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Saturday, July 17, 2010

FEATURE SELLER - INTERVIEW WITH Stefania Morgante "gufobardo "

Share on Facebook!Share on Facebook!I am very excited to introduce series of interviews for our EPL TEAM with 3 Etsians SELLERS , Today I’d like to introduce you to Stefania Morgante "gufobardo " She is a sweet and very talent person who create Handmade Moleskins, Jewels, One of a kind Dolls and Bears and sweet special gifts, fly to have a look, all italian style!




OOAK seashells and voile necklace-My bones vibrate in the sun-homage to O'Keeffe



Where are you originally from?

I was born in Puglia,southern Italy,close to Greece,but my father is from Friuli,in the north of Italy,and my ancestors come from ex Jugoslavia, Galles and nearby Greece.Now I live in Sardinia,a very special island,rather different from the rest of Italy.


-How did you choose the lovely name for your Etsy Shop?

The name of my shop is made of two words, "Gufo"("Owl") which is a symbol of wisdom and longevity(things i wish to me concerning my work), and "bardo"("bard"),from "longobardo", fierce and combative people who crossed the whole Italy;being half from north and half from south,i do feel like my blood is from all Italy and Europe!


Ecological Recycled Yellow OOAK Squared notebook-A Scarecrow and The good harvest





-How did you find Etsy? How long have you been selling on Etsy?

I don't really remember who and when talked me about Etsy,i registered in 2007,but left the account idle for years,my activity took place on an old site of mine and sure Etsy was not in my mind...then the need for changin' style,ideas and items made me re-open concretely in december 2009,thanks also to the support of the Etsy Italian Team, which in the meanwhile i joined,who helped me and helps me considerably in developing ideas.


-How would you describe your style? Have any other artists etc influenced your style?

As for jewelry,i love baroque and rococò very much,the curves and the elaborate
intertwinement of the wire.I love wireworking very much,and my muse is Eni Oken...thanks to her i'm also a teacher at jewelrylesson.com.As for moleskines and my ancient love for drawing,i love very much to create my personal dreamlike world, my inspiration comes from Tim Burton,Federico Fellini's drawings and Leonardo da Vinci's caricatures
A big influence also comes to me from Surrealism.



- How did you first come to art and creativity? How did your journey in art and creativity begin?
-How long have you been creating? that you love so much?
I've always been drawing and modelling,first memories go back to when i was 3 years old.I attended art school and have a degree in theory of shapes,visual arts section, i partecipated in many exhibits and never stop studying both artists and their techniques.It's important to never stop studying,the pictorial stroke of the artists but also anathomy,color theory,styles,biographies...


-What are your main sources of inspiration?

human faces,i love to transform them in my own personal bestiary




SALE CHRISTMAS IN JULY-Italian vintage cotton OOAK handmade doll- Mirtilla




-Have you had any mentors, or are you self taught?

Eni Oken for jewelry design,for modelling and dollmaking surely Marylin Radzat and Lisa Gatz for inserting me in the online lessons with several artists from Niada...but also my Art School teachers.


-Do you sell more at one time of year than others?

I started here on Etsy in the january and winter has been really great...we'll see in fall...unlike many others,my sales have always been very well distributed year round,not only in proximity of Christmas.



Hand Drawn OOAK Large Squared Moleskine Journal-La joie de vivre





-What is one thing about your creative process that you think most
people don't know?

I never draw a subject in advance..i "cook" it in my mind for several hours or days,when i have the precise 3D drawing in my mind i start drawing headlong with a pen,i like to push my limits and don't want to erase or redo.


-How has life affected your art and art affected your life?

It's hard to answer,i've had paintings and colors in my head from even before i started talking,and was a very taciturn baby...i'd been born like this,i don't know where life ends and art begins and viceversa,what i'm sure of is taht to live the way i want to,art must necessarly make my life better.


-Do you have a favorite item you have made?

No,to me the things i create are like sons,i love them all,but it's since i love them that i let them go free in the world



Ghiacciolo-Popsicle  a OOAK jewelry bear






-What is the best reaction you have gotten from one of your pieces?

When i looked at the finished work and told myself "this is what i wanted!"


-Your message for all of us?


dream and learn,dream and create...transform the dream in tangible art,usable for anyone!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

FEATURE SELLER - INTERVIEW WITH Evelyn "Sumikoshop"

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stop time with the thought - Pendulum Necklace
I am very excited to introduce series of interviews for our EPL TEAM with 3 Etsians SELLERS , Today I’d like to introduce you to Evelyn "Sumikoshop" She is a sweet and very talent person who make handmade jewelry one of a kind and others are made in limited quantities..



-Bio:

My name is Evelyn, I’m 29 years old and the mother of a beautiful boy named Brian. I live in a tourist town by the sea, in Italy. I spend a lot of time with my son, which is why I can spare the time to create and experiment with new things.
I am crazy about travelling and would gladly travel around the world. I love adventure and unspoiled places…. white beaches …the sun ... my dream would be to live somewhere warm all year round.

Hazelnut - Olive Green -  hair pin


-Where are you originally from?
I was born in Verona where I lived until I was 25, then I moved to Cervia with my new family: Andrea and my little Brian.


I chose the name "Sumiko" because I wanted to create a line of T-shirts, and it seemed a nice name for a fictional character. Since that idea was too expensive, I started making accessories instead but the name stayed the same.



-How did you find Etsy? How long have you been selling on Etsy?

I discovered Etsy while surfing the Internet. At first I opened an account as a buyer but after a month, around July 2008, I decided to open my shop.

Vintage raw Brass Leaf Hair  Pins




-How would you describe your style? Have any other artists etc influenced your style?

