Photo courtesy of frecklesfairytales
Columnist Michelle aka Little Toad

MyLuckyPal began when PL started to create sock animals for her kids several years ago. “I made 2 huge dogs and my boys were amazed that I could turn regular socks into stuff animals!” Socks are her major materials and she has a huge sock collection. She creates her lucky pals with thoughts and love. “I get very excited if I happen to see something so inspiring to me and I just cannot wait to start.”
{ Q&A }
Have you ever created a plush that you got attached to and it was really hard to sell or you ended up not selling it? It happened! Hard to let it go with something I felt so special. But I have learned that sharing of love and happiness is a better and bigger purpose for me to create. Selling, for me, is sharing!
What is your guiltiest pleasure? I cannot think of anything! I enjoy all things and try not to feel guilty about them.
What can you not go a single day without? I have to create, make something with my mind and hands!
If your creations came alive what would you do? WOW! That will be cool! I will hug them all! I am all the lucky pals’ mom!

KitLane: Kit admits that she’s not entirely sure where her creations came from. “I guess the wee Jacabobs and their ilk developed over time. My intention was to create a character who only exhibited childlike goodness and good humor.” Her creations are made entirely of wool with the exception of their facial bead eyes and button noses.
She is currently preparing pieces for a 6 person gallery show in August at Bear and Bird. “I’m also writing and rewriting, scrapping and writing some more for a very short children’s book, a difficult audience indeed.”
{ Q&A }
Have you ever created a plush that you got attached to and it was really hard to sell or you ended up not selling it? I fall in love with every little thing I make from paintings, sculpts, drawings and of course the little Jacabobs you see in my shop at Etsy. Sometimes it’s quite hard to part with them but the truth is I don’t own a single one. I set them all free.
What is your guiltiest pleasure? Sweetarts and Lil Debbie Nutty Bars
What can you not go a single day without? I have a 17 year old daughter, the love of my life and away at University. I have a hard time missing at least some form of communication with her every day. I do, at times suffer from Internet withdrawal too. Just the thought of a day or two without it makes me light headed.
If your creations came alive what would you do? I’d squeeze them all, show them the little home I’ve built for them and hope at least a few of them would stay. I’d ply them with muffins and jam.

It’s the fuzz by uglyclothes: Liz started making Christmas ornaments the first year she opened her shop. “I have always had a bit of a darker streak when it comes to my art so it wasn’t much of a surprise when I started making some creepy cuties for Christmas. The zombie line came from a random conversation with my boyfriend. We were trying to figure out something I could make and sell for Valentine’s Day and that is when I decided zombies need love too.” All of her creations are needle felted. “I use wool roving which I then poke to perfection. I also embellish my creations with buttons, ribbons and whatever else I can find.”
{ Q&A }
Have you ever created a plush that you got attached to and it was really hard to sell or you ended up not selling it? Yep. She’s sitting on my mantle and I love her. I made her as a self portrait to try out doing larger plush creations, and she is pretty big, but now I can’t possibly part with her, she is a part of my little family!
What is your guiltiest pleasure? Chocolate. Lots of it.
What can you not go a single day without? My kitties. Even the loud annoying one (okay I could maybe go a couple days without him, but not many).
What is your favorite place in the whole world? Home. Every time I leave I am so happy to be coming back.
If your creations came alive what would you do? Oh no! Well, the birds would probably fly away. The zombies would start wreaking havoc on the local townsfolk and the vampires would have to quickly find a coffin for refuge!

Article edited with pleasure by Barbra aka AllAboutTheButtons

By contributing columnist Michelle aka: Little Toad

It’s late….
You have to be up early in the morning….  
You can barely keep your eyes open…. 
Why are you still up? Simple, you’re waiting for an Etsy Treasury. You have been watching the number go down slowly since you got home and you are not going to let this one get away from you. The number is 334 and you have had to go to the bathroom for the last 45 minutes but you still wait. Why do we do this do ourselves? It’s because getting an Etsy treasury has become a badge of honor.  The reason for this is because everyone wants one and it’s a test of patience to get one. Etsy is trying to remedy that with the creation of Treasury East. Treasury East is unique from the main Treasury because you can create one at anytime, the list never expires and you can make as many you want. To get the full details of this new feature visit this thread.  

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to talk about my experience and thoughts on creating an Etsy treasury using this new tool.

