FRIDAY'S FEATURED SELLERS

Hi everyone! It's Friday, which means it is time for five more awesome Etsians! I am so glad I started doing this because I have really gotten to see just how many amazing people there are on Etsy. I appreciate the time that each of these wonderful artists has taken to answer my questions :-D

Featured Artist Number One: EminTaos

I picked this shop because I love the unifying natural theme of the items. Each one is beautiful. It was really hard to choose only three to feature, but here are my favorite items:
Silk ribbon wrap -- bias cut hand dyed dupioni silk teal choker necklace bracelet with 24kt vermeil gold lotus charm (Lotuses have a special place in my heart!)
Triple rocks -- trio of natural rocks on sterling silver 18' chain (I love the elegant simplicity of this.)
Golden Pink Treasure -- Pink tourmaline on 24kt satin vermeil discs and earwires (The color of the tourmaline with the metal is wonderful!)

In the artist's own words...
1. The address of your Etsy shop: www.emintaos.etsy.com
2. Description of what you make: I like to think of my creations of where Bling meets Nature. I make earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, ribbon wraps with the colors of the natural world in mind.
3. Your favorite creation: My favorite creation are the very special silk ribbon and preserved leaf necklaces I've just started adding to my line on Etsy. Calypso Queen -- hand dyed and pleated multi jewel tone silk ribbon with preserved 24kt gold and iridescent copper real leaves
Blue Rapture -- hand dyed and pleated blue and cream silk ribbon with preserved sterling silver leaves and tanzanite swarovski
4. How you learned your craft: I was a floral and event production designer for 17 years....jewelry is an extension of my design which I taught to myself through imitation, friends, and going to bead and gem shows.
5. Years have been doing your craft: I have been making jewelry for 9 years. I love it!

Featured Artist Number Two: VintageMarketPlace

I picked this shop because I love everything about it. I love the unique vintage items, the inventive displays, and the cute descriptions! The items are wonderfully detailed. Here are my favorite items:
VINTAGE Inspired Halloween Doll Crown (I have a doll head at home that this would be perfect for!)
MARIE ANTOINETTE Confectionery Box Party Box Kit (This looks like so much fun! Imagine getting it and being able to look through all of the parts!)
HALLOWEEN Kit with Vintage Embellishments (Again, I can only imagine how awesome it would be to receive this and go through all of the goodies!!!)

In the artist's own words...
1. The address of your Etsy shop: VintageMarketplace.etsy.com
2. Description of what you make: My shop has vintage notions and trims, I also make altered art from these vintage items.
3. Your favorite creation: That is a hard question, I love all of my items but I think the Bride altered art piece is is my favorite from my shop, the vintage photo is amazing and I love how the keys chime when the wind blows. The childrens song is just so unusual but I love the creepiness of it. 4. How you learned your craft: I have been collecting and using vintage pieces to make art to fill my homes since I was in my teens. I never knew until much later in life that it was considered a real form of art.
5. Years have been doing your craft: Let me count...around 20 years. Wow, now I feel old.

Featured Artist Number Three: HunterToTheHunted

I picked this shop because I love the forest, trees, and nature, and I think that spirit is really captured here. Here are my favorites:
Dendrochronology Ring (I have always been fascinated with tree rings...if I owned this I would stare at it all day!)
Forest Coccoon Scarfette with Among the Pines Brooch (This looks so warm and snuggly, not to mention the fact that I love the color!)
The Lazy Bird's Guide to Flying Wooden Brooch (This is just lovely!)

