etsy shop feature Elderhaus Wand Shop

 Hi everyone today i have a lovely interview with a creative etsy shop owner! magic wands

Elderhaus Wand Shop
www.etsy.com/shop/ElderhausWandShop

What got you into design?
My wife. We had always talked about how fun it would be to be wand makers. After I lost my job, the timing couldn't have been anymore perfect.

When did it all begin?
Well, for me personally I have always believed I was supposed to be a wizard. As a kid I waited for my Hogwarts acceptance letter, and I still am...

The main reason why we began Elderhaus is because I struggle with ADHD and always have. The way it manifested from being a child to an adult has been a struggle, as my brain doesn't work like most other people (it's extremely frustrating at times). Because of my ADHD, I have also struggled with self esteem issues. Harry Potter and the wizarding world helped me build myself up, and still does.

When we started Edlerhaus Wands my wife and I were going through a really difficult time in our lives; there was a lot of change happening and a lot of unknowns. We figured we had nothing to lose, and why not do something we love!

Where do you hope to see yourself in 5 years in regards to your Etsy?
I hope for us to be making regular sales and for us to grow our designs and inventory. I'd also like to grow our custom wands business. I love doing custom wands, and making someone else's dreams and ideas become reality. We also would like to get involve with organizations who help children and adults with learning disabilities. We want to show them that they can be magical too.

Was it difficult to start your etsy shop or did you just find your way?
Yes and no. Yes, because at the time there was a lot going on in our lives, but my wife is the type of person who knows how to get things done, so we literally came up with the idea on a Friday and were up and running by Monday.

Do you have any advice for those who want to sell on etsy and are only just starting out?
MARKET, MARKET, MARKET! You can have the most incredible product, but if you don't market no one will know how awesome it is. I am lucky to have a wife who is a master at marketing and branding, but anyone can learn to market. It's a lot of trial and error.

Do you think that education (such as University or Design school) is absolutely necessary to be able to design?
No, I don't think it is necessary for what we do. Creativity can't be stifled, and everyone is creative in their own way.

Links to any of your social media associated with your work

Follow us on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/elderhauswandshop
Twitter: @ElderhausWands
WordPress: www.elderhauswandshop.wordpress.com
Instagram: @ElderhausWandShop
Pinterest: ElderhausWands

etsy feature LucyLovesLeather

today i have a very interesting feature about a etsy shop i hope you all enjoy reading about it!

What's the story behind your shop name?

Even though my real name is Kimberly, a lot of my friends know me as Lucy! I used to play World of Warcraft pretty seriously, and my characters all had names that were based on Lucy - Lucynia, Lucyient, Lucyvious, the list goes on! I love bad puns and word play!

When I started making leather, I thought it would be fun to use my alter ego to create a name that used alliteration. So Lucy Loves Leather was born! It sounds much better to me than Kym Kreates Krafts.

When did you start designing?

I’ve been a hands on person my whole life. I love to make things, especially useful things! My mom taught me to sew when I was very young, and my dad showed me woodworking and home repair techniques. I can do drywall or make a quilt, and even weld sheet metal!

I didn’t start working with leather until 2012, when my sister showed me how to paint a mask. She had some blank masks she had formed, and let me decorate a few. I quickly fell in love with leather and it’s grown from there!

How do you start the design process?

My designs come from a variety of places. I usually will have an idea pop into my head and then I start sketching and brainstorming. I have several basic templates I’ve refined over the years, and use those for a starting point.

Sometimes I have a pile of ‘blanks’ - unpainted, formed masks- and will just start painting to see what happens. It usually turns out pretty neat, but I do have a pile of masks that didn't’ go right. On days where I’m taking a break, I go through the stack and see what I can salvage!

I love nature and animals, and traditional Japanese art. A lot of my designs combine those elements, and I tend to make very clean, bold, minimalist designs. I love steampunk, but I don’t do it well because I’m too precise!

What inspired you to open a etsy shop?

I first started selling on Etsy with my mom and sister in their shop. They had Squirrel Creek Creations LLC registered as a family business, since several people in my family are artistic. The shop was mostly selling wreaths, and a few masks at the time I joined.

It quickly became focused on masks, with other leather projects featured as well.

After a few years with Squirrel Creek, I wanted to branch out and have my own speciality shop that featured some of my new projects that didn’t fit with the masks and Armour. I’m now making leather jewelry and charms as part of my main product lines, and not just as an after thought.

I’m excited to see where it goes with the things I’ve learnt from over 500 sales in the Squirrel Creek Etsy store!

Do you have a favourite item you have created?

