I hadn't posted much of my work here for awhile, so I thought I would make a post featuring yours truly. I recently had a photoshoot with the lovely Cara - who was my very first model photoshoot ever - and got some great shots I thought I would share here. And yes, those are two little snakes she's holding. They were NOT happy with how cold it was outside, but they were very tolerant of being tucked into my nice warm shirt between shots!
As an artist myself, I am drawn to those that do their work well, and not just once, but repeatedly. During one of my many evenings in the Etsy chat rooms, I came across this lovely lady that paints from the heart, which is as deep as an ocean. Her shop goes by DianaMartinStudio, and her work is quite easy on the eyes - especially if you have a fondness for mermaids, which I most certainly do! If you have been wanting some colorful artwork for your walls, I recommend Diana most definitely.
Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!
One of my favorite things - ok, my absolute favorite thing ever - is jewelery. I hold a soft spot for rings, but I am really into fun and funky necklaces as well. The collection of loose gemstones I have accumulating in my bedroom is starting to get out of hand! So todays post is dedicated to pretty sparklies and fun accessories.
First one I came upon was nouveaumotley. Honestly, everything in this shop is fun and different - I especially love the antique rings! - but this necklace was my favorite out of the bunch.
Who could possibly turn down that stunner?
Next I found Sonseeahray. She does a lot of wire work, and everything is just so unique - where else could you find a tiara like this? I would have up every stuffed animal I owned to have a princess tiara like this!
And now for my absolute favorite, and a seller I have had in my favorites with a million hearts for months, LaurieSarahDesigns.
I don't think I dislike a single thing in this shop, in all honesty. There is always something new and pretty and WOW, and I check it often. Rings are my favorite jewelery type, and the most often worn by me. So as of today, this is my favorite...ok, it's my favorite every time I go see her shop, and I am hoping to own it one day as my engagement ring!
Everyone have a sparkly day!
Yesterday I went out for a drink with my brother and sister-in-law. While I was there (with my camera, of course, because I never go anywhere without it), we spotted three hummingbird feeders. And they were downright SWARMING with hummingbirds! I had never seen so many in my life. We get about 5 or 6 at my parent's house, but they fight and don't eat together - these ones did. They were beautiful! So I snagged a couple shots.
After looking at the rainbow of colors in their wings and throats, I felt like making myself up. Since I didn't have much in the way of peacock colors, I started browsing Etsy for some cool colors of eyeshadow, and one seller stood out by FAR. Not only does she have an amazing range of colors, but they are very well-priced and completely vegan! theallnaturalface
And just for a fun ending, here is a smushy-faced shot of my baby, Cleo. Goodnight!
I spend a good chunk of my evenings relaxing in the Etsy chat rooms. I like sharing my work with others, and taking a look at theirs, too. If I could I would buy something from them all, but alas, it is not to be. Instead I often trade twitter addresses with them, and if they have something especially dazzling, it works into my features. Just today I met a lovely lady with a fun shop, with an equally fun name - heartsabustin. We chatted, we befriended, and best of all, we traded. Her blog is here, and she posted about my shop today out of the kindness of her little heart. Go visit, and better yet, buy something - she has lots of fun jewelery and little vintage trinkets that make your wallet sing.
Visit my shop if you have time as well! I just put up some new prints and they are worthy of a peek.
I had a lighting workshop this past Sunday, and learned quite a bit from a couple of pro's in my area that are happy to lend a helping hand. I also got to experiment with a lot of settings I don't normally use, and play with some fun lighting equipment and setups. It was my first time using my Sb600 flash for it's intended use, as well. Not to mention I had a very pretty - and delightfully happy! - model, Erin Pitcher.
This made me interested in looking at some other model work, which is not terribly common on Etsy. The vast majority of photos that include people learn more towards "artsy" - all you see is one limb or body part that is enhanced with a lovely backdrop or flower arrangement, natural or otherwise. So it took some digging on my part to find what I had in mind.
Vivka really stood out among this smaller pool of talent - she has quite a flare for eye-catching design and poses, not to mention her gorgeous graphic work.
SoZeSoZe was another curiously addictive find. The mix of crisp photography and perfectly blended photoshop was certainly a fun find. And the best part is that the entire shop is like this - bright, colorful, and downright inspiring.
It's shops like these that inspire me to learn more, to work harder, and to broaden my horizons.
One of my favorite parts of Etsy is Quit Your Day Job. I have read every single one of the entries and I absolutely LOVE knowing how people "break" into Etsy and blow up in their sales. They all have the coolest stories and such unique experiences that it makes me feel crafty and driven - and it especially makes me hope that some day I will have their success!
Not all of the sellers in the QYDJ are selling things that I would personally buy, though they all have very creative ideas. Todays seller, lusterbunny, is easily one of my favorites because she is doing something I loved to do myself when I was in school - ceramics. But hers come with a twist!
My favorite is definitely the cherries. I hearted her shop, and you should too - and buy something while you're at it!
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