East Valley Artisans

Sept. Meeting recap

2009-09-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

We had another great meeting at Inside the Bungalow on Wednesday! Our exchange theme was stormy or inclement weather. It was a difficult theme, but everyone came up with some really great ideas. I need to start taking photos of what everyone brings. It is usually the highlight of our meetings.

In attendance for our Sept meeting were:
Nancy
Jeannie
Renee
Melissa
Me
and we had two visitors:
Kristen
Amanda

Kristen sent me an email and decided to join as a member today! We welcome her to the group! She makes antique brass necklaces that are embellished with designs that are copies of her original paintings. She brought several to share with the group. She does very nice work!

Our show and tell went on for a while this meeting. Many of us brought things we are working on and things we have completed to show the group. It was great to see such creativity and inspiration coming out of our group.

We discussed several shows that are coming up between now and Christmas. Many EVA members will be vending at these events. We will post all of them here and let you know who will be showing at the events. The first one will be in Downtown Mesa for 2nd Fridays near 41 W. Main Street. The theme for this 2nd Friday is Oktoberfest. It is October 9 from 6pm - 10pm. The next event is our very own Craft-oberfest on October 24th. The details for Craft-oberfest are all in the previous post.

We didn't have the opportunity to do a tutorial this meeting. Melanie, who was going to share some blogging tips, took a job volunteering on Wednesday nights. We will miss her, but her services are understandably needed elsewhere.

Upcoming:
Oktoberfest, Craft-toberfest, and our theme for October is simply Autumn.

Craft-oberfest October 24th!

2009-09-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Etsy team, The East Valley Artisans, is excited to present Craft-oberfest! Our Halloween event will feature hand-made jewelry, glass beads, bath and body items, accessories, paper crafts, food, fun ... and more. Everyday and Halloween items will be available for purchase. Put Saturday October 24 on your calendar and come see what we are all about!

Artist of the Month: Len Springer

2009-09-13T17:35:00.000-07:00

1. Who in your life has influenced you most creatively, and why?
My cousin Myisha of Springcartdesigns.etsy.com Since childhood we've been drawn to all things creative and chic and we are always inspired by one another. We still have all night craft sessions whenever we get together.

2. Do you have fond memories of something you made in art class in school? Describe what you did.
It actually wasn't art class. A childhood friend Carolyn and I decided one Summer to sit on her grandma's porch and make a two story house out of left over popsicle sticks. We collected, cleaned and dried them from all the kids in the neighborhood. I guess you could say we were up-cycling before it became mod. We spent all Summer on that house and it was great. Until her grandparents sheep dog sat on it and broke it.
We still agonize and laugh about that Summer.

3. Describe your ideal creative day ...
Very simple. Of late, to have a whole day, any day to just be creative and have my home studio in utmost order. A nice glass of wine or herbal ice tea and a nice big bowl of strawberries and some sort of cheese would be divine.

4. Name your three favorite:
I must add this is a difficult part of the interview because I try to remain open to most things in life so it's hard to narrow it all down. Here it goes...

Books -
Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson, M.D., The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Women Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros
Movies -
Gladiator, The Godfather, Elizabeth, The Golden Age (oh, please let me mention The Sound of Music & Breakfast at Tiffany's)
Bands -
Aerosmith (Rock Star Legends), The Roots (only rap group that sings and plays real instruments), Miles Davis (was one of the most influential Jazz musician creating and scoring music across the board) Yes all amazing live

Websites -
http://www.kennethbrowndesign.com/
http://www.craftmaniaonline.co.uk/
http://www.vintage-books.com/

5. What is your favorite holiday and why?
Thanksgiving! We (my sis & I) cooked for 40-60 family members, friends and all those in between. We start the day by serving others at a local Womens Organization, have games and movies for everyone. I'd make invitations (of course) have a full menu including appetizers, two signature drinks and our traditional Gumbo. Anyone that did not have a place to be would always be welcome. A wonderful time to reflect and be grateful for the little things.

6. What is your day job?
During the day I change lives. My specific title is Admissions Coordinator for The Skin & Makeup Institute of Arizona. I have the wonderful opportunity to guide students into a career path within the skincare & beauty industry. It's wonderful to be at the starting phase of someone choosing a path that isn't the standard one like being an accountant. Careers in Aesthetics (skincare), Professional Makeup Artistry, Permanent Makeup and Medical/Laser certification with the training we take pride in offering our students gives them wings . I also play an integral part in all of our marketing/advertising/event planning. For example, we just had a charitable event for the Women's Fresh Start foundation where we hosted 120+ clients providing a full spa & boutique day. Last year we hosted the Arizona try-outs for America's Next Top Model casting. Two Arizonans (Talia & FO) both made it onto the show.

