Modofly Call for Submissions

Recentlty I had a chance to do some question and answer time with Jordan from Modofly. If you haven't yet heard of Modofly, I suggest you check them out, they make the most wonderful moleskine journals I have ever seen.

Ultimately, Modofly is an artist collaborative spearheaded by artists/designers Jordan and Kevin. Their goal is to inspire artists and users alike with the hope that they themselves will be continually fueled by the feedback loop that happens when people work together. Artists submit their work to adorn the covers of these beautiful journals, and a real masterpiece is created.

As I mentioned, Jordan recently took some time out to answer a few questions for me:

1. How did Modofly come about?
We had been making them for about two years for ourselves and friends and as more and more people wanted them, we figured there HAD to be some kind of market for it. Seems like there is!

2. How do you find the artists that you work with?
We find them everywhere. On Etsy, on the web doing random searches, people send us links of artists to check out, and of course we have a lot of people submitting work to us through our site.

3. Where do you get your inspiration?
Everywhere honestly. Having a tangential mind has its advantages, and anything can spur inspiration.

4. What is your favourite piece and why?
Hmmm. It changes. Currently our fav piece is the Mechanism because we love the raw beauty of mechanistic things. As we constantly move towards technology being invisible, there is something in the simplicity of seeing how things work that is very appealing to us. Plus its very steampunkish which we also love.


5. What or who is your favourite etsy shop or artisan?
Fav is a strong word. We love a lot of people. If we had to name one, it would be the first shop we saw and were amazed by how cool his stuff was and that would be Tiny Meat. It really often seems hard to find unique stand out guy stuff, so stumbling upon his wallets was a breath of fresh air.

Now You Have a Chance to see your Artwork on a Modofly Journal!
The guys are currently accepting submissions for new artwork to create new journals! They are looking specifically for 2 themes: Femme/ Girly, and Steampunk. Deadline is August 10th, so send over your artwork!

Here's some of the info right from the Modofly Blog:

The first theme we are calling “Girly” or “Femme”

We are looking for work that women and girls alike will gush over. We have been accused by some of the female folk of being weak on the feminine front with our books, so we want you to help us solve this (Okay, we get it! Kez and I are boy nerds full of tech lust, and you need to show us the way). So send us work that your girlfriend will gush over, your mom will kiss you for, your wife will give you some marital points, or a new mom will get down to filling with all the details of life

The second theme is……STEAMPUNK:

Get your steampens and steambrushes (maybe steampunked computer?) ready artists! We are looking for steampunk art in a BAD way. We are really excited about this. We already have some of the hottest steampunk artists working with us, but maybe we don’t know about you, we have been trying to get you, or maybe this will be your first steampunk attempt. We are looking for artwork with airships, gears, steam engines, steampunk fashion, anything fun and retro-futuristic (we aren’t going to get too picky as long as its super cool). We can’t wait to unveil these books and showcase the artists, so make sure you have a shot at the action and send your stuff in today!

Visit the Modofly Blog for all of the details!

Related Links
Modofly Website
Modofly Blog
Modofly Shop
TinyMeat on Etsy
What is Moleskine? Check it out on the wiki!

Cute New Art Prints!

I have been feeling very inspired at my computer recently so I channeled all of that creativity into creating this little character and putting her into some artwork! I've designed these 2 prints that are now available in my shop as 8" x 10" prints. I am thinking I might even make them into some cards. I think they would be a great gift for moms! What do you think?

Motivation Mondays

It's Monday morning again, and many of us are up early, rushing off to our regular 9-5 jobs. What better way to motivate and inspire ourselves Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, than to have wonderful handmade arts and crafts adorning our desks.

I've put together a collection of fun and funky items that would look good on anyone's desk, and bring a little more joy to our 9-5 lives!

Sock Monkey Inspired Pencil Holder by MonkeyTravelClub

NES controller Business Card Holder by lostmitten

Ceramic Desk Owl Figurine by fruitflypie

File Holder by JustScrappinHappy

And finally, if decorating your desk isn't your thing, you can find humour in this Office Space inspired necklace!
by CreativeRampage

Blogging - What's it all about?

As crafters and artisans, for some of us technology is the last thing we want to concern ourselves with. However, a blog is possibly one of the best things you could do for your business.

