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.

Well, thanks to some great sunlight (finally), I felt energized to finish my first painting aimed at kids. As you can see, I made some additions from my last post and covered my larger, fancy star with a big sun! Here’s the description I am using on Etsy and DeviantArt:

The creator has gotten tired and decided to start anew… or the universe is building up to the next big bang… or maybe some cosmic entity is draining the universal pool. Whatever your take, this bright and colorful painting is perfect for a child’s room or in anyplace a little whimsy is desired!

Painted using glow-in-the-dark additives, it takes on a soft glow when the lights go out!

We’ll see if it catches anyone’s interest but I definitely had fun painting it!

A sneak peek at a work in progress! This is a space painting that I am working on for kids. It uses glow-in-the-dark paint and lighter colors that hopefully will go with most kids color schemes! I’ll post another photo later this week as the painting progresses so that everyone can see my progress!

 Places, everybody! Places! Welcome to Fantasy… wait….wrong location! Welcome to Mindless Pursuits, the official blog of Keith, your humble host and arts and craft fanatic! I am pleased that you have decided to stop by and check out my new blog. That’s correct: I said ‘new’ as I have a previously existing blog that covers all sorts of facets of my life, and not just crafting. That said, my more personal blog tends to be all over the board as to topics and content and I wanted to have a blog that had a tighter focus on just the art and crafting elements of my life. Thus, this Mindless Pursuits blog was born!

In this blog, I am planning to discuss the projects I’ve completed, the projects I’m working on, how my approach towards project ideation and construction occurs for different craft types, and try to provide insight into different techniques and approaches. I am also hoping to provide the occasional view into the lives of my fellow artists and crafters and to provide insight for fledgling entrepreneurs into how to market and sell their creations through my own experiences as I move forward. Mostly though, I hope to provide some fun, entertaining and interesting commentary of the arts and crafts I so deeply love and enjoy working on!

 So how about some quick facts on the handsome guy pictured above? I am 39 years old and the very proud father of two little girls, ages 6 and 9. I’m single and live with my 4-year-old cat Lexi in an apartment in the ever-changing seasonality of Minnesota in the United States of America. While I wish painting and crafting could be my full-time job, I’m far too new at it and so I spend my days working in information technology as a technology architect for a large national retailer.

What artistic endeavors do I undertake? I love to paint. Mostly flowers as they make me happy but I also love to work on landscapes and am occasionally returning to my roots as an abstract painter though I choose not to share much of those creations publicly. I sew and love to make everything from costumes to formal-wear to accessories. I also cross-stitch, crewel embroidery, paint enamels on glass, pottery (though I have no kiln to fire anything in), wood-burning, scrapbooking and knitting! I love to learn new creative skills and so am continually trying to expand my repertoire!

I hope that provides a good introduction to me and where I am planning to take this blog. I plan to update often, so keep an eye on this space!