Flirty Giraffe

Today I'd like to introduce Michelle Sullivan, jewelry designer and owner of Flirty Giraffe.  Michelle, married for 26 1/2 years, has 2 children - Tabitha, 25 and Dakota, 21.  She is the very proud grandmother of the adorable Chandler ("...he is my world.") and is expecting #2 in May.  Born and raised in Lafayette, TN, Michelle is now a stay at home Nana who babysits and runs her business from home.

When asked about what she does, Michelle said, "What don't I do?  I love to sew and create.  I make jewelry for adults and kids, but I love any kind of crafting.  I sew, scrapbook, make hairbows and paint.  If I see something I like I can usually make it."

Michelle is self taught in everything she creates.  "I bought a simple kit for a necklace to make my niece, and it was love from the first time I made it.  I have been hooked since!"  She says she just loves working with beads and there is nothing about it she doesn't enjoy.  Of course you can tell she loves her work just by looking at it - everything piece has joy in it.

Michelle says she loves to work with beads and anything jewelry related.  "I am a purple and pink person but I use a lot of black in beading."  I asked what inspires her and sparks her imagination, and she said, "I just make what I like, but I have learned that I don't have to like it to make it.  Sometimes I hate it and it still sells.  Everyone has different tastes."

Her art became a business simply because she, "had a bunch made up 15 years ago and did a show in our hometown, and it blossomed from there."  Michelle says her son and daughter help her create when she's "stuck," and Chandler climbs up in a chair and says, "lets make a necklace Nana!"  A handmade business is always a family business!

Michelle attends craft fairs just about every weekend from April until Christmas, and she also sells online.  Her business is her full-time job, and she says, "I am honored to be able to do it.  I have a very supportive family and friends.  I hope to open a store front in the near future.  Things are in the works now."

 

Michelle likes to, and is open to teaching and has taught classes at Michael's Craft Store.  She says she would also like to learn to make her own clay pendants and lampwork beads.

 

I asked Michelle what her favorite quote is, and she said,

"If I make one person smile today, then I have had a good day."

 You can find Michelle here:

Facebook--- http://www.facebook.com/FlirtyGiraffe

Twitter--- @Flirty Giraffe

LiaZey

This week, I'd like to introduce you to Talia Ellzey, single mom and owner of the very unique LiaZey shop.  Talia, originally from Chicago, has lived in Nashville for almost two years with her "...almost eight year old, intelligent, and gifted son" (who helps out by giving her helpful tips and unique ideas). 

She says she was always been creative and the most daring of her siblings.  "My imagination is fun and wild. To say I'm a free spirit is an under-statement!  I'm drawn to color and unique things.  I even purposefully wear yellow when it rains just so I can bring my own Sunshine wherever I go! I love life and understand everything has a purpose and does the people in it."

I asked Talia what her art was, and she said, "What don't I do?"  Talia says she loves to sew and create.  Though she does many things, her focus is on up-cycling and repurposing glassware for unique home decor.  She said, "I take ordinary glass vases and turn them into permanent statements in everyone's home. My food for thought is, what do you do with the vase once the flowers are gone? The immediate answer I received was, nothing! Really?  EXACTLY!!!  Just put it away until you get new flowers! With my vase designs you get that admiration of vases with or without the flowers. I also twine wine bottles and tables. My simple material is twine.  Twine gives a natural look, but add a cute ribbon and beads and get awesomeness!"  (Can you tell Talia loves her craft?)

Talia says that God was the inspiration for this idea.  "I never imagined something like this.  I've always been creative but never in this way. After a very difficult circumstance in my life in February of 2014,  God led me to begin designing vases with twine. It became a soothing meditation to ease my mind and relax from things I couldn't control. With each design it was like God said, 'Go play and be a kid! I've got your problems!'  So I did!  From one twine vase to a room full of inventory to sell at crafts events!"

