Make This Necklace a Room - A Take on Domino

I've been daydreaming and playing with my new stash of vintage costume pearls - the ivory aged patina is just beautiful. How would it look to make a room inspired by Paper and Pearls latest vintage necklace - the Evelyn?

How about this pic? A lovely bedroom, in shades of ivory. So tranquil and peaceful - and that headboard has such beautiful curves. What a retreat that would be...

The faded antique slightly worn vintage look translates into lovely interiors, yes?

Enjoy - and I hope your week begins with everyday moments of beauty.

Paper and Pearls Newsy Bits

So - Paper and Pearls has joined TWITTER. Do you twitter - come tweet with me! Find me here.

Also - I've posted some new goodies... Evelyn vintage pearl necklace (pic above), and a new mini journal! Keep posted for more books.

Enjoy - and happy weekend!

Paper and Pearls Interview

Karen Opp - a very talented illustrator and recent Etsy Artisan feature - interviewed me over her blog!

Check it out here.

Thanks, Karen!

It's so fun to spread tales of creativity... Enjoy!

And while you're at it - check out Karen's Site. She has some new note cards I am LOVING (chocolate, anyone?).

Happy weekend!

These Tough Times

The news just doesn't seem to be getting better, is it? Seemed like a good time to post on another creative strategy to make the best in these tough times - and best of all, IT IS FREE.

Bartering, according to Websters, is "to trade by exchanging one commodity for another." I was reading Real Simple last month, and they had a great article on bartering that you can read here. What a super idea - you want a necklace, I want a picture? Let's swap!

Here are some ideas:

Instead of SHOPPING for new clothes, try SWAPPING and host a Girl's Swap Night

Do you have a special skill? You make excellent birthday cakes, you make jewelry, you knit, you quilt, you know how to make pillows - all of those are great skills! Why not swap with other friends and leverage those skills to create a win/win where you both get something you want for free! I did this with a friend of mine who is an amazing knitter - she knit booties for my friend's baby boy, and I will send her a necklace. And aren't handmade things more meaningful than big-box store purchases anyhow? Get creative!

Those of you who are parents - why not swap kid days so you can have more time for a part-time job or even precious rest and refreshment time? It takes a village, after all - lets work together and help each other out.

What are some creative barter ideas you can come up with?

By the way - I'm open to bartering. Feel free to contact me with any ideas. :-)

image: http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/leightonarabhall/images/paintings/midsize/p21.jpg

Featured Etsy Artisan: eikcam

I love this Etsy shop! Eikcam does ceramics, jewelry, and GORGEOUS pottery. Her pieces are beautifully photographed - visit eikcam for some eye candy. Grace kindly agreed to be interviewed - I'm so glad you readers can enjoy her inspirations. Thanks, Grace!

I especially like the lovely palette for the pottery. This White Dasik Tea Tumbler is GORGEOUS... I want it! And this Tomato Red Organic Shaped Side Dish? Lovely. Actually - I want all of it. :-)

Keep up the lovely work, Grace of eikcam! Thanks for joining us here at Paper and Pearls as our Featured Etsy Artisan!

Tell us a little about yourself – your name, where you live, your work.
Hi, I'm Grace from eikcam design in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I work from my tiny, little studio on the East side of Vancouver among some other great artists in our building. The part of Vancouver my studio is located is an area where there are many local artists working as full time artisans and where there is a lot of local culture and markets that support the arts scene.

Tell us about your Etsy shop and products.
My etsy shop is a collection of my ceramic work which ranges from jewelry to tableware. I also shoot vintage photography with my old Duaflex camera and have a small collection of BC inspired imagery. Most of my work has an aged or antiqued feel to it and I do use old antique molds for my ceramic ware. I love being on Etsy and being a part of this handmade community. I hope to have a more complete list of products up very soon. www.eikcam.etsy.com

How did you get into your creating? Do you have a favorite item you’ve made? Tell us the story.
Well, I am grateful for my parents and grandmother who encouraged my creative interests at a very early age. I've been painting, drawing, sculpting, printing my whole life and eventually majored in product design at art school. My favorite item so far are my tea tumblers. They are made from clay slabs but I've incorporated many elements into the design. I use an antique mold from the early 1900's from Korea married with a Provence styled texture on the base. Then I form ergonomic 'grips' for ease and comfort while drinking. They also work great for wine or even a cappuccino.

