Featured Artist Sunday--Paper, Paper, Paper and a GiveAway!

The randomly selected store from my hearts on etsy happens to be another store which loves paper! Congratulations to paperplanet!!

>>>When did you get started in your craft?
I‘ve always Loved “making things”...even as a child. For as long as I can remember I’ve enjoyed giving one or two of my ‘handmades’ as gifts for family and friends. So every year it’s still an enjoyable challenge to come up with something new and different to give. There’s something very rewarding and meaningful about working on something special and presenting it to a relative or friend as a birthday or holiday gift.
I love Nature, being outdoors and gardening. The art of flower pressing has always intrigued me so it was a natural progression for me to combine my naturals from my gardens with handmade papers to create my Earth Lights and Luminaries, Earth Bookmarks, and Jewelry.

>>>What is your favorite part of your chosen craft?
I’m inspired by Nature nearly every day and I love to experiment with all kinds of flowers, leaves, and naturals. My gardens and container plants are a constant inspiration. It’s a joy to see flowers in full bloom and abundant with color. I enjoy growing flowers from seed and I also purchase additional garden plants, flowers, herbs, and bouquets. Gardening is one of my passions and I love learning about the flowers I grow and use. I depend on the success of my gardens in the Spring and Summer to provide me with enough pressed flowers and greenery for my projects to last until the next growing season. (Wow, that seems like a daunting task!)
One of my favorite things to do is work with lots of pressed flowers from Summer on a freezing cold Winter day. (That does sound fun!)


>>>In five years, what would you like to be doing?
I love what I’m doing right now so in five years I hope I’m still working with flowers and handmade papers, discovering more ways to make use of my materials, continuing to experiment, and always learning more. There are so many other areas of art I’d like to pursue (weaving, jewelry, ceramics, I could go on and on) I know I’ll still be expressing myself creatively!

And I also enjoy writing and have shared many of my projects, techniques and art experiences in over 50 published articles for a variety of national art/craft magazines such as: Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Holiday issues, Crafting Traditions, Crafts ‘N Things to name a few.

PaperPlanet is an active environmentalist, and views her art as a unique opportunity to bring the wonders of nature to those who enjoy embellishing their lives in peaceful, beautiful, fulfilling, and Earth-honoring ways.

Now PaperPlanet wants to offer a free Earth Light to one lucky person who comments on her shop. Go to PaperPlanet and find your favorite item and post your comment here!! Next Saturday, Febraury 26, I'll announce the winner.

Super Featured Artist Sunday!!

Today you are in for a Super Featured Artist Sunday with one of my newest followers of my etsy shop---love4rocks. My email caught her off guard and Nicole, the owner of love4rocks, was speechless!!

When she regained her voice, she told an interesting story. I am Nicole and I am originally from a tiny village in the Swiss Alps. Today I call the Pacific Northwest my home. I live with my hubby in a charming little apartment in Portland, OR. I do spend most of the year on the road, due to my work, but when I am home I call a corner in our office my artisan jewelry workshop.

1. When did you get started in your craft?

I have been crafting forever. I studied architecture, so I was involved with Art for a long time. I spent years with watercolor painting, went to scrap-booking, and found a couple of years ago my newest destiny – jewelry making.

My passion for jewelry comes from my fascination with gemstones, rocks and raw minerals. I try to let each stone tell me a story and then I try to showcase its simplicity and unique beauty. The inspiration and passion for my jewelry comes from my travels, from different cultures, from nature, from colors, and from the stone itself.

2. What is your favorite part of your chosen craft?

Often I find my inspiration in nature as I travel by foot, by air, or on the water. I always have a little notebook with me to write down any idea or inspiration that comes to me.

3. In five years, what would you like to be doing?

In a few years from now, I hope my shop has expanded and I am still as creative as I am now. I hope my unique style will develop and evolve with me. My dream is to do more metalsmithing art, as well as more wire wrapped pendants and rings. I will have a larger space :)

4. Is there anything else you would like to share?

I have just celebrated my 1 year anniversary on etsy. I have loved my time here and I am still overwhelmed with joy if one of my creations finds a new owner. I just created a special coupon code for this blog, please feel free to use BLOG10 and get 10% off. A simple way to get to my shop www.etsy.com/shop/love4rocks. or click on any picture!

Thank You, Nicole for sharing your story with us. Now it's our turn to share and show Nicole and love4rocks some love. Find your favorite items in her story, come back and share here. Since it is Super Bowl Sunday, some lucky post will win a pack of fern stationery from my store like this:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/51604010/exclusive-seeds-and-fern-handmade-paper

Thanks again, Nicole!

Giveaway!!

Jack be quick, Jack be nimble, Jack and Jill better hurry to the ihearthandmade site to enter a giveaway with one of my Valentine Journals! And then the same journal is featured in a Treasury!

Wow!!

Don't forget to read the inspiring stories for Haiti relief down below!!!

And the Winner is ......

And the winner of the $25 gift Certificate is...................(drum roll, please)

WINDY CINDY!!!! Congratulations!! I'll be contacting you with information about your gift certificate!!

I want to thank you all for the valuable suggestions. I am working on each and every one. Keep checking back to watch for the improvements.

Busy as a Bee

Hi, blog friends!

I'm as busy as a bee!! I have a couple of new things going on. The music being played right now is on the music player to your right. Now You See Them is a great local group trying for national exposure and much needed money as you know musicians and artists always need! Click on this link to vote for them by downloading their new song--"Growing Older". You need to have a facebook account and friend Windows 7.

Next, I've finished setting up a shop with I Heart Handmade. The shop will be live on Saturday!! I'l post the link for that over the weekend.

And finally, don't forget to enter my BIG giveaway--$25.00 in my store. This will be ending on January 17 th at 8:00pm eastern standard time.

Giveaway--Giveaway--Giveaway

I am starting the new year off with a super dooper giveaway to celebrate one year of blogging!! On January 17, 2009 I came into this world of blogging. I will be giving a $25 gift certificate to my store to one lucky person who posts here on my blog.

The Rules:

Go to my store. Find your favorite product. Post the link in a comment. (1 entry)
Post a suggestion for me to improve my store. (1 entry)
Follow my blog--tell me in a separate entry. (1 entry)

I will use a random number generator to select the winner on January 17, 2010 at 8 pm. Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you in your entries.

This is open to all participants on etsy and my blog.

Congratulations to.....

Congratulations to.....Cappy Sue for giving me an idea during the summer to make jack-o-lantern cards out of leaves!! It was a great challenge to find a leaf that resembled a pumpkin!! Then I found lace bits to make the eyes and mouth and also to make it look more scary. I hope you like them CappySue. They kind of look like alien pumpkins:-) While you are looking at these cards, pop on over the CappySue's etsy store. She has lots of Halloween paintings!! Thanks for entering a new idea CappySue!!

While I was experimenting, I made five more jack-o-lantern cards. Would you like to win them? First, follow me, then leave me a comment about your favorite item in my etsy store. I will draw a name on Tuesday night and publish the winner. Please leave me contact info!

It's graduation week at my house!! My son will graduate from High School and I'm disgustingly proud of him!!

I have squeezed in time to make some neat flower paper. Look at the three samples below and choose your favorite. Iris, Daisy or bouquet of rockcress and a daisy. Leave me a message and a way to contact you and I'll send you the card you chose!! Announcement of the winner will be here, next Sunday the 14th.