What I like about Treasury East

• There is no hurry when creating your Treasury so you can really choose a title that truly represents your collection. It also takes away the pressure so you have a chance to create a treasury that really has meaning to you and contains the best items to fit your vision.

• Probably my favorite feature is that the number of comments is not limited. This is a great way to get as much feedback as possible.

• Searching through the treasury has an added feature that makes it easier to decide which treasury you want to explore and which you can skip. When searching through Treasury East you are given thumbnails of the first three items in that collection. It really adds a wonderful visual element to your searching.

• The whole design and layout is completely different and really adds more appeal to the overall look of your treasury. The items have bigger thumbnails which really make your item selections pop on the page. It actually looks a like a gallery opposed to the prior contact sheet setup.

• For all of you social networkers out there, Treasury East makes it super easy to share your treasury via the most prominent social network sites (except Twitter read more in “What I don’t like”)

• The number of items you can include has increased and there is no longer a place for alternates. I always disliked the alternate option so this is a welcome added feature.

• The most convenient new change is regarding the technical aspect of the treasury. Treasury East no longer uses Flash which is great news for those of us still rockin’ the dinosaur laptops (mine actually moans if I open anything larger than a jpeg). This will mean no more installing Flash player, no more colorful loading icon and probably the best part of this technical change is that now it shouldn’t be blocked by Firewall that’s usually installed on most work computers (am I endorsing using work time for searching on Etsy?, of course not *wink, wink*)

What I don’t like about Treasury East

• When clicking on an item it does not open it up in its own window. This is really inconvenient especially if you want to further explore that shop. I worry that this will inadvertently misdirect viewers away from the Treasury.

• Another element that I really miss is that there is no way to see how many individual views a specific item has. This has 2 main downsides:  1) If you are included in a treasury created by someone else, it’s always fun to check and see how your item is doing compared to the rest of the items chosen 2) As a curator of the treasury I always like to see what items the viewers responded to the most and the least it’s very helpful in creating future collections.

• Although the unlimited comments are my favorite feature there is one thing I would really like them to include from the Main Treasury. When reading through the comments they no longer highlight the fact if the person commenting is one of the artists featured.

• As I mentioned above, this new Treasury makes it easier to share your treasury via Facebook, StumbleUpon and others. However, I would recommend not using the Twitter option because when creating a tweet, it uses the name of the treasury and the URL is so long it easily takes up more than your 140 character limit. If sharing  using Twitter I suggest doing it the old fashioned way, plus it will be more personal and encourage more clicks.

•I know this is still in its testing stage but if you didn’t know about it there is no mention of it on the front page and is impossible to find unless you have the link. This prevents  buyers from being able to view the collections which I believe can be a valuable selling method.

 Some last thoughts

Overall I really enjoy the new setup of the Treasury East. It allows everyone and anyone to create as many  Treasuries as they want however, that might also be its disadvantage. If you can create as many Treasuries as you want, will we soon be in Treasury overload?  I hope this remains a special feature and the people creating it keep treating it as such. I love sending out emails informing a shop I picked one of their items and hearing their reaction on how thankful they were and how happy they were that someone put all that time into promoting one of their items. I equally love being informed that one of my items has been included in another seller’s Treasury. I hope that this tool doesn’t change those two things.

Well, now it’s your turn to tell me what you think of Treasury East. You can visit my Treasury here:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/de85ea1da51dc94b6c043f00 and feel free to comment below on any aspect of this new feature. I look forward to your observations and opinions.

Phot courtesy of Bubbly Shnooks
Slide show photo courtesy of Twirled Treasures

Article by columnist Michelle aka: Little Toad

I had the opportunity to talk to some great artists on why they chose bigfoot and yeti for their pieces. Not only do I hope you get a kick out of their answers, I hope you will take the time to discover these great shops and add them to your favorites. I certainly have! Be sure to check out Part 1 for even more yeti fun.

katiekylie designs: Katie Kylie’s shop not only has a yeti but a Bigfoot as well. She creates amazing loveable monsters that are adorable while being totally one of a kind. Not only are her creations super cute, they are portable, like her Yeti keychain so you can have your yeti with you at all times.  “I’ve never really thought of myself as a full-fledged artist – I’m just a goofball who has been sewing funny little monsters for my friends for years and finally decided to take their advice and sell them online. My shop is really just full of the things that live in my brain, each with their own “teenie” little personality.” She may not consider herself a full-fledged artist but after seeing her great work I disagree and I know you will too.

