“Little House” Collage

I posted earlier about my class with Claudine Hellmuth. I learned a lot from her about resist techniques. All the parts for this collage are finally put together! It’s a Little House!

I really love how this turned out. At first I was doubtful that I had cut all the parts correctly and it wasn’t going to come together. But it did! It involved hammering in about 50 silver eyelets. That was actually more fun that I thought it would be. Guess I had a little aggression to get out! Ha!

On the house at the top and the “M” I got a chance to buy and use Tim Holtz’s Distress Crackle Paints. They are amazing! It crackles as the paint dries in a lovely porcelain way. Really nice product! No more waiting for double or triple step processes to get crackle! Now I’m going to have to buy more colors! Can you tell I like it by the number of exclamation points I use?!

The bird image is printed directly through my ink jet printer onto the Sticky Back Canvas! I love that about this canvas. So many possibilities!

I told my niece that we would make a Saturday Play Date and make one of these together. I think she would like to learn about how I make things since she says she wants to be an artist like me. I want to encourage that as much as possible. She’s pretty good at drawing for her age.

Now I have to find a prominent place to hang this in the house. Might have to move something for it. We have a lot of artwork hanging in our house!

click images to see bigger over at flickr

French Woman Artist Trading Card

This is a new Artist Trading Card I made. The background was made using an embossing resist process learned in a class with Claudine Hellmuth. It started out as a variegated tan paper. I stamped with clear ink and clear embossing powder and then heated it to set the powder. Then I washed a light coat of gesso over it. The shiny embossing resists the paint and the paper underneath shows through. It’s really cool!

I added a stamped image of a woman. I’ve been toying with this stamp for a while and wondering what to do with her. Her dress was colored in with colored pencils. I also added some paper lace and vintage buttons. I got the fleur de lis paper punch at the Dollar Store!

I’m playing with the idea of making ACEOs to sell in my shop but I have no idea what to price them. Need to do a little research there.

Featured Artist: Purple Lemon Designs

Kelly Rinehart, of Purple Lemon Designs, is a fellow Etsy Twitter Team member. She creates custom stationery and rubber stamps. Her shop is filled with lovely paper goods for weddings and everyday correspondence. She makes custom address stamps, monogram stamps, and wedding stamps. And you all know I love paper and rubber stamps!

What inspires Kelly: “I am inspired by so many different things. It can be a poster I see walking down the road, an email I receive, or a pretty font. I also am inspired by fabric (for some crazy reason!). My juices just start flowing and then I just start drawing ideas in my sketchbook!”


She wants you to know: “Probably more than anything I love creating a custom piece that is uniquely a customer's own. When I have a customer that is pleased with the final project, that makes me so happy!”

She started her business because: “I was feeling very creatively stifled at work. I desperately needed a good creative outlet. So, I started designing stationery. That quickly led into creating rubber stamps. I love that Etsy gives artists a way to be creative and earn money at the same time!”


Read her blog: purplelemondesigns.com/blog
Follow her on Twitter: @purplelemon

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade purplelemondesigns.etsy.com

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop Of The Week: RoseBush Designs

Beth Wietrzykowski is the guiding light (and hand!) behind RoseBush Designs' beautiful cards, gift bags, journals and accessories. Beth's designs ship internationally as well as in the US, and offer the beauty and individuality of a hand-crafted card for any occasion, something many of us wish for when confronted by racks of mass-produced cards.

"All of what I make is something I would give to someone myself. I cut, stamp, color and put all these together by hand. I do not have any kind of printing machine or mass produce cards (wouldn't it be nice though!). All of my products are available in multiples and I'm happy to do custom orders or change colors if desired. "

A stay-at-home mom to two boys, Beth finds creating an outlet for her inner girl.

"Most of the time, we are playing outside getting sweaty and dirty so being able to play with ribbons and glitter is a nice treat for me.

My inspirations come from anywhere! I get ideas from nature, magazines, friends, anywhere really. I'm still learning every day about new techniques, ways to make my product better, ways to photograph and edit my pictures as well as new crafting products. It's a never ending lesson for me and I think that is what keeps me going and excited about my craft. "

Beth also has great tips for using Twitter as a means of promoting your work:

"I try to engage. I see it as a big room full of people who want to chat. When I see something that is funny, sad, inspirational, odd or whatever, I comment on it. I try to be fun and lighthearted. I don't see twitter as a forum to air my, or anyone else's, dirty laundry. I promote items that I buy, items I want, my fellow twits on the team and my own items. "

Follow Beth on Twitter @RoseBushDesigns
Read More on her Blog: http://rosebushdesigns.blogspot.com/

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade RoseBushDesigns.etsy.com

Reposted from our ETT Co-Leader's original post at: Etsy Twitter Team: Shop Of The Week: RoseBush Designs

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: NDN Chick

Leanna Pierre, of NDNChick.etsy.com, has been beading her whole life! She’s a member of the Colville Tribe in Cusick, Washington. Her work also includes greeting cards and bookmarks. Her bead work is intricate and the color choices are well designed. Some of her work is also very playful.

“I bead pretty much what ever I can get my hands on. I have made everything from hair barrettes to a beaded whistle. When I need to give my wrist and fingers a break from all the bead weaving and tacking I also make greeting cards.


When I make an item it's not just an item to me. A piece of myself goes into it while I am creating it. If I am feeling sad or mad I don't create anything, I don't want those feelings transferred to the new owner. Each item I create is special to me and sometimes it's hard for me to let it go.”

I asked Leanna how she got her start in bead weaving: “A lot of my inspiration comes from my mom. She's the one who taught me how to bead and she has stuck by me through everything. When I go through a crafting slump she's there to help me up and give me inspiration to continue making stuff. She's always there offering creative criticism and ideas. (Thanks, Mom!) My crafting dream is to become a great bead artist like her.”

