How I See It

Some see art as an expression or tool to explore our inner thoughts. Others see art as an escape from the real World, like the artist themselves have something deep and hurtful to hide.
All are true, and apply to each person who creates something from whatever tools they feel comfortable in utilizing.
Often I have found one intriguing piece, placed it in a frame, and found myself redoing an entire room to fit the new framed art.


One such artist, Kate Bauer, has a way with watercolor, that makes me feel warm inside, and I find myself smiling.
She has an online Etsy shop called Milk and Honey Bread, and each piece speaks wonderful stories, and evokes thoughts of romance, far away places, and timeless beauty.

                                  Castle Tower

The above image is filled with rich colors, and textures, that some watercolor artists lack. The eye picks it way through the many parts of the image, and you find yourself dreaming of a faraway place with picnics, laughter, and a carefree life.

But sometime art plays with our hearts. We are teased by the thought of romance, forbidden love, or sultry encounters.
And sometimes, we are happy alone.

                          Will You Still Love Me 

                                                             Pout

However you look at it, you are always removed from your current thoughts, and carried away to another place or time; dreaming and reflecting. Other than books or music, not too many other forms of art are capable of such mind provoking thoughts.

Australia Map 

 Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Simply put, art is a matter of taste, and seen differently by each of us.
Walk through a museum of art, and watch how people interact, or how you respond to a certain piece yourself.
Meanwhile, visit Kate's wonderful shop of dreams and let your heart find a bit of romance. 
You never know where a dream may take you.

Goat Milk?

Sure, goats milk is one of the fastest growing products, and still finding it's way into the United States. It has long been used in European markets, and is considered healthier than cows milk. And it also makes great health and beauty products.

                                          Curious Goat


Two Old Goats Co. is just the shop for finding the perfect lotion, soap, candles or dog products, and is produced right here in the United States.

Sharon Johnson, the owner of this fine Etsy shop, lives on and works a real farm. But the products coming from this fine farm, is all about skin care, pet care, and home decor. From decorative soaps to practical, she has just about every kind of soap for just about everyone.

                                                       
 Lavender Butterfly Soap

Goat Milk & Shea Butter Soap

I personally have made purchases from her shop, and have enjoyed every product thoroughly. The Gardener's soap is one of my favorites. Her entire line of outdoors skin care includes soaps and lotions to protect from sunburn and insects.

Gardener's Soap with Luffa

 Bite Block & Dry Skin Protection

Year around I suffer from dry skin, and my son has Psoriasis. With the help of the non-greasy goats milk lotion, we are getting his skin issues under control. In fact, he has not had any flare-up or patches since. One of the reason is he loves the Lavender scented lotion we just purchased, and this is helpful in getting him to use it.

                                                           Scented Goats Milk Lotion

Humans are not the only ones who suffer from allergies. I have two dogs that have different dry skin issues, and one has allergies to grass. She not only caters to the four legged friends with cookies and treats that she bakes, but also pampers them with soaps that aid in skin issues, and repels insects too.

Dog treats come in Tuna, Chicken and Bacon flavors, and are naturally non-allergenic, and shipped in a metal tin.
Give them a treat after a nice bath from one of her Dog Wash Bars made from goats milk, castor oil, aloe vera gel, peppermint, wintergreen, cedarwood, colloidal oatmeal, lavender. They smell like something I want to use for myself. If I get fleas, this may be something to ponder

                                                            Dog Wash Bar

This one stop skin care shop caters to your senses, with wonderful scents, and a variety of products. Her new line of candles made from soy will be next on my list. If you are considering a gift for someone, or yourself, stop by Two Old Goats Co. and check out her entire line of products. I am certain you will find something for everyone on your list.

Building Blocks

Husband and wife team, Pat and Jessi, are building the American dream one block at a time; literally. From a small shop in their home in Iowa, they cut, construct and sand beautiful wooden blocks, plaques, and step stools. All are custom made, with letters and numbers, and come in various sizes.

                                             Wooden Block

                                                Wooden Block Wall Art

Over time, they have incorporated many beautiful wooden items in their shop. Some from new wood, others from reused barn wood, like the items show below.

                                         Barn wood tray

                                         Ipad/Tablet Stand

All of this creative work is just part of their daily lives. They have a small family to raise, real careers, and a home to manage. Yes, the American dream is always a busy dream, but a dream all the same.Balancing all of this has become the normal daily life for them, and even the girls are getting involved with the online shop.

                                         Step Stool

When looking for a quality wooden item for the kids room, a photography studio, daycare or store display, consider sharing the American dream with a wonderful family owned shop, called P J's Crafting Corner. Let them build you a quality made item or custom order, and help them build a dream, one block at a time.

Finding My Way

My Etsy shop, ThoreauFair, is about to celebrate a year of being a legitimate company, and before I celebrate my success, I must first acknowledge my failure. The failure came in many different levels, but was there all the same. I was learning about taxes, accounting, and general rules of running a business.
But the real challenge came to me when I realized that my shop was not getting any attention at all. Being a start-up company, I had very little money to actually advertise and get my name out there to the general masses.
But others were doing it, and actually being successful. What was their secret?

Well, here is the secret; there is no secret!

