Unique Garden - Mini Challenge

Today's featured album is by Unique Garden. This lady has so much talent, I am not sure where to start! I am a pretty good cook, but Unique Garden has much more than food brewing in her kitchen! From bath and body products made from ingredients she has gathered from her own garden to dog treats that look good enough to nibble. Add to that beautiful hand painted items and jewelry, and you must agree, she is one talented woman!










Q&A with Unique Garden
A Little About You:
What is your favorite morning beverage?
Tea in the all but the winter. Coffee in the winter.
Do you prefer cats or dogs?
ummmm have 3 dogs, but have had cats and really love them too.....can't choose!
What is next to your computer right now?
several books and my pens and notebooks
Do you like your handwriting?
not particularly
Would you bungee jump?
no way!
If you could meet one historical figure, who would it be and what would ask him/her?
I'd like to meet Lady Godiva. I'd just like to speak to her. She must havebeen an awesome person with a great mind. The courage that it took for herher to protest her husbands political views, especially in the way she did.She was a leader and forward thinker in a time when woman were not permittedto have a mind of their own, much less to speak it. I can't imagine havingthe courage to do what she did in this day and age, much less in her time!

A Little About Your Mini Scrapbook:
What prompted you to join the Mini Scrapbook Challenge?
I love to scrapbook and this just looked like fun!
When you first saw the album, what did you think you would do with it?
I had NO idea. I really expected a bit larger "mini" so I had something totally different in mind. When I saw it I thought it was beautiful but was intimidated for a bit. I took a few hours to come up with something.
What did you end up doing with it?
I made mine into a friendship book. It has room for two pictures, presumably one of you and one of the friend you would give the book to. The rest is sayings and flowers, all geared toward friendship.
Is there a theme to your album? Why/why not?
Friendship. Because I always work my scrapping into themes. It just seems right to me.
Now that you have worked with one, would you want to do another one?
I'd love to!
What would you do differently next time?
Oh yes, I rarely do the same thing twice! That is part of the fun. I like unique things!

A Little About Your Art/Craft:
When did you first start crafting? Why?
I was an only child and we moved frequently & often lived in rural areas. I had to make my own fun & when you couldn't be outside there had to be something to do inside, so I began making things at a very early age.
What is your favorite material/technique?
I do so many different crafts that it is hard to say. Along with creating new recipes for my bath and body shop, I'd have to say that I really enjoy making wreaths and Christmas ornaments. Each one is different even when they are similar, and they bring such joy. Not to mention that you can finish one fairly fast. Sometimes it takes me days to finish a piece of jewelry or weeks to do a cross stitch. As I am working on those type things I can create an ornament or wreath & get that gratification buzz right away. I have kind of a craft ADD disorder, so I always have multiple projects going at one time!
What are your favorite colors to work with?
I am really into greens, oranges, and lavenders right now for some reason. But that changes
frequently. I am a color freak. I love color!
Are you good with written instructions, or do you need pictures?
Written clearly is great. I have a hard time with those instructions on kids toys though. You know the ones I mean. The ones that you sit up half the night on Christmas eve trying to understand so you can get the gift together, only to find that you have extra pieces! With those, even pictures don't help!
If you could learn one new technique, what would it be? Why?
I've always wanted to learn to do stained glass because I think it is so beautiful, and
all those colors!!!!!!!!!!!
If you could give one piece of advice to a young person first starting out, what would it be?
Try everything, do what you love and don't stop learning.

The Beach Cottage - Mini Challenge

I love color. My walls are saturated in bright colors: yellow, green, red and even pink. I lean towards rich and warm furnishings that are comfortable and inviting. But there is a part of me that longs for crisp white walls and windows framed with lengths of lightweight fabrics in soft hues of blue and grey, rippling with a salt scented breeze...furniture that is pale and simple with overstuffed cushions and low tables showcasing large vases overflowing with huge tropical blooms in oranges and pinks...ah, yes, the beach and all its exotic and intoxicating beauty.

The Beach Cottage is all about pretty things, a simple lifestyle, and a gentle attitude. With gifts, jewelry, art & home decor, made with love by happy hands (& supplies for yours) there is much to see. What I love most about this shop is the colors. Just browsing left me feeling refreshed and rested. Everything is soft and soothing, yet colorful...just like walking along the beach...blues and whites and greys with touches of pinks and yellows and greens. There is something new and slightly unexpected in each listing. This is an ecclectic shop done with a cohesiveness that is surprising and enticing. Be sure to checkout her other shop, Coconut Cafe for more fun supplies and vintage finds as well her blog to see what is swimming in her mind.

