Say It Ain't So!? - No Awesome Artist Post

FAIL Scrabble Gamer Lapel Pin - by pinkflowercube - $6 USD

Awwwww, MAN! It seems like I'll be going another week without an Awesome Artist Feature lined up. Although I've been trying to find the time to scout artists to interview, I've seemed to always come up short... on time, that is.

Rest assured, geektastic viewers: Awesome Artists are coming. They just aren't here just yet. :)

But hey - I wanna know:

What kinds of Awesome Artists do you wanna hear about? If you could interview one artist on Etsy, who would it be?

Looking forward to your responses. :)

Awesome Artist Feature: Wooliverse

1-Up Mushroom - by The Wooliverse - $5 USD
Some of the nerdy side of PJ. One of the many things we've connected on.

I've done a lot of craft shows in my short time was a professional crafter (even helped organised a couple), but I know from this very concentrated amount of experience that when someone recommends that you meet "somebody really awesome," you don't really ask questions. If they were so LEGIT that a craft shows organiser remembers them from the 500 + applications they viewed during the jurying process, you probably just go meet the guy!

At the Holiday Bazaar Bizarre, one of the co-organisers asked me to check out this really talented volunteer and crafter named PJ Church. "He does the most epic stuff with wool that I've ever seen! If you're interested in soft sculpture, you should really meet him when you get a chance," he said between check-ins with the various 150+ vendors at the bustling show. Needless to say, I didn't have the chance to leave my booth at a huge holiday craft fair. So PJ came to me... and I blew his mind that I had already heard of him. :)

One of San Francisco's best kept secrets, I present to you my friend, PJ of...

THE WOOLIVERSE

PJ says that his workstation is a "little tables I spend hours and hours hunched
over with felting needles, piles of wool, and bits of inspiring things"
Photo Courtesy of PJ Church

Who are you? And what drives to you create!?

The drive to create is very much a way of exploring who I am, where I'm from, and where I'm going.  I used to write poetry, and self-exploration was more obvious in that medium, but oddly, I feel like I've learned more about myself in the process of making little wool sculptures inspired by pop culture, video games, and religious mythology.

As to my terrestrial journey, I first sank my claws into this planet at a hospital in Redlands, CA.  I sharpened my horns in some interesting communities in Arkansas, Texas, and Northern California.   For the last six years I have been living in San Francisco and trying to grow wings.  I can't fly yet, but my shoulders are often sore in a way that feels like success of sorts.

When & why did you start your Etsy shop?

My wife and one of my daughters are big Etsy fans and told me about it.  The Wooliverse was created November 2010 during a nearly sleepless week I think back on as "The Big Bang." A couple months prior to starting the Etsy Shop, I'd gotten a confidence boost about what I was making when a local shop in SF (Urban Bazaar) started carrying and selling some of my stuff.  Starting an Etsy shop seemed like a logical next step.

Cthulhu - Needlefelted Soft Sculture by The Wooliverse - $333.00 USD
One of PJ's favourite sculptures because of the painstaking detail:
"I'm especially proud of the wings, which are not wet-felted and contain no wire to support them.
The details and structure come from what seems like a million stabs with a felting needle."

Describe your creative process

I wrote a lot about this in early blog posts, but basically I borrowed some ideas from the Oceana exhibit at the deYoung museum related to art and shamanism.  In short, you find  your vision or spirit creature already existing in the material (wood and Mandrake roots in the case of the Oceana exhibit.)   The "spirits" are referred to as Imunu. When you find or "see" your vision, all you are really doing making what you've seen apparent and permanent.   Like taking a pen and filling in the Rorschach test a little.

As applied to wool, it's easiest to explain it in terms of looking at clouds.  When you daydream, staring up at clouds you see shapes.  The Rorschach test in the sky!  For many of my pieces I use this process, and find the "spirit" or "Imunu" in shapes in the uncarded locks of wool I prefer to use.  It's whimsical but still kinda accurate to say that the process feels like "pinning down daydreamed shapes in the sky"

Many creations, though, come from a more conscious process, and range from realistic to cartoonish.  When I'm doing these concept pieces (as opposed to the Imunu pieces) with a definite goal, I like to work from photographs and drawings.

