<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/" xmlns:blogger="http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0" version="2.0"><channel><atom:id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102</atom:id><lastBuildDate>Fri, 01 Nov 2024 10:40:06 +0000</lastBuildDate><category>etsy</category><category>jewelry</category><category>NoraByDesign</category><category>Six Sisters</category><category>aceo</category><category>boutique banter</category><category>cards</category><category>collage</category><category>fabric</category><category>gifts</category><category>haiku</category><category>home decor</category><category>nancygamon</category><category>online shop</category><category>polymer clay</category><category>serendipity collections</category><category>sewing</category><category>sixsisters</category><category>storybeader</category><category>treasure necklace</category><category>watercolor</category><title>serendipity collections handmade</title><description></description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/</link><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>28</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-1705150332161453763</guid><pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:12:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-08-15T13:12:20.658-04:00</atom:updated><title>MaggiB Turquoise Paisley 2-Way</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.serendipitycollections.com/maggib-turquoise-paisley-2way-tote-p-944.html&quot;&gt;MaggiB Turquoise Paisley 2-Way&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shared via &lt;a href=&quot;http://addthis.com&quot;&gt;AddThis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2009/08/maggib-turquoise-paisley-2-way.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-3599821568885388233</guid><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:30:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-08-11T23:30:18.427-04:00</atom:updated><title>&amp;quot;Ultimate Summer Read&amp;quot; Bookmark</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbguess/3786609120/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2612/3786609120_60bf756836_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbguess/3786609120/&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Ultimate Summer Read&amp;quot; Bookmark&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/jbguess/&quot;&gt;jbguess&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;I absolutely LOVE this bookmark. Jessie is so creative. Visit her shop at http://jbguess.etsy.com to see all her wonderful works of art.&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2009/08/summer-read-bookmark.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2612/3786609120_60bf756836_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-979661167601513777</guid><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:58:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-03-12T09:18:39.500-04:00</atom:updated><title>New site - Spoonflower</title><description>Thanks to my friend, Anna of &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.misosouper.com/&quot; target=&quot;&#39;0&quot;&gt;misosouper&lt;/a&gt; I found out about a new site called Spoonflower. There you can create your own custom fabric. It is just the coolest thing! You need to create an account before you can upload your designs on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.spoonflower.com/&quot; target=&quot;0&quot;&gt;Spoonflower&lt;/a&gt; but it is easy. They require your email address, name and username. You will receive a confirmation email and then you click a link to accept. Once you do that you will be taken to the site and asked to create a password. That is all there is to it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They run a weekly contest showing about 5 or 6 fabric patterns designed by their users and then you vote for your fave.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some recent designs on Spoonflower:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/fabric300.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here is how it works. You upload your design and they will put it on fabric for you. Once you have uploaded your design, you will be able to see your fabric with a repeat. The cost per yard (42&quot; x 36&quot;) is $18.00. You can order an 8&quot; x 8&quot; swatch for $5.00. They are currently in Beta so you cannot purchase other folks designs but they say that will change once they are out of Beta.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;A pretty teacup design on Spoonflower&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/teacup300s.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don&#39;t miss Spoonflower!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2009/03/new-site-spoonflower.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><thr:total>2</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-4686504977123203525</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:18:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-03-09T19:18:09.251-04:00</atom:updated><title>Serendipity Sampler</title><description>&lt;embed type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; wmode=&quot;transparent&quot; src=&quot;http://w29.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/ecae9c35.pbw&quot; height=&quot;360&quot; width=&quot;480&quot;&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2009/03/serendipity-sampler.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-1750014712181935991</guid><pubDate>Sun, 22 Jun 2008 03:26:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-22T00:12:29.294-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">etsy</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">fabric</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">home decor</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">nancygamon</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">sewing</category><title>Interview with a Talented Artist ~ nancygamon</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-o0kw_bOK2DA0eIugVGoRFcya7IXvLBoQFGit_ez-ou8Efq0HzexVO7X4hnvWrT10v8t5CEDIFzAzCrlNmfmpfMvxpC2OUUMbzR-bxPfvadDj-GM_IgGvl_uqsqg2CmVjIRCYUv9w_CB/s1600-h/iusb_760x100_5538743small.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214553121064430498&quot; style=&quot;DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-o0kw_bOK2DA0eIugVGoRFcya7IXvLBoQFGit_ez-ou8Efq0HzexVO7X4hnvWrT10v8t5CEDIFzAzCrlNmfmpfMvxpC2OUUMbzR-bxPfvadDj-GM_IgGvl_uqsqg2CmVjIRCYUv9w_CB/s320/iusb_760x100_5538743small.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;This is the fifth in my interview series with talented Etsy and other independent artists. Recently I had the privilege of interviewing Nancy (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=48125&quot; target=&quot;0&quot;&gt;nancygamon&lt;/a&gt; ) Her artistic apparel and home decor are colorful, vibrant and unique. If you are looking for something truly special, take a look at nancygamon&#39;s shop!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I’m an earthy sort of gal - I have a reel mower and a compost pile, and I eat lots of vegetables. I go to the library every Friday, I don’t watch any television, and I have fun giggling with my teenage son. My favorite food is potato chips.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. Tell us about your current work and anything else you have in the works.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Right now, my main focus is on one-of-a-kind fabric accessories for men, women and the home. I have a super huge wall hanging in progress that I’m having a lot of fun with. I’d like to continue along that path - experimenting with fabric art.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/clothesline4small.