In Vogue 1 Day- Fashion & more...: bookmark

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Introducing....oKIDDO by Ellen!

Today I will introduce another wonderful unique Etsy shop! oKIDDO is so much fun and is pure joy for every kid! The toys and one of a kind and the art just makes you smile! The wonderful items in the shop inspired me to illustrate a cute bookmark inspired by Bunny Valentine!

A cute soft bunny with an orange heart! Funny ears and adorable legs!

Please introduce yourself....

My name is Ellen, proud mum of three fantastic kids: Fleur, 22, who's an award winning photographer, Eva, 20, studying to be a Vet Nurse and Joost, our 12 -year old very musical son! I'm also a proud owner of "oKIDDO, a Kid's Art and Accessories"! My family and I emigrated to New Zealand 7 years ago from the Netherlands and we absolutely love living in this beautiful country! I've always worked as a primary school teacher and play therapist. After being diagnosed with a form of rheumatoid arthritis 6 months ago, I had to make a decision to stop working as a play therapist and it was at the same time that my daughter pointed me to Etsy and Pinterest! I already was selling my Art and Kid's accessories on local markets and fairs, but that's when I opened my shop on Etsy, trying to fulfill a lifelong dream of creating my own Art and Accessories for young children and to start working from home, having my own small business!
And, so far so good! Not for one second did I regret making this decision, I love what I;m doing at the moment and stand up every morning with a smile on my face, ready to start another day of creating!! In the meantime I've been approached by several shop owners in NZ, England and Singapore, who are interested in selling my items! My products are already being sold in "Lelu, The Baby Boutique" in Wellington and some local shops in Central Hawke's Bay!

What is your inspiration for the soft toys and the original art?

I get inspired by so many things! Sometimes it can be a photo, a color, an image or a picture in a magazine or on the internet,
nature...For kids I often work with the seasons, holidays, stories, which always inspire me.
Sometimes inspiration comes from patterns or the bright colors of fabric which are so appealing to young children!

How do you promote your shop and where else can we admire your designs?

Because I've always started my Etsy shop in October 2011. I'm getting into promoting my shop more and more now ( with the help of my oldest daughter, who's such a star with computers!): besides Etsy, I'm on Facebook and Pinterest and just registered on StumbleUpon and Twitter! Although I would love to have my own blog, I'm still a bit hesitant: I don't really feel I have enough time at the moment to keep it up to date!

Do you have a favorite material that you work with?

I don't really have one favorite material to work with. I have a love for most fabrics, paper and paint in general! I'm very tactile myself and my decision on which materials to use always depends on the how a fabric feels, in combination with the pattern and colors. Because my items are made for young children, I want the fabric to feel pleasant and soft and I prefer working with natural materials like cotton, flannel and cotton knitted fabric.

How much time do you invest in one soft toy?

The time I invest in making a toy differs. I often work on more than one project/item at the same time. My dolls often take much more time than the stuffed animals. Where I finish my animals generally in one or two days, my dolls often take a few more days.

Where do you see your brand in 5 years?

I often dream about that!! A few years ago my oldest daughter and I read "The Secret" and learned about the "law of attraction", and to be honest, I really believe in that: "If you can dream it, you can achieve it!" So, I often visualize this dream and goal! In 5 years time, I still see myself doing this with lots of love and passion! I'm not quite sure whether I would like to have my own Kid's Boutique ( with a Cupcake and Cafe included!!). I know I would never want to be making mass production, producing large quantities of the same item, I would always want to keep my items one of a kind. Selling my products to small boutiques and/or working on consignment basis, as I'm doing now, would be something I can see myself do with passion for years and more and different shops/boutiques!

You can find her wonderful shop on Facebook!
So go give her a big LIKE!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/OKIDDo/233950369974168

And for all of you who adore Pinterest!

http://pinterest.com/okiddo/

Make sure you check her Etsy shop and if you have a young child buy something truly unique!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/oKIDDo

Thank you very much Ellen for taking part and I wish you more wonderful creations!

If you need your items illustrated feel free to contact me! http://www.etsy.com/shop/BaleaRaitzART

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Introducing....byVellamo Jewelry Sandra Kemppainen

As a woman I love jewelry and here I discovered a very talented entrepreneur! I am proud to introduce to all of you a jewelry brand with future! - Vellamo by Sandra Kemppainen!
Her designs inspired me to illustrate. I illustrated this one of a kind bookmark!

It is inspired by this wonderful earring and pendant that you can purchase in her shop!

You can have a look at the bookmark in my shop! http://www.etsy.com/shop/BaleaRaitzART Feel free to contact!

Let's talk jewelry, photography and supplies...

1.Please introduce yourself....

I am Sandra, a half- Hungarian Romanian, currently living in Helsinki, Finland. I have been in Finland for the past four years now and I love the nature, lakes, trees and special sunlight they have up here. I say" I don't live at the edge of the world, but you can see it from here'. I am a professional photographer with an engineering degree. I have been an entrepreneur since 2008.

As a photographer, Finland has been an awesome inspiration for my pictures.

