When two photographers collide

I finally got the courage to organize my own swap on craftster.org - and of course it was a swap for photographers! Now that my partner and I have both received our packages, it's time to show you all the lovely things I got. There's a lot of images, but that's what we photographers do!!

A collection of old postcards

Magnets and some photography books

A box to hoard supplies, with a music and film theme


Original artwork by my partner and her boyfriend

A crafty bridal shower gift

I was so busy planning for my good friend's bridal shower that I didn't have all that much time to plan the perfect gift. Then it came to me that I'm one of those crafty folk that can make something unique last minute! I had bought some Mod Podge to decoupage something for a craft swap on craftster.org and decided to put it to good use for this gift.

The couple were traveling to NYC for their honeymoon, so what better than to create something to put a couple of honeymoon photos in. I took a picture that I had taken while in NY a couple of years ago, cropped it, and decoupaged it to a glass frame. Here's the end result. It wasn't perfect, but it was perfect for the couple, if you know what I mean!
The good news is that both the bridal shower and the gift went down well. We played games from "name that love song" to "match famous couples through history" and created a CD of songs picked by the bride that included the bizarre and obscure. How Liz Minelli can appear on the same track listing as Def Leppard is a mystery (but a fun one none the less).

Etsy Featured Shop - The Bead Lounge

Having come across The Bead Lounge on Etsy, I was inspired to contact this seller for an interview. Amber specializes in glass work, which I personally find to be a fascinating art (perhaps because you get to play with fire and melt things!) It's something that I myself would love to try but don't think I'll get to anytime soon. So, why not take this opportunity to learn more about this art and this artist here.

How did you get your start making lampwork beads?
When I decided to learn lampworking, I was strictly a jewelry 'crafter' and wanted to make beads to use in my designs. I took my first (and only) class in 2000 with a local teacher to learn the safety and equipment requirements for the hobby. After my 3 hour class, I left with a basic lampworking kit and haven't stopped yet!

Does it take a long time to learn this craft?
It doesn't take long to learn "how" to lampwork. A beginner's class can be anywhere from 3 hours to 16 hours, depending on the teacher and their structure. It does take a long time to perfect a basic bead, learn how to control the glass, and you can spend endless hours learning new techniques. That's what I love about this art form, there are endless possibilities for working with glass...

What is the difference between making lampwork beads and creating fused glass pieces?
'Lampworking' uses a torch. Artists have the choice between a single fuel torch (which is an inexpensive way to learn) or a duel fuel torch, which will allow you the opportunity to work with a wider variety of glass and make larger glass items. Glass is purchased in rod form, which is about as thick as a pencil and 12-13" long. Using the torch, you melt the glass and wind it around a steel rod to form the beading hole.

'Fusing' is a warm-glass hobby that requires you to cut sheet glass specially made for fusing into the shapes you like and then a kiln to melt this glass together to make anything from small jewelry pendants and beads to larger functional pieces like dishes. The larger kiln you have, the larger the piece you can make. There are even 'walk-in' kilns available. Some artists make awesome sculptures like water fountains and fused glass windows!

Do you begin each piece with a concept or do you design as you go?
This depends a lot on my time constraints. Although I am a full time artist, I also have 3 children, a husband and a household to take care of. Sometimes I will sit down and make what I call 'production beads'. These are my simple supply pieces, like spacer beads. Other times, I am working specifically on an idea for a customer, requiring me to stick to a concept that has been requested by a client. I have the most fun when I can sit in front of my torch and just 'play' with the glass and see what happens. Usually, I am surprised by the color combinations that occur with no real effort on my part. That's where the joy of creating comes in for me.

How do you make your color choices for your beads?
I really like working with neutral, earthy colors. These are what I prefer to wear, design with, and am naturally drawn to. There is something so organic about working with glass. I have a difficult time creating with the brighter, more vibrant colors...for some reason, my mind won't wrap itself around designing with these as easily. A lot of the time, if I just pick up some glass and try random things, an idea will just pop itself to the front of my mind.

