Our ChYMieRa speaks!!

If you've been on our team forum (which you should be!) I'm sure you've met ChYMieRa, our team leader who has been creating our treasury challenges and generously donating some of her handmade jewelry pieces to the winners. I hope you've treated yourself to a visit to her shop! ChYMieRa is also the name of her own brand of handmade, one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry. Her pieces incorporate a wide range of techniques and materials, from vintage to found objects to gemstones and raw materials such as teeth and bone.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

ChY has been such a team player, stepping in as a leader and working hard on team business, all the while managing her own very successful Etsy shop, a family with four boys (!), as well as another full-time job! She has that elusive mix of skills we all need - both a talented artist and tireless promoter. And ChY is *always* there to answer a question or lend a hand. I'm in awe of this lovely woman!!!

Of Purple Skies

It's high time we got to know more about her and her secrets, don't you think??? Here we go...

Dru: tell us about yourself, the mysterious force of nature known as ChYMieRa!

ChY: ~ I have never considered myself to be mysterious. Weird is more like it, and passionate. Passionate about anything that I care about, but able to turn a blind eye on things that bother me, because really, life is just too short.

Whenever someone would look down upon or judge me, it makes me rise above & be better, better than me, better than them.

I am unselfish & very giving, and I love to prove a point.

My husband calls me righteous, he tells me I have a fire within me.

To me, its more like passion or compassion. I hate bullies and I stick up for the underdog- always.

And I'm not afraid to stand up for what is right, even if I stand alone.

I generally play well with others, and when I make a friend they will be a friend for life.

Memento Mori

Dru: how did you get your start making jewelry?

ChY: ~ I started making jewelry a few years after I started making teeth [aside: this is ChY's day job!] -- making gold teeth or a gold ring is the exact same process. There were so many experiments, I was like a mad scientist! So, even though I had schooling for teeth making, I learned how to make jewelry & set stones all on my own.

I had been doing that for several years for family & friends. One day, my neighbor told me about Etsy, it was love at first click. I knew this could be a wonderful place for me to sell my "hobby".

My art inspirations:

~ In my younger years, I was drawn to horror, vampire and macabre flicks. They evoked in me & still do, some primal force.

It's that odd, dark energy that inspires me to create macabre & creepy items.

I am also a huge fan of nature. I could be driving down the road and see a gorgeous sunset behind a weeping willow tree and be inspired to make some jewelry representing that.

Brethren of the Woods

My life inspirations:

~ First and foremost, my children (4 boys) are my biggest inspirations.

I always wanted them to have the best, so that meant a lot of sacrificing & hard work for me. Whenever something gets me down, all I need to think about are my kids, and then it's all good.

They are my world.

I'm also inspired to be better when a curve ball gets thrown my way.

There is always a silver lining behind every black cloud!


Drops of Saturn and Honey

Dru: what's a typical day like for you? (and how does Etsy fit into your life?)

ChY: Anywhere between 8 and 11 a.m., I will get out of bed. My day will always start with a good cup of Joe. When I'm fully awake and dressed, I check my stocks. Then I check Etsy, then my email. I cut checking facebook out, too easy to get sucked in. If I made jewelry the night before, I try to take photos in the morning light.

If I have sold something on Etsy, I will print the order, package it, stick it in my handy dandy mailing bag ( One large sturdy brown paper bag with handles, courtesy of American Eagle) and put the bag at the 'bus stop' so I can grab it on the way out. The 'bus stop' is a bench I built several years ago. It's long, wide & opens for storage. This is where coats, purses, keys, backpacks, mail, you name it gets thrown on their way out or in. Then I head to work. That could be anywhere from a 2 to 10 hour day. During sports seasons, I have to leave work early. 4 boys? Yeah you know we play sports! Then night rolls around and I check emails, etsy, etc... , by 11 p.m. my husband is telling me to go get some rest. I end up getting to sleep around 2 or 3 a.m. because something inspired me to make a piece of jewelry.

Wanted: Dead or Alive

Dru: do you have any goals in mind for your Etsy business, or the Folk Reveries team?

ChY: ~ I try not to set goals. I tend to roll with the punches and take whatever life hands out to me - good or bad. To be honest, I am quite surprised at how lucrative creativity can be. When I first opened my shop on Etsy, I would go "squeee!" if I had a sale a week. Those days are over. Without divulging any stats, let's just say, doing this well with my art, makes me keep wanting to do.

When and if I decide to retire from the teeth business, Etsy could definitely be an after retirement income. As far as the Folk Reveries team, like I said before, I am very giving and I enjoy being part of something. I think it is a fabulous team with many diverse talents. I would love someday to maybe see a Folk Reveries gathering. A collective, if you will where all the active team shops come together and offer a wide array of products. Not necessarily an actual brick & mortar, but somewhat a virtual one.