On many of the different message boards I frequent, I often see many people asking a lot of questions about blogs and where to start and what different terms mean. It seems they have written a whole new language when it comes to blogs! So, I thought I would compile this glossary of blog related terms in hopes of helping everyone feel more comfortable at jumping into the blogoshere (see def. below).

Blog - A contraction of web log, and is a website containing a series of "blog posts" that generally appear in reverse chronological order. A blog is a means of communication and often includes a commenting section for each post, where readers can leave feedback. The blog is usually maintained by an individual or a collective of individuals.

Blog Posts- Individual entries published to the blog by the person who maintains the blog.

Blogger- The person who maintains the blog and writes the posts.

Blogosphere- The community of blogs, bloggers, and blog posts on the internet. The perception that all blogs exist together and are connected like a community.

Blogware- The software used to create blog posts and manage the blog. Ie. Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, etc.

Permalinks- The direct link to a blog post, this will never change. Unlike the link to the home page, where content is changing frequently.

Trackbacks- URLS that a blog will provide for other bloggers to use when referencing the original blog or post. It is a method for bloggers to be notified when someone else links to their blog or post.

Blogroll- A list of links to other people's blogs which generally appear on the side bar of a blog. This list can be clicked on to link to the other blog. It is usually a list made up of blogs that the author respects and/or reads.

Comment- are submitted by individual readers in regards to a single post. Usually appearing at the bottom of a post, comments can extend the thoughts portrayed in a post, or sometimes create a conversation amongst readers and may include the blogger.

Feed- The system that allows a reader to be updated automatically when a blog they subscribe to is updated with a new post. Typically the reader is updated via a feed reader.

Feed Reader- is software or a Web application which automatically updates when blogs you subscribe to are updated. It displays all of the blogs subscribed to in a single location for easy viewing.

RSS, Atom, RDF- RSS (Really Simple Syndication), Atom, and RDF (Resource Description Framework) are standards that make up the overall scheme of feeds. For people who use feed readers, the difference between these are minimal. It is the format used to publish posts to your feed reader.

Sidebar- One or more columns along each side of the blog. Typically this area hold navigation, blogrolls, lists, pictures, ads, booklists, etc. Today the possibilities are endless.

Related Articles:
Wikipedia on Blogs
Wikipedia's list of blog terms

Peac-a-dot Prints Now Available!

After so much positive and encouraging feedback, I now have prints available in my etsy shop of my latest painting "Peac-a-dot". Here it is with a big ugly watermark on it. Prints are sized 8" x 10", and of course, will have the watermark removed!

Motivation Mondays

Today for Motivation Mondays I want to share one of my favourite quotes with you and hope you will gain the same inspiration and encouragement from it that I do.

“I am not afraid…I was born to do this.”
-Joan of Arc

This quote speaks to me in so many ways, and when I am worrying about something, or questioning my abilities, or wondering if I am making the right decision, I can think of this and find the strength and courage or motivation that I need.

I would love to hear from you as to how this quote relates to your life, or what it might mean to you!

Sunday Afternoon Painting!

I have had an extremely strong urge to complete a painting for about 3 weeks now. Unfortunately I have been so busy I just haven't had the chance... until today! I was so excited to wake up to a rainy and cool Sunday, I could barely wait to bust out the paints and brushes!

Earlier in the week, while searching around my usual sources of inspiration, I noticed this week's inspiration on "Inspire Me Thursdays" was Polka Dots. I love polka dots, so I figured why not use polka dots to inspire my painting!

Here's what I came up with:

and here's a close up showing detail:

This original piece is now available in my Esty Shop, and prints will be available soon!

A Thank You for my Thank Yous

A few days ago I opened my inbox and found some wonderful news, I had won a blog give away on Inkspot Workshop's blog. I was lucky enough to win those beautiful Thank You cards.


I was so excited when I got the news, but even more-so when I received them. These cards are absolutely awesome! They are funky and fresh and I am so in love with them that I almost can't bare to give them away to anyone! Keeping them wrapped up in a drawer would be an injustice though, so I have been putting them in with my latest camera strap orders, and writing a personal thank you note to my customers.

Thank you so much to Stacy from Inkspot Workshop for her gift. If you are looking for any kind of stationery, from cards, to tags, to invitation, gift boxes, note cards, and more, visit Inkspot Workshop. You won't be disappointed! The hardest part will be picking out what one you like best!

