September's Team Challenge

The theme For September's Challenge is "Flower". Entries will be due by Sept 30th, 2009 at midnight EST. You can enter by emailing a picture to hillary [at] gmail.com . If particpants have any questions or concerns you can email Hillary or use the group list. Hopefully voting will be up by Oct 4th this month.

Last month's entries were all wonderful and unique and we definitely look forward to seeing what will happen this month. We hope you will join us by checking back here to see their progress and vote.

August's Winner!

Congratulations to Coastal Artist for winning August's challenge! His painting, "Song of the Loon", was picked by our readers as the best of the entries for the theme "Nature/Natural" and we can certainly see why everyone loved it. When asked about the piece, He had this to say:
"Although this bird is referred to as 'a common Loon' there is nothing common about them. If you have ever heard them late in the evening or early morning calling (singing) you know what I mean. I tried really hard to capture the song of the Loon as I painted this, I hope you can hear it too."
Thanks for the beautiful piece, Coastal Artist and congratulations again.

August Challenge Entries! -- Vote for your favorite!!! (Revised)

Hillary accidentally left someone out of the first poll, so she closed it out and started a new one. The new poll will be up for a full weeK and will end midnight EST on 9-14-09. Thanks everyone for participating!

August's Challenge Poll -- OOPS!

Hillary inadvertently left someone out of the challenge poll. She has closed the poll out and is going to start it over again with all entrants. Voting will be open for a full week from the time she posts the new poll. Hillary sends her sincerest apologies to everyone for the inconvenience. The poll should be back up shortly.

Team Design Challenges Are Back!

We are happy to announce the return of the official ESMARTS team challenge! Get in on the excitement and share in the fun!

We're glad there has been keen interest in this special team event. Why? Each Challenge offers an exciting opportunity to encourage new creations while also creating fresh opportunities to promote each others' work!!!

Here's how our challenges will work:

• Every month, Hillary will pick a theme at random from her rather large list of ideas.
  

• Entries will be due by the last day of the month and voting will be open on the 2nd of each month for one week.
  

• All team members are welcome to participate, regardless of membership level.
  

• August's Theme is "nature/natural".
  

• Entries are due by Midnight EST on August 31st, 2009.
  

• All eSMArts team members are invited to submit their entry by sending a picture to artfulhillary [at] gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing some amazing new creations and hope you will join us by checking back here to see their progress and vote.

More Esmarts Sparkles

One of the great things about Team Esmarts is that we are not just all about the jewelry bling. Our team has talented artists in a wide variety of craft and artistic fields. Some of my favorites are below, plus I just had to have a bit of bling for the post!

Esmarts Team Store has been dedicated to assisting fellow Etsians with the proceeds going to worthy causes selected by the team. Visit the store for an idea of the wonderful talent of this artistic group.

Chic Hats and More by Anne




Coastal Artist by Van

Shades of Victoria by Sheree

Visit the team store for more great offerings. Check out A Beaded Affair for jewelry supplies at great prices too!

ESMarts at Etsy - New Sparkle

Esmarts Team Store has been dedicated to assisting fellow Etsians with the proceeds going to worthy causes selected by the team. Visit the store for an idea of the wonderful talent of this team.

My Gemstone Box By Diane

Gahoole Tree by Anna Lee

ChezChani by Elayne

Vistit Esmarts at Etsy today and support the team shop!

For all your jewelry supply needs visit A Beaded Affair. Your one stop shop for copper wire, hand selected beads and findings!

Our Team Member Coco Watkin is Writing for HandmadeNews.org!

I highly recommend HandmadeNews.org as a great resource for both buyers and sellers in the world of handmade. It's a comprehensive site, with a dynamic staff of columnists and editors writing for 14 sections or departments including:

Main Feature
Craft Techniques
Guild & Teams
Just for Fun
Craft Trends
Marketing
Business Tips
Inspiration
Green Wise
Featured Artisan
Item of the Day
Crafty Kids
Front Page
Most Popular

This site was launched on June 8th and is quickly growing in popularity. Some of the articles I've found most interesting include:

Create Your Own Seed Paper
An article about making seed paper that you can write a note on and
then the recipient can plant it rather that put it in the trash

Vetrazzo-The Ultimate Example of Trash to Treasure
An article about a company who makes gorgeous counter tops out of recycled glass
that competing as an elegant alternative to more expensive granite

Snow Globes For Any Occasion
These would be a great craft project for kids--even teens, a fabulous table decoration for a fundraiser or as a wedding favor or a get well present for someone stuck in bed.

