Yesterday, I met up with Joan of Fiori Fine Silver for lunch and to talk Etsy. We had a mission–it was time for Joan to list her first item on Etsy. Not that I needed an excuse to go out to lunch and talk crafty business. Those are two of my favorite things anyway.

I met Joan last month at a show at Ci|Creative. Talking about art and craft and the business of selling handmade, we immediately connected. Since Joan had not yet made the leap to Etsy, we agreed to get together and talk through the process. At lunch, she showed me some of her lovely jewelry pieces, we talked about the design process, and ultimately, we created a listing for a very pretty pair of fine silver hoop earrings. Joan creates unique textures on her pieces that I just love. These particular earrings have a leaf and vine pattern, but wait until she gets a few more listed! Each piece is different and lovely. Joan is still in the beginning phases of stocking and decorating her Etsy shop, but do stop by for a peek! Joan also wrote about our lunch date, and she talks more about her process creating the hoop earrings on her blog.

One of the things I have wanted to work on for awhile now has been to expand my circle of real-life creative friends. Having been a student for so long, I wasn’t surrounded by a lot of people who share my creative interests. And although I love connecting with the creative community online, it’s nice to see a real face every now and then. It can be hard to find other artists sometimes, though, especially when you’re a little shy, so the going has been slow. But lunch with Joan was one step forward, and I’m started to connect with other local artists, too.

I’m not sure if it’s just me that struggles to connect with other creative people in real life, so I’d love to hear your take on this. Do you have a real life creative community or friendships, or do the people around you not really understand that crafty stuff you do? Are you taking steps to forge new relationships with like-minded people? Let me know!

…than a hand-written note?

A small bit of my stationery stash.

I have always had a special place in my heart for pretty stationery. Over the years, I have created a collection of pretty papers and note cards that seems to outpace my opportunities for sending little notes and letters. I will often glance at my stationery stash and wish for a reason to send someone a note by mail. I finally found a reason with a post on IndieFixx this week, in which Jen proposed the Penpal Project. Inspired by some e-mail problems, she thought it would be great to connect IndieFixx readers with one another to exchange real, snail mail letters. I love it! I have already arranged to be penpals with a couple of people, but if you are also interested, send me a message (there’s a link to my email just over there, on the left)! (I’m serious. Let’s be penpals. Who doesn’t love mail?)

Sometimes, it seems like things snowball. And this handwritten-note/stationery love thing is one of them. Just today, I stumbled across a giveaway on Elephantine for some really lovely note cards and gift tags made by Kristin Sanchez. You should definitely take a peek at her charming Etsy shop and sign up for the giveaway. If you win, you can use one of the note cards to send a letter to your new penpal!

The Big Billy-Goat Gruff Tramped Over the Bridge

Do you remember the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff? I didn’t remember all the details, but the character of the troll really stuck with me. Throughout the years, I’ve occasionally encountered people that I’ve thought of as “bridge trolls.” I know that isn’t very nice, but then, sometimes we meet people who aren’t very nice, too!

Over the weekend, I visited with a friend who lives in a small town nearby. We spent a day visiting small local shops and antique stores. And when I came upon this illustration of the Big Billy Goat and the Troll from a 1938 version of the story, I simply had to buy it. I mean, seriously, who else feels such a strong connection with the bridge troll? It was meant to be.

Of course, then I had to look up the story to remember how it went, and I was sad to learn that the billy goats triumphed by apparently killing the mean old bridge troll. Sure, he threatened to eat them, but he also never actually did. Poor guy. Also, it strikes me that a lot of children’s stories and songs are seriously morbid. I mean, the big billy goat actually says to the troll:

Well, come along! I’ve got two spears,
And I’ll poke your eyeballs out at your ears;
I’ve got besides two curling-stones,
And I’ll crush you to bits, body and bones.

Sheesh! I’m feeling more and more sympathetic for this poor little troll. And maybe I will start being a little warmer towards the “bridge trolls” in my own life, too. Maybe. Either way, I’ve now got this fabulous bit of bridge troll art for my wall, and I love it.

Are there any bridge trolls in your life? Or any other creatures from weird children’s stories that you’ve held on to the way I have the bridge troll?

I like incorporating vintage and repurposed materials into my work when I can. Vintage fabrics from clothing and linens make lovely pillows, wallets, and wristlets. And vintage jewelry makes for lovely embellishments. So of course I have been interested in attending an estate sale to see what I could find. But having never been to one, I was a bit intimidated. What’s this about numbers? How is it different than a garage sale? Fortunately, my friend Amanda of Yellow Dragonfly Designs is an estate sale pro, and she was kind enough to take me to one this morning.

The place was packed with people and things, and was a bit overwhelming! It was also evident that this person was a collector of mushrooms and craft supplies, which was plenty to make me happy. I came away with a great assortment of vintage buttons. These are some my favorites:

Vintage Buttons

The buttons on the right are labeled “Montana Wild Flowers” and appear to be dried flowers encased in resin. I love them!

Montana Wild Flowers Button

I also brought home this charming little jewelry set. A necklace, earrings, and brooch, which all fit together in a tiny little box. How cute is this?

Mushroom Jewelry Set

While I enjoyed the “treasure hunt” aspect of the estate sale, I also wondered about the person who had lived in that home and collected those things over the course of a lifetime. And I wondered what it would be like to have strangers hunting through my treasures after I’m gone, and how that would feel for my family. Some of the people I saw at the same were talking as if they knew the woman who had lived there, and I imagine it would be a rather surreal experience to go to an estate sale of someone I had known and loved. But maybe these are just the thoughts of an estate sale novice. What do you think?