That answer changes over time! I have a special place in my heart for my fox masks. They were one of the first designs I developed all on my own. I will spend hours on youtube watching videos of foxes, and read everything I can on fox mythology and folk lore from around the world. I especially like the Japanese Kitsune mythology, and the Finnish myth about the northern lights being caused by foxes sweeping their tails through the snow.

Do you have a favorite shop on etsy besides your own of course?

I would have to say that my mom and sister’s shop is my other favorite! My sister is amazingly creative, and a very talented artist. We both get that from our mom, of course!

I also am good friends with Rebecca from Wirefly Jewelry - she does beautiful, wearable chain maille jewelry.

There are so many amazing shops on Etsy, I find something new every day!

What has been one of your favorite experiences so far as an artist/designer?

I think going to conventions and doing custom orders are tied for my favorite things to do. It’s great to see people wearing my work, and to have them put their trust in me to bring their concept to life!

But the biggest moment so far was getting an order from Paramount Pictures for 20 wolf masks! They were doing a promotional event for ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ and wanted masks for their models to wear. My sister and I made 20 masks in 3 days!

Where can the readers find you? What are your website links?

I have my own website at www.LucyLovesLeather.com and am active on social media under the same name. I use Deviant Art, Instagram, Tumblr, and Facebook.

You can find my Etsy shop at www.Etsy.com/Shop/LucyLovesLeather

You can find Squirrel Creek on Etsy at www.etsy.com/squirrelcrkcreations
And the Squirrel Creek Blog is at squirrelcreek.blogspot.com

Let me know if you want more pictures! I have tons.
You can give out the code 'MISSE10' for 10% off any listed item in my shop.

Thanks for featuring me!
-Kym

etsy fature of the week GardensOfTheSun

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GardensOfTheSun

hey everyone welcome to etsy feature of the week and todays feature is gardens of the sun owned by Meri, a unique jewellery shop that specialises with raw diamonds, jems and pearls. 

"I am Dutch, married to a very handsome German and living in Indonesia. We have a one year old daughter. I am working on sustainability issues in the tropical forestry sector, and try to make the world a slightly better place. I love making things myself and I love food. I make my own cheese and yoghurt as it's hard to find here! 

The name of the shop, Gardens of the Sun, comes from an old journal about Borneo island written by an explorer from the 19th century. I love exploring and discovering, and Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, is a world of inspiration for me. I have spent quite some time there for my studies and work. 

I absolutely love to use diamonds, colorful gemstones and pearls. I have decided to focus on raw diamond and rough gemstone jewelry for the future, as I adore their imperfections. These are also the most popular items in my shop. I spend hours going through lots of gemstones and diamonds picking out the most beautiful rocks and selecting approximate pairs. I'm obsessed with finding special stones, such as color shifting gemstones, and clear rocks with inclusions. It's a completely intrinsic motivation to find beauty in what is already there and create something even more beautiful. 

I started making jewelry when I was in university, studying tropical forestry. I was in Indonesia for fieldwork, and while traveling I purchased these amazing gemstones in South Kalimantan, and freshwater pearls on the island of Lombok. I just made jewelry for myself and for friends and family. Years later, I discovered Etsy. When my daughter was a year old I was in need of a creative outlet, and the shop was born. 

Working with my hands gives me a break from the stress at work, as I become completely absorbed with what I am doing at the very moment. I often don't hear people talking to me because I am so concentrated! 

For me, sustainability is a primary concern. It's not only my daytime job, it is a mindset. I therefore try to purchase diamonds primarily from sources that can assure me that the diamonds are mined in accordance with the Kimberly process and are not subsidizing violent conflict. Actually I am looking into buying diamonds mined in Indonesia, as it will be easier for me to track the mine and assess the mining conditions. I try to use scraps for my shagreen stingray leather jewelry. And I try to use packaging from recycled, reused and natural material, or boxes that can be used again. I love my dyed banana leafs for wrapping gifts, so colorful and special! Another example are my little rattan jewelry boxes. "

quoted from Meri.

 You can use the coupon code FREESHIPPING for orders over $50. 

also coupon code CHANTELLE10 for 10% discount until the 31st of December.

 wanelo.com/GardensoftheSun andtwitter.com/GardensoftheSun 

etsy shop feature of the week Kreativprodukte

hey everyone! today is another etsy feature about a wonderful jewellery shop. 

Kreativproduckte is owned by Barbara age 26, who lives in austria (next to vienna).

