East Valley Artisans

Moving the party to facebook

2011-08-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, we have decided to move the East Valley Artisans party over to our facebook group page. Since we are on facebook sharing blog posts, pictures, works in progress and upcoming events we decided to focus our efforts on our group page. We are a bunch of busy artists and think this will be the best way to communicate in real time with you. We hope you will join the fun over on our facebook group page!

Grateful, oh yes, I'm Grateful

2011-08-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you need a prompt for journaling.

Consider this:

Reasons why you are grateful

Yolanda Nussdorfer is a member is East Valley Artisans. She is an artist and an creative journaling mentor. Her website is www.kathartsis.com

Daughters grown in a garden of love

2011-08-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

I was delightfully commissioned to do a painting for a baby girl's nursery. The mother doesn't have a specific theme or color palette for the nursery so, I focused on creating something girly and filled with beauty and of course flowers came to my mind but, I didn't want to stop there - I added some loving words about daughters, I think it adds just the right about of sweetness to the painting.

Want to commission me to create a special painting for you? Please feel free to email me to discuss your project. To see more of my work visit my artwork page.

Guest blogger Kristen Fagan of Creative Stash. Graphic Designer by day. Mother, wife, painter, jewelry artist, bookworm, cook and all around crafty gal by night. Contact her at krisfagan [at] cox [dot] com.

website | blog | facebook | twitter | etsy shop

Celebrating my birthday with a sale!

2011-08-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

August is my birthday month and I am celebrating my 33rd birthday by offering you a coupon to save 33% off anything in my shop. Simply enter code BDAY33 at checkout.

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Creative Journaling, for Beginners

2011-07-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

Creative Journaling is a process which allows for relaxation, stress relief and creative flow. If you are unfamiliar with this form of art journaling, I have outlined some key points for the workshops I teach below.

First you will be given a prompt and then guided through the process of creating a page. The process of journaling is naturally stress- relieving, which releases endorphins, which makes you feel good.

Start your page off by writing down some words or painting color on a page. During a workshop you will be continuously guided through the creation process but if you are on your own you can listen to music, read a poem, or reflect on your day; you can use anything for inspiration. Continue creating on your page, anything that comes to mind, follow what the page is trying to say to you. Highlight any words that stand out from your writing, doodle around the page. Add shadows with a charcoal pencil or outline with a black pen. Above all, have fun.

Yolanda Nussdorfer is an artist and creative journaling mentor. She is also a member of East Valley Artisans.

Her website is www.kathartsis.com

5 word Art Journal Prompt

2011-07-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today I played a little in the journal. I took the first five words that popped into my head. Then, created a poem using the words or variations of those words.

The words were rolling, create, cold, fall, shine. Here is what I wrote.

Falling from water
Rolling, creating waves
There it shined
in the coldness.

It was a fun little exercise and I enjoyed how 5 simple words led me to this piece. I can't wait to try this one with students!

Yolanda Nussdorfer is a member of East Valley Artisans. She is an artist and creative journaling instructor. Her website is www.kathartsis.com

Exploring Watercolors

2011-07-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to play with watercolor paints for awhile so, when Alisa Burke (one of my favorite artists) recommended the Koi Watercolor Field Sketch Set on her blog I placed it on my wish list and last month I finally bought it! I don't have any watercolor paper yet so, I made do with my current sketchbook for now just to play.

Watercolors have always intimidated me a bit because I love to work up lots of layers of paint and watercolor doesn't quite work that way. After my first session I am a little more comfortable. I feel like I used the paints in a very "acrylic" way but, part of that is probably do to my paper. So, the next time I am art supply shopping I will have to pick up some watercolor paper to further explore. For me, trying something new is always a welcome challenge.

Have you tried any new materials or techniques lately? Please share your experience or a link in the comments, I'd love to hear about your explorations!

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How is Everyone Handling the Heat?

2011-06-27T03:04:00.000-07:00

It's been very hot over in our house recently, so I have not been able to torch (which is driving me nuts!). Since torching is not an option right now, I have been trying to keep myself busy with other things, like sorting beads, organizing my findings and such, and trying to keep up with blogging, etc. (at least in the evenings when it's cool enough in the area where my computer is located.) I have also been playing a lot of Wii games with my son during the day. He has a window air conditioner in his tiny room and it's fairly cool in there. It is fun to play but I am getting really tired of not "working:". Ideas are still filling my head daily and there are so many things I want to try, want to perfect and want to experiment with. I can't wait to get back to it!
What has everyone else been up to? I hope everyone is staying cool!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

I have completed my Dad's Cubby bead. I think I will call him Jerry. He turned out pretty well, even if his smile is a little like the Joker's from the old Batman cartoons! Hee, hee!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Father's Day with their family and friends.

Special Requests?

2011-06-10T01:28:00.000-07:00

Do you accept special requests for your art? Time, equipment and experience permitting, I always try to. Since I am not bogged down with constant orders, I usually have free time in which I can fit a request or 2 in.
Also, being as versatile as possible, I consider some requests to be a real challenge and helps my art develop into realms which I never thought I would go. There are even several designs for new pendants and beads which came out of requests from family and friends and are now some of my best sellers.

Ideas can also just come from "suggestions" from customers or just chatting in general. If something sounds interesting enough to me, I will give it a try.