In the artist's own words...
1. The address of your Etsy shop:http://www.HunterToTheHunted.etsy.com
2. Description of what you make: Hunter To The Hunted is filled with my whims, my obsessions, my facinations and the inevitable results of my incessant hunting. It has a particular focus on unique and quirky jewellery and accessories. At the moment the store specialises in left of centre brooches made from wood, clay and vintage kimono fabric, but I am currently working on broadening the range to include neckware and other unique accessories and objects!
3. Your favorite creation: I love all of my creations, otherwise I would not be willing to share them with anyone else! If I did have to choose a particular item though, it would probably be the Making Tracks Clay Brooch. I love the simplicity of the white clay, partnered with the texture of the pattern.... just a simple, beautiful object!
4. How you learned your craft: While I do have a Degree in Fine Arts, that was in a completely different area to the one I currently explore. I do a lot of reading, I love looking at other people's art for inspiration and I read a lot of tutorials! Mostly though, I just make it up as I go along. I usually start off with a general idea of what I would like to make, but it always changes as I go and I love to try new things and see how they look!
5. Years have been doing your craft: Although I have been 'making' for myself and friends and family for around 10 years, I had never seriously considered the option of merging 'work' with 'making' until very recently and my Etsy shop is only a few weeks old!

Featured Artist Number Four: PearlatPlay

I picked this shop because I really love jewelry that is simple, elegant, and easily wearable on a day to day basis. Every piece in this shop is all of those things! Here are my favorites:
Precious Love I Necklace (Copper heart pendant on gunmetal chain) (I can absolutely see myself wearing this, and I rarely wear jewelry!)
Cute Pine Cone Pearl Necklace (This is adorable! I love the teeny pine cone!)
Butterfly Bracelet (Czech glass beads and pearls with hammered copper butterfly charm on gunmetal chain) (The colors on this bracelet are so warm. I love the butterfly!)

In the artist's own words...
1. The address of your Etsy shop:http://pearlatplay.etsy.com
2. Description of what you make: Simple, rustic/earthy jewellery you can wear all the time
3. Your favorite creation:It's a tough decision between the Little Dot necklace http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28365542 and Precious Love necklace
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26641235.
They are both so simple, yet have this little hint of edginess in them. A Bit like me. 4. How you learned your craft: I am mostly self-taught from books and the internet, though I did attend a brief jewellery-making course 2 years ago.
5. Years have been doing your craft: I have always enjoyed the arts and crafts since young, and have done crochet, cross-stitch, photography, pottery at some point in time. Jewellery-making is a new stage in my life since 2005, and I love it!

Featured Artist Number Five: SarahDeRagon

I picked this shop because the items are beautiful, EXACTLY the style I love, and I love the philosophy behind them. Here are my favorites:
The Starlet Harlot -- fabulous red and purple tulle headpiece with black roses on headband (These colors are amazing. Talk about making an awesome statement!!!)
Roaring Twenties-long black feathers with snazzy green gem (I love the 20's and love this shade of green, so this is an an obvious favorite with me!)
Queen For A Day-Silver Crown Necklace (I love crowns...who doesn't love feeling like royalty?)

In the artist's own words...
1. The address of your Etsy shop: www.sarahderagon.etsy.com
2. Description of what you make: fashionable clips and head pieces made out of glitter, feathers and flowers.
3. Your favorite creation: I think it would either be my piece called "Emerald City Goddess" or maybe "The Starlet Harlot". "Emerald City Goddess" was made of out an embellishment from my junior prom dress, yes, I'd held on to the piece for that long. I just knew that someday I'd do something fabulous with it and one day, boom, it just hit me, attach it to a headband. I could totally see someone going to the musical Wicked rocking it out. "The Starlet Harlot" was a challenge for me because it was the first time I'd worked with tulle. It isn't the easiest thing to work with and as I was designing the piece it just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I like the piece because of the vibrant colors and I know that anyone wearing it will get compliments.
4. How you learned your craft: I am really observant and am not afraid to try new things. I like mixing textures and am not afraid to work with vibrant colors. I look at magazines like Cosmo Girl Prom, Lucky and simply scroll through the designers on Etsy to get inspired.
5. Years have been doing your craft: The first time I wore any sort of headpiece was last June. I was attending a big event and knew that anything I wore would be acceptable, so I got a cute black dress and put some feathers in my hair. It was a hit and I've been designing ever since. Normally, I just make a piece for myself before I'd go out, but now, being "fun-employed" I have the time I need to make it into a full time venture.