Member Interview

Obe sacked out on the couch

Hi, I'm Cait of barefootweaver.

Hi there, Cait!  Please tell us about yourself.

I have been living in upstate New York for the past 18 years. A very peaceful place in the country which is sort of stuck in the 50s. We bought our farm which was a dump and my husband (Gary) bribed me with a horse to get me to move happily from the Village of Potsdam to the outskirts. We have spent the last 18 years working on the inside of the house, of course, but at least my kids know how to fix things now! :) I have 3 boys: Adam 30 (to be married Sept 5!!) Alex (21 and pursuing his engineering degree at Clarkson U), and Noah (19 and going to Skidmore in Sept after taking a year off between high school to have an adventure). They all light up my life!

Me on Dommie (I ALWAYS wear a helmet but I just jumped on for a picture!!)

We also share the farm with 2 horses (Dommie and Duke), 1 dog (Obe), and 4 cats (Ballou, Lucy, Mieux, and Adam's cat Magic on a long-term loan).

I have been weaving for 18 years now having learned from a dear friend who has since passed on. I love the rhythm of the work, throwing the shuttle and beating the resulting cloth, but what I love best is the designing and making of the warp, winding it on and threading it, weaving a little and then I can see if what I had in my head is what I actually achieved.

A warp being designed before it goes on the loom

And I am totally inspired by color combinations. I will pull over in the car if I see a flower combination I like or an unusual color outfit on someone and try to write it down descriptively for weaving later! I actually chose my name a long time ago because I always weave barefoot or with socks in the winter. It's hard and clunky to work the pedals on the loom with big ole shoes! So the name was a natural.

How did you learn about Etsy Project Embrace? 

I learned about Etsy Project Embrace also from treasuries. I found that the artists that I most admired and used in treasuries were all involved. Finally, Kristin convo'd me and asked if I wanted to join. It's funny because I think that was in September last year and my sister-in-law had just finished chemo for breast cancer. So I was honored to be asked. Then December 11 2009 I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Totally weird. So I found myself being so supported by all these amazing survivors as well as artists who just plain cared about what we were going through! And survivors Laura, Peggy, and Ginny have been very inspirating to me. I have met some wonderful people through this group--too many to name here and feel very close to them!

Do you have a blog?
Yes: http://barefootweavercait.blogspot.com

What is your favorite item in your shop?

I love my scarves because they give me a chance to work up different color combinations without a huge investment in threads and yarn. But my favorite is probably the Red, Red Rose Wrap.

Red, Red Rose Wrap

What is your favorite possession, and why do you cherish it?

I cherish my mother's engagement ring. She is 89 years old and one of my favorite people. My children also made a book for me for my birthday--"(A Few Of The) Reasons Why We Love You." They filled it with sentences, stories, paragraphs...made me cry and I will treasure it forever.

Do you have a collection?

I used to collect horse figures when I was small but now since I have the real thing I guess I mostly collect yarns and I have a huge collection of artwork that my kids did!

My horse collection

Where would you like to be, and what would you like to be doing 10 years from now?

In 10 years I would like to be grandmothering (is that a word?)(no pressure, kids!)! Actually just to be here weaving and riding would be fine with me!

Some cotton cones for towels

Finds 'n' Fancies

rock candy
(two ways)

Barnacle 1 by Rachel Mosler, Tyto Alba by blondebeard
Picnic at Hanging Rock ring by thesocialcellar, Pink Sugar photo by capow

Pate de Fruit by nicoleleechocolates, Tyto Alba (2) by blondebeard
Memory print by mkendall, Vintage Sugar Cups from TheVintageApartment

Whilst meandering around Etsyland the other day, I came across blondebeard's rock candy-esque Tyto Alba prints and was instantly inspired to put together a collection based on one, but couldn't decide which to use, so I said, heck--why not both?!
And, speaking of rock candy, if you've got some sugar and water plus a little time to kill, you can make your own. It's easy and makes for a lovely decoration for a special party. (End of summer bash, anyone?)

I hope you've enjoyed the prismatic sugar rush! --katie :D

Weekly Challenge

Hello lovelies!

It's time to announce our Weekly Challenge winner!
This week's theme was "starry night"

Our winner is Rose from Waterrose
with her Starry Night Hand Embroidered Cuff.

Congratulations Rose!

A big thank you to
Cathy from Celtic Cat Photos
Rebecca from Knee Deep Originals
Mollie from Rough Magic Holidays
who also participated last week.

You can check out their fabulous entries on our Weekly Challenge page.

Rose's choice for this week's theme:
"playing in fall leaves"

To participate in the fun:
1) Start creating!
2) List the item in your Etsy shop.
3) Contact me with a link to your entry by next Monday (August 16th) 12 midnight EST.

**I just want to remind all of our teammates
who sell vintage or supplies that you can enter too!**

I will post all of the lovely entries on our Weekly Challenge page as they come in. The new winner will be posted here next Wednesday. The winner then gets to choose the following week's theme, and of course, it's winner!

Happy creating!
xo, Jen

Member Interview

1973

Hi there! Please tell us a bit about yourself.

Hello! My name is Colette and I live in Mount Shasta, California. Raw Art Letterpress is my main Etsy shop. 

