of that particular item you have for sale. You can easily do a search of like items to see what others are charging for items like yours. As mentioned previously, the charge is 20 cents per item.

I know it sounds kind of complicated but it really isn't. Once you get into it you will see that all is pretty much self-explanatory. Getting your shop setup is really enough for one sitting and you can always add your items another day.

If you are creative and want an outlet to sell your handmade goods, Etsy is the place to be! Join some Street Groups, socialize, learn your way around and have fun! Remember to try to do something creative each day!

Interview with a Talented Artist ~ storybeader

This begins my interview series with talented Etsy artists

Recently I had the privilege of interviewing Deb (storybeader ) Her creations are spectacular and as an added bonus she always writes a Haiku to go along with each piece. Purchasing one of her lovely jewelry pieces is much more than purchasing a piece of art; it is to be a story keeper.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born and raised in NJ and moved to Okla. 28 years ago. I work in a museum in southwest Oklahoma, and have a home that I share with my husband and dog.

2. Tell us about your current work and anything else you have in the works.

Well, I love fetishes and treasure necklaces, and I have been experimenting with them. I would love to get into soldering, and hope to take some classes this year.

Turtle treasure necklace

Black Turtle found the
Treasure chest, and made fast friends
With the fetish drops.
- Deborah Baroff, the Storybeader

3. What prompted you to open an Etsy shop?

I tried selling on eBay, but couldn't afford the fees, etc. People didn't appreciate my work and the time involved in my pieces (and that store wasn't going anywhere). I also liked the community atmosphere on Etsy.

4. How long have you had your Etsy Shop?

just a few months. I started in Feb of this year.

5. Tell us about your Etsy shop. What do you offer there?

most of my pieces fall under the jewelry heading - or what I like to call "wearable art" - necklaces, bracelets, earrings. I have a few misc. things, I call "other fun stuff." And of course, the storybeader writes haiku, and I put that in the descriptions.

Black Birds Treasure Necklace

In the French forest,

Blackbirds spied white petals through

The colorful trees.

- Deborah Baroff, the storybeader

6. Was there a major influence in your life?

I think my mother was my major influence in my life, and being very sick for a short period as a child.

7. What inspires you?

Colors and words.

8. Where do you create?

I am usually in my house - a homebody, for sure.

9. How did you learn your craft?

Most of what I've learned has been trial and error. Also, a class or two, and some on-line tutorials.

10. What inspires your stories that accompany your creations?

A story will come to mind, spotlighting the focal piece of the necklace, and I fit the words into a haiku.

11. What are your favorite materials?

fetishes and turquoise

12. Are there any materials you consider a MUST-HAVE?

No, not really. There's a fairy tale quality about my jewelry; things are always changing and staying constant at the same time. My favorite colors are a constant - I don't always use the latest fashion color.

13. How do you promote your goods?

I don't spend a lot of time at promotion. Since I work 40+ hours/week at my day job, the internet is a convenient outlet. I sell my pieces on consignment at my museum, and participate in a few art shows/craft fairs during the year. I like to give my jewelry to my favorite charities, which I consider promotion. Etsy is perfect for me, and I love the etsybloggers. I am a member of the oketsies, but don't have the time or $$ to travel and participate in all the things they want to do.

14. What has been the most important lesson you've learned since you started selling your own creations?

People don't always like the pieces I like best. I might have my favorite pieces out at a craft show, and put something down I don't really like, and BAM, it gets picked up first thing. Just to show, everyone is different!

15. What advice would you give to others who are thinking about or have just opened an Etsy shop?

Don't feel bad if your pieces don't fly out of your shop. We are going through bad times right now, and people are cutting back. Also, like a said above, it takes all kinds.

16. Do you have any favorite Etsy artists?

There is a lot of beautiful artwork on Etsy. With jewelry: I just ran across yellowplum beads and walrustusk, who both make great pieces with seed beads. And Wildeyeddesign just has a few things, but they're outrageously fun. Gracegraphics is a fellow Okie, who makes cards with seeds embedded in them. Anyone who can mixed their art and the environment like she does is a favorite of mine.

“Doves Rising”

The young woman looked
Out the tipi towards the white
Doves and rising sun.
- Deborah Baroff, the Storybeader

Native Americans face their tipi to the east. This way, when a person first goes out in the morning, they will be greeted by the sun.

For a real treat, visit storybeader's Etsy shop. You are sure to find something you cannot live without!

Many thanks to Deb aka storybeader for granting this interview.

Branching out with these plain janes

I have decided to branch out with my cards and make some plain janes. This cute little Robot card is off white, measures approximately 5.5" x 5.5" and is hand stamped. This is a cute card to send to just about anybody because, well, s$#t happens! As soon as I get more cards in this line they will be available in my Etsy shop. PaperFields.

NEW Serendipity Shoutout

I just added a shoutout box so feel free to leave a message - just any little thing you would like to say. The box is on the right navigation bar just after Find Me on Etsy. I would love to hear from you!

Time Out for a Commercial Announcement

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Be sure to visit JustSpiffy.com. They are terrific!