Buying Fiber Outerwear Is Timely With Increasing Cold Weather

Raspberry Rhodalite Scarfette - $24.50

This scarfette is really soft and smooth against your neck and has a lovely drape to it!

Snow is falling in a varieties of cities and states here in the US and the temperature seems to be falling with no real warm-up in sight. Now is the best time to invest in some items to keep you warm, and support handcrafted work in the process.

If you can't justify purchasing jewelry then handmade outerwear is something you can always use (unless of course your entire closet is stuffed with it already). I myself only have one pair of gloves and so I have my eye on some on Etsy as well as a whole bunch of fiber supplies.

I truly believe that ultimately the key to repairing our economy is to resist the urge to buy such items from commercial stores that import, and instead to make a conscious decision to buy those things from "the little guy".

If we don't then the modern american artist/craftsman will become a dying breed.

Sending money out and none (or not enough) coming in does not make for a strong national economy, and although it's nice in theory to provide business opportunities outside the US to those who otherwise would not have such opportunities, we've farmed out way too much to foreign sources, and not enough money is coming in the other direction.

If we all start to make changes in this direction our economy will start turning around sooner than we now realize!

Doing this requires a shift in mind-set, and a mindfulness about where our money will end up.

When we go to Walmart or large chain department stores or small stores in the local shopping mall we often don't even think about where our money is going, but we should. Most such stores work with plants that originate in other countries and those jobs are taken up by people overseas. Most commercial stores do this because they can buy and sell these proucts cheaper because of exchange rates and the difference in cost of living, but it also drives down the perceived value of items made by artists and fine crafters here at home.

What we end up with is tatamount to the story of John Henry who attempted to compete against a machine and killed himself trying.

It is tempting to view things as interchangeable but the inherent value of items is the individuality from one maker to another.

I am finding that even among those who spin yarn the mark of the maker is distinct and unique.

Many of us have probably heard the unfortunate statement, "I can buy that same thing for half-price in Taiwan." Of course that is a generalization. A machine-made item or mass-produced item can never be identical to one that is made by a sole-proprietor or small group of artists who can give individual attention and quality control to what they make before it goes to the customer. Such a statement is intrinsically devaluing to the inherent worth of the individual product.

Mindfulness of the erosive mechanisms at work in such a mind-set goes right along with sustainability and living a greener lifestyle.

Who among us would not want to have a more personal relationship with what we buy.

When we buy from the grocery store from huge manufacturers in commercial plants we cannot make special requests and put in special orders, or influence the future manufacture of those items, whereas in dealing with smaller operations we can.

I thoroughly enjoy reading about the animals and seeing pictures of them that produced the yarn or roving I'm buying, or knowing where other fibers come from. I also know that I can request whatever blend I want. I could never get a commercial yarn company to custom make the yarn that works best for me. They would care less if I wrote and asked them to do that and probably would tell me they don't do that (if they even answered my e-mail at all).

Tonight I'm getting ready to start on another piece of outerwear.

Keep an eye on my etsy store for something stylish and useful for the cold weather in your size and color! I look forward to putting these new items to good use! My 90th sale will receive a free gift worth at least $20.00. This deal is still available as nobody has claimed it since before Christmas.

http://giftbearer.etsy.com/

Designs That Dazzle You Like A Live Wire!

Green Fortune – $129.00
Wire-wrapped earrings with Sterling silver, Peridot roundels, and faceted Lemon Smoky Quartz heart briolettes

Katrin Lerman of Katrin Lerman Jewelry is originally from Germany and currently lives in Framingham, Massachusetts where she designs and makes intricate jewelry in the Eni Oken style of wire-wrapping. Her pieces curl and curve majestically; larger gauge sterling wire frames with many feet of smaller gauge wire coiled around them, interspersed with gemstone beads to create the look of luxury. Some also incorporate tiny sterling beads to add texture to the overall design.

Katrin Lerman graduated from the New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University in Boston with a Degree of Fine Arts in Interior Design. She says that the same principles she learned there, color, form, and texture, are the ones she uses in her jewelry.

