Jen from Etsy Weddings asked me to highlight a few of my faves for my June wedding. You should be hearing more from Jen soon so stay tuned for her guest spot on the Daily Etsian.
Etsy Weddings Guest Spot
Jen from Etsy Weddings asked me to highlight a few of my faves for my June wedding. You should be hearing more from Jen soon so stay tuned for her guest spot on the Daily Etsian.
Autumn Outfit
(1) Trevisio Earrings by SweetGems - $19 (Free shipping!) (2) Copper Leaf Pendant by - izadora118 $18 (Free shipping!) (3) Linen Dress by pamelatang $160 (4) Autumn Leaves Clutch by coryrenee - $41 (5) Rusty-orange Scarflette by Knme - $24
Free Downloadable: Autumn
I love autumn. It's my favorite season. Here is a fall stationary freebie just for you. Send a little autumn color to a dear friend.As always, please do not sell or take credit for this stationary. This was created for personal use only. You are welcome to link this stationary on your website or blog. Please link back to the Daily Etsian. Thanks. Bye!
Week of Autumn
This week, I'm going to highlight some awesome handmade Autumn goodness that is going on around the internet. Be sure to check back often for Halloween outfits, fall fashions, autumn decor, etc. etc. etc.
Creative Boost Friday: Collection of Inspiration
Here is a list of inspiration. Continue to explore the world. Find beauty in unexpected places. Create abundantly and fearlessly. Please comment below with your bits of aspiration. Have a creative weekend...
- Investigate color. Try new color combinations. Check out COLOURlovers website or kuler to discover new color trends and palettes.
- Download new fonts and use them frequently. Print out inspirational quotes and post them around your work area. Look at dafont or FreeTypography for free fonts.
- Join a craft social networking site such as MyCraft or DesignsToLove. Meet other artists or crafters and share links of common interest.
- Learn a new craft. Search "craft kit" or "tutorial" on Etsy and ArtFire. Learn a new technique from experts.
- Find free downloadables and tutorials on craft blogs. Here are a few of my favorites: Creature Comforts, How About Orange, and Cut Out and Keep.
- Make some beautiful things for yourself, something that feels luxurious. Try making your own spa kit: candles, soap, etc. Or make a piece of jewelry or accessory such as a scarf or hat.
- If you like crocheting or knitting, try freeform fiberarts - creating without a pattern or formal idea. Check out the awesome Prudence Mapstone on her website and blog.
Creative Boost Thursday: Setting Goals
Michelangelo once said, "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish." Ambition and dreams for the future motivate us to accomplish more. What are your goals and dreams? How do they impact your creativity?
Here are several websites that offer frequent challenges to prod you into action.
Here are several artists who set a goal for themselves and are now documenting the results in the form of a blog. Check them out for some creative thrills:
Today's challenge: write down your creative goals in your creative journal or box. Write down a goal for today, a month, six months, and year (or longer) from now. It can be as simple as "Do one creative thing everyday" or as complicated as starting a business or a new product line. Brainstorm, write or draw details in no specific or cohesive order. Go back and revise.
Creative Boost Wednesday: Creating Creativity
Today, I want to focus on nurturing creativity. This post is heavily influenced by Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way.
Cameron advocates for two basic resources in your creativity toolbox: morning pages and the artist date. Click here for more information on morning pages and artist dates. Both tools call for regular self-expression. Basically, do something creative everyday. Allow yourself to go beyond your usual comfort zones. Stretch yourself. Continue collecting pieces of inspiration in your artist journal or box. Do something creative you've never done before.
I highly recommend this website for creative prompts (called "catalysts"). This week, the creative catalyst is "What’s a family or personal tradition your cherish?" Many artists share they collages, journals, and mixed media creations. Try using an artistic medium you've never tried before. Use colors that you don't usually utilize. Be inspired by others' creativity on this website, Creative Therapy.
Further challenge: share your daily creation on a blog, Facebook, or other social networking site. Or start a regular art night, inviting other creatives to try out new techniques or mediums. Or look into joining a group at your local art league or school.
Creative Boost Tuesday: Collecting Inspiration
Inspiration. That little mind-tingle that buzzes down to your fingertips until they itch to create... something. Maybe it's a color combination, a passerby's fashion statement, a song on the radio, how the sunlights hits that particular tree, and so on. It's important to capture that moment of thrilling creativity for future percolation and growth as an artist.
Today, I challenge you to encapsulate a moment of inspiration (either a past thought or one that occurs today). Start a creativity journal (more on this tomorrow) or box. Start by placing your collage from yesterday in your box or journal. Add anything that sparks that mind-tingle: rocks, photos, postcards, CD's, yarn, paint samples, fabric swatches, etc. Write down dreams, desires, thoughts, poems, and quotes that inspire and encourage.
Also, consider creating a folder on your computer of images, links, mp3s, documents, etc.
Extra dose challenge: share whatever is inspiring you today! Just add a comment to this post...
Here are a sample of some Etsy lovelies that would be perfect creative journals or boxes. Purchase a handmade one or make your own!
