I won a box of paint. Come join me as I unbox a box of paint from DecoArt.

I am super excited to have won paint from DecoArt paints!! check out my unboxing video. 

Meet the Maker: Brenda Calvert Art

Hi, friends. How are you? How has your week been? We have been pretty busy attending an Autism conference. We found out about two weeks ago that our youngest son may have a form of Autism, so one of our homework assignments from his therapist was to attend the conference. It was a lot of information but interesting. What have you been up to?

Would you like to be featured on our blog, have a product reviewed, or a feature on our social media sites? Email me and we can set it up for you.

Here we are for another edition in our Meet the Maker Series. Today, Brenda from Brenda Calvert Art will be taking over our blog and telling more about herself and her small shop. Brenda, it is so fun to have you join us I can't wait to learn more about you.

I'm Brenda and I grew up in Lynden, Washington and stayed here! It's a little farming community and it brings me plenty of inspiration for my paintings. I taught art to Kids for 7 years and now have been selling my own art for 1 year on Etsy and Facebook.

I am passionate about creating art my whole life. Although I love all forms of art, I mainly paint with acrylics on canvas. The most favorite painting I've made is for Natalie of the vintage porch. It's of her three kids on the beach.

My advice for others just starting out in a handmade business is to put yourself out there and be brave! If you have a dream, make it happen with one step at a time.

Thanks for sharing Brenda, it has been fun to get to know you better.

Connect with Brenda online!
Website : https://www.brendacalvertart.com
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/brendacalvertart/
Facebook insider group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/1734168753517442?ref=bookmarks
Twitter : https://twitter.com/BrendaCalvert6
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/brendacalvert.art/
Pinterest : https://www.pinterest.com/artwithbcalvert/

Meet the Maker: Tanya Moulds from Paint and Letters

Hi, Friends. How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun? We had a fairly quiet weekend of being home and running errands. We are less than a week out from our 25 days of Christmas in July Craft Challenge. I am working hard on putting together the craft line-up. Hope you will join us on July 1st. Our regular posts will still happen on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

If you would like a blog feature or know of a crafter we should feature please comment below or email me. Today's interview is with Tanya from Paint and Letters.

Where are you from and where do you live now?
I consider myself from both Kansas City, Missouri and Torrance, California as I grew up in both places. I live in Meridian, Idaho now, which is part of the Boise metropolitan area.

How long have you been crafting?
I've been crafting for as long as I can remember. My family is full of crafters. I remember my mom attempting to teach me to crochet when I was 5, and I managed to make a blanket for my Barbie. I've been really blessed to have a lot of opportunities to learn, and experience, a variety of arts and crafts throughout my life. That is so fun that your family is full of crafters. What a fun memory with your mom.

What got you started in making things by painting and lettering?
I took several art classes growing up, but the focus was always with dry media. I've painted with acrylic on canvas in the past, but my heart longed to learn watercolor. In 2016 I finally decided to grab the watercolor paints out of my daughter's art kit and learn. I often start projects but don't stick with them past a point, so I decided to make it my purpose to stick with this and push past the challenges I faced. I wanted to master something, not just be a Jane of all trades. As it turned out I seemed to have a knack for it. I also found painting with watercolors to be so relaxing. It was the first time I found something that I enjoyed the entire process. It sometimes takes me hours to create a small piece, but I don't mind. I too can struggle with finishing projects. Don't look in my closet or art supplies, haha. But how fun you found a natural knack for watercolor painting and that you enjoy it so much. That's great.

As I was learning about watercolor I came across a watercolor lettering class. The instructor pointed out that you can learn to letter regardless of your handwriting skill. My handwriting is pretty terrible, so I was intrigued! I began lettering in January 2017. I joined RandomOlive's brush letter practice guide tutor team at the beginning of May to share my progress and tips I learn along the way. That is really interesting that you can letter regardless of your handwriting skill.

When did you start selling on-line and what drew you to sell on-line?
I had been contacted by a number of friends, and followers of my Instagram about purchasing prints, originals, or custom orders. I opened my Etsy shop at the beginning of May so I could open up my products and services to a wider audience. I was inspired by many creative women, who encouraged me to put myself out there. I sell digital prints, custom orders, and original artwork right now, but I have plans for more in the future. That's great you had so much encouragement to start.

What hopes do you have for your business in the future?
My business isn't just about people buying my art, but also helping others to create. I talked about being a Jane of all trades before. I worked as a graphic designer, and photographer, for several years. I'm working to make digital tools more accessible, and understandable for other analog artists to utilize. My goal is to offer both free and paid, content to train artists to use these tools so they can do more with their art. I've also been working on my own line of watercolor paints that will be available in my shop soon. I'm so excited about that. I get super nerdy about the science of art, so this has been the perfect way to marry both sides of my creativity.Wow, these are all really cool ideas that you have for the future. I look forward to seeing all of them happen for you.

What is your most favorite piece that you have made?
Gosh! That is hard! I feel like almost every new piece becomes the new favorite. I'd have to say that my painting "Kindred Spirit" is still a favorite though. The one in my shop was actually the second I did, and it was amazing how improved my work was since the first time I painted it. Even so, I still loved the original a lot. Once I've gotten through the 100 Day Project I hope to explore more subjects for my paintings. That is exciting to be able to see how much your work has progressed like that.

What is one thing you would love to share with others who are considering going into the handmade business?
If you make time management a priority in your process it's amazing how much you can get accomplished. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Don't get burnt out trying to do it all at once. Make a plan with long and short term goals, follow each step through and you will get there!This is some really great advice, Thank you for sharing with us today Tanya.

