Talkin' Etsy Tuesday with Denise Felton

This week our Talkin' Etsy Tuesday Interview is with Denise Felton, owner of the shop...DeniseFelton.  Denise has unique dimensional collages in her Etsy Shop.  The collages are a fascinating intersection of paper craft and needlework.  Her wit is exquisite and it shows in each of her pieces.  This one is Mother's Power:

The quote at the bottom of the picture says "Her Controlling Power--The mother can take man's whole nature under her control."  The descriptions she puts on each listing in her shop will send most into fits of giggles and a you may utter an "Oh my!" here and there.  The description on Mother's Power says "In his search for the perfect wife, Edgar couldn't help comparing every girl to his ideal: Mother. The woman of his dreams would be strong, decisive, tall. And over 50."  Don't we all know a man or two like that?

I had the pleasure of interviewing Denise Felton.  She started selling handcrafted greeting cards and collages through two brick and mortar shops in 2002.  Her Etsy shop opened up in August 2007.  I adore the reason she started selling her items:

"My friend Jonathan. When you say "muse," most people think of a fairy with flowing hair and a voice like windchimes. So lightweight. My muse is a broad-shouldered pseudo-son who bullies me into being an artist."

Along with her marvelous collages, she also has some fanciful art quilts that make the fiber/texture heart in me go pitter-patter.  This piece, "Yo Art Quilt", is Denise's favorite listing in her shop at the moment:

This is an "Art Quilt of cotton fabric and cotton batting, appliqued with hundreds of one-inch and half-inch cotton yoyos, and heavily embroidered with gold metallic thread and glass seed beads."  To get the whole idea of what one looks like, I have to post another picture of this.  It is absolutely divine! 

Yo Art Quilt is 16" x 20" x 1".  Denise says she loves this one the most (right now), because it's lumpy and bumpy.  Also because it's turquoise and orange, which is one of her favorite color combinations.  Sounds like another good yarn color scheme.  She likes all variations of the turquoise and orange colors, like aqua and bronze, teal and peach.

She finds her inspiration in her work itself.  The photos know what they want to be and she just tries to go along with them.  As for the art quilts, she just lets the fabric, thread, and beads express themselves and she stays out of their way.  She does admit she does not actually hear them talking to her, so no need to lock her up.  Denise Felton does each of her pieces justice by listening to the heart of each item and expressing its inner desires. 

With her keen eye and wit, Denise is making the world a better place by bringing the past back to life through her Collage Pieces.  Her Art Quilts are just that, amazing pieces of art that should be in every home.  I have had the pleasure of seeing Denise's work in person and the detail in each piece is beyond comparison. A photo can not capture all the delicate intricacies of each piece. You will be pleasantly surprised when you get your purchase in the mail and see so much more than you expected.

Lastly Denise wanted to give a big shout out to AREtsy, the Arkansas Etsy Street Team.  She said "We rock and roll so hard. Everybody needs to shop AREtsy for Christmas! "  It's easy to do just CLICK HERE to check out the AREtsy Team Artist's listings.

Denise Felton can be found on:

Etsy

Twitter

Blogger

Please help support local artists and remember, everyone loves handmade!  Why not get that hard to buy loved one on your Christmas list one of Denise Felton's items.  It's a one of a kind and sure to be a collectible treasure.

Christmas Market at St. Peter's in Conway Arkansas

Come join us Saturday, December 5th, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Conway, Arkansas.  The Christmas Market is located at 925 Mitchell.  Corner of Mitchell and Prince.

This will be the very last show for The Twisted Purl in 2009.  Starting next week all our felted soaps, weaved scarves, handspun yarn, and painted roving will be back in our Etsy shop.

Hope to see you there!

Old Meets New: Horse Carriages, Cell Phones, Spinning Wheels, Fireworks...

Old Meets New

Nothing beats being somewhere and seeing beautiful horse drawn carriages.  Takes you back.  Makes you think of the day when all there were were horses and wagons and wait a minute...is that guy on a cell phone?  Yep, turns out both horse drawn carriage drivers were on their cell phones.  Wonder if they were talking to each other.  CLICK HERE if you want to see the picture "Old Meets New" on Flickr.  It's a bit larger.