scientificculture: This shop is an eclectic blend of all things offbeat and geek, so it’s no surprise that we found a yeti lover in the shop’s owner, Kate. “I’ve always been a fan of all things mythical (yetis, jackelopes, anthropomorphic smiling pinecones) and thought no better way to spread my enthusiasm than to draw some up into buttons and magnets!” Her unique illustration creates a loveable yeti that you just want in your backyard.

 brokesy: Sarah combines her unique characters on wonderful products that range from laptop cases to pillows. “The yeti was one of my first designs (originally as a pillow set with the yeti chasing a terrified lemming). I grew up in a forest surrounded by bears and wolves and other furry beasts. So I’ve always felt a connection with bigfoot – my husband actually jokes that I am a sasquatch and that they took me from the forest and shaved me and forced me to live in “civilization”. I guess all of this has culminated in my yeti.”

anatomyofaskirt: This store may have the widest range of subjects that I’ve seen.  It’s not only a great shop, but each creation is really fun to look at. “I was doing a fair number of mythological creatures and Greek myths for my robot a day project, so it was a natural extension to do a crypto zoological beast- a modern day myth. I chose the yeti because I found this fabulous long white faux fur at the fabric shop; I just knew it was perfect! I’ll be doing Bigfoot eventually, as soon as I find the right material!”

 orangetwist: Claire’s shop has wonderful, unique cards that I guarantee you won’t find on the rack anywhere in stores (but with her talent I wouldn’t be surprised to see them soon) “Happy Birthday Sasquatch” was inspired by my love of Squatch, the now defunct Seattle Sonics mascot. I couldn’t resist creating a card that featured a Sasquatch (in its iconic stance) carrying a group of balloons.” Her goal is to create affordable, useful items that are chuckle inducing, sweet, improbable and cheeky, all while being individually lino- or screen- printed.

 gerishields: Geri Shield’s shop is the epicenter of all things cute with a twist. She takes creatures you wouldn’t normally associate with being cute and manages to render them in an adorable way and her painting of the Bigfoot is no exception. “I was listening to The Groovie Ghoulies and they have a song called “Running with Bigfoot”. While listening to that particular song, I started thinking about running barefoot outdoors, which I did a lot as a kid, and all the different crap that I would accidentally step on: thistles, nails, and bees.  Then I thought if I was Bigfoot and ran around all day in the woods, I would have some pretty sore feet by the end of the day, and picking out giant splinters would probably be a nightly ritual.  Thus, the idea of the painting was born.”

OrigN8  I randomly came across Nathan’s great shop and I was instantly addicted to it. His characters are drawn beautifully and rendered in a way that makes them instantly stand out. “The piece was partly inspired by the winter storms we experienced here in Charlottesville this year. I am currently experimenting with a short series of monster paintings. After a rough sketch, I realized that this one would become a Yeti wandering through town experiencing the winter wonderland like the rest of us, waving at snowmen and such.”

 LemonCadet: Beth’s shop Lemon Cadet is another place where you’d never expect a yeti to be hiding but low and behold, there it was. ”I’ve always been a huge fan of the yeti. In fact, one of my first big school projects was in 4th grade. I did some research and constructed a Bigfoot out of newspaper, wire, tempera paints, and wallpaper paste. It was terrible. I remember hiding under a table and crying because it turned out so badly.  I decided it was high time for some redemption and created the shirts. I’m working on a fabric design based on that same drawing.”

 Becca26: Rebecca’s illustrations are so whimsical and full of wonder and I was so happy to see her interpretation on the Yeti. “This piece was inspired by a good friend of mine who loves daisies. So, I painted a daisy and stared at the canvas. I needed a creature who loved daisies and Carlos, the Midget Yeti was the creature that emerged! Carlos, the midget Yeti loves the simple things in life, food, sleep and flowers. This rarely seen but outgoing creature can be found in many a wood. He enjoys clearing the forest floor so that small plants and flowers can grow. If you should ever be lucky enough to see one, please don’t disturb his work, but a small vanilla cupcake would be greatly appreciated every now and then. Although Carlos has big feet, he has a big heart and would love to share it with you. He works wonders on home gardens.”