Sea Serpent Triptych
by The Wooliverse - $169 USD

What about your creative process fulfills you the most and why?

The process itself is something that feels "magical" to me.  It's very much like a trance, self-hypnosis, or something.  At least that's how it feels when I'm really rolling with a project, and especially if it's working with archetypal imagery.  It's not so much that that the creative process is fulfilling, but there's something very healing about it for me.  It's very much about focusing 100% of my consciousness in the present moment on what I'm doing, and that kind of meditative focus is something that carries with me in other aspects of my life. The importance of consciousness is also why I consider my yoga practice a huge part of my creative life.

The creative process is literally a journey and an adventure with surprises throughout.   I usually have a sense of where I'm going with something, but pieces usually go where they want.  And that's usually for the best. 

A Sucker for Love - by The Wooliverse - $20 USD

How did you come up with your business name?
Well, it's a conflation of Wool and Universe.  Sorta silly.  But I did come up with it in a fun way. . .an interesting dream where I was in a universe made out of--you guessed it--wool!  In the dream I was fixing broken things with my felting needle.  Anyway, there it is.  The Wooliverse.   I travel to another universe made out of wool, and bring back what I find.


How do you combat "creative blocks" in your life?

Over and over!  And those blocks are so illusory, aren't they?  Often I don't even recognize right away that I'm blocked.  And then I have to really WANT to unblock.  And it seems like I have to "relearn" the same stupid lessons over and over.  It's always about attitude I think.  If I start to see what I'm doing as an obligation, or as work, or about someone's expectations, everything comes to a halt--often including the nicer side of my personality.  It is about the process and what you get out of it.  So, really, whatever the process, it is still just really, PLAYING.

So, the best practical way to get over a block (creative or otherwise) is to stop worrying about it, chuck the blocked project into your garage, or even the trash, and do something else like color in a coloring book, go to the beach and make sand sculptures and then knock them over, finger paint, get some legos.  Zero pressure play time.

Scrubbing Bubble - by The Wooliverse
PJ says "This is a fun examples of the cuter side of what I do.
There's a lot more in the Wooliverse than just gods and monsters."

What other favourite hobbies/activities do you enjoy?

I've tried to really narrow it down these days, to be more productive at fewer hobbies.  Besides felting/soft sculpture, I am serious about yoga and consciousness.  I like to cook, love to travel.  I enjoy photography, very casually.   I used to be serious about guitar and poetry, but am just a dabbler now.  I love reading and video games, but don't manage a lot of time for either.

And I really, really enjoy just walking around looking at the world with some loud music piped into my skull through a good pair of ear buds.


To check out more about PJ Church and the Wooliverse, feel free to click on the links:

WEBSITE // BLOG

Awesome Artist Feature: The Basement Invaders

Mario Mega Bee Boo & Mini Mushroom Glasses Set
by The Basement Invaders - $55 USD

Here at nerd JERK, I get pretty excited when I find some geekery that I can feature. And when I'm able to find out more about the rad people behind it, even better!

So, I'm gonna share with ya a little something I call the radness! Otherwise known as Jason & Alex, the geniuses behind The Basement Invaders!

Combining a love for retro video gaming and including nerdity in every aspect of life, The Basement Invaders have made time in their busy lives to create one of a kind art pieces at a certain caliber of geekosity.

Here are a couple of my new favourite people in the world:

THE BASEMENT INVADERS

What's your name, where are you from & what's your business about!? 

We are Jason Minsterketter and Alex Hernly AKA The Basement Invaders. We are from Bloomington, Indiana. We are about creating fun, functional, and generally geeky art pieces. 

Mario Wario Luigi & Waluigi
Mustache Shot Glass Set
by The Basement Invaders
$30 USD

When & why did you start your Etsy shop?

Both of us had always been into crafts for most of our lives, but that hobby had fallen by the wayside when we went to college and were pummeled by shiny new adult responsibilities. Then one fateful day we met; a few months later started dating and discovered our mutual love of creating art. So we started doing crafts together, and teaching each other new skills. Fairly quickly our room started to fill up with our creations that had no place to go. When I say our room filled up, I mean it got so cluttered that when I bumped into a bookcase a sculpture fell on my head, OUCH! So, we started our Etsy shop in January 2011 to share our geeky creations with the world!

