Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Busted Knuckle Photography 1 Day Sale to Fight Prop 8!

Everyone please spread the word! Team member Busted Knuckle Photography is having a special sale at their etsy shop to help fight Prop 8 in California! All items are reduced and all proceeds after cost will go to the guys and gals at No on Prop 8! The sale will be ending at 4am Pacific Time tomorrow so act fast.
More info at their blog : http://bustedknucklephotography.blogspot.com/

Friday, October 10, 2008

Meet Julie of juliejewl AND cherryberrybunny

here's another Queer Team member interview... keith from fauxsure interviews julie of juliejewl and cherryberrybunny.



what got you started on etsy?

I honestly don't remember where I first heard of Etsy. I was aware of it a long while before I decided to open my shops. Then one day it just seemed like I had procrastinated enough. I opened my juliejewl store first with my art and then decided I would like to sell my jewelry as well and thus cherryberrybunny was born.

what inspires you? where do you get ideas for your work?

Anything and everything inspires me. I love colors and textures, especially in unusual combinations. I'm a mixed media artist so I tend to take a little bit of everything and synthesize it into a new whole. I get inspiration from nature, other artists, fashion, music, poetry. Anywhere I can really.

are you inspired by other art forms/ craft traditions?

As I mentioned in the last question, I can be inspired by just about anything! I have a deep love for art and crafting both. I am in awe of any craft done well. I love knitting/crocheting, DIY clothing, pottery, and jewelry just to name a few.

what do you want people to get out of your work? what do you want to communicate to others through it?

My art is very personal and very symbolic. I hope that people see a little bit of me and also themselves in it. I want my audience to rethink femininity and see it in different ways, as something that can be strong and bold. Other common themes in my work are transformation, layers, growth, flight, knowledge, and dreams.

In my jewelry, mainly I want to cultivate a sense of fun and joy. And maybe a little irreverence now and again.

do you also buy things on etsy? if so, what sorts of things appeal to you?

At this point I have mainly bought supplies on Etsy. However, I have a list a mile long in my favorites of things I would love to buy. I love scarves and hats, gloves and arm warmers, jewelry, bath and body products, and art particularly.

are there other creative projects you are involved in outside of your work on etsy?

What I do creatively outside of Etsy is more of the same, just different venues. I've been working on showing my art and have been in a couple different art shows this past year. I had some journal pages published in "1000 Artist Journal Pages" by Dwan Sokol. Slowly but surely I am also making my way into selling at conferences and craft fairs. Mainly my jewelry but I am also working on getting it together to start selling prints of my art.

do you sell your work anywhere else besides etsy?

I don't have a web site or a physical shop or anything like that yet. I sell outside of Etsy when the opportunity arises, such as someone wanting to buy a painting at an art show or when I am involved in a craft fair.


besides art and crafty stuff, what else do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I'm kind of a quiet person and a homebody. I enjoy spending time with my small group of friends, reading, movies, music, and hanging out with my pet rabbit.

what are your hopes for the queer team?

I hope to create community for queer artists and crafters. For mutual support and also to build a visible queer presence on Etsy. I think there are lots of queer folks involved in art and crafts but it can be difficult for us to find each other or find our audience of queer-positive supporters. After that, sky's the limit!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Friday = Fri-Gay!

Come and spend Fridays with the Etsy Queers in the Etsy forums! We'll be there all day, promoting our work, talking about gay Etsy life, you know, the usual!

Hope to see you there!

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Meet QueenofQueens!

We will be doing weekly interviews in order to get to know members of the Queer Etsy street team better.

The lovely, quirkly, and multi-talented Michelley QueenofQueens agreed to be the first interviewee. Be sure and visit her Etsy shop when you are done reading!

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Who are you? Michelley QueenofQueens. Interdisciplinary artist and conduit of the absurd.

What do you create? Everything. My expansive Sagittarian nature demands that it be so.

How long have you been doing your art/craft? My first conscious memory of creativity was when I was a pre-schooler. I drew Melody of Josie and the Pussycats on my yellow shag carpet with my dad's shaving cream.

What do you like about creating? It keeps homicidal urges at bay.

What do you like about your business? I am very gratified when people make a connection with something that's arrived in the world through me.

How did you find out about Etsy? You know, I really can't remember. It's as if I emerged from a cosmic wormhole one day and there by the grace of divine provenance it was...beckoning.

Do you sell your products anywhere else besides Etsy? I have a little shop in Palm Harbor, FL, Anne Bonney Tattoos, where I hock my wares as I leave permanent marks upon people's skin (some call this "tattooing"). I also have some items available at Pheeney's in Madeira Beach, FL. They have a vast array of artist made items, enough to induce giddiness.

What do you do when you're not creating products for your shop? The aforementioned poking of people's skin. I also design, paint and try to avert existential crises.

What are some other sites where we can find out more about you and what you create? http://www.michelleyqueenofqueens.com