Etsy Shop Profile: Shazzabeth

1. Explain how the name of your Etsy store came about.  My name is Sharon with middle name Elizabeth, so Shazzabeth is a play on amalgamating these two names.


2. Where/when did you learn to make such beautiful jewelry?  I am primarily self taught. I started with a couple of classes at the local craft shop to learn the basics, and everything learnt since then has been through tutorials, in books, magazines and online. Once I have learnt a technique I like to play around and experiment with it. I don't follow tutorials as they are because I'm not interested in repeating someone else's design. I may use them to learn a new technique but then I come up with my own design.

3. Do you have any favorite techniques?  I love both chainmaille and wirework. I decided fairly on to focus on these two areas of jewellery making, the theory being that I would prefer this to being "a jack of all trades, master of none" in terms of jewellery making techniques. Thats not to say I am a master of either of these techniques yet. Having said that I have recently started working with pmc too as I think this is a good fit with both the chainmaille and the wirework.

4. What are some of your favorite designs?  That's a difficult question to answer because my favourite part of jewellery making is in coming up with new designs. I love the process of coming up with ideas and thoughts and then seeing those ideas grow and evolve into a completed piece of jewellery. For this reason most of my designs are one offs. Of my current pieces I would have to say my favourite designs are my Blue Kyanite Flower Necklace and my Oceania Necklace.

5. How would you describe your creative process?  My creative process can vary so much from piece to piece. Sometimes I have a very clear picture in my head of a design and it is then just a process of trying different things until I make my idea work. At other times I might have a slight idea of what I am aiming for but the piece and the design actually evolves as I am working it. I'm not afraid to discard along the way as I am not the sort of person who will settle for 'that will do'.6. Who has influenced your art the most? In what way(s) did this person influence you?  There hasn't been any single person. I think what has helped the most has been being part of a beading forum. This has challenged me to push myself, to not be afraid of trying new things, and to think outside the box. It has also helped to receive constructive criticism along the way.What does handmade" mean to you?  To me handmade means, original, quality, and made with love.Visit Sharon and see more of her beautiful jewelry at http://www.etsy.com/shop/shazzabeth.  Can you pick out a favorite?  I would definitely struggle to choose just  one piece, after all, there are so many to choose from!

Etsy Shop Profile: Black Cat Hill

Today we get to say hello to Delaney of Black Cat Hill an Etsy shop that sells vintage items.  Since I'm so into vintage right now, I've been enjoying browsing through her beautiful shop.  It would be difficult to choose one favorite item, so I chose five!  Check out these photos!

1. What kind of items do you carry in your etsy shop?   I'm instantly drawn to tarnished silver, chippy paint and rusty wrought iron. I love things that really show their history, scratches, chips, and all. When things are not only beautiful and unique, but also useful everyday, I have a hard time letting it go. We hunt for things like farmhouse decor, old books, and tarnished silver. My father and I also make rustic style furniture and signs from reclaimed wood. 

2. What are some of your favorite designs or items?   Sometimes, when I find something I really love, I keep it for myself. I'm sure every vintage seller does this. I'm currently collecting white dishes and pretty much anything to do with birds. But I go through phases, so who knows what I'll be after in a few months. ;) 

3. How would you describe your creative process?  Vintage selling doesn't allow for much creativity, but I also work in photography and multi media artwork. I love that I can find unique old things and use them as props for a shoot. 

4. Who has influenced your art the most? In what way(s) did this person influence you?   I was raised by artists, and I grew up around artists so the influences are probably endless. Growing up, my dad used to give me cash for birthdays and a ride to the local thrift shops, so that's probably where my love/obsession for all things vintage comes from. But it was my mom and grandmother who taught me how to spot an estate sale from a mile away. ;)

5. What does "handmade" mean to you?  In a word, unique. Even if an artist tries to duplicate an item, it will never be just as the original. Handmade means you can see the craftsmanship and design that goes into something. It means that my handmade item is the only one in the world. 

6. Is there anything else you'd like others to know about yourself or your shop?   Mostly that Black Cat Hill isn't my only shop, and that I'm constantly delving into new things. I also love vintage clothing (AnotherSeason.etsy.com), and art is a huge part of myself. I started with photography (DelaneyLaFae.etsy.com), but I also can't help but explore early styles of art (WolfPackTribal.etsy.com). And just because I haven't totally worked myself crazy, I'm opening a soap shop later this year (SylvaPagana.etsy.com). 


Leave a comment to say hello to Delaney and click here to visit Black Cat Hill.

Etsy Shop Profile: Synergy Art

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to meet Malti, the beautiful girl behind Synergy Art, an Etsy shop that sells handmade jewelry.  I chatted with Malti via email then promptly forgot to follow up on that conversation.

Thank goodness she's such a sweet, patient person.  Rather than give up on me, she graciously held up her end and today we all get to know more about such a creative lady.  Please check out her shop, Synergy Art.