She keeps a sketchbook handy to jot down her design ideas and describes her process as two-pronged in that creative ideas either come into her mind as snapshots of finished jewelry, or in bits and pieces that are fleshed-out and revised over time.

The above chandelier style earrings are some of the artist’s best work, with the look of East Indian or Turkish silver.

In Fanciful the artist has an interesting use of the negative space with a central frame and two mirror-imaged curls of sterling wire, and three faceted Citrine surrounded by frames around the bottom, creating a scalloped edge.

Fanciful Necklace - $129.00
Sterling silver 17” chain with pendant of sterling and faceted round Citrine beads

This piece reminds me of a bumble bee with what looks like wings around a body of Chalcedony.

Lemon Drop - $79.00
Pendant 1 3/4” long and 1 ¼” wide with Silver Necklace and Faceted Perrot Chalcedony Briolette on a Sterling Silver 16” or 18” chain with hand created eye and hook claps complements the pendant.

Each of Katrin’s creations in one of a kind, and she will gladly accept custom orders.

To see more of what this artist has available go to;
http://KatrinLermanJewelry.etsy.com

See her blog here;
http://katrinlermanjewelry.blogspot.com/

Art As Universal Language

Nera Blums Sterling Silver Earrings - $22.50
Flower post earrings, 1 cm - .5 inch wide with black oxidized stamen

Catherine Marche of Kalicat Designs has am extensive background in graphic arts and graduated from the University of Orléans (FRANCE) in 1990 in Mathematics and Physics, Beaux-Arts d'Orléans, Conservatoire National de Musique, from 1990-91 the University of Vermillion (USA), graduated in Computer Sciences and Music, 98-2000 Central St Martins College of Art and Design, Etching - Photoshop and web design.

In the year 2000 she went on to study at Putney School of Arts, Screenprinting, then in 2001 at Artichoke Studios - Lithography, Bankside Gallery – Linocut, in 2003 learned Book Illustration at the Chelsea School of Arts, then learned Adobe Illustrator in 2003, and studied Fashion Illustration at the London College of Fashion in 2005.

She worked for 10 years as an IT consultant, and then went on to become a Fashion Illustrator, putting to work a lot of the skills she had previously learned.

Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris, in 1967, then growing up in several countries, Catherine learned to speak several languages. She often changed schools as often as 3 times a year. Her ability to adapt to many different environments came in handy later in life.

"I grew up in several countries as my Dad was in the airforce.
I went to kindergarten in Germany, then Primary school in Germany, Africa and back to France. I love the fact it made me bilingual and have a real easiness learning new foreign languages. I also speak English, Spanish, a bit of Dutch and Creole and am learning Japanese. I stil have a love of travelling and discovering new cultures. I studied in the USA and noe live in London UK."

Catherine has a love of colors, feels she may be influenced by Die Brucke artists like Otto Mueller. "I also love Dali, Picasso and am crazy for Nikki de St Phalle and Louise Bourgois, "she remarks. "I have also collected a few African artefacts and sculptures made of wood which are a delight to my senses."

Her parents were very permissive and went further than most to nurture the artistic qualities in their child. "As a child, my parents "gave me" free expression on my walls, which still have some murals to these days and my brothers and I also had a few notebooks where we could write and draw everything we wanted. My parents always encouraged all artistic expression and allowed me to learn music. I have a degree in music and still paint, illustrated, play the pianio, and the saxophone."

In addition to having worked as an IT consultant she has worked as an interpreter, a model, a translator, a math teacher, a private tutor, an arts teacher at various times during her life.

Now she doesn't exhibit as much as she used to since her children have been born but in addition to making jewelry she currently paints, does Fashion design, and designs wedding invitations.

Some of her work is still on display in a museum in Tayali (Zambia).

She sites among the disadvantages of being a jewelry artist in the UK; the cost of living being so high there making it hard to compete with US prices, and the advantages being that she lives in a hub of creative people and that people there have very eclectic tastes in art.

"I really like The Penland book of Jewelry which showcases unusual jewelry and techniques.Visits to the Victoria and Albert Museum and estate auctions are also very inspirational."