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. What prompted you to open an Etsy shop?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A couple of years ago, “Ready Made” magazine published an article about Etsy.com. Around that time, friends were starting to encourage me to sell my work. The idea of starting my own web site from scratch gave me the heebie-jeebies. Etsy was the perfect solution.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. How long have you had your Etsy Shop?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I’m right at my two-year anniversary on Etsy. I opened &lt;a href=&quot;http://nancygamon.etsy.com/&quot;&gt;http://nancygamon.etsy.com/&lt;/a&gt; in June 2006. It turned out that one Etsy shop just wasn’t enough, so in September 2007, I opened up &lt;a href=&quot;http://supergirlstickers.etsy.com/&quot;&gt;http://supergirlstickers.etsy.com/&lt;/a&gt; and moved my paper creations (stickers, greeting cards) there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5. Tell us about your Etsy shop. What do you offer there?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I offer whatever happens to fall out of my brain. I get into kicks – a necktie kick, a pillow kick, a hat kick - so new items get created in spurts that follow my whims. Almost everything I make falls into the Accessories category… curling iron travel cases, purses, market totes, hairbands, things like that.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/cloudtie3small.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/Crafting_365_-_Day_117small.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6. Do you have any suggested uses for your products?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I suggest you put them on and dance around with wild abandon. If dancing’s not your thing, then, well, women may enjoy wearing the men’s hats and neckties as alternative fashion statements. Also, I make a line of market totes that are roomy as all get out – they’re the same size as paper grocery bags, so they’re great for eco-friendly shopping.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/redplaidhat7small.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7. Was there a major influence in your life?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I think the major influence was actually in my parents’ and grandparents’ lives (the Great Depression) and it trickled down to me. I hoard old clothes and can’t resist free fabric. Knowing my fondness for reinvention, wonderful people often surprise me with gifts of old neckties, curtains, granny’s dresses, and whatever other fabric items they would normally take to the thrift shop. I love finding new uses for vintage fabrics, and many of my creations have unique personal histories that can’t be exactly duplicated.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;8. What inspires you?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I take time to very purposefully get out of the house and go live. We are absolutely immersed in shapes, colors, designs, sounds and smells - information we tend to tune out. About once a week, I just practice paying attention to what’s around me. For example, I might go for a walk and not come back until I have 3 new ideas. It forces me to see that little architectural detail I’ve passed 100 times, or to notice the shape of a flower, or the way a tree branch curves. I think everything we need for inspiration is right in front of us, if we can quiet our minds enough to see it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;9. Where do you create?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I’m lucky to work out of my house. I have one room devoted to sewing, but I have noticed that often while I am asleep, little gnomes sneak in and move piles of fabric pretty much all over everywhere.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/Sewing_Roomsmall.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;center&gt; &lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10. How did you learn your craft?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most of my early sewing instruction came from 4-H (a youth group devoted to farm life skills like cooking and raising livestock). For years, I sewed projects exactly as instructed, using commercial patterns. Then I started altering the construction methods and modifying the designs. Now I create my own designs from scratch, but I also keep learning. I check out a lot of books from the library, I read sewing magazines, and I still work through commercial patterns occasionally to learn new techniques.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;11. What are your favorite materials?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lots and lots of vintage fabric.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/firebowl2small.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;12. Are there any materials you consider a MUST-HAVE?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you sew and you do not have a rotary cutter, go treat yourself to one this instant. Other must-haves are the biggest cutting mat you can afford, a metal ruler with a cork backing, and a sketchbook.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;13. How do you promote your goods?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I do rely heavily on my flickr page and enjoy the artists I’ve bumped into through that site. I also assume that every item in my shop is being purchased as a gift. That means that I make sure my site name is on (or attached to) every product, so recipients will know where to find me.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;14. What has been the most important lesson you&#39;ve learned since you started selling your own creations?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I enjoy more success (and happiness) making Things I Want To, than I do making Things I Think Might Sell.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;15. What advice would you give to others who are thinking about or have just opened an Etsy shop?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There’s really no reason not to open a shop on Etsy – it’s so affordable and user friendly. You have the option to do it just for fun, with very low financial investment. However, I think it’s important to understand that Etsy is not a get rich quick scheme. It’s more like the online equivalent of an artsy-fartsy shopping mall. If you are hoping to make a living off your creativity, keep in mind that being a small business owner is a fat lot of work.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;16. Do you have any favorite Etsy artists?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Like most people who frequent Etsy, I have oodles of favorites! I’ve also had the good fortune of getting to know several of those wonderful artists in person.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I’m a big fan of &lt;a href=&quot;http://procyonidae.etsy.com/&quot;&gt;http://procyonidae.etsy.com/&lt;/a&gt; (Nathan Cannon), who I met through the local Etsy Street Team. My favorite thing about him is that you can be messing about with construction paper and crayons, and he’ll have an idea for how to turn your project into a voice-activated adjustable lamp fueled entirely by dandelion goo. His ability to see 14 levels beyond what you’re currently doing absolutely astounds me. I’ve received amazing pep talks from procyonidae and appreciate his insight and fresh point of view.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I’ll put in a quick plug for &lt;a href=&quot;http://gemmafactrix.etsy.com/&quot;&gt;http://gemmafactrix.etsy.com/&lt;/a&gt; (Brooke Medlin), who I also met through the Etsy Street Team. I literally wouldn’t have my SupergirlStickers shop without her. She was the one who introduced me both to the gocco press and to the sticker machine. My favorite thing about her is that it never seems to occur to her that she might not succeed. She wants to do something, she does it. Simple as that. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;For lovely designs in artistic apparel and home decor, visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=48125&quot; target=&quot;0&quot;&gt;nancygamon&#39;s Etsy shop&lt;/a&gt;. Nancy&#39;s handmade items are gorgeous!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many thanks to Nancy aka nancygamon for granting this interview and for sharing her designs and inspiration!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/06/interview-with-talented-artist_21.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-o0kw_bOK2DA0eIugVGoRFcya7IXvLBoQFGit_ez-ou8Efq0HzexVO7X4hnvWrT10v8t5CEDIFzAzCrlNmfmpfMvxpC2OUUMbzR-bxPfvadDj-GM_IgGvl_uqsqg2CmVjIRCYUv9w_CB/s72-c/iusb_760x100_5538743small.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-2998858252680736780</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:20:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-17T17:56:46.990-04:00</atom:updated><title>Join in the Spirit of Giving</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ECwDt4J9nKBJZLryOp1PpqAmptpV__fTpQMXm7A16rcwxBZCGnc-cn7liHm5loBJ4cCVczsq4M1DC2kcRFO6zV2BuSGS4TxlGcws_hRXwJNVpkanuGigGp3JkbFfvddi_oeYKAJmcZt9/s1600-h/Givingsmall.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210722797753585890&quot; style=&quot;DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ECwDt4J9nKBJZLryOp1PpqAmptpV__fTpQMXm7A16rcwxBZCGnc-cn7liHm5loBJ4cCVczsq4M1DC2kcRFO6zV2BuSGS4TxlGcws_hRXwJNVpkanuGigGp3JkbFfvddi_oeYKAJmcZt9/s320/Givingsmall.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.29gifts.org/&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.29gifts.org/&quot; target=&quot;0&quot;&gt;29 Day Giving CHALLENGE&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;I have joined a great new network called the 29-day giving challenge. It was started by Cami Walker and is in the spirit of Pay-It-Forward. See what everyone is buzzing about an&lt;span class=&quot;blsp-spelling-error&quot; id=&quot;SPELLING_ERROR_0&quot;&gt;d be&lt;/span&gt; part of the Giving Movement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;Why? Because to see the world change, we have to do something to change the world. Plus, the best way to attract abundance into your life is to be in a perpetual state of giving and gratitude. Be an important part of the global giving movement that inspires more generosity on our planet. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mylivesignature.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none&quot; src=&quot;http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/202/26805D8BBA1C33AC6312A92659FF21CD.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/06/join-in-spirit-of-giving.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ECwDt4J9nKBJZLryOp1PpqAmptpV__fTpQMXm7A16rcwxBZCGnc-cn7liHm5loBJ4cCVczsq4M1DC2kcRFO6zV2BuSGS4TxlGcws_hRXwJNVpkanuGigGp3JkbFfvddi_oeYKAJmcZt9/s72-c/Givingsmall.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-3108478074368030058</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:47:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-18T12:52:56.776-04:00</atom:updated><title>More Etsy Cool Stuff</title><description>&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213264542208710482&quot; style=&quot;DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4enrhmm0EMb1-R548S_UUkZq8x81yMpwBnFVvhToOumtww8EfOpSbCMlsl4QVouvakl9IdwYeVQVVPCeBwB_bSraw1QNqU3POPeiBa4tQ_ZshrwCaWEnBsdIA-tsxyvJ71D07n3ewiSO0/s320/EtsyPicksSmall.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;A cool selection of Etsy Picks&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mylivesignature.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none&quot; src=&quot;http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/202/26805D8BBA1C33AC6312A92659FF21CD.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/06/more-etsy-cool-stuff.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4enrhmm0EMb1-R548S_UUkZq8x81yMpwBnFVvhToOumtww8EfOpSbCMlsl4QVouvakl9IdwYeVQVVPCeBwB_bSraw1QNqU3POPeiBa4tQ_ZshrwCaWEnBsdIA-tsxyvJ71D07n3ewiSO0/s72-c/EtsyPicksSmall.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-5644194338295079540</guid><pubDate>Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:01:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-18T10:02:20.394-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">boutique banter</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">gifts</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">online shop</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">serendipity collections</category><title>Visit Boutique Banter</title><description>&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.serendipitycollections.com/blog&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/boutiquebanterfullsmall.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;See all our new products and keep up to date with what is happening at Serendipity Collections - your online boutique, When you need a little something - DIFFERENT!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mylivesignature.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none&quot; src=&quot;http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/202/26805D8BBA1C33AC6312A92659FF21CD.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/06/visit-boutique-banter.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-7682471963086768910</guid><pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2008 17:34:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-18T10:03:00.333-04:00</atom:updated><title>Blog Carnival ~ Glimpsing a Crafter&#39;s Studio</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Ly7Z8RqkKg_xyLtyXHDoEB-RC-NE-oXMIYEyx3-iep7rEePeAy9KAPJbxCBUhordL2jq7GfgTlfA4EZZ0HKZSvvSYMmMy1EA8SrfMDgAz_Nz_bd_bfZC-t9KlD7bm8FAKrlB4Bff7K9h/s1600-h/island2pspsmall.JPG&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207332922692944594&quot; style=&quot;FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Ly7Z8RqkKg_xyLtyXHDoEB-RC-NE-oXMIYEyx3-iep7rEePeAy9KAPJbxCBUhordL2jq7GfgTlfA4EZZ0HKZSvvSYMmMy1EA8SrfMDgAz_Nz_bd_bfZC-t9KlD7bm8FAKrlB4Bff7K9h/s320/island2pspsmall.JPG&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Here is a picture of my kitchen island where I do most of my creating. It is a great space since the top is granite so I can easily clean up anything that lands on it (and believe me that is alot!!!)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;Also you can see part of the window (on the far right) and the sliding glass door where I can look out and see the beautiful farmland.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;My studio is very conducive to creating and I love standing there stamping and coloring and painting.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;Finally I want to show you the landscape that I see every day which in itself is inspiring!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207334979982279394&quot; style=&quot;DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-Wq-YpsuhgneLdeCjnNoHH5meSbCXzfN9ZFyW5H7o-40VvEJjq5_i0ORCkcYw_bV1z5p4XJTg9fWpC816kahuVN72sguF0VRppq3qIg1CI-KZjdSSnxxR8EQeQuCTs1jTUX3GagBuDJ3/s320/backfarmsmallpsp.JPG&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;I hope you have enjoyed having a peek at my studio! Remember to be creative every day! (see my full article on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.serendipitycollections.blogspot.com/&quot; target=&quot;0&quot;&gt;Serendipity Collections Blog&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mylivesignature.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none&quot; src=&quot;http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/202/26805D8BBA1C33AC6312A92659FF21CD.