I was able to ask these artists two fun questions. Their answers were hilarious and really give you a great sense of their unique personalities.

What would you do if you ran into Bigfoot or a yeti?

“Give it a hug. I would think being the only one of your kind would be really lonely!”- katiekylie

“(Hope they recognize the fur-less me and) give them a big hug, catch up on all the bigfoot gossip, and tell them about my city adventures.”- brokesy

“As a scientist, fact and logic always seem to override any possibility of imaginary undiscovered North American creatures so if I ran into bigfoot or yeti I’d be sure to give him a killer high five and request a small fur sample for microsatellite genetic species analysis! Interestingly enough, during my undergrad I actually performed genetic tests on hair samples collected from scientists in attempt to identify the unknown species of Sasquatch. Unfortunately the fur ended up being black bear…but it was exciting nonetheless…” – scientificculture 

“Hopefully shoot some non-shaky film, get some un-fake-able photos, and throw a press conference.”- anatomyofaskirt

“If I ran into a Bigfoot I’d ask he or she why they are so camera shy. I imagine they’d say it is because they are extremely vain creatures and hate having their pictures taken when looking anything but their best, and since Bigfeet always seemed to be caught unawares by people with cameras, they naturally try to run away. If I ran into a Yeti, I would invite them to tea to discuss their views on the world” – Becca26

“I would try to make a contact with it and then probably start up a game of kick the can or hide and go seek with him. I have a hunch that these guys are pretty stellar at hide and seek”- Orgin8

“compare shoe sizes”- gerishields

“Give the dude some space. I’ve heard they’re pretty smelly” – LemonCadet

“I’d probably be startled and hide behind a tree until I’d figured out if it was friend or foe!” – Orange Twist

Photo courtesy of PearsonMaron

 By Contributing columnist Michelle aka: LittleToad

So you’re in the grocery store waiting in line and you see the headline of the National Enquirer “Bigfoot Spotted in California: Undeniable Proof inside”. If you’re like me, you open it up to see blurry images that could be a lost hiker. Well, look no further for proof that the Yeti and Bigfoot do exist! You can find lots of them on Etsy.
I had the opportunity to talk to some great artists on why they chose this particular subject for their pieces. Not only do I hope you get a kick out of their answers, I hope you will take the time to discover these great shops and add them to your favorites~I certainly have!

 Pigdogonline  has a surreal collection of unique and offbeat items and is a perfect setup for her Yeti Pop painting. She was inspired to create this particular piece when she wanted to create a winter scene but didn’t want to do the typical snowman. “I have always had a special place in my heart for yeti’s and thought it would be a fun whimsical piece.”  Not only is her work fun to look at, but a portion of her sales throughout the year gets donated to local animal organizations to help the many homeless animals in shelters today.

 Somethingbunny ’s shop is super adorable and pulls at the heart strings. It is a very unlikely place to find a Bigfoot but with her own spin on it, it’s truly a heartwarming piece. “Whenever I think about the infamous Bigfoot, I always imagined him being the misunderstood type. Feared by some, hunted by others, I’m sure he must feel very lonely at times. I wanted to create an art piece showing a more vulnerable and gentle side of Bigfoot, to let everyone know that even Bigfoot has feelings and yes, he gets lonely sometimes, too.”

 The shop of  PhilBarbato  is full of everything and anything, so I wasn’t surprised to see an Orange Yeti painting there. I love this piece because of his unique rendering and out of the ordinary color choice. When I asked what his inspiration for this piece was he replied “I think maybe I was feeling like a sad hairy ape myself at the time.” Stop by and visit his shop and you will find prints, paintings, plush, buttons, shirts and surprises.

At WhaleandBee I first discovered this Yeti card on Valentine’s Day but it’s perfect for any occasion and perfect for the yeti lover in your life. “I was thinking about how yetis/bigfoot are often depicted as angry, mean, and crazy, when probably they really just want some love. Remember Harry, from Harry and the Henderson’s? We should have learned something from that movie. So, I made a drawing of a loving yeti for a change!” Her shop is full of wonderful doodles that will be sure to leave you with a huge smile on your face.

 Bluepony’s  shop is stuffed with, well, stuffed creations. There is a wide assortment of plush creatures, including “Harry Larry the Yeti Monster – Plush – Toy – Art doll”  “I’ve always wanted to do a Yeti…his name came from a former boss/employer of mine with white hair…all of my critters are named after people I meet.”