Just recently, I came up with a new design by just chatting with my hubby. I called him Jeremy, a big toothy grin with a baseball cap. I am thinking now of doing a whole set, calling them the "J Team", naming them all with "J" names - - should be cute. My mother also saw this bead and now I have the "challenge" of making one wearing a Cubbies cap for my Dad. Being a life-long Chicagoan until his retirement to Arizona, he's always been a fan of the Cubs. I now have to study their logo and figure out how to transfer that image into glass. I hope all comes out well with it and I will post a picture of it when it's done.

What stone is that anyway?

2011-06-02T05:34:00.003-07:00

I’ll give you a hint. They have incredible bands and patterns, come in a wide variety of beautiful colors, found all over the world, and each one is completely unique. Give up? The answer is Agate. Agates are semi-precious gemstones that form layer-by-layer within a hollow cavity of a host rock. Although any old host rock will do, most agates are formed inside lava rocks. The colors and patterns of Agate are directly influenced by environmental changes (i.e. temperature or pressure). Agates can be found in every color of the rainbow; however blues and greens are rare to find.

For thousands of years people have touted Agate for having a wide range of metaphysical properties. Some of the reported capabilities include stabilization and cleansing of the aura, prevention of insomnia, promotes positive dreams, improves concentration, memory and stamina, relieves allergies, enhances creativity, makes you more persuasive, and protects against danger. Because Agate is the birth stone for Gemini, it is said to have the most positive effect of those born into this zodiac sign.

In ancient times, Agate was used as weapons, tools, mortars and pestles, as well as carved into bowls because of its hardness. We may not use Agate to create weapons and tools these days, but they do create beautiful pins, marbles, beads, brooches, and more.

-By Guest Blogger: Bead Girl Jewelry http://www.beadgirljewelry.com/

Earth Laughs in Flowers

2011-05-31T16:44:00.000-07:00

My dear friend and long time coworker, Sara, is marrying to her love Josh later this year and I am working on their wedding invitations (yay!). They are planning a beautiful wedding in their garden so, I thought a good place to start would be with, well, their garden! Lucky for me Sara has shared loads of flower pictures from their yard on their blog so, that's where I went for inspiration.

Above are Sara's pictures and below are my first round of digital illustrations.

These flowers were truly a joy to draw! I have a few favorites for sure. It has been so nice to have a reason to illustrate. They have lots of orange trees and rose bushes which should be in bloom for the wedding so, we have decided to focus on those two plants in particular. Stay tuned for round two of sketches. I love weddings and flowers so this project is a win-win as Sara & I would say ;)

Earth laughs in flowers. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Hamatreya"

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Expanding our Horizons

2011-05-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

My hubby was watching the Sharks show the other day. If you don't know the show, it's about ordinary people who have small businesses or patents and they try to sell their idea to 4 or 5 rich business people to gain investments and/or partners. It could be pretty brutal!
I am not sure of the product in this case, but one of the "sharks" said, "Don't you know that people are not buying jewelry these days?" (I am assuming it was a jewelry-type item).
That got me thinking that maybe it's time to expand my horizons. I have been mostly sticking to beads as my main venue, but now it's probably time to incorporate some other items besides "jewelry".
In these hard economic times, we cannot have "all our eggs in one basket", so they say. It's time to expand, innovate, and think of new ideas to boost our businesses as well as our artistic talent.
In my case, being a lampworker, I have decided to make murrini (little chips of glass with designs or pictures in them) as a item to sell to other glass workers who use them. On top of that, I would also like to place more focus on creating little figurines (animals, faeries, dragons, etc.) that are stand-alone art pieces (not beads), as well as paperweights (mini ones) and/or marbles.
To kick off my "new outlook", I am working on the eye murrini which I made to make little glass doll eyes. I will probably still try and make those (they are pretty tough, being so small - some as little as 2mm round!), but also, they could be cut into murrini to sell to anyone who wants some cool eyes in their beads or glass art pieces.

Ahoy Painting

2011-05-24T11:10:00.002-07:00

I just shipped this sweet little sailboat to Colorado. This was a commissioned 8x10 painting made for a baby boy's nursery based on this Ahoy Mate NoJo bedding set.

Here is the progress from start to finish.

At first I was thinking about a border and using the words ahoy! but quickly decided I would simply paint the sweet little sailboat without cluttering it up.

I love to take commissions. Working together to produce something you will love and that will have personal meaning to you is very fulfilling!

Want to commission me to create a special painting for you?Please feel free to email me to discuss your project and receive an estimate.

website | blog | facebook | twitter | etsy shop

What a GREAT Week!

2011-05-20T04:16:00.002-07:00

Been a really good week for me so far (except for that little Copyright Infringement issue). My alien head bead went up in space on the shuttle Endeavor and I am back up and running with my new studio. It's not totally completed yet, still have ventilation issues, but at least it's workable (for me, anyway).

So since Sunday, I got my purple bubble heart beads done for a Beads of Courage order and I started making some doll eyes (which I hope may be a little niche of good sales - wish me luck!)

I am excited to get back to melting glass and am hoping to do some experimenting and "playing" to see if I come up with any new designs.

All the best!

Love your Art Journal- Tongue Twisters

2011-05-19T19:19:00.004-07:00

I just started an art journal and I am already loving it. It is a great way for me to spend just a couple of minutes doodling, painting or revisiting the day. I am not a huge writer, just a few words works for me. So this journal is the perfect thing for me to just scratch down a few words.