Sock Coffee Cozy: A Craft Supply Challenge Project
You don't even have to be crafty to do this project. All you need are a stash of lonely socks who lost their partner to the hungry monster in the washing machine or dryer.

Recrafting Yourself in the Second Half of Life
Some of you may not be there, but at 50+ and in the second half of my life, all I can say is, "Amen!"

That's a sampling just to whet your appetite. New articles are published every day in each department. Now that I'm a columnist in the Guild & Teams department, I don't have as much time for perusing. So, why don't you go to HandmadeNews.org and read an article for me. If you really like it, use the comments below to recommend it to the rest of us by leaving the title, a link, and a short summary the way I did above.

Enjoy!

PS. Please keep me in mind and send me "the scoop" when one of the Artist groups (such as an Etsy Team, an Artfire Guild, a Market on 1000 Markets, or a Group on ACG, Cafemom, Yahoo, etc.) you belong to runs an online or off-line promotional event, giveaway, or contest and I'll try to give it a plug. Just include "HMN-Team scoop" in the subject line of a message you can send to me through my shop on Artfire. Thanks!

Reprinted by permission
Coco Watkin © 2009
For more information on this talented artist please visit ByCoco’s Art for Everyday Enjoyment blog

Joella Miller - Always Wired Bead Lady!

Joella Miller is the talented jewelry artist and designer behind AlwaysWiredBeadLady located in Brodhead, WI. Joella is also my friend and a valued member of our online Artisan family called eSMArts.

I met Joella a year ago and was immediately drawn in amazement toward her intricate chainmaille designs. Joella has mastered a vast array of artisan jewelry making techniques. Her lovely wire wrapping and chainmaille creations are crisp, modern and truly timeless. This artist enjoys custom work so contact Joella directly to have your unique design statement project started today.


Joella's handcrafted jewelry creations are pieces of lasting beauty that have received wide acclaim and recognition. Joella has recently been accepted to appear at WisCon 33's Art Show being held in Madison, WI May 23, 24 and 25. WisCon is a premier feminist SciFi convention that only accepts 40 artists in their popular Art Show!

Joella will also be appearing this summer (every Saturday morning) at the Dane County Farmer's Market. This premier farmer's market has a special section for arts and will run all summer long. So be sure to make a point of dropping by Joella's Always Wired Bead Lady booth this season!

There is more background information on this artist and a sneak peek into what's new at her studio on her blog: http://alwayswiredbeadlady.com.

eSMArts Team First Contest Results~!!!!

WOW~! What a day Friday was for the eSMArts Etsy Team~! Twittering, blogging, cross-posting, twittering, tweeting, dm'ing, commenting..........whew..... till our little fingers were were twittering on their own. For the member who set the stage for Friday, however, it was a week or more of work and organization and educating the rest of us on the very first eSMArts Team Store contest. Lois Lindquist, A Beaded Affair, proposed the idea of a contest after her daughter's twitter group ran one to much applause. With the team's growing interest, Lois laid out the contest dates and time frame, scheduled the team for maximum twitter exposure and collected the incoming responses, messages and comments from every angle.

Using an online random generator, she "drew" the winning contestant. Our winner was Lizzie a Stay at Home Mom who's crazy about Music, Babies and Knitting. She is also a member of TwitterMoms an awesome online group for all us twittering moms. See her blog here, Lizzie.

I spoke with Lois after she recovered and she told me "Our team was incredible. Once we presented the contest to them, they pulled together with ideas, donations, offers of prizes and help. Everyone got on board to support this effort and it was truly an honor to be associated with this group. We received entries from various sources twitter, blog comments and direct emails and everyone was encouraging, supportive and enjoyed the idea. It's always fun to take a chance on winning something. There is one sale in the shop that I know of but the shop did get hits on Friday and I would think that over time there may be people that previously weren't aware of the shop that will come back to take a look again. All of the comments directly related to the shop were very positive and encouraging."

