What's Up Wednesday

Spring is here and Earth Day is just a few weeks away!  If you're in the Toronto area, you can celebrate in Trashion Team style by taking a workshop with Tammy from Junckshop.

Tammy will show you how to create a fabulous mobile entirely out of toilet paper tubes.  Express your creativity by transforming the humble toilet paper tube into a mobile or piece of wall art. Paint your design and attach thread to hang, or mount directly on the wall. Great for parents & kids (ages 10+).  Event information, registration details and a photo of Tammy's brilliant upcycled mobiles are at the link below:

Upcycled Mobile Workshop
Saturday, April 16th from 2:00 - 4:00pm
$35/person or $30/person if you bring a friend
Wise Daugthers Craft Market
3079B Dundas St. West, Toronto, ON, M6P 1Z9

Tammy's distinctive upcycled jewelry is featured in Garth Johnson’s latest book, 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse: Remake, Restyle, Recycle, Renew.

Feature Me Friday: Pulpa Paper Products

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This week we feature Erin Groff of Pulpa Paper Products!
Erin comes to us from Newark, Ohio.
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Who is Pulpa?
Pulpa is a handcrafted paper products company that combines natural and recycled elements with an imaginative and eco-friendly approach. Pulpa strives to offer high-quality paper products that are not only beautiful, but beneficial.
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What’s the first thing you remember making?
The first thing I remember making that is relevant to my medium now is sheets of paper. I met an artist who was touching on papermaking while getting her fine arts degree. She invited me into the lab to play and experiment. I found a new friend as well as a new love of papermaking!
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Where do you work?
I am one of the lucky individuals who is afforded much time her basement studio. I guess if I work, it would be here. Although, I find it very difficult to state it as a job to anyone. I don't even have an alarm on my side of the bed. I find them very disturbing and wish my boyfriend would get rid of his. He says he needs one more than I do. I don't have to commute, be involved in corporate meetings, wear a suit and tie, or a pair of heels (unless I want to). I can wake, pour coffee that was already brewed so sweetly for me ( by the love of my life, that most unfortunately has to use that alarm clock), and work in pj's.
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What are your favorite tools?
One of my favorite tools is my drying rack. When working with wet paper you need plenty of room to "loft dry" as they call it. So screens come in very handy for this. My neighbors were throwing out many of the old window screens from their home and replacing them with new ones. It was a great find i thought, so I brought them home. I spraypainted them glossy black to cover any rust that may stain my paper, and my boyfriend was so kind as to build me a rack so that they would stack on top of each. It's not only beautfiul it's darn handy.
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My second favorite tool is my rigged mixer! I cannot yet afford a hollander blender, but look forward to in the future if I can obtain one at a decent price. I believe they are around $2,000. But fortunately, I have some pretty crafty friends! He took the end of the drill with the handle and the motor in it and welded it into a frame. From out of the drill comes the long steel mixer that you mix buckets of paint with. I use old kitty litter buckets for holding my wet pulp which sits under the frame with the mixer handle; and with the flip of a switch my wet cotton starts to become a slurry! In papermaking, this term is a good thing!
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Why work with recycled materials?
Consume, Consume, Consume! It seems to be what we are good at. In an effort to reduce waste and keep our earth beautiful, each and everyone of us must do our part. I am so inspired by these fellow artists who take this seriously enough to do something about it in their own unique way. These artists not only make good use of otherwise unneccessary and space hogging items, they can make it fun, funky, and at times moving. I raise a glass and cheer these artists. Thank you!
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Who inspires you?
Other artists such as yourselves. Lost in a sea of commericially, mechanically, soullessly stamped out products that remsemble those items that take time and effort. "Blood, sweat, and tears" as they call it are our "babies". Our art, crafts, creations take time to make and are wonderfully, unique. Sometimes people have so many options abound at the local mass-producer, where quality and creativity is NOT the goal but keeping prices at their lowest is, they forget or are uneducated to the fact of the time and costs you put into creating that item by hand. That's when the comments such as "They charge this, for that?" or "Is that award a fake?" are heard among the throng of onlookers. I have found believing in oneself and supporting other artists in a key to all of our future successes.
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How do you get from A to Z?
My day to day A to Z'ing usually goes down in my trusty silver
PT Cruiser. I used to take the PT to my shows and festivals, but recently have acquired "Big White" our large white chevy cargo van. Taking the PT to shows was much like putting together a puzzle and not the one with the big pieces. The van is wonderful because at the end of a long weekend or day I can throw my tent, tables, display, etc. into the van without my thought.
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What music do you listen to while you’re working?
I love listening to Sarah Barielles and Norah Jones quite a bit it seems when I am working down here. I find myself getting lost in my pulp and singing as loudly as I can. "There is great acoustics in this basement", I think to myself. Wondering if anyone outside can hear, and do they think I am crazy?
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What do you do for fun?
I am a closet kareoker. Sometimes we pull out an old disco light, I apply some red lipstick, and we pretend we are rock starts for a night!
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Travel, Travel, Travel! I've been fortunate enough to start traveling these last few years. I love doing new things, meeting new people, and taking in the foreign and exotic. My out of country travels have taken me to Mexico, the Netherlands, and Singapore so far. I believe somewhere in the Caribbean is our next stop. We can all use a little fun in the sun! Especially, after a long, Ohio winter.
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Outdoor movie nights with the neighborhood are a blast, and I cannot wait for warmer weather so that it permits us to begin doing this again. We haul out speakers and the projector and many cushions and chairs. We hang a white sheet from the trellis and either watch a movie or sometimes we even watch an Ohio State Football game or two. Go Bucks!
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Read any good books lately?
I am just finishing the 12 book series of Left Behind. I find myself a deeply spiritual person who believes in energy and connectiveness. Religion has been difficult for me. This series is still an amazing story, and scared the beejeezies out me!
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Been to any great exhibits?
I was able to visit the Van Gogh Musuem in Amsterdam a few years back. That was most wonderful. I also visited the Salvidor Dali Museum in Florida. Another amazing place to visit!
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What are the five best things you’ve purchased on etsy and where did you find them?
1. The stamps I use for applying my logo to my cards and other products. Thanks Blossomstamps!
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2. My fingerless gloves because they keep my hands warm but my fingers free to work. Obviously, I can only wear these when I am not working with wet pulp. But they are stylish and cozy! Thank you Imaginativecreations!
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3. My Etsy shop banner and avatar set for shop. I received a sale sign, a thank you sign, an away sign and much more! Falcor Digital really helped give my shop a more cohesive and professional look. Thanks FalcorDigital!
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4. My sugar scrub made by pegasussoaps. Every woman needs at least one jar of this magical concoction in their shower and tub area. I feel brand new every time I use it.
Thank You, Pegasussoaps!
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5. Last, but not least my lavender eye pillow from Maplestreetcreations. After, a long day at a show or in the basement making product I want nothing more than to use my sugar scrub in the bath and then grab my luxuriously smelling eye pillow to melt away stresses from the day.
Thanks Maplestreetcreations!
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Besides Etsy, where can we find you work?
My Etsy Shop, my website, Wilson's Garden Center in Newark, Ohio, Cobenick Studios in Columbus, Ohio, and at Central Ohio Festivals!!
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How do you promote your work?
I promote with my website, Etsy, and a mailing list that I gather at my shows, as well as at the local shops I consign through, and a gallery show here and there. Talking to people, getting to know them, and making a personal connection seems to be the best way to promote my art.
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What’s in your future?
I made some pretty serious goals for Pulpa this year. My plan is to be in 5 retail shops by the end of the year. I am officially in two now! I also want at least 100 items in my Etsy shop. I'm currently at 83! I also would like to do at least 10 outdoor shows this year if possible. I love the outdoor shows versus the indoor ones. I find it much more enjoyable basking in the sun. Unless inclement weather intrudes upon the day! Even high winds can be toughie for me. My paper products are so light and are easily swept down the sidewalk on those days.
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Have any words of wisdom?
"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be the fool." ~William Shakespeare
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Peace, Love, and Handmade Paper
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Text & Images © Pupla Paper Products
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Feature Me Friday: Tinkan Designs