Related Links:
Inkspot Workshop Etsy Store
Inkspot Workshop Blog

We Have a Winner!

I am pleased to announce the winner of the first ever Photography Contest on Inspired By Hand. The winner is Tina Pfeiffer, with her photograph titled "Poppies".

Tina has won a funky new camera strap for her camera! Also check out Tina's Etsy store to view more of her lovely photos!

Thank you to everyone who entered, I am offering 15% off in my Etsy Store to participants for the next week!

Here is Tina's winning photo, and you can view all of the entries here.

Last Day to Enter!

If you haven't already heard, I am holding a photography contest here on Inspired By Hand, and TODAY is your last day to enter!! All you have to do is submit your photo themed "Summer's Here!" to tanybug {at!} gmail.com and you can win one of my funky camera straps absolutely free!

View all of the details here on the original post, including a look at the selection of prizes, and view all of the entries here!

Best of luck, and happy photographing! Winner will be chosen tomorrow!

Motivation Mondays

Today, in hopes of inspiring and motivating you, I am going to move away for a moment from our usual crafting and handmade topics, and get us thinking about the "business" side of things. To be more specific, let's look at business cards and design.

I would like to introduce you to inspiredology.com. Inspiredology is a graphic design focused blog full of inspirations, run by a friend of mine, Chad Mueller, an outstanding freelance web designer in Toronto, Ontario.

There are tonnes of great posts on Inspiredology, all promising to "get yourself out of that dark creative hole." But today I would really like to direct you to Chad's most recent post, "Cooler Business Cards," an awesome collection of fun and funky business cards, sure to get your creative mind thinking of unique ways to better present yourself on that small 3" x 2.5" card.

Here's a peek at inspiredology.com. Click the image to visit!

Latest Addition to my Funky Camera Straps

After many requests for a green camera strap, I found this lovely flowered damask print and knew it would be the perfect addition to my collection. You can find this camera strap in my Etsy shop!

Meet Ruby

I am very pleased to introduce you to the newest member of the team here at tanyBUG... Ruby!


Ruby is my new sewing machine. She is a Janome JS1004 and she sews wonderfully! After overstaying my welcome with my moms machine, in the sense that I broke it (but that's another story for another day) it was time to get my own. While she's still considered an "entry level" machine, she is strong and sturdy, and I LOVE her!

What's a Tyvek?!?

I couple of weeks ago I met a talented designer named Jodi Jean Baird. Among other things, Jodi creates a variety of products using a material called Tyvek. When Jodi first told me this, I smiled politely and thought to myself, "what the heck is Tyvek?!?" Finally I had to ask. In fact, once I realized what Tyvek was, there were a number of questions I had to ask!




From the Wiki:

Tyvek (TIE-veck) is a brand of flashspun high-density polyethylene fibers, a synthetic material; the name is a registered trademark of the DuPont Company. The material is very strong; it is difficult to tear but can easily be cut with scissors or any other sharp object. Water vapor can pass through Tyvek, but not liquid water, so the material lends itself to a variety of applications: medical packaging, envelopes, car covers, air and water intrusion barriers (housewrap) under house siding, labels, wristbands, mycology, and graphics. Tyvek is sometimes erroneously referred to as "Tyvex."

I was really interested to find out how Jodi started working with Tyvek and why it was her material of choice. Here's what she had to say:

Why have you chosen Tyvek to create your items from?
I decided to use tyvek as a medium, because I like all that it has to offer: I can print whatever design I wish … it doesn’t ravel (and it’s like working with vinyl) … it’s durable … it’s easy to clean … it’s lightweight … it’s easy to sew.

What are the benefits of Tyvek? What are the benefits or unique features of Tyvek to a buyer?
Tyvek offers all the best characteristics of paper, film and fabric all in one material. The raw materials for Tyvek include recycled plastic milk jugs, providing an excellent reuse of post-consumer materials.

Tyvek is considerably lighter than other materials, yet considerably stronger. Incredibly water- and moisture-resistant. Liquids simply run off its smooth surface, keeping the contents perfectly dry. Tyvek is unaffected by moisture, common acids or bases, which makes it ideal for long-term storage and archival purposes.