At first glance, MoonPathDesigns looks like an unlikely place to find Bigfoot but upon closer inspection you will find a mix of traditional babywear to anything but the usual. This adorable onesie that boasts “Bigfoot is my Daddy” was inspired by their daughter’s heritage (no she’s not being raised by Bigfoot’s). Their daughter is part Italian and part Hawaiian… i.e., lots of hair and wide, wide feet. “We figured our daughter needed to be able to celebrate her obvious Bigfoot heritage, so we developed a design to allow her to wave her Sasquatch flag proudly. Plus, we love the Autobiography of Bigfoot books.”

 Thea’s shop Little Felt Hearts , holds creations so adorable and  unique, that a yeti seems like a perfect fit in her collection. Melvin, the Yeti, was inspired by her wanting to make a giant huggable furry creature. “My mission for my shop is to let my imagination run free in cute and fuzzy forms.”  The quality and detail she puts into her creations is wonderful.

 Flapper Girl ’s store is like finding a great vintage store in your neighborhood. She spends most of her time either combing through vintage treasures at antique malls and thrift stores, or expressing her creativity though sewing, embroidery, and jewelry design. She brings these two passions together with her store. The kitchen is an unlikely place to find a yeti but her Yeti Apron is adorable. “This piece is a part of an apron collection I made all about the mythology surrounding the winter season. I’ve always loved the tales of the abominable snowman, and really wanted to include him in one of my designs.”

I had the opportunity to ask these artists what they would do if they ran into a yeti or Bigfoot and their answers are not only hilarious but really give you a great sense of their unique personalities.

“I think I would give him a hug and bring him home with me”- pigdogonline

“I would ask Bigfoot if he would like to join me for a cup of tea and biscuits! Or whatever snack that suits his fancy. I’m sure he would be very friendly because he just seems to be misunderstood”- somethingbunny

“Give him a hug” -Philbarbato

“I’d ask him to have a drink with me so we could get acquainted in a relaxed atmosphere. Then, if he was up to it, we’d go shoe shopping and he’d buy a pair of Onitsuka Tigers if they had his size (royal blue ones with white stripes and red accents). If things were still going well, we’d go out for a pasta dinner and then maybe catch a concert if someone good was playing. At the end of the night, I’d send him home with a plush Domo to keep him company in the woods and a promise to call within a week”-whaleandbee

“Haa, I don’t really know…maybe try and get a picture of it” -Bluepony808

“Offer him a cupcake. And then run”- MoonPathDesigns

“If I was ever to bump into a bigfoot or yeti I think I would stare at it from a distance see how it reacted  and then go up to it and start a conversation and see if it knew English. If not, I would just give him a hug and rub his tummy”-Little Felt Hearts

“Be very quiet and still, so I wouldn’t scare him away. Then just watch him for awhile, and finally discover what kinds of things the elusive yeti likes to do”-Flapper Girl

Photo courtesy of PearsonMaron

By contributing columnist Michelle, aka: littletoad

The Daily Foto Project is the unique brain child of Melissa Azizi a self-taught Australian photographer. So what is exactly is The Daily Foto Project? It is a 365-day photo project where Melissa takes a photograph everyday for a year. But, that’s not all. She lists each image on Etsy and donates 5% of sales to a charity of the buyer’s choice. I have been following Melissa’s work for a while now and she was nice enough to answer some questions I was dying to know about her and this project.

So how did you come up with this idea? I’m from Sydney and my partner and I arrived in Berlin in May 2009. I broke my foot 2 months later! So, I pretty much spent my first European summer indoors and immobilized. Of course, I was down about it as my partner had also started a new job working really long hours and we had just moved into a completely empty apartment. The ordeal was a bit stressful, but ultimately being immobilized gave me time to reflect, especially about those that are really in a less fortunate position. I wanted to turn my little foot misadventure into something more positive for me and for others. Personally, I needed a way to happily re-acquaint myself with Berlin again and to develop my creativity.

How did the charity aspect of the project come along? I didn’t want the project to just be for and about me. It’s been done before, I’m sure. I thought it would be a great idea that when people buy a photo, that they’re also giving something positive to the world too. So, I donate 5% of the buyers purchase to a charity of their choice. I like to call it being a ‘Conscientious Consumer’.

