Help me Welcome Kristin from Inspired by Oceans

Tell us a little about yourself, shop or selling venues.

My name is Kristin Magnus and I currently live in Sparta, WI. I have recently relocated here from a small island community in Maine. So, my inspirations for making nautical jewelry comes from my creativity and love for blue and green hues! I enjoy making pieces of jewelry while sitting at home with my dog Linekin! I started selling on Etsy in June of 2011 and have not ventured from there, but would love to!

Kristin on New Years Eve 1920 Gala with Jim

What are some things that bring you joy or inspire you?

I am truly inspired by the ocean!  Whether I am sitting in a chair by the beach, looking at old photographs of my family in Maine, or relaxing with my love Jim, I am always inspired by the objects around me!

Jim-My Love-Canoeing the Kickapoo River in Wisconsin

Do you work outside the home, or are you self employed?

For the past six years, I have taught Kindergarten and PreK in Maine. I am looking forward to teaching in another state. During the summers, I did a lot of work on Maine cottages and the caretaking of them. I have met many clients, some only accessible by boat and the natural landscape and cottage designs inspired a lot of my work!

Hendricks Head Lighthouse -Inspiration for Work -Southport Island

How long have you been creating, and why did you begin?

Over the past 15 years, I have experimented with many types of art. I enjoy painting, crafts, scrapbooking, and metalwork. I recently started making jewelry because I enjoy wearing earrings everyday!

What are some of your favorites (websites, materials, foods, books, other people’s work, etc.)

My favorite materials are crystal and glass. I also love silver and nautical items. I enjoy eating sushi and Thai with my love Jim and when I am not eating, I’m usually surfing the web, enjoying others’ work. I love looking at nautical-inspired designs including fabric, pottery, and wood creations!  There are so many talented artists on Etsy, that I find myself looking for hours J

My Best Doggie Friend -Named after Linekin Bay, Maine

Where do you live, and do you hope to live elsewhere?

I currently live in Wisconsin, but spent the last 12 years in Maine. I love to travel and have always dreamed of teaching overseas, so maybe one day I will get that opportunity. One of the most beautiful places that I would love to visit or even live is Thailand!

What are some of your short term and long term goals overall.

Overall, I would like to continue to make jewelry and other items including sewn pieces. In the long term, I hope that others can enjoy my work as much as I enjoy making it!

What is your most treasured possession, and why?

My most treasured possession is a beautiful white gold and sapphire ring that my sweetheart purchased for me in the Bahamas. I look at the deep blue and think of our amazing times walking in the white sand and sailing through the ocean! And of course, it’s my birthstone, so that makes it very special!

Do you have a religious or spiritual background?

I would not consider myself religious, but definitely spiritual. I believe that things happen for a reason … when one door closes, another door opens. I see that in life, there is some higher power, but what that is, I’m unsure. I wake up thankful and hope to get the most out of life; spending time with the ones I truly love! 

Thank you Kristin for sharing!  Visit her shop on Etsy at www.inspiredbyoceans.etsy.com

Her beautiful jewelry is so reasonably priced, and I'm sure you'll love browsing her vast selection!

Thanks again, 

Lynnette

www.seashellsbyseashore.etsy.com

www.beachbumbeauties.etsy.com

It is My Honor to Welcome SingingHeartJewelry from Etsy

Tell us a little about yourself, shop or selling venues.

I love collecting little treasures, especially from the sea – shells, sea glass, bleached bones, and combining them with beads and other goodies with which I make jewelry.  I’m a bit of a recluse, so I really enjoy the opportunity Etsy offers me to sell my baubles, and also the wonderful community of fellow artists.

 Chunky Necklace March 2011

What are some things that bring you joy or inspire you? 

So many things inspire me and bring me joy.  I could go on and on, but here are a few… sunshine, music, unique art, non-conformists, poetry, color, courageous survivors who tell their stories, my 19-yr-old cat Arnold, my relationship with my sweetheart, life and the human capacity to overcome terrible hardships and find inspiration, hope and joy, the baboon families that come to visit us, travel and different cultures, my mom and close friends…and so much more.

How long have you been creating, and why did you begin?

I think for those of us who are creative, it’s innate - we’ve always done it.  It’s as if we have no choice, we have to do it.  If we don’t, we suffer in some way, whether it’s our health, or just in how we feel – our souls, our lives.  My mother (www.allyarncreations.etsy.com) is an extremely creative person, and I take after her in many ways.  There seem to be different times in my life for my creative loves – I love to draw – putting on paint-stained clothes and getting my hands black from rubbing charcoal on paper is wonderful, or painting on canvas with oils, a paintbrush in each hand and one held in my teeth…writing is also a love of mine, both poetry and prose.  So many other things… but jewelry…I’ve created jewelry, off and on, and of different kinds, for many, many years.     

What are some of your favorites (websites, materials, foods, books, other people’s work, etc.)

I’m a childhood sexual abuse survivor and when I was fifteen, I ran away and survived a year and a half with a terribly abusive person (of which I’m writing a memoir).  Much of what I like in other people’s work has to do with surviving abuse, but most especially, with healing; being able to learn again how to create, love, trust and fully live.  Etsy’s Robin Wade’s work touches me deeply (http://www.etsy.com/shop/robinwade?ref=seller_info)

As does Shirae’s work (http://www.etsy.com/shop/shirae?ref=seller_info). 

