FEATURED ETSY SHOP - PEACHES AND KREAM

Chalcedony and Sterling Necklace

by

RUE KREAM

WELCOME, Rue Kream and her Etsy shop PEACHES AND KREAM! Rue, not only has some very lovely jewelry designs in her PEACHES AND KREAM shop, but also, delightful needle-felted dolls and bowls. Be sure to pay Rue's shop a visit after reading her interview below.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

My kids. I never thought of myself as ‘artistic’. My kids, on the other hand, never questioned their creativity. Watching them charge fearlessly into every craft that came their way led me to wonder if everyone has that artistic spirit somewhere inside of themselves, so I began experimenting alongside them.

Millicent May

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

I haven’t. Right now I like to work with wire and wool. Next week, next month, next year I might find something completely new. There’s a whole lot of stuff in the world.

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

Flow. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?

Funny – my shop name is a fruit and my username is a vegetable. To describe my art/craft, I guess I’d pick those purple green beans. Colorful and different.

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your "creativity", what would that be, and why?

Writing. I love the idea of making pictures with words.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Try new things. Don’t think of yourself as ‘a painter’ or ‘a jewelry designer’. You can be lots of things at once.

Rue, is was a real pleasure to have you as a featured artist here on DZFANTASY. Thanks, for taking the time to share your thoughts and delightful creations with all of us.

To see more of Rue's work, click on the links bel0w.

FEATURED ETSY ARTIST - NANSGLAM - Artisan Jewelry by Nancy Trujillo

Welcome, Nancy, and her Etsy shop NANSGLAM. I always ask the artist to send me a link to one of their favoriate items in their shop so that I can put it out here with their feature. I can see why the above bracelet is a favorite of Nancy's....WOW, it is so GORGEOUS! The colors, and texture, not to mention the beautiful leaf clasp. I'm happy Nancy agreed to share some of her thoughts and ideas with us regarding herself and her jewelry. After browsing through NANSGLAM, it would be very hard to find just one favorite, among all the elegant creations out there. Be sure to visit Nancy's shop and see for yourself!


What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I took a beading class at a local bead store and I was hooked! I now teach beading designs and techniques at that same store. It is so rewarding to be able to help fellow beaders learn new techniques and designs and to meet so many people with the same addiction as me!

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

By taking so many different classes, I learned what materials and techniques I seemed drawn to. Along the way I also learned something about myself; I enjoy variety and seldom make more than one piece before I move onto something else. To give me that variety I crave for, I work with different metals, beads and gemstones. I never get bored that way. I still am a softy for the classic and romantic designs such as stringing pearls and will always create those pieces.

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

When I get a special request to create or remake a piece of jewelry for a sentimental reason. A friend of mine asked me to re-string his two small puka shell necklaces into a bracelet and necklace that would fit him. He and his mother had got them when he was a child and his mother had recently passed away from cancer. When I showed him the two finished pieces, the look in his eyes was priceless; he said he would never take the bracelet off! That is very rewarding for me. I get special requests similar to the one I just explained quite a lot.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?

That’s a hard one. I guess it would have to be an apple. Why? First because when you bite into them they are so refreshing and I hope that is what people feel when they see my jewelry. Second, there are so many different types and one can use them in so many different ways when cooking. You know what I like….variety!!

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?

Restoring furniture. Is that a medium? I believe the older furniture was constructed very well and has such beauty. I love finding a piece that has been forgotten, that has that hidden potential, and perhaps adding vintage hardware and a new finish; in a sense giving it a new life!!

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?

That it is wonderful to feel good about yourself. If I can create a piece of jewelry that helps someone feel good about themselves and their appearance when they put it on, then that pleases me very much.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Enjoy yourself. Don’t get frustrated if you are trying to earn a living with your creativity and can’t make ends meet. It can be slow and it takes a lot of work to get noticed when there are so many talented people out there using the internet, etc. Hang in there and don’t give up!

Great interview Nancy! How wonderful that you can take people's keepsakes and turn them into a lasting memory! What a good feeling that must be. Thanks again for taking the time to share!

FLICKR

FEATURED ETSY SHOP - D' Elle Jewelery

I had the pleasure of meeting this delightful artist from Belgium when I entered her "giveaway" for one of her charms. Lo and behold....I won the charm, and was so impressed with her Etsy shop and jewelry that I wrote and asked her if she'd like to be a featured artist on my blog. Happily, Elke said yes!