Small Glow-in-the-Dark Boo Earrings
by The Basement Invaders - $12 USD

How did you come up with your business name?

Our shop name, The Basement Invaders, is actually recycled from an all girl punk band I (Alex) was part of in high school. I had a long history and love of the name, so when we were discussing what to call our shop, I suggested it. Aside from the facts that I loved the name and missed the fun days of the punk band, we decided The Basement Invaders is an appropriate name because we routinely raid basements for many of our art supplies.

How do you combat "creative blocks" in your life?
We start a new project or learn a new skill! Right now we are starting electroforming with copper. Raiding a new basement can inspire us as well. Our parents and grandparents have so many boxed and stored art supplies we might as well call this an inherited business!

Mario Inspired Goomba Drinking Glasses - Set of 2
by The Basement Invaders - $20 USD

Do you have a favourite Etsy Seller that inspires you or what you look up to? Tell us about them.
Mythdemeanor is the shop of our RL friends Crescentwench and her girlfriend. They were the first people we knew who sold there, and hearing about their process made having a shop seem like a realistic goal. They do wonderfully geeky clothes and other sewing-based arts.

Check out more about The Basement Invaders on the interwebs here:

ETSY // FB // TWITTER // KABOODLE

The Awesome Artist Feature series will be running on Mondays at nerd JERK: Inspire Your Inner Geek.

No Awesome Artist Feature? Sadface...

Sadface emoticon fine silver charm
by GSCreations - $12 USD

Ladies and gentlefolk of the blog:

It seems that I can't get always get my Awesome Artists Features up these days. And while I enjoy putting them up for viewing, they sure are a lot of work! :) For that reason, I'm probably going to start featuring some kind of rad Etsy seller every couple of weeks (cos lining them up has been challenging) and start doing real one-on-one question interviews. :)

A new year, some new changes.

Also coming up this new year:
- How to get your studio from bad to fab in one week
- Social Media Marketing: How much do you know about it?
- 5 Easy Ideas for Networking this Year
& many more!

What new changes have you been making for 2011?

Awesome Artist Feature: mr. deadfish GIVEAWAY!

When I stepped over to the mr. deadfish booth at Bazaar Bizarre this holiday, I knew I was in trouble. Scarves in the shapes of dead animals made out the upcycled sweaters? Yes, please!!!

So when I got to know this gal a little better, I knew I had to share her stuff with the rest of the world.

Introducing the founder & designer of mr. deadfish for our latest "Awesome Artist Feature": Amy Ng!

mr. deadfish

Amy wearing mr. deadfish in shirt form. :)
[Photo courtesy of Amy Ng]

Who are you? And what drives to you create!?

I am a San Francisco native that is inspired by everything around me. Generic as it may sound, I've been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil and once I discovered new media, I went bananas. Not only am I a full time video editor and animator, but on the side, I'm making daily scarves (for my 2011 challenge) and working on a children's book with a very talented friend Mr. Mito. Such inspirations can come from talented people like Camilla d'Errico and Marina Bychkova. Their choices of mediums are simply amazing and they've definitely mastered their artwork. Also, creating really keeps me out of trouble and lowers my cost of living, since I'm not going out buying drinks or karaoke-ing (though not dancing and eating lots of sweets is not reducing the thunder in my thighs)!

Alligator Scarf by mr. deadfish

When & why did you start your Etsy shop?

I started my Etsy shop in November 2008 because I just had a million things in my house that I've created. My friends always told me that I should sell my stuff and that people would buy it, but it's really hard to keep up with all the stuff that I make. I love illustrating, which got me into hand-drawing cards, but I think I just wasn't getting enough exposure to sell any. Then I started making hair clips, little squirrel magnets, modifying My Little Pony dolls, clay figures, stuffed animals, and now I'm trying to get this dead animal scarf going. Who knows what it'll be next month!

Top 5 fave books, movies, music, artists... 

I don't find myself having too much time to read nowadays, but I definitely have a few favorite movies in mind starting with a few childhood favorites. 

Movies:

The Neverending Story, The Secret of Nimh, and such tv shows like Out of This World, Small Wonder, David the Gnome, Looney Tunes, The Snorks, Jem and the Holograms and many more. Other movies I've enjoyed are Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Zombieland, Lovely, Still, Delicatessen, Moon, The Host and many others that I really can't think of right now.