If you are running a shop with four walls, front door, cash register and stocked shelves, then you must be there to stock the shelves, open the door, and run the register. You get out of bed, go to the shop, and work until the last customer is gone and you turn the key to lock the door for the night.
But you are still not done just because the sign say ‘closed’. You have to restock, balance the finances, check for supplies, and be ready for the next day.
Online shops are no different, except for one thing, ‘the door never locks’.
Online shops are unforgiving in this aspect, as they are always up and running. I may be getting ready for bed, but someone else on the other side of the map is pulling out a credit card, and I need to be ready and make sure that I have the item they are looking for, or they are off to the next shop.
After I learned this aspect of online shop sales, I still had the advertising obstacle. I was already a member on Facebook and Twitter, so I started using the networks available. Then I started networking with Etsy members, people who had the same dream, and wanted help as well. Then I realized I could use Google, Pinterest and Rebelmouse, but not without working them daily.
Eleven months later and I am still getting up, checking messages, posting & promoting, and packaging and mailing out customer orders. Yes, I have sales! I have a network of people and every morning I login to the shop, and greet the customers, just as I would if I had the brick and mortar shop on the corner of a busy street.
As next month rolls around to ThoreauFair’s one year anniversary, I am thankful for the frustrations and fun. And yes, I am having fun!

Juggling Jobs

We have all been there, taking the lead, and wishing we had more time to devote to each part of our daily lives. Striving for excellence in one slice of the daily tasks, is something that most of us never achieve. We try, and try again, but real life entangles itself with our social and creative side of life.

I would like to introduce to you, our team leader, Dana, found here:
http://www.etsy.com/people/dnreyn7?ref=pr_profile.
Her dedication in creating a team, building a mission, and keeping us all organized, is short of running a small business. While considerably new to the Etsy world, she is fearless with her need to educate herself, and promote the team members. Her teachings seem to do their magic, as each team member follows, learns, and promotes as well.
We have become an army of researchers, aid workers, educators, and family.
We Have Your Back is a strong team. http://www.etsy.com/teams/13578/we-have-your-back.

And this is what we do, and we promote her work as well.
Her shop; Button Top Sugar Shop on Etsy, http://www.etsy.com/shop/ButtonTopSugarShop

brings an element of 'sugar and spice' and everything nice, to the Etsy arena of shops. Creating beautiful things for her daughter, (pictured above), is a how it all began. But it doesn't stop at the playground.
Some of her items are crafted for girls of all ages. Because 'sugar and spice' has no age limit.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/111108124/hand-sewn-fabric-floral-pin-button

A touch of class and sophistication, or just the right accessory to complete a look, is what she offers as well.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/110656410/long-black-feather-headband-dramatic

Dana's busy day is divided between many different aspects. She is mom of two, wife, home-maker, artists, photographer, and team leader. She takes on more tasks each day, with her quick notes and team discussions; a real trail blazer and go-getter.
She is learning to delegate and ask for help, knowing she can trust us, since she has taught us well. And sometimes she sits back and learns from us. This is what a true leader can offer; the ability to offer ideas, and accept others as well.

If you have a need for some 'sugar and spice', stop by Button Top Sugar Shop. If you are needing help, join the team. And when you do, you'll find a wonderful leader and educator, to follow and learn the ways of juggling the day.

Sew Perfect

In the last few months, I have witnessed some wonderful, and talented people. They master a art or craft, and bring it to the World, via the internet.

In this posting, I would like to spotlight, one such person. Her name is Sharon, and her shop is named ShadoBox. Visit her shop on Etsy HERE

She caught my eye, with pillow covers, displaying vivid colors and striking patterns; just about anything for anyone. And from a designers viewpoint, how awesome, to have a pillow cover, and freshen the look of a room.

As pictured below, a variety of color and patterns, can be seen.

                                         Trio in Gray, White and Coastal Blue

                                          4pc Pillow Set

She also offers custom orders and can add a zipper to any pillow (additional information on zippers can be found here.

                                          Black & White Zig Zag and Stripes

Sharon, fondly shared the memory of her sewing talent with me, telling me that it was her grandmother that inspired her to understand fabrics, along with the needle and thread. At the age of 7, she would sit on the front porch swing, learning and stitching, by hand. Certainly grandmothers are known for teaching many things, and Sharon most likely learned many things from someone who obviously had a talent, and wanted to teach too.

Sharon works mostly at night, from a private working room, within her home. And she feels blessed, as we all would, to have such a space, dedicated to her craft.
The time spent on the items varies, but she keeps the time down, "to make sure the potential value of the product will cover time spent." She can make several items in a single hours.


In addition to loving fabric, she also loves painting old furniture, thrift store finds like old frames, bowls, candlesticks, mosaic work with tile and glass, etc. Maybe in the near future, she will share with us, some of this amazing work.
Meanwhile, stop by ShadoBox, and take a look at the other items, her shop offers to the World.

Team Spirit

I recently started working on an Etsy team of artists, called We Have Your Back, and what a wonderful team this turned out to be for me. Actually, for each of us, since we are constantly cheering one another on, and encouraging one another through sharing our thoughts, and promoting one another through various social media outlets.
http://www.etsy.com/teams/13578/we-have-your-back

The team was an attempt to find my way through the first steps of setting up an Etsy store front, and making friends along the way. It is always great to share creativity with others, but also wonderful that we share a common bond in creating and selling our products. This common factor, instantly gives a chance to connect and share easily.

The team captain, Dana, http://www.etsy.com/people/dnreyn7, has been a leader to all of us. Dana is constantly sharing ideas, and loves to get input from each of us. This alone, has put the 'team', in 'teamwork'.

As we roll along, we are constantly growing. It is fun to see the new people coming in, and I am amazed at the generosity, and kindness, that is flowing through our discussions. Even the occasional thread pops up, "I got my first sale", is enough to trigger a wave of happiness through our team.

Of course, we are from different cities, states, and countries; and working together. How nice to know that you can cross an ocean, and there are people who are nice, fun, and creative; all in a peaceful environment!

So if you are looking for team spirit, a place to belong, or new friends, I encourage you to join a team of wonderful, and worldwide, artists.
And remember, We Have Your Back!
ps also find on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Have-Your-Back/388651131206884