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/glimpsing-crafters-studio.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Ly7Z8RqkKg_xyLtyXHDoEB-RC-NE-oXMIYEyx3-iep7rEePeAy9KAPJbxCBUhordL2jq7GfgTlfA4EZZ0HKZSvvSYMmMy1EA8SrfMDgAz_Nz_bd_bfZC-t9KlD7bm8FAKrlB4Bff7K9h/s72-c/island2pspsmall.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-6860004084702824778</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 May 2008 03:51:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-26T23:51:55.386-04:00</atom:updated><title>DSCI0069</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/sixsisters/2433763399/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3092/2433763399_f53af604d0_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/sixsisters/2433763399/&quot;&gt;DSCI0069&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/sixsisters/&quot;&gt;sixsisters&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;A fellow Pennsylvanian and Boomers and Beyond group member, sixsisters is a talented artist. Many of sixes pieces are works of fantasy. Be sure to visit sixsisters on Flickr.&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/dsci0069.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3092/2433763399_f53af604d0_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>2</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-882118050476731518</guid><pubDate>Fri, 23 May 2008 18:47:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-23T14:47:56.234-04:00</atom:updated><title>Bride &amp;amp; bouquet</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/painted_tree_designs/2435658648/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2168/2435658648_77045bef9b_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/painted_tree_designs/2435658648/&quot;&gt;Bride &amp;amp; bouquet -sold&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/painted_tree_designs/&quot;&gt;Painted Tree Designs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;I just love this card! It is such a special card as are all Painted Tree Designs cards. Be sure to check out Painted Tree Designs on Flickr where you can contact Kate about purchasing her unique creations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Handpressed dried flowers, custom card. (Unfortunately (for us) this particular card has been sold)&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/bride-bouquet.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2168/2435658648_77045bef9b_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-3134435907413037728</guid><pubDate>Fri, 23 May 2008 06:10:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-23T02:10:30.784-04:00</atom:updated><title>blbal2</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/altheap/2514639190/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2159/2514639190_1eb61ce037_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/altheap/2514639190/&quot;&gt;blbal2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/altheap/&quot;&gt;AltheaP&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Can&#39;t you just feel the luxury of this chiffon delight? The colors are beautiful and there is such a fluidity to the painting. Be sure to visit AltheaP&#39;s photos on Flickr and see all her gorgeous creations!&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/blbal2.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2159/2514639190_1eb61ce037_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-263746011829223826</guid><pubDate>Fri, 23 May 2008 06:02:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-23T02:02:07.978-04:00</atom:updated><title>The Modern Lady Handmade Card</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/23489292@N02/2420412868/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2413/2420412868_7f6ffd0482_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/23489292@N02/2420412868/&quot;&gt;The Modern Lady Handmade Card&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/23489292@N02/&quot;&gt;Paper Fields&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;This is one of my own creations, The Modern Lady Handmade Card. Luxurious handmade 100 percent natural cotton cards studded with swarovski crystals, chiffon bows, glitter and other pieces of ephemera. Decorative items vary. Special vintage glamour card. Blank inside. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I love the image of Audrey Hepburn. She is always elegant and classy and still modern even by today&#39;s standards. This card and others in my Vintage Hollywood series are available in my Etsy shop, http://PaperFields.Etsy.com&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/modern-lady-handmade-card.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2413/2420412868_7f6ffd0482_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-1769892329909633084</guid><pubDate>Fri, 23 May 2008 04:16:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-23T00:16:06.661-04:00</atom:updated><title>Glastonbury Tor needlefelted tapestry</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/faerierebecca/2474149808/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2043/2474149808_86c4aafa85_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/faerierebecca/2474149808/&quot;&gt;Glastonbury Tor needlefelted tapestry&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/faerierebecca/&quot;&gt;faeriedust2001&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;I think this needlefelted tapestry is so stunning. Here is the description:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The magic and mystery of Avalon on a 5x6&quot; needlefelted tapestry. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Another great EtsyBlogger!&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/glastonbury-tor-needlefelted-tapestry.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2043/2474149808_86c4aafa85_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-1093395629945048232</guid><pubDate>Fri, 23 May 2008 01:30:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-14T18:43:25.984-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cards</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">etsy</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">jewelry</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NoraByDesign</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">polymer clay</category><title>Interview with a Talented Artist ~ DesignByNora</title><description>&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/norabannersmall.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is the third in my interview series with talented Etsy and other independent artists. Recently I had the privilege of interviewing Nora (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5573940&quot; target=&quot;0&quot;&gt;Design By Nora&lt;/a&gt; ) Her polymer clay and paper creations are stunning. If you are looking for a special gift or a treat for yourself, take a look at Nora&#39;s shop!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hello Everyone! How are you guys? My name is Nora and I live in a suburb of Los Angeles, CA. I just graduated from California State University Northridge with a Bachelor of Arts in Art, with a concentration in Graphic Design.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Tell us about your current work and anything else you have in the works.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I just graduated college so I don’t have a job right now so I’m taking this as an opportunity to work on my Etsy shop until I on my trip in late June. After that I am going to start looking for Graphic Design jobs while doing the Etsy thing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. What prompted you to open an Etsy shop?