Do you prefer to sell your beads as they are and let others create from them or do you like to create finished pieces yourself?
I've been asked this question a lot. Right now, I simply create the beads and then hand them over to designers to work with. I tend to be very simple in my designing, and sometimes I can't wrap my head around how to actually 'use' any of the beads I make in a design I think they are worthy of! I have some amazing clients who do incredible work with my beads, far better than I think I could ever do!

What do you love about this piece?
Of all the beads I've ever made, the set I called 'acid rain' has to be my favorite.

There is something random, yet controlled with these beads, and they are the perfect example of how being playful while creating can get amazing results. This set wasn't planned in my head, it just happened by accident and I went with it. The flow of the set when placed together is astounding to me and the colors are absolutely breathtaking in my opinion. The luster glass used to create this set gives you so many colors all within one bead.

Where do you get your inspiration?
The wonderful thing about art, any art, is that inspiration is all around you. I get mine from everyday places - watching my kid's cartoons (how colorful are they!?!), the natural beauty around me (we live in a rural area with gorgeous scenery), and I am absolutely inspired by other artists. I try not to look too closely at what other people are doing with glass, because I never want to lose my own voice, but I definitely have artists I look up to and am inspired by. It is always my goal to take that inspiration and create something in my own voice.

What other crafts, if any, are you hoping to try?
I'd love to get my hands into PMC (precious metal clay) and silver-smithing. I have always loved the look of silver, and being able to create anything in that medium would make me really happy.

Do you have any advice for fellow crafters?
Do what you love. I've seen too many people get into glass (lampworking, fusing, blowing, etc...) because they see other artists making a career out of it. Success in this field doesn't happen overnight, and if that is the sole reason for doing it, you'll never be happy. After 7 years in the field, I'm still learning, growing and trying to build a name for myself. Creation (in any form) should happen because it feeds your soul and fills a void that can't be filled with anything else.
Lampworking especially takes a lot of hard work to become good. and when you are good, it takes passion to become great but, like anything else, if you fall in love, there is nothing else you would rather be doing. Find art in everything...

To learn more about Amber and her craft, also visit her website - www.thatbeadgirl.com.

Marking the stitch....more swap fun!

Another crafty swap event (yes, I admit I am mildly addicted but by no means have a problem) has taken place. This time around, I have stitch markers for your viewing.

Up until now, stitch markers have been something I've been aware of but haven't needed to use much, and I have always been able to get away with using scrap yarn. This swap inspired me to try making stitch markers for the first time, and even better, use shrinky dinks!

I should note that when my swap partner said she'd like something with shrinky dinks, I was a little perplexed as I wasn't entirely sure what they are. Perhaps we didn't have them in England when I was growing up there. After I looked them up on Google and on craftster.org, what I have since discovered is that they are very entertaining!

The requirement was to make a set of 12 markers for my partner, so I started off by coming up with my concept, which ended up being the 12 signs of the zodiac. I found images representing those signs, traced and colored them onto the shrinkies, amused myself with the shrinking process in the oven, and this is how they ended up...
The actual tracing of the images is what took the longest, but I have to say that a 12 pack of colored Sharpies certainly can go a long way!

In the meantime, my partner was busy making a set of markers to send to me. She seems to have had much more experience than I have making markers in the past so I was excited to see what she would come up with. Fortunately the Canadian post didn't take as long as we thought it might and here's what I received in return - there are some really pretty and unique beads included in this set, plus a couple of different sizes for my projects. I can't wait to find a project to use these for.

This whole swap process definitely has my creative juices flowing and is inspiring me to try new things. For as long as someone is organizing them, I'm sure I'll keep joining them!

A little bit punk rock, a little bit funky...

I was just a swap "angel" for the first time on Craftster.org. This means that someone was flaked on during a craft swap and an angel is required to fill in so they still receive a swap item.

I was an angel for a girl who had not only been flaked on by her original swap partner, but had also been flaked on by her first angel! Several of us ended up feeling so bad that we decided to take it upon ourselves to each send her something so that she ended up with more items than she would have received in the first place!

As the swap was a writer based swap, I decided to use this as an opportunity to try something new and make a journal from scratch. She mentioned that she likes black with contrast colors, gerbera daisies and punk. I think this fits into each of these categories!!

