Featured Artisan: BibeezBaby

Hello everyone, please welcome our featured artisan, Frances of BibeezBaby.

First off, tell us a little about yourself!

Hey there! My name is Frances and I am an Air Force wife and stay at home mom to my magnificent son-and I LOVE it!

My husband and I have been married 5 years and I praise God for all he has provided us during this wonderful time. 

In the past 5 years we have had 7 different addresses that have spanned the United States, it's been very exciting. Before we had our son, I worked as a preschool teacher which didn't pay much but, has given me a whole basketful of funny stories!  My favorite story is of a little girl in Oklahoma. I asked her what we used our feet for and she replied "Kickin' armadillos."  There you have it. I love my life.  

Now we are blessed with the most independent, inquisitive and energetic 1 year old you could ever meet. I am never bored, never without someone to talk to, and never, ever short on smiles.

 

How did you start creating your artwork, and how long have you been doing it?

I've known how to sew basic projects since I can remember- you know the basic apron, or pillow. 

I started diving in to sewing as a hobby after my son was born in order to carve out a little "me" time. It quickly turned in to much more than a hobby, and I haven't looked back since.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Oh goodness. So many things really!  I am inspired by the women in my family- They are such positive role models, and a great example of how to balance being a wife, a mother, and a creative individual. Obviously my little boy, and my husband, they make me smile, they give me ideas, and they help to get me out of my "creative ruts" when I stress or over think things.  I'm inspired by fabric, rain, trees in the fall, laughing, children's books, ice cream shops, and my grandmother's quilts. 

Outside of crafting what else do you enjoy doing? 

I love family time. I've recently taken up jogging and I'm really enjoying it. I love to bake (and eat the products of baking, which is why I started jogging.

ha!) I enjoy trying new foods, reading, and window shopping!

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Sure! Diet Coke is my favorite. I think my husband is awesome. I love blankets and brand new socks. I mostly make patchwork items because I have trouble choosing just one fabric :-)

LINKS

http://www.bibeezbaby.com/

www.facebook.com/bibeezbaby

Twitter: @bibeezbaby

Etsy:  www.etsy.com/shop/bibeezbaby

Frances, thanks for allowing me to share your work with my readers :)

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Featured Artisan: Kristen Solecki

Happy Friday everyone, please welcome this weeks featured artisan, Kristen Solecki of kristensolecki.com

First off, tell us a little about yourself?

I am a freelance traditional mixed media artist working out of the Philadelphia area. I work mainly in traditional printmaking, ink, and paint. I love the beauty and uniqueness that comes from making art by hand. 

How did you start creating your artwork, and how long have you been doing it?

I don't remember a time when I didn't make art. I grew up spending hours a day drawing and painting. I would make things like bracelets and magnets and sell them to neighborhood kids in lieu of a lemonade stand.   

When I went to art school for illustration, I learned a lot about the tools of the trade and about the market itself. I think the most important thing I learned was that when it comes to art you have to make your own rules. However, I didn't learn that until after I graduated.  

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I get my inspiration from many different things. I really love nature and I think a lot of my work reflects an organic quality. I grew up in an old, historic town and some of my work also reflects a form of nostalgia.  Memories, people around me, and current experiences always play a part in my work. 

Outside of crafting what else do you enjoy doing?

Outside of making art I love to swim in the ocean. I still haven't learned to surf but would like to someday. Besides the ocean I like traveling and being with the great people in my life.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

My work and more about me can be found on my website, http://www.kristensolecki.com/.

In honor of spring there is no shipping with any orders through my Etsy store, just type in the coupon code "springishere." 

I love talking with and meeting creative individuals of all kinds so write and say hello! 

Kristen, thanks so much for sharing your lovely artwork with us. xoxo

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Blogger Problems

I recently discovered some issues with my blog. While I have been able to log in and make blog posts. I have not been able to click on any navigation links or make comments using Mozilla Firefox, my preferred web browser. 

I have been using this for a couple of years now without any problems. I spent most of yesterday evening installing and uninstalling web browsers with the hopes that it would fix the problem, but that has not helped. :(

Accessing my blog from a different computer (Firefox web browser) didn’t help either. However, using Internet explorer has not been an issue. I am not sure whether this is a blogger issue, web browser problem, or something I have done wrong. 

Is anyone else out there is experiencing the same problem? Any help would be appreciated.
 