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I actually heard of Etsy about a year ago from Craft magazine and I set up shop. But I guess I wasn’t feeling inspired or I wanted to concentrate on school so that I can get out of there as soon as possible, as a result I closed the shop. Now a year later I came back and started again from scratch. I had been making greeting cards before that and had a bunch or jewelry supply so I thought to myself, “Why not?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. How long have you had your Etsy Shop?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I opened up at the end of January of this year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Tell us about your Etsy shop. What is its name and what do you offer there?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The name of my shop is Design by Nora and it can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.designbynora.etsy.com/&quot;&gt;http://www.designbynora.etsy.com/&lt;/a&gt;. I named it that because I didn’t want to restrict myself to only one type of item. I mainly offer greeting cards, polymer clay jewelry, some destash, and in the future non polymer clay jewelry i.e. jewelry made with beads.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/purpleflowerstudssmall.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6. Was there a major influence in your life?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My parents were a great influence, in that they let me major in art. They let me do my art thing for which I am very grateful. But artistic influence really didn’t come to me so I had to go and find it. I went to high school at a private Armenian school so there wasn’t much allowance for artistic freedom. At home I would always draw in my lined notebooks scenes that I would daydream at school, like a comic strip. When I graduated high school, I found a whole other world in college, especially when I started taking drawing classes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7. What inspires you?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That’s really a hard thing to narrow down in just a few sentences. I think any artist would agree. But when I’m seeking inspiration or I don’t feel the creative flow (which has been rare nowadays) I always go outside and just look around. Other inspirations are other artists: painters, other Etsyians. I love to listen to music and I also get some inspiration from movies, mostly indie.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/darkpinkflowerbookmarksmall.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8. Where do you create?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mainly in my room in my new ‘craft corner’. I have all my supplies at hand so it’s the most convenient.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9. How did you learn your craft/crafts?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The internet, books, magazines, television. I just collect the basic how-to’s and try to make it my own design or style.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10. I see you have been listing a lot of your polymer clay jewelry in your shop. How did you get interested in polymer clay?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I think I saw it at a craft store and decided to see what it was. I was also interested in doing ceramics and pottery and I though polymer clay is slightly cheaper than taking a ceramics class.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;11. What are your favorite materials?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Paper and Polymer Clay.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/orangehappybirthdaycardsmall.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;12. Are there any materials you consider a MUST-HAVE?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Paper and Polymer Clay! They are both so versatile! :D&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;13. How do you promote your goods?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I try not to be to pushy with my goods and just have fun because that will keep more interested than making promoting feel like work. I just go with the flow. I peruse the Etsy forums, the EtsyBloggers forums and other peoples blogs. That’s it! And it’s so much fun!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;14. What has been the most important lesson you&#39;ve learned since you started selling your own creations?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Patience. I’m a regularly patient person but I taught myself to be even more patient! Also I learned to make this a fun experience because if it’s not than I won’t be doing it for long and I want to do it for a long long time!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;15. What advice would you give to others who are thinking about or have just opened an Etsy shop?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Same thing that I’ve learned. Be patient, be very very patient and have fun! Don’t worry, your time will come. Don’t copy other people exactly have a niche that’s uniquely your own. Show you care about your items through the pictures, people can tell!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;16. Is there another website or blog you would like to promote? (if so, just give us the name, url and a short description)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I love visitng Blaze Danielle’s blog http://blazedanielle.wordpress.com). She is such an inspiration and a super nice person! She sells her beautiful illustrations on Etsy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;17. Do you have any favorite Etsy artists? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My favorite Etsy Artists are Blazedanielle (Blazedanielle.etsy.com), valentinesattic (valentinesattic.etsy.com), modestambition (modestambition.etsy.com), and FancifulFlair (FancifulFlair.etsy.com) to name just a few! &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For stunning jewelry and lovely handmade cards, visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5573940&quot; target=&quot;0&quot;&gt;DesignByNora Etsy shop&lt;/a&gt;. Nora&#39;s handmade items are so special! &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many thanks to Nora aka DesignByNora for granting this interview and for sharing her designs and inspiration!&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/06/interview-with-talented-artist.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-6093442046635555337</guid><pubDate>Fri, 23 May 2008 00:19:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-08T14:51:44.046-04:00</atom:updated><title>Interview with an Excellent  Baker ~ simplysweet</title><description>&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1RhD8rJ19IIbMZrT-d-O_NQMm5ZOGz0NdYRQtPrWCnYP0Nf2JDiITJdmNJke64xKoOtA-pSR9o21TS4a3MKZ3HMPOWuzEDlK-uNlXruT3CIPq6H5-R8M_NavY9f0AShqvIzvWOZ1i3pb/s1600-h/simplysweetbannersmall.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206334961271915170&quot; style=&quot;DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1RhD8rJ19IIbMZrT-d-O_NQMm5ZOGz0NdYRQtPrWCnYP0Nf2JDiITJdmNJke64xKoOtA-pSR9o21TS4a3MKZ3HMPOWuzEDlK-uNlXruT3CIPq6H5-R8M_NavY9f0AShqvIzvWOZ1i3pb/s320/simplysweetbannersmall.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;This is the second in my interview series with talented Etsy and other independent artists&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Recently I had the privilege of interviewing Micki (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5794461&quot; target=&quot;0&quot;&gt;Keeping It Sweet - Homemade Treats&lt;/a&gt; ) Her creations are spectacular looking and absolutely delicious. I recently purchased her Death by Chocolate Brownies and can vouch for how wonderfully yummy they ARE! Purchasing one of Micki&#39;s treats IS truly a treat.