As Rachel from missIsa says, her pencils will add awesomeness to your desk!
Her sweet pencils would make the perfect gift for the writer/artist/stationery lover that you know.
Not only are they gorgeous, but they come in the most awesome packaging, too!
Go drool over pencil-y goodness at her shop on Etsy.
***
Want more Epheriell-y goodness? Subscribe to my blog updates! Or follow me on Twitter!
I live in Wellington, New Zealand but I grew up in the northeast of the United States. I fell in love with NZ in 2003 while visiting and have come back and forth from the States and Australia since then.
I work out of my home now, but I love working while travelling because of the inspiration it brings. My dream is to own a studio space that I can share with my partner. It will be big enough to throw paint on canvases and will have a photography darkroom, small studio space, metal working area and much more. A place where anything can happen and I won’t need to tidy things up all the time.
Traveling is what makes me feel alive- I love every aspect of it, including the rough times! I have so many places that mean something special to me but I will try to narrow it down… I would have to say the Aspiring National Park on the South Island of New Zealand. The stillness of the forgotten spaces tucked away in the mountains is so centering, reminding me of what is most important in life and giving me a realistic view of what the world is in its true essence. I found that the Simpson Desert in Australia evoked similar emotions, including that of isolation and awareness of our need to survive – something I often forget living comfortably in the Western world.
I am interested in almost anything, well everything really. I work as a Hawaiian massage therapist as well as doing free-lance photography work and making the jewelry found on my Etsy site. I am currently working with my partner and his business partners to launch an exciting new international business that will raise money for Charities and Non-Profit Organizations worldwide.
I love seeing people express their passion through their art or their language – it is incredibly inspiring. I enjoy reading non-fiction and learning new things. I find that I get quite down emotionally if I am not creating something – whether it is a photograph or piece of jewelry, cooking, writing, etc. the list goes on ☺ My partner works in the film industry and is frequently working 80+ hour weeks, so some of my happiest times are when he has time off and we are able to indulge ourselves in our creative endeavors together, go for walks or go swimming. Also any time I get to spend with my family is special for me because we are so far away from one another, geographically speaking.
I changed my mind so frequently as to what I wanted to be when I grew up. I knew I wanted to help people, so for most of my childhood and adolescence I wanted to be a doctor and work in impoverished areas in the States and Africa. Then my passion turned to photography and photojournalism. Now I am finding my own way on a completely undiscovered path and hoping that it will lead me to exactly where I need to be.
I have always enjoyed creating things and giving my creations away to others. I was convinced that I was not “artsy” for the longest time (for roughly the same amount of time I was convinced I was going to be a doctor… strange how those worlds don’t meet up as often as they should). I took an art and religion course at college/university and my world opened up. I realized that I didn’t have to be an artist for anyone else other than me and my life immediately changed.
I first started out making incredibly complex collage sculpture art. My style has now flowed in to a more simple form, but I still find it to be complex in its meaning, rather than its physicality. I now make images using film and digital photography. I have a newly acquired Holga camera and old Polaroid Land camera that I am enjoying experimenting with. In April of this year I started making jewelry. I started out with no knowledge of how to do things and found my way by experimenting and inspiration from other artists’ work.
My final project for the art and religion class I mentioned above was a three-dimensional sculpture piece that explored my emotions surrounding a family member who was chronically ill with cancer. It was an exploration into the strength of the individual, the power of community and our profound ability as human beings to express ourselves in so many different and beautiful ways.
I really miss getting to meet the people who enjoy my work. I love hearing people’s stories and how they personally relate to the photo/jewelry they are purchasing. I sometimes get emails from buyers but I miss the face-to-face communication.
Ben and Jerry’s ice cream… my family, the mountains, the desert, the look on a childs face when they have accomplished something they thought was impossible, the feeling when I have accomplished something I thought was impossible, and the list goes on!
The media misrepresents cultures, people, political situations, etc and the result is racism, bigotry and failure to find truth within oneself.
Open-minded.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Gandhi
Visit Kelsi Online!
Shop: www.ikedesigns.etsy.com
Website: www.kelsidoscher.com
Facebook Page: (just started it this one) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ike-Designs-Handcrafted-Jewelry/124676546683
Kelsi is giving away a gift voucher for $20USD off any purchase from her Etsy site or photography site. There is some gorgeous goodness to be had – so get browsing!
1. Visit Ike Designs or Kelsi Doscher Photography, and come back here leaving a comment about your favourite piece from the store.
2. For additional entries, leave a comment saying that you: followed or subscribed to Epheriell Designs (or already do); have Twittered about the givewaway; have shared the giveaway with friends on Facebook, or; you have written a blog post about it.
3. Entries close next Sunday night, the 8th of November, at 12pm Australian EST. Winners are announced the next day as part of next week’s Feature and Giveaway post.
Remember to leave me a way of contacting you.. and Good Luck!
***
Last week’s winner was Jacks - congrats!
Want more Epheriell-y goodness? Subscribe to my blog updates! Or follow me on Twitter!
Psst… for those of you who would like a peek at some of my wedding photos, hop on over to my Flickr page here…
I’ll be blogging a bit more over the coming weeks about the wedding (the professional photos are yet to come!) – including a few pics of the lovely decorations and other bits and pieces that I made or were made for me!
***
Want more Epheriell-y goodness? Subscribe to my blog updates! Or follow me on Twitter!
Welcome to the weekly Feature and Giveaway! Every Monday, we’ll be featuring a lovely craftsperson, artist, or artisan – and every week you’ll have the chance to win something from their shop!
This week we welcome Deborah, from Unique Dichroic. Deb makes gorgeous dichrotic glass pendants – amongst other things – and I am sure you will fall in love with her work once you see it for yourself!