Music:

• I love eighties music, so Hall & Oates is definitely ranked up there.
• Stevie Wonder is oh-so-delightful when I feel like I need a faster pace and pick me up.
• With the sultry voice of Bitter:Sweet, sometimes this is exactly what I need for snazziness.
• If I'm feeling a bit epic, bumping up Muse will always do the trick.
• And last, but not least, The Spinto Band really knocks my socks off and gets me groovin to the tunes.

Artists:
As I strive to work with different mediums, here's a few people that drive me to love creating:

• Camilla d'Errico is awesome with her creepy sweet characters. So innocent and lovely.
• Marina Bychkova with her beautiful and sometimes twisted creations. I can't help but love and admire her work.
• Audrey Kawasaki can get rather magical with wood and paints. Her works just seems so dreamy and innocent.
• I can't forget about Scott Radke with his eerie and twisted painted sculptures. How could you not love that face?
• Christopher Conte is definitely amazing with his use of materials. I would never be able to create such wonders of art, but just looking at them makes my jaw drop every time.

The original mr. deadfish drawing
[Photo courtesy of Amy Ng]

How did you come up with your business name?
This is actually a really random story. Long, long time ago around the turn of the century, working in the photo department of a drugstore in Davis, CA., I was running a pretty high fever. Feeling as though it would be unacceptable to call in sick, I stood in that little corner of a lab and spent most of the day sweating. Those photo lab machines used to spit out a few blank cuts before and after every batch print and since I was feeling a bit delusional, I decided to draw a bunch of dead animals with taglines to them. "I am mr. deadfish. I smell bad." and it was a drawing of mr. deadfish (which a friend of mine has the original copy). Of all the animals, mr. deadfish was the one that everybody loved, so it seemed only natural to have that be my business name.

Amy working late into the night on her newest scarf
[Photo courtesy of Amy Ng]

What does a day in your life look like? 

*Beep Beep Beep* It's six am. She shuts off the phone and pushes the blankets off the bed, allowing the chill to fully wake her. Fast forward. Six twenty, looking for all day parking in the SOMA. Video editing, animating, awesomeness. Three thirty, go home. Four pm. Spread out the colorful cut up upcycled sweaters and think about what to make for the day. Sometimes ideas are given by friends, but mostly, it's random. *snip snip snip* Cutting out the pieces. Six thirty, make the best dinner ever consisting of meat, veggies and carb. Seven thirty, finish working on scarf until the hours between eleven pm and one am. Rinse, repeat. What messes up the mix is when there's some action happening like going out. Evenings are condensed, then.

Social Squittens
[Photo courtesy of Amy Ng]

What other favourite hobbies/activities do you enjoy?
I'm trying to have this monthly thing again called Social Squittens (A squitten is a cross between a kitten and a squid, demonstrated above, where I organize events such as rock climbing, archery, hiking, or various activities around the bay. I think one of them is definitely going to involve that new trampoline park that opened up in the Presidio. Social Squittens were created to meet cool new people. I have so many awesome friends and they all wanted to meet each other and meet more new friends, so I asked my friends to invite their friends. It usually ends up just being one large hangout session, but it's fun.
I also love animating and video editing. I'm a producer for my friend Marlon Torres of Torres Studios and he's one of the most talented people I know. He's simply amazing and I love working with him. You can see our WWII short film at papernautilusfilms.com.


To find out more about mr. deadfish and what Amy's up to, check out the links below:

BLOG // ETSY // TWITTER // FB

Now, for the GIVEAWAY:

Head on over to the mr. deadfish blog to find out how to win a FREE SCARF of your own!

New Year = New Awesomeness: Goals for Motivational Inspiration in 2011

Custom Red Fox Animal Scarf
by Social Squitten - $100 USD

We all make ourselves a bunch of promises at the beginning of every new year, hoping to emerge better people with stronger willpower and follow-thru. But this year, I'm just gonna state the facts: I'm gonna be awesome-er.

Traditionally, there will be lists of items that we makes to measure our progress. And while I'm a big believer in lists, I'll be the first to admit that I often lose that sheet of paper with all my goals written on it some time by the second week of January. Therefore, I have no choice but to put my list into cyberspace.