Here's a brief description of how I made this:

I took standard paper and cut a stack to size with a guillotine. I then took two pieces of cardstock and cut them to be slightly larger than the paper. Using a single hole punch, I evenly marked where holes would go down the one side of paper and also on the cardstock to match. Using a thin piece of ribbon, I weaved it through the holes tightly, tying in a secure knot at one end for accent. I then found a drawing of a gerbera daisy and using digital editing, altered the color curves to create 4 accent flowers. I then cut these out and collaged them on the front cover...VOILA!

It really was that simple and I love the result. I definitely plan on making more of these - especially as they are so easy to customize.

Etsy Featured Shop - Tinkybelle

After my momentary lapse in getting some new interviews together, I am buttered and on a roll this week! When I found the seller Tinkybelle and asked her to be featured on my blog, I had no clue that she was involved in so many crafts. She currently has three Etsy stores going - one for bags, one for pottery elephants, and the last for owl bags. Each store contains beautiful and unique items, and this seller has a fascinating story to tell so read on and enjoy .
How did you learn to sew?
I started sewing by the time I was 4. My grandmother was a great needle woman, she used to look after us before and after school. She would be doing some sort of sewing, embroidery, tapestry, needlework and we'll all have to sit down and do it with her. Out of everyone, only I remained until the day I left for university when I was 17.

Why did you choose to make bags and do you make other sewn items?
I started making bags in high-school. I grew up in the outskirts of Sydney [Australia]. Back then there were not many shops and when you wanted pretty things you'd have to make it yourself. My mother and grandmother both had piles of fabrics, so I made clothes and bags. Then in High school, instead of getting a job packing shelves or in a clothes shop, I started selling my bags to my friends for extra pocket money. While at university, I was waitressing my way through and hated every second of it, so I started making and selling bags again. Funnily enough it's not the main thing I sell, although there seems to be alot of it! I sew bags, clothes, traditionally jointed teddybears. I also love doing embroidery - crossstitch, tapestry - when I have the time...

What makes you choose a particular fabric?
I choose fabrics for the print design and what I can envision coming out of it. Sometimes I buy fabric for the sheer instant love of it and it can sit in my boxes for years before inspiration for the perfect thing to be made from it comes. Somethings I go hunting for particular weight, pattern, colour to make something I have an idea for.

What do you sell in your Etsy stores?
I sell in my Etsy stores bags, owl bags and pottery elephants. I also have a gallery in Edinburgh [Scotland] where I sell my drawings, paintings and prints. I have my studio here as well and I have a small working bookbindery and screen printing press. I also sell in markets and fairs around the UK.

What do you love about these bags?
I love this range of bags, it's my newest design. I love making things with simple patterns and manipulating it into something original.

How do you come up with the names for the owls on your bags?
My owl bags are named after family members mostly, and some friends. Also favourite characters from books and history.

What do you love about the elephants that you make?
I love that they have a very thrown together look. They seem very easy to make, but in fact the shaping is deceptively simple. I love that everyone of them comes out different although I only use four glaze colours. This is because of the nature of raku firing.

Can you tell me something interesting about this elephant (Andrew)?
The colour results are great. Yellow is very hard to achieve - you need lots of grass materials to create lots of flame. Then when you think the yellow has come through you have to pack the pottery in and let it smoke to get the white crackle effect. Too much smoking you will loose the yellow, not enough and you won't get crackle in the white.

What do you listen to when you're making your bags and other projects?
I mainly have lots of old style jazz - Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzerald, John Coltrane - or straight classical - Rachmaninov, Chopin, Handel... I also like putting in my BBC classic dramas DVDs - Pride and Prejudice, North and South, Vanity Fair. Sometimes, I like working in total silence.

What is your favorite past time when you're not crafting?
I trained as a bookbinder in Florence, so I make a lot of books and restore some. I am also a painter and printmaker. I love screenprinting and woodblock printing. I enjoying dancing and I was a classical ballerina for 13 years, but now I just do a lot of comtemporary. I have recently gotten into the 5 rhythms classes and flamenco. When I am away from my studios, I tend to travel as much as possible. I have recently come back from a trip to Pamplona, Spain to see the Bull runs and, earlier in the year, I was trekking through Borneo for a month with my boyfriend. I tend to bring back, materials, fabrics, inspiration and renewed energy to do my creative works.

