FEATURED ETSY SHOP - BRIOLE PHOTOGRAPHY

STORMY SAILS

8x10 Fine Art Photograph

Beautiful sailboat at anchor off the small British Virgin Island of Jost Van Dyke

by BRIOLE PHOTOGRAPHY

Heather of BRIOLE PHOTOGRAPHY on Etsy has some very stunning and beautiful photography in her shop.  Scenes of nature and beautiful scenes from the Caribbean, and more.  Be sure to stop by for a visit!  First, let's read Heather's interview below to see what her thoughts are regarding her art.

What led you to start creating your art/craft:

I took a photography class in high school which started my interest in the subject, but it really began with the purchase of my first digital camera in college. I love looking at the world through the perspective of a camera lens. It makes me slow down and savor the moment and see the beauty in the unexpected. A photograph captures a moment in time that would otherwise be forgotten...and for that, I am forever grateful.

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

For me it wasn't so much a conscious decision that I choose this medium, rather it was a passion that found its way to me. It wasn't something that I said in advance, I am going to go out and learn photography and this is what I want to do...once I started experimenting with photography, it was a feeling of coming home and now I couldn't imagine my life without it.

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

The joy of taking a picture that at first glance would be something that someone wouldn't consider worthy of taking a second glance at. But once captured, it becomes something beautiful that someone would want to hang on their wall and look at time and time again.

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

This is a great question! I would say a red bell pepper...it captures your attention at first glance, and upon further examination, it has a depth and complexity of flavor that is hard to beat and it is very colorful and joyful to look at.

PRETTY IN PINK - 8 x 10 Fine Art Photography

by Heather

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

I do have a second creative outlet which is quilting. I am a fifth generation quilter and love the process of combining different fabrics into a piece of art that serves two functions, both being a piece of art and something warm to snuggle with on a cold winter day.

PEACE HILL - 8 X 10 Fine Art Photography

by Heather

This photo is of a solitary sugar mill ruin, which sits atop Peace Hill watching over the island of St. John, in the US Virgin Islands.

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

That beauty can be found everywhere. You just have to slow down and appreciate it!

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Find your own artistic expression and point of view. It is easy to fall into the trap of trying to emulate what is popular at the moment or what others who also share your medium are selling. Be true to yourself and your artistic vision will resonate with others because it is a true expression of something you believe in.

Heather, your work is wonderful!  Thanks so much for taking the time to not only share your photography with everyone, but for also sharing your thoughts with us.
 
To see and learn more about Heather and her work, be sure to visit her links below.
 

FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

FEATURED ETSY SHOP - SQUIDART

"SOME THINGS LAST FOREVER" - 6" X 6" Print

by SQUIDART

(CLICK on the photo's title to learn more about this print)

WELCOME, Katie and her Etsy shop SQUIDART!  You will find fine art photography and mixed media prints, in a variety of subjects, when you pay a visit to SQUIDART.

I love the colors in the above print and the title for this photo is perfect!

Let's learn a bit more about Katie by reading her interview below.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I started taking a few photography classes in high school, and I just fell in love with the dark room process. I continued to take a class or two in college, but most of what I do is self taught. After I graduated college, I put photography away for a while. Then, my husband bought me a copy of Photoshop. The love was reborn! I dove in head first and started creating again.

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

I actually really miss the dark room process. I could get lost in that room for hours playing with the developing chemicals and trying to make that shot perfect. Dark room photography takes so much time and patience, and because of that, you feel so much more rewarded when you see the final product.

Now, Photoshop is like that for me. I love to see what I can make that software do. All I have to do is imagine the final shot, and if I take enough time and am patient enough, I can get Photoshop to create that for me.

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

Kumquat – It’s a little different and a little fun.

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

Sewing… I don’t know how to do it yet, but my next big purchase will be a sewing machine. I am so excited to learn the craft and see what kind of mess I can make with it.

