The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be considered for the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!

What is your shop?
Miss Karina (www.misskarinas.com)

What is your art/craft?
Fashion and costume inspired by New Orleans

Describe your style in 2 words:
Outrageous Eco-friendly

What is your favorite piece and why?
I love all my pieces to be honest. I choose pieces base on how badly I would covet them if someone else had it. But if I could only choose one piece it would be my Mardi Bras made from 100% caught Mardi Gras beads from New Orleans Carnival parades.

What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Do it and stop talking about it.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give?
Don’t stifle your own success with your self esteem issues.

As part of the kickoff of the monthly featured artisan feature, I am happy to bring you the second featured artisan: Sarah of Small Shiny Objects. Sarah creates beaded jewelry and other beaded gifts that she describes as ‘comfortable elegance.’ In Small Shiny Objects you will find necklaces, earrings, bracelets, crystal suncatchers and a couple of crafts from her little girl Laura! Most of her jewelry is made with a combination of semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals, czech glass beads, and silver or gold-filled wire.  The occasional vintage piece makes it in there as well, when it suits her fancy. While she does not have a blog, she is frequently on the Etsy forums!

Now let’s see how Sarah responds to this month’s 20 Questions!

Sarah’s 20 Questions:

Let’s start at the beginning. What is your earliest crafting memory?  
My mother and grandmother would always find something to do with the materials we had at hand, whether it was crafting dolls out of wooden clothespins and cloth scraps, or cutting out ornaments from old wallpaper samples.  It was always something new! Read More

This month, in order to kick off the recurring Featured Artisan, we will be having two! First up is Jessica of Liebling, a talented artisan who designs handcrafted jewelry. Self-described as eclectic and feminine with a uniquely modern twist, Jessica fills her shop with a blend of her personal styles. Finding inspiration in everything from romance and the Victorian era to architecture and design, Jessica also likes to make pieces that are fun and playful!

Now, let’s cut to the chase and pose our monthly 20 Questions to Jessica!

Jessica’s 20 Questions:

Let’s start at the beginning. What is your earliest crafting memory?
I’ve been crafting my whole life. My earliest memories are that of being a little girl and making handmade Christmas ornaments with my mom, the kind that you arrange all the little glass pieces in a frame and then use your oven as a kiln to melt the glass and create an ornament. I still have them all. My mom and I were always doing projects together. Read More

The ‘Daily Artisan Spotlight’ is a regular feature on Mindless Pursuits intended to provide insight and exposure to the tons of talented artisans working today. Please comment and give them some encouragement and check out their work! If you would like to be considered for the Spotlight, click on the ‘Free Press’ link above!

What is your shop?
Vandiva Fashion Jewelry (http://www.vandiva.etsy.com)

What is your art/craft?
Handcrafted gemstone & fashion jewelry.

Describe your style in 2 words:
Contemporary, classic

What is your favorite piece and why?
This is a tough question, as we love each and every piece we design. But since I have to chose, my favorite piece is our Amethyst and Larvikite Asymmetrical Necklace (seen above). It was handcrafted with a lot of love. Each gemstone was handwrapped with 24 kt gold-filled wire, it incorporates 24 kt gold-filled chain links and gold Vermeill daisy spacers. The Amethyst is faceted, and reflects light. Larvikite has blue inclusions that flash when the light hits it just right. And I just love necklaces with a asymmetrical design, because they’re always interesting, never boring.

What is the most memorable piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Pursue your dreams, and never give up, no matter what obstacles you face.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give?
Don’t listen to nay-sayers.

Today I thought I’d begin introducing my readers (hopefully to come) to my creative process. As with anything, the creative process starts with an idea. Oh, in some cases the idea may be more about finding motivation, such as in the popular “what can I make that might make me some cash” or the frequent “what can I make that will keep me entertained” and of course the distress call of the lonely artist: “what can I make that will impress the opposite sex?” We’re going to put those ideas behind and start at the next level of coming up with an idea, which is to begin finding ideas for projects after the motivation has been established. In my case, the creative process begins with a simple notebook. This notebook, in fact:

Read More