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This week we feature Annabel Neilson of Tinkan Designs!
Annabel comes to us from the green and pleasant countryside of Herefordshire, which is a border county of Wales, in the UK.
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Who is Tinkan Designs?
Tinkan Designs is about quality, unique, handmade designs in recycled materials. The name Tinkan Designs comes from the jewellery I make that inspired me to start the business, made from ring-pulls from tin cans, and also from a nickname I have- Tinkerbelle or Tink, and also ‘tinker’ means to work with metal, and is slang for a gypsy, which I am a bit! (Or at least I used to be!)
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What’s the first thing you remember making?
I’ve made ‘things’ for as long as I can remember, in all sorts of materials. I learnt to knit at quite an early age I think, and most probably I made a scarf first. But the first things I can remember I made to sell were some stripy purses, and stripy socks that I took to Glastonbury festival, which sold out very quickly!
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Where do you work?
I have a workshop where I have a forge, welder, and other ‘heavy’ metal working tools on one side, and ‘light’ jewellery making tools and materials on the other. I like to be able to work on a few things at one time, so its good to be able to flit from one side to the other! However it is an old, cold, stone, farm building, and in the winter I end up making a lot of jewellery from home. In the summer however its great with the doors open, and sun streaming in! All the other many farm buildings on this beautiful old farmstead are now used either industrially, or artistically, so there’s usually other people, and noise, about. I also work for 2 days a week on an organic fruit and veg farm, near to where I live. This is what brings in a regular income!
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Why work with recycled materials?

Why use recycled materials? Its always been natural to me to re-use and recycle things from altering clothing to create a new outfit, to keeping plastic pots and packaging to be used for some other purpose. Some of its to do with saving money, and being thrifty, but its also ‘cos I just can’t throw things away, and I hate waste! Why buy new when you can still make use of the old? I enjoy the challenge of working out how to re-use things creatively, and so many so called mundane objects are actually really beautiful in their own right, and beautifully made- it’d be sacrilege to throw them away! Things like mechanical parts, cogs, bike chains, keys, plastic components, ring pulls even! Even polystyrene packaging comes in amazing different shapes (I used to collect this off the street and make them into frames for mirrors).