Q&A with The Beach Cottage
A Little About You:
What is your favorite morning beverage?
pineapple/orange juice

Do you prefer cats or dogs?
I like kitties, but I'm definitely a dog person, esp little ones.

What is next to your computer right now?
A small piece of driftwood shaped like a fish that I picked up on a beach in St. Croix, my checkbook & a diet coke.? Almost everything's electronic now, but I keep my checkbook handy in case I can talk someone into selling something they didn't intend to part with.

Do you like your handwriting?
It depends because it changes with my mood (literally looks like a different person wrote it). If I concentrate on my sweet mama, my handwriting looks almost like hers; ditto for several others close to me. My own script's a little backhanded (unusual for a right handeder; have been told it's because I'm introspective). Years ago I was very good at calligraphy & learned that the trick to good handwriting is to "don't write". The trick is drawing. If you draw each letter, your handwriting's nicer. These days I'm being feeling lazy & my writing's become scribbly & haphazard. Wow, I had a lot to say about handwriting, maybe it's more important to me than I realized?

Would you bungee jump?
No. Period. No.

If you could meet one historical figure, who would it be and what would ask him/her?
I'd like to meet Ginger Rogers ("Teach me to dance!") & John Wayne ("Can I just sit in your lap & hug you for awhile") If you meant someone who had a larger impact on the world, I definitely Ghandi. I'd ask for tips on self discipline.

A Little About Your Mini Scrapbook:
What prompted you to join the Mini Scrapbook Challenge?
The albums snagged me, they're so small & well made. But mostly because it was a nice thing for you to do & I'm drawn to nice. Also it intrigued me that you were willing to give up control, no rules. That's hard to do; most people, most of the time, want to be The Boss.

When you first saw the album, what did you think you would do with it?
Nothing, truly. It's so perfect & pretty I hated to mess with it.

3. What did you end up doing with it?
Since the challenge was "Scrappiest Scrapper", I decided to be true to that & use only scraps I already had. The little papers & shapes were already cut, the images already stamped & colored. Even the little word "notes" was sitting in my scrap box. I didn't buy anything or cut anything (except your business card). All I did was glue.

Is there a theme to your album? Why/why not?
I abandoned the 3 themes I had in mind & decided just to do a little book of backgrounds. I hope someone else will enjoy pasting their own words or pics in it.

Now that you have worked with one, would you want to do another one?
Sure! They'd make great gifts, wouldn't they? It's fun to see what the other participants did, what inspired them.

What would you do differently next time?
Technique, I don't know. But I'd like to do a little time machine. That's all I'm saying about that.

A Little About Your Art/Craft:
When did you first start crafting? Why?
Stringing buttons or making pine straw necklaces maybe I had a very creative grandmother & she kept my little mind busy & my hands out of trouble.

What is your favorite material/technique?
That depends on when you ask me. I've dabbled in a lot of things over the years... probably not what you're looking for, but my answer is "composition". I like vignettes. I straighten pictures in waiting rooms & arrange the magazines, slightly move the chairs. It's not about perfection (I prefer imperfection), it's about creating visual interest.

What are your favorite colors to work with?
White. White is my favorite. I'm inspired by wispy, dreamy, light faded greys, creams & blues & caramels (for relaxing) & bright, tropicals in smaller amounts (for cheerfulness). I opted for the brights for this project.

Are you good with written instructions, or do you need pictures?
Instructions are usually too much or too little information OR from a perspective I can't grasp. I tend to get bored & scan them, leading to mistakes. (I'm also terrible at giving instructions, I use way too many words.) I'm very visual, learning better from pictures or better yet, from watching.

If you could learn one new technique, what would it be? Why?
Sewing! If I could do it well & have several sets of slipcovers for my furniture using pale, cotton quilts in pale prints & of course, lots of white. And I'd make simple tops & pants that slip on & off. Easy, breezy, beautiful.

If you could give one piece of advice to a young person first starting out, what would it be?
First starting out crafting: Color outside the lines. Squint your eyes. Look at the big picture AND the little one. Advice in general (not just crafting): laugh at yourself, step away from the computer & get lots of fresh air.

