Uh-oh

Potential new project alert! Oh no. I don't need one of those right now! The IKEA loveseat to the right is sitting outside of our
building's laundry room right now with a post-it that says "free." And I've had a problem with collecting seating since I was a kid. I had at least 3 of those butterfly chairs in my room in high school. They kept going on sale. At least those were collapsible.

Not helping the situation is a post about some cool new fabrics at Apartment Therapy. Yep, right there in the lower right hand corner is the rocking chair from the same IKEA line. With super cute fabric all over it. I could do that...maybe...eventually. Trouble is I have all kinds of unfinished projects like this. None this big though (I'm not very experienced sewing, so this seems a little big.) I could do it though...it's worth trying.

Then again I could just replace the cushion covers...I'm pretty busy right now...it'd be cheaper than the amount I'd end up spending on cute fabric. That would only cost $40.

Hm. Now where am I going to stick this thing? And do I really need seating for 5 (on cushy couch/armchair type things) in an apartment with 2 people living in it? Hm...I don't think I can be rational here...there's too much "free" happening.

UPDATE: Someone else couldn't pass it up and nabbed it before I had a chance. I was working on clearing a space for it! Oh well, I suppose it's better this way in some respects. Would've been a fun project though!

How to catch the Goccoing Bug: Step One

The first step in getting yourself good and infected with an unstoppable desire to acquire a gocco printer is to spend time ogling work of etsy sellers like sarahparrott825. Her shop, amusingly titled "things are better with a parrot," is full of some of the best examples of what this machine can do. Fruits, feathers, flowers, bird and Frogs are all rendered in minimal composition yet the illustrations themselves are beautifully intricate.



sarahparrott825.etsy.com

Sarah hails from Providence, RI and is a member of the Rhode Island Etsy Street Team. It's a small but impressive group of artisans which you can read about on their blog: http://arts-in-ri.blogspot.com/

Diversified

Valentine's Card
Originally uploaded by emmakat79

I officially have more than just jewelry in my shop. Since I started my shop back in October I've been itching to have something more. Admittedly by "something more" I meant goccoed cards and sketchbooks. Fortunately my boyfriend was observant enough to realize this and get me a PG-11 for my birthday. Yey! So after playing with it some for Christmas cards and tags, I've finally gotten around to focusing on making some stuff for the shop. Okay, so I made some of these cards for friends and family as well. Nonetheless, my shop has become slight more diverse!
Look for the new Paper Goods section in my shop!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9052202

Super Mega

I took part recently in a Super Mega Contribution (official terminology there) from EtsyRain to The Sampler. You can see our stuff on their website here: http://www.homeofthesampler.com/gallery/0802200.html
Third picture down. It sure is a pile of cute stuff! We will be part of the February Sampler.

Below are the EtsyRAIN members who donated their talents and goods for the February sampler. And if you received a Sampler and want to check out the rest our talents have to offer, visit the links.

Ugly Baby Shower Art
Baubles by Hand
I Make Cute Stuff
Common Object Jewelry
Scary White Girl Designs
Spider Felt
Stir Originals
Art By Norm
Emmakat
LAS Designs
Maluhia.biz
Wiretree
Woven Chains

Fun with science!

I don't know if you've had a chance to see the Periodic Table printmaking project? It was featured on etsy's Storque last week and I'm very excited and impressed by it. A very good idea.

Also pretty cool if your computer can handle flash is the Periodic Table of Wines over at winesofsubstance.com Both of these sites should involve lots of clicking. Some of the wines on the periodic table feature a PDF for taking notes about the wines. Sometimes packaging is enough for me. But the wine's not bad either. It's a local winery out of Walla Wallla.

Because good things come in threes (right?) check out Anandi's Geek Magnets if you're still in a scientific mood.

Now with Moleskines

Semaphore Moleskines
Originally uploaded by emmakat79

That sounds kind of weird, but point being that I've got some of the 3.5" x 5.5" sketchbooks in my shop. I've been so anxious to finally make something using my gocco machine I could sell in my shop. I finally did! Yey.

Which reminds me I did have a few holiday goccoing projects that I'm proud of but haven't posted anywhere. I managed to work with Chuck (my boyfriend) to make gocco Christmas cards. They turned out well but I haven't photographed them at all! And I made gift tags. I hope I still have a few around I can snap some pictures of!


