Friday Spotlight: Various and Sundry

Hello, and welcome to our next Friday Spotlight! Every other week, we will feature a new interview from one of our TeamBPAL members.

Let's learn a little more about Syrenemyst of Various and Sundry.





Tell us a little about the items in your shop. What do you make?
I create steampunk-inspired jewelry. I like using old watch parts and other reclaimed items to come up with interesting and wearable pieces. I also make some more traditional items, as well, and will include it in my shop from time to time. I am just always drawn back to the gears and wheels of the steampunk idea.

What is your creative process?
If I have an idea, I pull out my materials and play with them until I find the right direction. Most often, I get a piece that I really love. Other times, I get these crazy looking things that make me wonder where I was when I was working. Sometimes, I will go shopping with my mom and just let an idea hit me. This usually entails a lot of “What about this?” from my mom, but I don’t mind.

Which Etsy Teams do you belong to?
TeamBPAL



Wrapped in a Moment


When you are not creating things, what do you do?
I’m just your average mom. Besides the usual list of things, I also homeschool my 8 year old daughter, drive back and forth to karate classes and fit in the occasional book or two.

Tell us two random, interesting things about you.
Random things about me, let’s see. 1) By the time I was 12, I lived in 33 out of 50 of the United States. 2)I trained as an opera singer for almost 2 years, but gave it up as I realized it really wasn’t for me.

What has been your proudest moment since opening your Etsy shop?
Besides my first sale, having so many hits on my favorite and first piece titled Wrapped in a Moment.



Time Reclaimed


What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Look around and find all the things Etsy has to offer. Join in the forums, find a team that's right for you, and most of all, enjoy yourself.

What handmade possession do you cherish?
A picture of a hand ghost my daughter made for me in preschool.

If you could have any item on Etsy regardless of price, what would it be?
A painting by Etsyian shaylamaddox called Coins. It is just amazing.

What other skill or talent do you wish you could possess, if you had not taken this creative path?
I wish that I could draw or paint. I just can’t ever seem to get the image in my head down on the canvas or paper the exact way that I want it and I just get too frustrated to keep trying.





Where can we find you on the web?
Besides Etsy, I can be found on Facebook at my fanpage for Various and Sundry.


Thanks for the interview, Syrenemyst! Have a great weekend, everyone! We'll return in two weeks with another spotlight.

Treasury!

Sara snagged a treasury! Check it out here.
Awesome work!

Friday Spotlight: Mother Moon Gems

Hello, and welcome to our next Friday Spotlight! Every other week, we will feature a new interview from one of our TeamBPAL members. This week, we are meeting the co-conspirator to this TeamBPAL madness.

Let's learn a little more about Coldie of Mother Moon Gems.





Tell us a little about the items in your shop. What do you make?
Well as my tagline says: “Beautiful beaded jewlery for the goddess in you!”
I create beautiful and wearable pieces of jewelry and badge lanyards using gemstones, crystals and minerals. I use only real or genuine as my jewelry also makes use of the stones energy or healing properties.

What is your creative process?
Oh so hard! I wish I Could say it was something fancy-dancy or mystically creative, but rather the inner magpie in me pulls out drawers of gemstone beads and spacers and findings and just asks “Who wants to play with who today?” When I go to the big gemstone wholesale shows every 3 months I may spot strands of something gorgeous that catches my Magpie eye and just have to have it. I may not not what it wants to be when I get it only that I need to have it so that when inspiration strikes or a gemstone play-date wants to happen, it will be there. But there have been times in the past year that I have had this persistent tap on my metaphysical shoulder that something was to be made for someone. That what I was to make was needed by that person even if they did not know it yet.

Which Etsy Teams do you belong to?
TeamBPAL (YAY!)
CREST (Capitol Region Etsy Street Team)
Virginia is for Etsy’ers



The Faerie's Dance


When you are not creating things, what do you do?
What don’t I do? ;) I’m a mom to a 17 year old daughter who is the light of my life. I’m also a Crew Mom. She rows and I am the VP of her Crew Boosters Organization. I’m engaged to Scott, the man I wished for and the Universe delivered. I work in Contracts by day at a Defense Contractor. I’m also taking classes on my spiritual path that at the end should find me as clergy. I read voraciously, I headbang, I hoard BPAL’s, I’m obsessed with FarmVille and YoVille, I adore going to Faerie Festivals and Renn Faires and the local Scottish Games (men in kilts need I say more?). We have a part Maine Coon cat, 3 rabbits and 1 sugar glider. I’m a reiki master. And I am a serious Magpie.

Tell us two random, interesting things about you.
Hmmm randon AND interesting. Why did you have to ask such a hard question? Okay, I’m a Reiki Master. There is one. The other, I was once interviewed and quoted by the Wall Street Journal.

What has been your proudest moment since opening your Etsy shop?
The Etsy shop was a gift during a round of Switch Witch on the BPAL forums. My Witch at the time knew I had started MMG, and what its success means to me but did not yet have a storefront open. So her gift to me was the Etsy Store. Since then it has been being in 4 different treasuries within a month’s time. I was a giddy girl all day after finding out about each one.



Triple Goddess Moonstone Rosary


What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Patience. The first sale may happen the first day or not, but be patient.
Treat each sale as the only one and each customer as your only one. Cherish them.
Network. But network in a geuine manner. Network for what you can put into it, not only what you can get out of it.
Always start with best intentions and the best is what you will reap in return.
Finally. JOIN The Etsy Teams! Post in their forums and READ them. I’ve gotten lots of wonderful advice from them.

What handmade possession do you cherish?
The quilt top that I was given that was hand stiched by great-great grandmother. Or is that my great great great grandmother? Yes it is that old. It needs to be batted and backed.

If you could have any item on Etsy regardless of price, what would it be?
You are asking me to narrow down my HUGE Favorites list to just one????????????? ACK! Oh but if I could wear this: Gothic Bridal Skirt

What other skill or talent do you wish you could possess, if you had not taken this creative path?
I’m not sure. I’ve been drawn to stones and crystals since I was small. I think I was always meant to do something with that love of them. I drew once, long ago and far away, I used to write, also long ago and far away and even still longer ago and farther away I danced. It ran in my family. My grandmother taught ballet until she was in her late 60’s.





Where can we find you on the web?
Mother Moon Gems Hand crafted jewelry
Blog: http://mothermoongems.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mothermoongems?ref=ts
Twitter: Coldie8 (for now. Will get one for MMG soon)
Other: http://www.mothermoongems.com
Forum Name: Coldfire


Thanks for the interview, Coldie! Have a great weekend, everyone! We'll return in two weeks with another spotlight.