I love books and movies.  A couple of my favorite movies are “Out of Africa” and “Life is Beautiful”.  I’m drawn to non-fiction books in which people have lived and survived hardships, and are able, in spite of (and even at times, possibly because of) it all, still thrive and find meaning and even happiness in life.  “The Glass Castle”, by Jeannette Walls is a favorite, as is “Running with Scissors” by Augusten Burroughs, who was able to write with such humor about his seriously messed up childhood, I laughed out loud.  I cheer these people on.  I also loved the book “Under the Tuscan Sun” and non-fiction books about travel.  Some of my favorite writing is from a friend I share a blog with, Candy Bonello (www.writersblogs.wordpress.com).  I wish she’d put her stories into a book.  It would be one of my favorites!

Where do you live, and do you hope to live elsewhere?

I’m American, but I currently live at the southern most tip of Africa.  We’ve built a house in Betty’s Bay, South Africa, at the foot of the Kogelberg Mountains with distant views of the sea.  Betty’s Bay is located in a nature reserve, and is a magical place, with long stretches of breathtaking beaches.  One of three colonies of South African penguins lives here, as does the only herd of wild horses.  We have regular visits from baboons, and we once heard a leopard cry out in the mountain above us.  The beaches are some of the most beautiful that I’ve ever seen – they’re where I find the treasures that I make into jewelry.

I can’t say that I hope to live elsewhere, but who knows?  I never could have known that I’d live in Africa.  I think life sometimes takes you in directions that you don’t expect.  I have a wanderlust soul, and I sometimes long for a more tropical, lush-green, warm-sea place, where the breezes are calm.  I can imagine living in a place that offers that.  Where in the world it would be?  I don’t know, but I’m open.

What are some of your short term and long term goals overall.

I don’t know if these are considered goals, but here are some things I’d love to do…buy a Land Rover and spend months driving up into Africa with my husband - to Ghana for their beautiful glass beads and Ethiopia for their silver prayer beads…possibly to write about the trip.  Finish my memoir and have it published by a huge publishing company!  I’d like one day to know that I’ve helped others somehow, especially having to do with abuse – to help spread the word about the healing power of telling one’s secret.  To continue creating jewelry and other art, and to continue loving life, growing and learning.

You can Find SingingHeartJewelry on Etsy

www.singingheartjewelry.etsy.com

and on Facebook

www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Singing-Heart-Jewelry-Designs/145597962155137

Thank you so much for sharing your amazing journey and story with us.

~Lynnette

**We are now taking requests for July 2011 Featured Artist Spots here on the Blog- if you are an artist that would like to be featured, or know one you'd like to see featured- please contact Lynnette 

HERE

SeaShellsbySeaShore welcomes our first featured artist!

We are glad to announce Felisa!  She is a hard working mother of two that designs gorgeous Sea Inspired Jewelry on Etsy.

www.DesignsByFelisa.Etsy.com

A little about Felisa... I'm married and I'm a mother to two young boys. Being a "Mommy" is most rewarding! During my personal time, I enjoy making jewelry, reading books, and baking. This year I opened up my online shop at www.DesignsByFelisa.Etsy.com where you can find my coastal and nature inspired jewelry and at times I list designed compact mirrors. I also accept orders via e-mail -CraftsByFelisa@gmail.com, or on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Designs-Crafts-by-Felisa/123164681093875 It brings me complete joy when I can make another person happy. For example, when a stranger, friend, or family member appreciates my work, is completely satisfied with their order, and refers my shop to others. I also love it when my children tell me "ooh" or enjoys looking at my final piece. I've always been a creative person by heart but when I had children, my devotion and time was theirs. Early last year when my mother passed away, it was a difficult time for me; however, I found my craftsmanship extremely therapeutic. It was as if I rekindled my relationship with my creative side. Since then, I've dedicated more personal time to enjoy crafting and creating beautiful coastal and nature inspired jewelry. Currently, Etsy is one of my favorite websites - not only because I have an online shop there, but also the fact that Etsy has other wonderful and talented artist & crafters.  I love using sea shells, polymer clay, resin, acrylic paint, and river rocks as part of my materials. I enjoy reading jewelry books and I admire Matthew H. James - a Mixed Media Artist based in New York.

I reside in Mountain House of California. It's approximately 2 hours away from the Pacific Ocean. I enjoy where I live because it's peaceful and it's not that far of a drive to the Bay Area. Special moments with my husband and family take place along the coastal line.

Some of my short term goals are to familiarize myself with local craft events, and to meet other jewelry makers in my area. This will lead into my long term goals, which is to participate in local craft shows and festivals; encourage young adults to explore their creative side, and to volunteer my time hosting river rock painting sessions and jewelry making classes at a geriatrics facility.  

 I am a spiritual person and I believe in God.

~Thanks for sharing Felisa!  We wish you an exciting, and successful year ahead!

*If you are interested in being a featured artist on our blog- please email me at byHisgrace30@gmail.com