By Contributing columnist Kate Sibley

Comment from the Publisher:
I was delighted to see an Etsy artist written up in “First” magazine, at last a mainstream magazine that notices handmade. Imagine if they all would write up Etsy, Artfire and Folksy artisans, what a wonderful world it would be! So contact “First” magazine and let them know how much you appreciate them featuring a handmade shop!

Kate volunteeered to interview Hiboucards she was the gal interviewed by First magazine in Nov. 2009. What was behind the artist that mainstream wanted to talk to?

Here are some interesting facts about the artist:
Artist name: Anne-Claire Regan aka Hibou (“eeboo” = owl in French)

Business name: HibouCards
Etsy Plush Team member
Global location: Boston MA – USA
Nationality:French

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hiboucards/

My artistic influences, what inspires me:

My childhood memories and my art history background are a big source of inspiration for me. My son’s imaginary world, his storybooks and his “obsession of the day” spark my imagination too (his love for owls had me call my shop “Hibou”). My environment is also very influential; New England’s nature is so beautiful!

My own native country (France) and its culture also inspire me. I always have postcards and books of my favorites painters, illustrators, photographers and sculptors surrounding me (here is a non exhaustive and not in order list: P. Gauguin, F. Vallotton, P. Cezanne, E. Manet, O. Redon, G. Moreau, Van Gogh, M. Ernst, Turf, A. Rackham, Claude & Francois-Xavier Lalanne, Joseph Cornel, Picasso, Man Ray, Gregory Crewdson, Dr. Seuss, my crafters firends…).

One common trait artists I love have is their color choice. I am fascinated with colors (often bright colors even though I myself enjoy dressing in black most of the time) and I use it in my work every chance I get. A new idea for a craft project is often sparked by one color or color combination. Looking at colors assembled together truly makes me happy.

Last but not least I don’t think I’d be doing what I do if it weren’t for my grandma and my mom who inspired me to use my hands to create objects, toys and art.

Why is making plush important for me:
I really started my shop by making and selling greeting cards. However, discovering felt was a small revolution for me. The material’s versatility allowed me to express my creativity beyond what I could do with paper.

The first piece I made was a soft sculpture mixing felt and needle felted roving wool.

I fell in love with needle felting and continued to make little needle felted owls.

That’s when I came up with the “Feltscapes,” which is a term I use to describe my framed felt landscapes. They are made with both felt and roving wool, always have some 3D elements, and of course an owl, which is my signature.

I’ve always loved making things with my hands and assembling colors. Seeing a creation take shape and seeing the result is deeply satisfying. Making plush keeps me in touch with the child in me.

My favorite plush related experience:
When I created my first “Feltscape” (see pic above) and I was able to mix 3D plush elements with flatter parts, creating a plush felt landscape… I had created with my own hands a little window into a whimsical world within me; some sort of time traveling tunnel into my childhood universe.

When I was a little girl I was always attracted to “miniature worlds”. I cherished more than anything the dollhouse my dad had made for me and all the miniature things in it (from the miniature silverware to the food and pets, furniture and paintings…) I saw this as something so beautiful and perfect.

As a fellow crafter said beautifully, “Plush is about nostalgia and comfort, but it’s also about innovation and magic. Often plush art represents real-world things but in a surreal, softly perfect way” (Stuart Bloomfield, a.k.a. Sewdorky, forward of the Plush You catalogue 2008)

I continued to explore imaginary miniature worlds by later inventing a playset that is composed of a small plush owl and a tree trunk. This design as become so popular that I can barely make them fast enough now J
This design made it to Etsy’s front page numerous times and I started to get more and more exposure. That’s is probably how the people from Frist Mag found me. The editor really liked my first feltscape and she asked me to make something custom for her (pic bellow).

All my feltscapes are hand sewn and needle felted. I do not use glue anywhere. It is very time consuming (not the “done under an hour” time mentioned in the article!) but so enjoyable to make. From hunting for the frames to choosing the color palette, from sketching to cutting and assembling the parts…

I will continue to explore all the possibilities with the Feltscapes and have fun with it.