The set up this year at The Promenade at Chenal was really not that great. First off it was so windy. Everything had to be really anchored down. Standing behind my booth was very chilly. Secondly, they placed us down at the end of the center with another vendor. All the activities (horse drawn carriages, tree lighting, choirs, Santa & Mrs. Claus) was in the center of the area. At least the general manager came by and apologized for our placement. I think the initial thinking was if they placed vendors at the ends it would keep people walking around...not so much. The manager told me next year would be different and we would be smack in the middle of things. I will have to think long and hard over whether or not this show is worth doing again. But hey, at least it ended in a BANG:

 

There were a ton of fireworks and they were awesome!

What's on the Wheel Wednesday (& handspun too):

Pictures on Top Row: New Handspun Christmas Red & White Sparkly Yarn

Picture on Bottom Left: Alpaca Handspun Yarn

Picture on Bottom Right: Blue Tencel & Merino

What's on the Knitting Needles?

This array of mess is a new Scrap Scarf. It's a lot wider than the last one. Such an amazing use for all my scraps. The end outcome is always so cool...a cross between harmony and ciaos.

I got these trio of Snowmen Razorback Fans at Hallmark.  They have opted out of doing a new snowman in their series this year (which I am totally heart broken about).  But the new Razorback Trio was a great consultation.

I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas Season.  Enjoy every minute of it, and craft your pants off...we still have 22 crafting days left!  ♥

Talkin' Etsy Tuesday with the owner of BrianaRose

If you do not know about the wonderful world of Etsy, then you my friend are missing out!  Etsy is a website community full of artists and hand crafters that make creations just for you.  This year, for Christmas, you should support local artists and give handmade items.  Etsy is the very best way to find unique, well crafted items for your loved ones or yourself.

One of my favorite sellers on Etsy is BrianaRose. Being so fond of the ocean, Briana Rose's Swarovski Starfish Hair Clips really take me back to when I was young and searching for sea shells on the beach.

Although these creations are 100% real starfish, they do not flake, smell fishy, or are brittle like you may think. Briana takes a tremendous amount of care and puts a lot of work into each one of these pieces to ensure they will be in your collection for many years to come. She uses Sugar Starfish from the Caribbean. She then has to clean, shave, and strengthen each one with a special glue. They also each have a protective coating. After all the preparation she adds gorgeous Swarovski Crystals on each star.  Just so you know, these starfish are not endangered and are very abundant.  Each one of her Starfish Hairpins are a steal, seeing how much work goes into each one, BrianaRose sells them anywhere from $14 up to $28 each. A small price to pay to be able to put on such a gorgeous hair pin to bring out your inner star.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Briana and learned a lot about her and her craft.

"My craft of choice is sugar starfish from the Caribbean. They've got more character than other starfish." BrianaRose

She started selling starfish hairpins in high school.  After a break, she started again after getting a scholarship to pursue her business a few months ago. She likes new ideas and trends and wanted to start something that wasn't typical, was totally natural, but still kinda girly. She hits her mark perfectly with her Starfish creations. The crystals give the glitz that every girl wants but the starfish bring you back to nature, which fills the hearts desire.

Her Etsy Shop name comes from her first and middle name "Briana Rose".  She said "My great grandmother and I share the same middle name, so that's why I like it so much."

When asked where she finds her inspiration she said "I like to flip through magazines and pictures for my inspiration, but in hasn't really aided me with the hairpins thus far. I think my inspiration comes from the Lord, ya know?" No better place to find inspiration!

She does have a few local events going on right now: 

December 3rd, an open house, at Hungry Hair in the Fig Garden Village, in Fresno, CA.

December 5th, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, she is having a Trunk Show at Carmel Kids, in Fresno, CA.

Of course, if you are not in the area, you can always go to her Etsy Shop and conveniently purchase a star.

Briana eventually would really like to distribute throughout the country and one day possibly throughout the world. She is currently recruiting and would love some applicants.

You can find BrianaRose:

Etsy

Facebook

Her favorite color combo in general is black and white. But in reference to the stars, she does like the bright orange stars and crystal iridescent Swarovski rhinestones. Nice! Maybe I'll spin up some "BrianaRose" Yarn and ply it with some shiny threads.

Lastly, know each star has its own personality and great character. BrianaRose likes to think that the starfish you pick for yourself reflects your personality as well.

