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!