Designers around the world

Cubicle walls and designers

2008-05-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

Being a designer myself, in a corporate environment is pretty tough at times. All the noise from sales people on the phone, to marketing personnel having discussion on upcoming projects, and just the basic chitter chatter. Makes it hard for someone creative to get into that mode where you can block out the world and get into the mindset of a designer. Well, our company is in the process of combining offices, moving from larger cubicles with window views, into cube farms. Another designer friend of mine from a previous job sent this picture to me which pretty well sums up life as a designer in cube life. It's a bit hard to read but the boss is saying "You get back to that *!%$@! cubicle and start thinking outside the box!"

Oh how true.

THE SITE IS READY!!!!

2008-04-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I am in the beginning of my first "official" website launch. I'm sure there are kinks. Missed links. Misspellings here and there. That's what friends are for, right? CRITIQUE! Especially being that most of my close friends are designers.

This has been a LONG and HARD process, but it's done! And I am very proud of my accomplishment. I have learned a LOT along the way in design, Dreamweaver, coding, CSS style sheets, image optimization, and marketing. OOOOOOH the marketing. I have just begun that phase. Register with all the search engines, learning what SEO (search enginge optimization) is, how to create my banners for others sites to market myself. All this work, I deserve a paycheck! 20+ hours this weekend alone. But, I have to say, it's my "baby". I did a good majority of the work myself. Although I must give credit to my dear, patient, UNDERSTANDING husband. He was ready to kill me after I deleted all his work because it wasn't organized enough for me. Yes, call me slightly "picky" among other words. Although I was ready to kill him when he dropped my external drive and lost everything I done for a week. But, that's what backups are for. At least it was only a week's worth, and not the whole site lost.

I can now focus on pushing my site out to the public, promoting it, and hopefully getting somewhere with it.

Another big accomplishment that goes along with this, is I was able to sponsor two people this week in raising money. My childhood friend Chrissy for a Susan B Komen walk, and a co-worker's brother in GA who is doing a bike ride for MS. That's something special for me. I took all the profits I have made for each charity to date and help them meet their fund raising goals! How cool is that??? I am so happy with everything, and it seems it is finally beginning to pay off.

Six month almost to the day, all the work and it's LIVE! Check it out!
www.awarenesshelps.org

Yummy!!!

2008-03-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

So the winter has caused me to gain 10 lbs. What woman doesn't make that complaint at the beginning of every spring? It's easy to hide that extra plumpness under a bulky sweater.... but now that it's time to start pulling out the shorter skirts and revealing necklines, I start watching the scale, what I eat, and trying to give up sweets. So I decided to try and sidebar my hunger by heading over to Etsy to browse.

Today's artist of the day is a mom of two from Delmar, DE. The owner of LilyBaySoaps. I picked her simply for one thing. I SAW CUPCAKES! My kids are cupcake fanatics. I was browsing around and found her site on Etsy, and the first thing my daughter said was "Cake! With "sprinklers"!!!!!" Then I had to look further. Cupcakes? Nope. Not really. SOAP that LOOKS like cupcakes. They look 100% edible! She has GREAT ratings, and her pictures make you almost smell the products! Just another store to add to my wish list and a great place to keep in mind when I finally get to go shopping!!!

To view all of LilyBaySoaps products, visit her at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5317480

Reflections

2008-03-04T13:10:00.001-08:00

Today, in lieu of finding an Artist of the Day, I thought I would share my insights and reflections over the last 6 months.

Just by being on the boards on Etsy, I have found that I am not alone. Just by posting the portion of my descriptions that I am making donations to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, I have made new contacts. I’m not the only person who is crafty, I’m not the only person who is afraid, and I am not the only person out there in this great big creative world with MS. I have two fellow Etsians that have come forward to share their stories with me about being diagnosed. We’ve swapped sad stories of the “doomsday” that we found out what we had. About the D-Day of diagnosis. The day we no longer wondered, “What’s wrong with me?”. The stories of overcoming the MySterious disease that we live with. The “thing” that sets us apart from other artists, but brings us together.

I took on my creative challenge, not only to raise money, but to force myself to go out and DO SOMETHING with my god-given talents. Maybe part of my drive is to convince myself that I will not give into this disease, and let it restrain me from what I love to do. My fellow artists have told me that they too, fear the day may come when they can no longer enjoy their craft because their eyesight may fail. The day that their hands go numb and they can’t feel their medium they work in. Or when color is taken from their sight. Can you imagine, losing your ability to distinguish COLOR as an artist?!?! That would be like taking away that little part of Bill Gates brain that allowed him to write code! Unimaginable! But it may happen.