Email: annakaycreations(at)yahoo.com
 
 
 

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Featured Artisan: Littlewrenpottery

Today, Anna Kay Creations is featuring Victoria of Littlewrenpottery.  Victoria produces hand thrown stoneware pottery in the UK, all of her work is both functional and decorative designed for everyday use.

First off, tell us a little about yourself!

Hi, I'm Victoria and I run Little Wren Pottery in North East England. The North East isn't very well known for its craft scene more it's industrial past as a ship building and mining community.

I create all the pieces for my shop by hand throwing them on my pottery wheel with stoneware clay. I particularly love to create tableware pottery that can be used and admired everyday. I think its important that what you create has some sort of 'function' rather than being purely decorative and I often find I'll think of a person using a piece while I'm creating it.

How did you start creating your artwork, and how long have you been doing it?

I started creating pieces of pottery in 2009 so I've been throwing now for about 2-3 years. I've seen my work vastly improve during that time. I started by learning the basics and using the facilities of my local college, my dad who's also a potter also taught me a lot of skills. It's great that we can work together and I get the benefit of all his knowledge!

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I really admire the work of Isaac Button, Shoji Hamada, Bernard Leach and Michael Cardew. 

I also get a lot of inspiration from the history of where I live it's shipping heritage and the time I spend outside in the garden watching little birds hopping around - sometimes they make it onto my pots.

Outside of crafting what else do you enjoy doing?

I love the satisfying and gentle art of knitting, I love to make cable jumpers and anything with a cowl neckline. I tend to my vegetables outside in the garden, bake cakes and watch old movies and tv shows. At the moment I'm really into Blake 7.




Is there anything else you would like to share? 

I really love melted cheese. Seriously though thanks for featuring me on your blog!
 
I would like to thank Victoria for allowing me to share her lovely work with you. Victoria can be found at any of the links listed below.

Facebook  

Website  

Twitter
Etsy Shop
Folksy Shop

Have a great weekend! xoxo

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Enjoy your weekend!

 

Bracelet by AnnaKayCreations

Hello everyone, Just a quick update. The first artisan feature and interview will be posted on my blog on Friday, June 3rd.  I can't wait!!! I am really thankful to everyone that has expressed interest. 

June is booked so I am now accepting submissions for the month of July. Hope to hear from you awesome crafters and designers out there.  Go here for details!

Enjoy your weekend!

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Anna Kay Creations Logo Revealed

I mentioned in my previous post that I would reveal Anna Kay Creations business logo.  Thanks to a local Etsy Graphic Designer named Kristen of TheGirlMakesBanners on Etsy. 


I wanted a unique attention grabbing logo yet clean and elegant, at the same time I wanted a logo that I felt represented Anna Kay Creations. Out of the rough drafts she initially presented to me, and several days of decision making.  I found this one below to be a better fit. I hope you like it.



Kristen also designed my blog banner, business cards, earring, necklace, bracelet tag and stickers to go with it. She did a wonderful job incorporating the logo into the designs. The business cards and stickers should arrive in a few days. The rest of the items will take atleast another 2-3 weeks before I receive them in the mail from the printing company. I hope to share them with you once everything arrives. I can't wait.  (:

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Few Changes Coming to Anna Kay Creations



Antique Brass Earrings by AnnaKayCreations



If you happened to pop by my blog within the last few days you may have noticed a few tweaks here and there. 

Just to name a few: I re-arranged most of my external links and moved them to the side bar, and changed the side bar background color for more visibility. 

My goal is to continue to make my blog clean, simple and easy to navigate. Did I mention, cute? Hope you like the new changes so far (:

Email Subscribers 

Going forward subscription emails will be delivered to your inbox between 11 am-1pm EST, unless otherwise noted. This is an effort to reach a much wider audience in different time zones.

Ruby Red and Wood Necklace By AnnaKayCreations

Other changes

• I will be showcasing some of my jewelry creations on my blog on a regular basis. I missed doing it so much that I managed to squeeze in a few in this post. Hehe.

• I will continue to feature handmade artisans from around the world to share with my blog readers.  This will be slightly different from the Product Spotlight Feature. I will create a separate post with more details by the end of next week.

This has been an ongoing project since early February.  I am yet to reveal additional changes coming to Anna Kay Creations, including my new logo designed by a local Graphic Designer on Etsy.  Stay tuned because I would really love to hear your thoughts (:

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