Bite the Bullet

Dru: Love that idea! What first attracted you to Folk Reveries?

ChY: ~ I had been invited to them team about a year ago, before the teams became self supportive & active. But during the transition from the Etsy admin control, I somehow got lost. It took me a few months to realize it , and when I did, I asked to come back aboard. What still attracts me to the team is the personalization between everyone. There is a good number of members, but as far as the continuously active member ie: those who post in the forums, promote or make treasuries, we began to recognize each other by name. Then from there we begin to know each others lives, what we did that day, what our kids did and so on. And I love that personal feel. I'm not a clingy person at all, it's just that when I really like or respect someone they truly will know it.

I Am Coming To You

Dru: what advice would you give to new artists and team members?

ChY: When I first started the ChYMieRa shop, it took a while for me to get some sales. It is very hard to sell handmade products when you are new and have little to no feedback, so I started with selling things that I knew would sell -- antiques.

It built up some good feedback for me. Once I started listing handmade jewelry, I still occasionally listed antiques to keep views coming to the shop.

I also promoted all my handmade things. Networked to friends, family and so on. I still have to promote, but on a different level. I now pay for advertising, because the shop revenue allows for it.

My best advice for any anyone wanting to be on a team is- as a team member, become involved. Lots of times I sell things to my team mates when I am having a sale, because they are really the first ones to know of it if you post it in the forums. Start a facebook page and list one or two items a day. Connect with other local artists or actual shops to see if they do consignment. But most of all, do not give up. Starting a business is so hard, and sometimes it seems like it will just never grow. Keep your chin up, promote & when and if you have a sale, send a card with a certain percent off for their next order. You will often have repeat customers when doing this.


Lucian's Castle

What a fierce and cheeky perspective she has, wouldn't you agree?! Please join me in thanking ChY for this interview, and everything she does for us!!

i dream of blue...

Amanda of Blue LaReve recently won our team treasury challenge with her entry "a little folk for the soul.". I just want to live in her world of fresh breezes and cool colours - perfect for this hot weather!

Her shop is a carefully curated blend of her own handmade creations with complementary vintage items. Check out these beauties...





Head on over to her shop, or visit her at her lovely blog, here! Congrats Amanda, from a fellow cancer girl!

Easter interview with SomethingHorse

I can't think a better way to celebrate easter than by spending time with Sammi of SomethingHorse. She is a new-ish leader on our Folk Reveries team and has been such a help and a unifying force on our team already. I just love following her Woodland Diary, and want to live in the magical landscapes she creates. I'm treating myself to one of Sammi's adorable bunny scuptures today too ... :)



Here are my questions and her answers...

What is your background?

Joe and I both grew up in Southern Africa. Joe grew up in Zambia and I grew up on a sheep farm in a semi-desert area of South Africa called the little Karoo. Joe and I met because he was my painting lecturer at Art college. Because of our opposition to Apartheid it became dangerous for us to live in South Africa, so soon after we met we moved to Ireland where we spent 12 years before moving to London about 9 years ago.

How long have you been working in clay and on paper?

I only began working with clay 4 or 5 years ago, so it is still very new to me, but I have been making drawings and paintings on paper since I was a child. I have been officially working as a painter and illustrator for about 20 years.

Do you work in any other media?

My other favourite medium, which also involves paper, is collage. I also love working with wood, taking photographs and creating collections of found objects.

How does your observance of nature influence your work?

The world of nature is a great source of inspiration for me. I think that the organic shapes, forms, textures and colours that I see find their way into my work. I also love animals and my experiences of watching wild and tame animals has created the basis for many of the animal characters I paint or make out of clay. I also love looking at films, documentaries and artwork which capture the beauty of nature.

Nature is not just a visual source of imagery for me... in a very real way I think that the energy I need in order to create is replenished and renewed through my contact with nature. I could not really keep going without it.

What is the connection with paganism in your life and work?

I connect to Pagan myths and festivals because of the reverence for nature and the close connection with the rhythms and seasons of the earth throughout the year. This is something I try to hold on to and remain aware of.



What is a typical day like for you?

My days tend to vary quite a lot as I am more creative at some times of the month than others - I find that the time before and after the full moon is my most creative time. I often work quite late into the night, so usually I get up quite late, make a to-do list for the day and get to work. Often the early part of the day is spent on loading the kiln, taking photographs, checking mail etc. An hour or so before sunset Joe and I will always take a walk to the wood, forest or fields. This is the most important and most enjoyable part of my day. After cooking dinner I usually get to work on colouring and glazing, or making new pieces out of clay. At the moment I am doing some collage which is a lovely change. I don't paint as much as I used to, but sometimes I will paint or write. I also have to try to squeeze in some time online working on my blog or Etsy shop. Always too much to do and not enough hours to fit it all in!! We always end the day with watching a nice film or documentary or listening to an audio book.