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Marshmallow Pops&quot; src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/mallowpopsmall.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;Marshmallow Pops&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;1. &lt;strong&gt;Tell us a little bit about yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hi, My name is Micki and I was born and raised in Tennessee, I still live here and I&#39;m married and we have 2 boys.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. &lt;strong&gt;Tell us what you are working on currently. Any new goodies?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;well yes I do have a couple of new items I&#39;m going to put up this week. Chocolate Chip Cookies and Marshmallow Pops. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chocolate Chip Cookies&quot; src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/chocolatechiponesmall.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;Chocolate Chip Cookies&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;3. &lt;strong&gt;What prompted you to open an Etsy shop?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A friend of mine who sells soaps told me about it and I watched it for several months. I&#39;m the type that has to really think about something before I do it.&lt;br /&gt;After thinking about if for several months, I decided to give it a try.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. &lt;strong&gt;How long have you had your Etsy Shop?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Since the middle of April of this year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5. &lt;strong&gt;Tell us about your Etsy shop. What do you offer there?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I offer handmade brownies in a assortment of flavors, handmade marshmallows, cookies and the new item...marshmallow pops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6. &lt;strong&gt;Are any of your goodies holiday specific?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I&#39;m working on some ideals for the holidays.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7. &lt;strong&gt;Was there a major influence in your life? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My mother. She was my cheerleader in everything I have ever done.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;8. &lt;strong&gt;What inspires you?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Everything. I can look at things and see brownies, cookies and marshmallows in them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Not So Plain Jane Brownies&quot; src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/plainsmall.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;Not So Plain Jane Brownies&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;9. &lt;strong&gt;Where do you get your recipes?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They were my moms&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10. &lt;strong&gt;How and when did you learn to bake?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My mother&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;11. &lt;strong&gt;What is a certified baker?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I was still working for a caterer here. I took all of the required classes in food prep and sanitation in food prep areas. It’s the step before being actually licensed. In order to do that I would have to have a brick and mortar business and right now I rent a kitchen at a church close to my home.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;12. &lt;strong&gt;What are your favorite ingredients?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;LOL right now chocolate and toffee. ask me again next week......I&#39;m sure it will change.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Java Overload Double Chocolate Lovers Brownie&quot; src=&quot;http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c272/Uconnmom/javaoverloadsmall.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;Java Overload Double Chocolate Lovers Brownie&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;13. &lt;strong&gt;Do you experiment a lot with your baking? If so, what is the process?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not really...I work on a recipe until its the way I want then I don&#39;t change it. If its not broken etc etc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;14. &lt;strong&gt;How do you promote your goods?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;Etsy, I have a blog and several moms groups that I&#39;m a member of. On Etsy I join in the forums alot.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;15. &lt;strong&gt;What has been the most important lesson you&#39;ve learned since you started selling your own creations?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don&#39;t make brownies when your kids are around.......lol things have a habit of disappearing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;16. &lt;strong&gt;What advice would you give to others who are thinking about or have just opened an Etsy shop?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh Lord....patience patience. and don&#39;t sit on the computer and watch your store all day. watched water will not boil. make new items, create create create.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;17. &lt;strong&gt;Do you have any favorite Etsy artists or online bakers you admire?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My mom. She was a breakfast and bakery chef. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;For a real treat, visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5794461&quot; target=&quot;0&quot;&gt;keepingitsimplysweet Etsy shop&lt;/a&gt;. You are sure to find something to die for!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many thanks to Micki aka keepingitsimplysweet for granting this interview.&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/interview-with-excellent-baker.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1RhD8rJ19IIbMZrT-d-O_NQMm5ZOGz0NdYRQtPrWCnYP0Nf2JDiITJdmNJke64xKoOtA-pSR9o21TS4a3MKZ3HMPOWuzEDlK-uNlXruT3CIPq6H5-R8M_NavY9f0AShqvIzvWOZ1i3pb/s72-c/simplysweetbannersmall.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-3323009789130404566</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2008 18:30:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-22T14:30:06.898-04:00</atom:updated><title>ACEO</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/lemachidesigns/2512160925/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2285/2512160925_84e7b82228_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/lemachidesigns/2512160925/&quot;&gt;ACEO&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/lemachidesigns/&quot;&gt;lemachidesigns&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;A beautiful ACEO from lamachidesigns, another one of my Etsy Boomers and Beyond buddies.&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/aceo.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2285/2512160925_84e7b82228_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-7177817909419148562</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2008 05:57:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-22T01:57:16.682-04:00</atom:updated><title>She told everyone she&amp;#39;s a fairy</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/timeless-etsy/2428728898/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2395/2428728898_1e0c29ebdb_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/timeless-etsy/2428728898/&quot;&gt;She told everyone she&#39;s a fairy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/timeless-etsy/&quot;&gt;eveline.timeless&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;EtsyBloggers Rule and here is an example of why. From eveline.timeless description:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;When my sister was little, she would tell everyone who wanted to hear, and who didn&#39;t want to hear, that she was a fairy.