Keeping in mind a few things I've learned from some inspirational guru somewhere along the time, I know that in order for these goals to happen, they need to be S.M.A.R.T. ones.

According to Wikipedia, there are many versions of S.M.A.R.T. goals, but for the sake of this blog post, here are the definitive words I'm going to choose:

SPECIFIC: Something that I cannot get away with vaguely alluding to.. such as previously promised awesomeness.
MEANINGFUL: If I give a crap about it, chances are it's gonna get done.
ACTION-ORIENTED: Things only happen when I put them in action. So enough talking - more DOING!
REALISTIC: I'm not going to be King of the World (Master of Geekery is quite enough, thank you), but I know that a certain level of greatness is attainable. Why not reach for it?
TIME-BOUND: With a deadline looming, there's always something to word towards. It's one of my favourite motivators!

Some of my S.M.A.R.T goals for 2011 include:

Orange Luma inspired by
Super Mario Galaxy
by nerd JERK - $46 USD

- Reach 50 items or more listed in my Etsy Shop by the end of January 2011

You guys may not know this, but I have a TON of new amazing products that I've been selling out at craft shows in San Francisco since the end of June 2010. Yeah -- I know -- why haven't I posted it yet? Well, cos it didn't make it past the craft shows! And I had to keep remaking everything... for another craft show... and remake to photograph for Etsy... until the next craft show showed up. So THIS TIME, I'm gonna photograph these suckers FOR REAL! And you're gonna get to see them and swoon... like I do when I make them!

- At least 3 regularly scheduled blog posts a week by March 2011

Another tidbit of knowledge that's only been floating around in my atmosphere is that I have 5 freakin' topics for 5 days of the week that I wanna post... all the time!!! And I've been trying to be better about lining up interviews, giveaways, Etsy Seller tips, Geek Chic Guides and New Stuff Sneak Peeks that I haven't actually gotten around to posting them as much as I'd like. While I may not get all 5 for everyday of the week, I can start with 3 regular posts. And have YOU hold me accountable!

HELLO Convo Calculator
iPhone & Gadget Case
My Tutorial on CRAFTzine.com

- Work towards more reader-based feedback on the blog - 2 to 6 comments per blog post by June 2011

I hope that you all know that I love hearing what you have to say. And I also hope that you know that what you say actually affects what gets posted here. It would be my dream that I could have guest posts and relevant advertising , etc on nerd JERK: Inspire Your Inner Geek, cos guess what? There aren't enough geek blogs representing out there. But it all comes from you. For example, I'd like to start doing more simple Tutorials & Recommended Reads, but I don't know how people are gonna react. Tell me what you want and I'll try to make it happen!

- Make between 5-10 items per week for my inventory for crafts shows 4 to 10 months in advance!

If you were my close and personal friend this past year, you saw how nutty and sleep-deprived I gradually became. I started throwing old fun exercising habits to the wayside and gave into a lot of caffeine and late-night fast food runs (doesn't help there's a 24-hr McDonald's around the corner from my house!). But one can let oneself go in more ways than just weight & health... like sanity. When all you have is 2 weeks before your biggest show yet during the holiday season and your average amount of hours of sleep per week is around 10... total!? You've got issues. Now that's it the slow season, I'll take my time to bulk up on the rad items without killing my wrists (cos I make everything myself) and without as much caffeine. And, hopefully, I'll be able to post more Sneak Peaks at my studio as well!

In keep with some of my goals, I want to let you know that I'll be featuring an Awesome Artist Feature of Amy Ng from Social Squitten and learning about the wonder world of thrifting in the City, living in SF and making the raddest scarves on the planet by hand. Make sure to stay tuned for that on Monday morning. :)

And it'd be great to hear from you: What are some of your goals this year? What kind of dreams will you dare to make come true?

Etta + Billie GIVEAWAY Winner is...!

On Saturday night all the entries were assigned #s and were entered into the "True Random Number Generator" at Random.org and Hilary Goldman from A Slice of Delight was selected! When told of her winnings, she exclaimed:

A few things - at first when I saw the "We have a winner"  I honestly lost track of thinking about the giveaway -my mind at first thought it went out to the entire team and then when I saw it was just to me and that I won!!  The first thing that crossed my mind was - how I wished all 3 of us that entered could have won.  Then the second thing that crossed my mind was - I won!! 