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

Each picture is meant to convey some type of mood, whether that be serious or lighthearted. It really is a way to show people an emotion and ask if they have ever felt that way. That is why people become so connected to art. People love your work when they can share in the emotion that it shows.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Put it out there and have some fun. Part of the reason we create is to share, and Etsy gives us such a wonderful and easy way to do that. Take a chance and share your work with the rest of the world!

MOUNTAIN FLOWERS

by SQUIDART

(CLICK on the photo's title to learn more about this beautiful print!)

Thanks, Katie, for taking the time to share you thoughts and photographic creativity with all of us. 

To learn more about Katie and SQUIDART, be sure to click on the links below.

SQUIDART BLOG

FALL FANTASY III - Signs of FALL on Etsy

WELCOME, to my third and final segment of FALL FANTASY III - Signs of Fall on Etsy!

Even if you don't live in an area where fall is on its way, you can still enjoy the colorful, fun items, and visit the shops to see what else they may have for you.

Baked Apple Pie Scented Pillar Candle with apples on top

by CanDeLis

Beautiful candle! 8 inches high, 3 inches wide, orange, brown, green, and red chunks with wax apples on top. glitter, ribbon, and gift tag also included! perfect for fall!

Boo Ghost Pin, a Fired and Wired favorite

by FIRED AND WIRED

Sure to put a smile or scare into your Halloween spirit.  Hand painted ghost holding polyshrink letters, BOO, in a hand milled aluminum cup with a clear coating.

Autumn Wood necklace - Banghaw wood, red agate, aragonite, red aventurine - Hand knotted on silk
by JENNY HOOPLE

Perfect for fall! Warm, earthy, fabulous!!

Made with diagonally-cut banghaw wood, large red agate pebbles, light yellow aragonite and red aventurine chips and wooden beads.  18" long with a gold-plated toggle clasp

PUMPKIN T-SHIRT DRESS

by

CRYSTAL PEARL

Sexy little pumpkin coloured 100% cotton T-Shirt dress, hand embellished with faux jet crystals and cobalt blue 80 year old glass Chinese trade beads specially imported from Thailand.

Autumn Printable Thank You Tags

by DIGICUTE

These tags will be perfect additions to your shop items! Tags can also be customized as birthday tags, gift tags, etc. Convo me to place a custom order

Maple Leaf Cheese Cutting Board

by TOM ROCHE - Woodworking Designs

Here is another of the Maple Leaf (Canada) that has been popular. It is a handy Cheese Board size 8" Wide X 9 1/2" High and 1" Thick. Both sides are finished so you can use one and display the other. The edges are rounded over and sanded smooth and coated with mineral oil

Pumpkin Harvest Mini Autumn Greeting Cards

by SHE'S BATTY DESIGNS

I made these mini cards to celebrate autumn since it's my favorite season. These cards have been hand stamped and colored by hand by me. These would be fun to give to your friends, family or coworkers.

If you are a shop owner, you could include them in your orders as your "Thank You" cards to celebrate the change of season!

These mini cards are blank inside and measure 2.5 x 2.25 inches. You will get 5 mini cards with this order.

Come And Stand A Little Bit Closer  - 8x10 Photography Print

by MGHJ

That lonely little mushroom really needs to go join in on the fun!!

AGATE EARRINGS

by

SISTER STONE

Earring 1 3/4 inches long without earwire. Agate stone and gold! A perfect fall earring.  Note: Gold filled findings and wire was used. The stone was dyed.

Maplewood State Park Kodak Duaflex Photo Print 5 x 7

by STUDIO M.M.E.

A year ago I found an old Kodak Duaflex II camera in my grandmother's closet. She let me play with it and I had the extreme pleasure to discover the vintage camera still had unused expired film in it.  After I used up the film, I installed a new roll to see how the camera would shoot nowadays. This shot features some of the cat tails beside a lake in the Maplewood State Park in Minnesota.