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What are your favourite tools?
My favourite tools have got to be my rivet gun (I just love rivets!), and stud machine, doming block and punches, and of course the hammer and anvil. I also have a very old, very heavy, flypress which gives 4tonnes of pressure with the swing of a handle, making bending metal so easy!
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How do you get from A-Z?
Often the material or objects I find, or collect, dictate what I make. In the case of my ring-pull jewellery I collected loads before the ideas started flowing. I knew I wanted to do something with them, ’cos they are great little shapes, but wasn’t sure what or how. It was through trial and error that the jewellery has evolved and become refined into what it is now, and as with most things, it is still evolving. It amazes me how much potential these little objects (ring-pulls) on mass, have, I am so NOT bored of them yet as a medium, and I have loads of other ideas brewing for them! (no pun intended -as they are mostly from all the beer cans that my boyfriend, and other alcoholic friends drink!)
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What music do you listen to while working?

I usually have the radio on while I’m working, or if I’m at home the telly is often on as background noise.

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Read any good books lately?

I only seem to have time to read novels when I’m on holiday, and its been a while since I’ve been on that sort of holiday (although I’m going to Thailand soon -WooHoo!- so maybe I’ll get time whilst lazing on the beach then!) The books I do read at home tend to be useful books either on keeping chickens, growing veg, or becoming self sufficient!
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What are the five best things you’ve bought on Etsy?

I’ve only bought 3 things so far on Etsy-all gifts for other people. 2 lovely eco bath and beauty things from Spiralmoonfantasy, an Etsymidlanders team member from my part of the world, and a lovely greyhound print from ElleJW that I think I found through a treasury.

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Been to any great exhibits?

Yes! I’ve just been to Barcelona to see the ‘Drap-Art’ exhibition, which is an International Creative Recycling Festival, which happens every year in Dec, and Jan. I’m hoping to be involved next year, so I went to check it out. There was some great and inspiring stuff. Also in 2009 I went to see the Banksy exhibition in Bristol museum. Quite a landmark event, literally 10’s of thousands of people went to see it, every day there was at least a 3 or 4 hour queue to get in! Having lived in Bristol, with Banksy’s grafitti a common site, it is amazing how famous he has become, and very ironic that he exhibited in the museum in this way! I love his work, fair play to him!

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Who inspires you?

People like Bob Cambell who makes amazing industrial art furniture out of scrap metal parts, and Ptolemy Elrington who makes fantastic sculptures out of hub caps. Anyone really who uses different, and especially recycled, materials to create original stunning art. I admire anyone actually who can make a career out of their art, without compromising on their style. I especially admire those who run successful businesses, and also find time to do everything else, and have full, rounded, and sociable, lives. I envy people like this actually because I feel like I am always juggling my time, and compromising somewhere! Its what I aspire to I guess- to make a living out of what I make, without it becoming a chore, and still have the time and energy for everything else life entails. My brother is an inspiration (he is a stone letter carver, and a musician) as he seems to have achieved all this, and carved himself a great little life, with a good balance between work and play!

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What do you do for fun?

Now my partying days are (mostly) over! I enjoy the quiet life- watching the chickens (I am new to keeping chickens-they are great!) walking the dogs in the countryside, gardening and growing our own veg, photographing wildlife, and sitting round a camp-fire with friends.I also like to listen to loud music, and have a good dance every now and then! And when I can I travel around the country to visit friends and family who are in various different locations in the UK.
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How do you promote your work?

I try to promote my work through my website, face book, and Flickr sites, networking via Etsy teams, and giving out business cards whenever I do a stall, or make a sale.

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Besides Etsy where can we find your work?

I do Christmas fairs, Arts markets and music Festivals here in the UK. I did have stuff in a few shops around the country, but most of them have now closed down! I have a website and a face book page and a Flickr too.

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What’s in your future?

I am relatively new to the online world, having got my first ever computer just this time last year! So I intend to keep learning, and getting the most I can from it (without it taking over my life!) I need to do more self promotion (again a new thing for me!), and get my stuff back into shops and galleries. I’m also designing a logo, and I hope to have labels, packaging etc looking more professional. I’m looking forward to this years festivals, where I hope to collaborate with some likeminded people, and I also hope to be part of Drap Art next winter. At the moment I am working on a couple of Blacksmithy commissions, so I hope more of that type of work will come from that, and I will get my forge working at last! A busy year ahead!

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Any words of wisdom?

I am in my 40’s and I’m still learning, it’s a long process that takes a lifetime!

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Images & Text © Tinkan Designs

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Marketing Monday: Branding 2

On Twitter last week, I found a site that gave some really
great basic advice on branding, Craft Marketing Tutor.
There is a lot of information to explore, but this post
Branding Small Crafts Businesses
goes back to some of the basics we always talk about.
While I don't agree with sending candy as a gift with purchase,
I do think sending along a little something that represents your
business is a good idea.



click on the image to go to the item!