Follow Leanna on Twitter @ndnchick
Read more on her blog at ndn-chick.blogspot.com

Special Offer This Week: Free shipping on all orders including international all week. The shipping prices are already changed so no need to wait for a refund or invoice.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade ndnchick.etsy.com

All photos copyright to Leanna Pierre/NDN Chick

Reposted from my original post at: Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: NDN Chick

Etsy Twitter Team: Bridal Daze Is Here!

Reposted from my original post at: Etsy Twitter Team: Bridal Daze Is Here!


In an effort to cure brides, grooms, and their families and friends of the impending "Bridal Daze" that usually occurs during wedding planning, the Etsy Twitter Team is embarking on a week-long journey to help all those affected by that “glazed over” expression when faced with so many choices.

On our blog this week you will find everything from handmade “Save the Date” cards and invitations, jewelry for the bride and attendants, candles, guest books, scrapbooks, gifts, a little food to tide you over, and thank you and note cards. It’s the one-stop-shopping location you dreamed of when you were a little girl dreaming about your wedding. (Ha! Like all of us girls did that, right?!)

After you have chosen your location and date for the wedding you will need two things: “Save the Date” cards and invitations to the big day. Here are some really great ideas for going handmade for your paper goods!!

Purple Lemon Designs

This shop has many choices for the handmade wedding. They carry personal stationery and handmade invitations as well as "Save the Date" stamps to create your own cards.

Check out Purple Lemon Designs' Wedding Stamps and Stationery shop section.

Glitzy Events

Glitzy Events specializes in customized wedding invitations. They offer a creative and affordable alternative for your special day.

Special offer: 5% off any full invitation order, must mention "Etsy Twitter" to qualify. Refund to be issued via PayPal.

Invites by Jen

This shop specializes in paper goods for your whole event, from "Save the Date" cards to programs for the ceremony.

All couples that place their deposit in June to book their wedding stationery for their future date will receive an additional 10% off their entire order. Mention "Etsy Twitter" to receive the discount. This special is on top of all the regular discounts she offers: if you order 150+ invitation sets you receive 10% off your invitation order and if you order your invitations through her you receive 10% off all additional stationery such as menus and programs.

A GRAND GIVEAWAY!!

In addition to the invaluable wedding information you will find this week on the Etsy Twitter Team blog, we are having a contest for all of you! Our team members have put together a lovely prize basket that one lucky commenter will win at the end of the week. Some of the prizes include stunning jewelry, a coffee cozy, and shop discount coupons!

In order to enter you must leave a comment on the blog about Bridal Daze. That comment must include a way to get a hold of you either through your user name link to your blog profile page or if you don’t have a blog you can email your info to etsytwitterteam@gmail.com. (Please be sure to include your comment in the email.) You may enter once per day. No Etsy Twitter Team members are allowed to win. At the end of the week I will draw a random winner from all the comments. If you know someone who is getting married soon, tell him or her about this contest so they can get in on the action! Good luck!

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: That’s Headley!

Ginny Headley Maserang, of That’s Headley!, creates artisan jewelry, mostly one-of-a-kind pieces in semi-precious gemstones, art glass, and sterling silver. Her shop features bracelets, necklaces, earrings, jewelry for special occasions and holidays, and has a unisex section for jewelry for everyone.

The “Hope for Whirled Peas” section of her shop has cute green pearl “pea pod” items whose proceeds go to benefit Fisher Houses. For more information about this fundraising effort by Ginny, please see her blog.

“I am dedicated to crafting pieces that are fun, well-crafted, and timeless in design for a lifetime of enjoyment. I make the jewelry I wear, but I like to share with folks who appreciate color, texture, balance, and uniqueness.

My creative inspirations most often come from the beautiful materials I work with - I've loved pretty rocks since I was a little girl, and nothing pleases me more than to pull all my treasures out like a glittering box of crayons and have them tell me what they want to be. I love, too, the color combinations in nature, and can't keep myself from looking at a sunset or garden and imagining the colors coming together as a work of wearable art.”


About Twitter: “I admit I'm pretty much a novice at Twitter, but appreciate so much its community and sense of shared experience. I love its search function to find folks talking about the same things that interest me, and then follow to find out more about what interests them.”

Custom work: “I love to do custom work, too, so if you have something inspirational you would like to have a custom piece to wear with, send me a picture or description of what you would like and we can be creative together!”

She is happy to ship internationally and offers free shipping to the US on all her items.

Follow her on Twitter @thatsheadley
Read more on her blog

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade ThatsHeadley.etsy.com

Reposted from my original post at: Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: That’s Headley!

Father's Day Card In My Etsy Shop!

Crown your dad king with this cool handmade card. I stamped “Happy Father’s Day” into copper sheeting for a neat touch. It’s affixed with metal brads. The background is stamped with an intricate blueprint for an iconic column. Seriously masculine card for your father with a bit of a whimsical touch. Let him know how much you care with a handmade card!

It was featured in an Etsy Treasury too! The curator, Hoganfe, picked some very nice gifts for Dad so you should click on this image and go check it out. Some Etsy Twitter Team members are featured, too!

My HTML Color Code

I took a quiz I saw on Twitter and it is weirdly accurate about me.

you are aqua #00FFFF

Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

I do like greens and blues and have been painting a lot with this color turquoise. I am not afraid to lead people, which is why I took on leading the Etsy Twitter Team. It's true that my hard work keeps me going through the tough times. I try to be optimistic and bright even when I am not feeling well.

Go take the quiz and leave your results in the comments! I want to get to know you!