I was featured in a treasury!!

My Witchy Woman Earrings were lucky enough to be featured in this lovely treasury titled Eagles Songlist!

Thanks so much cynmb!

Come See... What Art-Is-In {Artisan} Chat

Welcome to our Artisan Chat with Izile! I was lucky enough to run across Izile and her wonderful collection of oddities through my entrecard drops. We are regular visitors of each other's blogs and I find her unique work and constant exploration and evolution as an artist intriguing. So...on with the chat!

Where can we find your work?

http://izile.etsy.com is the online shop, I keep a gallery of all work at http://izile.deviantart.com and a shop blog at http://izile.blogspot.com

How did you get started?


Well, I'd always been interested in herbs and crystals and the symbolism and metaphysical aspects even when I was a kid. I think it was about 5 years ago or so that I thought of combining them together in a kind of bottled amulet.



What type of environment do you create in?



A chaotic one. I have two roommates and the best light is in the living room. Tada! Chaos!

It’s clear you are always exploring and willing to share your new work. What drives you to try something new?

I have no idea. Honestly, it's been with me since I was a twee-thing. When asked on places like DeviantArt "what are your media of choice?" my honest answer is normally, "anything that's not nailed down."

Your work is so eclectic… What inspires you?

Mostly nature inspires me. Especially when it comes to the Magic Vial Pendants, the seasons of the year have a lot to do with what I create. Gemstones can be gotten regardless of the whether, but certain flowers and plants are only there briefly. Two of my most popular vials can only be made in the spring, because they require cherry blossoms or lilac flowers.


Can you tell us a little bit about the process? What is your favorite part?

Well, probably my absolute favorite part is the gathering and research stage. That's the fun part. Getting to go out on long walks, trekking through the city and it's parks to look for different trees, plants, flowers, etc. Going to my gem shops to see if there's anything new or particularly eye-catching can also be a lot of fun. The gemstones come labeled, so it's just a matter of grabbing the right books to check their meanings. The flora material, however, can sometimes give me fits as I try and identify it and then uncover it's symbolism. That's mostly a spring problem though. Now that fall is fully here and winter is not long off, I mostly use herbs from my own garden, and some woods (like cedar) for the flora part of the mixtures.




Do you have a creative hero? Who is it?

Ow, I have lots of them, though oddly, none of them jewelers or crafters. I like some of the biggies, like Van Gogh, Debussy, Tolkien; and I like some of the more recent or obscure, like Edward Gorey, and Beth from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (who I had to give a nod too, because I have a crack-like obsession with her creations).

Do you use social networking? How has it worked for you?

I do, a bit. I have a shop blog on blogspot, the DeviantArt gallery. I am personally on Facebook, though Izile's Oddities does not have their own FB page. I cannot say I've seen much benefit from any of them except DeviantArt. I would estimate a MINIMUM of half of my sales come from DeviantArt subscribers who found me there then followed me back to etsy.

What do you look forward to?

Right now? Food. More long term? I have too many ideas of too many things I want to do. I want to take an aerialist class, I want to buy some PMC to play with, and a blow torch, and when's my next beer night?

If you weren’t an artist what would you be doing instead?

I consider myself much more than an artist. In fact, I often feel embarrassed to even list "artist" amongst my list, largely because I know many people consider jewelry making, especially such as mine, more a craft than an art, and while I do draw and paint, I have not kept up with it as I should. Other things that I do, currently, that I might invest even more time into if I had no artistic inclination, would probably be my music. I am first, and foremost, in my mind, a musician. My bachelors is in classical piano, and I'd probably be giving it even more of my time.




What have you always wanted to try?

PMC! Precious Metal Clay. I have some brilliant ideas (I think), but it's expensive and daunting to just dive into and play with, which is my favorite way of learning a new media. I've also wanted to play the erhu, and recently, the hang (meanwhile my accordion collects dust).

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I'm afraid I'm a bit scattered. It's not a lack of an ability to focus. I can focus on one thing for hours, even days at a time. It's just that I have never understood why people must choose between creative outlets, and so, I don't choose. Etsy buyers, unfortunately, only catch a very narrow window of my makings because it has to do with what will sell. In the past, I've listed herbs from my garden, homemade chocolate truffles (a specialty of mine), bath products (still have some in the shop, I believe), paintings, ACEOs, and sculptures as well as jewelry. It's why I originally named my shop "Izile's Oddities" because of the eclectic nature of my creating. And while we must be pragmatic, and what sells best gets the most time and effort, I do hope to keep listing my oddities as I have time for them.

Thank you Izile so much for chatting with us! As a special treat to you readers, Izile is offering 25% off anything in her shop that is not already on sale. This discount runs until 11:59 pm on Friday November 27th. Just make sure to mention her Artisan Chat in the message to seller at checkout to receive this awesome discount!

Come see...what Art-Is-In {Artisan}

Welcome to the first artisan chat! It seems everyday I find another artisan whose work I admire (and covet). This particular artist, AwakenJournaling comes to you from the magical world of Etsy.

Personally, as an artist I own volumes of journals and sketchbooks as does my husband, a theatre professor. We both have a great love for these empty books that wait for our words and impressions.

Crafting remarkable leather journals, AwakenJournaling presents inspiring vessels for our dreams, art, poems, and those special, secret and random thoughts. And now...on with the chat!

{Fire's Essence }

Where can we find you and your work?

On Etsy for now. I do have a twitter but I'm still experimenting with it to see how I like it.

What type of environment do you create in?

My apartment; I have a craft table set up, along with bookshelves and boxes of crafting stuff. My livingroom is pretty much overrun with craft items when I'm working!

{Sunburst}

What inspires you?