Are there days when you really don’t want to take a picture? Not at all! I always think it’s interesting to see what I can come up with, especially on those days when I haven’t left the house until later in the evening and I’m losing light.

Is photography a hobby or do you do it professionally? I’m not professionally trained as a photographer, but I always treat it professionally.

What do you do when you aren’t taking pictures? I’m a film producer!

How many pictures do you take in a day to get the one you plan on using?There’s no limit, but I have taken anywhere between 5 to 50! I take my camera everywhere as I never know when I’ll need it!

Do you have a plan of what you are going to shoot for that day or do you just wait to find inspiration? It’s a mix. There are days where I’ve planned to visit a certain area, such as the Charlottenburg Palace, so I know I’ll use a photo from there. But, I take my camera with me everywhere, even up the road to the grocers. Who knows where inspiration may hit?

How have you been promoting this project? Mainly online and word-of-mouth. I have my own website, use Twitter, have a Facebook fan page and of course, my Etsy shop.

What kind of response from fans and Etsy sellers have you gotten? Positive responses. The good thing about Etsy is that it’s community-orientated and if you need advice or tips, other sellers are happy to help out. And many Etsy sellers are also on Twitter and Facebook, and they happily give their thumbs up too.

Why did you choose Etsy as your platform for your project? I wanted to find a site that was already established as a place for people to visit if they wanted to buy photographs. With an established site comes the pros, such as high traffic and a community. I received an email from someone who happened to have their Etsy store link in their email signature. I clicked on it and discovered a whole new world!

Can you give us a few examples of the charities that have been chosen through your sales? We all know about the recent devastation in Haiti, so the project has donated to American Red Cross for Haiti & Habitat for Humanity for Haiti. A lesser known charity has been the German Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired and even the Wikipedia Foundation.
And now the BIG question,What are you going to do after the 365 days are up? A big party, perhaps? Or, an exhibition? Or, a photo book collection! Too many ideas right now!

A huge thanks to Melissa for taking the time to answer my questions and for the good work she is doing with her talent. Looking at her site I hope will inspire us as artists to not only be creative but to also find ways to use our art to help others.

Image courtesy of  TheDailyFoto.

Camera imageNYLightMetals

The Best Illustrators on Etsy That You’ve Probably Never Seen:  Part 2

By contributing columnist Michelle AKA: Little Toad

I had the pleasure of getting to ask these talented artist questions about their work and where they hope their work takes them. Please not only read this article but visit their shops I promise you will be transported to a different world and look at ours in a new way. These are undiscovered talents that I know will become your new favorites.

12. MaricarmenPizano

Maricarmen Pizano’s work is a beautiful combination of cute and expressive, displayed in muted backgrounds which just add to the beauty of her work. “I like to use different techniques like watercolor, acrylics, and ink, but for my illustrations I prefer the pencil because it allows me to play with contrast and especially because the monochromatic palette gives more drama to my work. My inspiration comes from many places; music, a cup of coffee but mostly from my own life.  Every single experience that marks my life is part of the story I tell in my illustrations.”

13. art4barewalls

Mara’s work is so bright and vibrant it basically jumps off the page at you. Her characters are charming and drawn in a way that makes them truly unique. I asked her how she got started. “I was looking for art for kids and did not like anything I found. I like edgy bright colored work so I decided to make my own. I then discovered that this may very well be the kind of work I need to do since I had so much fun doing it! My son is the reason I got on this track and he continues to inspire me every day.”

 14. Somethingbunny

Lea’s illustrations grab you the moment you look into the eyes of her characters. They are so sweet and gentle you have no choice but to fall in love with them.“I often find inspiration in things I come across in my daily life. In many cases, simple things such as a sweet gesture, a cute animal or even baked goods strike me with a creative brainwave which carries itself into an illustration. I am also highly influenced by colors and emotions and I find that my illustrations often depict things that tug at my heart strings. I can’t say for sure where I hope my art takes me, but I know that art and illustration will be a love that I will carry throughout my lifetime”

15. Kimsieboldstudios

Kim Sieblod’s work is beautifully simplistic yet complex in the emotions she is able to convey. “I am happiest when I am creating and using my creative skills.”  She is inspired by EVERYTHING! “I am inspired by simplicity, innocence, color, texture, interior design, typography, you name it.  The style of art depends on my mood. My true illustration love is traditional hand-drawn art with ink and then color enhancing with Photoshop”

16. juliettecrane

Juliette Canes is truly an original. Not only do her main characters have personality but her backgrounds display just as much character. You really get a great sense of the environment and the season you are viewing. “I love nature and taking walks and traveling and meeting people. I feel like all of those things, everything I experience, makes it into my artwork. At least I try for that anyways.”

