Hint, Hint

Character, class, charm. These are just a few of the words I would use to describe the work of Bentwood Jewelry. I have honestly never seen such jewelry made from wood, as exquisitely done as these.

If you are anything like me, (and I think you are), jewelry can be means of expressing your true self. A feeling, a thought, a memory. I especially love pieces that are unique, and deeply meaningful. This is why I only usually design one of the kind pieces in my line of jewelry. Sticker price also factors in, of course. With Bentwood Jewelry, you can have all that you desire, while being kind to your wallet!

Please do read the interview below, and get to know the woman behind the extraordinary pieces. Then, check out her store on etsy!
And Shannon, I would be happy to sample a new creation..you know, just to make sure it's of quality :)


1. when did you decide to join Etsy?

I been making and selling bentwood rings for years for friends and family but I just joined Etsy this summer.


2.Have you always been creative?


Yes! I have always been a creative person. I think it all started with coloring...which is still one of my favorites

3. How would you describe your creative process?

I always start with trying to find an inlay that would compliment a wood, or a wood that would compliment another wood. I have so many ideas that I have yet to try. My favorite is to blend natural elements together.

4. Who/what are your inspirations?

My inspirations come from many sources. Nature, I love taking something raw and natural and making it uniquely pretty or unexpected. People are always a great inspiration. My most favorite rings to craft are when I collaberate with a customer to make a beautiful custom ring that has meaning to them. I love being a part of their story.

5. Five things that make me happy:
1. My husband. He has been my biggest support system in everything in life.
2. My children...they are my gifts; my blessings.
3. My work....it's the best. I love using the right side of my brain all day. The sky's the limit
4. Music....happy, sad, funny. I love the emotion that music brings. Music helps us recall memories like a photograph. My shop always has music playing.
5. Spending time with my family! They are my very best friends.

6. How do you choose the wood you work with? Do you have a favorite?

It is important to me that any wood I consider not be on the severe endangered list and my sources are responsibly harvesting their wood with the thought for future growths. There are hundreds of both domestic and exotic woods that can be used in place of wood species currently being threatened. So there are many options to stay eco-friendly and still show love for nature with wearable art in the form of bentwood rings.
The woods I select have to have good or better bending qualities and be relatively strong as well.
As far as my favorite, it's changes all the time but I can tell you ebony and rosewood are my biggest sellers.


7.If you could go back to your darkest time in your life, what advice would you give yourself?

"It's only a blink"....the darkest times are only a blink in my life.

8. How do you think, we as women, can better support each other?

We should advise and support one another in all things by creating a sisterhood. For most women we want a career, but we also want to be family oriented. . . we want to find the right balance between life and work.

http://www.bentwoodjewelrydesigns.com/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BENTWOODJewelry?ref=pr_shop_more

Funky, Fun, and Full of Life

Conventional is not the word I would use to describe the next artist I interviewed. She is bold, resourceful, and inventive. She has a unique talent for taking thrift store finds, and breathing life into them. Darkstar Handmade is definitely a shop you want to visit while on Etsy, if you are eco-friendly soul, who won't mind the attention from the fabulous threads!
To me, her designs are a metaphor for life: It doesn't matter what it was, or where it came from. What matters is now. What can YOU make from what you were given? Lemons to lemonade, indeed!
If you visit her shop, and for some chance do not find what you were searching for, she does custom made. In fact, I was thinking of putting in a request for myself in my favorite color. Tie dye.



1.)Have you always been a creative person?

oh yeah!! My family is very creative and resourceful so my upbringing and education was very supportive of my overactive imagination and the arts. I grew up with limited technology, no computer or television, so I occupied my time with my imagination and my hands. I was homeschooled as a child which definitely nurtured my creativity and defined who I grew up to be.The idea of handmade goods was very present in my upbringing as well. I began playing music at a young age and it became an enormous part of my life, and my development. So much of my childhood was spent outdoors, and I loved exploring in the woods and building hideouts. My brother and I built some pretty impressive structures: treehouses, bridges, and a whole network of fortresses! I have some amazingly selfless parents who gave me an incredibly rich childhood and I took it for granted that not every kid grew up the way I did, so thanks Mom and Dad!