She recommends to other artists to make what they feel like making and not necessarily what they think will sell or what others do.

If you look at her catherinemarche.com site gallery http://www.catherinemarche.com/gallery.html you will see just how varied her work is and how many ways she’s been able to put it to use! Her drawing/painting styles range from a whimsical, stylized gesture drawing impressionistic style,

Lola plumes rouges - Price: £220 - US$ 350
inks on paper

to quite classic, formal paintings and drawings of nudes

Naomi
Crayon on Paper
Size: 20 x 30 cm.


Sleeping Beauty - Price: $ 450.00 - £300
Acrylic on Paper
Dimensions: 20" x 28"

and portaits of people that are hightly realistic;

Nour
Oil on Canvas
24" x 18",
commission
Private collection


La Lectrice - The reader - £450 - $670 - 680€
Huile sur bois - Oil on wood
53 x 60 cms - 21" x 24"

Catherine has had a number of corporate clients for her illustrations, and her work has been in private museum collections in France, UK, USA, West Indies, Netherlands, and Spain, and represented in galleries in France, and in the US (Pennsylvania, and Florida).

Her work has appeared in magazines, on TV, and she has retained high-profile clients such as L’Oreal.

Her jewelry includes anything from simple beaded designs to traditional precision metal fabrication.

"I've Always been crazy for jewelry, always will be" says Catherine. "I had about 60 pairs of earrings as a teenager, which was when I started making my own jewels. I have designed and commissioned several pieces in sterling silver, 18K gold, and platinum, including my engagement ring and wedding ring. Becoming a jeweller was just a normal extension of my artistic expression. (Catherine is going 3D)." It is quite interesting that so many jewelry artists started out in 2 dimensional art and feel compelled to translate their work into 3-D form although they may continue drawing and painting or alternate between both artforms. I have heard this from a number of people and I myself have always felt a need to have things be 3-dimensional. There is a sense of completeness you just don't quite get from a flat canvas or paper.

Catherine once was looking through a fashion magazine after one of her children was born and her husband asked her what she'd like as a present to celebrate the birth. She came across the picture of a gorgeous emerald-cut Rubellite ring by the exclusive Boucheron Jewellers. Not having any idea how much it cost, her husband took her over there, they got it out of the vault and when it came time to pay for it the clerk informed them it would be $440,000. Her husband looked as though he might faint any minute, and she told the man showing it to them that this was "a bit over" their "budget," returning the ring to it's secure fortress behind thick steel doors.

Some of her nicest pieces are these that I have included here.

These Blum Blum earrings are her best-sellers.

Blum Blum sterling silver Stud Earrings - $32.00
Solid sterling handcrafted pair of earrings delivered with sterling silver earposts, in an organza pouch.

This ring has an anticlastic look, with a substantial width, and subtly textured surface; graceful but with a very nice weightiness.

Large Sterling Silver Ring - $49.50
Adjustable, formed ring with hammered finish (one size fits all)

This bracelet on the other-hand makes use of its wispiness and contrasting negative space to capitalize on its lightness. With just one ring in 18 Karat gold amongst the sterling silver loops, its delicate understatement is what makes this piece work.

Loopy - 18K gold and Sterling Silver Bracelet - $495
Solid 18K yellow gold and Sterling Silver BraceletEach loopy link has been forged and fabricated by hand. Bracelet measures approx. 7”.

This piece with round Jade beads spilling in a bunch from the center of a large-link sterling chain, fittingly named Green Peas Delight really is delightful! The beads seem to cascade from it like a lively waterfall.

Green Peas Delight Jade and sterling Silver Bracelet - $50.00
Sterling silver chain with 7 jade beads resembling peas, approx length 7", or 19 cm.

Surprisingly, Catherine says that her most successful venue has been on Etsy, then shows and Open Studios second and third.

Look for more of her work at VIX Emporium in Philadelphia.

Techniques she would like to learn are Pave' , Repousse, and Chasing.

