Yeah!!! Featured in Etsy Treasury!!!

Talk about exciting news...I got an email today from BunnyBubbles. She makes some amazing soaps! She got a treasury on Etsy today and chose my Ballade dragon to be in it.

Her Treasury is a great collection of fantastic gamer bits and bobs. Please be sure to check out her awesome collection as well as her store with the cutest soaps I've ever seen!

Time for a new look!

Inspired by De over at Delightful Minis I decided to change up my background. What do you think? Is it too much? It was my favorite one over at thecutestblogonthe block.com. I may search around the net to see if there is one I like even better but for now this one is wonderfully cheerful.
Thanks for the inspiration De!!!

Welcome!

I wanted to say Welcome and thanks to my newest follower. (gosh that sounds narcissitic to say! LOL) Sorry I digress. Michele is now watching my blog..she has a fantastic blog herself! She has the coolest Watermelon minis I've seen! I am definitely planning to give her method a try, as she was gracious enough to share her technique! I hope you'll pop over and check out here work!

Artist of the Week!!!

Meet Mirka, the very talented artist behind not one, but two shops on Etsy. Mirka.etsy.com features her adorable fabric creations. Stuffed animals abound in loads of fabrics and unique shapes, along side cute little purses and wallets. FinnFactor Arts is Mirkah's other shop featuring her truly amazing art work. Her animal prints are almost life-like.
I hope you will enjoy reading her interview, I know I did!
Deborah
Name Mirka Hokkanen-Kim
Shops Mirka.etsy.com for crafts and www.finnfactorarts.etsy.com for art.

About my crazy self: In the beginning I was just making gifts and giving them away to friends. The Etsy-site came along at the right moment for me, because I had ran out of people to give things to and it was a logical step to start selling my handworks. I am not looking to make a living producing arts and crafts, so it keeps me free to create what I want.
As far as making things is concerned I am all over the place which led me to divide my creations into two sections- art and craft. On one hand I work as a printmaker and illustrator, and have an artist website, blog and shop. On the other hand on my free time I like to sew, knit, crochet and felt for which I have a craft blog and a shop set up. It all sounds like a lot of work, but I love every minute of it. I am constantly moving around working on something. My inspiration is from nature and almost everything I do features some kind of an animal. I was born and raised in Finland, so I like to draw inspiration from my culture as well.

1. What brought you into your chosen craft or art?
I have been drawing and crafting little things for as long as I can remember. My mother always supplied me with pencils and paper, and my grandmother had an easy access scrap fabric bin on the bottom shelf of a closet. I do a little of everything and switch around with different materials and techniques as inspiration strikes. (This is also my Achilles heel.) I think what dictates my work now is moving around with a husband in the military. I have to choose small projects, that don’t take a lot of equipment or storage space.

2. Do you have a favorite piece that you have created?
I’m always infatuated with the newest creations, with the feeling wearing off and re-directing itself to the next critter that is completed. Currently I love my two little teddies that were crocheted a couple of weeks ago. The same usually goes for my artworks, but I am much more thoughtful and critical about that side of me- so it’s harder to like my prints. I think the crafts are freer and less meditated, so they have more of a whimsical and lovable side to them.

3. What would you tell someone who would like to venture into creating?
If you are not sure, start doing it on the side. Don’t be afraid of trying, learning and picking up new things. Nobody is perfect when they try something for the first time and unless you try you’ll never know what you like.
Search your local community centers, colleges, art centers etc. for craft classes. When you start looking, you might be amazed at the variety of craft instruction that is available and the nice thing is that you don’t have to invest in your own equipment only to find out you don’t like the technique.
If you live in a more rural area where no classes are available, search for local artists, most of them would probably be happy to give instruction for a small fee. See your local library for craft books. (free!!) The internet is also a great resource. You can find lots of tutorials, forums, blogs and artists who share their knowledge. Don’t be afraid to email and ask for advice, people love to talk and you will most likely get lots of friendly help.
I have listed some great resources on my craft blog www.finnfactor.blogspot.com and here are a handful of sites that might be helpful for beginners:
www.instructables.com an unbeatable resource of tutorials
http://getcrafty.com/ crafting forum
http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/ tutorials
http://sewing.patternreview.com/ support for those who want to sew

Thanks Mirka for sharing a glimpse into your life and your art! And thank you, reader for taking the time to learn about and visit Mirka!
Deborah

More New Goodies!

I took these pics last night and even uploaded them to my flickr...BUT duh I completely forgot to post 'em here! Eeeek, granted it was 3 am when I posted them, so maybe I can use that as an excuse! LOL
Up first are my dragon head pendants...a gorgeous bronzy gold one , (he is nowhere as red in real life...bad 2am photography LOL) and the second is a Faux Turquoise one. I had intended to make a full dragon from the turq, but discovering last night that it does blend, smooth or roll well, well I won't be! After he gets baked, he'll get a coating of Silver Leaf Pen on his horns.
Next are my newest miniatures...Candles and soap. The large 3 wick candle is about 1/2in in diameter. I just love the way they turned out and will be doing more in loads of different colors! :-)

I got several new clay books today, including Christi Friesen's new Bird Book, Donna Kato's Millefiore book, and an amazing book for making realistic clay flowers. I sooooo wanna clay, but I need to go scouring my house for stuff for my yard sale! Ahhh well...gotta have this yard sale to make $ to buy oldest son a new bed, and hopefully some more clay! :-D

Ok I gotta turn of the laptop, other wise I will sit here all day! Y'all have a wonderful Monday!

Welcome!

Just wanted to post a Thank You and Welcome to Catlena! It's always wonderful to meet new people!

New Goodies!

This is Flora...she is a Flower Fairy. Christi Friesen had a tutorial in the Summer 2009 issue of Bead Unique magazine. I just adore the way she turned out. There will most definitely be more flower fairies in my future. (say that 3 times fast! LOL)

Next was a sweet Sunny Daisy in a terra cotta pot. (and I guess technically this came before the flower fairy, but who's counting!) Sunny is about 6 inches tall and is nice and bright and cheerful.
I have some smaller flower pots and I think I will make some smaller daisies to go in them. Maybe even try some other flowers too. My oldest thought she looked like one of the flowers from Alice in Wonderland. So I will probably do some research and see what I can find. I think they'd make great gifts for someone with a black thumb. :-)

Lastly are my fireflies...I have had this idea for ages and just now finally got around to getting it started. Mainly cause I couldn't sleep last night and ended up still awake at 6am this morning! Urgh. So anyways, back to my fireflies...I made glow-in-the-dark fireflies!!! They will be hung on monofilament wire from the lid of a jar. That way they will look just like a jar of freshly caught fireflies. (and the cool thing is you don't have to let them go and they won't be dead in the morning either! I am very excited about this project!