How I Started Crafting...

As a kid my Sunday afternoons were often spent sprawled out on the basement floor surrounded by my project of the moment - be it beaded anklets, clay sculptures or a pastel landscape. I've always loved creating something new (and colorful!) out of nothing. The root of my crafty-spirit has to be attributed to my mom, who is quite the crafty diva herself! The handmade Halloween costumes she made for my sister and I each year were always the envy of every other princess or jester on the block. And she was always willing to make a trip to Ben Franklin or Micheal's when the urge for a new project - no matter how many paint stains ended up on the basement floor.

Several years, and several art lessons later, my urge to create pretty, fun things in whatever shape or form is still going strong!

This is part of Etsy CREST's November Blog Carnival, "How I Started Crafting." 

Check out the Etsy CREST blog: http://etsycrest.blogspot.com/

Etsy CREST Member Blogs
Sandi Volpe Designs: http://sandivolpedesigns.com/?p=165
Birch Tree Jewelry: http://www.facebook.com/notes/birchtreejewelry/how-i-started-making-lampwork-beads/166907023333844
Sew Artsy: http://sewartsyblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/ever-wonder-where-i-started.html
{Life as we live it}: http://tctliebel.typepad.com/life_as_we_live_it/2010/11/etsycrest-blog-carnival.html
The Twisted Cow: http://thetwistedcow.blogspot.com/2010/11/answering-age-old-question-how-did-you.html
Turquoise Angels : http://turquoise-angels.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-i-started-crafting.html
Crazy Mokes: http://www.crazymokes.com/2010/11/blog-carnival/
The Dragon Nthly: http://dragnrags.blogspot.com/2010/11/etsy-crest-blog-carnival-how-i-got.html
The Planet Geek Chronicles : http://sapphirechild.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-i-got-started.html
What Belongs to a Fripperie: http://whatbelongstoafripperie.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-did-i-get-myself-into-this-mess.html
Of Cats and Crafts: http://ofcatsandcrafts.blogspot.com/2010/11/november-etsy-crest-blog-carnival-how-i.html

Fall Shows

Craft shows are a great opportunity to pick some truly unique items and meet the uber-creative people who make them! I'll be selling my wares (and probably buying some great items from my fellow crafters!) at these upcoming shows:

Fenton Street Market 
Saturday, September 18 - Silver Spring, MD
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
http://www.fentonstreetmarket.com/

Falling for Handmade, an Etsy CREST craft show
Saturday, October 16 - Gaithersburg, MD
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
http://etsycrest.blogspot.com/

News on additional Fall/Winter shows coming soon...

Treasury Love

For those unfamiliar with Etsy, a Treasury is a member-selected group of items highlighting a common theme (spring, surfing, etc.). Whenever I receive a message from a fellow crafter letting me know that they have selected one of my pieces for inclusion in their unique grouping, I always greet the message with a huge smile. I'm still new enough at this that when someone commends my work I get a nice, uplifting spine-tingle. Or maybe it's just that the feeling never goes away - let's hope!

But I digress...tonight I was lucky enough to find one of those messages waiting in my inbox. My mushroom trio fabric collage fits perfectly with this quirky grouping of mushrooms and hedgehogs by Etsy user Thresholder. Take a look!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c6f2c7145968eef4a6cd7d7/mushrooms-and-hedgehogs

I didn't know I couldn't live without a hedgehog stamp until tonight.