Lois also outlined the time involved in putting this event together: "Coming up with the initial idea was easy since I stole it, with permission, from my daughters at Sweet Tarragon.etsy.com. They ran a successful contest just before Christmas and had a ball with it so I thought it might translate well for us. The model for this came right from them. Initial presentation to the group took some time and was communicated through our Yahoo group. Emails were flying with questions, suggestions and support. You could feel the excitement in the group which was fun. Typical of me, I left the actual blog writing until Wednesday, procrastinator that I am. Writing is painful but I wanted to feature pictures of the items donated during the week and the shops that created these pieces. I entered the blog post in both of my blogs and 6 other online forums I belong to. Jamie of CreationsByJae.etsy.com was kind enough to copy the blog to the Team Blog. Additionally, I was on twitter from about 12:20 on Friday until midnight with a few breaks for work and food but if I had to guess, probably close to 10 hours there. This was a time consuming project."

She added, when asked what she would do the same and what she would do differently, "I think the basic premise was good but before doing the next one I would want to increase my Twitter following substantially and preferably not people in the jewelry field. One of the problems I see with it working well, and the reason my daughters did so well, is because they have access to a huge following on twitter and their blogs that are not necessarily jewelry people. So far, most of my contacts are other jewelry folks who are struggling with the same issues of over-saturation and making yourself stand out. We needed to reach more people outside of our sphere."

"So you would consider doing this again?"
"Absolutely. If nothing else, we were noticed by people who wouldn't otherwise have known that the team store existed and that it has been set up to benefit those in need. Now that I have done one, I have additional promotion ideas that I might want to incorporate into the next one."

Finally, I asked Lois if she had any special thank you's she wanted to give Without hesitation she answered: "As always, Anna Lee Husband, our team leader and owner of Gahooltree , Gahooltree Supplies and Sassy D'Lite was incredibly supportive and got right behind the idea by donating some fabulous pieces to the the shop and spending most of the day on Twitter with me as well as offering to do whatever was necessary to make this work for the team. This crew, even new members, jumped right in to help so of course a huge thanks to this wonderful team. On behalf of the team I'd like to send thanks of course to all the readers and tweeters and re-tweeters with a special thanks to our winner Lizzie. Thanks to the wonderful duo, Mer and Dani of Sweet Tarragon without whom I would not be able to function on the computer as well as the idea for the contest. And a special thanks to my husband Al. He is supportive and loving beyond reason and somehow always puts up with my craziness. He's the best.!"

Well, we think YOU are the best as well, Lois. Thank you for being a part of this team and for all of your efforts towards our benefit. You ROCK~!

Comment Here and Grab a $10 Gift Certificate

The Esmarts Team Shop at Etsy was created in the spirit of "PAYING IT FORWARD". The Team has jumped on board and loaded it with scrumptious new listings for you to peruse. In that spirit we'd like to give a bit back to all of our readers and buyers by running a contest on Twitter and our blogs. All you have to do to enter the contest is leave a comment HERE (noon to midnight today only) on this blog mentioning the contest and you might win ONE OF SEVERAL $10.00 Gift Certificates in the drawing on Saturday which you can use in the Esmarts Team Shop . A Gift Certificate was donated by A Beaded Affair at Etsy. Take a chance, have some fun, enter our contest and win $10.00.Just a few of the new items donated by the talented members of EsmartsContest runs from Noon Friday January 9 (that's tomorrow folks) til Midnight.On Saturday we will announce the winner here!!!This weeks donations by Creations by Jae, dgdesignstx, SandTCreations, The World of Wezz, Chic Hats and More, Gahooletree, Studio618 and Wilma's Whimseys. Visit these Etsy shops for more exciting hand crafted goodies.

When you snooze you lose. If you didn't check out the Esmarts Team Store on Tuesday you missed donations by M5 Creative Corners which sold right away.

One more note, Coastal Artist has reduced the price on 3 of his prints to $20.00 just for the contest. Don't wait, leave a comment and check out all the fabulous items at Esmarts Team Store and win the Gift Certificate.

Are you on Twitter? Share the love and Tweet about the contest for us. The more the merrier.

Cheers

Interview with eSMArts Team Owner Anna Lee!!! Must Read!!!

I had the pleasure, and honor, of interviewing the eSMArts team owner/leader, Anna Lee (AL) Husband, for this blog feature. It's the very first time I've interviewed anyone for my blog! I am so pleased that AL makes time to help mentor me and encourage me to be more involved with the team as well as with my passion for jewelry making, despite her super-busy schedule. She's a fantastic lady, full of spunk and zeal. Without further ado, here she is!!!

1. Tell me a little bit about yourself and your family/friends. What do you do for fun? Are you married, for how long, how many children do you have?
   