&lt;br /&gt;She would pick up the phone saying &#39;I&#39;m C, but I&#39;m actually a fairy&#39;. She would point out the trees she had been dancing around in with her fairy friends the previous night. Whenever we went somewhere where she could have her face painted, she always wanted to be &#39;a cherry fairy&#39;, because &#39;that&#39;s what I am&#39;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This little girl told everyone she is a fairy, too. And looking at her, I believe her.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a mixed media original on a 5.9&quot; or 15 cm square wooden tile. It is done in acrylics, water pencil and water colours. I&#39;ve used acrylic paper, book pages, gesso, loose glitter and glitter glue.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The work is very textured and signed discreetly at the front.&lt;br /&gt;It already has a hook, ready for hanging, but you can move the hook down if you don&#39;t need it. The sides are painted so it does not need a frame.&quot; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Everyone should have a fairy in the family!&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/she-told-everyone-she-fairy.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2395/2428728898_1e0c29ebdb_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-6197966467961588603</guid><pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2008 05:40:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-22T01:40:08.508-04:00</atom:updated><title>Jbguess pages</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/art2theextreme/2503102860/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2503102860_f32ec1dbef_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/art2theextreme/2503102860/&quot;&gt;Jbguess pages&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/art2theextreme/&quot;&gt;art2theextreme&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;My friend, Jessie, is such an extraordinarily talented artist. Here is just a sampling of her unique creations. Her use of color is amazing! I hope you will take a moment to visit her Etsy shop at jbguess.etsy.com, You are sure to find something you just cannot live without.&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/jbguess-pages.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2503102860_f32ec1dbef_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-5226849382130023176</guid><pubDate>Wed, 21 May 2008 20:52:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-06-22T00:02:13.681-04:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">aceo</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">collage</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">etsy</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Six Sisters</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">sixsisters</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">watercolor</category><title>Interview with a Talented Artist ~ sixsisters</title><description>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Uoy6G_1xLxfiUyYIDXTAF1y8Ok6R82Bs3SYt3z2UQl0J4mCVnWd6JH7KXcemht7PVllObhdTqg1xTAvhHuO5oChDbvg6ZbcaOLjQuwUQgZVvRreuiqYfw03_FVDEnvntrU_fDRs-JnsG/s1600-h/sixsistersbannersmall.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211843237915954226&quot; style=&quot;DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Uoy6G_1xLxfiUyYIDXTAF1y8Ok6R82Bs3SYt3z2UQl0J4mCVnWd6JH7KXcemht7PVllObhdTqg1xTAvhHuO5oChDbvg6ZbcaOLjQuwUQgZVvRreuiqYfw03_FVDEnvntrU_fDRs-JnsG/s320/sixsistersbannersmall.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is the fourth in my interview series with talented Etsy and other independent artists. Recently I had the privilege of interviewing Joan (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5236690&quot; target=&quot;0&quot;&gt;Six Sisters&lt;/a&gt; ) Her artwork is spectacular. If you are looking for something unique with a bit of whimsy and magic, take a look at Six Sisters&#39; shop!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;1. &lt;strong&gt;Tell us a little bit about yourself. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;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. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. &lt;strong&gt;Tell us about your current work and anything else you have in the works.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;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. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211846971106288450&quot; style=&quot;DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzG5hAGyG7KrmrJ1Ip8f5slMWtR2yEmJwmGuIOozX9oImrqxmavRKTlLFGbsbWbqnTNSW99InnEIMr35yWKrpfDuTNUdX6eRVXSgUpAdfxHdBVwpcbia04HnUYb9MbcnKgzRZXFs_G4DRz/s320/thethreemusessmall.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3.&lt;strong&gt; What prompted you to open an Etsy shop?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;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&#39;t happy with the experience. This fit perfectly.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. &lt;strong&gt;How long have you had your Etsy shop? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;It will be a year on July 28th. It is hard to believe.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;5. &lt;strong&gt;Tell us about your Etsy shop. What is the name of your shop and what do you offer there? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;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&#39;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. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211847139090610018&quot; style=&quot;DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5p7xc3vE_B1PAVcEKPEBfjitZ-FBCa5gntpN-Ic2Xk22XABwErnZhdyK8ee_fHNJeNFJobHkkEVyFd3zxqo8t70p9TF4kcg3CiHKbolPZKT2lLr4Zlw2CyE5lkYeE4gGqyPvFPQRfcRk/s320/aine-fairyqueen.jpg&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6. &lt;strong&gt;Do you have a favorite medium? If so, what and why?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;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. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7. &lt;strong&gt;Was there a Major influence in your life? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;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. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Learn more about &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mystudios.com/women/klmno/kollwitz.html&quot; target=&quot;0&quot;&gt;Kathe Kollwitz&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;p&gt;8. &lt;strong&gt;What inspires you?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;I get inspiration from music and reading. Everyday life and the people around me. I am an observer and like to watch people&#39;s gestures and the way they stand or move their arms.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;9. &lt;strong&gt;What are your favorite materials?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;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.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10. &lt;strong&gt;Are there any materials you consider a MUST-HAVE for your art?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Good paper is a must have. It has to be of good quality or I don&#39;t think the work looks good.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;11. &lt;strong&gt;How do you promote your goods? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;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.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;12. &lt;strong&gt;What is the most important lesson you&#39;ve learned since you started selling you own creations? