exciting weekend!

I noticed lots of traffic and sales in my etsy store this past Saturday and I found out that my 2 liter bottle bracelet is being featured in a Storque article (online etsy magazine)! The article is called Born Again. If you scroll down through the items you will see my bracelet. I'm so greatful for this wonderful feature!!

Celebrating 2 years on etsy!!

Today is my 2 year anniversary on etsy!! I can't get over how fast time goes by! Etsy has been wonderful for my business, I owe a lot of great things to my etsy shop. I'll never forget how I heard of it...I was getting my teeth cleaned and I mentioned to the hygienist that I was starting my own art business. She asked if I ever heard of etsy, and I said no. I checked it out and immediately signed up. My pictures were horrible!! I'll never forget my first sale either (1 month after opening). I was so excited when I saw it! I've come a long way in these past 2 years, and I've been working extremely hard. My hard work is starting to pay off though. In my mind there is no such thing as luck, it's all about hard work and passion...

Eco-Friendly Item Poll!

My orange juice container bracelet is up for vote on etsy's Eco-Friendly Item Poll! If you could vote for my bracelet I would really appreciate it!! Click on the title above to vote! Thanks so much! Wish me luck!

Chucka Stone Designs

Today I'm featuring a very talented artist, Jenn Shon of Chucka Stone Designs. Visiting her etsy shop you will immediately realize that she transforms clothes into things like bags, clutches, and iPod cozies. Almost all of her items are created from upcycled (former clothes, housewares like shower curtains, etc) or salvaged fabrics. Jenn says, "I will cut up clothes that can not go to charity & make just about anything! My favorite is dismantling old blue jeans & working them into bags." When talking about how she stumbled upon creating eco friendly items Jenn states, "I have been an unofficial member of the eco police for as long as I can remember, my mom was always into keeping an eye on the planet and it really rubbed off. Now I frequently feature cool Etsy shops, fellow members of Team Eco Etsy or other environmentally responsible items on my Green Leaf blog every day. It is fun to spread the word about how easy it can be to ensure there is still a beautiful green & blue ball in the universe for all future generations if we just put in a small effort now."

But that's not all! Jenn is also a writer (blogs, working on a novel & also a book of poetry currently in the works) and a specialist is wall treatments, such as faux finishing! I hope you take the time to learn more about this terrific business woman. Check out her main business website at chuckastonedesigns.com. Shop her fabulous eco items at ChuckaStone.etsy.com. And visit her wonderful blog at green-reviewer.blogspot.com!

March Madness: FREE and GREEN!

I'm a proud member of team ecoetsy! For the whole month of March, ecoetsy is offering a FREE and GREEN promo. When you purchase something from participating ecoetsy shops you get a free gift with your purchase! Click on the title link above to learn more and see which shops are participating. I'm one of them!! That means FREE EARRINGS! Be sure to write in "FREE and GREEN" during checkout in message to the seller to take advantage of this sale!

Ecogeneration

I wanted to start a blog swap for the ecoetsy team I'm involved in. This is the first participant! So today I'm featuring a very talented etsy artist, Ecogeneration! She makes creative items by reusing and upcycling materials. She also uses
sustainable and renewable sources like organic cotton yarn, bamboo
yarn, recycled yarn, and upcycled yarn. Ecogeneration recently discovered recycled felt, so she's also starting to experiment with that too! If you'd like to learn more about Ecogeneration, she has a blog where she dishes
about eco friendly items, environment, and other "stuff" (http://ecogeneration.blogspot.com). Click the title above to visit her etsy store!! She makes wonderful items, perfect for gift giving! I especially love the brooches, coffee cup sweaters and magnets! Enjoy!

If you're an ecoetsy member and you're interested in participating in the blog swap let me know!

One Year on Etsy!