1. Where/when did you learn to make such beautiful jewelry?  I started creating metal jewelry two years ago after I dropped into a bead store and the owner was offering a metal foldform class. I took the class and now all I do is metal and wire work. 


2.  What are some of your favorite designs to make? I don't have a favorite design really. I just love designing, hammering, using a torch and working with metal in general. I love copper. The color is beautiful on black. It is probably my favorite metal although I am happy to work with silver, brass and aluminum also. 

3. How would you describe your creative process?  My creative process is called synergy. Thus the name Synergy Art. Basically, I try and allow my personality to get out of the way and let spirit create. Not having a set idea about how something is to come out, but to allow it to unfold. My website www.Synergyartshop.com explains this in more detail. 

4.  What inspires your art and jewelry making?  I'm inspired by organic, earthy colors and materials. I love metal, wood, stones and all like that. I like contemporary to edgy looks, simple but beautiful. I prefer bigger rather than smaller. 

5. Do you use only your own handmade and found objects or do you incorporate purchased beads and other jewelry items?   I use handmade, found objects and purchased beads and stones. I am open to anything that works so the end result is something nice. 
6. What does "handmade" mean to you?   Handmade is something that isn't necessarily perfect and uniform. Handmade items should reflect that it is handmade and not cut from a perfect pattern or mass produced from a mold. Little imperfections or subtle differences are part of the beauty that it was created from someone's hands. 

7. Is there anything else you'd like others to know about yourself or your shop?  I show my jewelry at art shows throughout Florida and am new to Etsy. I want to improve my photos so they better reflect a piece. I hope for a stronger presence on Etsy one day and am open to any suggestions from your readers.

Isn't her jewelry just stunning?  I had a difficult time choosing just a few pieces to show.  I can barely wait to begin Christmas shopping since my daughters-in-law love jewelry!  Don't you think her shop will be a great place to do some Christmas (or other holiday) shopping?

Don't forget to enter for the National Sewing Month giveaway I'm hosting.  You can find it by clicking here.  All the info you need is there.   

Blog Profile: Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen

I'd like to introduce you to Rebecca Dillion of Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen.  Rebecca has an Etsy shop but is slowly moving to her own website.   As a Fine Arts student of Roanoke College, Rebecca's varied interests found her in many classrooms, which reads like a who's who of fun: photography, pottery, 3-D art, drawing, painting, and quite a few others.  Today she continues to study art while maintaining her handmade soap business, a fabulous blog, and her life as a single mother.  

1. Where/when did you learn to make soaps?
I am a self taught soapmaker. Having been a crafty girl growing up and then graduating from college with a fine arts degree, it seemed only natural to me to learn to make the one thing I'd really fallen in love with - handmade soaps. I bought the book, The Soapmaker's Companion, did a lot of online research, got hold of a how to video and had it. After some trial and error I eventually came up with my own soap recipes that I fell in love with and now sell in my handmade soap shop.

2. What are some of your favorite scents/flavors?
I am ridiculously allergy prone and most florals set me to sneezing, so I tend to favor fruit scents and food scents. Some of my current and past favorites have been Pomegranate Cream, White Tea, Red Velvet Cake, Hot Doughnuts, Lemon Meringue Pie, and Mango & Papaya. 

3. You sell goat milk soaps. Do you raise your own goats? How much fun is that?
I think owning a goat would be fun, but no I don't own goats. I live in the city and it's illegal for me to own goats in the city. When I sold my handmade soaps on our local city market a few years back though, there was a regular goat that would visit with his owners tagging along behind, leash in hand. I believe he still visits from time to time. Here's a photo from my facebook page of that very goat kissing a local market vendor, Dave, who recycles glass bottles to make spoon rests and party trays:www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=111896521018&set=a.111896301018.116998.5...

4. You make lots of different soaps. Are there ways to use your soaps other than for the obvious bath? What are some of the other personal products you sell?
My soaps produce a nice, rich lather therefore they make excellent shaving soaps. You can also use them as facial bars. And many of my customers also use them as shampoo bars.

In addition to selling shea butter soaps, I also offer goat milk lotions with shea butter, honey, and aloe along with a line of fabulous non-greasy, non-messy solid shea butter sugar scrub cubes. 

5. At one time you also sold note cards and such on Etsy--love those birds! Do you still dabble in paper? What are some of your other handmade interests?
I am a spring cleaner and every year I always get rid of whatever I have not used for at least a year and donate it. No matter what it is. My scrapbooking papers I somehow managed to keep around a lot longer than that sure I'd get back to them. About two years ago I finally got around to getting rid of them all. Now I'm in the mood to dabble again but don't have the funds to invest in the papers! I did recently purchase a few papers to create a tutorial for making your own wedding soap favors. You can find that project here: www.soapdelinews.com/2011/06/handmade-soap-wedding-favor-tutorial.html

I also just completed a tutorial on how to make your own art collage note cards that you can find here: (Will post to soapdelinews.com on 6/28 - link available then.)