It's so ironic - I never spend any time chasing down entering giveaways (and there are a lot of them out there and I get them sponsored for my own soap - I'm sure we can do something similar in the new year for A Slice of Delight) but I thought to myself - it's my Etsy mate, she's local, Steph put a shout out to encourage people to comment, I enjoyed the post and Alana's soap process is so completely different than my use of glycerin that I thought pour quoi pas (I've got enough glycerin soapy art around I don't need anymore of that ;+}). And why can't a soap crafter (i.e. me)  take a break from using my own soapy scraps ;+} 

So, congrats to Hilary! :) I've given Alana's soaps as gifts and can testify to how much different people dig them! And Hilary's excitement for new soaps just goes to show how everyone can enjoy something handmade.

Thanks to everyone who participated! Stay tuned for more awesomeness!

Awesome Artist Feature: Etta + Billie

Lavender Body Créme
with Certified Organic Ingredients
by Etta + Billie - $23.95 USD

At the risk of sounding like I'm only a bath & body review blog, I'm featuring one of my all-time favourite local artists - Alana Rivera from Etta + Billie!

And you guessed it - she makes amazing bath & body products! But she's also an amazing human being.


Although seriously tired from preparing for Renegade Craft Fair's Holiday Show in SF, Alana greeted me with the warmest hug in the world late Sunday afternoon. Having only met her once before in person, we'd been coordinating meeting up again since the previous Renegade that summer.

You could win these awesome
soap samples in our Giveaway!

As always, her products are fabulously luscious, both in fragrance and quality. I walked in and drifted away with just a tiny bit of Geranium Patchouli Body Créme on my wrist - a little bit of heaven in cream form. :) She also passed me some of her new soaps (which I'd been looking forward to trying out)... freakin' wonderful!

And now we'd like to pass along a bit of luxury to you! Alana has graciously offered to do a giveaway of some samples of her bestselling soaps!

Find out about the story behind the raddness by reading a little more about Alana (late night dance parties & bike-riding included), followed by how you can win some of her wonderful soap here at nerd JERK!

Etta + Billie

Who are you? And what drives to you create!?

I'm a small town girl who loves San Francisco, laughing until I cry, making up words that I incorporate as my own private slang, baking, cooking, bargain hunting, reading, and window shopping on the internet.  The things that drive me to create are my passion for food (seriously, I am obsessed and have been since I was 2) and pushing the limits for creating beautiful useful 100% natural products.

Bitter Orange Soap
with Certified Organic Ingredients
by Etta + Billie - $9 USD

When & why did you start your Etsy shop?

I started my Etsy shop in February of 2009.  After making soap for almost four years I realized that I wanted to share my passion with others and grow my hobby into a real business.  I had been enamored with Etsy for a while and knew that it was a great platform for my products.  Plus getting my own website together seemed ridiculously daunting.

Describe your creative process

A lot of my inspiration comes from food. I peruse Tastespotting and Bon Apetit regularly. I tend to get some of my best ideas when I am just about to fall asleep or while I am on the bus (random - I know).  I always keep a notebook with me so I can jot my ideas down.  I will go through my lists and figure out what I think will actually work with my product lines.  For most of my soaps I sketch out the design on paper first and figure out what ingredients will give me the colors I need.  Sometimes I do test batches and sometimes I just go for it and make a whole batch.  I love the anticipation of cracking open one of my soap molds after 48 hours and cutting into my latest creation to see how it turned out, its always a surprise.

Top 5 fave books, movies, music, artists...
This is so hard but here goes:


Books: Persuasion by Jane Austen, Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson, Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Harry Potter Series


Movies: Goonies, Dazed and Confused, Center Stage (don't judge), Amélie, WALL E


Music: Led Zeppelin, Arcade Fire, Feist, Band of Horses, 80s music in general

How did you come up with your business name?
My business name is a combination of my grandmother's names.  I spent a lot of time with both of them as a child and as I grew up I started to appreciate what supportive, loving, fearless and tenacious women they were.  I wanted to make sure that I honored them somehow when I decided to embark on the crazy path of entrepreneurship.