These pants would be great for yoga practice or bellydancing! Check out all the eco-friendly creations at her shop, Darkstar Handmade on Etsy.

2.)When did you decide to sell your items?

I've been creating things and re-vamping old clothing in to new creations for as long as I can remember. After a brief stint at art school and later graduating with a BFA in 2012, I decided I wanted to take my craftsmanship higher and bring my designs to a broader audience. At the time, I knew several people selling their work on Etsy and it seemed like a wonderful community to become involved in. Full of vibrant, passionate, creative people just like me!


3.) How would you describe your creative process?


My creative process is definitely quirky. It is constantly changing as I let the fabrics that I find inform my designs, lending to one of a kind pieces. One of the strangest yet most successful elements is that I hardly ever use patterns. I let the shape of the materials and the amount of usable material make decisions for me. My process consists of equal parts wackiness, spunk, spontaneity and experimentation. Inherent in my process are flaws, but I've learned to embrace them and I feel they are a meaningful part of the finished product. We don't purchase handmade goods because we wish they looked mechanically produced, at least I don't. Thus, I think we all enjoy seeing the artists hand at work in their items.

4.) If I wasn't doing this, I would be..........

If I wasn't doing this, I would be a shell of who I truly am! Making clothing, for me, is so much more than just making clothing. It is a necessary creative outlet and provides constant daydream possibilities!

Such innovative and playful designs

5.) What/who are your inspirations?

My biggest inspirations are color and the materials I work with. I am OBSESSED with color! I love finding seemingly ugly patterns and color combinations in thrift store piles and bringing them home and playing with their colors. I'm also hugely inspired by nature. I am lucky enough to live in beautiful western Montana and am constantly in awe of the rugged landscape that surrounds me and makes me feel so small and insignificant. I think life itself is also an important and indisputable inspiration. As artists, we are keen observers of our surroundings and our emotions and it is impossible to deny that our work tells a story or our life experiences.

6.) How do you work through a creative block?

I usually work through a creative block by spending ridiculous amounts of time and money at my local thrift stores, bringing all my collected goodies home, and dumping them in a huge pile on the floor of my sewing room. I then crank up some tunes and begin sorting everything into piles of appealing colors and prints. At the end of this process, I'm left with a colorful assortment of "project piles" and I dig right in and begin cutting. Works every time!


https://www.facebook.com/DarkstarHandmade
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DarkstarHandmade

Dreams In Clay

The talent I've found on Etsy is beyond what I ever imagined. I was introduced to this next artist through Whimsy Everlasting (interview to come shortly!), and am very pleased that she agreed to my interview. She definitely has a gift with clay and crochet, as you will soon see. Many of these artists have a unique way of transporting you to their dreamscapes, and she is no exception. Deidre Dreams falls into the category of wearable art, and your connection to Faerie!


Shop + website: http://www.deidredreams.com/
Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DeidreDreams
Storenvy shop: http://deidredreams.storenvy.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DeidreDreams
Pinterest page: http://www.pinterest.com/deidredreams/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeidreDreams
Deviantart: http://deidredreams.deviantart.com/

My shop is called Deidre Dreams and I make polymer clay art jewelry. I often combine my polymer clay art pieces with yarn accessories and jewelry like hand crocheted hats, chokers and wrist cuffs and jewelry made of handspun art yarn.

My polymer clay pieces are very intricate and detailed, almost always with clay flower embroidery.

Where does your inspiration come from?

My inspiration for my pieces mostly comes from stories, either existing stories that I love, or often stories in my own head that take form in a little scene in my pieces.
My process mostly starts with a little story in my head and a very vague image, then I choose the colours I want to work with from my clay collection and let my hands go. As I work, the story becomes more and more set with every detail that pops into my head and is added to the piece.

Sometimes, though, when I work on my flower pieces and crochet pieces, I let the colours guide me and just let my hands go and add colours and details here and there until it feels finished to me.

Have you always been the creative type?

As to whether I was always a creative person, I would say yes, but in a different way. I used to always be very much a story person. I loved reading and writing, watching series and movies and losing myself in the stories. It was only when I discovered polymer clay a few years ago that working with my hands and visuals became bonded to my love of stories and I found how satisfying it is to make a lot of little stories with visual pieces.
It allows me to constantly hop from story to story in my mind.

