Sunday - Coffee And Cake!

New Greeting Cards and Prints On Etsy - Click Images to Visit Listings




Sunday - Coffee and Cake



Hello again :)

Had a bit of a crazy week as usual. It's been a couple of weeks since I have managed to just write a normal blog post, and I'm not trying to be lazy I promise! Time has just really been my enemy, which I am hoping should change in the following week, what with the other half going back to work and me being back to my full time duties exclusively! Should have plenty to talk about besides the features which'll be nice, considering all that I've been doing lately is work work work on Etsy. I've already written out a plan of what my son and I are going to get up to from tomorrow... aren't I organised! ^_^



Anyway today I want to discuss Social Networks. This is nice and easy so don't worry about me boring you to death lol!!!



Networking Part 5 : Social Networks Like I've said, this is easy as pie. A bit time consuming to set up but once they're going you can really intergrate yourself into the handmade community outside of Etsy, which so far I find is a great way to meet like minds and to also get your name out there. Like with Twitter and Blogger, Social Networks also allow you to link up all of your web efforts into one place, so any visitors will know of all the other places they can find you! A great thing if say someone who hates Myspace, but loves Facebook would rather link to you on there :)

I think one thing that puts people off Social networks is the security side of things. At least it did for me with all the scaremongering you get about them. With Facebook for example, I would never link my business to my personal page... the same way i dislike the idea of mixing work life and home life... you get the picture.
Facebook allows businesses to use their services without the need to mix in their personal profiles. It's simply, Facebook Pages as opposed to Facebook Profiles. I'm not sure if you need to have a normal Facebook profile in order to have a "page", as i was fortunate enough to already be an avid Facebook user prior to creating mine, but once up and running I think it's a create way to network with fellow handmade artisans.
It has a system on there which allows you to create ads that link to your page (at a cost however), and obviously it gives you presence in the searchable world that is Facebook.
It allows people to "become a fan" of you page, which once done allows you to update them as you update your page, without having to go through reams of email addresses to manually update them on your endeavors. A bit like a mailing list, but a little more snazzy. Users will see your updates on their own Facebook homepages in real time. They can also interact with you by leaving comments on your page or message you direct, so it's a great way to keep the communication flowing.
You can use various applications to make your page more interesting. I use Networked Blogs which pulls the feed from my Blogger Blog into my page without me having to go back and forth copying and pasting links. Facebook is one of my favourite methods of keeping people informed of what I'm getting up to.

If you want to be able to have something that you can tweak a little more, that uses templates or HTML and looks a little less plain like Facebook, you can join lots of Ning social networks like, Indie Public, We Love Etsy and Twittermoms (obviously one for mothers!). They all use a similar kind of interface, but you'll find the communities on there are vast and there are plenty of opportunities to communicate with these communities. All of the networks I mentioned give you access to a blog, of which when used gets updated at the top of a list similar to the way listing an item on Etsy works. This can be viewed in the "blogs" tab, where your updated blog will be at the top, along with all other blog users. Like with Etsy, if someone else updates a blog, then you'll get bumped down the list. Not one to be abused, you should only ever update when you genuinely have something relevent to say or announce! They all also have forums which are great for meetings other artists and for promotion. You can personalise your homepages too by uploading photos, RSS feeds, and various other things. Another place that I've already mentioned that could be used, if you like the idea of controlling how your page looks is Myspace. This may take a little more time, but if you're tech savvy in anyway you can make beautiful pages, completely personal to you that will look great if you want to establish a name for yourself. If not there are HTML editors now intergrated into Myspace that walk you through the steps of creating a look from scratch. Once up, you can link to your shop by using your Etsy mini, various other widgets if you like, and have a lot more flexibility than any other of the Social Networks when it comes to sharing everything that you want to and having that sort of control.

Mixxmade.com is a place I'm new too myself, but the one thing that is fab about it is that it allows you to link items into a sort of classifieds ad, in the Marketplace section. You have to write your listings out from scratch mind you, and type in links for people to visit (as your ad won't link to your item directly). But it's just another Idea... I think it's relatively new, but it's a community that is growing and definitely worth checking out.