7. Tell us about new creative projects or classes that you would like to pursue ...
Working with handmade Japanese paper. Hair Accessories. Rings. I'm using simple bases some with a patina and vintage filigree look with stones I get from a turquoise expert here in the valley. I'm slowly venturing into making jewelry. I love Czech beads. I want two types of lines. One that is simple and to the point somewhat of a vintage-inspired line; the other involving glass & paper. I'd like to take a class on working with glass as well as learning different mediums to use my love of all things paper.

Also working on a new & improved website
8. If you were a movie actor or actress, who would it be and why?
Ahh.... Today I would be Cate Blanchett because she always has such a presence that commands attention in a non-pretentious way and there is a classic vibe she brings that is so needed again; like that of Audrey Hepburn.

List your websites or anywhere else on-line that your art is featured:
www.uninhibitedspirit.com
www.uninhibitedspirit.etsy.com
www.uninhibitedspirit.blogspot.com

August Meeting recap

2009-08-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

I better get the recap of the August meeting up before August is over! Our EVA group is growing and it is very exciting. We had 10 people at this last meeting! There are 7 of us that have been getting together for the past year and I think our August meeting was the first time we have actually all be in the same room at the same time. Aside from Renee, who was new at the July meeting, we had two even newer visitors to our little meeting. There was Melissa of The Silver Nest. Among other great things, she makes the cutest little wire wrapped nests that are made into pendants and earrings. Melissa decided to join EVA, and we are very happy to have her! Anita Farrah also came to the meeting. Anita makes some really cool glass beads. I recently went by her etsy shop and was quite impressed with her witches hat bead. I love that everyone is gearing up for Halloween!!! Please see East Valley Artisans to view the shops of all of our members.

August was full of new concepts for EVA. We had our first tutorial ... THANK YOU Trish for presenting an excellent tutorial on wire wrapping!! She is quite the skilled teacher.

Tools for wire wrapping

Len watching Trish as she goes through the steps

Trish mid-wrap

Topics discussed at this meeting were:
MACfest
The MAC Holiday Art & Music Festival
Len came with info to share about a couple other upcoming event ... more to follow on those.
Nancy has been exhibiting with East Valley Arts Guild at the 3rd Friday Artwalk at Mesa Riverview.
Trish (who has recently been busily updating her shop) brought up the possibility of having a craft show at her work.

Upcoming:
The theme for our September meeting is inclement weather. Something we are not having enough of ... or maybe too much of if you consider never ending blazing heat as inclement weather, as I do. Looking forward to Fall! And also in September Melanie will present us with a tutorial on blogging.

July Meeting Recap

2009-07-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Last night we had our July meeting. Nancy, Sarah, and I were in attendance with 2 visitors, Nikki and Renee. We are very pleased to announce that Nikki and Renee both joined as EVA members. We are excited to have these fun and creative ladies as new additions to our team. Last night Nancy and Sarah both brought new items they have been working on to share with the group. Nancy is working on some great new items. She has closed her shop and strayed from the silver. She is working in a lot in brass. Her new designs are very modern and look awesome. Her new shop will be up soon (it is up now)! Sarah has a new shop and has been working on new bathsalts, towel sets, and soaps. It looks like it would make for some very luxurious and relaxing baths. New members, Nikki and Renee, brought some items for show and tell also. Nikki showed us one of her upholstery bags, and several jewelry items. I totally have a thing for her vintage tie bracelets. And Renee has two shops. One where she makes some wonderful jewelry and another where she has these awesome coffee cup sleeves. I am so happy they came and brought cool stuff to share with the group!

Topics we discussed were the MAC Holiday arts and music festival. The event is 2 days this year December 12 and 13th. Nancy already has reserved her booth and Melanie is currently hoping to find someone in the group to share one with. You can contact me or convo Melanie if you are interested.

We also talked about pricing items, tax licenses for booths, and the chat groups and forums available on etsy. Next meeting we are hoping for a volunteer to lead us through a short tutorial on a project or how to. Let me know if you are interested.

We decided on a theme for our August exchange. Nikki came up with Hawaii as the theme for next month. I am excited to work on this one!!

Artist of The Month - Kandes Naylor

2009-06-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

I am finally submitting my artist of the month answers.