How/when did you decide to sell your pieces?

The decision to some day sell my pieces came very quickly after discovering clay. I had never felt so happy as when I was working with my clay. And within a few days of discovering it, I knew nothing would make me happier than to do this for a living.
The actual selling, however took quite a bit longer, because of course, I first had to work on expanding my skills.

How do you translate nature as a creative force?

Nature is very important for as a creative force in the sense that I need it for re-charging my energy. I love being outside and feeling the wind, walking and smelling the change of seasons or the sun on the grass. There is nothing that re-charges me like being outside and letting the current season sink in. I live in an area where nature isn't so wild. It's more lovely and small, with rolling hills and feels and small woods. Taking a stroll through the landscape here is often enough for a small pick-me-up.
I have however left a big piece of my heart in Great Britain, specifically the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye and the Irish West Coast (I haven't seen the English and Welsh coast yet, but I really want to someday). The landscape there is much more wild and grand and there's an energy in the air there that I've never felt anywhere else and we try to go there as often as we can.
I never try to exactly depict scenes of nature. They are distilled into dreamy images in my head and that is what I work from.


Which of the four elements best describes you? (earth/air/fire/water)

Of the four elements, I'm most attracted to water, although I would describe myself mostly as fire. I'm very passionate about things that are important to me. I can be a very passionate fangirl (when it comes to the stories I love). I'm also quite passionate in my views of the world and politics, although I don't mix those with my visual work.
I don't believe in bottling things up, I talk very easily and openly and I can get flame up quite easily. Although, slowly, while growing older, I notice my need for grounding myself more and more, and especially for taking the time to let things sink in and think them over before reacting. Which I'm very grateful for, because I'm quite impulsive by nature, which has gotten me in quite some pickles in the past.

If you could go back to the darkest time in your life, what would you tell yourself?

If I could go back to the darkest time in my life, I would tell my younger self: don't feel guilty for your anger and don't be afraid of not being lady-like enough. Being ladylike won't get you anywhere, you will need that fire to survive. You will make mistakes, but you will learn from them and you will come out stronger and things will get better, and not just better, but really good.

Meet Mandi of Leigh's Wiccan Boutique

In an effort to share the best Etsy has to offer, I am pleased to feature my next designer, Mandi. For me, It is difficult to find a reputable Wiccan shop that carries all my wants and needs, and Leigh's Boutique is just that. I want the shop to have that personal touch, as if they would be that wisewoman at the end of the village, or the cunning midwife, in a quaint cottage full of herbs and secrets.

I am pleased that I found such a creative and vibrant store owner in Mandi, someone who genuinely loves what she does! What follows is my personal interview with her. Please take a moment and get to know her as I have; then stop on her Facebook page, and tell her I sent you!



1. Have you always been a creative person?
I have been creating since I was 10 yrs old. My mom and I would paint ceramics together, and go to the ceramic shops to find new green ware to work on all the time. I remember when she enrolled my sister and I into a porcelain class and we spent every Wednesday for a year making our own personal porcelain dolls. Those are some of the best memories we made together.

3D Bohemian Gemstone Dreamcatcher

2. When did you decide to sell your items?
I started selling my items about 4 years ago. I was unemployed going stir crazy and needed to occupy my mind while the kids were away at school. I started creating my line which at first was just jewelry. My big sister had told me about Etsy and suggested I give it a try. I am thankful she did because without her advice I wouldn't be where I am today.


3.How would you describe your creative process?
There is not always a method to my madness, unless it is requested of me. When I create new works of art for the shop I am inspired from within to make whatever it is I am going to make on that sudden whim. It is as if I was called to make to design that piece. Images, or idea’s just pop in my head and I go with it. I call it Divine knowledge that was bestowed upon me. When a custom order is requested of me I take that customers idea’s and run with it using the colors and stones that call to them. They always love their custom piece to.

Heart Shaped Rose Grapevine Holiday Wreath

4 If I wasn't doing this, I would be..........
To be honest with you if I wasn’t doing my craft, the one thing I truly enjoy and love besides my kids then I really don’t know what I would do. I would be lost, and piece of my soul would be missing.