When asked what her favorite part of her work is, Talia said that it is the unpredictable ideas that come to her mind.  "I never know the outcome until the product is finished."  She starts simply with just jute twine, basic Elmer's school glue and lots of ribbon and comes up with the most beautiful creations.  Talia says her favorite colors are green and yellow.  "They are both natural and friendly colors."

Talia said she gets inspiration all around her.  "...from fun conversations with friends, a funny commercial, or my inner happiness for that day.  I'm inspired on days when I'm super busy and need to release the stress of the day. On those days I can design 5 vases!"

 

Talia's art became a business after asking herself the simple question, "What do people really do with the vases once the flowers died? I knew I had something good! Go into any Goodwill and you will see shelves of glass vases. People discard them because they serve no purpose. So I received my business license and set out to change ordinary into extraordinary!"

You can find Talia at Nashville craft fairs and events, and she also sells regularly every Saturday at Nashville Farmers Market.  She works full time but dreams of a storefront or a partnership with a floral shop.  She hopes to learn more about creating wooden twine designs to further expand her beautiful line.

 

 

Talia says her favorite quote is, "I'm in a class all by myself!  God made only of me and im awesome! 

 Visit Talia on her Facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/LiaZey

MynisaUnique

This week, I'd like to introduce you to Handmade Nashville jewelry maker, Melissa Molgaard of MynisaUnique.  Melissa is a UT grad (Go Vols!), originally from Memphis and raised in Houston.  She's been in Nashville for 6 years now. 

Melissa says she considers herself "kind of as a “Macguyver” of crafting – I can make anything out of anything.  Though jewelry is what I offer in my store, I also love to paint, enjoy making wreaths, headbands, flower arrangements, and the list goes on."  She says she probably inherited her artistic side from her crafty mom and graphic design dad but had several classes in high school.  "Other than that I am self taught."

When asked what drew Melissa to her work, she said, "I constantly was breaking my store bought, mass produced jewelry and eventually got fed up with it and said, I can make my own! So I took the pieces from my broken items and started fixing them, which eventually led me to completely transforming them into something new."

Melissa says she loves any and everything she can get her hands on for materials.  "I adore split rings and pliers though for sure!"  As far as colors?  "I love vibrant colors but also appreciate traditional tones that can be worn with multiple outfits."   She says Pinterest often sparks her creativity, which she of course, ends up placing her own twist on.

Though she doesn't know how her art turned into a business, Melissa says someone one day mentioned Etsy, and she just went for it and has loved it ever since!   With a busy work schedule, Melissa focuses mostly on her Etsy shop, but she does have items in the J & J Flea Market.  She attended several shows last year and said, "...the RAW artist showcase at the Cannery last April was a real treat!"  I think we'll be seeing her at more events in the Nashville area before we know it!

Melissa is surrounded by supportive friends and says she would love to "somehow, someway do this for a living. Whether it be by joining forces with other creative minds or getting my line in a store – it would be a dream come true!"  She has an interest in learning metal working, so her line is growing all the time!

Melissa's favorite quote is, “Live with Passion.”

You can find Melissa at:

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/mynisaunique

Blog Tumblr - MynisaUnique

Twitter - @MynisaUnique

Step On It Art

This week, I'd like to introduce Kristi Bennett of Step On It Art. Krist was born and raised in the Nashville area and currently lives in Franklin, TN.   She says her husband Phil is the positive force in her life.  "He is always happy, a glass half full type person. He encourages and inspires me to follow my dreams."  Together they have 5 adult childre - 4 boys and 1 girl... AND 6 grandchildren.

Kristi hand painst canvas floor cloths, rugs, table runners, placemats, floor runners, custom signs, and kids' art.  "I also paint furniture and vintage home décor. What I don’t do currently is sew. This is on my Learn To Do list.