17. ginormousrobot

If you don’t instantly get pulled into Josh’s work I don’t know what’s wrong with you! His illustrations are funny, sweet and truly original. I asked Josh where he hopes his work would someday take him.“There is this dream I have of a little studio in the backyard of my house where I sit and draw robots all day. I never have to wear a tie and I can stop and play tickle football with my kids whenever I want. I’m not there yet, but I hope to be.”

 18. borzoiart

I have never seen animals rendered and interpreted the way that Lena Sennikova does with her illustrations. They are truly breathtaking and amazingly original. Lena was planning to be a vet, but at the last moment she turned to Art College. “I am attached to the animalistic genre, but it a little boring for me to draw the ‘right animals’…  I try to increase their individual attitude, to make their characters brighter, to make them more romantic and kind. And, indeed, I take my inspiration from music, fairy tales, books (especially about animals), cartoons, anything beautiful…children, flowers, clouds…everything can be a source of inspiration.”

 19. Candace jean

Candace not only has one great etsy shop but three, all with their unique style and products. “I make a bunch of random, mismatched art that I spread over three Etsy shops so I feel like each piece is appropriately “categorized”. I find inspiration in all sorts of places; usually flora and fauna. I adore nature and the living world and am continuously fascinated by it. I find inspiration in children’s literature and classic fairy tales, historic fashion and lifestyle, books, old and vintage items, and life itself in all its complex simplicity.”

20. Becca26

Rebecca Menard’s work is unbelievably charming and a little wacky. She fines a great balance between being funny and having heart. “At the moment, art is a side business for me, but ultimately I’d love it to be my everyday job, my everyday joy. I hope to be able to support myself doing what makes me happy and hopefully bring other people joy as well.”

21. GouacheRocks

I bet you’ve never seen work quite like Anaïs Goldemberg’s before. Her interpretation of a subject and the medium she uses come together to create an awe inspiring final piece.”I love to create portraits of funny witches, scary ghosts, wild animals… Nothing serious, as you can see. I’m also an enthusiastic follower of many blogs, a great part of them about illustrators.”

 22. Gisellegonzalez

Giselle’s work is warm, inviting and really charming. It mixes very childlike wonder with modern sophistication. “Creating art has always been my passion. Ever since I was a little girl I spent hours drawing and painting in my notebooks and coloring books. I was obsessed with Disney’s Cinderella and I used to draw my mom and aunts with cinched waists and big skirts! I definitely think that I’ve always been attracted to-really girly, frilly things.”

Photo courtesy of Virginia Lindsay aka: ginia18

By contributing Columnist Michelle aka: LittleToad

The Best Illustrators on Etsy That You’ve Probably Never Seen:  Part 1

I had the pleasure of  asking  these talented artists questions about their work and where they hope their work takes them. Please not only read this article but visit their shops I promise you will be transported to a different world and look at ours in a new way. These are undiscovered talents that I know will become your new favorites.

1. Babayagada

Lena Yampolsky is the extraordinary artist behind these magical and sometimes surreal images. She gets inspiration from the melting pot of languages and cultures and also her endless fascination with beauty of nature. “The cores of many of my works reflects flawed irrational features of human beings character”. In the future she hopes to do more illustrations, write a comic book for children and also do some animation. She hopes that her personal projects one day will be her way of making a living. 

2. SoRAd

Jasmine Bashaj is the artist behind SoRad, an eclectic mix of wacky and just plain fun images. I dare you not to get a great big smile when looking at her work. She was working for someone else when she thought, hmmm, shouldn’t I be doing this for myself and getting the credit for it? So she decided to start her own line of greeting cards. She is currently working on incorporating her illustrations into baby clothes-so stay tuned. Her inspiration comes from everything and anything. “Ideas come to me usually when I’m going to sleep, just pop into my head really. My Mac book pro is covered in (virtual) sticky notes with ideas.”

