Kline Art Studio

The cutest polymer clay pieces and a great blog to boot! Check out Pink Chihuahua Art...the etsy shop and the blog!

You are fairly new to Etsy. What made you choose this venue to sell? Etsy is the most artist friendly website out there. What other venue can you reach so many artists? People come to etsy wanting to buy art, it's not like ebay where there is a million things for sale in a thousand different categories. Etsy is the most artist friendly.

Your polymer clay figures are adorable! How long have you been working with polymer clay? I have been working with polymer clay for about 7 months now.

You also do mixed media art. You have some great pieces on your etsy site. Can we expect more? There are definitely some pieces in the works. Mixed media really is something I tried on the fly and have really come to enjoy. It's fun to see the different things you can throw together on a canvas.

You also have a blog that is pretty active. Which came first: the shop or the blog? Lately I hate to say it, but the blog. It's faster for me to update the blog. I haven't had as much time lately to make things and put in the etsy shop. But new things are coming soon!

It looks like you're into scrapbooking. How long and what's the best part of it for you? I've only been scrapbooking for about 3 months. It's something that evolved from mixed media. I love being able to take a picture and turn it into a story. Scrapbooking has so many different possibilities, it's something that really makes me happy.

Do you create by the seat of your pants or are you a plotter and planner? A little of both I have to say. Polymer clay is by the seat of my pants. I just sit down and start molding, I never know what is going to come of it. Scrapbooking I plan out what I'm going to do. The papers I'm going to use, embellishments, journaling, etc.

Describe your studio. I don't really have a studio. lol. But I wish I did. I have a desk full of paint and clay that I work at. It's nothing extravagant, but it works for me.

Is there a story behind the name of your shop? The shop name was something I came up in about 2 seconds. I liked it and it stuck. I'm obsessed with the color pink, and I have an adorable chihuahua named Ella. Pink Chihuahua Art just seemed right.

Tell me something about you. I love meeting and chatting with other artists. I'm also a self proclaimed blog addict, I love reading other artists blogs, and sharing mine.

Posted by susiekline at 01:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jeremy and Jermaine participated in the shot put event at the regional Junior Olympics today in North Chicago. Both placed and are on their way to the National Event in Omaha later this month! We'll get their official places tomorrow when they go back and throw in the discus event.

Go Kline throwers!!! Pictures to come!!

Posted by susiekline at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking for lovely silver jewelry pieces with sparkle and a message? Then visit The Pretty Peacock!

How did you get into silver? Did you take a class? I started beading a couple of years ago, but I needed more of an artistic outlet. I am always searching for new mediums. I ran across a book on precious metal clay and had to find out everything I could about it!  I did end up taking a class to get the basics and then just took every online tutorial, read books, watched dvd's and practiced, practiced, practiced. 

I love the stamping and the texture on your pieces. How do you achieve that look? Especially on such tiny areas! Hey - I can't give away my trade secrets!!  I love texture and try to implement it in all my fine silver pieces. It gives it that extra something - anyone can offer you silver jewelry, but I want to offer something incredibly unique and make that feature distinct to my pieces alone.

Do you create by the seat of your pants or do you plot and plan each piece? I am a planner...I have a sketchbook of ideas and I keep a little tape recorder by my bed for those 3AM brainstorms that come to me and won't let me sleep until it is recorded!  Silver is expensive, so I try not to waste it by just fiddling around with something that won't work in the end.  I don't design down to the detail, but I sketch out the basic concept and then allow my fingers to do what they want when I'm actually working with the silver - sometimes it comes out completely differently than my sketch, and I love it when that happens!!

What would you tell someone who is interested in getting started in silver work? Research and educate yourself. I work with metal clay, so I'm not a metal smith. I can't really comment on that because I know there is a lot of schooling involved with that line of work. Metal clay requires disciplined practice, just like any craft. Be prepared to invest time, energy and money!  Silver clay is pricey as is the kiln and pieces you may need to get started! Be patient with yourself and don't let the medium rule you. Just go with it.

