To Paraphrase …

Every other Thursday, I will be featuring a new artist here on the blog!  To be clear, I’m using the word “artist(s)” to cover fine artists, photographers, musicians, crafters, fashion designers, anyone who creates something.

Today’s feature is Amy of Amy’s Treasures!

• To start, please tell us a bit about yourself.  What’s your story?

My favorite color is clear with transparent polka dots…  I mean….
Let’s see…  my shop is something my mom, sister and I had been talking about doing since the early 90s.  Only with my sister and I both working and putting ourselves through college, it just wasn’t the right time.  Now that I’ve discovered etsy, I have a venue for that.  I have very little formal training in pretty much anything except singing.  You don’t spend 13 years in a choir without learning a thing or two.    But as far as my crafting goes, really it’s a lot of hands on training, or figuring it out as I went along.  I did work at Michael’s for a few months around ’94, I think it was, doing demos.  I learned a lot in terms of working with different crafting materials.  One day I would like to bring back some of those techniques and put them to use on something for my shop. 

• How long have you been creating?

Since the 80s, at least.  I grew up in church and did crafts in Sunday School and VBS, so this is nothing new. 

• What inspires you?

Anything and everything.
 

• Please describe your creative process (the how, the when, materials, etc.). 

Well it probably depends on different things.  Some times I’ll see beads that inspire me to make something, while other times I’ll have something on my heart that I want to do (my sunrise, sunset pieces) that I’ll carry with me until I find the right materials/beads.  I would like to move past the “costume jewelry” stage and work with more “real” materials some day, maybe even learn a little metal smithing.  I do plan on learning how to make stained glass though.  That is something I’ve wanted to do for nearly as many years as I’ve been wanting to start my shop.  
Course then there are the times when I’m watching something while I work and it influences the piece I’m working on. *cough*cosmosnecklace*cough* Or I’ll be listing to an interview while getting dressed which then influences something else.  *cough*sapphireandsteelearrings*cough*

• What’s your biggest artistic disaster to date?  How did it help you progress?

It has to be when I worked at Cookies By Design.  I walked in one morning to be handed an order for pizza cookies, one that was to read “Congratulations on the engagement”, only I was so rushed and no one checked my spelling that, I forgot an e in engagement (it read engagment) .  I was banned from pizza cookies after that.  Course had they not rushed me that would have never happened. 
The ban was eventually lifted when we got an order for the Northwestern University’s logo on a pizza cookie with the words Happy Birthday, and a person’s name (forgot the name).  That came out great, I’m so glad I took a picture of it.   I should mention, unless it was a Disney cookie, all designs were freehand drawn and colored with frosting.  We had stencils but those were for the licensed Disney cookies, and the soccer balls.  I always freehanded the soccer balls, because I’d fill them all in with frosting, instead of only do black on a white glazed cookie.  It looked so much better fully frosted.
 

• What’s your favourite piece that you’ve done? 

Hmmm…  I have so many pieces that I love, it’s hard to pick a favorite.  Off the top of my head though I’d say either my Rat Pack set or my Rose and Babies Breadth headband/tiara.  I love roses though, so that could sway me to liking that piece. 

• What’s the best advice you were given when starting out?

Hmm….   Can’t say I’ve been given any advice per se, but I’ve been given lots of encouragement by the ladies that got me started on etsy; old friends of my sister’s. 
 

• Do you have any advice to give others?

Just keep making what inspires you, do what you like.  Don’t try to make things that you don’t like.  You will ultimately hate what you are doing and no longer want to do it.  Don’t worry about being trendy, trends only last a season or two.  Just concentrate on making your shop something you’re proud of.  Fill it with things you love and enjoy making.
 

• What’s coming up for you; any big plans artistically? 

Artistically?  I will be adding photo prints to my shop.  I’ve been taking lots of pictures of various things with my digital camera (it goes wherever I go).  Once I’m ready, I will get prints made in various sizes to see what looks best and then start listing.
 

• Recommend 3-5 artists the rest of the world should know about. 

I can’t make a rec list without mentioning TheBeadedPath.  She is my sister’s oldest friend (someone I’ve known my whole life; 35 years and counting) and is the one that helped me get started on etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5090571 

Annie Brigg’s shop, she has some amazing hand crocheted jackets.  If only I had the money….
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5552402 

RubiesNRoses, she has some amazing hand crocheted items, lots of things for babies.  The street team we’re both on had a Christmas contest last year and she made the prizes.  They were crocheted stockings for silverware.  I can tell you from seeing these things in person, they are excellent craftsmanship.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=90407 

ShanHuth, yet another friend of my sister’s.  Only this time, it was my prodding that got her on etsy.  Hehehe.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5514303 

TheHouseofMouse, there are some CUTE! Mice in here.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5524984 
 

• Where can people find your work? 

http://www.amystreasures.etsy.com

Thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview!

Well, that was another installment of “… And I Dig It!”  Please visit Amy’s site and check out her work!  That’s what this feature is all about – getting people interested in art forms connected with people working and creating with art forms!  And if YOU would like to be featured, don’t be shy about it!  Feel free to comment here or contact me, and we’ll get you in a future feature!