Today my kids were working on their tongue twisters. We had a great laugh, one of those moments you want to store in your memory bank. So, I took a few moments to create an entry.

Yolanda Nussdorfer is a mixed media artist and member of East Valley Artisans.

EVA wins Etsy grant!!!

2011-01-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hooray for EVA! Etsy announced the January team grant winners and the East Valley Artisans were awarded a grant for marketing materials, fees and items related to setting up a booth at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market! Goooooo team! AND a big THANK YOU to Etsy for making it possible. Now we are entering the planning phases and will be back with reports on our progress!

New EVA Logo!

2011-01-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

As we gear up for an exciting new year, with new goals, hopes and dreams we are also starting the year off with a new group logo designed by me! If you have not yet checked out the East Valley Artisans on Facebook please take a look! We share sales, works in progress, new items for our individual shops, EVA group events and we can communicate personally with you. Please stop by and "like us".

Guest blogger Kristen Fagan of Creative Stash. Graphic Designer by day. Mother, wife, painter, jewelry artist, bookworm, cook and all around crafty gal by night. Contact her at krisfagan [at] cox [dot] com.

website | blog | facebook | twitter | etsy shop

EVA 2011

2010-12-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

EVA is getting geared up for 2011. Bring on the New Year!!! One of our goals this year is to get a booth up and running at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market. We recently requested a grant from Etsy to help with funding this venture. I really hope we get it because we have to purchase tables, business cards, a banner and the space at the market. Our team is steadily growing and we have some really great and talented members to showcase. I am looking forward to this. It is one step in the direction of an EVA shop! I am so excited to see where we are at with this at this time next year. Here is to EVA's success in 2011!!!

October 2nd Friday

2010-10-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I had a booth at Downtown Mesa's Monsters on Main event. It was my first booth in 4 years!I had a great time setup alongside my friends and fellow EVA group members, Kandes and Anne.

Kandes of Tricky Fox with her too cute for words sidekick, Eldon.

Anne demoing in her booth

My booth, Creative Stash

I brought with me my canvas earrings, pendant necklaces and recycled bottlecap magnets. Anne really had a way with customers,she drew them in with her chainmaille demos, colorful booth and product storytelling. Kandes got into Halloween spirit, all dressed in black with a witches hat and super rad back and white striped stockings!

It was so nice to be outdoors and there were a lot of people roaming about, enjoying the music, costumes and zombies. Yep, I said zombies! There was a zombie walk and lots of people really got into it. Check them out ...

I am looking forward to being there again for the November 2nd Fridays. The TGIF - Thank goodness it's fall! event is November 12th in Downtown Mesa featuring live bands, hay rides, holistic exhibits, country fair games for kids, pony rides, food, entertainment, art galleries, 60+ art booths, farmers market, charity events, and much more! Hope you will join us!

Guest blogger Kristen Fagan of Creative Stash. Graphic Designer by day. Mother, wife, painter, jewelry artist, bookworm, cook and all around crafty gal by night. Contact her at krisfagan [at] cox [dot] com.

website | blog | facebook | twitter | etsy shop

Announcing the Treasury Challenge Winners!!!!

2010-08-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our winners of the first ever EVA treasury challenge! We appreciate the effort of everyone that participated in our first challenge. All of the treasuries were wonderful, making it very difficult to select only three winners. But the decisions were made after a couple tie breakers and we ended up with three very beautiful treasuries to represent our winners! MudHandChan and ChealseaSea have both won gift certificates redeemable at participating EVA team members shops.

Our First place winner is:
ChelseaSea with her Cool East Meets Hot West treasury

In Second place is:
MudHandChan with her Treasury Contest treasury

And in Third place is:
ChelseaSea AGAIN with her Arizona's East Valley Artisans Treasury

Thanks for curating such wonderful collections. I hope everyone enjoyed the challenge and will participate in upcoming treasury challenges!

EVA Meeting tonight

2010-08-18T10:43:00.001-07:00

Tonight is our EVA meeting and Meetup open house for interested applicants. EVA is definitely ready to grow. Our group will have a lot of new events and projects in the future and we need a bigger army to make these things happen. Tonight the current EVA members will be voting on the EVA treasury challenge. We ended up with 13 treasuries submitted and have to pick winners. That is always a difficult process. We had a lot of wonderful entries! I will be posting the winners on Friday and will also share with you photos from the Beach themed exchange. I love EVA exchanges! Fun stuff!

EVA Meetup is August 18th!

2010-08-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

EVA is having an open house in less than a week!!! Next Wednesday August 18th we will be available from 7 - 8pm to meet with anyone interested in joining our group. The location will be disclosed at a later time. I know it will be in downtown Mesa at one of two places, depending on the size of the group.

The requirements for joining us are that you must be an artisan or crafter that has samples of recent work, fill out a simple application, and attend the monthly meetings.

We are excited about adding new people to our awesome group of artisans. If you are interested in knowing more, visit our Meetup page.

July Giveaway Winner and Meeting Recap

2010-08-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

Drum roll, please ...
The lucky winner of the butterfly shadowbox pendant is Diana Brower! She is with Crop Circle Clay. Like myself, Diana is a member of Etsy Project Embrace. Her work is really, really unique. I just love it! Be sure to pop in her shop and take a look at some of her stuff!!!