 

abandon de creance (forgive the debt)

'Raw Art' is basically defined as art made by the unschooled artist, that would be me. I took a printmaking class but because I'm not a very precise person and I don't follow directions well. I hated it, never turned in an assignment and failed the class. I did have an idea of what I wanted my prints to look like so I began experimenting. Eventually I found my way to what I call the 'raw art letterpress process.' 

rubber stamp version of silent

My prints are made entirely by hand - I cut the plates from cardboard, I cut out every letter and shape and I press each print with my own two hands. The final product has a lot of quirks, I like to think of them as perfectly imperfect. The style isn't for everyone, but it works well for me ... especially the part where I make it up as I go along!

Most of my prints have words and most of them are my own 'sayings' but I also make prints of other people's quotes and a lot of custom prints. I get so many requests for faith-based and recovery quotes that I just opened a second shop called Pure Heart Letterpress that is dedicated to inspirational work.

How did you learn about Etsy Project Embrace?
I learned about EPE through treasury making. I liked the sport old treasury system - it is through the enthusiastic comments of so many EPE members that I discovered the team.

l'amore (love that moves the sun and other stars)

Around the same time I made a print for my friend whose wife has had cancer for many years. They have a wonderful relationship and the first thing that came to mind for them was Dante's "Love that moves the sun and other stars." After that I wrote to Kristin at LoveArtWorks and joined up. 

What is your favorite item in your shop at the moment? 

my first wordprint from 1998

The print that is most significant to me is "Silent-Listen." It was the first wordprint I made back in 1998 from hand cut rubber stamps. The words have the same letters in a different arrangement. I have found that one of the most difficult things to do is to just be present with another person, to listen and say nothing at all. This Quaker quote says it a bit more eloquently: "to listen a soul into disclosure and discovery is the greatest service one human being can do for another."

What is your favorite possession, and why do you cherish it? 

I would be sad to lose the first necklace my sister at Lulu Bug Jewelry made from my 'Speak Love' print.

Speak Love

What do you collect? 

It seems I've started a sea glass collection - I have a few pieces from Latvia via Rita from her alatvian store and Peggy at TheBeadAeire just sent me a wonderful gift - two pieces of sea glass made into a necklace.

Do you have a blog?
Yes ~ http://rawartletterpress.blogspot.com 

Where would you like to be and what do you hope to be doing ten years from now?
I'd like to be making prints and living in a beautiful place ... sort of like I do now!

my live-work dome in winter

inside the dome

Anything you'd like to add?
I have really enjoyed getting to know other Etsy sellers and that has mainly come about through treasury making especially with EPE members. I know so many people from all over the world, and the majority of them I have met through EPE. When I became an Etsy seller about a year ago, I had no idea that I would find such a wonderful community. Seeing people's art or their selection of vintage pieces reveals a lot about who we are and offers an opportunity to really get to know people - something I didn't think was possible to do on the internet!

the view from the dome

Etsy and EPE specifically have been great blessings to me - it is really uplifting to get a note from a team member or to be able to create a treasury with pieces made from such wonderful people. I look forward to getting to know more EPE members. thanks for all your love and support, I certainly have received much more than I have offered.

turkish quote 'peace at home, peace in the world'

Finds 'n' Fancies

soft spoken

Knitted Acorn Pouch by SarahMcNeil, Salix discolor by JudithsBotanicalArt
Leni and Leopold by poppopportraits, She's Leaving Home by LabrynthineNature

Summer Romper by sparklekittenpurr

Weekly Challenge

Hello lovelies!

It's time to announce our Weekly Challenge winner!
This week's theme was "enjoying the morning dew"

Our winner is Jill from Moonlight Beadworks
with her Handmade Brass Tag Branch Leaves Pendant Necklace.

Congratulations Jill!

Gabriele chose Jill's piece because it reminded her of the sage growing in her garden-- plus don't you just love that Jill took this photo in the rain so that you can see little droplets of water on the brass?!

A big thank you to
Pearl from Beading Gem
Erica from Mazzy Jewelry Designs
Rebecca from Knee Deep Originals
who also participated last week.

You can check out their fabulous entries on our Weekly Challenge page.

Jill's choice for this week's theme:
"starry night"

To participate in the fun:
1) Start creating!
2) List the item in your Etsy shop.
3) Contact me with a link to your entry by next Monday (August 9th) 12 midnight EST.

**I just want to remind all of our teammates
who sell vintage or supplies that you can enter too!**

I will post all of the lovely entries on our Weekly Challenge page as they come in. The new winner will be posted here next Wednesday. The winner then gets to choose the following week's theme, and of course, it's winner!

Happy creating!
xo, Jen

Are you ready for the holiday rush?

While the summer months are slow you may want to get ready for the holiday purchasing season. Here's a list of some things you might want to consider:

• Stock up on packaging; tissue, tape, boxes, envelopes, shipping materials
• Business cards, regular or moo
• Stickers
• Organize your craft/design work area so that you know where everything is.
  
• Update your etsy shop, perhaps your banner needs refreshing
• Take a good look at your pictures, update them if necessary
  
• Set up your shop announcement for SEO optimization
• Are your shop policies set for holiday delivery times?
• Make sure your listings also draw your customer in and have all of the pertinent information.
• Are you getting those new designs ready? Post them early, since there are people who shop early (thankfully)

What do you do to get ready for the holiday purchasing season?