Do you create daily? Absolutely. If I'm not actually working with silver, I'm designing. I love the process.

You have a successful Etsy shop. Any advice for other shop owners? Etsy is such a phenomenal site. Use the resources available to you through Etsy such as the Etsy Success newsletter, Storque, etc.  Also, as it's been preached over and over, your pictures (should be bright and crisp) and descriptions (not too lengthy, but detailed enough that a buyer doesn't have to convo you for dimensions!) are so key in selling your product.  Make sure your customer service is top notch - it will make a huge difference in claiming repeat customers. Make sure you love what you are doing and creating quality items - it shows in the end product.

Describe your studio. I am soooooooo incredibly lucky to have the space that I do to create!  We ended up doing a remodel on our house three years ago and I got a 400 square foot area for my own creative space. It's really a dream.  It has posh red walls, a huge 8 foot work bench, industrial shelving, a balcony to get air when I get too overwhelmed and my children's artwork around for inspiration. It is the perfect set up!

Any meaning behind the name of your shop? Being East Indian, peacocks in artwork and clothing are prevalent (The Peacock is the State bird of India) and I have always thought that they were so majestic!  Such beautiful birds, who are so very proud (they would make anyone believe that they could fly!).  You can't just call a shop "Peacock" so, "The Pretty Peacock" was born!

Tell me something about you. Besides being a jewelry designer, I am a mother of two small children (5 and 2) and am married to my husband, Joel, who is amazingly supportive - which is so crucial to your own success!

I have finally found peace in the fact that I did not go to law school and become that Attorney that I hoped to be since I was 14 (I am now living vicariously through my sister) and have embraced the idea that although my parents had different aspirations for me (as I did for myself), I consider myself successful in my own happiness.

Posted by susiekline at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have been making beads! Really!! Here are some of my latest. I got a Biaga bracelet and am filling it with big hole beads. I mentioned the other day my obsession with youtube. There's a duck here. I forgot the feet though. Back to the drawing board!

The pictures aren't the best because I was in a hurry! I took them on my desk.

Let me know what you think!

Posted by susiekline at 08:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Russian dolls. Metal. Pendants. There are so many great things at Artistic Glass Impressions by Yvonne!

Your shop has such variety! I have so many that are my favorite! Tell me about the Russian dolls. I have always loved the Matryoshka dolls ( Russian nested dolls). One day I saw the doll shape in one of my pieces and I went with it. It is funny how both young and old (girls) love the doll pendants. I think they are a fun item to wear. They are definitely fun to create. 
 

You finish off your pieces in such lovely ways. What made you start doing that? So many people (including myself!) use simple chains and call it quits. I have made beaded necklaces for years. I simply cannot stop at just a pendant. For me, the pendant is just the beginning of my work. I love looking for beads and coming up with a one of a kind piece of wearable art. 
 

I like that you name your pieces. Is it hard to come up with names? Or do you just know the name when you look at a piece? My children and I name the pieces. Sometimes it is easy but sometimes we see different things, as with any art piece. Some pieces are inspired by places or events. Those pieces are very easy to name.
 

You combine metal with glass in some of your pieces. Is this fused or glued in? The Expressions series has sterling silver donuts glued on. I also do wire wrapping. None of the metal, is fused on. I like the depth they give, by being an additional layer.
 

Your photos are very nice! Any photography tips for the rest of us? Practice-practice-practice.  I do not consider myself a photographer. I take 12+ pictures of each item and rely on editing to get a decent picture. My photography has improved but I give the credit to my SLR camera (a gift from my hubby).

Do you create daily? Yes! If I am not creating, I am not happy. I try to carve out time to be in my studio every day.

Do you plan and plot your creations or do you work by the seat of your pants? A little bit of both. Some of my best pieces have been when I winged it. I think the beauty of kiln work is, no matter how much you plan, you are always surprised when you open the kiln. Sometimes my "plan" will go in an entirely different direction when I see what has come out of the kiln.
 