She says her art began while searching in stores and online for the perfect rug.  "When I couldn’t find it I started looking for alternatives. That’s when I discovered floor cloths. I read everything I could about the process involved in floor cloth making. The history dates back to colonial times. They would take old ship sails and use on the dirt floors of their homes. Some creative genius decided to paint the sail and it took off from there. For my sign making, it started very similar. I wanted a piece of art with my favorite quote for my wall but couldn’t find one, so I made it myself. The majority of my signs have inspirational quotes, or something uplifting and positive. I also paint some fun themed signs." 

When asked what drew Kristi to her art, she said, "I have always loved to draw and paint. I also had an interest in home décor and decorating, so I merged the two. My floor cloths are inspired by the customer’s home décor and paint colors. There is no limit to the design you can put on a canvas floor cloth. I have used wallpaper samples, kitchen tiles, fabric swatches, a favorite dish that’s displayed, etc."

Kristi's favorite materials and colors depend on what she's creating.  "For my floorcloths, table runners, and placemats I use a heavy #8 cotton duck canvas. It’s very thick and durable. And of course paint and sealer. For the signs I use an assortment of wood and reclaimed lumber. I’ve taught myself how to use simple power tools. The router is my new best friend. I also love using chalk paint and waxes. The chalk paint has great coverage for both my signs and furniture that I redo. The waxes bring out the paint and the variations in the colors. 
 

I love colors…… bright and bold…. Rich earthy tones…. vintage and retro colors. White is so boring to me. I’m all about the pop of color. My favorite color changes often. I’m really into orange at the moment, but I also like shades of green and turquoise."

Kristi is often inspired by words and fonts.  "My new love is typography. I use several font styles on my signs. It’s like working a puzzle putting the mix of phrases and letters together.  I’m a huge Pinterest and home décor/decorating/vintage/arts and crafts blog fan."  (Aren't well all?!)

She says she's always wanted to work for herself, and Step On It Art started out as a hobby, but eventually enough business rolled in that she was able to make it a full time job. Kristi's husband helps her with packing and shipping, but he also comes up with great ideas for designs and quotes for signs.

Kristi sells mostly sell online but is adding more craft fairs and events to her calendar for next year.  "Phil and I love to travel, weekend road trip warriors. So, a lot of our time is spent reconnecting on the weekends."

I asked her about her goals for her business, and Kristi said, "This is my full time job. My goals for the remainder of the year are to learn more about advertising, promoting, and networking. With the focus being online and social media. I have a website/blog that I currently am working on and hope to get it up and running in the next couple of months. I would love to eventually have a store front. This has been a dream of mine for several years. I want it to feature local artist and crafters, with at least 75% being handmade with a mix of vintage and upcyled/recycled items. That is in the future.  For now, I’m currently looking for a booth in a shop."

As with most artists, Kristi would like to add skills to her repertoire.  She says, "I want to learn to sew. I have so many ideas in my head, but I’m intimidated when I look at my “new” unused sewing machine. I would also like to take a couple of courses in business management, color theory, and home staging."

Kristi's favorite quote is, “Gratitude is the open door to abundance”.   She says, "...With abundance not being a monetary focus. I try to live each day and each moment in gratitude. It is so easy to forget to just live in the moment and be happy.  Example:  I spilled paint on my leg and fuzzy slippers while painting a sign. I could look at it in two ways -  I could get angry at myself for being careless, wasting supplies, ruining clothes, etc. Or….. (and this is the path I chose) I could smile because I get to paint for a living. I get to spend my days doing what I love. The orange paint on my slippers is a reminder that I’m grateful for my life."

You can find Kristi here:

Shop - https://www.etsy.com/shop/steponitart

Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/steponitart

Blog - (Under construction. Stay tuned!) http://www.steponitartstudios.com

Twitter @steponitart

Thanks so much for the lovely interview, Kristi!

 

Sunlight Splattered Relics

Today I'd like to introduce Brooke Acres, the artist behind Sunlight Splattered Relics.  Brooke is originally from East Tennessee and settled in Middle Tennessee after traveling all over the country.  She is engaged to her boyfriend of 6 years and mama to a "very energetic two year old boy."