Often, the materials themselves - finding an unusual antique button, a perfect piece of seaglass on the beach, or a thick, crinkled piece of leather that has character to it...often I'm inspired by the materials themselves. I love to find truly unique materials and then begin to imagine how they can be turned into a lovely book.

Who is your creative hero?

I don't know that I have one -- I'll say nature! Because you can find such beautiful designs in nature. Even a walk in the park can reveal textures, shapes, and designs that are completely inspiring.

{Simple Scarlet}

What is your favorite aspect of selling on Etsy?

I love that Etsy is very oriented towards unique products and good photos. The forums are also very friendly. So I'd say the whole atmosphere of promoting creativity and individuality.

Do you use social networking? How has it worked for you?

I don't use it much. I recently started on Twitter but I'm not sure I like it that much yet. I am thinking of trying facebook. For now though my Etsy shop is enough.

{Reptilian Steampunk}

What do you look forward to?

Sales of course! :)

I'm very much looking forward to Christmas time. I just opened my shop in January so I 'm excited to see what will happen around the holiday season! I'm also going to my first craft fair in September and I'm very excited for that!

{Aqua Pearl Necklace}

If you weren't creating these wonderful journals, what would you be doing instead?

I would always be creating something. I go to school full-time but I love to create in my spare time, it's very relaxing. I doodle all the time-- when I'm talking on the phone, when I'm taking notes in class... I love to draw and create things with my hands. So if I didn't make journals, I'm sure I'd be making something else!

{Undersea Garden}

What have you always wanted to try?

I want to try to make my own paper at some point, I just don't have the space now. I also love to try new techniques, and incorporate new materials!

Is there anything else you would like to share?

If you're looking for some inspiring books to read, I can recommend: 'The Richest Man in Babylon,' 'Think and Grow Rich,' and 'Light from Many Lamps.' Two are more about building wealth and success in business, and the last is more inspirational.

{Contemplation}

Thank you so much AwakenJournaling for being the featured Artist in our Come see...What Art-Is-In {Artisan} Chat!

To celebrate the first Artisan Chat, I am offering my readers free shipping on any order in my shop, K. Nice Artworks through August 10th. Just mention 'AwakenJournaling Rocks!' at checkout in message to seller.

Make sure to stop by AwakenJournaling's shop to see her newest creations! She also has an exciting new shop, ArtisanJourneys for other leather items such as rings, bags and cuffs!

Kudos Collection for the week July 5

Welcome to the Kudos Collection for the week!

Kudos to WHIMSYlove featured on the Etsy front page!

Kudos to ThePeachTree featured on the Etsy front page!

Kudos to PetitPoulailler featured on the Etsy front page!
As always, if you have a Kudos you would like to share, feel free to leave a comment with the link.
Thanks for visiting!

Kudos Collection for the week June 21

Welcome to the Kudos Collection for the Week! When we get featured, we want to shout it to the world! Here are a few artists I caught via tweets that deserve another round of Kudos!

Kudos to thevintageholicfrog featured on the Etsy front page!

Kudos to hilariagalleries featured on the Etsy front page!
Kudos to doodlebirdie featured on the Etsy front page!

If you have a kudos you would like to share, feel free to post it in a comment below. Thanks for joining me!

Kudos Collection for the week June 13

Welcome to the Kudos Collection for the week!

When we are featured, we want to shout it out to the world! Here are a few collected throughout the week, found via tweets.

Kudos to thelittlereddoor featured on the Etsy front page!

Kudos to moonthroughfog featured on the Etsy front page!
Kudos to RaspberryFairy featured on the Etsy front page!

Thanks for joining me! If you have a Kudos you would like to share, feel free to leave a comment with the link below.

Kudos Collection for the week June 6

Welcome to the Kudos Collection for the week! Here are a few of the artists that were featured this week found via tweets.

Kudos to polishedtwo featured on the Etsy front page!

Kudos to monkeyandsquirrel featured on the Etsy front page!

Kudos to AwakenJournaling featured on the Etsy front page!

And finally, my own tweet - I was featured on lillyella's blog! Thanks lillyella!

I hope you enjoyed the Kudos Collection for the week. Do you have a Kudos to share? Feel free to leave a comment with the link.

Enjoy!

Kudos Collection for the week May 30

Welcome to the Kudos Collection for the week! When we get featured, we want to shout it out to the world. As an active tweeter, I catch a few tweets a week sharing the good news. Here are a few from this week...

Kudos to thecraftpantry featured on the Etsy front page!

Kudos to snappyshop featured on the Etsy front page!

Kudos to metalology featured on the Etsy front page!

Thanks for joining me in shouting out Kudos to these wonderful artists! If you have a Kudos you would like to share, feel free to leave a comment with the link.

Kudos Collection for the week

That's right - it's that time again...the Kudos Collection for the week! It's so great when we get featured, we want to shout it out to the world! I've starting collecting a few tweets each week of these happy moments - so here they are!

Kudos to tamaragarvey featured on the Etsy front page!

Kudos to oktak featured on the Etsy front page!

Kudos to lupin featured on the Etsy front page

Thanks for joining me and giving these special artists the Kudos they deserve! Do you have a Kudos tweet you would like to share?

Kudos Collection for the week

It's so nice when we get featured, we want to shout it out to the world. As an active tweeter, I see a number of tweets throughout the week and I thought it would be nice to start collecting them. These wonderful artists deserve some Kudos...so here is the collection found via tweets for the week!

Kudos to rubygirl featured on the Etsy front page!

Kudos to papersparrow featured on the Etsy front page!

Kudos to locomotive featured on the Etsy front page!

If you would like to be included in the Kudos Collection for the week, email me k.nice.artworks@gmail.com with the details by Friday evening of the week you were featured and I'll be happy to include you!