There are loads of social networks out there besides the ones I've mentioned, but I do think it's worth giving it a go. Particularly for ones that you think your potential focused group is larger (ie: Facebook & We Love Etsy). If you're worried about security, then just don't make it personal and keep it solely for business. (You can still be friendly lol!) Also, change your passwords regularly and make sure they're not one's you'd use all the time. These kind of things always have the potential to get hacked, the same way any other site would do so for piece of mind I'd keep a log book of your passwords incase you forget, and regularly change them so you're always in control.

That's all that I'm familiar with anyway. Until next week!


moonangelnay x

Friday Finds... Dreamtree Studios

Friday Finds... Dreamtree Studios

This is my second interview of the amazing not-so-well-known artists of Etsy. HOW? is always the question that flies through my mind on my hunts, because as you've seen already with my last interview and my Monday Expo's, these talented people really do have something quite special, yet still they are just not as well known as they should be!

Last weekend on my search I almost fell of my chair with excitement (I'm not exagerrating) when I had contact from Donna of Dreamtree Studios, an amazing talented artist that creates incredible digital artwork with Fractals. I first became interested in Fractals myself about 5 or 6 years ago, upon discovering my first Fractal artist on Spiritart.org, and it has been something which you can probably see in some of my work that has inspired my weird and vibrant abstract style. I have to be honest when I say that I have never put out any fractals out there that are worthy of acknowledgement (I still struggle with the mathematics!) , let alone anything quite as amazing as who I am introducing to you today, but the fact that fractals are at the heart of my own crazy digital ideas is the reason I just HAD to offer Donna an interview. Fractals are more than just an art...


(Just click the images to go direct to the listings)










--Tell me a bit about you! (Name, Age, Location, and give us a random fact whilst you're at it.) My name's Donna of Dream Tree Studio and I'm a 30-something (wink!) living in Charleston, SC at the moment. Fun fact - I've lived in 7 US states and 2 other countries (Korea and Germany). I'm a proud military brat!

--What is your business about then? I'm kind of a contradiction in some ways - I'm a creative person who loves art and color but also a total computer geek! I've found a great way to combine the two sides by creating unique digital artwork called fractals. Fractals are mathematical-based creations (bet you never thought math could be this cool, did you?). I use various software programs to explore the formulas, algorithms, transformations, and other mathematical functions and use them to create interesting forms with rhythm and vibrant color.

--How did Etsy come into your life? I actually found it via a friend who is very into the handmade scene and encouraged me to check it out. I've been on etsy for a while, though just started selling my art, and I've found it to be a great community with sellers and buyers from around the world interacting in the forums - I love it!

--Are you working a day job too? Yes - as much as I love my art, I can't pay the rent with it yet! I actually have another business on etsy too - creating bath & body products, so between that & the day job, I keep pretty busy. I do hope that, in the future, I will be lucky enough to have more time to focus on my own business and my creative life all day long.

--How long has the artist in you been 'unleashed' for? It's funny, actually. When I was very young, I remember being really interested in art and taking a lot of classes at school (of course, this was back when all public schools in the US offered multiple art courses, which they don't anymore, sadly). I used to love it! Then after school and college, "grown up" responsibilities took over and I set art aside for more practical pursuits. About 6 years ago, I was going through some old papers my mom & dad saved from my early years and found a paper that I'd written...in crayon...about how I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. That's when I realized I needed to start creating things again!

--What has been the inspiration behind your business? I started creating fractals just for fun - a great way for me to relax and enjoy the process. But when I started showing them to people they would "ooh" and "aah" and asked so many questions and wanted to have copies for themselves. I thought it would be great to share my work with more than just friends & family and also try to educate people about what fractals are and how math plays such an important role.

--If you could describe your products in three words, what would you tell me? colorful, dynamic, fun!

--What would an average working day for you be like from dawn til dusk? Well, as I have a day-job, it's pretty simple:
6:45 am - wake up, feed the cat, check my e-mails & etsy
8:00 am - head to work
1:00 pm - take lunch break - eat at desk so can use computer (allowed by my boss!) to check etsy and work on a fractal for a bit
6:00 pm - get home from work, feed the cat again
6:30 pm - eat dinner
7:00 pm - work on fractals, hang out in etsy forums
8:00 pm - work on bath & body orders
10:00 pm - work on fractals before bed
11:30 pm - bed...finally!