"my day job i´m a chemist, so there´s a lot of technical stuff around me all day and even though i love science i need getaways and this is where crafting comes in.
i have been doing this and that all my life, my mother crafted a lot with me when i was young, in a summer holiday i learned how to make friendship bracelets and at some point i developed a love for the seed beads. last but not least i took up painting.
my business:
even though i have always been a crafter i always just made a little something here and a little something there and everything i did not use myself turned into presents for others. about a year ago i got serious about crafting and i came to a point when i had so many things lying around and all my relatives and friends were gifted with my creations that i decided to open up an etsy shop and share my creations with the whole world
favourite thing to make??
i cannot say, one day i enjoy macrame, the next it´s kumihimo and on the third i love sitting in my room and paint. whatever i feel like and i feel like doing something pretty much every day as just cannot sit on the couch watching tv without doing something productive.
my products:
i think my products are unique because even though i look around the internet a lot (i just love pinterest and its tutorials) and am a big fan of tutorials i always try to change what´s shown around a bit so it gets a unique twist that noone else has and thereby make it my own creation."

quoted from Barbara 

to visit Kreativprodukte click here https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Kreativprodukte

etsy shop of the week TheTurquoiseForest

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheTurquoiseForest

the turquoise forest is a fun quirky jewellery store on etsy, this shop caught my eye because of the fun bright tribal designs and crisp photography. the owner Angela Lee has had a passion for jewellery making for 10 years. her designs are vibrant and colourful her work is true art! that you can wear.

the turquoise forest is my favourite etsy store of the week! i love finding new designers so i'm always on the look out for interesting designers.

check out this jewellery at www.theturquoiseforest.com 

final photos from photoshoot

these are some of the final photos from last weeks photoshoot! photography by Amanda Clarke.

you can read all about the photoshoot day in my previous posts. theses photo are of my handmade clothing both tops and skirt made by me chantelle taylor a budding designer. also all clothes are available for purchase at my etsy shop or on my main website at www.missevoulution.weebly.com

new designs for me clothing range

the circle skirt is an elegant and classic piece for the wardrobe of every woman and all women should have one as it flatters many body shapes.

these are three new skirts I'm adding to my clothing collection. made to order and made to your exact shape and size of your body. circle skirt with a signature ribbon hem. soon these skirts will be in a photoshoot then will be available for purchase on my etsy shop or my main website www.missevolution.weebly.com at the price from £33

so do you like the newest collation?

photoshoot of me clothing range tops for etsy store

today i styled the photo shoot for me clothing range, we worked in a studio in north london with model jiahan cai http://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/9257-7866-0619,  also collaborated with photographer Amanda http://www.flickr.com/photos/mandyclarkie/  and also Make Up Artist Yasmina Kay http://www.starnow.co.uk/yasminakay. theres links to all of there websites if you want to see there portfolios. 

the model was great she had all the right poses and was very natural and i thought it complimented the outfits well. the photo shoot was fun and playful it was calm and relaxed. we played with props and composition, the finished photos will be on site in a few weeks.

here the model is getting her make up done by yasmina the MUA she is doing a neutral eye and bold red lip. the model is wearing my floral baby doll top and the white bow skirt from my clothing line.

overall the shoot was a success if you want to see where you can purchase my designs at www.missevolution.weebly.com
also look out for more insider peeks at behind the scene photoshoot as i have more clothing to photograph.

new jewellery creations for my store

my newest creations are clay jewellery that i hand moulded from air dry clay and hand painted. i was inspired by a trip to the museum and was looking at prehistoric jewellery. i wanted to incorporate the prehistoric materials that they used to make jewellery and combine it with silver for a contemporary look. i love that fashion is about re using the old and the fashion evolving into something new. if you ar interested in buying some jewllery you can visit my shop for custom made jewellery & clothing.

outfit of the day

wearing my handmade poncho from my online clothing store. this is how i style it.

10% OFF ME clothing range

i featured some of my pieces in this lookbook! £8 minim spend for discount.

photoshoot for new items on my store & new designs me clothing range

 so these are new designs for me clothing range and i was looking at the idea of feminine and edgy combined for a striking look. i wanted a s simple colour palette and interesting silhouettes.

 this top is poofy at the front and pointy in the back really hot crop top, edgy but feminine.

 this next top is a cropped v neck jacket made with faux leather. with big sleeves for an interesting look.

 the next look is very toned down and feminine loose and flowing the perfect look for summer.

 then i created a leather chains and studs necklace for that edgy biker chick look to toughen up the girly top. i always love combining feminine pieces with rocker edgy pieces and it just give it a new fresh look.

 I've been doing  some more designs i really love the idea of leather, studs and chiffon. and the combination of edgy and girly styles.  took inspiration from the rocker looks and girly looks.

so what do you you think? do you like it ? would you wear it? would you buy it?