What advice would you give a creative entrepreneur on starting a small artistic business?
Having confidence in your work is really important. But, also being open to comments and feedback will help you decide where you might have some weak points and where your strong point are. Mostly, if you don't enjoy every second of what you're creating, then you might not be doing it for the right reasons.

Do you have a person that inspires you (living or historical)? Tell us about her or him!
I actually have two! The two Martha's: Martha Stewart and Martha Sturdy. Of course, Martha Stewart for her amazing talents and business sense. And, Martha Sturdy who is a Vancouver artist who attended my alma mater, Emily Carr and started with a small jewelry collection and now makes huge architectural art pieces for the home. Both had vision and the smarts and stuck to their ideas and goals.

Do you have a book or movie that makes you feel creative? Tell us about it!
There are too many films to list. But, in general, many foreign films inspire me. Whether they show the Dutch light on the landscape or the gritty underground in Budapest, these small independent films show me an interpretation of another part of the world that I wouldn't have otherwise seen. Colors, imagery and cinematography are all inspiring to me.

What is your favorite handmade treasure?
My last trip to Paris I found a tiny shop of just felted finger puppets. All four walls covered in hand stitched creations. It was so lovely! I have a lion, piglet and some darling unknown creature.

Etsy Treasury Feature: Victoria Vintage Pearls

My Victoria Vintage Pearl Necklace was featured on this lovely treasury!

Thanks, BessiesBags!

Featured Etsy Artisan:HappySquashToys

I found this wonderful handmade toy shop on Etsy. Wow - well-made, safe, colorful toys. Jim kindly agreed to be interviewed. Enjoy meeting this creative family and do check out their excellent site! I especially like this dragon pull toy and this cute as can be pig. Goodness - I'd play with these myself. What a great gift for the kids, grandkids, neices, nephews...

Thanks, Jim! Keep up the amazing work!

Tell us a little about yourself - your name, where you live, your work.
My name is Jim Harmon and I grew up and live in central Ohio. During the day I work as a Computer Analyst for The Ohio State University. I'm married and have three children, two boys ages 11 and 9 and a 2 year old daughter.

Tell us about your Etsy shop and products
Our etsy shop is HappySquashToys and we sell painted and natural finish wooden toys, wooden ships, play aprons and games. My wife Jenise and I work together to create our toys, I do all the wood work and detail painting and she does all the sewing and paints as well. I also love games and game design and have a few of my original games in our shop.

How did you get into your creating? Do you have a favorite item you've made? Tell us the story!
I started making toys in late 2007 when the lead in toys stories were in the news. At that time we had a lot of made in China plastic toys in our house. We cleared out the plastic toys and started looking for safe alternative wooden toys. Having difficulty finding affordable locally made toys, a co-worker planted the seed when he said "Why don't you try to make your own?". That weekend I made my first toy, I duck pull toy. It was rough and I only and used the tools I had at the time. My daughter loved it and she would pull it all around the house. I was asked to make them for friends and that is when we decided to start happy squash toys. We invested in the proper tools and I started making cars and animals on wheels and it just kept expanding from there. My favorite item is probably the Pirate Ship because I spent a lot of time thinking about the design prior to starting it and I was very pleased with the end result.

What advice would you give a creative entrepreneur on starting a small artistic business?
Create a quality product and have excellent customer service. Don't get discourage when you first start out, it will take time and hard work to make a business successful.

Do you have a book or movie that makes you feel creative? Tell us about it!
I just started reading the Frog and Toad series of books by Arnold Lobel to my daughter. I loved these books as a child and to watch my daughter experience them for the first time is a true joy. I had always loved the wonderful artwork and the simple, pure, uncomplicated tone of the stories. When I finish reading to her and she has gone to bed for the night, I am motivated to make toys that capture the same sense of childhood.

Do you have a person that inspires you (living or historical)? Tell us about her or him!
My daughter definitely inspires me! She is so much fun and I love to watch her play. I often get ideas for new toys from seeing what she is interested in and how she likes to play.