5. What/who are your inspirations?
My family and friends are big inspirations to me. My oldest son also follows in my foot steps and is always inspiring me to create something new, and I also inspire him with his paintings. My kids are honest with me, and if they don’t like something I made they tell me right off the bat. My older sister inspired me to be who I am today, to never give up and has been my back bone for years regarding my business, and I hers as well. My friends are inspiring to me with their unconditional support and constant idea’s along with their help when I need them.



6. Of the four elements (earth, air, fire, water), which best describes you. I have been told that within my Native American Tribe I am of the element Wind, however I also find myself very connected to the earth.




7. Five things I am grateful for are?
I am grateful for my husband, Children, the home over our heads. The small local shop my husband built for my boutique so I can live my dream, and all my family that I have.


Social Media Links
My Etsy www.etsy.com/shop/leighswiccanboutique
My Blog: mandileighs.blogspot.com
My Facebook Fan Page: facebook.com/MandiLeighs
My Twitter: twitter.com/mandileighs

Spreading the Love

    I love to write about my thoughts and feelings, my experiences, my worldview, my passions, dreams, and the like. But, I also love learning about others and their creative journeys; their life story and passions. I feel invigorated when someone shares how they got started in painting Indian Goddesses, or designing floral headpieces. I believe we are here to find our authentic self, to tell our own story, but I do believe we are here to showcase the talent of another, and thank them for their contributions. I believe we are here to learn from and help one another, how ever big or small.
 
   With that in mind, I began contacting artists on Etsy, ones that felt particularly drawn to. Those I felt a creative kindred, and who were able to successfully convey their feelings and passion for our shared interests, like nature, fairy tales, mythology, and the Divine Feminine. I was pleasantly surprised when I found my mailbox full of kind souls, willing to open their shops and hearts, and be a part of my bloggy-blog!

    What follows is my interview with sunny and sweet Andrea, of Storybook Artifact. I was intrigued by her shop and personality, and happy to feature such a unique Etsy shop. With the holidays quickly approaching, (my birthday in less than two weeks should be a national holiday) Storybook Artifact is one little shop you shouldn't overlook!

Storybook Artifact is a cozy one-stop shop for all of your heart's desires; where your dreams and aspirations are captured in that "just what I was looking for" storybook artifact! Able to be passed down through your family's generations, these vintage or hand-crafted treasures can help to express your story; becoming a timeless family heirloom.

www.etsy.com/shop/StorybookArtifact

www.storybookartifact.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/pages/Storybook-Artifact/215125658512667

1.Have you always been a creative person?
I have always been a drawer. Ever since I was a little girl I'd sketch up some lady's portrait. To me, my mother was the fairest of them all, and my role model later in life: simple and true to life. She was always doing some craft: sewing, painting clothing or canvas, ceramics, latch hook, etc. She also loved being a mother and would do hands-on activities with my sister and I like writing poems. Today, I am a mother myself, and find my children to be my road; whatever creativity sparks from their projects generally will find a place in my Etsy shop:

Upcycled Repurposed Baby Headbands:
www.etsy.com/listing/164667503/blushing-baby-eco-fascinator-headband

Montessori Tummy Time Toy:
www.etsy.com/listing/164555765/alice-looking-glass-toy-for-baby-tummy


Back to early me "drawing", some sketches I have in my shop are from my early (teenage) years.

2.If I wasn't doing this, I would be......
I'd be making a house a tidy cozy home: i.e. chores. Yes, I have to balance my priorities. Generally I am multi-tasking.

At this time of year my local performing art center has a fall series of performances that are free to the public, it is their Brown Bag It "fall series", where you may bring your lunch to snack on while you enjoy a little concert playing: such a wonderful experience for kids. ... Picnics and walks in the park, activities at the library (performances, story-time, workshops, etc.) and checking out free movies and books ... Trips to thrift stores, used bookstores, yard sales, and estate sales ... Camping, biking, hiking, swimming, fishing, and canoeing. Love it all!!!