To find out a little bit about Elke and her delightful jewelry, read below to hear what she has to say in her own words.

Her charms are quite charming all by themselves,

and I wear mine on a sterling silver chain. (Thanks again, Elke)

What led you to start creating your art/craft

When I was younger I was always looking for something creative to do but I couldn't think any further than painting. And that isn't my favourite thing I guess. One day, someone in my class, that I didn't even like, told me she made jewelry. I visited her and asked her to teach me something. We made this pendant according to a pattern. Mine wasn't even done right. Then I asked my mom for some beads and a book with patterns. I showed this book and creations everywhere, and that's when some people asked me to make them something. I guess that's how it started. Soon I tried other things than just following those patterns. I didn't think of that as very creative when your own input is just choosing the colour of the beads. Family and friends bought some of my jewelry so I could buy new materials and that's how it started.

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

Lots of crafts aren't really suited for a 16-year-old girl. They often require lots of space or are really expensive just to make one thing. With jewelry, I could decide what to make up front, and buy what I needed for it. I could also wear it myself and make gifts for friends and family. I was also interested in gemstones before I thought about making jewelry, and now I'm using these too. At that time it seemed I chose it because it was something I could do but now it's a passion.

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

The thing I enjoy most is the moment when someone sees a piece of jewelry and falls in love. Then they try it on and it is meant for them to be worn. I can start crying when I see that. It is so rewarding. I know a girl who worked all weekends when she was 15 just to be able to buy one of my necklaces. Now she wears it everytime I see her. When I'm working on a piece of jewelry and after trying and trying and trying it's suddenly all right, I love that moment.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?

I would choose cherries. I try to make jewelry for very feminine women. I also think it is important to have something for everyone. Lots of people love cherries, but they were also used ages ago in paintings with high society woman. So cherries are a bit for everyone. When you buy a bag of cherries, they all taste a bit different. This is also something I want to show, and that's why most of my pieces are one of a kind.

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?

Two weeks ago I would have said sewing. I wanted to make dresses to go with the jewelry I created. They go really well together. But I bought some fabric and made some wallets and I just don't feel the same passion. I tried scrapbooking, but it wasn't my thing either. I thought about soap making, but my mother wouldn't let me. I did make some paintings for our living room, but I was happy when they where finished. I guess the answer to this question is a bit weird. I would use acrylic. I'm a artificial nail technician and make-up artist and I just love making nail art with acrylic, like flowers and things like that. The fun part is that you can use it to decorate everything.

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?

Everybody deserves a special thing for themselves. I want all women to feel good about themselves, and having something to treasure. When they are alone they should be able to imagine they are a glamourous movie star or a cow girl, whichever they prefer, but they should always be themselves.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

No one ever said it would be easy so keep doing what you love. Crafting is about true love.

Elke, thanks for such a delightful insight to you and your art! May you be successful in whatever you do with your creativity! To see the variety of Elke's jewelry,and to learn more about her, be sure to visit her Etsy shop, blog and also her website (which is in Dutch), by clicking on the links below.

BLOG

WEB PAGE

I COULDN'T BELIEVE I WON THIS!!

I must say I was totally surprised and delighted when I received an email from Elke of D'Elle Juwelen to let me know that I had won one of her delightful charms which she had as a "giveaway" recently.


Me, who never wins anything, wins the very first "giveaway" that I entered. This has me thinking I should maybe take the time to enter more! I might be on a "lucky" streak!


I received my charm today, and it is just delightful in its simplicity and charm. It came in this colorful, gauzy bag. What fun to get a treat like that in the mail. I just happened to have a sterling silver chain to put it on.
Elke has more of these charms in her D'Elle Jewelry shop out on Etsy. Below is a photo showing several different colors, which she offers.

In addition to these affordable charms, Elke has other beautiful pieces of jewelry out in her Etsy shop. Be sure to take a look!

I also will be doing a "feature" on Elke and her Etsy shop, so do stop back to find out more about this 19 year old jewelry artist from Belgium. THANKS FOR THE CHARM, ELKE! I will certainly enjoy wearing it.

You can get to Elke's shop by clicking on any of the photos below, or the link below the photos.