Meet Etsy Artist: schin

Schin Hern Loong admits that she loves bad puns. "The worse, the better," she jokes. "My guilty pleasure is listening to bad pop music." She also enjoys milk tea and "go(es) out of (her) way to step on crunchy, dry leaves." Nature and Life in general are a huge inspiration to her. "Yesterday I found myself wanting to paint something based on the golden colors of a cute puppy," she explains. "The subject is important to me as I always try to incorporate a story or idea in it. It's my mission that when someone sees a painting of mine, they will form their own story for it." She has been drawing and painting ever since she can remember - and considers Etsy a hobby. "It's not a job when one enjoys it," she says. "Keep the passion in your work." Please check out Etsy her shop: http://schin.etsy.com/, website: http://schin-art.com/, and blog: http://schin-art.blogspot.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Artist & Potter: gracesheese

I discovered this next artist on her opening day at Etsy...

Grace was born in Taipei, Taiwan, but later moved to the US when she was 8. "My parents worked really hard to help my younger sister and I retain our heritage," she says. "We spoke only Chinese in the home, ate Chinese food, and my mom and sister and I use to religiously watch Chinese soap operas on the weekends." As a teenager she admits that she fought with her dual identities. "I attributed my social awkwardness with being Chinese and found myself rejecting that part of me," she explains. "As I began making pots in college - and painful high school experiences became a memory - I found that I was just naturally drawn to the Asian aesthetic." She realizes now that being a teenager is hard on everyone, no matter their background or heritage, and now fully embraces her Chinese roots. In fact, Asian and Islamic architecture are a huge inspiration in her pottery designs. "I don't seek out making work that looks Asian. It's just something that I naturally gravitate towards. I'll experiment with a new bowl shape and my husband will comment on how it looks just like a rice bowl. To my eyes, it just looks like how bowls should look." Asian fabrics are also an interest of hers, especially the intricate and colorful patterns of the Middle East and India, and the delicate carvings of her yunomi (Japanese footed tea cup without a handle) often reflect the detailed designs of a sari. She's been making her beautiful works of art - and function - for over fifteen years; the last 5 as a full time studio potter. Please check out her shop: http://gracesheese.etsy.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Tea Artist: TeaNoir

Kate is a "recent transplant to Vermont, migrating up from southern New York." She admits she is "extraordinarily caffeinated and sort of obsessed with flavours and cooking - I daydream about different taste combinations and things I can do with tea. It's probably just a wee bit unhealthy, really!" As with her MarTeani blend (pictured), she gets a lot of inspiration from classic cocktails. She also pulls ideas from candy and baked goods. "I love experimenting with flavours to come up with something new and different. I also get inspiration from the names of my favourite noir movies - Maltese Falcon started out with the name, and I challenged myself to come up with a tea that involved black and gold." Just like Kate, TeaNoir is "all about mixing retro and modern. It's all about modernising the ancient flavour of tea, and the retro associations tea often has. English Breakfast is all well and good, but there's so much more that can be done. Tea doesn't need to be stodgy, and there's no reason having a cup of tea can't be as fun as having a triple-mocha-iced-frappa-whatever from the coffee bar." She's been blending her own teas for five years - and selling them with great success for two. "I definitely spend 40+ hours a week with Tea Noir, between blending, listing, keeping up on email, etc., but it's not my day job," she explains, however she hopes to turn it into one. For now, her goal with Etsy is to "keep my customers happy and to make enough sales to allow me to turn around and buy lots of nifty stuff from other Etsians." Her success is due mostly to the quality of her ingredients - and the diligence she spends on the details. "If you have a quality product, it'll speak for itself." Please check out her shop: http://teanoir.etsy.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Fibromyalgia Success

Hi there! It's been awhile, but I'm slowly working on getting back to the blog and Etsy business. I even plan to work on a series of paintings this weekend, depicting the wonders of Bali (time and health permitting, of course). Fibromyalgia is a constant battle for me, and I've been pushing myself to hike 10-12 miles every Sunday for 6 weeks, so I've had a few set backs. I plan to keep the hikes up at least through November, though, in order to be ready for my trip to India and Nepal. I want to trek the Himalayas and enjoy momos and chai at the base of Mt. Everest (I'm being realistic here)! :-) Anyway, I've discovered a great tea from the Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants that actually helps give me energy (I swear I couldn't do my weekly hikes without it). It's their Yoga blend - and has South African Honeybush and nettles. It tastes a lot like chai, so I'm pretty much hooked. I have a link to their website in my favorite links section (I order it in bulk now). The Power Bars also help. I swear, I'd have one foot in the grave without them. I know they've got a lot of fake sugars, but there's some research out there that says that's actually what Fibromyalgiacs need. All I know is that they work for me! I'd be interested to see if anyone else has any good tips with keeping this bugger of an ailment under control...
-Wendy Baylis
Dharma Designs
http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com