4.What is the one thing you would like others to know about you? What do you believe your purpose to be?
That my true soul purpose in life is simply being a loving nurturing mother. Career comes second. I am currently in school now: to get to a stopping point with a degree in biology. However, my aspirations past this point are vague in that realm. For as of now, I am in a moment to savor life's gift of bliss with my ever-changing children.

5. What is your favorite fairy tale?
Alice in Wonderland, but this is more of a fantasy story: not an old folk tale retold for generations. With this in mind, I'd have to say Hansel and Gretel.

Willow recommends

https://www.etsy.com/listing/124006659/plum-velvet-dress-jacket-handmade-by?ref=shop_home_active

If you liked this interview and shop, please visit her on Etsy for more items. Please share and spread the love.. You know you want to!

That Proud Feeling

This isn't going to be a very long post, as I'm not feeling so well today. I had a hellish night, thanks to a raging Interstitial Cystitis flare, so I am in need of a nap.

Things have been difficult since my grandparents passed in May. I felt so much grief and disconnected. From everything. I still saw beauty in things, but I could not bring myself to sit and design jewelry like I used to. The spark wasn't there. It actually started last year at this time, when Pap was taken away. I had surgery the same month. All these traumatic life events happening at the same time, and took my creativity.

It's hard to do anything creative when your mind is somewhere else. Equally as hard when the Endometriosis, i.c, and fibromyalgia, flare all at once from all the stress. Slowly but surely, I feel like I am making progress and coming around.

With all that in mind, I decided to design bracelets in memory of Vietnam Veterans. My father is a Vet, and I member and official writer for the Children of Vietnam Veteran's Health Alliance. I have been making and selling three styles of bracelets for less than a year, but just recently got a message that really touched my heart.





That right there. THAT'S why I choose to keep designing.

If you are the child of a Vietnam Vet, or know of one, please direct them to covvha (dot) net for support and information.
Below are the three styles I designed on sale at my etsy store.



If you are interested in the essays I wrote, just search for Willow on the site!

Just Breathe

This is where I grew up; the stream down the street from my Grandparents. I thought it was such a magical place. I loved spending weekends at their house, especially in the spring and summers. I was never one to be cooped up in the house for long, so I would spend most my time exploring the flora and fauna in their small village. I could spend hours up and down the creek beds, looking for crabs and frogs.


There are large willows along the water, where I got my name. It was a tree that captivated my attention. It wasn't like the dogwoods or oaks I would climb, but unique. They gave me shade on hot summer days, and hypnotize me with their swaying branches. I would tell them my secrets, and they would answer with a whisper of leaves. Maybe it was the dryads inside. I saw the magic in them, and they in me.


Some of the best memories of my pap were on that very wall in the photo. He would take my sister and I fishing, sometimes my cousins, too. He was sometimes impatient when my sister refused to bait the hook. She wasn't the tomboy that I was! But, he had his special way of talking and pronouncing things, singing silly songs and making me smile. It wasn't 'fishing,' for example, it was 'feeshing.' They aren't scissors, they're 'skissors.' Just the little things.

I remember one time, when he caught a particularly robust bass, he asked me to carry home. In my hands. While it was still all alive and wiggly. I made it about two steps, when I dropped the thrashing fish in the red dog gravel. He was more than a little annoyed. But, typically Pap doesn't stay mad for very long. I would give him the pouty lip, and the watery eyes, thinking he was about to yell as my dad would, but Pap just gave me a sideways glance, faux anger from the corner of his eye. Then, he would smirk, and I would smile in return. I would give everything I have to see that look again.


I think a lot about growing up with my grandparents, and how lucky I am to have lived so close to them. I was mostly a tomboy and just a touch girly girl, but I absolutely loved the time outside with pap. We walked at least five miles a day in the summers, and spent hours at the park, watching him drive golf balls back and forth.
They both passed on just this past May, and it's been difficult for my family. Winter is coming, and cannot spend much more time by the wall and under the willows. I know Mother Nature needs time to rest, and I need to turn within for healing. I look forward to the spring, though, when I can call on pap's spirit to join me on a walk. Sometimes, I feel such despair, but if mythology has taught me anything, I know hope lies just below.

 Rest in peace, Pap. I hope you're fishing and playing golf. And goosing Gram ;) xoxo