***
Where do you live?I live on our very quite and peaceful rural five acre property here in the South West of Western Australia.
I am so lucky ! My studio is at the bottom of my garden. It is a one room cottage that was originally accommodation at a local timber mill and was built early 1900’s. It’s a quirky little cottage with fireplace, crooked chimney and verandah…I just love it!
Home is definitely my most favourite place…It’s just so beautiful here! We are surrounded by thousands of acres of National Park, and feel so lucky to be living so close to nature.
Well, my ‘day job’ is playing with glass…in fact my whole life seems to revolve around playing with glass LOL… It really is all that I do 
I have a wonderful husband and a grown up son… our babies are our two dogs that we spoil a lot. And we have two appaloosa horses that don’t do much except look nice in the paddock. We have a VW Kombi Camper that we’ve done up and we like to get away as often as possible… down towards the south coast near Denmark and Augusta are our favourite places.
I can remember wanting to be either a mounted police woman or a vet. I am so glad that I am neither LOL
I’ve been an artist ‘forever’…actually about 20 years… and I used to work a lot with clay. Just over 4 years ago I discovered glass!…it changed my life. That might sound a little dramatic but it’s true
I became obsessed with glass, and I think I am still addicted.
I thought that this obsession may have worn off a little by now, but it hasn’t…I still can’t wait to get down to the studio every day, and usually dream about glass every night – LOL.
What do you make?I mostly make dichroic glass pendants.
I love hand-etching glass, and can spend hours lost in free hand etching… especially etching very fine details.
Hard question… I think the answer changes every time I open the kiln. At the moment my favorite things are my flower suncatchers…I have a display stand of them in my studio, and really enjoy looking at them.
feeling connected to the world ! I love that I can live my ideal quite rural lifestyle and a computer can put me in touch with people all over the world.
Not much drives me crazy at all anymore. I tend to be very optimistic and just solve problems as they come along.
Mmm… probably ‘Fabulous!’. I tend to say it a lot.
***
Visit Deb online!
Shop: http://uniquedichroic.etsy.com
Blog: http://uniquedichroic.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/uniquedichroic
Oh, you are a lucky lot today! Deb has offered your choice of any $18.50 pendant from her shop… now the only trouble is deciding which one!
1. Visit Unique Dichroic, and come back here leaving a comment about your favourite piece from the store.
2. For additional entries, leave a comment saying that you: followed or subscribed to Epheriell Designs (or already do); have Twittered about the givewaway; have shared the giveaway with friends on Facebook, or; you have written a blog post about it.
3. Entries close next Sunday night, the 20th of September, at 12pm Australian EST. Winners are announced the next day as part of next week’s Feature and Giveaway post.
Remember to leave me a way of contacting you.. and Good Luck!
The winner of last week’s giveaway – Kathleen, congratulations!
***
Want more Epheriell-y goodness? Subscribe to my blog updates! Or follow me on Twitter!
Welcome to the weekly Feature and Giveaway! Every Monday, we’ll be featuring a lovely craftsperson, artist, or artisan – and every week you’ll have the chance to win something from their shop!
This week we welcome Sam, from the gorgeous Matou en Peluche!
***
Sydney, Australia
At the dining room table!
Favorite place in the world: Sydney’s pretty hard to beat – but London or Venice come a very close equal second!
I’m an English language teacher by day. Every other spare moment I spend drawing or at least thinking about drawing!! I’m also quite fond of taking long walks on the weekend with my partner in crime around the beautiful parks, bushland and beaches of Sydney.
What did you want to be ‘when you grew up’?I wanted to be an artist!
My Mum was an incredibly creative person – and both my parents were forever taking me round the art galleries of Sydney on the weekends so, I grew up in an arty house and was very encouraged by both of them to draw and create from a young age.
I draw charcoal and pastel gals and birds mostly and sell them as prints. I also have a range of greeting cards.
Gosh! I think I’m quite proud of the body of work I’ve built up over the past year and a half on Etsy.
What do you like the most/least about selling your wares online?I love the interaction with the people who stop by my shop. I love the Etsy community and the blogging community – I had no idea that that was one of the perks of opening an Etsy store! I also love being able to put up a new drawing in my shop and get some feedback more or less instanly. I also love being in control and not having to go through gallery curators in order to sell and get my work seen.
I can’t think of one downside to selling online!
cats, shopping for art supplies, drawing, fine spring weather, the online community!
People make a big deal about standing in a queue at the post office and sigh very loudly and breathe all over my neck!
Thank you!
***
Visit Sam Online!
Shop: http://www.matouenpeluche.etsy.com
Website: http://www.matouenpeluche.com
Blog: http://www.matouenpeluche.typepad.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/matouenpeluche
Wow – Sam is being super-generous to all my lovely readers this week! She is offering the winner of this giveaway their choice of five (yep 5) 6cm X 10cm (4″ X 6″) small prints from her shop – this is worth $25.00. I have a few of Sam’s prints, and I can tell you that they are top quality and just lovely to look at!
1. Visit Matouenpeluche, and come back here leaving a comment about your favourite pieces from the store.
2. For additional entries, leave a comment saying that you: followed or subscribed to Epheriell Designs (or already do); have Twittered about the givewaway; have shared the giveaway with friends on Facebook, or; you have written a blog post about it.
3. Entries close next Sunday night, the 13th of September, at 12pm Australian EST. Winners are announced the next day as part of next week’s Feature and Giveaway post.
Remember to leave me a way of contacting you.. and Good Luck!
***
Want more Epheriell-y goodness? Subscribe to my blog updates! Or follow me on Twitter!