I love to experiment with different materials and various styles. My collections vary greatly in style, but they all tend to be feminine, elegant and youthful. I love using vintage components, and sometimes there is a fairy tale touch to my jewelry.
I try to stay true to my own style while keeping in touch with the latest trends in fashion and the trends here on Etsy. I often find my ispiration from my surroundings and the materials I use for my projects.






Black Red Vintage Hair Pin






How did you first come to art and creativity? How did your journey in
art and creativity begin?


I have always had a passion for sewing clothes for myself, since I went to a fashion design school, but I also loved unique and original accessories, and I found such a joy in creating them, or seeing people wear them.
I never stopped creating whether it was clothes or accessories, but I decided to open my little shop only two years ago.



-Have you had any mentors, or are you self taught?

I am self-taught !



-Do you sell more at one time of year than others?

The months coming up to Christmas are the months with more sales.
I wish I didn't have to wait for the winter months to sell more, I would like to have a steady number of sales every month.



-What is one thing about your creative process that you think most
people don't know?

perhaps my messy studio? LOL
I tend to turn my studio upside down every time I create something, because while I am working on an item, all of a sudden another idea comes to me and so I start a second item, than a third idea hits me .... and so I find the whole table full of projects that need to be finished ...



-How has life affected your art and art affected your life?

Creativity fills my day ... it's a way to express my imaginative and sunny personality... since I've created my Etsy shop, I've met many nice people and I have been learning many new things, like photography and English ...



-Do you have a favorite item you have made?

I can't choose one ... I love all the things I've been creating recently



-What is the best reaction you have gotten from one of your pieces?

I have some items that sold more than others, the favourite and best selling of all was "Paris Bracelet"
probably the continued demand surprised me and made me happy ....
also the feedback from satisfied customers is one thing that pushes me to create even more.



-Your message for all of us?


Do not get discouraged and continue to create and improve your service. Give your best and Be happy!

Thank you so much Evelyn :) you are so great artist !!!!!

Friday, July 9, 2010

FEATURE SELLER - INTERVIEW WITH SoleDeVita - EPL MEMBER

I am very excited to introduce series of interviews for our EPL TEAM with 3 Etsians SELLERS , Today I’d like to introduce you to SoleDeVita She is a sweet and very talent person who make handmade jewelry funky, colorful, funny .

Yellow Dots Stud Earrings Original design OOAK


-Bio:

My name is Solvita and I am 27 years young. I am married for 3 years now and live happy and calm life.


-Where are you originally from?

I am from Latvia, quite small but beautiful country in The North of Europe. A country with untouched nature and fresh air. :) Welcome!


-How did you choose the lovely name for your Etsy Shop?

It was pretty difficult to figure out the name of my shop. So I took a piece of my name, a piece off my surname and mixed all together. From Solvita Daneviča to SoleDeVita.


-How did you find Etsy? How long have you been selling on Etsy?

Actually, about Etsy told me Liga from Filigreecreations. (http://www.etsy.com/shop/FiligreeCreations) She already had a Etsy shop and she encouraged me to open my Shop. Big Thanks to her for that! :) I listed my first items on Apr 18, 2010. So not so long ago..



-How would you describe your style? Have any other artists etc influenced your style?

Describe my style? Hmmmm.. This is hard. I always find hard to describe my self. I think my style is a quite unique and one of a kind. Nobody has influenced me, it is all me. I found my way to capture Nature in a 1.5 inch space and I love it! :)


- How did you first come to art and creativity? How did your journey in art and creativity begin?

Since I remember my self, I've always created something. Greeting cards, button necklaces, earrings, picture collages and so on... Now I am grown up and I wanted to do something different. I started to make colorful Pin-back buttons for young Ladies. I wanted to do something different an NOT to make those buttons with "funny jokes". So I found my style. I use natural feathers, recycled paper, gorgeous colorful paper from Thailand, real gold and silver foil, beautiful dried flowers from Latvian meadows, water colors and black ink.

-What are your main sources of inspiration?

I love nature and it is the greatest inspiration of all. What can be more beautiful as flowers and the colors of sundown and sunset and evening sky? Or colors of Spring and Autumn?







-Have you had any mentors, or are you self taught?

I am Self-taught. No one has taught me.


-Do you sell more at one time of year than others?

:))) I wish... So far No.


-What is one thing about your creative process that you think most people don't know?

They don't know how subtle is this work. If you have trembling hands, this work is not for you.. And if I add Gold foil or feathers to a button I DO NOT BREATH AT ALL... No sneezing!! :) This is so light and airy, one puff of wind and ALL beauty flies away.



Pinback buttons-Purple petals (set of 2)



-How has life affected your art and art affected your life?

My life has become much more interesting. Thanks to Etsy and crafting I have virtually met so many Amazing People. Every new day brings me lots of fun and new challenges. My Art has colored my life! :)


-Do you have a favorite item you have made?

Actually, I love each and every of my buttons. I put in them lots of love and they are like my Babies! This is one of my favorites http://www.etsy.com/listing/48862402/pinback-buttons-yellow-flowers-set-of-2


Pinback buttons- Yellow Flowers (set of 2), Original Design, OOAK, 1.5 inches -38mm in diameter.


-What is the best reaction you have gotten from one of your pieces?

Best reaction is BIG smile on customers face and "Thank you" from a heart! :) It warms my soul when I see that the buyer is happy. Of course, selling through Etsy is not so personal, but you can alway leave a nice feedback..


-Your message for all of us?

BE ORIGINAL!!! Find your way and keep creating! This is the simplest and the hardest advice I can give.
P.S. And as some wise Man once sad: "Beauty will save the world" -------------------------------------
THNKS SO MUCH SoleDeVita you are a fantastic person and artist!!!!!!!!