For those that have never known anyone with MS, I think for me, the worry is the “MIGHTS”, “whens” or “ifs”.For a doctor to tell you, “Well, today your eyesight is bothering you, but it MIGHT go away. It MIGHT NOT. A year from now you may be symptom-free, then again, you may lose your ability to walk”. We get put on disease modifying drugs that “might” slow the disease, but won’t cure it. “IF” they come out with a new medication it “MIGHT” help you, it MIGHT NOT. In some ways we’re lucky- MS is not a death sentence. But in a way, we’re NOT lucky- we never know when we will wake up with a new symptom, whether it will put us out of work on medical leave, when it will confine us to a walker or wheelchair. There’s no definitive line. No discernable dates. No guarantees.

So I guess my point is, I was diagnosed. I’m going to make the most of my days, that may or may not end well. Enjoy the other artists creations, the colors, the textures, the sights. Enjoy the conversations I have in sharing my knowledge of my craft.

Fashion Forward Fashionista!

2008-02-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

I recently was added to Raghouse International’s “favorite sellers” on Etsy. I say, “What an honor!” I guess I look at what I have to offer in the world of fashion, and I stick with what I like, not really going out on a limb and being “fashion forward”. But, alas, that is yet another resolution of mine. Be new, be creative, but still BE ME. I love what I have made, and I keep striving to find my niche.

Renaissance Marie Austin is from Los Angeles, CA, where she has opened her own boutique, full of jewelry, crocheted items, and my ALL TIME FAVORITE the “Go Pastel Green Body Knit”. I love it best as an overlay vest-y look. But from the pictures, it can be worn as a scarf, wrap, or a head piece (almost like a hood wrap). I love the lightweight crocheted look. Appearing to be light enough for spring over a nice tank top.

One thing that has inspired me about her, is the fact she has opened her own boutique. I would LOVE to open my own physical store. A place I love to go to everyday, and do what I do best- CREATE. I think it takes guts to put your all into your passion, and hope for the best when it comes to making sales, making profits, and MAKING YOUR RENT! If someone gave me a million dollars tomorrow and said, “Make your dreams come true”, I would without a doubt, open my own place. I always think about making it a relaxed shopping atmosphere, with a back for teaching classes, but where in the front, the guest has a glass of water, maybe a cookie in her hands, and is admiring my makings. It would have cute trendy couches, and be a place other artists could feel free to get together and network, share their best ideas, and become close friends. Ahhhhh, but where is that millionaire in disguise?

To visit my fave new place, see Renaissance at www.raghousenternational.etsy.com. Happy shopping!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder- so they say.

2008-02-06T04:22:00.000-08:00

Today I decided not to feature a specific artist, but rather share an interesting find with you.

Several weeks ago, I was searching on Craigslist and ran across an ad for a large amount of beads/beading materials. They wanted $1200 for the whole lot. Now, there was no way I could afford that. But I thought to contact them anyway to see if maybe they would sell of pieces of what I did want. I didn't get any contact in return and quickly forgot about it. Early last week the seller did contact me and said he would let the whole lot go for $600 if I would just take it off his hands. Nice huh?

So Saturday I packed up the family for a trip into downtown Chicago and off we went. Mind you, I am not a city girl, and I hate the thought of parallel parking. It had just snowed the night before (12"), and I was not looking forward to the ride. We got there, picked up our "winnings" as I like to say, and headed home. But with a quick stop to Micahel's to buy some much needed bead boxes.

We spend the next two days sorting through everything. Nothing was organized, and it looked like someone had just dumped everything into this huge 25 gallon tub. I decided what I wanted to keep, and what I wanted to sell back off to someone else through my Etsy store. Since I didn't know what a lot of the strands were that I wanted to be rid of, I started looking them up online. And here's where the beauty begins.

I starting searching, especially for one specific item, because I thought it was absolutely hideous, and there was no way I would ever use the beads. Beads be gone! They were green and white glass beads that looked uber cheap, and something that not even a high school kid would wear. Little did I know....

I found these after a few minutes and thought, "There is NO WAY this is right!" Had I hit the jackpot? Did I find a diamond in the rough? Must have! These seemingly simple bright beads were worth over $80! I keep looking at the others I wanted to sell, and ran across a set of Copal beads, which are a form of immature amber. 58 beads, each about the size of a dime, the entire strand is worth over $450! And once I got to digging deeper in the bag of "junk", I found two more of those strands! Unbelievable.