When asked what her plans are to present her work to holiday shoppers she said, "I have already done 1 Christmas market, did an open studio today, and will do another one next week; http://www.hiddenartlondon.co.uk/events/open-studios/fairs/hidden-art-members-at-hothouse

Her plans long-term for her business are to create new collections, be commissioned by fashion houses to design their collections, and she would like her jewelry to be liked by many, and to adorn many more.

For more beautiful work available, or to place a custom order, go to:
http://kalicat.etsy.com
and
http://www.catherinemarche.com

and in the UK: http://www.tuggle.co.uk/index.php?cPath=210_237&osCsid=40722d1de3c1240bbc9a00d0b1938b4b
and in Europe: http://www.dawanda.com/

To learn more about the artist, read her blog: http://kalicatdesigns.blogspot.com

and her reviews on other artists:
http://honeyandsweets.blogspot.com/

Enchanting Journey

Gift from Pandora’s Lover - Beautiful amethyst necklace - EAST – purple - $132.00
Measures approximately 18 inches, including clasp. The pendant portion measures about 2 inches.

Andee Harston of Celticgoddessjewelry, a Buddhist pagan of Celtic heritage, lives in Orlando Florida and loves to draw, paint, sculpt, make jewelry, and do photography. She is influenced by spiritual learning, nature and goddess and Celtic imagery.

Andee’s jewelry has a definite spiritual, New Age feeling to it, taking you on an enchanting journey. You will find crystals, pieces made with rough stones, sterling, and pewter spiritual symbol charms, and much more.

My favorite is the piece listed above; Gift from Pandora’s Lover, using rich purple Amethyst beads and a bali style pendant. This substantial necklace would be a beautiful addition to anybody’s jewelry collection.

The Baltic Amber earrings below are also absolutely gorgeous in several different shades of honey, from a translucent warm sunshine yellow, to transparent medium, to a deep cogniac.

Earrings - Baltic Amber, yellow jade - solar plexus chakra - $15.00
Sterling silver and are created with Baltic amber and yellow jade.

Copper Goddess Earrings - Rainbow moonstone - pagan ritual wear - $29.00
Measure approximately 2 1/2 (without earring hook) to 3 inches long (with earring hook) and similar earrings can also be made in sterling silver. Copper is also attributed to increased communication, channeling, cleansing, and purification, increasing self-esteem and freeing the wearer of mental burdens. Rainbow moonstone has a gentle and calm energy. It enhances creativity, compassion, endurance and inner confidence. It is a stone that brings balance and harmony to the wearer.

Bracelet - Dragonfly garnet jewelry silver pewter – $25.00
Measures 8”, Silver Pewter Dragonfly Link Bracelet with a Bali Handmade Clasp with Garnet Cabs

Her customers have left her 8 pages of glowing feedback:

“A very intricate and beautiful piece, went over very well as a gift.”

“***recommended*** superb quality, great seller all around.”

“Prettier than pictured earrings! Nice workmanship and beautiful beads. The smokey quartz is perfect! Nice and clear! thanks so much for the fast ship and all the free goodies! great seller and one of my favorite people on Etsy!”

“What a great gift this will make for Christmas! (if I don't keep it for myself!)”

“Absolutely GORGEOUS necklace! I'm starting a new collection... Andee's jewelry! She's a gem! Thanks again.”

To see more and to get some great gifts go to:
http://celticgoddessjewelry.etsy.com

and read her blog:
http://buyindie.blogspot.com/

Natures Mimicry

Autumn Earth Mandala Art Quilt - $80.00
Hand-dyed fabrics by the artist; measures 13 inches across

Indigoluna based in Silverton, Oregon has been a fiber artist for 15 years, having done one kind of art or another all her life, her work has appeared on the cover of the 2005 Quilting Arts Calender, in Artella Magazine, Art/Quilt Magazine, Fiberarts Design Book 6, as well as many juried shows.

You can tell by her style that she has grown up with a love of nature. As a child she walked in the woods, picked wild mushrooms, and played in the blackberry bushes, captivated with the tree-covered landscape and taking in all the beauty that was around her. She mentions in her Etsy profile studying moss. Take a look at this art quilt devoted to exactly that.

