Learning new skills

Wow, it's been a whole year since my last post, and of course lot has happened during that year and I will not make you all yawning while I tell you about everything. So I'll skip last year and just tell you about two great weekends in February this year and about VKnO learning new skills.

The first weekend-course I went to was to learn how to transfer digital photos on to fabric. I was looking for a new technique to use on my bags, and I was amazed when I learned how "easy" this was. My head has been producing lot of new products in the weeks after this course - I'm just waiting for the perfect time to get my hands and sewing machine to start producing what my head's already completed ;)

Here's what I made at the course:

- a handbag with photo of my two girls on one side, and on the other side there is a photo of the local nature.

The second weekend-course was held already the weekend after the first one - and the theme for this one was "Sterling silver jewellery with soldering". 20 hours with sawing, forming, soldering, polishing.......wow, it was fun! I really loved to work with silver, and I'm really looking forward to start to make my own jewellery using the newly learned silversmith skills. But, I reccon it will take a while before I can list any of my own silver products in my shop at Etsy of Epla.......I need to practice a lot first ;)

I made myself 3 rings during the course:

I've already started to work on a few projects involving sterling silver - practicing on the techniques and having fun!

....stay tuned for more news from VKnO and my products.....

Made in Norway

A few days ago I got a mail from Lise at trollsmed. Lise is a Norwegian silversmith, and she makes gorgeous necklaces and other products out of her own handmade porcelain beads and sterling silver - take a look at http://www.trollsmed.com/ for more info.

Lise wanted to know if I was interested in starting a Norwegian Team on Etsy, and inspired by her question I had to go looking for other Norwegian sellers on Etsy.

I found more than I had expected, and here are some of them:

(click on the picture before Feb 28th to see the treasury with link to the featured items)

So what do you think about a Norwegian Team?

I would love to see YOUR answer to that question - no matter if you are a fellow Norwegian seller, a customer, a friend or just another person with an opinion - please leave your comment!!!!!!!!!

Looking back at December 2008

As this has been my first holiday-season as an Etsy-shop-owner, I didn't quite know what to expect. So I decided to take everyday as it comes, and didn't set any special sales goal for the season.

However, when I look back at December, I am quite satisfied. I managed to sell some products on VKnO at Etsy, I sold some locally, I got my first custom order (locally) and I made a few special pendants that I gave away as gifts to family and friends.

I don't have photos of all the products, but here are some of the products that left my house this December:

That was the end of 2008. When it comes to 2009, I am also quite happy the way things are going right now. So far I've had a quiet forthnight at Etsy, probably due to the fact that I've done next to nothing to promote my business.

But I've had a couple of local sales:

...... now I'm looking forward to the rest of 2009 - I think this is going to be a great year!

Happy New Year!

Hope you all have a wonderful evening.

Best wishes for the New Year!!

New Years eve 2008 (Hvaler, Norway)

Ingermaaike

I'm back with a new etsy-shopowner-interview, after a few weeks break.

Today I'm presenting Inger, the creative shopowner of

• ingermaaike - Felt it all: http://www.ingermaaike.etsy.com/
• ingersworld - The world according to IngerMaaike: http://www.ingersworld.etsy.com/

For those of you that don't know the work of Inger, remember to take a good look at her two shops once you've read this interview - I promise you it is time well worth spending :)

1. Tell me about your store (name, products, etc)?
My store is called after myself as that is what it is about, me and the things I make. I make felted toys and scarves, some flowers and jewelry too. Whenever I see something that may be felted I will try, so my range of products is ever expanding. Tha main seller are the scarves though.

2. What made you start selling your products and show your designs to the rest of the world?
I started felting about 2 years ago and having innundated all my friends and family with felted presents I needed to have somewhere else for my felt to go. And while looking for wool I stumbled across this etsy site. After a while I thought I may as well try and sell from there as well as the pile of felt was reaching the ceiling.

3. How do you let the world know about your products?
First I opened a shop on etsy and just hoped for the best, then I forgot all about it till I actually sold something. Suddenly my interest was piqued. I roamed the fora and chatrooms for hints tips and suggestions. One day I discovered there were teams, I applied for membership to the EST and was added to the list. I lurked around there for some weeks and then finally introduced myself. This team has been paramount in further developing my skill as a shopowner. Constantly egged on to improve my photographing skills and descriptions. Together we make treasuries that often end up on front pages further promoting the shops. In the mean time I have started blogging as well and have a flickr page (http://www.ingermaaike.nl/ and http://www.ingermaaike2.flickr.com/ on twitter i am called ingermaaike too)

4. Do you adjust you crafting to the different seasons? And how?
My crafting and color schemes are strongly influenced by what I see around me so automatically it changes with the seasons, but this is not something that happens on a cocious level.

5. How do you get inspired?
My inspiration is found around me, in nature and from feedback and requests. Every bit that goes in gets stirred in the brain and eventually comes out in a shape or form of felt. Sometimes directly and sometimes it may take months.

6. Do you ever get a creative block?
If I am a bit stuck I just make some scarves and inspiration for something new will come again. The making of a scarf is very meditative occupation, so then the ideas start brewing as I am laying out my scarf.

7. What is a normal day like for you?
I get up at 7.15 take a shower and wake the boys. They fix their breakfast and lunch stuff and we walk to school. A 20 minute walk through the woods. Once I get back home I do some house work if I feel like it. Usually I will mess around on the net for a while, time flies as we all know once you start surfing. Having done that I will felt or dye or felt and dye. Maybe take the dogs for a walk and gone is the day, time to pick up the boys from school again. On coming home they do homework and I help as they are still learning the language and need help with translation. By then it is time to cook and after dinner I will felt some more or hang out behind my computer. All in all a very exciting life..

8. Do you do this for fun or for serious business?
It is a business, and we need the income from it as supplementary income.

9. How do you see yourself down the road?
We will have remolded our barn into a workspace for me where I can create and teach workshops, maybe even sell to passing tourists.

10. What else interests you besides your craft?
I love all kind of science and read a lot about it, reading is my water and food.

11. Is there something you would like to say as the end of the talk?
Make fun every day, not just when you have time :0D

......I'll be back with another interview next week, unless the holidays hits me first ;)

Homesick?

Morgenstund på knappskog
Originally uploaded by catty_bergen

Do you ever feel homesick? I do, and today I googled my 'hometown' Knappskog looking for photos. Well it's not a town, just a small village - but nonetheless, it's my 'home' .

I didn't find many photos from Knappskog, but amongst the ones I found there was this gorgeous photo of a sunrise, taken 2 1/2 years ago, and I just had to share it with my blog readers.

I think I'll have to bring my camera with me when I'm going home for the weekend.......maybe I can capture a morning like this myself.

I love this weather!

Welcome to my little photosafari,

according to the weather forecast it was 8 C and 15m/s, so it was rather windy...

this is a crowded beach in the summer, but today I was all alone....

I walked to the end of the pier, feeling a bit unsecure.....it was really hard to stand upright,

when I was standing on the top of the stairs and turned back towards the wind.

A bit later when I was about to leave, one sporty guy came along. Just note that the sea temperature is about 0.0 C. I'm impressed:

Finally: Home, dear home.....

I live close to the sea, but I can not see it from my home, only hear it. On days like this the windows of our house and car usually gets covered with a white layer of salt from the ocean.