Describe your studio. My studio is a room in my house. When we first moved in, I thought the room was the oddest thing. It is a 11 x 12 addition off our master bedroom (so you need to go through our bedroom to get in there). For the longest time it was used as a storage room. When I started working in glass, my hubby suggested that we convert it into a studio. It has worked out great.
 
Tell me something about you. I live in South Florida. I have been married for 15 years to a wonderful man who supports my glass habit. I am the mother of two wonderful kids, Jessica & Addison.

I love animals. We have 2 dogs (a lab mix and a black lab). We, currently, have 5 cats. Animals tend to show up at my doorstep. If we ever move, my dream is to live in the country and have a barn for my studio. I would also love to have an animal rescue.

Since I was a child, I have always had my hand in something artistic. If I am not creating, I am not happy. I took a stained glass course a few years ago and became addicted to working in glass. My hubby, John, bought me a kiln for Christmas and I found myself being drawn more and more to it. I still make stained glass but the warm glass takes up more of my time. I spend my days homeschooling my children and creating fused glass jewelry.

Posted by susiekline at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I always think of July 4th as the mid-point of summer. I can't believe it's already past!! I mean, Aaron didn't even get out of school till mid-June! And the twins go back mid-August! How can it be?!

I've spent my summer driving the turbo mini van. Deliver the twins to summer school. Pick them up and deliver them to track practice at the other campus. Pick them up and bring them home and then deliver them to baseball some nights. Sheesh! Then this week we added another leg to the journey when Jermaine started football practice!! (Jeremy can't start football because he gets to continue with summer school! Lesson to the kiddies: failing classes isn't something anyone forgets!)

I've managed to make some beads. I've been checking out instructional videos on youtube, especially Samantha Beads. She has some great videos. I've made the frog (many, many times trying to get it right!), turtle and the duck. How fun!

But beware of youtube. It's addicting! I could spend an entire day flitting from video to video!

I also revamped my website. Check it out! I re-did my logo. I'm moving all sales to my etsy site. Now I'm using my website for informational purposes only.

I'm still doing promos of other artists. Watch for some more great ones coming in the next couple of weeks. I'm doing them on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Posted by susiekline at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Glass jewelry and scarves. Every woman's dream shop! Well, at least mine! The porcelain pieces at the Talented Lady etsy shop are just icing on the cake!

I love your glass cuffs! Are these difficult to make? Yes they are difficult to make.  Actually after I had tried several times, I learned the timing and had more success.  So I'd say they take a lot of trial and error and then they aren't too hard!

Your earrings are stunning. Are these some of your favorite pieces to make? I like the pendants best as I have to do more matching on the earrings to make them look similiar.

You also have painted porcelain pieces which are gorgeous. Which came first, the porcelain or the glass? I started the porcelain painting first.  Then at a Farmer's Market I saw the dichroic fused glass and loved it.  I tried to self teach myself but did end up taking a class and learned a lot of helpful tricks.

I like that you name some of your pieces. Is it hard to come up with names? Or do you just know the name when you look at a piece? Sometimes the name comes easily, other times I have to sit and look at it to see what it "says" to me.

Do you create daily? I try to work on something 5 days a week.  It may be glass or painting the porcelain or sewing the cooling neck scarves.  I do stay busy.

Do you plan and plot your creations or do you work by the seat of your pants? The glass is by the seat of my pants.  I just grab what colors look interesting to me at the time.

Describe your studio. It's a spare bedroom with a desk and a lot of boxes. My kilns are in the garage.

Tell me something about you. I love that I'm able to do the artsy things that I love  and wish I'd gone in this direction a long time ago.  I  have ms (multiple sclerosis) and a regular job became impossible so now I do my creating and love it.  It's been healing and even a little profitable. I'm also addicted to Etsy.com!

Cher Church 
www.talentedlady.etsy.com

Posted by susiekline at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)