1. Who in your life has influenced you most and why? I can only pick 1 person!?! Then I would have to say my husband, Jeff. He encourages me to keep being creative and has helped me to set up a studio in our house.

2. If there were any craft you could master other than the ones you already work with, what would it be? EZ answer ... Metalsmithing.

3. Describe your ideal studio space... My home studio space is great. I love it. It has plenty of space to store all my crafty things and enough surface area to be in the middle of several projects at once. I just wish it magically cleaned itself!

4. Name your three favorite:
Books - Green Psychology, Stop Walking on Eggshells, A Penny for Candy
Movies - Dummy, Lars and the Real Girl, Marie Antoinette
Bands - Auto Man Empire, Bonnie Prince Billy, Alela Diane
Websites - anthropologie.com, of course etsy.com, afancifultwist.typepad.com

5. What is your favorite season and why? I love the fall. Everything Halloween makes me giddy!

6. What is your 9-5 job? I work at M-Troniks (electronics repair for music equipment) with my husband and we also own Naylor Entertainment, a live music booking agency.

7. Tell us about the best gift you've ever gotten from someone. I think right now I am loving the gift of freedom my husband has given me. My prior day job was sucking the life outta me. Now I come and go as I wish. It is super nice.

8. If you were a character on a TV sit-com, who would it be and why? Punky Brewster. She was a fun little kid. I secretly desire the ability to wear non-matching clothes and still look cute.

Kandes's spots:
http://kandeslee.etsy.com
http://www.KandesLee.com

Artist of the Month: Nancy Reasoner

2009-03-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

What do you think inspires your creativity?
Nature and color. I love the textures of leaves and natural items. Throw in a few sparkling gems or crystals and it becomes exciting!

Who inspires your creativity and how?
My daughter is very creative, and is constantly giving me feedback and new ideas.

My husband, Tim also has helped... he is the behind one of my favorite pieces - "Pool Trash". We were swimming one day, when he found a perfect leaf floating on the pool. He handed it to me and said "Here is a piece of pool trash - turn it into something beautiful". I wear it more than any other piece because of the sentiment behind it. Tim is totally supportive. Without him, I would be just wishing I could create... instead of actually doing it.

Outside of being creative, what do you do?
I am a Systems Analyst/ Program Manager. I gather requests for application changes, define the requirements, and lead the team of program developers to design and develop those changes. A totally different part of my brain is used in my regular job - but it is also fulfilling.

I also like to garden - especially growing Roses.

What are your top three favorite:

Books:
-The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is my all time favorite.
-Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss would be my favorite romance.
-I just finished the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer - it was a nice escape.

Movies :

Sleepless in Seattle

Serenity

Quigly Down Under

Bands:

E Street (Bruce Springstein)

Bonnie Raite and her band

Chris Isaak

web sites:

http://www.roses4az-mevrs.org/Home.html - Mesa East Valley Rose Society

Wikipedia.org - for info

Amazon.com - for everything else!

What is your dream job?

My major in college was Anthropology. I hoped to be a Forensic Anthropologist and work in a crime lab.

And if you were a flavor of ice cream, what would it be and why?

Breyer's Brownie Mud Pie! Soothing chocolate with carmel and crunchie almonds... everything a woman wants.

Nancy's work is also featured at:
NancysDesigns.etsy.com

anartisticescape.com
papermangoblog.blogspot.com

Wake up ... Spring is coming

2009-02-21T09:46:00.000-08:00

We just had our February meeting on Wednesday night. It was a fun meeting. I love that new energy that happens when the holidays are over and the dark of winter fades. Spring is coming and everything wakes up. Anyway, at the meeting we met Len who makes some really cute note cards and paper crafts. She is considering becoming a member of EVA. She would be a great addition to our group! You can see what Len does on her etsy: uninhibitedspirit.etsy.com

We set the theme for next months meeting. It will be ... MASQUERADE. I am excited!! There is so much that can be done. I am not even sure which way I will go with that. The meeting will be March 18 at 7pm in our usual spot. I hope to see all EVA members there with their bright and cheery MASQUERADE themed exchange items.

Meeting Moved to Thursday

2008-12-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

I know our monthly meetings are usually held 3rd Wednesday's of the month. But this month only, it will be Thursday December 18th. I have to attend a meeting at my son's school the usual 3rd Wednesday.

December things

2008-12-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is December! It doesn't seem like an entire year has gone by since my husband and I were in Puerto Rico. I could only wish for a vacation like that this year. I need it!

