BESTeam Feature::

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I was a stay at home mom until last month when I started working part time at a candy...uh, I mean fabric store :P My boys are 16 and 6, which does not leave loads of time for creating, but I try.

How do you get out of your creative ruts?
I am always up for new ways to get out of a rut...but it is a good thing I have a touch of Crafty ADD. So when necessary, I just switch the media and follow a different creative route.

Where would you like your shop to be in ten years?
Hopefully right where I left it LOL :P What I would like to see is a more focused line...it's that Crafty ADD thing again. I do not know if I would still have all the embroidery, bags & home stuff but with something tying them together more, or just 1 of the 3.

How did you originally get into the business of making things?
My mother-in-law told me to. She did actually...so did my sis-in-law, a couple friends, my mom....I think they got tired of all the handmade gifts or were running out of room for everything. I know my space was getting rather full.

What's been your most popular item or line to date?
I would have to say my backpacks and clutches. The backpacks even made their way to a shop in Wake Forest NC (The Lemon Tree). And I have made several sets of clutches for bridal parties.

What does handmade mean to you?
Unique. Fun. Original. And as corny as it sound, made with love...every piece is special and that means so much to me.

Don't forget to check out TILTcreations BLOG for fun new info.



If you are a crafter on Etsy and you love to blog.... Come check out the BESTeam.

BESTeam Feature: BeaderBubbe

A bit about BeaderBubbe:

"Mother of five, grandma of six...love crafts,especially making jewelry...someday soon to retire and continue on my other career - jewelry making...."
 


Where would you like to be in ten years?


I would like to be retired and working on my shop full time. With a full time job now and watching grandchildren (6 and one on the way) I hardly find time to sit and be creative.

How did you originally get into the business of making things?

I have always been a maker of things. I sewed when my children were young; then I got into crocheting. My children grew up and then I thought “Why not make something for myself?” I started making a few items like bracelets, necklaces and got a lot of complements on them. I then made gifts for friends, until one day someone said they would pay me if I made a few necklaces for her for gifts…..the rest is history.

What's been your most popular item or line to date?

My glass pendants seem to sell off before I get them into my Etsy Store. I would love more sales to my Etsy store but cant complain which I have a circle of customers outside of the store. I also try to wear my jewelry and this drums up business.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I am currently a school secretary working in the elementary school that my children attended. I enjoy working there and when my children were small it was convenient to be off when they were off.

Friday Favourites

As it gets closer and closer to moving into my new house at the end of the summer. I have started looking at all the neat and fun ways I can decorate. Anyone that  knows me knows I absolutely love vintage from the late 40's early 50's. So today's Friday Fav's is going to be some fun stuff I would love to have in my house.

I absolutely LOVE pyrex. They were really in there element at this time. The colours and graphics were so simple and beautiful.

I love this weigh scale too. In an age where we don't eat properly anymore it's always nice to have a weigh scale for the kitchen. Especially for those old recipes like my Grandma S's Christmas Casserole.

UHHHHHH I just can't get over the colours for appliances they had back then! Absolutely yummy. I would definitely pick the teal stove.

I would love this for my studio and for craft shows this summer. It's a vintage glove mold. How cool is that!?

This would also be another wish for my studio. I would love to something pretty to drape all of my jewelry over! and this is definitely it.

BESTeam Feature::

What decade or style inspires you?

I wish I could say that one decade or style inspires me the most. I can narrow the field by saying I am inspired a lot by color. I also gravitate to old fashioned things from what appear to be simpler days. I really like flowers in designs and use resin flowers and Czech glass flowers in my jewelry.


How do you get out of your creative ruts?

I can feel overwhelmed with all the possibilities when I look at my selection of beads and findings. If I am in a creative rut , sometimes I just grab something from all my stuff, anything, and tell myself I must use whatever bead or finding I have grabbed to design a new piece. If I have a whole strand of the same beads, I can use one of them or all of them. I just must use that bead in my design. At first I feel like I am up against a wall and them as I pull out different beads and play with how they work with my original “grab bag” choice, I usually find that inspiration hits. Then I am off and running finding just the right components.

Another thing I do for inspiration is to grab a swatch of my quilting fabric. It’s great to have stacks of quilting fabric for a hobby I rarely, if ever, do. The colors and designs in those are amazing. When I choose a piece of fabric I like, I then start looking for beads with the same color palette. I then create something in that color palette.

Where would you like to be in ten years?

I look forward to retiring before then. My desire is to be in good health creating beautiful jewelry, painting, stitching, or crocheting. I am hopeful that I can continue to market it online and be very successful at that. I really enjoy working on online marketing and my blog.


Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I work full time as a clinic compliance and risk analyst at Poudre Valley Health System. I am so fortunate to have this position and take pride in being a part of this wonderful health care system. This position stretches me, keeps my brain quite active, and uses my analytical and problem solving abilities. In addition, I moved here to northern Colorado early last year to be near my newest grandchild, my daughter, her husband and stepchildren. I thoroughly enjoy the time I spend with them. My husband and I have a good time taking drives on weekends to see the different areas in the Rocky Mountains. I think we could see something different every month for the rest of our lives.



What does handmade mean to you?

Handmade is the creation that comes from designing and putting together something that reflects the artist’s passion and personality. It is not a matter of creating something from scratch, such as starting with a blank canvas to paint a picture or spinning wool to make the yarn for a sweater. It is instead the creation of something fresh and new from whatever objects or materials inspire the artist.

BESTeam Feature:: Knitful Dezigns

 Tell us a bit about yourself.

Well my name is Veronica grace, but if thats to long for you Grace is perfectly fine :) Im 17 yrs old, and my favorite color is PINK! Im a country girl, I was raised in North Carolina but am currently living in Florida.

Where would you like to be in ten years? 

In ten years Id like to have all of my Pilots ratings and working in an airliner :) Maybe married and continuing to enjoy knitting and crochet.


What's been your most popular item or line to date?

Right now my bestseller is the Bashful Beanie. Its sort of a rasta hat "as my dad likes to call it."



Apart from creating things, what do you do?

Currently I'm finishing up my last year of school, and also my pilots license. I'm hoping to get a day job soon also!

What does handmade mean to you? 

To me handmade means to leave a little bit of yourself in a creation or design. When I make or create something I feel my love and devotion being poured into whatever im making. Most of the time I wonder who will wear or use what im knitting, i even daydream of different scenarios. Making something handmade isn't quick or even easy, most often its hard and time consuming. The end result is always worthwhile though :)



How did you originally get into the business of making things?

My mom and family are all very crafty :) I think it honestly runs in my blood hehe, but mostly my mom. She has definitely been the biggest influence in my making things!!! I love her and couldn't have done this without her!

Mother's Day and What my Mother Taught Me

With Mother's Day just around the corner (Sunday May 8th) I want to send a shout out to all the wonderful mothers out there. The ones that skipped work to go to your recital/game/practice. The ones that stayed with you and rocked you back to sleep after a nightmare, doted on you when you were sick.and/or came and bailed you out of trouble in school. There are so many different relationships you can have with your mother, but no matter what there is always some kind of a connection that can never be broken!

Things I Have Learned From my Mother:

-my skills at sewing have grown out of watching her take on project after project growing up and even now when I go home.
-love with all your heart and be a good friend.
-how to survive
-relationships are built while constantly working on them
-Life doesn’t always cooperate.


What I learned from my mother and what I do is not always the same thing. Someday.......I hope to take what I learned and pass it on to my own children.

What did you learn from your Mother? Write it in the comments below to continue the conversation.