6.30.2010

Warm Hearts Whereabouts :: hearting Canada

Where's the Warm Hearts Necklace now?


Still hanging out up north, in New Brunswick
(and doing home renovations) with Karon!


Karon is working hard on beautifying her cottage and gorgeous yard.  Who says you can't look fabulous while doing work around the house?  :)  Karon, I hope you'll share pics of your completed cottage.  It looks like an amazing space!



I'm sure it will be a fantastic and inviting place, given her wonderful eye for color and design.  Just look at her amazing jewelry and photography!  Here are just a few of my favorites.

Thank you Karon for supporting my little awareness/fund-raising project for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Next stop: Belgium!

You can still sign up to participate in Warm Hearts Around the World!
Click here to read more.


6.23.2010

Featured Artist and GIVEAWAY :: Sleepy Moon Design


For all my fellow jewelry lovers out there, here is another fabulous interview and jewelry giveaway!  Meet Zoe of Sleepy Moon Design!  She creates gorgeous jewelry featuring beautiful gemstones as the centerpiece of all her designs and does a wonderful job showcasing the natural beauty of those gemstones.  You wouldn't know it from her creations, but she's a relative newbie in the art of jewelry!  Let's meet this natural talent.

.......................... the interview .........................

A random fun fact about yourself:
My middle name is Adrian




What's your favorite read of all time?
Honestly I don't have enough time in the day to read.  :(  I always end up staying up way to late reading then I am exhausted in the morning. So usually all the books I read are good or else I don't finish them I really liked the last book that I read called The Gargoyle.

Any guilty pleasures?
Handbags on Etsy and Pickles!

If you could be any place in the world right now, where would it be?
I kinda like it here in Vancouver! I have had this urge to go to the lake recently though. Relax in the sun go for a swim and everything else you can do at the lake! 

(Ok, now onto business)
How would you describe your work?
Edgy, dreamy, with a kind of chic, dark fairy tale vibe like each piece holds a secret. My jewelry is easy to wear and any one who loves gemstones will appreciate how I make them the focal point in each piece.

How long have you been at it?
I've been making jewelry since January 2008. I have learned a lot in the last year and a half and I am excited to learn so much more!

So for you, is it an innate talent or practice makes perfect?
For some things it really does come naturally, but with everything you do get better over time with practice! Some things it is practice practice practice from the start.


Do you dabble in any other forms of art?
Before jewelry I was into photography. Now I use those skills to do my product photography. I don't get out much with the camera as much as I like to so I started posting a Random Daily Photo on my blog so I would… http://sleepymoondesign.blogspot.com

From where/how do you find inspiration?
My favourite thing to do is start playing with the metal or gemstones and see what happens from there. I also take pieces of nature and try to replicate the shape or the colours. 


Share something about your creative process that most people wouldn't know.
I work well with a deadline! lol

What do you do when your inspiration and creativity is tapped?
I stay the heck away from my jewelry! I know now that when I am not feeling creative it is best not to waste supplies on designs that don't turn out! Instead I will relax and take a day off. That usually does the trick.


Any memorable low points that you've learned from?
A low point for me was when I realized that getting 4 sales a month was just not enough!!! It was also a turning point for me because I then sought out a solution to fix the problem.

What is your formula for success?
Hard work and doing what I love!

Was there a moment when you realized that you'd achieved success?
It wasn't the moment I realized that I had achieved success because I am still working hard at that! It was the moment that I realized that I could achieve success.

Any advice for those having a bad case of artist woes?
Don't even think about giving up! Look inside your self for inspiration and direction instead of on the internet or wherever else you might look.



When not hard at work on your designs, what would we most likely find you doing?
Hanging out with my two year old son Wyatt or around Vancouver checking out the sites.

In a parallel universe where you are not an amazing artist, what would you be?
In a parallel universe I might be a youth addictions worker of some sort or a marketing rep for small businesses. Though when I was little I always said I was going to be a vet. Or an artist like mommy and a carpenter like daddy.


What are some of your favorite etsy shops?
LittleHouses
lamorez
feltmeupdesigns
orglamix


What's at the top of your etsy wish list?
This jacket by a local designer (Little Houses)






And, as a fun tribute to my inner psychologist, what might this be?  
My first thought was a black and white Japanese flag and my second thought was a hole.







.......................... end interview .........................

And now for the GIVEAWAY!!!  
(winner selected on Wednesday, June 30th)

Drawing closed :: CONGRATULATIONS, SOM!!!


Zoe is giving away this Green Onyx Suspension Necklace to one lucky winner!

Here's how to enter:
 
visit Zoe's shop, sleepymoondesign, and tell us what your favorite piece is (don't forget to check out the sold section).

* you must include your contact info (email, blog, or etsy shop)
so we can contact you if you win.


Bonus entries:
Leave a separate comment with contact info for each entry.