The Secret Life of Moss - Art Quilt Collage - $95.00
Photographic printed transfer on cotton fabric; 8 X 10 art quilt embellished with yarn

Many of her pieces are inspired by natural forms and even the textures look almost like they came from the bark of certain types of trees or based on the fur of animals.

Her colors incorporate a lot of greens, reds, yellow, orange, and blue used together to give a rich depth to her pieces, and they are almost all punctuated by beautiful textures, with lots of frayed natural torn-looking edges and layering of one type or another. These business card carrying cases are really clever and quite beautiful! She has several currently available, but I really love this one.

Magic Pop-Up Business Card Carrying Case - $16.00
Cards fit snugly down inside and when you pull the beaded ribbon, they pop up like magic!

She is energized by trying things that are uncharted to see if they will work. This one below is fantastic and I’m sure she had to think outside the box to complete it!

Fiber Art/Mixed-Media Vessel - $85.00
Triangular vessel was created from the artist’s hand-dyed/rusted fabrics fused to Timtex and embellished with funky fibers, copper mesh and carnelian beads. It stands 10 inches high.

For those of you with a miniscule amount of money to spend, you can still have a tiny piece of art from Indigoluna for a very reasonable price; in fact she is nearly giving away these inchie lapel pins. They are so well-made and are created from beautiful and unusual fabrics you can’t find just anywhere. Yes, they are small, but fine! At this price you can afford to get a nice gift for your boss and all the office staff.

Beach Trip Quilted Inchie Lapel Pin - $10.00
1.5 inch square quilted mixed-media pin embellished with beaded wire dangles

See her Etsy store here:
http://Indigoluna.etsy.com

and to learn more about the artist, read her blog:
http://indigoluna.typepad.com/indigo_luna/

A Tender Strength

Eek A Spider - $24.00
Made of white waxed linen “wedding knot” macramé; measures 22 inches (56cm) long. It features one 25mm snowflake obsidian donut and one 8mm Snowflake Obsidian bead to represent the spider. Includes twelve 6mm Tourmalinated Quartz beads, and twelve 3mm Snowflake Obsidian beads.

Kirsten of earthcharms makes jewelry intended to have a positive effect upon the wearer. When you peruse her Etsy store you will notice that each piece in her shop has a little statement underneath about the metaphysical properties of the stones used in the design; even the numerology behind them.

Her specialty is macramé using waxed linen cord, incorporating natural gemstone beads, and she uses a lot of Hematite, Prehnite, and Fluorite, each of these gemstones having a special meaning.

My favorite pieces of hers are the elaborately knotted chokers which have a lovely, lacy style and very polished and elegant upscale look yet without any hint of pretentiousness. One can look at the work and sense the path each hand has taken from beginning to end of the making imprinted upon the finished piece. Unlike a lot of the macramé you see out there her ends are nice and neat and inconspicuous, and they have a svelte braided taper as they transition from the body of the piece to the beaded closure, graceful as the neck of a swan.

I have always had a special place in my heart for buds on branches, and the way she places her beads on the cord reminds me of the way a bud nestles ever so gently to its stalk. It looks deceptively fragile, yet is quite firmly attached. Many of her descriptions touch on the concept of centeredness and staying or becoming grounded, and this is a recurrent theme in her work. Perhaps the symbolism of the beads perched seemingly precariously on their stem is a metaphor for the delicate balancing act between reaching out to take a risk for positive change while at the same time being cautious not to lose her footing in the process of her forays out into an uncertain world. We are sometimes stronger than we know. Should catastrophe befall us and we are tested, we often discover that another day passes and we wake up intact the following morning, surprised maybe, but relieved and a little proud for not having “fallen off our tree” so to speak, despite the killing frost.

Polarity - Prehnite and Hematite choker - $22.00
Twenty two 6mm Prehnite beads and 6 hematite beads macramed onto waxed cotton;
19 inches / 48 cm long, with a hoop and Prehnite nugget closure.

Deep Sea - choker with Hematite and Quartz - $24.00
Made with blue waxed linen and measures a total of 26 inches long, so it may also be draped along the collar bones. It features one 2.5 cm hematite donut, eight 6mm hematite round beads, and twelve 8mm quartz cubes.