Brooke loves to upcycle / re-purpose "anything and everything."  She says, "I create lots of things out of old windows, doors, shutters and pallets. It is especially satisfying when I can turn something that one person would throw away into something beautiful and functional."

I asked Brooke how she learned her art, and she said, "I just sort of started doing it on my own. I do like to give credit to my awesome art teacher in high school though. She was the one that really encouraged my artistic side to come out. She always reminded me that art didn't have to be perfect and that it wouldn't really be that interesting if it was. The important part is that you have fun and enjoy what you are doing. For the longest time I was always critical of my work  even though I enjoyed making it. Her encouragement was what helped me to really enjoy and explore my creative side."            

 

She started out making gifts for family and friends because she really enjoys putting a lot of thought and love into a gift, "being able to actually create it, rather than just buying something off of a shelf."

Brooke says that her favorite part of her work is creating. "It's truly like therapy to me."  She loves working with all sorts of materials - anything from old windows, doors, shutters, pallets, broken chairs, door knobs, handles, glass bottles and more.   "I am also a henna artist. So, I will use henna techniques and designs in some of my work, too. I love earth tones! You will see lots of blues in my artwork."

Brooke finds inspiration in everything.  She says, "I see designs in rugs, signs, and clothes that I think I could re-create. I see color schemes in random things that I think would look good in a window. I see old broken chairs by a dumpster and think of multiple uses for it and how I could display it to bring it back to life in a new way."

Her art became a business after she started creating gifts for family and friends.  Brooke said, "I got asked to make things for their friends, and they made the suggestion because they loved everything that I made them."

Brooke's fiance helps her with the building side of things.  She says he's great with his hands and can put together just about anything that he puts his mind to.  "All I have to do it show him a picture or give a detailed description of what I want and he can make it. I always say he puts it together and I make it look good!"

She says her goals are "to continue to create and enjoy doing it. This is really more of a hobby for me. I do it simply because I enjoy it."  Brook says she would also like to learn to do stained glass, which I think would fit beautifully with her other items!

Brooke's favorite quote is, "For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." - Audrey Hepburn

You can occasionally find Brooke at craft shows in the Middle Tennessee area, and you can always find her on her Facebook page (I've got to pin her down for a henna tattoo some day soon!) - www.facebook.com/sunlightsplatteredrelics

Thank you for the lovely interview, Brooke!

Becky Sue's Bows & Sews

This week, I'd like to introduce Rebecca of Becky Sue's Bows & Sews.  She and her friend Susan sew boutique style children's clothing and accessories.

I asked Rebecca to tell me a little about herself and her family, and she said, "We just “celebrated” our 12th anniversary (if you count Chinese takeout and an early night as a celebration!?! We know how to party!!). My husband is from Florida, I’m from England and we get a lot of questions about how we met! To make a long story short, we were both working for British travel companies in Florida in the summer of 2002 and we met through a mutual friend while visiting the new Spiderman ride at Universal Islands of Adventure. Four months later we got married (long story) and four years after that we moved to Tennessee (another long story). We have two beautiful daughters and the cutest one-year old baby boy on the planet."

Rebecca says she learned to sew at school, but re-learned from" my friend and partner in crime" Susan a couple of years ago. Since then, she has been refining her technique thanks to YouTube and some amazing pattern designers who come out with darling patterns that force her to learn new techniques!  Her words - I'd love to get a peek at her pattern stash!

Becky was drawn to sewing because she wanted to sew for her own children.  She says she has two favorite things about her craft - "...coming up with ideas (I keep a little note book with me at all times, sometimes I dream about dresses!) and getting good feedback or seeing pictures of little ones wearing outfits I made – or even better seeing them in real life wearing a Becky Sue’s original."