1) follow Zoe on twitter: @SleepyMoon
2) follow me on twitter: @eNVeDesigns
3) tweet about the giveaway (include @eNVeDesigns and @SleepyMoon and a link to this post for validation)
4) fan Sleepy Moon on Facebook
5) fan eNVe Designs on Facebook
6) follow Zoe's blog

7) follow my blog (upper left column)
8) subscribe to Zoe's newsletter
9) subscribe to my mailing list (using the form in the left column)

You have one week to enter.  The winner will be selected at random next Wednesday, June 30th.  Good luck! :)


 

6.18.2010

Warm Hearts Whereabouts :: visiting our Northern Neighbors

Where's the traveling necklace now?


In Ontario, Canada with Emily!

  Photos by John Bagnell

Emily is among the many fabulous friends I've gotten to know through her Etsy shop.  And true to Etsy form, she is wearing the necklace as a mustache!  So clever, you. ;)  But I'm not at all surprised, being the brilliant artist she is.  If you're not already familiar with her illustrations, just wander around mchenwears.com.  You'll be amazed.  Here are just a few of my favorites.


Emily and her sister Serena also just launched theD.A.D.project - a "Drawing-A-Day" art-based fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society, in honor of their father who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.  They take turns posting an illustration each and every day, which are then available for purchase as prints through their collaborative Etsy shop: thedadproject.  $10 of every sale is donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.  You can also donate directly via their CCS team page.  Below are a few prints from theDADproject.



Emily, best of luck with your wonderful project!  Thanks so much for being a part of mine!

Next stop: New Brunswick!

You can still sign up to participate in Warm Hearts Around the World!
Click here to read more.


6.15.2010

My first art fest :: a complete wash


In case you were wondering why I had fallen off the face of the earth for the past couple weeks, I was prepping for my first show ever.  There were many questions I had to address and many details to attend to (what will my booth look like?  how in the world will I display my jewelry?  what new pieces should I make?  how many?  how do I accept credit cards?...).  Being the obsessive nut I am, I naturally obsessed over every detail.  Thank heavens my family and my husband's family were all in town (for our daughter's first birthday and baptism) so there were plenty of folks to hang out with the kids while I secluded myself in the studio.  And down to the last minute, I was prepping for the show.  It was exhausting!  Fortunately, I had help from  my sister, mom, husband, and in-laws, which made things go so much more smoothly.  So by the morning of the show, I was nervous but excited.  The day looked promising.  But as soon as we were done setting up my booth, the storm hit.


It was a continuous downpour for about 7 hours straight.  And the first couple hours, was torrential!  Despite being beneath a huge covered tent, I was wading in about 2 inches of water for a good part of the day.  And it was windy!!!  Thank heavens the artist next to me was a photographer who had huge walls for her booth.  If she hadn't been there, or if I was at the end of the row, my booth would've been a gonner.  The rain finally subsided by the afternoon and the sun actually came out during the last hour.  My water-logged feet were very thankful.


This was about as crowded as it was the entire day, and it was basically all the artists, visiting each other's booths.  At least I got to meet some really nice people, so that was a big plus.  And I managed to make just enough sales to cover the cost of the show so that was another plus.

Here are some snapshots of my booth.  Apologies for the poor pictures.  The lighting was so awful and weird that day so I couldn't get any good pictures.


The left side.  Those floating branches were individually screwed into the bases of those candle holders.  We also framed some perforated aluminum sheets to hang the earring cards.  Both worked beautifully, thanks to my husband and his father's handiwork.


The right side of the booth.  I had another framed aluminum sheet for my Daily Dose line (other side was my original line).  And can you spot some polymer 'crystals' by the talented Lynn of UnaOdd?  Please excuse the giant cup of coffee.  I had very little sleep the previous night.  :)


And here's the front (right) side of the booth.  The sign was a last minute effort.  I wanted to make my own unique banner, but I couldn't find an idea that I really liked just yet, so black paint on white canvas just had to do for the time being.  I wasn't crazy about it at first, but I ended up really liking how simple and elegant yet strong it looked, just bare bones.


A view from the far right side.


And here's the entire booth.  I hate how bare naked the back is.  I was originally going to put a 3 panel screen there, but the winds were so strong and beating so furiously on that tent wall, it would've fallen over, so I didn't bother.  I also wanted to have large product pictures displayed somehow, like along the backdrop, but hadn't quite settled on an idea that I liked and just ran out of time.  It was just another one of those things on my to-do list that I never got to do.  Oh well, next time will be better.


Oh and here's me and my highwaters, during the beginning of the flood (man I need a haircut. I hate how ponytails look on me).  Wow, you can see the water creeping up my tablecloth.  By the end of the day, it was soaked more than half way up.


My trusty model and I.  She's wearing a hand-painted original dress by Aidah Collection.

The kids and the rest of the family stopped by for the remaining hour of the show and they completely cheered me up.  I was trying to get a picture of both kids in front of my sign because they are my eNVe Designs originals.  But these shots were as good as I could get.  One and two-year-olds are tough to take pictures of!


And here is Kaili giving her daddy a spelling lesson...

"That's an "S" and don't forget the squiggly loop.. or squiggle-oop"

So all in all, I'm glad I ventured out of my comfort zone and finally did a show.  It didn't turn out well, but at least I'll be much more prepared the next time around.  

And now, I have about 300 new items to list!  It's daunting just thinking about it.  I better get started on those photos.  I'll be back again shortly to post about my warm hearts necklace whereabouts.  Stay tuned!