Links
http://paintandletters.com
https://www.etsy.com/shop/paintandletters
https://www.instagram.com/paintandletters/
https://www.facebook.com/paintandletters
https://www.pinterest.com/paintandletters/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChfjZInIUugtOrOwCbosJUg

Meet the Maker: Sarah Young from SD draws studios and The Lost Hook

Hello, my sweet friends. I hope you are enjoying this series as much as I am. It has been so fun getting to know all sorts of makers and what they love about their work. Are you a maker or have found some makers and think I should feature them, please comment below or email me. Also, we are about a week away from our 25 days of Christmas in July Craft challenge. Come join us for fun and prizes.

Today, I have the special privilege of introducing Sarah Young to you. She has two ETSY shops and creates beautiful artwork and crocheted items. Let's get to know her better.

Hi Sarah, where are you from and where do you live now?
I grew up in Malden, MA and have lived in Maine and New Hampshire. I currently reside in Manchester, NH.

How long have you been crafting?
I’ve been drawing since I was four years old. I’ve only been crocheting about 2 1/2 years. Oh wow, you are new to crocheting, you do such a beautiful job, I'm so glad you started.

What got you started in making crocheted items and drawing?
I own and run two shops, The Lost Hook and SD draws Studio.
The Lost Hook just came about 1 year ago and I learned to crochet about 2 1/2 years ago. I am largely self-taught, watching YouTube videos and now reading patterns and diagrams. I happened upon crocheting after seeing some crochet creations online. My first item was an orange scarf that I still have. Since then I've branched out to try amigurumi, crochet jewelry, and crochet wear. I really enjoy creating items for kids fashion and smaller, functional items like scarves, cowls, gloves, coasters, and baby blankets.

SDdraws Studio is my first love, as I've been drawing since I was 4 years old. My mother knew I'd be a little artist when I decided to redecorate our living room walls with crayon. I even remember my mom getting me VHS instructional videos on drawing cartoon characters. My first being Dino, the dinosaur from the Flintstones. Since then I've focused on portraiture, pet portraiture and picked up painting as well. I mostly paint landscapes using acrylic based paints. I collect most of my inspiration from nature and try to spend as much time outdoors as possible.

I also dabble in photography!

When I'm not creating, I work full time as a registered nurse. I'm also a Reiki practitioner and beekeeper certified. Wow, you are so talented. You do such great work in all of the areas. Sounds like you keep really busy.

When did you start selling on-line and what drew you to sell on-line?
When I was in high school, I originally was on DeviantArt (I know, I’m ancient) and actually scored a few commissions that way. I branched out to create my own portfolio via DeviantArt and learned about Etsy a couple years later. I mostly did commission work for family and close friends before selling online.

I opened my Etsy shop originally back in 2012 and didn’t do much with it. Over this past year, I’ve re-vamped my Etsy shop, updated my listings and learned to apply SEO. I also split the original shop into two shops so that I had a separate shop for my crochet items. I also created a Facebook page. Overall, I would say I decided to start selling online once I saw that people were interested in my artwork. That's great. I am glad people were interested in your work and you started selling online.

What hopes do you have for your business in the future?
This is a loaded question. I’m really not sure. I think the dream for most is to be successful enough to supplement 50-100% of their income through their small business. I try to keep it a day at a time and not set too many long term goals. I’d love to really see both of my businesses take off but the competition is very high and it’s very time-consuming. I try to focus on creating new things and thinking outside the box. I keep up with trends and also create from the heart. Both of my shops are therapeutic for me and that is the big goal. If people enjoy what I’m making, that’s a plus. But I do strive to go above and beyond and really admire others who are successful small business owners. I am so glad that it is therapeutic for you. That is what making jewelry is like for me. It is a good perspective to take it one day at a time.

I’m also in the works of a third business, a bakery, called Seasons 3. To say I’m ambitious is an understatement! Trying to harness my drive for creating things is the real issue in running my small business’. There are so many new things I want to learn and try, and never enough time to do them all. I totally agree. I love learning and trying new things too. You definitely are ambitious. All the best with that.

What is your most favorite piece that you have made?
That’s another hard one! Each piece I make is special to me and evokes a different feeling. To say I still own my very first painting and my very first crocheted item, I think speaks for itself. The sense of pride and accomplishment felt from your first piece can never be replicated and I look back at these items often. It’s humbling to keep them around and see how my technique has improved. I seem to always learn something new too from looking back at my first creations! That is great that you still have those first pieces and that you can keep learning from them.

What is one thing you would love to share with others who are considering going into the handmade business?
I’d say know that it’s a huge responsibility, very time consuming, and you will lose money before you earn money. If you still desire to proceed knowing that, then you’ll most likely succeed. It’s a labor of love and very rewarding. My small business’ consume most of my time and take away from my family. You need to find a balance and delegate duties, even if it’s as simple as using apps that post automatically for you or someone to proofread, any bit helps. Really get a handle on social media, it’s a huge component to getting your stuff seen and out there. Try to figure out your key demographic. Be inspired by others and network with other artists within your field. Lastly, you can’t please everyone. Learn to take criticism and how to handle poor reviews. This is all great advice, thanks for sharing.

You can find Sarah online at the following locations:
www.thelosthook.etsy.com
www.sddrawsstudio.etsy.com
www.instagram.com/sdarts_and_crochet
www.facebook.com/sddraws
sdillustrations.daportfolio.com