--What's your favourite material and techniques to work with? Well, fractals are completely digital, so I work with my computer and a fractal software program called UltraFractal. I do use other fractal programs like Apophysis sometimes, but my true love is UltraFractal. I also use Photoshop to sharpen and sometimes enhance the colors of my work, as well as resizing images as necessary. I have my work printed by a professional photo lab using Kodak Endura papers - the metallic paper is my favorite as it gives a silvery pearlescent sheen to the fractals that makes them look almost three-dimensional!

--What is your ideal vision for the future for you and your work? Right now, I have so much going on in my life that I want to focus on the present. I can say for sure that I ilove creating fractals and plan on working with them every day as long as I can!

--Away from work, what do you like to do for fun or to wind down? You can see I have a busy schedule, but I do fit in time for friends and family. I like to go out to the movies a lot with my closest friends or we'll have small gatherings at one person's house to watch TV or a movie and have a great dinner cooked on the grill. I usually have dinner with my parents on Sunday too.

--What are you likely to search for on Etsy? Oh, all kinds of things, but probably jewelry and art the most. I happen to adore modern sterling silver jewelry and there are some fabulous artisans on etsy - I wish I could own so many things I find! And as for art - I love, love, love abstract works, especially if they are very flowing and have rich, vibrant colors. I've found some truly amazing artists on etsy as well!

--Any last words? I'm always interested in talking about fractals with people, so if anyone ever has questions, please feel free to contact me any time. And, thank you for this interview!

From Day To Night

I seem to be cursed with this whole time malarky. Lol! I tell myself all the time about how much more efficient I will be after letting the wee hours anxieties form long lovely lists of plans for my future days. But I seem to get plagued with distractions (although they are necessary some of the time), then lo and behold I end up behind with my endevours. Today at least I'm slightly more relaxed about it, but I think that is more of a succumbing to the inevitable (no Naomi you cannot play the grand creator and MAKE time... not literally anyway). Ahhhhhh *that is a sigh I promise*, the joys of a mothers schedule! Well despite not getting absolutely all of what I hope to achieve daily done, I have at least catalogued a few new pieces to stick onto my etsy store over the next few weeks. I'll be playing nurse / "single mum" next week as my other half is having an operation and is on strict orders to take it easy for 3 weeks after. Which means I need a plan of action for keeping my son from bouncing off the walls for at least the first week so his father can get a good rest! So the ultimate full time action will be on the cards which sadly means I'll be cutting back on my beloved etsy work to cater for the boys needs.

I've planned ahead and have lots of goodies to share daily with everyone. It doesn't take a bajillion years to list on Etsy. It's the marketing that slows up my days, so treasuries will probably have to get cut (maybe not though), as will my hunt for the ultimate advertising tools. I should hopefully be able to continue blogging although they may be a little shorter and more scary due to impending bald patches (oh how will i live without my Etsy!), and i think a tweet here or there may get slipped past the little one without him noticing :)

All in all earlier this week had been about planning, so the stress levels were high, and I had been in a bit of a dark place... so to follow suit some of my recent work had taken a bit of a darker turn. That doesn't surprise me in the least. My style changes CONSTANTLY. I'm not a conventional artist at all really, I don't know why but I find it very hard to keep my style consistant yet I think it adds character to the fact that I lack it LOL. Contradiction and a half! It's the same with my fine and abstract art aswell. My photography has metamorphised now into something that I can now consider part of my being and not something I search for through a lense. I have total comfort in how I express myself through it so like I say it doesn't surprise me when each piece is as sporadic in style consistancy as i guess i am in moods LOL! i promise though that the work that is coming just as interesting. Becoming more light and wonderful (as has my mood the last few days lol!).

Tomorrow which is Friday the 17th of July my Etsy treasury "LAVENDER DREAMING" will be ending at around 9pm GMT London time so if you get the chance to check it out, please do! It's my best line of picks yet!

So I'd better show you a selection of recent uploads to Etsy. They are below! just click the titles if you want to see the listings directly :) All the best my dears!



