Friday is my day: Heidi Burton

Let's hop to Cambridge, UK and meet pretty long hair Heidi from http://heidiburton.etsy.com
She has a shop full of fun and cute illustrations, originals and prints. Now she works in the Santa's Tonttu-factory for Christmas items *wink wink*
Have a good Friday!

Moonlight Navigators - Original Illustration - 8 x 11.5

by: heidiburton

*I find it hard to wake up early so have 5 different alarms on my phone with different songs, for some reason 'Your Rocky Spine' by Great Lake Swimmers is the only one that wakes me up. Today I roll out of bed at 9am.

*Every day is different but one thing is for sure - I head straight for the kettle and get a brew going. Along with a nice big mug of tea I have some toast with spicy chickpea pate.

*Once I've woken up properly, it's time for multi-tasking! I start up the computer while getting myself ready for the day, writing/answering emails with one hand, applying mascara with the other. Today I was also digging up tree roots in the garden until about 10.30am.

*The start of the day is best for taking photos as it gets dark so early at this time of year. I take photos of any work to be listed in my Etsy shop, or to upload to Flickr. Then I edit the pictures. This can all take about an hour.

*11.30am - Time for working on new items for my shop. First - another cup of tea!

*Today I'm cutting felt shapes to make hats for my illustrated Tonttu eggcups. My mother and sister (http://Tiinateaspoon.etsy.com) are great at sewing so they sometimes help with the hand-stitching.

*I feel like Santa's little helper making my Christmas items. Some of my greeting cards have just come out of the printer, and I'm already designing more in my sketchbook.
*I'm also making preliminary sketches of food items for a magazine illustration.
*This takes me to the afternoon with a quick lunch and it's time to walk to town for my other job in a clothing store. Cambridge is pretty this time of year. I like to walk by the river and enjoy the last bit of daylight, because it's dark by the time I leave work.
*When I return home I check my emails again and back to work on my illustration projects for a few hours. Here I'm cutting illustrated strips of paper to wrap around the greeting cards. I listen to music while working, at the moment I'm listening to
Matt Elliott: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y6hwrfPehs
and
Bon Iver: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62i9Sodwp5o

*I try to fit in some chores and then usually get a late night because there aren't enough hours in the day. I like to read in bed, currently reading a book by Haruki Murakami, I'm very fond of his writings.
*Lights out, and strange dreams - until I am woken by that song again!

Friday is my day: Vilte

Today we will fly to Lithuania and meet very talented felt artist Vilte from vilte.etsy.com

She creates the most beautiful felt accessories and clothes. Makes really nice and special Christmas presents for your closest ones or eh, why not for yourself!
happy Friday to everybody!
(sorry if the text is jumping...Blogger is very wonky when you paste text from somewhere else)

Nuno felt dress - tunic - Just Viltelli, OOAK

by: vilte

We live in the city, in a 5 storey block house, but the first thing I see in the morning are the branches of an oak tree that my husband planted when he was a kid. I wake up at 9:00 am and immediately have my whole family around me – kids jumping, giggling in bed or reading a book like today.
Sometimes we are lucky and my husband goes to work later, so we can have breakfast all together. Every person in this house has his own wishes and everyone is having different meals for breakfast.
I prefer something light for breakfast – like yogurt, baked black bread with cheese and a cup of herb tea.

My husband leaves at 10 am today and we all stay at the window waving him…

And then…the party begins :) My kids start playing and bringing down the house… I quickly check my mail and Etsy stuff on my laptop and at 11 am I close myself in a room where I start felting the piece I prepared during the night (hoping the kids won’t destroy our apartment completely)…

At 12:30 pm my grandmother visits us and invites my son to go to my parents’ house. That means there will be a little more peace at home than before. (Kids’ room is in complete mess by now :))

At the same time I am preparing the space for a photo session of some of my felt items – just hanging a white sheet.

At 12:45 I have already put on other clothes and some make up for shooting. I use self timer and keep on running from the camera to the sheet. And as you can see – I always have my little company around. This is how it looks like behind the scene :)
At 1:00 pm the photo shooting is already over and I am putting my little girl to take a nap in a company of her little friends…
Meantime I start editing some of my photos on my laptop.

My daughter wakes up at 2:20 pm and we are going to the kitchen to prepare something for our dinner. Usually it is something that doesn’t require much time – like macaroni with shrimps and white sauce.
At 3 pm I am continuing some of my felt works.

I won’t tell you how many times I run to clean the floor after my little girl drops some food or other stuff there, or just run to save some things before she breaks it or tears it or…or throws everything out from the weardrobe… J

My husband comes home early today, brings our son home and at 4:40 pm we are going to our country land where we are going to live when the house is finished.
And this is the window to my future studio!
We get back home at 7:10 pm. Kids start playing around, I prepare something for Supper…and I make some chocolate cake that is called “Lazy bone”. Our family is chocoholic indeed.
At 8 pm I keep on doing many things at a time – doing the laundry, tidying the kitchen, sorting my fibers and of course…trying to put kids’ room in order while they still play around and try to throw as many toys and clothes around as possible :)
At 10:15 pm my kids finally go to sleep and I can enter my fiber world again.
I keep on working until it’s 1:00 am and then I go to my laptop to check email, facebook, Etsy of course…
At 2:10 am I wave you – Good night! Thank you for following me on this day!