Here are some things that are inspiring me today:
Creativity Boost Week
This week, I'm going to focus on creativity! Inspiration! Imagination! Originality! Innovation!Sometimes, it is so difficult to jump start the creative juices, especially if your livelihood is dependent on constant innovation and artistry. Each day this week, I will post a website, image, question, quotation, anything that causes that shiver of inspirational delight from your head to your fingertips!
Your first dose of inspiration is from the website
While Polyvore is most known for fashion devotees, it is also a wonderful resource for collage-makers on the web. When I am unable to get my hands dirty or need a quick break from writing, I whip up a virtual collage on Polyvore. This website allows you to create collages by from images found on the web. Here are a few of my creations...
Monday assignment: Make a ten minute collage either on Polyvore or the sticky kind. Use whatever materials are closest at hand: back issues of magazines, junk mail, food crumbs, scraps of fabric, pens, etc. Draw and paint over or under (or both!) your collage.
On Polyvore search for unusual images such as textures (grunge, sand, pavement, etc.), folk art (quilts, embroidery, etc.), food (fast food, desserts, snacks, etc.). Use a variety of different types of images in the same color palette. Or choose a theme. Incorporate a favorite quote by using Polyvore's type option.
Free Downloadable: Love Coupons
This is a set of love coupons for your downloading pleasure. The perfect little something to give to your love after a long day. Or leave these coupons lying around where they will definitely be noticed as a not-so-subtle hint. Enjoy!As always, the downloadables found on this blog are not to be sold or traded for monetary purposes. Use them for personal use only. Please link back to The Daily Etsian if you wish to share them elsewhere on the internetz. Thanks!
LAMA Designs
Today, I am featuring a colorful online boutique called LAMA (Latin America in the Modern Age) Designs which provides "specially curated finds for the culturally inclined." LAMA products are created by various artisans in Latin America. Christine, LAMA Designs' curator and creator, generously agreed to be interviewed by the Daily Etsian. (Be sure to check out the special LAMA giveaway at indie Fixx!)1. Tell us about yourself. How would you describe yourself in three words? Born and raised in Los Angeles, I now live in Oakland with my boyfriend and our dog Miles. Much of my time revolves around LAMA so when I do have some free time, I enjoy doing simple things like playing Guitar Hero on the Wii with my boyfriend. I play the drums in our Wii band "Mañana Mentality" formerly known as "The Underbites" (inspired by Miles). Currently I play on hard but I hope to play on expert someday. I'm also obsessed with boba tea, getting pedicures and the internet. Three words to describe me? Ambitious, witty, and surprisingly shy.
2. What started Lama Designs? LAMA started out as one idea that completely changed after a trip I took to Ecuador. What started out as an unsuccessful business trip turned out to be the most important journey of my life. After meeting some incredible Latino designers and seeing their beautiful work by chance, I realized what LAMA was meant to be. I spent a year traveling all over South America to round up some of the best products I could find and what I felt best represented modern Latin American design. What started LAMA were a lot of punches I figured out how to roll with until the concept evolved to the shop it is now.3. What continues to inspire Lama Designs? How do you find all these beautiful items?The designers I work with have always been the inspiration and driving force behind LAMA. I am probably their biggest fan. There is not a single designer that I work with who I don't admire completely. I feel so compelled to share their work with as many people as possible. In the beginning, it was so difficult to find some of their work so I had to do a lot of traveling and searching all over to find products. Once I found something, I had to figure out who the talented person was behind that product. Now, I have a lot of designers that approach me through LAMA. I love that it's so much easier to find each other now.
4. How do you pick items to be a part of Lama Designs? My approach to picking items is pretty simple. Do I love it and will my customers love it? Is it well made? Do I absolutely have to have it? Is the designer someone I want to work with? If the answers to these questions are yes, then I do my best to bring it into LAMA. Of course, I generally run my decisions by a few friends and family members with a good eye.5. What do you value most from your adventure into indie shop-keeping? I value being able to express myself through LAMA. It's actually something I didn't realize I was doing for a while until a friend pointed it out to me. As indie shop owners, we curate our shops to reflect our own personal tastes, concepts and point of views so what we're really saying is "this is who I am and this is what I love. I hope you love it too." When the response is good, it's the best feeling in the world.
6. If you were an animal what would you be? A fluffy nine pound dog with a major underbite.
7. What would be your ideal day? I had the best fourth of July this year. The weather was perfect and I spent the whole day barbecuing and playing games in my backyard with a bunch of friends and neighbors. At night, we climbed up on the roof and launched bottle rockets and roman candles while watching firework shows happening all around us. It was so much fun. I could do that day over again. Definitely ideal.
Favorite Shops: sohomode
Sohomode is a vintage-inspired clothing shop on Etsy. I love the retro feel of the clothing along with these lovely fabrics! Make sure to check out sohomode's featured artist interview on Etsy.
Chalkboards: Back to School
Reminiscent of dust, scribbled math problems, and detentions, and replacements by the updated whiteboard, the blackboard is still an iconic symbol of school. These little chalky gems would be ideal gifts for the returning teacher or student (or yourself!).
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