Can you tell us more about your creative partnership?

When Joe and I work together he tends to make things on a large scale and I produce the teeny details. We are working on a gnome house at the moment, it is made in a section of a hollow oak log. Joe has carved stairs and a fireplace and is busy installing the upper storey. I am going to make the gnome family and gnome crockery etc out of clay. He will make some wooden furniture as well.

We are also writing a children's book about a family of beetles. Joe has done most of the illustrations and I have done most of the writing, but we worked out the story together.

We love to work together in this way, but also have our own individual projects... sometimes we need to give one another a lot of space, at other times we offer one another advice and encouragement.

What are your hopes and goals for the future of your creative work?

I have been thinking about learning to crochet so that I can make clothes for my little clay figures... I am waiting till I am less busy, but this is a little dream I really hope to realise one day.

I want to finish the many children's books I have begun writing and illustrating.

And finally in the very near future Joe and I are determined that we are finally going to use the enamels and enamelling equipment we bought a few years ago and make some enamelled jewellery in our kiln.



Thanks so much, Sammi, for sharing your world with us <3 We're so lucky to have you as a team leader!

Introducing Weekly Treasury Challenges!

Starting Monday, the Folk Reveries team will have weekly treasury challenges! Here are the Rules (and some general guidelines, too!):

• The challenges will run from Monday to the following Sunday of each week, with the winner of the previous week to be announced early in the following week.
• The team leaders will select the most beautiful and inspiring team treasury made during each week.
• The winner's shop will then be featured in the following weeks' treasury challenge! That means lots of views for the winners.
• To make your listings easy to find for treasury curators, include the team tag "folkreveries" in your listings!
• Tag your treasuries "folkreveries" AND "folkreverieschallenge".
• Use at least 8 folk reveries shops in your treasury. Try and include some of our new and "undiscovered" members!
• Post the link to your treasury in our team discussion forum (I'll start a new thread each month).
• Spread the links all around! Blog, facebook and tweet our team treasuries as widely as possible!
• The more variety of items you include in your treasury, the better your chances of making the front page.
• Clicking on each item in your team treasuries increases the views!
• When tagging your treasuries, look for the latest "buzz" words - they are often listed in the Storque and I will try to post them on our team page.

We'll announce the winners right here, along with the challenges for the next week!

For this first challenge, let's all start with the work of one of our most talented team members, Nicomi "Nix" Turner. She is designing a blog banner for us, and all need to thank her!! If you aren't familiar with her work yet, you'll enjoy getting to know her through her illustrations and her jewellery creations. So ... begin your treasuries for next week with an item from one of her lovely shops, Fernbeds and Specimen Jars. Here are just a few examples...

Hunger's Demands Original Framed Illustration

The Art of Nicomi "Nix" Turner

Fernbeds Illustration Collection Set Greeting Cards

Mildred Mouse and The Thousand Pages Necklace

The Weberly Woods Necklace

Ok - let's get to curating!! And just comment here or on our team page, or convo me if you have questions!

toodles!

drucilla

folk reveries friday finds

thank you for submitting these pieces from your shops for this week's friday finds!

click on the photos and take a journey into the creative world of some of our team members.

folk reveries friday finds

A few finds that I discovered on our new team page on Etsy. These are all new members. Welcome to folk reveries! Click on the pictures to see who they are.

If you haven't been to our new homepage, stop on by.

A Folk Reveries Interview with Allyson Mellberg

I was so glad to be able to interview Allyson Mellberg recently. Allyson is a member of our Folk Reveries team, and an incredibly talented artist in many media. I've been an admirer of her work for ages now, and soon I'll have my very own dottie!

How did you come to be an artist?
My Mom and Dad are both artists (mom was a sculptor/painter and dad is an industrial designer) so I was raised in an environment with working artists around. My brother also made art. It seemed very natural to be creative and make things.


Your dottie softies are much-loved! One wonders if they just popped off your canvas into 3D... What and who are these creatures?
Thank you! My husband and I had been making large scale soft sculptures together & I had always been interested in miniatures... so I pulled the dotties from my drawings as the first experiment with that. The dotties are a kind of amalgamation of rodents, (hamsters/ground hogs) and cats... They are passive, curious, and friendly. In my drawings they serve as mediators between humans and the mysterious natural world. Humans can often be seen trying to communicate with them (successfully and unsuccessfully) and occasionally feeding them the wrong food... like rocks. They like to eat plants & popcorn. They are named 'dotties" for their spots (not all of them are spotted though) and in memory of my husband Jeremy's grandma Dorothy (Dot) who I loved dearly.