Tyvek is puncture- and rip-resistant, which allows it to stand up to rough handling that it might be subjected to. That’s nice to know when you’ve got something important inside.

Tyvek starts out as bright white and silky smooth. It has a distinctive look and feel that instantly sets it apart. The exceptional whiteness of Tyvek enhances images, which makes printing images and designs on it beautiful. We only use 100% waterproof archival pigment ink, so rest assured, your image or design will stay put.

How did you first come across Tyvek?
I first thought of sewing with tyvek while surfing through the craftster.org boards and saw people making zipper pouches and coloring on them with permanent markers. My first couple designs were all hand drawn, then I did some research and figured out how to print on tyvek. Now all of my designs are printed using 100% waterproof archival pigment ink. Then the fun came in coming up with styles that I could make out of tyvek: wallets, coin pouches, book covers, recipe boxes … the possibilities are endless and we’ll be adding more styles all the time.

Where do you get your materials?
I use mailing envelopes, which can be purchased at any office supply store. I cut them down to 8 ½”x 11” sheets so I can print on them, then the styles are cut out and sewn together.

Jodi is a very creative individual. She has been designing things all of her life. She is a graduate with a degree in Fashion Design from Brigham Young University, and started a modest clothing line in 2005. This was also the year Jody started working with tyvek. Today you can find Jodi's creations on her website jocole.net and in her esty shop! Jodi also offers custom tyvek creations, by you … you get to be the designer … you choose the style … you select the design … your item is made to order, just the way you like it!

Jodi takes inspiration from everything around her. When her purse is un-organized she comes up with something that will help. All of her designs come from a need in her life that the style will make easier.

Related Links:
Jodi's Esty Shop
Jocole
Learn more about Tyvek on Wikipedia

Motivation Mondays

This week, on Motivation Monday, let's visit one of my favourite inspirational artists, Elsie Flannigan. I first heard of Elsie while I was working for Two Peas in a Bucket, one of the leading scrapbooking sites on the web. Elsie has a really adorable line of scrapbooking supplies appropriately called "Love, Elsie". In all honestly, at the time I didn't even know there was really an Elsie behind "Love, Elsie" I just knew the line was super cute!

Fast forward a few months and I come across Elsie Flannigan's blog, and I realize "Elsie", first of all is, in fact, actually an Elsie, but also so much more than a scrapbook designer. She is a very talented, very inspiring artist and creative soul. Elsie's blog, "A Beautiful Mess," is now my absolute favourite blog and online source of inspiration. With insights into her art, photography, personal life, her own inspirations, and more, I am never bored seeing what Elsie is sharing next!

So, this week, when you are feeling less than motivated, visit Elsie's blog, and I hope you can feel the same free-spirited inspiration that Elsie brings to me! Oh, and yes, Elsie has an Etsy!!

Related Links
A Beautiful Mess - Elsie's Blog
52 Scrapbooking Challenges - Elsie's Book
Elsiecake - Elsie's Etsy Shop

A Real Treasure

This morning I had the pleasure of curating a very powerful Treasury on Etsy. I normally wouldn't blog about a treasury I have created, but the responses I am getting from this one suggest that it is touching a lot of people, so I wanted to share.

After only a few hours in existance, this treasury was getting some really moving feedback, so I have posted some below. Click on the image above to view the treasury in it's entirely, including all of the comments.

• maryjanefrances says: "such a great cause and treasury. it gave me chills! (in a good way!)"
• appalachia says: "My sister is recovering. Thank you for this treasury."
• KarmaRox says: "My Mom and Grandmother both had breast cancer... thanks for the lovely treasury!"
• ragqueen says: "Cancer research is very near and dear to my heart. I LOVE THIS TREASURY"
• Ali18974 says: "Thanks so much, this is my passion, lost my Mom, Mother in law, Sister in law, Aunt.. that is why I do work for products for the cure, and feature breast cancer on my shop."
• coconutty says: "Good job - reminds me I'm late for my mammogram!"

Close Up with Ashley Nizolek

I recently had the opportunity to ask some questions to an amazing jewelry designer, Ashley Nizolek, founder of A.N. Original Jewelry. Not only is Ashley's jewelry beautiful, talking with her was very inspiring.