We had our meeting before I left for Omaha. Time is really going by fast. It's amazing how that happens as you get older. Jill, Marci, Jeannie, Renee and Myself were all there. We discussed the Treasury Challenge. We decided to giveaway EVA gift certificates that are good in our shops. Participating members are listed on the EVA team page. Check it out ... and I would love to see more entries rolling in. It is not just for EVA teamies. Anyone can enter!

Our exchange theme for July was Rockabilly. It was cool to see what everyone came up with. We exchanged items and Jill and I exchanged ATC cards. We also exchanged the Butterfly Cards from June. The August theme is the beach! Fun!

Prize announcement for Treasury Challenge!

2010-07-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

I announced last week that we were having a Treasury Challenge! We met on Tuesday and decided that EVA would be giving out three prizes for the winners. The prizes will be EVA gift certificates redeemable at all EVA member's shops. First place winner will receive a $30 gift certificate. The second place winner $20 and the third $10! Our shops are listed here.

Anyone is invited to create as many treasuries as they would like and enter the challenge. Rules can be found at the previous blog post, here.

The deadline is August 15th and the winners will be announced August 20th!

EVA Etsy Treasury Challenge (Contest Closed)

2010-07-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hi again! Tomorrow I am leaving with my husband and baby son to go to Nebraska. My husband is a professional musician and is playing a big blues festival over there, so the little one and I thought we would tag along. I have never been to that part of the country. I am looking forward to sharing about the trip on my Tricky Fox blog. Before I go, I thought I would get over here and squeeze in a post about our latest EVA Challenge!!

EVA's Kristen of Creative Stash posted on Etsy's treasuries last month. I have been having a lot of fun looking over the treasuries of Etsy Project Embrace members. They post many new ones to their Etsy forum on a daily basis. I made one with some EVA members in it:

And a Cowboy theme:
And a Vintage Butterfly theme:

As Kristen said, making treasuries are a whole lot of fun!!! That is why EVA is hosting a treasury challenge. I encourage everyone to get in on it!! You don't have to be an EVA member, but you do have to create an etsy account if you don't have one. Once you have an account, click on this link. Then click the blue "Create a List" button on the right. You can enter as many times as you wish! Tonight at our EVA meeting we will be discussing the prize! I will come back here and let you know what it is! At our August meeting we will all be voting for the top three treasuries. All three will win a prize!

Prize info added Monday July 26th - The prizes will be EVA gift certificates redeemable at all EVA member's shops. First place winner will receive a $30 gift certificate. The second place winner $20 and the third $10! Our shops are listed here.

Here are the rules:
1.) The deadline is August 15th at midnight pacific time.
2.) Must have three EVA members items featured in the treasury. All of our members shops are listed here!
3.) The title of your treasury must have one of the words from our team name: east, valley, or artisans.
4.) After completing your treasury, you must come back to this blog post and make a comment with a link to it.

EVA members ARE eligible to enter! And enter as many times as you wish! Winners announced August 20th via email. Please make sure we have your email!

Well, I am off to pack! Have fun making treasuries while I am gone. I will catch up when I get back. :o)

(The contest is now closed to new enteries. Thank you to everyone that entered. The winners will be announced August 20th via email and EVA blog post!)

Tricky Fox joins Team EPE

2010-07-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

My new Etsy store, Tricky Fox Designs, was officially opened mid-last month. I am now just really starting to list items. My husband and I bought a new DSLR camera and it was a great addition of our family. We can take fabulous photos of the boys ...and new and improving pictures of my latest products. Forever I was a beader, then lampworker and now fuser/solderer. I love lampworking, but I gave it up during my miserable pregnancy and now with a 6 month old that has no particular schedule it is soooooo difficult to get to an uninterrupted sitting at the torch. Fusing and soldering I can walk away from at any given second if he wakes from his nap or is sick of playing alone or wants to eat. It is a much better thing for me right now and I am very happy with my recent work.

In opening my new store, I wanted to initiate it by joining a second etsy team. I have EVA to meet with local artisans face-to-face. Our group is fun!! But I was looking to add something more altruistic to my life. I was considering a few teams when I got the etsy Storque email last week. It had an article about EPE, Etsy Project Embrace. This team is very active and they do good things. That is exactly what I wanted. And most members donate proceeds from their shop to American Cancer Society. Great! They have a mission and it is something that I feel strongly about at this time in my life since I have a very close family member battling the monster. It was strange because the day all of these decisions were being made I was making elephant earrings and a pendant for a customer who was buying them for a friend who was hospitalized with cancer. She passed on the day I joined EPE, which was the day I was also the day I was working on her jewelry.

This is also strange ... I had a giveaway on my blog at the end of June. 40+ people entered from all over. A couple in Europe even. Waterrose, who won the give away lives right here in Tempe, AZ, and after joining the team I was looking over their list of members only to find out she is on the team. That is pretty coincidental, huh?

If you are an Etsy seller and want info on joining Etsy Project Embrace, here is their team page.
If you are a local Etsy seller interested in EVA, let me know via Etsy convo.

And don't forget to enter the EVA giveaway for July. I am giving away this butterfly charm.