It's official I'm completely addicted to gocco.

Etsy's Shop Local & Poster Sketch Tools

Around the beginning of December I talked to my parents a bit about Winterfair. It's an annual juried show in Columbus, Ohio. When I still lived there I went every single year that I can remember (probably more.) Anyway I think it was my dad that commented that they were still seeing a lot of the same artists every year. He said it was pretty interesting to see how they had matured and developed their style over the years, but it really is a crowd of older artists. Since I'm in EtsyRain, and crafting is seeing a resurgence lately, my Dad is aware that there are lots of younger artisans out there, even in Columbus, OH. Since I'm not around anymore, it's hard for me to keep tabs on which venues you can go to for spotting the younger crowd. I recently became aware of a shop on High Street (the main stretch of Columbus) called Wholly Craft. Unfortunately I didn't quite have time for a visit when I was back in town at Christmas. Anyway, since Etsy posted this great new searching tool Shop Local I've been meaning to use it to find out more about Columbus Artisans. Today I threw some of what I found in to the Poster Sketch you see here.

Secondly, I work in an architecture firm, so does my boyfriend and most people I know. Today my boyfriend's firm was doing a little cleaning and he asked me if I wanted any of the plastic laminate samples they were getting rid of. Inspired by the way Sara of Rekoj Design used them to display her pendants I said yes. Not sure what I'll do with them yet, but I'm working on figuring that out. For inspiration I searched etsy. I only found about half a poster worth, but I'm feeling insipred. I particularly like the necklace by Iheartmies (ahem, architect!) and the way gadgetgirl printed on them for keychains!

Rain in Pink

Rain in Pink
Originally uploaded by emmakat79

I made a treasury this afternoon, some great pink selections from EtsyRain in anticipation of Valentine's Day. Seeing all this great stuff from EtsyRain I'm feeling even more motivated to make the valentine's cards I've been putting off.

Getting a treasury does make me feel like I'm back on top of things for 2008 & etsy, but really I need to get to some listing!









Here's the link: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=23214

Just Listed

Hot Chips
Originally uploaded by emmakat79

I made a bunch of new items last weekend that I am slowly listing on etsy. The necklace pictured is my favorite among those items. I have had these red chip beads for years. I suppose I orginally chose them for their color and shinyness. But somehow I never quite figured out what to do with them, chip-type beads aren't something I've worked with a whole lot. I was really terribly tempted to keep this necklace for myself, it has a history, and I love how it turned out. But I really would love to find a home for it with someone that loves it as much as I do! That might be even more rewarding. :)

Yey!

Color Trend 08
Originally uploaded by emmakat79

I finally got around to listing my first item in 2008! Happy New Year. It's a pair of earrings I created in response to a creative challenge for etsyrain. Color combination was inspired by this site.

Sampler Contribution Packaging

Sampler Contribution Packaging
Originally uploaded by emmakat79

Etsyrain recently contributed as a group to The Sampler.

I made 20 simple necklaces right before the holidays and finished off the packaging last week. My grandmother gave me some cute pink paper at christmas. Apparently she didn't realize that she was buying 12x12 sheets of paper instead of wrapping paper. But, it worked out perfectly for making origami boxes for my necklaces. I had just enough sheets to make 20 boxes! Pink & black, very stylish thanks to my grandma.

Hello again

It's been since last year since I've posted, how did that happen? I went home, back to Columbus, OH, for Christmas to see family and friends. I also got a chance to stop by one of the glass galleries there to see this exhibit. They had a great selection of other major glass artists as well, and are very friendly. Even though they must realize I don't have enough money for a Christopher Ries. This is the gallery I went to once on a lunch break when I worked nearby and got a detailed explanation of the process involved in every single Lino Tagliapietra piece in the place. He remains one of my favorite glass artists as a result.

Since I returned there hasn't been a lot going on, just trying to get back into the swing of things for the New Year. Posting on the blog and new items to Etsy have halted for the past week or so, but that's about to change. Last weekend I made at least 8 new items for the shop, so over the next week or so I should manage to photograph and list those.