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;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.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;13. &lt;strong&gt;What advice would you give to others who are thinking about or have just opened an Etsy shop? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;I don&#39;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.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;14. &lt;strong&gt;Do you have a favorite Etsy artist?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;That is too hard to answer. I have many favorites and I wouldn&#39;t want to hurt anyone. &lt;p&gt;There is so much talent and creativity at Etsy. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;For stunning aceos, watercolors and collages, visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5236690&quot; target=&quot;0&quot;&gt;Six Sisters Etsy shop&lt;/a&gt;. Joan&#39;s handmade items are so special! &lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many thanks to Joan aka sixsisters for granting this interview and for sharing her designs and inspiration!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mylivesignature.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none&quot; src=&quot;http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/202/26805D8BBA1C33AC6312A92659FF21CD.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/06/interview-with-talented-artist_14.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Uoy6G_1xLxfiUyYIDXTAF1y8Ok6R82Bs3SYt3z2UQl0J4mCVnWd6JH7KXcemht7PVllObhdTqg1xTAvhHuO5oChDbvg6ZbcaOLjQuwUQgZVvRreuiqYfw03_FVDEnvntrU_fDRs-JnsG/s72-c/sixsistersbannersmall.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>6</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-293993024174991766</guid><pubDate>Wed, 21 May 2008 20:09:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-21T16:09:54.046-04:00</atom:updated><title>Sheep silhouette cards</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/35516546@N00/2309648125/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2310/2309648125_1acee9eebc_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/35516546@N00/2309648125/&quot;&gt;Sheep silhouette cards&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/35516546@N00/&quot;&gt;Swirlyarts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Another great find from a fellow etsyBlogger. From Swirlyarts description:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Set of 4 cards which have cute sheep silhouettes on the front! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Aren&#39;t these just the cutest!?!&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/sheep-silhouette-cards.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2310/2309648125_1acee9eebc_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-3747072944323310384</guid><pubDate>Wed, 21 May 2008 05:49:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-21T01:49:06.593-04:00</atom:updated><title>Red cap monkey</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/puncezilla/2505724435/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2352/2505724435_5fba868de0_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/puncezilla/2505724435/&quot;&gt;Red cap monky&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/puncezilla/&quot;&gt;puncezilla&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;I love this little red cap monkey! From puncezilla&#39;s description:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My latest Sock-monkey , he is a very mischievous guy. His overalls are made from a recycled cotton shirt-sleeve. I&#39;m Very happy with him. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;puncezilla is a member of my &quot;Etsy&quot; group on Flickr&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/red-cap-monkey.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2352/2505724435_5fba868de0_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-994549052163009262</guid><pubDate>Wed, 21 May 2008 00:33:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-20T20:33:13.869-04:00</atom:updated><title>black bird treasure etsy</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/storybeader/2383605775/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2239/2383605775_22d57b97fb_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/storybeader/2383605775/&quot;&gt;black bird treasure etsy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/storybeader/&quot;&gt;storybeader&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;One of storybeaders beautiful designs. From storybeaders description:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the French forest,&lt;br /&gt;Blackbirds spied white petals through &lt;br /&gt;The colorful trees.&lt;br /&gt;- storybeader&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Those are bears on the outer strand that you see, not the black birds that I write about in my haiku. See the necklace on the black display neck at storybeader.etsy.com&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/black-bird-treasure-etsy.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2239/2383605775_22d57b97fb_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-467155001856222709</guid><pubDate>Wed, 21 May 2008 00:28:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-20T20:28:40.501-04:00</atom:updated><title>Carnation Road</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/foxgloves/2502106747/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2349/2502106747_78bda17f60_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/foxgloves/2502106747/&quot;&gt;Carnation Road&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/foxgloves/&quot;&gt;foxgloves &amp;amp; the pensive rabbit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Another one of my Etsybloggers teammates, foxgloves and the pensive rabbit. From foxgloves description:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These houses are part of a series called Carnation Road. The series is named in honor of the street my sweetheart grew up on in Strood, Kent, England.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Each house is a separate piece.&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/carnation-road_20.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2349/2502106747_78bda17f60_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025647244702204102.post-2117208019224475150</guid><pubDate>Tue, 20 May 2008 22:37:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-05-20T18:37:32.799-04:00</atom:updated><title>Crafting 365 - Day 97</title><description>&lt;div style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/8027875@N06/2497216440/&quot; title=&quot;photo sharing&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/2497216440_9d9346de6d_m.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;border: solid 2px #000000;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/8027875@N06/2497216440/&quot;&gt;Crafting 365 - Day 97&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Originally uploaded by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/people/8027875@N06/&quot;&gt;nancygamon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Another great handmade item! This wonderful vintage tie is from one of my Boomers and Beyond Etsy buddies. I think it is so cool looking and very creative. Visit nancygamon on Flickr to see all Nancy&#39;s creations.&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;</description><link>http://serendipitycollectionshandmade.blogspot.com/2008/05/crafting-365-day-97.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Serendipity Collections)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/2497216440_9d9346de6d_t.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item></channel></rss>