Insight - earrings with Prehnite and Fluorite - $12.00
These earrings hang about 3/4 an inch (2cm) from their surgical steel French hooks.

For a gift your loved ones will really appreciate, go to her online store:
http://earthcharms.etsy.com

and to read more about the artist and her current news, take a look through her blog:
http://www.earth-charms.blogspot.com

Flirting with Wire

Flirting Around- $28.00
Hand-wrapped links of Sterling Silver and Amazonite, approx 8.5 inches, with a handmade clasp

Alicia Weeks of WyredOnWire does some very interesting wire-wrapping, for instance take a look at the construction of the piece above, Flirting Around which has several circles joined to a figure-8 link on either side of an Amazonite bead. There is a lot of activity in this bracelet.

The necklace below, Trijeweled makes a cage around several elongated oval beads, Citrine, Garnet, and Blue Topaz. It almost reminds me of pupae wrapped in an egg case or cocoon of some type.

Trijeweled-$32.00
Sterling silver, Citrine, Garnet and Blue Topaz. The pendant is aprox. 1.5" and the beaded chain is approx 18" in length

Sun Goddess-$14.00
Sterling silver chain and small Sunstone rhondelles, measures approx 7"

Entrapment uses an unusual link that almost looks like chickenwire bent in an upside-down V.

Entrapment- $15.00
Copper and silver links, approx 2.5" from the top of the ear wire to the longest point.

To see what else Alicia has available go to:
http://wyredonwire.etsy.com

and to read more about the artist, go to her blog:
http://wyredonwire.blogspot.com

Working Together To Meet A Need

Ring Sling - $59.00

Tested to hold up to 200 lbs, and set of instructions included on how to use the sling to carry your baby in 5 different positions.

Ellebelleonetsy is an online Etsy store located in St. Petersburg specializing in baby and children’s items. Very rarely does one see a microenterprise business arrangement here in the US in which 5 people come together, agree consistently enough to stay organized, and work so well as a team to create and market their work. This group of mothers is an excellent example in which people unselfishly threw their best skills into the common pot to tackle a need, put their heads together to meet it, and as a result, share in the rewards.

Stacey whose day job 3 days a week is in Human Resources creates slings, tag blankets, and the embroidered objects, her mother, Tressie, a realtor in Illinois who crochets, and friends; Ann, who is employed part-time at target and sews quilts, Karie, who works part-time for her father’s mortgage company, and makes chalkboard placemats, chubbies, and nursing covers, and Jennifer who works full-time for a large financial company and makes dresses. Interestingly they all work outside their craft in very traditional jobs.

Etsy Widower Embroidered Tshirt - $25.00
American Apparrel 50% cotton, 50% polyester, choice of colors

All 5 of these women started out making things for their own children and even though each only had one or two unique specialties, collaborating, they found, was more fun than doing it as solitary proprietors, and in no time their Etsy shop was full of useful and clever items.

Complete profiles on each of these partners are on the website http://ellebelleonline.com in the artist profile pages.

Cherries with Lime Pillowcase Dress -$36.00
Choice of sizes; 0-6 13”-4T 25"

“I've always loved all kinds of crafts” says Stacey, “but I've found that I get a greater sense of accomplishment from creating things that are useful as well as aesthetically pleasing. For me, the vast array of already beautifully designed fabric choices makes creating something half as difficult.”

Pink Polka Pillowcase Dress -$27.00
On Sale! Custom-made in sizes 0-6 13" - 4T 25

Ellebelle sells some of their products in stores... ironically none of them local because people have contacted them via Etsy to sell in their brick and mortars (stores). “We've had the most success selling at local upscale malls when they host craft events. We've tried traditional craft shows, edgier urban shows, as well as Family and Baby Expos and although they've been fun and profitable in their own ways, we do the best over all at malls.”

Rainbow Chubbies - $6.00
Interesting handmade crayons in unusual shapes

Because each collaborator brings different skills and experience to the table there is a lot of learning inside the circle that takes place. They tend to draw more from others inside the small group than from other artists in the field. “Working with each other brings "Ah-Ha" moments all the time” she says.