Hello and July Giveaway Announcement

2010-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I am Kandes Naylor. I am the designer behind Tricky Fox and will be your EVA blogger for the remainder of July. As the lead organizer for EVA, I thought I would share a little background on our team. In March 2008, I became interested in joining an etsy street team (that is what they called them at the time). I looked at the local teams and didn't see much. There was the Phoenix team, but I didn't see myself driving to downtown Phoenix fighting traffic to do the group events, and even though I live in the metro area, the city of Phoenix is not really home to me. So, I decided to create a team a little closer to home that would enhance the community I live in. We became East Valley Artisans which is comprise of artisans on the east side of the Phoenix metro area - Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert and Queen Creek.We had our first meeting in June of '08. There were five of us at that meeting. Four of the original five remain active in the group. EVA has taken its time and has slowly evolved and grown in membership. We select our members carefully and make sure that each artisan will provide the consumers with quality handmade goods served up with superior customer service. Recently, we have opened our group up to membership outside of etsy. Although we are officially an etsy team, we decided, as a team, that opening up membership to all artisans would only help us to develop and grow as a group. I am very proud of what EVA has become and am really impressed with our members. We have a wonderful group of very talented people and I feel confident that when you purchase from them you are getting something very special.

Since I am the guest blogger for this month, I am also the artist that offers the giveaway. I just did a giveaway on my personal blog, which was very successful. I just finished up the custom piece that I offered and made extra butterfly charms while I was at it.

That is this months EVA giveaway item! Entering to win is easy ... Winner will be announced July 30th!

1.) Visit my shop, then come back here and leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is.
2.) For an additional entry, follow the this blog.
3.) And receive an additional entry for every EVA member's blog that you follow (Our blog roll is to the right).

Please let us know in your comment if you chose to follow any of the blogs so that we can easily count your additional entries. Good Luck ... and thank you for visiting!!!

We have a winner!

2010-06-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

And the winner of the giveaway is ...

Stacy!!! Congratulations Stacy! Email me which recycled bottlecap magnet set you would like at krisfagan (at) cox (dot) net.

Thanks to everyone for entering and leaving such wonderful and kind comments. Be sure to check back with the East Valley Artisans often, since we'll be doing another giveaway in July!

Treasure Hunt

2010-06-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

Last month at our group meeting we discussed Etsy's Treasury. This is an area of Etsy many of us had not explored yet. I bet you are wondering, what exactly is a Treasury? Well, it's a neat little section on Etsy that has ever-changing, member-curated shopping galleries. Neat, right?

Take a look at the beautiful and diverse collections we curated:

Oodles of Doodles

Bright and Fun Summer Colors

Bee Yourself ...

Elegance Originality and Style

Belly Dance

Sweets and Treats

The Eyes of the Dragon

As you can see, we have been having A LOT of fun creating these unique galleries of items for sale on Etsy. It is amazing to look around at all the wonderful handmade goods you can find. I am in awe of them all! Hope you enjoyed this little treasure hunt as much as I do!

Have you entered our June giveaway yet? I'm giving away a set of 6 handmade practical and STRONG magnets. Comment on this blog post to enter to win! Winner will be chosen on June 27th. Good luck!

Guest blogger Kristen Fagan of Creative Stash. Graphic Designer by day. Mother, wife, painter, jewelry artist, bookworm, cook and all around crafty gal by night. Contact her at krisfagan [at] cox [dot] com.

website | blog | twitter | etsy shop

Creative Stash Giveaway!

2010-06-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday! We have a giveaway for you from our East Valley Artisan etsy shop, Creative Stash !

Kristen at Creative Stash is giving away one of her recycled bottlecap magnet sets to a lucky winner! These little treasures are recycled bottle caps featuring an original art print made by Kristen. They come in a set of 6 and will be shipped to you in a gift tin. One of you will win a magnet set of your choice. Which one will you choose?

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TO WIN: Leave a comment below noting one of your favorite items from the Creative Stash shop - that's it!

BONUS ENTRY 1: Help spread the word about the giveaway on your blog, twitter, or facebook & leave a separate comment to let us know you did so!

BONUS ENTRY 2: Subscribe to this Blog in a reader or Follow with Google friend connect & leave a separate comment to let us know you did so!

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1 winner will be chosen randomly on Sun, June 27th and notified by email. Good luck!

Guest Blog by Kristen of Creative Stash

2010-06-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

Hey there. I'm Kristen from Creative Stash and I'll be your guest blogger this month! I created my etsy shop in July 2009 and became a member of East Valley Artisans (EVA) in October of 2009. While my graphic design job and freelance work keep my creativity flowing, I really love when I have time to focus on my creative passions; painting and crafting handmade gifts.

I saw this little neat "meet so and so" Q&A recently and thought it would be a cute way to start the month so here goes ...

FAVORITES

Color? whoa, how can you ask an artist what their favorite color is?! It depends which way the wind blows. My all around can't go wrong color has got to be green but, really I enjoy everything the color wheel has to offer and then some.

Childhood memory? So many of my childhood memories elude me but, I am forever thankful for sitting by the lake with my grandmother and seeing what we can see in the clouds. I have used this on many road trips to keep myself entertained, I painted cloud animals my little boys nursery and today I have my kids look to the clouds whenever we are in the car and they need some entertainment.

Dessert? yes, please.

Guilty pleasure? blog reading!