As promised!

My Magic Yarn Ball arrived today, which was a much needed pleasant part of my day, given that my work computer was doomed and told me that my hard drive was "pending iminent failure" (the computer's words, not mine).

I have been truly spoiled by my swap partner as she included a huge supply of items for me, including two contrasting balls of Paton's Merino Wool (strangely enough, the same type of yarn I sent her!)

When I pulled it out of the box, it was housed in this beautiful silk drawstring bag.The first color was "denim" and will be the body of the tote bag pattern that was sent to me. My partner also sent me some circular needles that are needed to make this project. The second color was "paprika" which will be the contrast color for the bottom of the tote and the handles.

As I unwound, I kept finding more and more things and was truly amazed by how much was fit in there!


The final list of items in my MYB is as follows:
A beautiful handmade apron, a needle guage, pedicure kit, foot scrub, cute lipsmackers set, iPod armwrap holder, a bracelet, an amazing beaded flower (which will probably go on the outside of the tote), mints, a candle and votive, jewelry cord, headpins, a bunch of sewing supplies, a set of gorgeous butterfly magnets, a charm bracelet kit, a crochet pouch with scissors, a beaded pen, a dragonfly pin, trinket box with matching frame, earrings and a first aid kit (containing a selection of the best sparkly band-aids ever!)

What can I say? I'm thrilled, excited and will be signing up for many more swaps in the future!!

Sharing knowledge helps growth

If you love crafting in general, enjoy learning new techniques, want to expand your hobby, or if you sell your wares online, check out this excellent resource - Craftytips.com!

Whether you are a beginning crafter or a veteran, there is something on Crafty Tips that you will find interesting as it covers a truly extensive list of crafts. While you are looking for free patterns, fun projects and even classes to take, you will find blogs and links to other websites associated with each craft. My favorite thing is the "Crafty Tip" posted with each link!

If, like me, you are trying to turn your hobby into a business, I know it's easy to be so absorbed in the art aspects that you end up being marketing challenged! Since I started considering my photography and other crafts a commodity, I've been trying to figure out how to generate business. The marketing pages on Crafty Tips are a godsend as a quick tutorial for being more marketing savvy.

I see a lot of forum postings on sites such as Etsy.com for people looking for answers on how to write better descriptions. Look no further! Here's a great read, complete with example, on how to do just that. I know that I personally was told by another friendly crafter that I should make sure to use my description "tags" properly. After all, in a marketplace with millions of items, how do you get someone to find yours and convince them it's just what they needed? Crafty Tips shows you how to use your keywords to lure in those buyers to your product. Elsewhere on the website, you will find useful articles, such as these business guides to help get you started.

While I know I could spend hours on Crafty Tips filtering through pages of interesting articles, blogs and other facts, the best part is that this is one of those websites that will just continue to grow and become an amazingly useful resource (plus I just found some new knitting patterns that I want to try!)

Etsy Featured Shop - PallinaDesigns

After my last interview with AriaImages, the response for more was quite overwhelming! Having searched through a variety of posts in the Etsy forums, and viewed a multitude of very cool shops, I chose to interview Amanda of PallinaDesigns. Amanda is a jewelry designer from New Zealand. Since there's nothing like international variety to spice things up, read on and enjoy!

How did you get your start making jewelry?
I've ALWAYS loved jewellery (love of sparkly things runs in my family!) With 2 kids and a mortgage etc., finding jewellery that I could "afford" was really hard (cos I have expensive tastes), so I decided to have a go myself. I started making simple "illusion" necklaces and basic earrings, as I'd never taken a class or anything. A craft shop I visited had a couple of free leaflets on how to make basic necklaces/earrings, so I grabbed those, bought some beads and wire etc, a couple of pair of pliers, and went from there. Once I got a bit more adventurous, I started searching the internet for ideas and how-to's. As my "collection" got out of control, I started toying with the idea of selling things. Now I have a website, as well as my Etsy store and I attend the odd craft fair in my area as well.