What does a day in your life look like?
Wake up at 7 or 730, get ready, ride the bus or bike to my day job downtown, work all day - periodically checking emails and my shop, get home, make a list of what needs to be done for the evening, make dinner, pack orders/make product/wrap and label product, answer emails, update my calendar and data entry programs, go to bed around 11 or 12. :)


How do you combat "creative blocks" in your life?
I luckily haven't had to face one of these yet...


What other favourite hobbies/activities do you enjoy?
I love to get lost in books, bargain hunt on craigslist, collect 80s prom dresses, bake especially fruit galettes and banana bread, read Sunset, Real Simple and Bon Apetit, late night dance parties at a friends house, movies, getting sucked into the next Bravo show, and walking around my neighborhood.


Check out more about Etta + Billie here:

WEBSITE // TWITTER // FB // BLOG

---

Now, for the GIVEAWAY...

To enter to win a set of Ends & Pieces Soap Samples sent to your home, you have many options!

• Visit & "Heart" Etta + Billie on Etsy
• "Like" Etta + Billie on Facebook
• Find a new favourite item from Etta + Billie & post it on Facebook or Twitter
• Feature this blog post on Etta + Billie to promote this GIVEAWAY on Facebook or Twitter
• Start following the Etta + Billie blog
• Feature your favourite product by Etta + Billie in an Etsy Treasury & post the link in the "Comments" section of this post
• Start following this blog - "nerd JERK - Inspire Your Inner Geek"

= OR =

• Just LEAVE A COMMENT :D

After completing your entries, post which items you did in the "Comments" section of this post. For every item done, you'll receive ONE entry (10 possible entries available)! Winner will be randomly chosen on Saturday, 25 December & announced Sunday, 26th December, 2010.

I hope you all get a chance to try out these rad products & enjoy them as much as I do!!! 

Thanks & good luck!

The Awesome Artist Feature series will be running every Monday on nerd JERK: Inspire Your Inner Geek.

MegsCrochetJewels GIVEAWAY Winner is...!

Twisted Crochet Bracelet - by MegsCrochetJewels - $20 USD
An example of what Karen can look forward to!

On Saturday night all the entries were assigned #s and were entered into the "True Random Number Generator" at Random.org and Karen Foster from Tennessee was selected! When told of her winnings, she exclaimed:

Wow!  Thanks so much!  I am so excited I love jewelry and this would be such a unique piece for my collection - Thanks again!


So, congrats to Karen! She's probably picking out her favourite coloured beads for her customised bracelet as we speak.

Thanks to everyone who participated! Stay tuned for more awesomeness!

Awesome Artist Feature: MegsCrochetJewels GIVEAWAY!

One of the greatest things about being an active member of Etsy is meeting other Sellers. It's true what they say about being on an Etsy Team and promoting people's work: it really helps you grow! Not just through views & sales, but through sharing enriching experiences with one another.


Whether I'm going to a craft show or commenting on a blog, there's always someone new to discover!


Now I'd like to share some of that with you.

Crochet Copper Ring - by MegsCrochetJewels - $12 USD

Hidden away on a small lot of land in Georgia, surrounded by trees, Meg from MegsCrochetJewels is probably taking it easy. As a jewelry seller on Etsy, it's not always easy to be different and sometimes people get creative blocks! She says:

I don't stress about it! That's the biggest mistake I could make! As soon as I put pressure on myself to do something, I will rebel big time. The best thing I can do is just let it go. I might go spend some time in the garden or take that as an opportunity to go horseback riding. Or maybe sit down with a good book. If I am patient, [inspiration] will come.

Personally, this is helpful to hear. I often stress out about the little things as a micro-business owner; I feel like I have to do everything all the time. These days, I even feel guilty for sleeping! Hearing that it's okay to give yourself a break for inspiration is incredibly refreshing! While not all of us have a horse and trail readily available, it's still great to escape for a little while!

Twisted Crochet Bracelet by MegsCrochetJewels - $20 USD

And to help you drift off into a land of luxury, Meg and I would love to offer you a chance at winning a customized twisted crochet bracelet made just for you!


But first, take some time to sit back and discover our latest Awesome Artist Feature:

MegsCrochetJewels

• Who are you? And what drives to you create!?