This month we still have MacFest going on every Saturday in downtown Mesa. We will be right outside selling our goods at 41 W Main Street.

And many of us will be at Inside the Bungalow for their Local Artists Market on Sunday December 2nd at 48 N Robson in downtown Mesa.

We will have our team meeting at ITB December 17th at 7pm. All members are invited to attend. Our exchange theme is New Years. That could be New Years or new beginnings ... anything of that nature.

Happy Halloween!!!!

2008-10-31T15:43:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween all!!! What a wonderful time of year. Especially around here because it SHOULD be below 95 degrees anytime soon ... and that would be awesome for holiday festivals and arts markets.

Just wanted to remind everyone of the meeting this month. Still same place, same time ... third Wednesday, which is November 19 this coming month, 7pm at Inside the Bungalow.

Our exchange theme this month is: WINTER HOLIDAYS! Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, Yule, Decemberween or whatever holiday you wish to express.

Artist of the Month: Jeannie Cox

2008-10-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

What do you think inspires your creativity?
Almost everything I see inspires my creativity. Nature all around inspires my floral beads, tree beads and scenery beads. Glancing at a wall mural or magazine ad will inspire unique color combinations that I import into my heart beads or other geometric or abstract designs.
I also gain much inspiration from the people around me. Many of my friends and co-workers suggest designs or ideas that I have never tried before. This gives me a challenge and is a huge inspiration.

Who inspires your creativity and how?
Wow! There are many great artists out there that I do not think I could chose one in particular. But (this may sound cheesy) I believe my biggest inspiration, from a very early age, would have to be my parents. My Mom was always making something, from ceramics and oil paintings to sewing and baking – she was very creative and always involved me in her crafts. My father was also an inspiration because of his great attention to detail (he was a machinist) and he was also crafty in his own right, creating his own metal tools and designing various woodworks. We even made a doll-house, exact to scale, of the home I grew up in. I believe they planted the seed of my creativity long ago.

Outside of being creative, what do you do?
I am a Supervisor for Prescription Drug Claims in Scottsdale. I have a wonderful team of great people working for me and they are very supportive and inspirational for my craft.
I also like to read, bake and swim (or just chill-out in the hot tub). Traveling to new locations on vacation or for my beading career is also fun, too.

What are your top three favorite:

books – (these are series, really – when I really like a character, I never want them to end!) Stephen King: The Dark Tower Series, Dean Koontz: The Christopher Snow Series and Orson Scott Card: The Alvin Maker Series.

movies - Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Singing in the Rain

bands – Aerosmith, Scorpions and oldies (60’s, 70’s, 80’s – a lot of the one-hit wonders are cool!)

web sites – www.lampworketc.com - a cool site with tips, demos and information about lampworking and glass, www.hammondscandies.com - this place still makes the old-fashioned candies by hand – so good!, www.kingarthurflour.com - this site has all kind of goodies for baking from all over the world, they’re not cheap, but their stuff is top quality!

What do you want to be when you grow up?
(Am I ever going to grow up? I hope not!). I would love to be a full-time artist and be able to “play” all day long at what I love to do.

And if you were a character on a TV sit-com, who would it be and why?
The best I can come up with, I think (???), would be Gonzo from the Muppet Show. He was always trying new experiments and he liked fire (he blew up a lot of stuff). He was also funny and upbeat even in the worst of times. I just hope that I am a little more successful with my experiments than he was.

Jeannie's work is also featured at:
http://www.jeansbeads.com
http://www.creationismessy.com (her bead is on one of their page banners)
(and I also stumbled upon her work in a MacFest slideshow)
http://www.azcentral.com/commphotos/azcentral/8206/4/11

Back to Back Arts Markets this weekend

2008-10-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend EVA will be at our MACfest location on Saturday 10/18 from 10am - 4pm. We are located right outside of M-Troniks at 41 W. Main Street in Mesa. EVA artists appear on a rotating schedule which will finally be posted later this week. MACfest is a weekly event in downtown Mesa from October thru May where artists line Main Street selling their wares. This week downtown Mesa is hosting Wild West Days so there should be some interesting spectacle.

Then Sunday 10/19 we will be doing our 3rd Sunday event at Inside the Bungalow's arts market from 11am - 2pm. They are located at 48 N Robson in Mesa. Come have some great coffee, take a yoga class or shop for Christmas gifts.

Both events are public events and everyone is welcome!