How did you find out about Etsy?
I was doing an internet search for places to sell my jewellery - I kept seeing the Etsy link come up and popped in for a look...I was hooked! When I saw two of my favourite designers/suppliers also had shops (JennaAppleton and AnneDundas), I trusted their judgment so I opened my own store :-)

What is your favorite thing to make (both for selling and for yourself!)?
I really love anything with wirework. It scares me but I find it invigorating! I hate duplicating anything, as wirework is such a individual journey - I invariably start out with one idea in mind, then it goes horribly wrong, and to save the past few hours of my work, I try to salvage it by changing the design! I always love what I end up with though (very rarely do I discard anything entirely.) If I don't like it and wouldn't wear it myself, I won't make it - so you can see by my eclectic range that my personal style is all over the place!

Where do you like to shop for beads/gems?
I use Etsy (of course!), and I also have a handful of favourite sites that are Australia-based. We have very few reasonably priced suppliers in NZ, so most of my supplies are imported. I also have a local friend who has a great selection and she'll drop in goodie bags to me at work if I'm desperate. Also, Lindy Nicholls is a good friend and an amazing glass artist - I get my super-special beads from her!

What do you love about this piece? [Aphrodite bracelet]
I'd had this design in my head for months and months. It took me about 8 months to get all the components together, from various suppliers in various countries. It's just so "me" - pretty (I like girly things), dangly bits (who doesn't love that feeling on your wrist?!), eyecatching (all those interesting charms to look at!) and - best of all - the materials in this bracelet mean that it can be passed down to several generations of a family who could be wearing and loving it years down the track.

Where do you get your inspiration?
That's a toughie! From all over the place really. Living in NZ, we have beautiful scenery so sometimes it's just the way colours play together that makes me think of making something up using those hues. At the moment, it's autumn in NZ so the leaves are changing colours and it makes me want to make things in browns, reds, oranges and yellows! In the summer I do alot of blues and greens together because of the sea and how sparkling it looks on a summers day. :-) I also see other designs and think of how I would change this or that element, or use a particular theme on something else. When I'm actually MAKING something, mentally I'm thinking 2 steps ahead - already I'm compiling my supplies list for my next piece! I find it hard to concentrate and finish one thing sometimes!!

How and when did you start your collaboration with Lindy Nicholls?
I've known Lindy for about 18mths-2yrs now. We used to attend the same regular craft market and began chatting after she bought a necklace off me once. When she said she was going to start making glass beads (she was a potter with 33 years experience then), I was so excited! I kept on at her until she had something to show me! She is so talented, it's incredible! Now we see each other pretty much every weekend, as she has a holiday home at the beach where I live - my kids think of her and her husband as part of the family :-)

Are you involved with any other crafts?
What I haven't tried yet can probably fit on the back of a postage stamp! I have a craft cupboard that is testimony to my exploits (it's a real mess!) I have made my own cards since I was a child (birthday cards, thank you notes etc.) I have also done mosaic, crochet, photography, graphic design, calligraphy (my title pages at school were incredible!), collage, painting (which I suck at...but at least I tried!), creative gift-wrapping (my Mum does this waaaay better than me!), scrapbooking, paper toile, dressmaking, quilting...the list just goes on and on! I'll give anything a go :-)

What is your favorite weekend activity?
Spending time with my husband and children (aged 3 and 6), Saturday afternoon's and a bottle of sparkling wine at Lindy's house, a bit of beading (of course!), going to the beach (if it's lovely and warm) or cozying up in front of the fire and watching a movie (if it's cold.) My least favourite is housework (thank God for my cleaner!)

What do you love about New Zealand?
Where do I start?! The clean air, the beautiful scenery, the laid-back lifestyle, the friendly people, the fact that my family are all here now (I lived in Scotland for 5 years and missed them alot) and never being far from the beach! I'm a redhead with freckles, so I burn easy - but I love the beach! Yay for SPF30 sunscreen!

PallinaDesigns Suggested Bead Websites:
http://www.luvbead.com.au/
http://www.uneekbeads.com/
http://www.paradisebeads.com.au/
http://www.beadcottage.co.nz/