TV Show? Glee! I'm totally hooked. Hmm...maybe this is my guilty pleasure.

Way to spend a Friday night? Relaxing at home with my husband and 2 kids.

ONE OR THE OTHER

Boots or Flip-flops? flip-flops

Beach or Mountains? Mountains, I absolutely love being mountainside.

Dog or Cat? Dogs, we have 2 :)

Coffee or Tea? Tea is winning this one right now

Morning Person or Night Owl? Morning person (did I actually just write that?!) Times have definitely changed.

A BIT DEEPER

Who in your life has influenced you most creatively, and why? My grandfather. As a child, he is one of the few people in my life who drew. We used to sit and sketch out little buildings and odds and ends. Just pen and paper. I realized how much I love art and how art was all around us in those moments together.

What is your creative workspace like? I carved out a little space in our garage. I have a desk, organizer and an easel. I don't always stay out there especially when I am making magnets, bead jewelry or pendants. But it is wonderful to have a "space" to gather inspiration, store supplies and my easel setup and ready at all times.

What or who gives you inspiration? Everything from my family, color, music, and the sights and sounds of nature.

If you could share one bit of advice for your teenage self what would it be? Enjoy the moment, be proud of who you are and listen to your inner voice, it will guide you.

Stay tuned this week for a very special giveaway of one of my own original designs. So nice to meet you, I hope you'll say hello in the comments and check back soon!

FIND ME ELSEWHERE

May meeting! Fun with flowers and ATCs

2010-05-20T18:02:00.001-07:00

We had our EVA May meeting last night at Inside the Bungalow. It was a super good time.
First off I want to thank Trish for doing the guest blogging and give away for the previous month. This month Kristen will be doing the honors of posting and a giveaway item. Last night Kristen shared with us some pointers on having a successful etsy shop and critiqued a few shops as examples. Jeannie researched local artists on etsy. Jen is going to see if any of them want to visit our next meeting. Jill provided information on the book, "I'd Rather be in the Studio" by Alyson Stanfield and shared some great links. Thanks everyone for making our meeting one of the best yet. I have to extend a huge thanks to Jen for our ATC tutorial demo activity. We all had a lot of fun with that.

Final results ...I also want to welcome Marci to our group. We all really love her pearl woven bracelets. And I also want to bid farewell for now to Renee who is going to be working with her church youth group on Wednesday nights. We will miss her and hope in the future it may work out so we can have her back.

The exchange theme for May was flowers and we had a great exchange with several very unique and fun items.

We have a winner!

2010-05-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

And the winner of the giveaway is..................

Vicky!! Congratulations Vicky! Email me your full name and address at moetricia (at) yahoo (dot) com so I can mail your necklace to you!

Thanks to everyone for entering and be sure to check back with the East Valley Artisans often, since we'll be doing another giveaway next month!

Inspired

2010-05-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Only 5 days left until the winner is selected in the giveaway! Be sure to comment on the previous post to enter.
I have been really busy the past week, but as luck would have it I have also been really inspired and gotten some great new ideas. The unlucky part is, I just haven't been home to work on those ideas. This weekend should be less busy though, so I am planning on a quick trip to the store for some new wire and some crystals, and then holing up in my apartment and making stuff until my fingers hurt!
I'm going to be adding some custom bookmarks to my collection soon. I've been wanting to make some for a while but keep forgetting to grab the supplies when I go to the bead shop.
Anyway, sorry for the quick update but it is past my bedtime. Only one more day of work until my weekend, so watch for some cool new stuff really soon!
'Night!

Freaks and a giveaway!

2010-04-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made myself some dinner and watched the final episode of Freaks and Geeks. It was a good night.
I've always heard that that show was good, but it is really, REALLY good. I can't believe that shows like Freaks and Geeks get cancelled, but The Bachelor keeps on going. (Sorry to any Bachelor fans reading this!) I shouldn't judge. But I seriously recommend watching Freaks and Geeks if you haven't seen it. It's just so well written and the characters have such heart. I will definitely be watching it again sometime, and I rarely do that anymore.

Anyway back to the craftiness, I made a new pair of silver and pearl earrings last night and I love them!
I'm still practicing my weave technique using 26 guage wire, but these are my cleanest work yet. I want to practice more, leaving less space between the weave, so it's less zig-zaggy. Not that I don't like the effect these have, but I love wire wrap that looks really solid.
I also made another piece, the Dineen pendant.It's a two piece so it has lots of movement. It's made with all sterling silver wire and Swarovski crystals, and it is strung on an 18" silver plated chain. The pendant itself is 2" long, so it's a little dramatic but it's still nice and lightweight. I'm happy with this one too.

In fact I am so happy with it, I decided to make it my giveaway!Here's what to do to enter to win this necklace...
Post a comment on this blog, I'll enter you once.
Write a post about this giveaway on your blog and I'll enter you twice.
Easy, right? I'll announce the winner on May 10th! Be sure to check back and good luck!

Guest blogging

2010-04-23T22:28:00.000-07:00

Hi there. I'm Trish from Little Silver Stars and I'll be your guest blogger this month!
I guess the best way to introduce myself is to send you to my blog, littlesilverstars, rather than bore you with details all over again. I've been an etsy seller since 2005, and a member of EVA since it began. And while my job sometimes keeps me much busier than I would like, I really try my best to focus on my true passion at the end of the day, making jewelry.
I thought a fun way to start the month is to show you my workspace. (This has nothing to do with the fact that I just cleaned and organized it today, I swear it. I also have no idea what happened to that bag of cookies that were in the pantry...)

