Featured: VibrantShadows

  Jordan from VibrantShadows is one of my favorite Etsians.  She's totally adorable and so nice too!  And her art will knock your socks off!

Jordan specializes in papercuttings, which means each thing in her shop is actually painstakingly cut out by hand by Jordan herself!  And, perfect for my upcoming nuptials, or if perhaps you're going to a wedding this summer, she's just added a line of custom wedding cutouts and bridal gown cutouts!

Wedding Shoes

If you could have any super power, what would it be?
Definitely the ability to stop time, as long as it's not stopped for me and I can move things around. Alarm clock goes off and you're feeling particularly sleepy? Stop time, sleep until you're rested, start time again and get ready for work. Could be used for good - stop time, pull someone drowning from the water, catch a falling baby, get someone to a hospital in an instant. It would be fantastic for playing practical jokes... move things around right in front of someone's eyes, switch which hand they are holding something in, etc. Haha. However - I would have to be careful because I couldn't be sure if my body would age or not while time is stopped for everyone else. Much thought has gone into this. Haha.

 

Peace PaperCutting

What is the most inspiring advice you've ever received, or want to give?
Hmmm, I have gotten a lot of great advice in my life, but the thing that stands out the most to me is actually a quote. "Live like no one else will, and later you'll live like no one else can." - Dave Ramsey. Work hard in your life and never give up and you'll earn yourself a great life. I'm not a great advice-giver, but that one really touches my heart.

Zombie Arm

What is your favorite thing about selling on Etsy?
I love the feel of it. Every customer comes to Etsy for their own reasons... but for me, it's a place where no matter what it is that I can't find anywhere else, I know I will find it on Etsy. It's a place to shop local, to support the little guy in their quest to make something of themselves and a place to bring joy to others just by doing what you love to do. It's wonderful.

Piano Keys

If you were represented by a color instead of a name, what color would you be and why?
Yellow! It's bright and happy, strong and bright, it stands out from the rest and it's a building block helping other colors come into being!

Starry Night

Of all of your artwork, which one has been your favorite to create?
Definitely my large interpretation of Van Gogh's Starry Night. It's huge and took many, many, many hours to finish. It was so intimidating... what would I do if my knife slipped and ruined it when I was 40 hours in? Or 60 hours in? Or at the last finishing moment? It was very tedious and stressful... but when it was finished, it was breathtaking. Even to me, who stares at these things every day, haha. I love it.

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So, how BLOWN is your mind?  That Starry Night she cut out?  Holy Macaroni.  Amaziiiing. 
And these are only a few of the wonderful pieces of art she has in her shop.  Jordan, thank you so much for the chance to feature your incredible art.  Much much love!

You can find Jordan here:
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Website

Featured: ThreeSummerDays

One of my favorite parts about browsing through Etsy, is finding a new shop and getting to stalk  interact with an amazing artist right from the beginning.  Sarah hasn't been around for a very long time, but her artwork is GORGEOUS, and beautifully inspiring.  Her combination of colors, quotes, and meticulous attention to the tiniest details is just astounding.  And she has kindly agreed to be my second Etsy shop feature. 

Good Clean Earth

 
 What inspires you the most?
It would be a combination of words, nature and people. Ever since my childhood, I’ve been inspired by words. Didn’t matter if it was in a book or a song. There’s something so magical about the fact that just the right combination of words can inspire, tell a story or stir your heart.  Aspects of people and nature are typically the focus of my work. Hands, eyes, trees, the sun -- they’re all incredibly inspirational to me for different reasons. Everything has a story. I try to tell it in the best way I can. 

Love is a Smoke

What is your favorite quote?

Oh this is such a hard question. There are so many! My favorite would have to be a tie between these two:

“I must be taken as I have been made. The success is not mine, the failure is not mine, but the two together make me.” -- Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

“The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.” -- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius

The Portrait

If you had to choose only one color to paint with for the rest of your life, which color would it be?

Definitely blue. I actually have to struggle not to use it all the time in my pieces. I’ll be sketching out ideas and I’ll think, “Oh this would be great with a deep blue or a light blue, etc, etc.” Then I’ll check the shop to see how many blue pieces I have and will usually have to restrain myself. But sometimes I just can’t help it. It’s such a versatile color.

Gossamer Web

 What is your favorite part about being an artist?

I love the emotional and physical freedom it provides. I love that I can be at home with my daughter and not miss anything as she grows. I love working and feeling in my gut, “Yes, this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” It doesn’t really feel like work. Some days, of course, things can get a little tedious, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love being able to show my daughter by example that it is possible to be a mother and have a career that you absolutely love. I’m so thankful that I can show her other sides of me, the ones that come out in my work: I’m her mother, a bookworm, a lover of nature (who would secretly live in a tree if she could), a silent observer, an artist. Being an artist allows me to feel wholly myself. It’s so liberating.

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How lovely is she?  Even her interview answers are wonderful and inspiring...she makes me want to go do something artistic immediately.  You can check out more of her beautiful artwork at ThreeSummerDays

Thank you Sarah for giving us a wonderful peek into your mind.