New Treasury:

You are my sunshine when skies are grey. This is in no reference to that book 50 shades of grey. I just came up with this one because it has been raining in NYC for the past 3 days. Enjoy and remember to support your Etsy artists by clicking, commenting, sharing, and of course shopping ;p

'When Skies Are Grey' by byMarta

You are my sunshine when skies are grey.

Wish Flags Wedding Bann... stitchinnetka $32.00	Grey / Gray / silver sh... SouthernBelleS... $8.00	Fabric flower bobby pin... thepaisleymoon $4.50	Steel Grey Star Necklac... beinthemoment $55.00
swarovski beaded WATCH-... mulryjewels $45.00	Women's Messenger B... JHFabricCreati... $43.00	Credit Card, Business C... PinotByLyn $7.00	Mustache earrings Gray ... beautysociety1... $6.99
Gray and Lace JensBowdacious... $9.95	Jumping Snowboarder Win... BigBridgeStudi... $24.00	Gray Baby Shoes with Ha... LaValya $45.00	Felt Skull ponytail hai... annatrimmeldes... $10.00
Grey necklace, short sa... Karavakishop $32.00	Grey Marble Cup Cozy, G... natalya1905 $17.50	Grey Crochet Slouch Bea... GlamourDamaged $20.00	Square Knot Bracelet - ... DobleEle $15.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Treasury: On the Line

Walk the line with these adorable striped items from your favorite Etsyers, including the awesome and talented member of the EtsyNYTeam.

Preparing for Craft Fairs

Tomorrow will be my first Craft Fair where I'll be vending my wares. I've helped sell for others before, but this one is my first where I'll actually be selling my own stuff. It took my all month to prepare and I'm confident enough to say "I'm ready".

A great shout out and thanks to Handmadeology for sharing a "The Ultimate Craft Show Preparation List" post with all the necessary links that helped me prepare.

Below are some progress shots and finished products. Yay, I'm so excited.

Bottle cap hair clips featuring miniature prints of my art.

Pinback buttons of my artwork, all packaged and ready for the fair.

Hair Bow Ponytail holders handmade out of lace, vintage fabric, and bottle caps 

featuring miniature prints of my original paintings.

Handmade hair bow barrettes and brooches.

Dawn: Original Oil Painting

A light, refreshing piece of a girl lying in the dessert field at dawn, with her hair softly flowing on the ground. I like how this piece is almost monotone, mainly in the yellow/green family pallette. I feel it has a very serene mood and whenever I look at it I feel calm and at ease.

Daydream

6x10

Oil paints on canvas, graphite

close up details

Pinnochio Inspired Paintings

I did a small series of 3 paintings based on Buratino, the Russian version of the Pinnochio. Buratino was published in 1936 by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy, after Carlo Collodi's Pinnochio. The main characters are Buratino, Malvina, and Pierrot.

"Buratino"

Oil and Graphite on Canvas

12x12

Buratino is a long nosed wooden puppet carved by Papa Carlo. This one is actually more closely related to Pinnochio than the actual Butratino. I chose to do this version because it's more contrasting, Buratino's tones were too similar to Malvina's.

"Malvina"

Oil and Graphite on Canvas

12x12

Malvina is a beautiful blue haired girl puppet. She is sarcastic and unfazed, but a loyal friend. 

She has a pet poodle names Artemon.

"Peirrot"

Oil and Graphite on Canvas

12x12

Pierrot is a sad looking puppet who is also a poet and madly in love with Malvina.

{NewNew} Etsy Team

I am officially a part of the {NewNew} Etsy team. Thanks to a friend who is a member - with an awesome Etsy shop - I was introduced to the Etsy world and the NewNew.

It is a group composed of mainly female Etsy shoppers in the tristate area, who help support and encourage each other to strive for success in the somewhat isolating craft world. I'm hoping to network, gain knowledge and support while navigating the Etsy community. As I am still very new to Etsy and being an entrepreneur, so I need all the help I can get.  Hopefully by fall, I'll have enough experience to enter a craft show or flea market. I've helped out at the Dekalb Market last December, besides it being freezing, it was blast. I really enjoyed the creative environment and meeting all the vendors - there were quiet a few characters.

I'm really excited and this is just the kind of motivation I need to keep going.