Please help support this fantastic Etsy Artist and get an exquisite, unique Starfish Hairpin for the star in your life. ♥

Give the Gift of Yarn this Year

2010 will be the Year of the Yarn

Yarn addicts everywhere are wishing their families could some how grasp how much yarn means to them. To the average man...yarn to us is like a Sunday with the perfect football line up and a fridge full of beer. To the average child...yarn to us is like having full access to a toy shop and getting to take anything home anytime. Yarn means a lot! With it's textures and bumps and twists and turns, each skein is a new, exquisite, and breathtakingly indulgent.

So, you may ask...well if I know my wife, sister, friend, mother, aunt, cousin, neighbor loves yarn so much, then what am I supposed to do about it?  Easy, I'm here to help.  My goal after all is to enable all the yarn addicts in the world.  I'm offering a limited time Gift Membership into my exclusive Yarn of the Month Club.

For a small fee of $35.00, your loved one will get a one month subscription.  In the mailbox, they will receive one skein of yarn, from 100 to 150 yards (at least a $35 value).  This will not just be any old yarn you can find at your local retail store...no!  This will be an unique creation, made just for them.  The fibers will be carded, hand painted (using only professional wash fast dyes), and then carefully handspun on my spinning wheel.  They will also get a freebie or two and maybe even a pair of knitting needles.  Shipping, via USPS Priority Mail, is included in the price as well as any applicable taxes (a $5 value).  Now depending on how much you want to hear your favorite yarnaholic squeal, we do also have 3 month memberships for $85 and 6 month memberships for only $155 (remember each month is at least a $40 value).

For the 1 Month Subscription Click Here

For the 3 Month Subscription Click Here

For the 6 Month Subscription Click Here

Included with your Gift Membership Purchase is a nifty little Gift Card to give to your loved one. The card will be perfect to put under the tree or in a stocking. It's the perfect precursor of things to come. Your yarnaholic will adore you for this well thought out gift. And Christmas will continue for into the next year.

A very limited amount of memberships will be sold this year, as I am only one sole trying to provide the world with spectacular yarn.  Gift Membership start in January and ship out during the middle of each month.  If there are certain colors combos you do not like or would really like, please let me know during ordering, or anytime during your membership.  Each skein is handspun with you in mind and I will try my best to fulfill your color desires.  I'm easy going and chatty, so feel free to pass on my email to the gift recipient  and let them know I'm here to help!

This yarn could be on your loved ones needles.  Hey, if you are lucky enough...maybe they will make something spiffy for you!

To all my darling Yarnaholics, if this is something you want for Christmas, please let your loved ones know.  As stated before, a very limited number of subscriptions will be sold, and spaces are filling up quickly.  Join The Twisted Purl's Yarn of the Month Club and lets make 2010 be the Year of the Yarn.  As always 'Happy Crafting!' ♥

Mom....Can I sell this???

When you run a business from home, your children tend to think they can make anything and then sell it.  It's sadly true.  This Thanksgiving Break, my boys are determined to have a "scheduled" a crafting time everyday.  The first thing that was made was a Robot, on a tower...with self destruction mode. 

In this picture the robot has already ignited it's self destruction option.  Brady's asking price for this adorable piece of work is $10.  Disclaimer...since the destruction mode has been enabled...it can not go back to Robot Man on Tower.

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Austin is convinced his "Camo Sneak Attack Shakers" are a bargain at $10 a piece.  He is offering a first time buyer discount of $8 a piece.  These would be perfect for sneaking up on something in the woods.

Each box is full of "Ugly Beads" that no one would want to see anyway.  They are rather loud and could be a great addition to your Army Themed New Years Eve Party...or scaring away a deer.

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Brady has taken Austin's Shaker idea and expanded it into a Monster/Hat named "Mighty Madness Monster".  It has arms, legs, and is perfectly disguised.  It can sit right on your head and induce total madness!

This "Mighty Madness Monster" asking price is only $5...what a deal! 

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Austin made a pretty cool looking "Almost Binoculars"...by opening up a box and looking through it.

He is asking $5 for the "I Can See You/Almost Binoculars" 

Yes, it says "I Can See You" right on the box.  Just in case you didn't know.  This is brilliant, cause it lets you know you can actually be seen through the box!

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And lastly, not for sale, is our "Family Bridge".  Most have a tree...well, Austin made a bridge:

This item is "Not for Sale" because...well, it has all our names on it, so who would really want to buy it?

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Hope you and yours are all having fun "scheduled" Crafting Times everyday....Christmas is only 30 days away!!!