I do like to play with chalk pastels - I have done a few drawings within the past few months - and I love watercolors. I have a brand new box of liquid watercolors and brushes waiting to be played with, but so far I haven't found the time. I also love pottery, though I don't have a natural talent for it. I did take pottery in college though so I have a huge appreciate for good potters and am in the process of replacing all my dishware with handmade, one of a kind pottery.



6. Is there anything else you'd like others to know about yourself or your shop?
I am a single mother to a teenage son who just discovered what "real" kissing is. I try not to worry too much about him though. He has his first "real" girlfriend who's super sweet. As for myself, I have my first "real" boyfriend since getting divorced in January. He's a bass player for a local bluegrass band, and I love to go out to hear him play when it doesn't interfere with work. Additionally, I also love the occasional karaoke night, dancing to local music, eating sushi as often as possible, reading paranormal themed books, and any and everything handmade. 

Shop: www.soapdelicatessen.com
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/soapdeligirl
Facebook: www.facebook.com/soapdeli
Twitter: www.twitter.com/soapdeli
Blog: www.soapdelinews.com





7/8/11
Edited to add link for tutorial on the collage art note cards: www.soapdelinews.com/2011/06/diy-tutorial-how-to-make-handmade-art.html

Blog Profile: Craft Buds

Today we have the opportunity to meet Lindsay of Craft Buds Blog, which focuses on the business side of having a handmade shop.  Lindsay and her friend collaborator, Mary, include craft tutorials, blogging tips and fresh ideas for promoting and running your handmade business.

Together they somehow manage three blogs: Craft Buds, Lindsay Sews, and Bugglebee.  Imagine all the knowledge these lovely ladies possess!  Here's one opportunity to glean some of that knowledge.

1. Craft Buds is a huge, very active blog.  Explain your process for finding information and articles.

Craft Buds is a collaboration between me and my friend Mary. We each have areas we like to focus on each week, which typically means we'll post one craft tutorial (Mary), a roundup of free patterns (Mary), a handmade business article (Lindsay), the fresh picks for the week (another roundup of notable crafts, from Lindsay), and we share the duties when it comes to hosting giveaways.

A huge source of finding inspiration is just reading other blogs! I subscribe to at least 400 craft blogs, mostly sewing or quilting related, and I scroll through them every day to "clear out my reader." I also visit linky parties (http://craftbuds.com/linky-parties) throughout the week, so I find a lot of ideas there. Mary is also always passing along cool things she finds. I also keep the weekly giveaways page (http://craftbuds.com/giveaway-roundup) up to date by adding any fun giveaways I find while sifting through my reader! Flickr and Pinterest are other ways I search for fresh content, but Google Reader is my number one tool.

2.  Where did you learn the many business tips that you print, and how helpful do you think they've been for your readers?

All different ways. For instance, I'd been reading about effective ways to use Twitter (http://www.craftbuds.com/twitter-for-crafters-the-basics-advanced-tool/) to market your business, and adapted those tips to the handmade world in a way that I found helpful. Mary told me she learned some things from my article, so I think it was helpful! Some of the other topics were just instinctual. Since I read so many blogs, participate in linky parties, and host a lot of blog giveaways, I created some tips on each business or blogging topic, trying to give a complete overview for beginners to everyone else (http://www.craftbuds.com/business/).

3. What is the most time-consuming part of running a handmade business?  How can those of us in the business save ourselves some of that time?

     
According to some of our featured crafters (http://www.craftbuds.com/business/), promoting their business through updating their online store is the hardest and most time-consuming part of running their business. Coming in a close second is promoting their Etsy shop or handmade goods through social media. It takes time to develop a following for your brand, but it's really just about being yourself and starting relationships with others. And then you actually have to find time to create and balance the business with your family life, which can be quite the task! 

4.  Your partnership obviously works well for you.  How did you and Mary meet and become partners in the blogosphere?

Mary and I actually live near each other, went to the same college, and are a part of the same church! But we didn't know we really shared the love of crafting and blogging until we'd both launched our own sewing blogs, Lindsay Sews (http://www.lindsaysews.com/) and Bugglebee (http://www.bugglebeehandmade.com/). I couldn't sleep one night, because I was thinking that we should go into craft blogging, writing, and designing together. (Since Mary is a graphic designer and I'm a writer/editor, we've talked about this partnership before.) I wrote Mary the longest e-mail ever with my ideas, and she loved it. We started Craft Buds this March, and have focused on creating regular features and meeting other people in the blogging community! It's been a great learning experience, and we're blown away by our awesome readers.

5. What other interests do the two of you share?  

Oddly enough, we both live in historic homes in different areas of our town, built before 1900. 

6. What is the one, most important, thing that others in the handmade biz do to grow their business?

Create and maintain a blog with great photography of your crafts. Visit other people's blogs and leave meaningful comments--don't just try to promote yourself. Learn to share space in the online crafting community, because there's enough room for everyone!