So I guess what is one man's junk, is another man's treasure. Despite how ugly they may appear, SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE out there would pay a fortune for them. Right now they are still in my possession, but I hope to part ways with them soon. If you are interested in buying them, please don't hesitate to contact me!

Happy Hump day everyone!

Photography is a fine art

2008-02-04T04:27:00.000-08:00

Today, I chose Photography as the medium of discussion. Long before I was in school, my dad would take me on camping trips as a kid, with his camera club he was involved heavily in. We would go with the same handful of people, twice a year, once in August and once in the fall. The August trip was always to Grandfather Mountain, NC. That trip was started by Hugh Morton, a great NC photographer, who owned the mountain. He passed not too long ago, but I was able to get his very last book published, signed for my father. The other trip in the fall was always at a different locale, as we liked to scope out the areas on the Blue Ridge Parkways, to find the best that fall had to offer. We would pack up in our vans, cameras in hand, and set out for a long day on the back roads, always the road less taken. There were many times we would have car troubles, or someone would forget their gear (or lunch!), or we would get lost. But it was all taken in stride, and always proved to be a great adventure. After the trips were over, we'd head back to town, and a few weeks later all get together at the club meeting and share our photographs. Most times it was for critique, sometimes it was all for fun. But it was always the friendships that we cherished.

Once I got into high school, and we had moved far from NC, we stopped going on those trips, but I still continued on with my photography. I took 2 years of photo classes in high school, and went on to become a "starving artist" as my dad said, when I headed to college. I set out to be the next Alfred Stielglitz, or Ansel Adams. I love black and white photography, however there is much to be said about color. You just can't capture the beautiful orange and red hues of fall in a black and white photo. You can't capture the quiet realm of the blues of a summer sky.

Now that everything is going digital, as I said before, I am a huge fan of instant gratification. No longer do I have to take a roll of film (and use up the ENTIRE roll), take it into the darkroom and start processing the film, then cut it up and continue in the darkroom processing it, and pray that all of them came out clear. Now it's a point-and-click world, where you point, shoot and even review them on the spot. I love it!

So today's artist struck me because of one single photo from her gallery, which made me seek out more. Hanna's Photos, from Atescadero, CA hit the mark. As I sit here in a very cold kitchen, looking out the window at all the snow, I look at her print "Morning Has Broken", and it reminds me of waking up on those fall mornings in the tent, looking out and seeing a beautiful sunrise peeking over the mountains. Well, that is if we hadn't already gotten up at 5am, got in the motorcade of cars to drive then hike to the top of the mountain BEFORE the sunrise, to get there just in time to capture the moment on camera. A sunrise like this is a wonderful thing to witness, especially alone, when you can sit and reflect on life in general. It's very calming, although once it's over, I was all ready to return to my nice warm sleeping bag! Thanks Hanna for the inspiration, and continue to capture the moment!

Designer of the day- Designz by Lizzie

2008-01-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

Over my many years as a designer, be it paint, pencil, photography, glass, or silver, I found that one of my favorite mediums is Art Clay (also by the name of PMC). For those who have never worked in this medium, it is the best invention (I think) to work with. I've always loved clay, especially on the pottery wheel. This stuff is a little different.

It starts out in this tiny little silver package that must be used with great care. It dries pretty quick so the designer is always looking for water to keep it moist. I was first introduced to it about 2 years ago by a wonderful lady Judi Hendricks. I had browsed around online and found that classes were offered using Art Clay, and she was my local approved teacher. I arrived at her house a few weeks before Christmas, and the work began. She promised we would walk out with at least 3 pieces, all would be 99% pure silver. Out of clay? Absolutely!

You start by making your design, whether it be free-formed, or whether you choose to push the clay into a mold that you made or you found. Put it in a generic food dehydrator for a bit, then fire it either on your gas stove top, or with a butane torch. NO WAY you say. YES! By firing it, all the binder is burned off, leaving nothing but silver. Brush off the extra dust with a metal brush, then choose if you want to polish by hand or tumble it. Viola! One thing to keep in mind, I'm ALL about instant gratification. And this is what you get!

So how is today's artist picked? I met Lizzie on Etsy (like I have everyone else lately), over a topic in the forums. Then I found she works with PMC, which, again, if a favorite of mine. I read a little more into where her creations come from, and learned she has an 11 year old son who is Autistic. Being a mom myself, that tugged at my heart strings. But it wasn't just that.