Design philosophy:

I love to re-use and recycle materials as much as I can. I use a lot of fabric, lace, ribbons and buttons that come from my grandma and my mom back in France. I like to mix old and new.

My favorite techniques and/or materials:
My favorite materials are felt, roving wool, DMC cotton perle #5 thread and buttons.

Current/future projects / news:
First let me say that I contributed to my team’s effort (Plushteam: www.plushteam.etsy.com) to raise money for the Red Cross’ relief fund for Haiti. The scale of the devastation is so great that we all need to contribute with a little help and buying a cute plush is just a great way to do so.

I am currently working on making a few new creations to submit to the magazine Stuffed. I am very excited about that and hope to be selected.

am also trying to get my work shown in more galleries around the US this year. My first show was in Seattle and it’s always great to have exposure in galleries as you can be even more creative with the pieces you submit.

By Contributing Columnist, Cynthia Nodland aka Puddin Pies

For anyone who has enjoyed visiting shops that think outside the box as well as inside the box will enjoy this interview from the owner of Blisstopiabox.

1)How long have you been in business?

I started Blisstopia Box this past fall in November 2009.

2)I was wondering why you started your own business (website) instead of joining one of the other handmade venues, did you start elsewhere and then started out on your own or did you always have your own .com.

I started Blisstopia Box with the concept of creating themed gift boxes using handmade bath & body products from small indie businesses. As a woman I wanted to share my passion for bath & body products by purchasing from other women and re-selling these fabulous products on my own website. This is my first online business.

3)What caused you to decide to start your business?

Blisstopiabox is a concept of mine that started out of the idea to categorize bath & body products by scent into themed boxes, such as, The Bakery, The Beach, The Chocolate Shoppe, The Happy Home, The Spa and others. blisstopiabox is an online boutique featuring fabulous handmade bath & body products made by small indie owned businesses.

4)What is your favorite/recommended product

I carry so many different products that I don’t really have a favorite. I do love the handmade soaps if I would have to pick one. As for recommending a product, that would be all the gift boxes of course!

5)Your shop reminds me of a boutique that I would enter in a quaint but lovely tourist town, did you ever have your own bricks and mortar shop and do you have any thought of doing this?

No I have never run a boutique shop before. But in designing the website that was the look I was going for. I feel I have succeeded in bringing the boutique style when you visit my shop. At this point I am happy just to run the online store. But you never know where things will take you, so I could never rule out opening a bricks and mortar shop if that is what the future brings.

6)If you were asked to pass along advice to others about starting their own .com as opposed to a group venue: what would that advice be?

I like being the boss and having total creative say over what my website looks like. I do everything behind the scenes that is needed to keep blisstopiabox up and running. All the pictures and written material and where they are placed is all done by me. I believe with a group venue that your creative input would be limited since they already have a format for you to follow.

7)Have you always been into crafting, tell us about any other businesses or day jobs you might have had or still have?

I have always had a hand in crafting. I love to paint with acrylics, but unfortunately have not done a painting in a few years. Recently I have been making up-cycled trinket and keepsake boxes from old cigar boxes and adorning them with beautiful papers, paint, vintage brooches and bows. I have them for sale on Etsy and Artfire under the name of Bejeweledboxes. I do work outside the home as well with two part-time jobs. I am an in-home caregiver and also an administrative assistant.

You obviously have a passion for your business. Why do you love what you do?

I love what I do because plain and simple, I am creative and need that outlet to express myself. I also love to share my love (bath & body junkie) of these fun and fabulous handmade bath & body products with others. Not only are customers benefiting from these products but I am also helping other women by purchasing their wonderful products for resale.

9)Tell us a bit about your family or home life, how does where you live play into your art?

I will be married to my wonderful husband this upcoming April for 16 years. I have a son who is 14, and twin identical daughters who are 12. As my children are older now it allows me to run my business from my home with minimal interruption. My husband is supportive of my online craft business and is proud of what I have done with my website, and of course that makes me feel good. The kids think it’s pretty cool too!