Yesterday February 12, was my one year anniversary selling on etsy! And one solid year of my business, Artwork by KD. This past year flew by! I've learned so much about having a business, and I feel like I made great progress in the past year. I started this business with nothing but a dream! To celebrate I'm offering free shipping on all orders from my etsy shop. This next year I hope to learn even more, double sales, and be at lots of art shows. Thanks so much for your support!

Eco Fish Bone Earrings...

These earrings are a brand new design I'm working on. I call them 'fish bone' earrings because the design kind of reminds me of well...fish bones! Or what we think of fish bones. This clean design is very modern and hip. Perfect for spring! I hand cut the pieces out of a plastic bottle and attached them to each other with jump rings. They are super light weight too!

'Season of Love' Poll!

Don't forget to vote for my earrings in the 'Season of Love' poll! The polls close at 12pm on January 29th. Results are hidden until voting is closed. Wish me luck!!

Vote For Me!!!

A pair of my earrings has been picked to be in the 'season of love' poll!! You can vote for my item! Top items will be featured in the gift guides and etsy blog!! These are the earrings to look for in the link...

Click on the 'Vote For Me' title to follow the link and vote!

Re Dos

This photo (the smaller, darker one) really lacked the bright rich color these earrings have in real life. I decided to use a simple white back drop so the colors would pop. This improved picture was picked for a treasury which happened to make it to the front page!

FREE Shipping Weekend!

Free Shipping all weekend, in celebration of my b-day!!!

Featured in a gift guide!

I was browsing through the etsy gift guides today and I noticed that a pair of my earrings is featured in the 'Environmentally Friendly' gift guide!

I Heart U!

These heart earrings were hand made from recycled plastic bottles! The textured plastic catches the light really beautifully. Both layers were cut out by hand with scissors. Why do I always mention the scissors? Because I take pride in cutting my designs by hand. There are hole punches available where you can simply cut the heart (or other shapes) out in one punch. I think that takes the art and design away. Everything would look the same. What fun is that? Maybe I am nuts for doing it by hand, but I think that the hard road is the better one.


I'll be playing at Elk Mtn. tomorrow (1-3-09) from 2pm-6pm!

Elk Mtn Ski Resort
Union Dale, PA

Eco-Friendly Heart

This funky pendant was made from plastic bottles. I cut the shapes out by hand with scissors. I used to think heart jewelry was corny, but I think it can be funky when using different materials. How cool a Valentines gift would this be?!

Water Bottle Series

I've been working with water bottles this week. I really like the clear, yet textured look. They are super funky but really simple! These are my very first pendants too. Definitely more to come from this material.

Featured in the EcoEtsy Blog!

Yay! My bracelet is featured on EcoEtsy's blog for their teen gift guide! Check it out!!

ArtworkbyKD

My show at Vestal High School yesterday was awesome! I met a lot of really great people and got lots of positive feedback on my work. I look foward to a few weeks of building up my inventory, creating new designs and concentrating on my etsy store. March will be here before I know it! I hope to take part in the BU show March 29th 2009. That will be the start of my 2009 season.

I'd love to hear of designs you'd like to see!

Commission for a Dietitian...

I was recently asked to do a special order by a registered dietitian who does research at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. She wanted to give her study subjects a pair of fruit based earrings as a reminder of her (and the nutrition study) and also as a thank you. She wanted earrings based on their different personalities, so I was to come up with a variety. I decided on 2 kinds, one of them a little funky, and the other a little more simple. The simpler ones were my locket earrings made from recycled yogurt containers and recycled aluminum cans. The funkier ones were made from recycled plastic, recycled newspaper and tissue paper.

Recycled Plastic Necklace...

I've recently made my first necklace! I'm pretty excited about it too! I used 3 layers of recycled plastic. It's really comfy and attractive! Fishing line was used as the string, so it does not take away from the pendant and it fits into my funky style. I also learned how to make a secure knot (googled it!)! I will definitely have more necklaces soon! I'm also going to be selling pendants for those who already have a favorite chain. Let me know what you think! Would you wear this?