Mandala Fire No.3 5x7 Abstract Fine Art Photography - By Moonangelnay



Rose Gold 5x7 Inch Print - Creative Fine Art Photography By Moonangelnay


A Walk Through Life 8x12 Inch Print - Creative Fine Art Photography By Moonangelnay

Vintage Bloom 5x7 Inch Print - Creative Fine Art Photography By Moonangelnay

Not So Busy Bee...

I think it's fair to say that today has been too much of a blur for my liking. I really do think that the people invented time to cheese me off because it seems to pass by so quickly nowadays. I do think time is speeding up but that's a whole other blog!

Right now though I'm feeling a bit flustered at the lack of stuff I have managed to do today, having been given the opportunity via a baby free house!!! I guess my only consolation is that my mum has been telling me to have a few hours to myself to try and get over this cold, of which I had a few... Not by choice really. "Relax" she told me earlier. In my life that's a bit of a myth lol!!!

Well my form of relaxation came in the form of painting the walls... and I think I performed a splendid display of 'live action DIY mum'! But all came to a standstill when a particular gloss my other half insists needs to go on the frames, COULD NOT be found anywhere. Yet, it's matt twin has been driving me nuts at the corner of my eye all afternoon. I was VERY tempted to use that instead, but Elric wants it all to look shiny. So a velvety room is out of the question, no matter how tempting it is to lob it at the wall. The can is still sitting obnoxiously on the windowsill, probably cackling at me in a parallel universe. The frustration comes from time yet again by the way. There is slight appropriateness to my desperation.

Anyway, ignoring that color entirely! I managed to improve upon his painting with the main wall ;) and started the lower wall near to our sofa. I was pretty chuffed when I was done with that bit, which was why I was ready for color number 3 but... I despairingly gave up after the gloss hunt and twiddled my thumbs ever since. I'm not normally this over dramatic LOL! But I just want the house in order before the stampede of toddlers on sunday! Not to mention all the food I have to cook the day before, and the decorations I need to put up... *sigh* I hate it when I'm on a role and something distrupts it. Really throws me off, particularly when I'm not doing my daily mum thing! So currently I'm contemplating a late night of painting once the boys are back from visiting grandad (gonna make Elric find the gloss he so insists is sitting by the matt equivalent lol!), because I don't really think my brain can handle much else today lol!!!

Infact, away from my wonderfully productive day I have updated a few listings on etsy which I have neglected to share. I made a point of changing some listings to reflect other prices for prints in my store, as even though print sizes and prices are written into my profile, I have a hunch people probably don't look at it, and therefore only see the default size and price for all photography on there (8x12). So now there are some 5x7 listings (although remember they can be changed if you wish for something larger! Convo me on etsy for that). Anyway here are the new photographs I have listed. Each photo will take you directly to the listing which should allow you to view a larger photo too :) moonangelnay.etsy.com

Violet Star 5x7 $10

Sketchy 5x7 $13

Frog 5x7 $10

Iris Munch 5x7 $10

Pretty In Pink

Whilst I am updating a few photography listings, I thought I would quickly post a new mandala I incorporated into the shop earlier this evening.

So far I have to say it's my favourite one. Stunningly pink and strikingly beautiful. It's one my other half couldn't help but notice upon passing me on his way to the kitchen after waking up from his night shift. I'm glad he had to take a double take, it means at least it's eye catching! I designed it from a photograph of a pink flower growing in my mum's beautiful garden, and I really do think I have captured the spirit of the atmosphere there with this one, rather than just the plant itself. I love her garden, I only wish I was in a permanent property to be able to work on ours the way I want to! One day though :)

moonangelnay xxx

Happy Father's Day To All The Cool Dad's In The World!

Yeeeeeeeeeeeey! Finally a day where all good men in the world can have some appreciation has arrived lol! It's not a day I'm too familiar with, and I know that sounds bizarre but up until a couple of years ago I never really knew my own. I lost contact with my dad when I was 2. Long story best saved for another time! I did grow up with a step-father but to be honest it wasn't the happiest of relationships, and he knows why that is. But as a result of that I never really felt close to him, and up until my mum decided to break away from their relationship I found out a lot that made my entire childhood make a lot of sense. All in all I think I was robbed of the father presense in my life (or at least one that I had respect for), so today for me FINALLY is a day I can be excited about! ^_^ A big up to my dad, cuz he does one hell of a job looking after all my brothers and sisters in Wales (I have 6 siblings you know). He's poorly at the mo, so the appreciation I think would make him a happy man :)

One problem... My poor other half Elric was on nights last night and is fast asleep, and my dad is unreachable via the phone! lol! He lives in Cardiff (good 180 miles from here), so being able to take a stroll to the old man's house, or a 5 minute car trip is out of the question I guess. So I'm on my own until Elric wakes up... Unless Yukio wakes up first!