Thank you blisstopiabox for a wonderful interview and for sharing your life and and loves with us!

Chinese Valentine Boxes by BlueRockGourds

H A P P Y G I V E A W A Y S

By Susan Rosen, Publisher

Funny, that when you are involved in online selling these days, you find that Contests or Giveaways are the hottest thing going! While thinking of ways to get your name out, you must provide your prospective customers a sure fire way to visit your shop. Most of the giveaways that I’ve been involved in and have entered usually ask you to visit their shop and then leave a comment on their blog with your favorite item. This is when the customer starts to dream about owning one of your items!

So what happens next? You’ve now devolped a repore with the customers that have visited your shop, they have have left a heart or two and you never know….they may have found an item to purchase. If anything the shop holder now has some added views.

You may also find that the contest holder will provide more entries to their customers by asking them to Twitter about their giveaway, post in in Facebook and even do a post on their blog. Some of these postings can result in 5 or mor extra entries! Plus it now gives you as the contest holder more visibilty!

Since giveaways have been growing within the Indie community, Indiesmiles has just started their new section “Happy Giveaways” it’s a place for all of us to find the recent giveaways that are out there! So, when you stop by to read an article or to peruse the advertisers…you can also check out the “Happy Giveaways”. And most certainly if you have a giveaway that is going on in your online shop just purchase a listing for $1.00. We enjoy providing advertising for $1.00, after all the online craft business has taken a beating with a slow economy; so we at Indiesmiles want to make it easy on you and your budget!

Lets take a look at some current contests!

What a clever method to present a contest! Pinareis is amazing. You have got to, got to check out her video contest! It is AWESOME, along with her prizes! She is giving out 4 different designs to 4 different winners! So take a minute or two, watch her video and join in her fantastic contest…and the chance to win one of her fabulous prizes. I adore the scarves, they are incredible!

I spoke to the gal who runs Pinareis by email, she was so sweet and so appreciative of the “Happy Giveaways” listings!

Another fun contest is Adelle’s Resin Bangles! Her blog is so colorful and so are her Bangles, infact to win one of her bright and fun bangles you need to let Adelle know which color is your fav. Join in the fun here!

In the happy world of giveaways, you will also find that bloggers enjoy hosting giveaways for other artists! So is the case for Amazing Mae as she hosts the giveaways for “Grace Hester’s” Family prints. Now this also an awesome giveaway!

There are several other current “Happy Giveaways” and I do wish I could mention them all, but the fun is in the winning…so off I go to Twitter about one, Facebook post about another and don’t forget…comment…comment…comment!

Stop back often to see the new giveaways, there are always contests being posted in Indiesmiles…so don’t miss out!
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From the publisher, HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone! Enjoy this amazing “Ets Lights” slideshow that was put together by LindaGJ she is so wonderfully creative and puts so much effort into her beautiful slideshows…so all of us can enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by Indiesmiles and we hope that you do return soon! em>

By Contributing Columnist LindaGJ aka LindaGJ

Lights from a few of the Etsy Artists
One of the things I look forward to during the Christmas time of year are all the enchanting beautiful lights that gives me this overwhelmingly magical feeling that I wish would last all year. No matter what religion you believe in, if you are happy or sad, all is welcome to enjoy the bright lights of Christmas. I just had to visit Etsy.com to see what kind of Handmade Lights were portrayed by these wonderful artisans. Wow, I was not disappointed at all in what I found! All the ingredients I needed were there to make up this recipe of my Enchanting, Beautiful, Overwhelmingly Magical Feeling that I wish could last all year!

This slide video is only a handful of what I found. If you are interested in visiting and/or purchasing any of these shops portrayed in the video, please point your mouse over the image and it will freeze the picture so you can jot down their shop address!

ENJOY THIS SEASON & MAKE IT LAST ALL YEAR ROUND!