She loves to work with beautiful fabrics, buttons, and ribbon.  Her favorite color is purple - especially purple with swirls.  Becky says she uses her sewing machine a lot, and, "some days it doesn’t love me back, but mostly we’re good friends."  And even though her little pink glue gun has burned her, she still couldn’t live without her.

When asked what type of things inspire her creations and spark her imagination, she replied, "Beautiful fabrics inspire me. Sometimes the fabrics in my “stash” end up being not at all what I had in mind when I bought them, but I take out my fabrics and stare at them and draw pictures in my notebook before deciding what to make. I also love when customers have an idea and we can work together on it."

Like many of us in the handmade field, Rebecca's hobby became a business when she realized she was spending a fortune paying other people to make what she could make herself.  Now, you can find her beautiful handmade items online and at local craft fairs.

Rebecca and Susan are planning to do two craft shows this year:   Christmas In The Country (Dickson, TN November 1st and 2nd) and Mistletoe Market (Franklin, TN November 8).  "We’re only dong two because between us we have 6 children under 10 so we can’t go too far away and these seemed the best fit for us (this will be our 3rd year at Christmas In The Country and our 1st year at Mistletoe Market). Our criteria right now for choosing a show: inside, good traffic and less than an hour away from home oh and did I mention inside? We did some outside shows early on and almost froze to death!!"

Though Rebecca loves her work, she says, "My full-time job is being a stay-at-home-mom, but sewing and marketing our business takes up most of my free time. I would love to make enough money to fund things like dance classes and vacations in the short-term and maybe help fund a move to a bigger house eventually. If it made financial sense to have a brick-and-mortar store at some point in the future, I’d definitely consider it."

In Rebecca's free time (what's that, you ask?) she says she might be interested in learning how to crochet or knit so she can make blankets, hats, and socks, which would have to come in handy with her crew!





I asked Rebecca if she had a favorite quote or phrase and had to giggle at the answer - “Put that down!" ("Maybe not my favorite, but definitely something I say about a hundred times a day with a one-year old staggering around the house on a mission to destroy!")

If you want to get to know Rebecca better, you can find her here:

Shop: http://etsy.com/shop/BeckySuesBowAndSews

Facebook: http://facebook.com/BeckySuesBowAndSews

Blog: http://craftingincrazytown.blogspot.com (under construction)

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BeckySuesBoutiq

Thanks so much for taking time to introduce yourself, Rebecca! 

Introducing Handmade Nashville

As I've been attending craft fairs, I've discovered the kind of event that I want to participate in.  Very basically, I want the event to be dedicated to handmade.  To me, that encompasses a lot of things because for those of us who create handmade art, this all includes our family and our friends.  It's a huge dedication requirement for us, and ideally, should be for event organizers who bill themselves as a "Craft Fair."

Those of us who produce 100% of our work by hand have a really had time finding an event where our work is the sole focus (that isn't insanely out of our financial reach).  I also believe that customers who are looking for handmade expect to SEE handmade when they stop at a craft fair but are leaving more events disappointed, thus leaving us less and less traffic at our events.

More and more events flood the market that are loaded with direct sales but still say "Craft Fair" on their billing.  I'm all for direct sales people - I buy something from them at every event I go to.  But when I set up at a craft fair, I'm looking for the atmosphere I belong in.  I'm looking to meet other vendors who have the same passion and interests that I do.  And I'm looking to support the whole handmade movement!  I believe in it!

So in short, I decided to start a Facebook group to gather together creators, artisans, crafters, organizers and promoters, and even customers - who are dedicated to the handmade family.  It may be difficult to go 100% on all of our events we attend right away, but if we all work together to pull together every handmade person in our local area, we will have the numbers and commitment we need to create the best events at the best prices with the very best items.  And we'll have a great time!

Join us at Handmade Nashville in our group - http://www.facebook.com/groups/handmadenashville.  We have a sister business page, a Twitter account, and now a blog - and I promise to work hard to promote all your beautiful handmade work.  Let's make a difference in the Nashville area and be the strongest handmade community ever!