   My spouse of 30 years David is wonderfully supportive of my addiction to hobbies, crafts and creating artwork. Our daughter Kate, who lives near us in a full time health care residence because she is now totally disabled, visits us for holidays and special events like her birthday. David and I spend most of our free time together with our young Airedale Terrier Amy (http://amytheairedale.blogspot.com) at our home in Oshawa, Ontario.
   
   I am Team Leader and Founder of the Etsy Social Marketing Artisans (eSMArts) street team and yahoo group where I have a small family of online friends. We’re all independent artisans who feature our items for sale on Etsy and who got together for support, inspiration, friendship and connection.
   
   At eSMArts we’re trying to develop strong social marketing ties with one another in order to drive web traffic to our sales sites. We’ve each donated creations to our team store (http://esmarts.etsy.com) where all sales support worthy causes. Visit our blog for more info on my talented friends: http://esmarts.blogspot.com!
   
   In my free time I love the outdoors, entertaining, cooking, travel, music, movies, TV, spectator sports, computer games, golf, gardening, cycling and well just making things!
   

2. What inspired you to get started making this gorgeous jewelry? How old were you when you started?
   
   As a child I was instantly drawn to the beauty of shiny and pretty stones. I kept special boxes of my lovelies as soon as I could walk. I loved to play with just about any type of crafty endeavour or toy, so when I was 8 or 9 I got a rock tumbler that I was obsessed with. I polished nuggets, made primitive jewelry and kept an extensive rock collection. I guess I’ve never met a gemstone, crystal or rock that I didn’t like.
   
   In my teens I borrowed cookbooks from mom to learn how to bake and cook. Mom (an oil artist) dabbled in virtually every medium so I read with interest her library books to learn basics of embroidery, knitting, crochet, crewel and the like. When mom learned how to sew so did I, and throughout high school I often made my dresses and pant sets (this WAS the early 70s!). My dad (a jazz musician by night) stressed musical training for all three of us kids, so when I wasn’t making something I was likely practicing the piano or flute.
   
   Throughout my 20s and 30s I kept busy with work, home, family, university etc. and only returned to my first love, gemstones, in 2002. I started beading only because I wanted designer level shinies at a fraction of the retail price. I receive compliments on my jewelry continually so in 2003 I decided to display a few showcases of my creations in my retail bicycle shop (http://oraclecycleworks.com). Positive feedback from customers helped me begin to take jewelry making seriously.

3. What are your favorite materials to use when making jewelry?
   
   I enjoy making pretty things and unique adornments using all gems, metals and materials. But unlike some artisan jewelry makers I started working with precious stones and sterling silver wire because I began making items for myself to wear for work, play and formal. So my creations had to look professional. I have to admit that I am hooked on Thai Hilltribe silver and tend to use it in almost all my silver creations.
   
   I am self taught, but have continually been amazed at the amount of good free information there is on the web regarding handmade jewelry techniques.
   

I now find it easier to work with gold wire than its silver counterpart although I am very fond of coiling effects using oxidized silver wire. I no longer do any pure bead stringing as stringing bores me to tears. Just about any other technique or genre intrigues me and keeps me interested. I’ve never made the same design twice as repetition does bore me. I enjoy the challenge of fresh, new designs and custom commissions the most.

I’m enjoying PMC and really get a kick out of creating mens/unisex creations, bead crochet (which I rarely have time for these days) as well as creating ornate bridal jewelry and bridal hair accessories too.

4. Who inspires your designs now? Who do you look up to in the jewelry-making world?
   
   Linda Trent’s clean crisp lines were my first inspiration on Etsy and her talents prompted me to make the leap into online jewelry marketing. Passementerie first caught my eye when she had an Etsy shop and Magdalena Borejko is a huge favorite of mine too. I recently began to follow Iza Malczyk’s wire work and no doubt over time my own style will evolve as some combination of all these. I follow the work of several emerging design houses.

5. What techniques would you like to master in the future?
   
   I strive to hone my wire working skills until they are the absolute best they can be (this may be a life sentence!). I plan to set up a glass studio in the near future and to develop solid glassmaking skills. I am a huge fan of lampwork glass and borosilicate beads. Metalsmithing is also near and dear to my heart. I know silversmithing basics but will take a good silversmithing course or two. The designer in me dreams of venturing into the world of fabricated pieces.