I am a country girl and a homebody; I'm quiet and keep to myself. Though, when I am around my family, I am loud! I love to laugh and make others laugh. I am 27 years old and have been married for 8.5 years. I own my home on a small lot in the country surrounded by trees.

I think my drive to create comes from my want to be self-sufficient. Plus, I can't afford to go out and buy nice jewelry. This way when I want something, I can either make it myself or barter with someone who makes it. I LOVE to Barter/Trade!

•  When & why did you start your Etsy shop?

My mom and her friend were doing wire/bead work and I wanted to do it too, but I didn't want to just copy what they were doing. So I thought about it for a while and came up with crochet wire/bead jewelry. I had made several pieces before I found out I WASN'T the one who came up with it. ;) I was somewhat disappointed that they were already books out on it! That got me researching crochet jewelry which led me to an Etsy ad in a magazine. I figured I would give it a try. Shortly after I opened [my Etsy Shop] though, I went on hiatus and didn't touch my jewelry for over a year! I have really only been back in the game about 6 or 8 months. 

Vintaj Brass Crochet Wire Cuff Bracelet
by MegsCrochetJewels - $25 USD

 Describe your creative process.

Sometimes it starts with a bead. I will see a bead and love it. Then I will decide what's the best way to showcase it. Then I will create it. Usually I don't know if it worked until the very end :)  

Sometimes I will see something on someone and think, "Hmm - I wonder if I could crochet something similar?" Sometimes I can.... Sometimes I can't. Crocheting is not your regular jewelry process. You pretty much have to stick to certain avenues. There are only so many ways you can hook a stitch! :)

•  What does a day in your life look like?  Depends on which day I guess. :) I clean houses part time. When I get home I like to work in my organic flower/vegetable garden. I have lots of animals to take care of and occasionally sneak in a trail ride on one of my horses.

Sometimes I cook for the hubby and I try to avoid cleaning my own home at all costs. ;) I also spend LOTS of time online networking and tweaking my shops.

Crochet Wire Bracelet - Purple/Grey/Green
by MegsCrochetJewels - SALE $10.80 USD

•   If you could have brunch with any person (alive or dead), who would it be & why?   My Aunt Janey. (My Daddy's Sister)  She passed away when I was 10. She is the one who taught me to crochet and she taught me how to color inside the lines. :) I would love to sit down and have an adult conversation with her and show her what I have done with the craft she taught me! 

• Do you have a favourite Etsy Seller that inspires you or what you look up to? Tell us about them. 

My favorite shop is Blue Calla. She has gorgeous bags. She keeps her items very simple and functional. Art for everyday. ;) Thats what I aspire to. Of course I have my more extravagant pieces, but I want to make pieces everyone can feel comfortable wearing in their everyday life. Something that becomes a part of themselves. Not because I want you to be my customer for life, but because I think everyone deserves that one (or more) piece of jewelry that completes them.

To find out more about Meg & check out some of her works, feel free to click on the links:

BLOG // ETSY // ARTFIRE // FB // TWITTER

NOW - for the GIVEAWAY... 

Meg would like to offer a you a chance to win completely customized twisted crochet bracelet. You'll be able to choose wire color, length and up to 3 different color beads! Nickel free options will also be available for those with sensitive skin.

To enter to win, you have many options!

• Visit & "Heart" MegsCrochetJewels on Etsy
• "Like" MegsCrochetJewels on Facebook
• Start following MegsCrochetJewels on Twitter
• Find a new favourite item from MegsCrochetJewels & post it on Facebook or Twitter
• Feature this blog post on MegsCrochetJewels to promote this GIVEAWAY on Facebook or Twitter
• Start following the MegsCrochetJewels blog
• Feature your favourite product by MegsCrochetJewels in an Etsy Treasury & post the link in the "Comments" section of this post
• Start following this blog - "nerd JERK - Inspire Your Inner Geek"

After completing your entries, post which items you did (with links where possible) in the "Comments" section of this post. For every item done, you'll receive ONE entry (9 possible entries available)! Winner will be randomly chosen on Saturday, 27 November & announced Sunday, 28st November, 2010.

Thanks so much for reading & good luck!

The Awesome Artist Feature series will be running every Monday on nerd JERK: Inspire Your Inner Geek.