2. Why did you choose to name your brand Vellamo? Do you feel a connection to the sea?

I felt that this name, inspired by Kalevala, the Finnish mythology, strongly connected to water and sea is a good name fro the brand of jewelry I am creating. I love water and the sea.

3.The gemstones in your shop are amazing.... how did it all started?

Since I inspired the brand name by nature, I want to use beautiful gemstones for my jewelry. So, I spend countless hours searching supplies, as well as meeting suppliers in person during my Christmas holiday in a Christmas market in Romania.

4. Do you have a favorite stone you work with?

That is a tough question....
I love turquoise stones, but also mosaic magnetite stones, witch come in so beautiful colors, Jasper is also one of my favorite, especially imperial sea sediment jasper.

5.What is your advice for somebody who want to start a jewelry line and is interested in supplies?

Spend a lot of time searching, browsing and reading information pages about the stones you want to use.

6.Where do you see your brand in 5 years?

My dream is to make this a big jewelry brand, a design and name that people will recognize.

You can find her on Etsy for supplies http://www.etsy.com/shop/byvellamosupplies and you can purchase the ready jewelry http://www.etsy.com/shop/byVellamo!

Check her Facebook page out and give her a big LIKE! https://www.facebook.com/byvellamo

Website ! http://byvellamo.com/en/byvellamo-online-shop
Blog: http://byvellamo.blogspot.co.nz/

Now if you are interested in the photography you can contact her as well!http://sandrarugina.eu/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/behindmyblueeyes

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sandrarugina
Blog: http://the-i-inside.blogspot.co.nz/

You also find her on Pinterest! http://pinterest.com/byvellamo/

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Introducing.... Christian V Rodriguez

I have exiting news for you! I found an amazing Etsy shop and I want to introduce to you a wonderful artist! Her name is Christian V Rodriguez and she is a jewelry designer! I got inspired by her designs and illustrated a bookmark!

This one of a kind hand made bookmark was inspired by the latest designer piece from her shop! - Southwest Style Turquoise Howlite and Red Sponge Coral Collar!

Let's talk jewelry....

1. Please introduce yourself....

Greetings! My name is Christian V Rodriguez. I am 31 years old single mother, jewelry designer and smile master :)! I have been designing strung jewelry for about a decade and moved onto more elaborate pieces within the last four years. I had always considered what I do as a form of personal therapy, a way of relaxing and getting out of the daily grind. It wasn't until the people I came across, friends and strangers alike, unanimously suggested that I put my work out for sale that I even considered that an option.

2. Why jewelry and what is your inspiration?

I originally began creating strung jewelry, focusing on the healing properties of the gemstones incorporated in my designs. I thought that a little extra energy from the earth and it's stones could be beneficial to us all. From there I needed to challenge myself a bit more, thus the embroidered works came to be. I draw my inspiration from the gemstone beads themselves. They almost speak to me when I look at them. As an artist I began to listen and allow the pieces to take from. I tend to seek out pieces of a more earthly orientation, as the 'bling' phenomenon has never been one I connected with. I come from as artistic family, with life and ethnicity that shake the rafters. There is no doubt that my upbringing influenced my drive to create.

3. How much time do you spend on one design and how does your design corner look like?

The amount of time spent on one design varies. I have spent hours just staring at a few different gemstones, moving them around into different patterns, only to store them back away for months until the design clicked. Often times I begin a design and then walk away from it for days or weeks, as not to force the final outcome. Many of my finished embroidery creations took 60-80 hours to complete. My most recent work was close to 200 hours. Then there are smaller pieces culminated in under 20 hours.

Sometimes I am amazed I complete anything as my work space is a total disaster. I can have up to 5 projects going at once. I try to keep everything in reach and find that I lose time when I put things away only needing to search fro them moments later.

4. How do you stay on top of the game and when it comes to marketing and promoting your creations?

Attending to my most spectacular 3 year old son has made the task of finding time to market my work a difficult one. However, I find I am quite often asking his opinion when I am a bit stumped on specific combinations in my work. I have found that joining a few beading groups online has helped in that arena.

Many artists are quite eager to promote each other and the individuals in these groups have shown overwhelming support for my art. They push my work for me on Facebook and Etsy and I do the same fro them. I have more recently begun organizing home jewelry parties which allow for my work to be appreciated on a local level.

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years I see myself doing the same things, creating pieces that I love, surrounding myself with those I love, and smiling so much it hurts. I do see a progression in my work, as I am sure to have new techniques in my repertoire. I aspire to collaborate with a clothing designer in order to incorporate my work into a clothing line. I hope that the call for my custom pieces will grow. I feel as though my continued involvement in Etsy and Facebook will have gotten the word out about my work and that I will be creating much more to keep up with the demand of functional, wearable art. All of that aside, I will be thrilled to just be creating work that is appreciated by those closest to me.

You can find more amazing designs in her Etsy shop!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/christianvrodriguez
Check it out!

Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christian-V-Rodriguez-Bead-Embroidery-Artisan

Email and talk directly!
christianvrodriguez@yahoo.com

Your designs are stunning, trendy and in fashion!
Thank you!

If you want to be interviewed, feel free to contact me!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BaleaRaitzART