My First Five Featured Etsy Artisians

This has been so much fun! I've had the great privilege to look at all these nifty shops! You guys at Etsy are so great and so very talented! I have left all the dialogs here in the words of the shop owners. I have not edited or changed the words so as to let all who read get a feel for the shop owners personality. You guys did an awesome job! I love all the stories in here.

Sweet Dreams - ArtbyMalhotra
How did you get started in your craft?
I started my business when my daughter was just over 5 months old. She is now 9 1/2 months. I have always been very creative and I used to paint and sell abstract, landscape and contemporary pieces online and in retail stores. When I was pregnant with my daughter I guess you could say my creative flair turned a new leaf. I started painting animals on her wall to match her bedding and décor. After I was done and the furniture was all in place, I still felt that something was missing other than my daughter of course. Ha ha. This is when I came up with Sweet Dreams personalized wall art. It’s very difficult to find original personalized paintings to specifically match your nursery or child’s room décor. Now my clients tell me the exact colors, theme and design they want and I custom create an OOAK piece for their room of choice.I specialized in personalized wall art, wall letters, drawer knobs and other fun and whimsical art for children's rooms.
Tell me about your featured item above.
I choose my 5" by 7" canvas board wall letters to be featured because I really enjoy making them. This piece was specifically made for my daughters room. Each of my pieces have there own unique and whimsical flare. I also have my own website http://www.freewebs.com/judeelynn/

Teresa's Ceramics
How did you get started in your craft?
As a stay at home Mom with 2 kids under the age of two I was going stir-crazy. I just needed to get out for some girl time, and so I enrolled in a Ceramics class. That is all it took to get me hooked. I got so much encouragement from my family and friends in the form of compliments that I started doing arts & craft shows to fund my addiction. The rest is history.
What inspires your creations?
I am inspired by nature, children, animals and the feeling I get when one of my pieces finds a happy home or puts a smile on someones face.
Tell me about your featured item above.
This is one of my personal favorites but it also does represent my whole shop. The details in this piece are tedious to do but that is the type of work I enjoy most. The more details involved in a piece the more I love it.

Le Petit Monstre
How did you get started in your craft?
I am just discovering the joys of collage and am having a blast with it! Un Amour Silencieux is very representative of my personal style, both the color scheme and the slightly melancholy/whimsical feel to it.
I have always been a sideline artist, mostly doing for myself or friends. I just recently discovered the joy that is Etsy and it has completely changed my life. It has shown me that you can be an artist and have a career doing it, you don't have to be in art galleries around the world to be successful.
What inspires your creations?
Life is what inspires me the most. My recent collages were inspired by a trip to the circus. My children's items were inspired by my son and his interests. Everything I see/taste/smell/hear is fair game to be made into some form of art. You can see what inspires me by checking out my blog at http://lepetitmonstre.typepad.com/
Tell me about your featured item above.
My newest and one of my most favorite items is a print of a collage titled Un Amour Silencieux.

Moon Mystic
How did you get started in your craft?
My jewelry making had kind of a funny start. I bought a necklace at Walmart and I didn't really like it, so I took it apart and made it the way I wanted it. Then, I wanted matching earrings and a bracelet, so I bought another necklace, took it apart, and made a bracelet and earrings. Then, I figured there had to be a cheaper way to make the jewelry I wanted and my hobby/business was born.
What inspires your creations?
Ever since I was a little girl, my Mom would take my brother and I to the shores of Lake Superior and we would come home with our pockets full of rocks and beach glass. I was always fascinated by the beauty of the agates and the other stones I would find. I still am fascinated by that beauty and am inspired by the unique colors and textures of gemstones and now I enjoy creating jewelry using mother nature's treasures.
Tell me about your featured item above.
I have been dreaming of this pendant for weeks and I finally acquired the components, put it together, and finished it. I love the way it turned out. It is a gemstone representation of spring. This is a personal favorite of mine because the unique blend of colors looks so stunning against the rare chalcedony bead. It does represent my style because I have one other cascading pendant similar to this one and I do focus on pendants.

FatCatCreations by StarvnRtist
How did you get started in your craft?
I came up with the idea of an expecting ornament when my SIL was pregnant in 2006. At first I was planning on making the female holding the child, but things did not work out like I wanted and so the pregnant bust/belly came to be.
What inspires your creations?
nothing (I can just be doing nothing and an idea pops into my head) and everything (books, life, everything).
Tell me about your featured item above.
This is just 1 item in my lil eclectic shop. I feel that this ornament is a 'fun' way to celebrate and later, remember the pregnancy.