Stacey also admits that their children are a big motivator and inspiration. “We've all crafted at some level prior to having our children, but they bring purpose to what we do. I started Elle Belle because I received a sling as a gift and it made being a first time Mom so much easier for me and being a baby easier for my little one. She loved it and so did I. I wanted to share the experience we had with other Moms and I also knew I could make a sling better than the ones I used. My heart skips a beat when I see a Mom in the mall carrying their baby in one of my slings. I feel like I actually made a difference.”

The cooperative’s biggest ticket item sold was a quilt made of T-shirts commissioned by a woman for $450 while set up in a mall. “We had displayed a quilt made from baby clothes and she asked if we could make one from T-shirts she had collected from rock concerts.” It was an unusual request compared to the items they were used to making but the women were up to the challenge.

When asked which new techniques Stacey is interested in learning she said, “I would really love to learn to felt! We had a pumpkin decorating contest at work for Halloween and I wanted to felt my little pumpkin so bad! Can you even do that? I didn't have time to try it out because I was getting ready for an event, but next year I plan to have a field of felted pumpkins for sure!”

Coming soon is a super cute line of Christmas pillowcase dresses ready to debut at a show the 5 are doing this weekend, to be listed on Etsy afterwards (what’s left of them anyway). They'll also have the perfect stocking stuffers - Christmas themed Chubbies, and crocheted slippers. “We have a few more local events planned for the rest of the year, so we'll likely just post more of what sells well at those in the Etsy shop.”

Long term, Stacey hopes that their Etsy shop will be the primary source of income for Elle Belle. As much as she really loves doing local events, she’d prefer to have them be supplemental income for the shop instead of the primary.

These friends/business partners have an ideal situation; a blending of meaningful work and social interaction all rolled into one. “We're already accomplishing what I want most out of this business which is to spend time with friends doing something we love and sharing the resulting creations with as many people as we can.” It all goes to show that when you enter into a common vision with others what you gain is way more than you ever imagine.

Find that special gift that you will really use at:
http://ellebelleonetsy.etsy.com

and read more about this inspiring business on their blog:http://ellebelleblog.blogspot.com

Marketing the Maternal Bond

Mother/Daughter Aprons - $43.00
Floral pattern on a blue background, Adult size fits most. Child size 3 to 6,machine washable, cool, tumble dry.

Corline of Mommyandmeboutique based in California started making her sewn items only 2 years ago in her 70s and they are in great demand. There is something about this kind of product that just seems to sell itself. Perhaps part of it is that it's functional, but the other part seems to be an insatiable desire on the part of parents to dress up their children. I can remember this phenomenon from when my son was a toddler (he is now almost 23) but I used to find it irresistable to buy him clothes, and if there had been matching outfits I probably would have bought them too.

Corline works with designer fabrics, beautiful trims, and ribbons to create aprons, dressed, and other accessories for adults and children. Aprons are her specialty. Wear these for entertaining
or for fun activities for mother and child to do together.

This little girl below is the perfect model for the array of dresses and aprons created for this business. If she doesn't make you want to buy I'd be very surprised!


The matching bib and burp cloth below is very unusual with very realistic airplanes on the material; much more interesting to look at than the typical teddy bears and bland baby related symbols you see so much of on the commercial market.

Little Pilot Bib and Burpcloth - $12.00
Vintage print; fits baby to toddler.

This little girl, this time dressed in a black and white dress, could easily be a flower girl or ring bearer for a wedding, or this could be an outfit she wears to church or to a party.

Black and White Polkadot toddler dess - $29.00
100% cotton; fits size 4 to 5 toddler.

This outfit is more casual and may be something she wears to school or around the house.

Retro Style Toddler Dress Michael Miller Fabric - $29.00
Michael Miller's 1960’s Retro print of Dick and Jane.

Aside from selling these on Etsy Corline sells her work at a boutique called Twigs.

To see more of these gift items go to;
http://mommyandmeboutique.etsy.com
and read her blog here;
http://themommyandmeboutique.blogspot.com