Anyway, the desk is usually coated with coils of sterling silver wire or scraps, loose crystals and pearls, tools, assorted findings and one of my two cats. Tonight it's just got a ring and a pair of earrings I am working on at the moment.

I have two mascots on or around my desk all the time, depending on how much real estate I have. The first on is my pink glittery deer. I bought it at Christmastime two years ago in a bookstore, and I just think she's so cute I can't bring myself to pack her away. The second is a turquoise garden gnome my sister gave me. No real reason for him, I just like him.

I use a planter for my pen/pencil/crochet hook/random tool holder. It's bursting at the moment. I am sort of a pen hoarder I think. There's also always some jewlery hanging off of it, like these earrings. I made these a long time ago but I think they're boring, so I have just left them there so I don't forget to redo them. They are now tarnished and dusty.

This is the red cabinet that I keep just about everything in. It's about as organized as it gets in here. It's packed pretty tight with random junk, you can even see my hammers on top, which haven't seen the inside of the cabinet in months.
I am realizing as I post these photos that my office looks my prettier in the daylight. Oh well, you get the idea!

So that's it. My little work area. I dream of the day I will have an actual house where I can set things up more permanently, maybe have a larger corner of the universe to work in. But you deal with what you got. In fact some of you with houses of your own might even have smaller work spaces than I do, so here's me not complaining.

So anyway, stay tuned this week for a very special giveaway of one of my own original designs! Check back soon!

And one last thing....

This is Bella. If you stop by, she would like to sync with your iPod!

Update on the Vegas Show

2010-04-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time at the Glass Craft Vegas show this year. I met a LOT of talented artists there from jewelry designers, enamelers, and of course, glass arts.
This was a great venue to use for meeting others and getting some great networking started. I may even be teaching a class or 2 there next year, but have to get with some people and meet the submission deadline - - hope I make it!
Here are some pics of the showroom floor. Most of the sellers are glass artists, but there are also sellers who carry findings and supplies, PMC, chain mail, enameled pieces for jewelry and jewelry designers who don't actually make glass beads but use them in their product.

Jeannie

Off to the Vegas Glass Expo

2010-04-07T00:37:00.001-07:00

Hi Again,

It is very late, going on 1am and I am still preparing for the Vegas Glass Expo at the South Point Hotel and Casino. I am on the road at 6am, so as usual, I am cutting it close.

This is a great event for everything glass and also no-so-glass stuff, too, so I wanted to point out some of the "other" things that are available there, if anyone is interested.

Of course, there's ALL glass stuff there - - stained glass, fused glass, lampwork (like me), sculpture, marbles, goblets - - you name it, along with a ton of suppliers. They have beginning glass classes there also for anyone who just wants to try their hand at one of the many aspects of glass.

But along with all those glass classes, they also have chain mail classes, PMC classes, wire wrapping classes, photography classes and many more. They also have various lectures on being successful in business. It's definitely a great place to gather info and learn a thing or 2.

Please check out the link below if you are interested. This is an annual event, so if you can't make it this year (cutting it pretty close since it starts tomorrow), but maybe you can make plans for next year.

Glass Craft and Bead Expo

Jeannie

The Many Talents of the East Valley

2010-03-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some pix of my favorite items up for sale this week from our talented group of Artisans of the East Valley. Our group is a varied mix of artists from painting to paper and sculpture to shrinky dinks.

Please check out their Etsy sites.

Support our economy, support local business, support our artists!

1. http://littlesilverstars.etsy.com

2. http://kandeslee.etsy.com

3. http://JensAZ.etsy.com

4. http://PaperMango.etsy.com

5. http://uninhibitedspirit.etsy.com

6. http://slightlysteamed.etsy.com

7. http://BirdWatching.etsy.com

8. http://reneelareine.etsy.com

9. http://thesilvernest.etsy.com

10. http://JillHelms.etsy.com

11. http://BirdsBubbles.etsy.com

12. http://JeansBeads.etsy.com

March meeting re-cap.

2010-03-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

We had a great meeting in March! It was the 4th Wednesday of the month this time around. Nobody wanted to do a St. Patrick's Day meeting so we changed it. Jeannie, Trish, Jen and myself were there ... and I felt we made a lot of progress! We discussed attendance, and began the design of a new system that will hopefully encourage attendance. I believe it will help for some and perhaps discourage attendance for those who have been involved with the group half-heartedly.

At this meeting, each person there chose a special role that they will have from this meeting until the next:
- Jen is going to bring an activity to the next meeting. For anyone who is interested, she is bringing supplies to make ATC's.
- Jeannie is going to write up some blog posts for this blog
-Trish is doing some research on no-cost or low-cost ways of advertising EVA.
- I will be officially reviewing the book, The Handmade Marketplace and sharing a copy of Artful Blogging.

Trish brought a whole bunch of her new wire wrapped work to share with us. It is really great! Check it out.

Our theme for the April meeting is "Desserts and Treats"

Our Spring Time exchange items for March ...