 3. MenageriePrints

Vic Turnbull is a children’s illustrator who creates these amazing humorous and heartwarming images. Her ability to convey emotion in her animals is astounding and one look and you will fall in love with them as I did. ”I want to bring them to life, give them a character and personality.” She is inspired by other illustrators and artists and hopes to one day explore the possibility of creating picture books. “A number of children’s books had an impact on me as a child and I’d love to follow in the footsteps of some of these by writing and illustrating my own story.”

4. Blackmago

Blackmago’s way of creating his animal illustration’s is truly unique and completely original. His work is graceful and extremely charming to look at. He is inspired by his own life, his friends, his mother and his past. When asked where he hoped his art would take him he responded “I just want to be a source for helping others to be happy, to smile with the simple things on life, just to help other dreamers to dream more and to believe dreams can come true.”

 5. deeplyshallow

When I first saw the work of Jason Gurley I was instantly enthralled. His work really does transform you to a different world and the colors alone are enough to make you an instant fan. He is inspired by just about everything. “If a coworker says something embarrassing, I’ll probably have a rough sketch of the moment captured by the end of the day.” Weather,  architecture, other terrific illustrators, novels, a bad dream, science fiction, his adorable fiancée and her own crafty creations are also inspiration for Jason.

6. vcying

Victoria Ying’s work is charming with an amazing sense of style and movement. Her work reminds me of images you would see in a Paris gallery. She is inspired by films; especially films with great stories and great storytelling through images.  Black and white movies are often her favorites. She also loves fashion and fashion design. She hopes one day to write and illustrate her own children’s book and maybe do some character licensing work on the side.

7. LoxlyHollow

When I first laid eyes on Elisabeth Zuniga’s work I was transformed back to my childhood and reading Beatrix Potter in the grass. Her work captures the beauty and the essence of being a child. “I love fairy tales. I love living in a world of make-believe and lovely places. My inspiration comes from my favorite books, which are The Chronicles of Narnia, Winnie the Pooh, Wind in the Willows, and the Beatrix Potter tales.”  Her fondest hope is to become an illustrator for children’s books. She wants to create magical worlds through her art that will give children as well as adults a lovely place to visit as they read.

 8. ZarsArt

Zar Galstian’s art is beautifully stylized and how she draws people and the situations around them is truly one of a kind. “A lot of my artwork definitely has an animation influence. But besides that, I always try to put a story behind the artwork I create, or some sort of insight into who that character is. I draw from my family and experiences a lot; they are usually the inspiration behind most of my artwork.” It is her dream to one day design characters for animated feature films and she’s always wanted to illustrate children’s books.

9. SleepUnderStars

I feel in love with Sleep Under Star’s  work the moment I came across it on a random etsy search whim. Her work put a huge smile on my face and I was hooked not only on her unique characters but her bold and unique color combinations. She grew up in Hawaii and spent a lot of time outdoors–running around, flying kites and looking up at the clouds for hours. “I think we adults gain a lot from reconnecting with childhood feelings: a sense of long days and bright colors, playfulness, and waking up each day bursting with new ideas.” She also gets her inspiration from food (my kind of lady) “In my Hawaii Dreams Box Set, I picked envelopes in shades that reminded me of comfort foods: yellow like lilikoi ( passion fruit), the green of honeydew bubble tea, orange for orange cream soda, and red-orange for li hing mui (a salted plum snack). For Christmas, I used minty teals and reds like mint candies and gingerbread house decorations.”

 10. Paperyoyo

 I feel in love with the work of Gwynne Simmons the moment I saw the illustration featured here. She captured the emotion on the cat and girl’s face perfectly and her other work does exactly the same. She is as versatile in subject matter as she is in the medium she uses. “I love making up characters and moments and bringing them to life through any medium.  I like to switch it up and will work with fabric and felt one day, and will be painting or cutting paper the next.  It’s fun to be able to switch because each medium makes me think differently about an idea.”

 11. beautifique 

Nina Mata’s work grabs you right away with very bold color choices and unique subject matter that ranges from oh so cute to totally bizarre (in a good way).  She is inspired by anything and everything around her. “I see facial expressions everywhere! From a bathroom tile to a crack on the wall, they all have a story to tell.” Her main goal is to write and illustrate children’s books.

Picture courtesy of Virginia Lindsay of ginia18