Inspiration from a Story - Featured Artist Beadkeepers.etsy.com

I featured a piece by Karen McGovern of Beadkeeper.etsy.com earlier in this week's "Be Inspired" feature and after reading some of her descriptions, I asked her to do a feature. She has an interesting series of "Story Book" Necklaces, like the one pictured below that evolve from a story that she writes about her inspiration. I think this is an amazing way to bring your inspiration to a final piece. A story is a great way to bring further meaning to your piece and it's inspiration. Here is what Karen had to say about the inspiration for her Vela Liya Polymer/Mixed Media Necklace:











"The inspiration for the piece came from a lovely moth wing I had. I have a line of necklaces that I call "Story Book" necklaces. I write short stories and build the necklace around that. Vela Liya began with a myth/story I wrote about a special flowering vine that is pollinated by owl moths in the dead of night. The vine is known as the "Climbing Woman" vine--part mythology and part imagination. I incorporated the moth wing in the necklace using an optic glass/sterling silver locket. The rest of the necklace represents different aspects of the story--including handmade polymer pendants and beads. Most of the designs have a spiritual inspiration based on my love of nature. I believe art and nature are one and the same--all my designs reflect my deep respect for wildlife and our natural world. I donate most of my proceeds to the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, www.rarespecies.org. My goal is to draw attention to the link between art and nature, and to raise funds for wildlife conservaion.

My advice for anyone feeling uninspired is to simply step outside. Find a quiet place in nature. Visit a local park, beach, garden, or museum. The play of light reflected on water, the colors of a garden of wildflowers, the textures in driftwood--these are the things that bring inspiration to me, and also clear my mind of all the day to day distractions that can stifle creativity."

To see more of Karen's inspirational work, check out her etsy shop, her direct website, www.beadkeepers.com, and her page on IndiePublic, www.indiepublic.com/profile/rarespec. And please check out the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, www.rarespecies.org, for more information about wildlife conservation and how you can get involved.


















With the addition of a story, Karen's jewelry becomes more than just adornment. It takes on incredible meaning and can really connect the buyer/recipient with the artist, their inspiration and their creative process. Karen includes the story along with each "Story Book" necklace which makes them perfect for gift giving, plus proceeds go towards animal conservation! Take a little time to create a story of your own and you may be surprised by how it inspires your art. You don't have to be a great writer or scholar to create a story. You don't even have to write it down, but being creative in your story creation will help you to be creative in your work. A story can help you further explore your original inspiration, as it did for Karen, and help you bring more "layers" and meaning to your finished art piece. She could have stopped with the moth wing component, but to properly tell the story through her art, Karen added the other elements as well to create a final piece that is as beautiful to the mind as it is to the eye!

Tag I'm It!

OK, it was bound to happen. You yell Goal!! enough times on your blog and you get tagged. I was tagged (Random 8Meme) by Lapella Art yesterday and mtjoyschool today , so now I am going to do my duty and give you the facts and tag some other bloggers.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
3. Tag eight people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

8 Random Block Party Press Facts:

1. I have an older brother who is 40, a younger sister who is 13 and a younger brother who is 10 and a nephew who's 16. (this makes for interesting discussions with my kiddos, age 4 & 7)
2. I have a BA and a Master's degree in Social Work (all because I thought I couldn't make any money as an artist. Nobody told me that social worker's don't make any money either and I have since learned that in the grand scheme of things money isn't that important.)
3. My kids and I have an extensive bug collection (don't worry, no bugs were harmed, they are only captured in picture form!) We had a ball when all the 17 year cicadas came out a couple of years ago.
4. I was an Estee Lauder counter girl for 2 years and I still have the blue smock to prove it.
5. I rode horses competitively (English style, show jumping) from age 5 to age 16 when I traded the horses in for boys. (Still not so sure that was the best decision)
6. The boys and I attend the Baltimore International Car Show every year (we even took the little one when he was just 3 months old) and we get in and try out just about every car there and of course I take lots of pics.
7. I whistle a lot.
8. I hate, hate, hate to fold laundry and do the dishes!