PurrPrints - Mini Challenge

One of the many wonderful benefits of belonging to a group such as Etsy is the opportunity to meet innovative and caring people. PurrPrints is another wonderful graphic artist (I so wish I could draw!). She loves animals and donotes 5% of her profits to the Shamrock Foundation, a local no-kill shelter. Additionally, she is a member of Etsy for Animals.

The nifty thing about PurrPrints art is that she has captured the quirky elegance of the cat without falling prey to the kitschy country look that so many cat artists succumb to. She works with simple silhouettes and balances them against intricate backgrounds or fill designs. But cats are not all she does! She also does some wonderful abstract work.















Q&A with PurrPrints:
A Little About You:
What is your favorite morning beverage?
Just plain cool filtered water, actually. I know, how terribly dull of me :)
Do you prefer cats or dogs?
Cats! (in case my book, shop, and profile pic didn't make that clear--though actually I do like dogs and draw them as well--I grew up in quite a menagerie)
What is next to your computer right now?
A whole bunch of art supplies and stuff for school that I'm supposed to be working on.
Do you like your handwriting?
When I focus, I do; I took calligraphy so I can make it look nice--but my everyday handwriting looks like a chicken grabbed a pen and ran across the page with it.
Would you bungee jump?
I ask myself this periodically, actually. It looks like fun, but I'm petrified of heights.
If you could meet one historical figure, who would it be and what would ask him/her?
Oh wow, the classic tough getting to know you question. It would be a toss up between Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), Moses, Mohammed, and Jesus; I'd like to know what any of them think about how people use their ideas today.

A Little About Your Mini Scrapbook:
What prompted you to join the Mini Scrapbook Challenge?
Great excuse to avoid schoolwork! No, just kidding--well, kinda. Really it's because I love miniatures and I hadn't ever done a book project before, so I thought it would be a fun way to push my boundaries.
When you first saw the album, what did you think you would do with it?
I knew I'd use some of my cat drawings in miniature, but I wasn't sure whether I'd put them on mini-collages or hand-drawn backgrounds.
What did you end up doing with it?
I went for the hand-drawn background idea, and as I was planning it out the theme of "chasing the blues" just kind of popped into my head, probably because I'd had a kind of tough week the week before. I was originally just going to have the ending be a picture of a piece of chocolate, but when I was talking about it with my husband he suggested something else. That's when it dawned on me that the book could either be a cheer-up gift (with an ending like chocolate) or a thank you kind of gift (with an ending like "you"), and I didn't want to limit the options so I decided to leave it open for the buyer to decide.
Is there a theme to your album? Why/why not?
Yep. I think I've covered that one in the previous question, so I'll refrain from repeating myself here (even though I'm exactly the kind of chatterbox who likes to repeat herself--lol)
Now that you have worked with one, would you want to do another one?
Maybe, though I think I'd like to try something slightly larger--say maybe in the 4x6 range--just to push myself to do new things. The books are adorable and really fun though, so I'll probably come back to them at some point.
What would you do differently next time?
Probably glue more and draw less, both to try something different and to use my time more efficiently.

A Little About Your Art/Craft:
When did you first start crafting? Why?
Forever ago. I really can't remember when I started. My grandmother was a painter, and I know I did a lot of arts and crafts with her, but I think I've been doing it too long to know the original "why." Now I do it because it prompts me to use completely different mental muscles than my work as a PhD student requires, and that's incredibly valuable for my sanity
What is your favorite material/technique?
Anything with ink--drawing, inkwashes, dipping oddly shaped or textured materials into ink bottles and laying/pulling them across a page to see what happens...
What are your favorite colors to work with?
Purple and blue. Unless you're counting black and white--in which case definitely black and white :)
Are you good with written instructions, or do you need pictures?
Depends on who wrote the instructions. Sometimes I can follow pictures better, sometimes words.
If you could learn one new technique, what would it be? Why?
Sewing. I'd really love to make some cool pillows and bags and other fun fabric stuff out of my designs.
If you could give one piece of advice to a young person first starting out, what would it be?
Art and crafting are too painstaking and underpaid to do for any reason other than sheer joy. If you're not loving what you're doing, try something else. And switch to new materials and/or subjects every time you start to get frustrated or bored.