I had to do the whole fathers day thing on Friday because of Elrics shifts this weekend, which is a shame really as the prospect of doing it all at the same time with other families across the world is kinda special. You know day's like this are lovely (minus the commercialism which is enough to put me off), because it's one time only a few times a year where without thinking about it consciously, we are all probably thinking along the same lines, a whole lot of love is going around and we are connected via our focus and intentions. Now that to me is what these days should be about. Besides what they are designed for, millions of people around the world for once are all sharing a common value, and it's things like that that make you wonder why it's not doable all the time. But that's the human condition for ya! At least for one day we can look at our loved ones and remember who they are.

moonangelnay xxx

A New Mandala

Well I've finally got myself together and made my computer cooperate with me doing some work, despite the fact it is now 12.48am where I'm from and I should probably catch up on the late night last night. But yes! A fresh new mandala is in my store!
This new series that I'm working on is become more and more spiritually inspired the more I gather ideas. So far I'm finding they are resembling the chakra system which is pretty cool. Particularly as I tend to frequently put emphasis on my own when I meditate and through other lines of my work. So for me it's almost like I'm connecting not only to the soul nature of the photo's i'm editing (the primary emphasis) but to my own soul nature. Which I guess would make sense as that is what art and creativity should be about! But unlike my other work, this is manifesting into a more personal area for me, as I'm not just farting around with tools as I edit making changes willy nilly, but I'm making a point of carefully choosing the changes I make and putting a lot of intent into each individual photograph. I'm just chuffed that I can treat my digital art the same way I would do a drawing or painting, as by nature I am a fine artist. Technology has corrupted my soul however lol! But I like it. It means I am flexible and open to new things and generally I like to think I'm that way, away from my art. I feel the urge to draw something. It always happens this way, and ALWAYS at inappropriate hours. ah well, bed time!

moonangelnay xxx

Phew!

It's been a bit of a day. A mental one although I can't say literally. Just my own making, in my own mind. After last night's ordeal with my son and the lack of help the doctors gave at our local hospital, I've been feeling pretty deflated. My other half was there for at least 4 hours, which obviously gave plenty of time for my sons open wound to heal but it meant that the doctors weren't prepared to glue the opening together FOR this exact reason. Giving that it only would have taken a minute to do that (I know after they did it the first time around), we feel pretty let down, and now my son's scar is going to be pretty big as opposed to neater and not so big. That's the NHS for you. Useless.

Anyway i've been a busy bee when I've had the time to work today. Still trying to become a nab hand at this blogging malarky and finding new ways to promote my etsy shop online. I found a brilliant source from etsy seller jessejanes, a pdf document that she has composed that gives a wonderful wealth of information to help my exact cause regarding internet promotion outside of etsy. She has a pretty incredible sales rank for just over a year so I gotta give a hand to her, she knows her stuff! So I'm getting to work on that one!

I had a go at making some more digital work today but my PC is being a bit uncooperative so that didn't exactly manifest, but I'll showcase one of my recent works anyway as I hoped to show something on my blog today. I have created a new series of digital creations that are meant to express the soul nature behind mother nature, by caputuring photographs of the natural world and re-creating their essence in the form of a mandala. Mandala literally translates as "essence" and so far I'm pretty pleased with my work.

It has inspired me to create a treasury on the subject too if you're interested in having a look at that, which I feel is worth sharing due to the beautiful work of the artists I have selected on there :) like this one by mirese. I couldn't believe that this wasn't a real baby, but seriously if you have a look I'm sure you'll be amazed at her talents as a sculptor!

All in all, what a day it has been. looking forward to a hopefully less stressful day tomorrow.

moonangelnay xxx