Not very exciting and not very inspiring, but they are facts and they are random!
The people I am tagging are: marciapalmer, jodielovescupcakes, ramblingsofanoutsideartist, Sparksfly, Papernclay, ScottGarrette, mtjoyschool (we simultaneously tagged each other) and pollyhyper. Your it!

Due to the lack of inspiration in this post, I have decided to post this photo from our bug collection for your inspirational pleasure:

GOAL!!GOAL!!GOAL!!

Have you ever watched a soccer match and heard the guy calling play by play holler goal when a goal was made? Well that's what I yelled today as I made my two goals with 8 days to spare before my Etsyversary! I passed 500 sales on Friday, and this morning I finally hit 2000 Hearts!! GOAL!!! GOAL!! GOAL!!

For today only (September 4, 2007), receive 25% off your purchase at blockpartypress.etsy.com. Just type GOAL!!GOAL!!GOAL!! in the message to seller at checkout. Don't pay, as I will send you a revised invoice that includes the discount to the e-mail listed on the receipt! Convo me on Etsy if you have any questions!

And if my day wasn't already going great, my moth treasury is now on the Etsy Homepage. I hope it brings inspiration to a whole lot of artists!

Inspired by Moths

I didn't choose this week's inspiration as much as it chose me this time. It seems for some reason moths keep popping up all around me. I sold one of my Moth to a Flame Pendants last week, and as I was packing it up decided that it would look great in a palette of browns and creams, so of course I had to make one right away. I love how it turned out. I think it celebrates the more subtle coloring of moths. Unlike butterflies, moth's don't always shout their existence to the world. They are more content to blend in with their surroundings. I think that may be one of the reasons they fascinate me.

Well after making the pendant, I jumped on Etsy and went to the treasury to see what was poppin and low and behold the little magic box was there. I was so unprepared, but the moth was fresh in my mind so I went with it. I started thinking about moth's and their deadly attraction to light and so Fatal Attraction was the perfect title. I had at first intended to include lamps/lightbulbs and moths, but after I found my first Entry, JohnWGolden.etsy.com's print, The Enamored Moths, I knew I wanted just one light bulb with the moth items surrounding it. here is the list for a little inspiration:


After making the treasury list, the boys and I went to the park for a little outdoor fun, and we found this amazing hummingbird moth sipping nectar from a thistle and I was able to snap a pic.

So since the universe was telling me to take a closer look at moths, I thought I would do the same for you. Tonight after dark, turn on one of your outside lights and see what it attracts (beware of the lurking mosquitoes). Take a look at the subtle colors, shading, patterns and camouflage of the moth. Make note of their fuzzy bodies, ever moving antennae and the shape of their wings when open and closed. Check out this "How to Start Mothing" PDF from mothscount.org for information about attracting moth's to your yard, or here to learn which flowers attract moths. If you can't find any moth's of your own, check out a Moth reference book or field guide from your library or purchase one from your local book store and explore Here's one to share with your kids, A Luna Moth's Life by John Himmelman. You can even incorporate moths and their wings as art. Like these works by some Etsy artists (click the photo to see more work by the artist):













Remember, if you are inspired to create something from one of the Be Inspired features, please send a picture and description to my e-mail, blockpartypress@yahoo.com and I may feature you on my blog. The piece must be inspired by the Be Inspired post and cannot be an item created prior to the posting. If your Be Inspired piece is featured, I will send you a free pendant from my Etsy shop (I will choose the pendant and it will be a surprise).

I will leave you with this inspirational photo I found on Flickr by theinfonaut .

Inspired by Pods - Etsy Front Page

Sorry I haven't posted a lot this week, but I have been crazy busy. I am still busy today, but I thought I would sneak in a post about being on Etsy's front page last night. The gorgeous pod treasury list was created by shelleartist.etsy.com, a very accomplished treasury curator. I knew the first time I saw the list that it would get to the front page.