From Saratoga Springs, New York, Ashley attended The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and majored in Jewelry Design. After finishing the program, Ashley knew she was destined to start her own jewelry line and would stop at nothing short of that. "I'm not sure if at any point I ever had jewelry as a hobby, Ive always been pretty serious. Once I began making jewelry it consumed my life fully, I think that’s how you continue to improve, you just need to immerse yourself in your craft," she explains.

The Business
Designing jewelry is obviously Ashley's #1 passion, but is also her full-time job. What a wonderful achievement in life, to be able to make your life's goal a reality. When asked about going on her own and starting her business, Ashley replied, "It was very stressful at first to get my business set up accordingly and to make sure I had all my bases covered. Now that I have been in business for a couple of years, I’m much more comfortable with owning my own business and I really realize now that it’s up to me to make this work, so I keep pushing forward and dealing with the bumps along the way. When you own your own business there are good and bad days, I just like to pay more attention to the good days, helps keep me sane!"

I asked Ashley what her favourite piece was and she shared this story of perseverance, "My favorite piece I ever made was a hinged sterling silver bracelet I made as a final project while in school for jewelry. At the time, I was incredibly intimidated by the project and had very little time left to do it. I ended up getting it done on my very last day at F.I.T. and was able to turn it in to one of my favorite professors who gave me a big hug an a pat on the back. I was really proud of myself that I pushed through and got it done, and did it well!" I love this story because I think we can all relate to getting stuck working on a piece, and feeling like giving up. This story shows though that ticking with it can have great outcomes!

Ashley prides herself on staying true to her art form and the creative process. Not allowing herself to be swayed by others' opinions. She believes each artist has their own unique vision and therefore you will never be in complete agreement with your critics. Listening to all the chirping around you, makes it easy to begin to lose your own voice in the mix. Ashley is most concerned with making sure she is not too heavily influenced by outside opinions because as soon as that starts to saturate her brain, jewelry will lose the joy it currently brings to her life.


From Concept to Creation
All of Ashley's pieces pretty much start from a fairly unassuming doodle. She says, "I am not a very structured sketcher, it needs to be organic and unforced. I never like what I come up with if I say to myself, 'ok I need to sit down and do some more designs a 10:00am.' That just will never work for me." Once a sketch is complete, Ashley plays around with different sizes to see which she likes best and which size allows the design to shine. The design is then epoxied onto a piece of sheet metal and after its finished drying small holes are drilled and she uses a jewelers saw and very tiny saw blades to saw out each section of the design. Next a file takes away any imperfections from sawing and edges are sanded. What happens next depends upon the specific piece of jewelry. Some are soldered, some are sanded, then polished, and tumbled to a shine!

Inspiration
Ashley says, "I'm really inspired by a myriad of things. Art, music, nature…but lately Ive been quite inspired by actual people, and often not people that I know. I will often see a woman walking around all dressed up (or dressed down) and think , “OK, where is this woman going, what is she like, what music does she listen to…” I start to basically imagine what her life might be like and am able to mentally place a piece of jewelry on her. I usually can imagine the piece of jewelry on a person before Ive even touched the metal. So when I get stumped for new designs, I love to go hang out and people watch."

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Ashley's designs have graced the necks of Warner Brothers recording artist Mozella, to wear at a Diane Von Furstenberg Charity Event, to a VH1 Save The Music Event and on her tour opening up for Lifehouse, Dave Matthews Band and Five For Fighting. As well you may have seen her work on Jessie Baylin who is an up and coming blue/folk/jazz singer.


Be sure to check out Ashley's jewelry at http://anoriginaljewelry.etsy.com. With a huge variety of lavish scrolls, and organic, free-spirited designs, as well as a mix of items that can only be described as simplistic elegance, there is something here for everyone!

Related Links:
A.N. Original Jewelry Official Website: http://www.anoriginaljewelry.com/
Shop: http://anoriginaljewelry.etsy.com

Another Happy Customer!

One of my recent customers, Sean, sent me this great artisic shot of one of my straps on his camera and I wanted to share. It's so fun to see my straps out there in the real world!

Sean also had these kind words to say:

This is a really attractive strap. Certainly beats the Nikon one that comes free, so my camera finally has the stylish companion it deserves. Cheers.

Thanks Sean!