BESTeam Feature: Campbell Jane

I recently joined a Yahoo group called BESTeam (Best Team), a group of blogging Etsy store owners.  The point of this group is to help promote other entrepreneurial Etsy store owners by featuring one in a blog post each week.

This is my first BESTeam feature and I am happy to introduce to you Campbell Jane. 

This is one busy and talented woman.  She is a full time artist and owner of two Etsy shops. She likes to create "a colorful whimsical world of works" for both shops. 

Folk Art by Campbell Jane

This shop is where her whimsical art world lives.  Of her whimsical characters she offers angels, dancing crabs, (I really like the dancing crabs) mermaids, Jesus, and flowers to name a few. She also offers her art in many ways: unframed, on cards, on canvas, printed images of originals and the like.  This makes her art accessible to many different tastes and budgets.

 Here are a few of her pieces that I really liked.

Tiny but Mighty, 8x8 unframed print $15

Dancing in the Moonlight, original unframed 5x7 $45

Nothing but Blue Skies, original unframed 18 x 20 $400

I Wish I May, I Wish I Might, 5x7 print unframed $15

Campbell Janes Shananigans

This is her second shop. When Campbell Jane isn't painting she is "up to some other kind of crafty Shenangans!" and you never know what you will find in this shop.  I just have to like someone who is up to "crafty Shenanigans"!  Sounds like the kind of gal I could hang with.


Shenanigans has a variety of craftiness from crochet patterns and actual crocheted items, to jewelry, to original linocut prints. I had seen a term previously that I had to google  because it was on one of her items.  I learned that OOAK is One of a Kind.  Now that you have been educated here is some eye "candy" for you. (you will see what I did here)

Candy Ball Bracelet $23.  (did you see what I did!) It has handmade polymer beads in colors that are good enough to eat:  sweet blue, yummy orangey pink, and buttery yellow.

This Beret is the OOAK item.  You can buy it for $23.

Easy crochet hat pattern, $3.95

Remember that I said she is a busy lady.  In addition to her full time painting and two Etsy shops Campbell Jane has three, count them, three blogs. 

Campbell Jane's other "Happy Places" are:
http://www.folkartbycampbelljane.blogspot.com
http://www.campbelljane.blogspot.com
http://www.alteredpages.blogspot.com

Take a minute to stop on by.  And as Campbell Jane says with each item "God Bless and Thank You for stopping by!"

My latest Etsy creations.

I finished some magnet boards today and am just getting ready to put them on my store.  I found my inspiration here and with a little tweaking and a different spin on it came up with these:





Pink and Brown Round Magnet Board:
I thought the round magnet board would be cute and "girly" so I made flower magnets from coordinating paper and pink brads to finish the look.  I really like pink and brown and thought it would be a cute color combination.  The pink "rope" that is bordering the paper I made from embroidery floss. (see tutorial below)















Christmas Countdown Magnet Board:

I love Christmas and my girls have always loved having something to countdown on, even as teenagers.  I thought a Christmas Countdown magnet board would be a cute idea and came up with this.  I made enough number tags to count down for 25 days. 

While the paper is mod podged onto the metal I thought that laminating the number tags would be a good way to make them a little more wear proof.  This ended up posing a big problem that I hadn't bargained for; the magnet wouldn't stick.  I tried scrapbook adhesive dots.  They didn't stick either.  Then I got out the big guns, E-6000 all purpose glue that sticks to anything.  Well, as it turns out, it doesn't stick to the laminate that my Xyron uses.  I was left with two options:
1. remake 24 tags
2. cut little patches of laminate off the back to stick the magnets to.

I chose option 2. So, after scraping the glue off the magnets and cutting little rectangles of laminate off of each tag I now have stickage!

I know that I got the original idea from another blogger (to whom I fully give credit).  I would just ask that if you are going to make these you don't try and sell the Christmas Countdown idea.


Here is a little crafty tutorial for you on how to make the rope used on the round magnet board.  You can make this with thread, embroidery floss, yarn, basically anything that you can get a long piece of and twist.



Making decorative Rope:
 

Get a friend to help you.  It can be done by yourself but is much easier with a friend.  I looped this around my water bottle and did it myself but make your hubby or one of your kids help, it is fast and easy.

My buddy helping while reading her homework.

Me winding my end.

Get your piece of whatever you are making Rope from. It will need to be at least double what your finished size should be.

You hold one end and your helper holds the other.  You both start twisting in opposite directions so it gets wound tighter and tighter.  You don't want your partner unwinding what you are winding.

Holding center away from ends.

 Once it gets fairly tight you want to grab the center point and hold it away from you. In your other hand put the two ends together then let go of the ends while still holding the center.

smoothing

 It will start twisting up and wrapping around itself.  This is what you want.  Just run your fingers down the rope to smooth it out and you are done.


 

Finished product.

 If you have to cut an end just put a little craft glue on it so it won't unravel.

Have fun!

Me and my new shoe

So after a few weeks of foot pain I finally got in to see a podiatrist and he gave me a new shoe.  I thought that was rather nice of him. Too bad for me it wasn't a very attractive shoe and doesn't match the shoe on my other foot.  It does have velcro though and that is always entertaining.

Aside from the shoe being a gift there wasn't much good news.  Yes, I have a stress fracture.  I didn't realize my foot was that stressed.  If I had known I would have taken it out for a massage or let it have some vacation time.  Not knowing my foot wasn't dealing with life very well it has now "cracked" under the pressure.

So, this is a cautionary tale for you.  Pay attention to your feet.  Give them a break (ha ha, get the pun!) or you too may end up with a new shoe.

I'll have a side of angst with my mystery, thank you!

I get up in the mornings and hit the treadmill.  Not literally, just go there for some exercise.  I like being able to watch something on TV; it makes exercise less heinous.

Now that we have Netflix I have been watching some old series' that I never watched while they were on TV.  I am also getting a lot of ribbing from my family. I got hooked on Veronica Mars.  It is a teen show about a girl, Veronica, who's dad was Sheriff but is now a PI.  She does a lot of sleuthing with him.  While she is in High School she ends up doing a lot of sleuthing for her peers.

My family likes to tease me that I am watching a show for teenagers.  My husband asked me "didn't you have enough angst in High School?".  They don't even have to listen to it when I am on the treadmill.  My hubby rigged up a really long chord for the headphone jack and I use my headphones while I am getting sweaty.

I like dramas, mysteries, cop shows etc. I think I finally decided why I liked Veronica Mars so much, aside from the fact that I actually enjoyed the characters and story lines, it's that a show geared toward teens isn't filled with sex scenes and foul language.  I could get my dose of mystery and intrigue at a PG level.

So, I have decided that they can rib all they want.  I will keep on watching teenage shows if I enjoy them. Besides, you are only as old as you feel.  Maybe that's why I enjoy it!!

Since I finished Veronica Mars I am now watching Friday Night Lights.  It is about a small Texas town that loves nothing but High School Football.  Because they are in Texas there is a lot of prayer on this show too.  Although it is a family show it is also classified at a teen show which will make it prime for family ribbing.

Bring it on!