I've had a site up for a few months now where I donate a portion of my profits to various charities, and Autism is one of them. After browsing her shop a bit, I was inspired by her creations to want to get back into doing some PMC myself. Thanks for the inspiration Lizzie. You can visit Lizzie's site at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5487633

The image shown here is from her "A is for Autism". And her son said it best-

"Abilities, not disabilities."

Inspiration for us all.

Featured artist today- and a stitch in time

2008-01-24T13:46:00.000-08:00

Since I was a small child, I remember playing on the floor of a room in our house where my mother kept her sewing machine. It was old, gray, and noisy. But it did the job. My mom (who is one of the designers in my Etsy shop), loved, and still does, quilt. I can still smell the Elmer's oil she used on the machine. I remember the expensive orange-colored Fiskar scissors that I was "Never under any circumstances to touch". Cutting paper with those mighty scissors would cause certain death in my house. I would go on trips with her to the local fabric shop and watch her face light up like she had walked into a couture dress shop. She had struck gold. She'd pick up bolts of fabric, matching the patterns and colors. She would head to the cutting counter- "5 yards, 2 & 1/2 yards, 8 yards". The cutting began. She'd head home and start drawing out her pattern on graph paper, then get out her new fancy template ruler and start the magic. Weeks would go by, she'd work day and night, but it wasn't work. That was how she relaxed. Sitting in the living room at night, quilt block in her lap, masking tape lines as her guides, thrown in with a few occasional gripes about sticking her fingers with the needle.

She perfected her craft, and now makes new ones in weeks rather than months. They've gotten smaller because her hands aren't as nimble. They've become more intricate as she's read book by other quilters. She's developed her own techniques for appliqués. She's made quilts for relatives, friends, acquaintances, charities. She's given some away, she's sold a few. She made my daughters' baby quilts. But by far, one of the ones I remember best was one that I, sadly, ruined as a child. Red and white blocks, with satin and little red bows, I thought at 7 years old it was more important to drag my friends around the yard in it than to preserve that precious piece. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. So I make sure now, any quilt I have, I take it out for special occasions. My girls NEVER eat or drink on them. We never have our shoes on the bed when one of her quilts adorns my bed.

Unless you see how many hours and sweat and sometimes tears go into the making of a quilt, you have no idea how involved quilters become in their work. For those that hand piece and hand quilt, god bless you. You have more patience than I could ever ask for. For those that use machines, you still have my gratitude. It takes years to perfect the cutting, the sewing and the nerve to sit for hours guiding huge pieces under the fast-moving needle. And for those who buy them, THANK YOU. You understand the labor of love. You "Get it".

Today's featured artist is my mother, Janice. Little does she know, she is one of my heroes. She taught me how to draw, she taught me how to paint, and as hard as she tried, she DID TRY to teach me quilting. She has amazing patience, that I apparently missed in the gene pool. She may not be an expert, and she may not be in any books, or a "world famous" quilter, but she did give me a quote that I find perfect for ANY artist. "My creations are not perfect. The only one who could make it perfect is God." Enough said.

Welcome to my new blog...

2008-01-22T07:07:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is! My brand new blog. I'm fairly new to this, so please forgive me if there is something I'm NOT talking about that I should, and feel free to give me suggestions for future posts.

I began this blog in hopes to feature new artists from around the world. I've been in the graphic design field for almost 10 years now (which hard to believe), and I've always met many aspiring artists that I feel could use more exposure than they currently get.

I'm involved with CafePress (www.cafepress.com) and now, Etsy (www.etsy.com). CafePress is much more graphic design related, where Etsy is for all handmade artisans. Etsy carries items from quilts to jewelry, soaps to clothing, book to houswares and even supplies for making all of the above. I have only been on Etsy one short month, but find the artists there to be beyond compare. Any artist that has ANYTHING for sale should take a look.

So with that being said, I am going to make today's featured artist from Etsy "tinadh", who is a good friend of mine locally. She has jewelry for sale, but by far, her drawings are what set her apart from the crowd. Tina has a knack for capturing the fairies, the ancient life, castles, fairy tale looks... her talent is amazing to me. She's a senior graphic designer for Quill Corp., a mail order office supply catalog, and I constant ask her why she stays. Her response? "I'm not that good am I?"

I honestly believe that's what a lot of designers, including myself think of their own work. There will always be someone out there better than you. They can draw better, mold metal better, blow glass better, crochet better. What I have learned to accept with my own work, is "It's made by ME". I am the reason that it is special.

This image is from Tina's website. To visit Tina's work, please visit www.tinadh.etsy.com or www.tinadh.com. Happy browsing!