GOLDEN HARVEST BRACELET

by BEACH FLOWER DESIGNS

I'll leave it up to you, but I think that I may have created the perfect bracelet for fall. The warm gold tones in this bracelet would spice up your fall wardrobe, for sure.

Golden amber colored faceted chalcedony gemstones are perfectly paired with 8mm 2xab topaz Swarovski crystal rounds. The bracelet is accented with antique brass corrugated rounds, and with an ornate antique brass toggle clasp.

Brown With Pink Flowers Fleece Baby Sleeper Blanket Sack

by CJ'S FINE DESIGNS

This adorable sleeper blanket sack is made of super soft fleece. It comes with embroidery across the chest and lined in the top with coordinating soft flannel. It has a coordinating plastic molded zipper on the bottom for easy diaper changes. Kam plastic molded snaps at the shoulders make dressing baby easy.

I'd like to thank all the Etsy shops that participated in my FALL FANTASY feature.  I hope everyone has enjoyed a glimpse of FALL on Etsy.

A VISIT TO .. DUBUQUE ARBORETUM AND BOTANICAL GARDENS

What a stunning dahlia! I never saw one this large!

This past week, my husband and I took an overnight trip to Dubuque, Iowa. I love to go to the Dubque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, so that I can see all the beautiful flowers and gardens, and of course, take photos.

If you'd like to learn more about the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens click on the photo below. This beautiful place is maintained by

all volunteers...some 250 of them.

Gorgeous Hibiscus! One of my favorite flowers!

Since I started creating my new designs of Butterfly Flower Photo Wall Accents, I really couldn't wait to see what wonderful flowers awaited me at the Arboretum this year. We got there just in time, as a lot of the flowers were losing their "perfect bloom". The dahlias and hibiscus blooms were still beautiful and I thought I'd share some of the photos here on my blog. I will be using some of the photos to create my Butterfly Flower Photo wall accents. I love to find the fabric for the butterflies and to match it with the flowers.


I'm not sure what this striking green and white plant was, but loved the contrasts of the green with the white.

This big bee didn't seem to mind that I was that close taking a photo of it. I did notice that a lot of the flowers were being eaten by the Asian Beetles.

There were clusters and clusters of colorful ornamental peppers, so of course they caught my eye!

Since I love color and whimsey I was delighted to find this whimsical gecko in the gardens. It was a fun, beautiful day. One can never get tired of seeing the beauty of nature!

Hope you enjoyed seeing a few of these delightful, flowers.

FEATURED ETSY SHOP - MNH Photography by Deon

I love the nature subjects of this photographer! If we take the time to stop and look closely, there are so many wonderful things to see in this world of ours!! Deon's work certainly captures these wonderful sights, that so many of us don't take the time to notice.

Let's welcome, Deon, and her beautiful photography. You can visit, Deon's shop to see more of her work at MNH Photography on Etsy. The links to her shop and blog will be below this interview.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I've always been a nature nut. So, photographing nature in all it's glory just fits. I love being out there with the birds and the animals, in the fresh air, enjoying their world, their way and then bringing it to others.

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

Honestly? I have zero ability to draw or paint or portray nature in any other way.

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

Being with nature, walking in the woods or old country roads. Seeing the world in a different way and portraying nature in all it's glory.

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

An apple. Crunchy and juicy, delicious and oh, so good for you!

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

Gee, I don't know. If I could paint, I would love to do that.

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

There is such beauty just outside our doors if we would only take the time to look. Whether its a majestic blue bird sitting on a branch, or a piece of ice stuck between two twigs, the world is absolutely stunningly beautiful. Open your eyes and you'll see it every time you walk outside.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Don't give up. Get out there, let people know who you are and what you do. You're amazing, you just need to let other people know that too!

From one "nature nut" to another...Deon, I love your work! There is nothing more enchanting then getting in tune with nature! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photography with everyone!

Be sure to visit MNH Photography by clicking on the links below.

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