It was just beautiful and luckily she featured my blooming pod pendant. I have been on the front page before, and each time it is a thrill and there is a whir of activity in my shop with lots of views, hearts and even some purchases. The great thing about being there last night was that I am closing in on my Etsyversary (1 year on Etsy for you non-Etsians) and I have set a couple goals. I would like to hit 500 sales and 2000 hearts by my Anniversary date Sept 12th. I actually didn't start my shop until September 27th, but it would still be cool to make my goals by the anniversary of the first day I joined Etsy. Well being on the front page has greatly increased my odds of reaching those goals in time. I am currently at 492 sales and 1976 hearts. So close, I can almost taste it. Hopefully not everyone will be going away for the long weekend, and I will get the sales I need to meet my goal!

I don't know if you knew, but pods are really big on Etsy. I don't know if their organic feel, their coloring, their shape or the possibility that lies within them, but they are extremely appealing, especially to artists (and me). I have created quite a few pod pieces and really want to do some more. I am actually carving a large one now that will eventually become a necklace and I have a sketch of an ACEO that I would like to create featuring some pods. So take a little time to enjoy this treasury list and explore pods and see where they take you!

Have a great long weekend!

Be Inspired by the Ocean

This week we are being inspired by the ocean. I chose this subject for 2 reasons. One, we just got back from a beach vacation, so the ocean is fresh in my mind and two, the PCAGOE is having their monthly challenge and the theme was the Ocean, so it only makes sense to go with the flow and be inspired by the ocean this week. To me the ocean is like another world. The opportunity for inspiration is as vast as its depths. The water itself and the it's movement are inspiring. Watching the shape and patterns of waves, the white foam against the blue water, the way the light shimmers across the expanse of water can all inspire you to create. Check out these ocean, water and waves inspired items from Etsy (click on the photo to see more work by the artists)








Of course the incredible sea life can lead to inspiration. The colors of the ocean animals can be bright and vibrant, drab and camouflaged, metallic and even bio luminescent and the shapes and textures can be sleek and streamlined ,lumpy and bumpy, spiked or even ever changing like the octopus and jellyfish (2 very trendy sea creatures, just search either on Etsy, and you will be amazed at the number of cool items you'll find). Check out these sea life inspired Etsy items:













The ultimate ocean inspiration can be found when you use items from the sea to create art. Coral, shells, pearls and even sea glass can all be incorporated into your art. Here are some creative items which incorporate a bit of the ocean:









Take a little time this week to be inspired by the ocean. Visit the beach for labor day weekend, watch a documentary about the ocean (The Discovery Channel has some amazing ocean documentaries, this week they are showing Blue Planet: Seas of Life. Click the link for show times), check out a book about the ocean from your local library, browse some photos on flickr (Some ocean groups: Ocean Water Life, Sea & Ocean, & Ocean Photography No limits) and finally check the ocean inspired items of the PCAGOE Challenge (and don't forget to vote for your favorite!)

PCAGOE August Ocean Challenge - Vote & Win

This months challenge was to create a piece of polymer clay art inspired by the Ocean. I have watched tons of nature/animal/ocean show in TV (my oldest loves animals and animal shows) and I remembered one where there was a huge school of silver fish and they were moving through the water in this big constantly moving mass. They were all silver and the shimmered as they twisted and turned as a group. This large school of fish inspired my entry this month titled, Safety In Numbers. It is an ACEO created in polymer clay with acrylic paint. The background is the ocean which deepens in color as you move down the ACEO. The lines in the background are meant to convey movement and add texture. The fish themselves were hand drawn and carved. Each fish is exactly the same and is painted with a shimmery metallic silver color that changes with the light (same as the fish in my inspiration).















Here are the rest of the entries:

To vote for your favorite and to be entered in this month's drawing for a polymer clay prize pack valued at over $100, just go to pcagoe.com and complete the form at the bottom of the challenge post.