You work in so many different media, including the beautiful new papercuts in your Etsy shop, and yet your work is very cohesive. Like your dotties, do other characters travel with you from one media to another? What is your approach to choosing a particular media for a new project or series?
Thank you! That is a huge compliment. I definitely don't see my ideas as exclusive to one media and I find it really exciting to experiment and learn how to do new things. Usually a new series begins in the sketchbook as small drawings and then travels to larger works on paper... from there I start experimenting and occasionally, like this summer when I got the itch to start wood carving for my show at Cinders, I will just try something totally new. Sometimes it works out... other times it doesn't! The new papercuts come from a while back when I was doing more collograph printing and used a ton of cut paper/mylar stencils. I found that way of making images really fascinating... I am such a line oriented drawer/printmaker... that moving over to just using shapes, and no lines, is really fun and a good challenge.


Would you describe your studio practice?
I am a teacher, so I am in the art studio all of the time. At home, I work in my sketchbook first, then move to the studio, or the kitchen table... I like to listen to music & movies. Often Jeremy and I work together, which is really nice.


Are you still teaching? What is your feeling on the relationship between being an artist in academia and pursuing one's own art?
Yup. I am actually on the tenure track (3 years in) so I am a full time professor. It is a strange relationship and while I love teaching and working with young artists I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't quit teaching in a heartbeat if I could sustain myself & have health insurance on my artwork alone. Teaching itself is awesome, its the academic politics and administrative work that is not so great. I always say that I have two full time jobs, being an artist and being a teacher. Being an artist is the most important one. It is a dream to be able to retire early and just make art, but teaching is a really great job, having the summer off and flexible hours (and the fact that exhibitions count as career development) is really great for an artist.


What do you like about being on Etsy, and what are its challenges? Do you find that it is compatible with a fine arts practice?
Etsy is great because its very easy to use, and the community of people is really friendly and vast. I have met some amazing artists, some of whom have become my friends. As far as challenges, I think the only thing is its easy to get lost in how many people/how much stuff is posted on Etsy everyday. I see it as adjunct to my fine art practice. I sell smaller goods in my shop that I could afford to buy myself. Things like my larger sculptures, prints, and original works are handled by my gallery, so Etsy is a way for me to connect with people on a smaller basis. This may sound kind of goofy, but I also just see Etsy as being really friendly and sweet. I like the whole "convo" thing and how willing people are to just send you a message to tell you that they are stoked on what you are making. I know I have written people before just to say, "hey, I really love what you are doing" even if I couldn't afford to buy something at that moment.


I noticed that you and your partner, Jeremy, now have a new handmade and vintage shop! What are other future plans do you have for your work in general?
Oh yes! And we need to get going on that! I have a whole bunch of stuff to post. (presently lighting fire under fanny...) Future plans include the wonderful, bug-free (almost) fall/winter garden that we have just planted... Fall is so great for gardening here in Virginia because it stays warm enough for along time to grow all kinds of greens and cabbages. We have several group shows coming up, one in Cincinnati, Japan, New Orleans, and then work going out to pop-up shops in Milwaukee, Richmond and here in Charlottesville. I am also working on my solo show in Paris at Galerie LJ which I will go over for in April. And I am speaking at Pictoplasma in Berlin in April too!

Why were you drawn to the Folk Reveries team?
Well, I think the profile description on Etsy says it all, Sharing a group with other artists who are inspired by the natural world and the magic that belongs to it! Very nice.

*Thank you so much, Allyson! Readers, do pop over to Allyson's shop and blog. She is very friendly so don't hesitate to send her a convo. And be sure to comment here and let us know what you think of the interview!

** All images copyright and courtesy of Allyson Mellberg.

folk reveries friday finds

the other day, while on twitter, i came across a tweet from one of our teammies,
margeaux kent, from peg and awl & the black spot books.

click on the necklace to see where i found her.

congrats margeaux!

folk reveries friday finds

Click on the photos to take you to the shops of these fab team members.

Happy Halloween~

folk reveries friday finds

the holidays are quickly approaching. one of the keys to being found on etsy is to use your tags wisely. one of the ways that admins searches for items for storque articles and etsy finds is by searching for key words.

if you don’t already know this, the storque publishes a monthly blog post entitled "from etsy’s merchandising desk". in it you’ll find what the coming month’s trends will be. search through the article and look for the key words that they’ll be hunting for.

treasury makers will also be looking for those key words and trends.
i also use tags when searching for items for our friday finds.

to get a bird's eye view of the keys included in this post, just click on the pictures.

folk reveries friday finds

this friday we take a peak into the shops of the folks that contribute to our blog. above is andrea, our team leader, also known as littlebighead.

helena runs faunfare.

this would be me, katie. i run 2 etsy shops. this one, blackstar, is on the team.



drucilla runs drucillapettibone.

heather's shop is audreyeclectic.

mathyld's shop is underthepyramids.