EVA members at MacFest

2008-10-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

Jeannie and I set up an EVA booth at MacFest today. MacFest is downtown Mesa's weekly art's market. Each week two or three EVA members will be attending MacFest. Our booth will be set up outside of M-Troniks at 41 W Main Street. At a later date, you will find a calendar on this website that shows which EVA members will be represented at this weekly event.

This turn out was not so bad for the kick off. We are hoping for this event to grow and for more people in the community to join us in making it a success. See ya at the next MacFest!!!

EVA Featured Artist of the Month: Trish Arnseth

2008-09-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

Provide us with background information, like where you were born, where have you lived, who is your family and what is your educational background.
I was born in Red Bank, NJ. My mom is a secretary and my dad is a mechanic, but my grandmother was extremely crafty and got me going from the time I could hold a bottle of glue or string beads. I have a degree in graphic design from Collins College and after college I worked for 5 years as head designer for Mayfield's Inc, Fine Jewelry in Scottsdale, then at Scottsdale Bead Supply for two years selling beads, teaching classes and stringing for the gallery.

What do you think inspires your creativity? Definitely movies, books and tv shows(Northern Exposure on DVD has inspired tons of projects and ideas in particular). Being outside and changing seasons, especially autumn. Also if I'm really stuck I like to go to Google Images and search for words that I like, like Vintage, Antique or Victorian. I get so many good ideas that way.

Who inspires your creativity and how? My grandmother always did, and I still base a lot of my designs off of the fun and funky style she had. She was big on leopard print and big, chunky jewelry! Also the other sellers on etsy, just browsing through the site reminds me of how creative people can be!

Outside of being creative, what do you do? I am a Property Manager for an apartment complex, and my fiancee is a filmmaker, so I am always helping him out by making props or holding up lights or filling in if he needs an extra actress. I also play with/talk to my two kitties a lot, Fizzie and Bella.

What are your top three favorite:

books - The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. The Harry Potter series, by J.K Rowling

movies - Jaws, Better Off Dead, anything Jim Henson

bands - Nine Inch Nails, Flight Of The Conchords, She and Him. Although mostly I listen to music from the 40's 50's and 60's.

web sites - cuteoverload.com, http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/, tarinatarantino.com

What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a funny old lady with lots of good stories and lots of cool jewelry I can lend my grandkids!

And if you could be any cartoon character, who would it be and why? I think I'd be one of the little mice that helped make Cinderella's dress. They're all cute and clutzy!

Trish's work is featured here:
http://littlesilverstars.etsy.com
http://www.mayfieldsinc.com
http://patsymarella.wordpress.com

Inside the Bungalow Arts Market

2008-09-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

Earlier today the East Valley Artisans were at Inside the Bungalow for their first monthly arts market. This will be happening the 3rd Sunday of every month from 11am - 2pm. It was a bit hot out today, but even so it was a great event. The awesome iced chai latte from the Inside the Bungalow cafe got me through the day. I thought I would share photos of all who attended ... except me. I didn't manage to get a photo of myself.

Nancy

Melanie

Sarah

Trish

Jeannie

Next event, there will be 2-3 EVA members weekly at MacFest from October - May. Look here in the near future to see who will be attending ... and where, exactly, on Main Street in Mesa we will be.

September meeting and ITB arts market

2008-09-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

We had yet another great meeting last night!

Melanie designed our business cards and brought them ... just in time for our first event at the Inside the Bungalow arts market. They look great!!! Thank you Melanie for your work on those. You can see Melanie's work on her etsy site.

Nancy, Trish, Jeannie and I were also at the meeting ... all of whom will be at the arts market featuring our wares this Sunday. Sarah was unable to make it to the meeting, but she will be with us Sunday. I am very excited for the opportunity to get a little more exposure for our group.

Sunday 9/21 from 11am to 2pm at Inside the Bungalow. Come see the work of our EVA members. See the website for directions and details.

The theme of our exchange at this meeting was Halloween ... my favorite holiday and a fun exchange!

The next meeting will be October 15th and the theme is fall leaves.

Coming up soon: Our featured artist of the month ... check back to see who it is and what fabulous things she does.

Meeting this Wednesday 9/17 @ 7pm

2008-09-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

We will be having another meeting Wednesday 9/17 at 7pm.

This meeting we will be discussing:
* The Inside the Bungalow arts market on 9/21.
* New ways to promote EVA
* Stork articles
* Reviewing items from August's meetings
* and stuff and other things

We will be filling out the forms for the ITB arts market. Don't forget your $10 to reserve your space.

The exchange theme for this meeting is Halloween (my favorite holiday)!!!