Friday is my day: Rafya

Let's stay on the warm hemisphere and travel to Israel to meet Alona from Rafya.etsy.com She makes really pretty jewelleries from cold clay using different kind of objects to texturize them and which she paints using her special technique to give them an unique look. Please do visit her shop!

The Pearls Necklace

by: rafya

Hi everyone, welcome to my day !

06:40 the alarm clock wake me.. I steal another few minutes of sleeping.

06:55 finally on my feet ! This morning the kids are awake before me, we have two, Gali is 9 years old and Amit is 5.5 years old.. and I am on my seventh month pregnant so we will have another baby in two month !

I start my day with green tea the kids having some cereals. Daddy still sleeping, he had long working evening last night... I am arranging the meal-school for Gali, and at 7:45 we are in car .

Some mornings daddy take them to school and kindergarten , today I will !

On my way back to home I am usually visiting at the post office to send the orders I have, the worker at the post office is a good friend... well I visit him almost every day. If he dosnt see me for few days he starts to worry ! When I come back home I usually arrange the house .. laundering , dishwasher I try to make it quickly so I can start my working day. Before I start working I make myself fruits-shake as a breakfast

The time is around 9:00, and I have time until 13:15 then I should take Gali from school.

My working day looks different every day, but usually I am working on orders, making new items , taking photos , answer for e-mails and conversations from my Etsy shop... I love those hours and the time pass so quick ! 13:25 I am at school picking up Gali home, we have lunch together then she make her homework from school, watch TV or playing in the computer. I am having another hour to work, HI I catch treasury !

At 15:30 I am driving to pick up Amit from the kindergarten .

Usually at the afternoon I am with the kids, Gali love to bake with me and Amit love playing with his cars,some days we are making a little travel around the neighborhood they are inviting friends / going to friends house, and 2 days in the weeks I take Gali for her swimming class.Around 19:00-19:30 we are having dinner, if we are lucky daddy joining us. This evening we are giving up on the regular salad and omelet, Gali asked for pancake ! Wow! After dinner the kids have some more time for playing and I love to read books to Amit at that hour.

The kids go to beds around 20:30-21:00 and this is the time for me to check e-mails from the last hours and whats new in my Etsy Shop.

My day ended around 23:00 , sometimes later if I am reading a good book.

GOOD NIGHT!

Friday is my day: Heartshaped Creations

Hip hei! Today we will fly back to Greece and meet Maria again, but not same Maria as we met couple of weeks ago. I think there is quite few Marias in Greece ;)

So off to Athens and follow how Maria from HeartshapedCreations.etsy.com
spends her day. She, by the way creates the most cute polymer clay characters and she is open for custom orders too. Lovely (Christmas) gift ideas to your lovelies *wink wink*

Aries Sign memo holder

by: HeartshapedCreations

A Sunny day in Athens

09:10 I’m still snoring under my bed’s covers as my sister is having way too much fun t

aking shots of me while I try to get up :-D

09:45 Hmmm… someone seems to enjoy his sleep a little longer! Meet Leo my Siamese

10:00 Ok! Now that everyone’s up, we’re getting ready to have breakfast.

I can’t say that we are “breakfast people” in my family,

which means that we usually have a very simple breakfast

(I know, not a very good way to start a day).

I usually have some cookies and a cup of coffee (what I usually call: “my fuel”!)

11:00 This is our balcony. I know the view is not the best (except from the flowers!),

but this is one –amongst many- of the drawbacks that living in a big city has.

I wish I could see some trees instead of the grey buildings across the street. Sigh…

11:30 After changing several sleeping spots in the house,

someone finally decided to wake up for good! Yaaaaaawn!

11:45 I head to the library to I check my emails and of course visit Etsy!

Yes, you can tell that I’m very happy when I’m in front of my pc :-D

12:45 Oh my, it’s already noon!

I gotta rush for my daily errands and then head downtown to get supplies.

Fortunately the centre of the city is not very far from my house

(if I don’t get stuck in the traffic that is!).

15:00 Pheww! Finally home! Here are some shots of Athens that I’d like to share with you

Also I found a surprise waiting for me in my room…

I’m super excited it finally arrived!!! Leo is happy as well and claimed the box already! :-D

I just love anything that has to do with fantasy art, fairies and magic. Is it obvious?!

15:30 I’m hungry as a wolf, so I’d better go and eat!

My lunch for today is spinach pie, salad and some olives. Yummy!!!

16:30 One of my favourites parts before I start creating is choosing what music I will be listening to.

This is the kind of music I’m generally fond of

But the music I listen to when crafting is far more different.

I tend to listen to the mesmerising and calming voice of Lorrenna McKennit

or the soothing music of bands like Secret Garden and Artesia.

He, he, he and this is me creating!

20:00 I usually get so caught up with making my little creations, that I don’t know when time passes.

A little pain on my back is the warning that I have to call it a day!

However, it’s the pain of creation so I could say

that it’s the sweetest discomfort I would ever think of! :-D

20:00 I drop by the internet again and snoop around in Etsy

and see what everybody has been up too.

22:00 Now it’s time to have my dinner and watch a dvd if the tv doesn’t have a decent movie

…hmmm which one should I choose?

24:00 Yaaaawn! I think it’s time for me to go to sleep.

Lights are out! Sweet dreams everyone!