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!