Artist of the Month: Jen Rothstein

2010-03-16T15:22:00.001-07:00

It has been awhile since we have had a featured artist of the month. Sorry to be so flaky on this.
Our current artist of the month is: Jen Rothstein

1. Who in your life has influenced you most creatively, and why?
My Mother. She loves to paint watercolors. I learned so much from her and there was always a lot of crafting supplies in the house to work with, while I was growing up.

2. Describe a memory from art class in your youth?
Oh wow, there are so many. I took drawing, sewing and ceramics in High School. I think my fondest memories were in ceramics class, just working with the clay and picking out the glazes. I remember making my first clay bowl on the potters wheel, well my first that didn't crack in firing. I was so proud of it. Still have it, somewhere.

3. What is your creative workspace like?
Uhm, that would be my dining room table. I have a small house so that's where I can work. It's got good lighting. I try to keep it clean, but I have all my boxes of stuff heaped around the table, with just enough room left over for hubby and I to eat there. Someday, I hope to have an entire room dedicated to all my crafting stuff.

4. Name your two favorite:
Books - The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Marley and Me
Movies - probably the same
Bands - 3 Doors Down, Jethro Tull
Websites - Too many to pick from ;o)

5. What is your favorite month of the year and why?
I like October. It's just starting to cool off here in Arizona and I can go outside with my dogs.

6. What is your day job?
Currently, I'm starting my own Home Staging Business, but I also work at a pet resort.

7. Tell us about creative projects or classes that you would like to pursue ...
I would like to take some altered art classes. I do some altered art, but I really want to learn more techniques. The idea of taking found items and making them into art using varied methods, appeals to me, sort of a recycling process.

8. If you were a historical figure, who would you like to be and why?
Hmm, this is a hard question. I think I would like to be Albert Einstein. What an awesome mind and personality he had.

List your etsy or anywhere else on-line that your art is featured:
jensaz.etsy.com
http://dog-ma-jen@blogspot.com
www.atcsforall.com member name - jensaz
www.arttradermag.com - one of my ATC's will be featured in an upcoming issue

February Meeting

2010-02-18T19:23:00.001-07:00

Last night was our February EVA meeting at Inside the Bungalow. We further discussed many of the January topics including roles of EVA members, rules for membership, social networking and blogging. Our March meeting will be a very important meeting for EVA as we finalize a lot of the details regarding how the group operates. Jill, Jeannie, Jen and myself attended this meeting. A big thanks goes out to them for contributing so many wonderful ideas on books, marketing, craft shows, motivational speakers, etc. I love the knowledge that is obtained from sharing ideas at our meetings. It is very valuable. In addition to our talented EVA members, Peggy of Wire Wears came to the meeting as a visitor. She makes some marvelous wire jewelry and incorporates found and recycled objects into her pieces. Peggy just set up a shop on etsy. We hope to see her at additional meetings.

Here are the exchange items from February. The theme was Love.

The theme for March is Easter.

January Meeting Recap

2010-02-05T17:54:00.001-07:00

It is amazing how much time a newborn takes up. All they do is sleep right? Then why is it that a new mom can't get breakfast, showered, dressed, baby dressed and out of the house until noon? Who knows. All I know is that I have paperwork and laundry stacking up all around me. It also is taking me a lot longer to get phone calls, emails and texts returned. Not to mention completing blog posts and updating websites. That being said ... It is almost time for the February meeting, however I thought I would go ahead and post the meeting recap from January since I am getting around to it. Of course, I was not there having had a baby a week before the meeting. But Jeannie sent me detailed information on what transpired. Four members were present for the January meeting - Kristen, Jill, Jeannie and Nancy. The focus of the meeting was Marketing and Promotion which will be an ongoing topic for EVA. Jeannie passed out information that she will also bring to the February meeting for those that missed last month, and also will have additional information. Blogging is a subject that keeps coming up with the idea of connecting in the blog world with other artists to help promote each others work. We will continue at future meetings to discuss the best way to do this. Also discussed at the January meeting were group policies, membership and meeting space. These are things that we will keep revisiting as our group grows. The theme for January was NEW BEGINNINGS. Jill, Jeannie and Nancy brought items for the exchange. The items are pictured below. Silver leaf by Nancy Reasoner, recycled can earrings by Jill Helms, and a glass bead by Jeannie Cox. Visit their etsy shops to see similar items.
The February meeting is Wednesday February 17th, 2010 at 7pm. The theme for this month's meeting is LOVE.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

Time has gotten away from us here on the EVA blog. In December we had a wonderful meeting around the fireplace at Inside the Bungalow. Our exchange was a cookie exchange this time. We thought we would do something different for the holidays and exchange cookies rather than arts and crafts. I have to say that our artisans do a great job at baking. There were so many wonderful kinds of cookies. I am glad I got to enjoy them all.

For January the exchange theme is "new beginnings." We hope that 2010 is a wonderful year for everyone!

Oh, take a look at our new Facebook page. It is for our members, fans, friends and customers to see new creations by EVA members and keep updated on our events.

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

2009-02-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

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

2008-12-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-12-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

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.

Welcome

2008-05-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to our blog. We are the East Valley Artisans, which is a new etsy team that is just getting up and running. The objective of the group is to support the handmade art movement in the East Valley of the Phoenix metro area.

Come back here in the near future to see what we are up to. We will be featuring our members, sharing news and announcing up coming events.