6. Do you have any advice for new jewelry-makers and people trying to get an Etsy business going?
   
   Great photographs are the key to online sales so learn how to take them – invest in photo training and good equipment. Regardless of your current skill level, strive for perfection. Develop a few signature pieces using the best materials you can afford. Study your favorite artists and their techniques. Take courses if necessary or buy tutorials but hone your skills. Above all, market yourself feverishly and shamelessly both on Etsy and off. And don’t forget to smile – enjoy the journey! 

7. Where can we find you?
   
   My flagship online outlet is called Gahooletree (http://gahooletree.etsy.com) where I feature luxe gemstone and pearl formal and bridal creations. Email: tiger_eye@rogers.com
   
   We recently opened SassyDLite (http://sassydlite.etsy.com) an off price discount outlet for sale items where I can also experiment with offering fun and casual designs created at times with base metals (copper, brass) and more affordable materials like semi precious stones, swarovski crystals and shell pearls.
   
   I offer studio overstock of gems and findings for sale online at Gahooletree Supplies (http://gahooletreesupplies.etsy.com) and there’s plenty more information about my jewelry business in general at http://oraclegemdesigns.com, http://gahooletreedesigns.blogspot and http://sassydlite.blogspot.com.

Again, I really want to thank Anna Lee for taking the time to talk with me, and for being so patient with me. You ARE appreciated! })i({

You Wear WHAT?!? Interesting Jewelry Trends

I've been browsing my groups and forums, trying desperately to catch up with all the goodies that everyone is talking about! Lately, I've noticed a lot of talk about...let us say...unique...jewelry trends! I thought I'd share some of them that I find really fascinating!

MyWiredImagination is a seller on Etsy. She does some lovely wire-wrapping and other work, but one item of hers in particular is something to look twice at! Check out these interesting, and slightly creepy, custom pendants and rings made with rejected prosthetic eyes!


Another company that has been talked about is Ashes to Glass. They make beautiful lampwork beads intended to hold the ashes of a loved one. In addition to that, they make beads to hold the ashes of your pets called Petglash. It's definitely a unique idea, and many people would love to be able to have their deceased loved one or pet with them all the time.



Then we come to LifeGem. This company can take either the cremated remains of your loved one or a lock of hair (for those who choose burial, or even for those who want a special gem from someone living) and using a special process, creates a certified, high-quality diamond from the carbon remains. These diamonds are molecularly identical to a genuine diamond. It's a fascinating process. They can even make them with your pet! Visit their website for a video showing the process and to request more information! These are not cheap, but may be worth it to have that rememberance of someone you love. There are several color options available as well!


One of the most fascinating jewelry ideas is by Jared Gold, a Salt Lake City designer who specializes in the unique! His creepy creation is a Giant Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Brooch. This is a live critter! The giant roach is encrusted with Swarovski crystals and comes complete with a tiny 'leash' so that you can attach it to your clothing and let the lil bug wander around. Ewww... With proper care they can live for up to a year. Cost: $80.


My last interesting jewelry trend for today is made by a very creative jewelry artist named Margaux Lange. She sells on Etsy, and takes parts from Barbie dolls and makes them into earrings, pendants, tie tacks, etc. I can't believe how professional they look! Definitely interesting jewelry for a party, great conversation pieces! })i({

Jamie
Creations by JAE
http://creationsbyjae.etsy.com
http://creationsbyjae.blogspot.com
http://www.creationsbyjae.com

Check out the eSMArties and their goodies!

Etsy Buy Handmade esmarts

Just listed today in my Esty Store are these wire wrapped pieces I've taken these lovely lampwork glass beads created by Wilma Whimsey's , fellow eSMArts team member and mix them with AB Swarovski crystals and silver. I finished off the clasp with a tear drop lavendar faceted chalcedony and 2 amethysts, both teardrop and faceted as well.

Let me tell you a little bit about the artist that created these lovely beads. Wilma Travis of "Wilma Whimsey's" is a single mom of three wonderful children and 2 delightful grandchildren. Her oldest son is engaged to be married and will do so in May of 2009. She has a handicapped young adult (27), her youngest son who still lives with her. She was originally from New York, born and raised there. I moved to MN in 1994 and I love she loves it there.

Wilma has been working with glass for several years. She began her journey with stained glass until begining Lampwork in June of 2005.
Here is how you can see more of her lovely work:
Wilma's Etsy Store
Wilma's Whimsey's Website
Wilma's Blog