Meeting Wedneday August 20 @ 7pm

2008-08-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

Our EVA monthly meeting will be held at Inside the Bungalow Wednesday August 20 at 7pm.

This meeting we will be discussing:
* etsy grants
* arts and craft festivals
* new policies for membership
* gearing up for the holidays
* EVA promotion
* whatever else comes up

Hope to see you there ....

July Meeting Review

2008-07-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

Hooray! Our July meeting was another great meeting. Thanks to everyone for making it out to Inside the Bungalow/Coffee Talk .

Our first exchange went very well. I am glad so many of us participated. It was nice to have a little "take home." The magnets that Sarah of etsy shop BirdWatching made went right up on my refrigerator when I got home! Next month the exchange theme is fairy tales.

In attendance at the meeting were our jewelry designers, Nancy of NancysDesigns who makes some exceptional jewelry pieces using PMC, sterling silver and Swarovski crystals, and Trish of LittleSilverStars who makes some extremely fun and original jewelry designs. Also in attendance were Jeannie of JeansBeads who is going to teach me to be a real lampwork artist one of these days, and Stacy of lilsprouts who makes the most darling clothing and accessories for the little ones. And I was there, kandeslee - I do beaded jewelry, some painted wood pendants, and glass beads.

We also had two new members this time around Melanie of PaperMango who makes some terrific paper products - business cards, greeting cards and invitations. And also Sarah (mentioned above) who makes all sorts of creative items from bird pendants, to zipper pouches, to stuffed owls and soaps.

I am looking forward to August's meeting which will be Wednesday August 20th at Inside the Bungalow once again. And we have homework: research one or two East Valley events taking place this fall that we might be able to participate in. Dig deep - maybe find out fees, requirements and print applications.

Thank you to everyone in this wonderful group for bringing ideas and thoughts to share. Oh and also for the fun show and tell and exchange pieces.

July Meeting info

2008-07-15T12:45:00.000-07:00

Our 2nd monthly meeting is this Wednesday 7/16 at 7pm.
It is at Inside the Bungalow - Main Street and
Robson in downtown Mesa. They are a few streets west of Mesa Arts
Center. It is also called Coffee Talk so if you see that name, don't
be confused, it is the same place. Forget my attempt at giving
directions ... here is the Google link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&f=d&daddr=48+N+Robson+Mesa,+AZ+85201&fb=1&geocode=1289847101365221299,33.416409,-111.836673&cd=1&z=16

As far as our exchange pieces ... make sure you wrap them up so we
can't tell what you've brought and we will keep the donated pieces
hidden in our purses or a bag until the exchange pieces are revealed.

Bring more show and tell items! I loved looking at what you all make.
Such wonderful creativity we have amongst us.

Do it yourself -- Light Studio

2008-06-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

My brother sent me this link to help out with my photos.
I thought it was worth sharing with the group if anyone felt crafty enough to make their own.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Light-Studio-for-Photographers-Tabletop

-Kandes-

June Meeting Review

2008-06-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

We had our first team meeting Wednesday and it went really great! Most of our small (but growing) group was able to show up at Rich Aroma Coffee Co. Everyone had wonderful ideas to contribute.

All of our members brought some of their work to show the group. That was really fun! I love show and tell. There was a even little shopping that went on and I know I started creating a mental wish list. EVA is a talented bunch of artisans.

At our next meeting on July 16th we are doing a themed artist exchange where every member creates 2 items to donate to the group. The theme for July's meeting is the Ocean. One of the items will go to our team shop to generate money for group activities and the second will be a gift for one of the other members to take home. We will decide who gets what "white elephant" style. It was great how we all collaborated to make this spark of an idea even better and better. What team work!

Thank you to everyone who showed up and shared ideas with the group. I can't wait for July's meeting!!!

Meeting Wednesday 6/18!!

2008-06-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

Hi All -

Our meeting is 7pm on Wednesday. I announced the location in our Google group, but forgot to post here.

Here is a map to Rich Aroma Coffee Company.
I will try to be there a little early, but if by chance anyone gets there before I do, please save us the couches by the coffee table.

Don't forget to bring something you have made to show the rest of us! Looking forward to seeing you all there.

First Announcement

2008-06-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

Easy Valley Artisans is having a team meeting. The date will be June 18th @ 7pm. Location is TBA. This is our first team meeting so much of it will be a meet and greet. I am very excited to meet the members of the team!!! We will also be discussing a few topics regarding the direction of the team, but probably won't get too serious about business on our first date. Hope to see you there. I will let you know where "there" is this weekend.