Tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Ruti and I'm 26 years old. I was born and raised in Jerusalem. I am currently studying Occupational Therapy in the city of Haifa, Israel. I have always loved art – painting, sculpting, photographing, designing, beading and more. In most recent years I have been drawn to the magic of folding recycled paper and creating various works of art with them. This kind of art combines my passion for shaping and color-matching, with my love for nature, while attempting to preserve and reuse pre-existing materials.

Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes from nature, colors and music.

When did you know you were an artist?
Ever since I remember myself I create things using many kinds of arts.




How would you describe your creative process?
I use paper from many sources like magazines, prospects, tea bag paper wraps and more. I've learned this kind of art from my grandfather's Philippian caregiver about 7 years ago. Since then I always carry a few paper pieces in my pocket.

First I cut the paper to the right size, then fold it to triangles and separate them by colors. Then I decide which colors to use and what the pattern and shape would be like, then build the structure. I also use glue for making it durable and a low bottom made from cardboard.



Apart from creating, what do you do?
I study and work with a child with autism. I like travelling, reading, watch movies and listen to music.

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
I wish that I could move things using my thought only.



Visit RutisRoots:
Etsy Shop - http://www.etsy.com/shop/RutisRoots
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rutis-Roots/178675108809665?sk=wall

I have been collecting crocheted squares for over three years. Basically, anytime I have scrap yarn left over from a project I would whip up one of these nifty little squares. The problem is I never got around to deciding what I wanted to do with them and how to put them together.


I belong to a wonderful group on Etsy called the Create Crochet Team. This is a team for crochet lovers. We share our work, ask questions and have monthly challenges. The monthly challenges are for fun and allow us to learn new techniques and express our creativity.

In April, one of the challenges was to learn a new technique. So I decided to learn a new technique on how to join crochet squares. Normally I would just sew them together or so single crochet stitches all the way around. After a search on google I found a tutorial on how to do a flat braid crochet joining method.



I love the way the stitches came out and I think this will be the way I go from now on. I am still slowly joining squares and hopefully I will have this blanket done soon. So stay tuned for pictures!


If you want to take a look at some other new techniques my teammates learned, go to our team blog: http://createcrochet.blogspot.com/ or our facebook fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/CreateCrochetEtsyTeam

To Renew or Not To Renew? That is the million dollar question!


Monster Question by boandfriends

While I am no expert I have run a few experiments on my shop. I will share them with you and you decide what’s best for you!

Renewing Tool:



Best Time to Renew:


Wait by michelemaule

Now I have to figure out how to renew during these times. I have a day job and can’t always be on Etsy. This is where Statsy comes in handy with their FREE automatic renewing tool. I schedule my items to renew the day before they are going to expired and specified one of the times above. I’ve also chose not to renew on the weekends. For me this is when I get the opportunity to take pictures and post new items.


I will have to wait until June to determine if this is what works for my shop.


Have you tried any renewing experiments? Does renewing work for you?

Everyday new shops open up on Etsy. It amazes me all the talent that is out there. Below are just a few of my favorites I found using Pounce. Some are still waiting for their first sales. So show them some love ♥

CyneburgsFieldDesign



Butterflyalley



homegrownheavyznyc

Poofette

What is Mother's Day about? Why celebrate moms just one day of a year? Here is your history lesson of the day. Don't just celebrate something because its on the calendar.

During the 17th century, those living on the British isles initiated a religious celebration of motherhood, called Mothering Sunday, which was held on the forth Sunday during the Lenten season. This holiday featured the reunification of mothers and their children, separated when working class families had to send off their young children to be employed as house servants. On Mothering Sunday, the child servants were allowed to return home for the day to visit with their parents. The holiday's popularity faded in the 19th century, only to be reincarnated during World War II when U.S. servicemen reintroduced the sentimental (and commercial) aspects of the celebration American counterpart.

In 1858, Anna Reeves Jarvis was the first woman to hold an official celebration of mothers, when in her home state of West Virginia, she instituted Mothers' Work Day to raise awareness about local sanitation issues. During the Civil War, she expanded the scope of Mothers' Work Day to include sanitary conditions on both sides of the battlefield.

Meanwhile Julia Ward Howe, author of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," attempted to institute a national celebration of mothers that honored women's inclinations toward peace (rather than cleanliness). In 1872, she initiated and promoted a Mother's Day for Peace, to be held on June 2, which was celebrated the following year by women in 18 cities across America. The holiday continued to be honored by Bostonian women for another decade, but eventually phased out after Howe stopped underwriting the cost of the celebrations.

Then in 1905, Anna Reeves Jarvis passed away and her daughter, Anna Jarvis, took up her mother's torch. Anna swore on her mother's grave site that she would realize her lifelong dream of creating a national day to honor mothers. In 1907, Anna launched her campaign by handing out white carnations to congregants at her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia. In 1908, her mother's church acquiesced to Anna's request to hold a special Sunday service in honor of mothers - a tradition that spread the very next year to churches in 46 states. In 1909, Anna left her job and dedicated herself to a full-time letter-writing campaign, imploring politicians, clergymen and civic leaders to institute a national day for mothers.

In 1912, Jarvis' efforts met with success: Her home state of West Virginia adopted an official Mother's Day; two years later, the U.S. Congress passed a Joint Resolution, signed by President Wilson, establishing a national Mother's Day emphasizing the role of women in their families - and not, like Julia Ward Howe's campaign, in the public arena. Ever since, Mother's Day has been celebrated by Americans on the second Sunday in May.

Perhaps the country's greatest proponent of motherhood, Anna Jarvis ironically never had children of her own. Yet that didn't stop her from making the celebration of Mother's Day her lifelong mission. In fact, as the holiday took on a life of its own, Jarvis expressed frequent dismay over its growing commercialization. "I wanted it to be a day of sentiment, not profit," she is quoted as saying.






Info obtain from: http://www.holidays.net/mother/story.htm

I am always searching Etsy for new and unique sellers. I ran across this amazing shop with awesome mosaic art.



Tell us a little about yourself?
I'm 38 years old. I've been making mosaics for 15 years. I'm obsessed with art, science fiction and motorcycles. In fact, I just purchased a motorcycle with funds primarily acquired on Etsy.


Where does your inspiration come from?
Where does anyone's inspiration come from? It's a total mystery to me.


Who or what has been most influential in your craft?
The biggest influence in my craft has been my mother, who supported us as a stained glass artist as a kid, and has always supported my art (and given me access to her scrap glass!)


What does handmade mean to you?
Handmade means designed and executed by the artist, what else?

Life-size Dia de los Muertos Skull

When did you know you were an artist/maker?
I started approaching visual art with seriousness when I was about 17. I'd always been creative, but that's when I decided to pursue art to the exclusion of everything else. That's also when I discovered (not coincidentally, in retrospect) that girls dig artists...


How would you describe your creative process?
My process is two-fold. In the long run, I'm always pursuing virtuosity. With each individual piece, I'm pursuing that "zone" where time slows down and new ideas and techniques manifest themselves seemingly out of thin air. That's a strangely detached and powerful feeling.



Mosaic Skull made with tumbled stained glass tiles

When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?
I was raised hardcore Jehovah's Witness, so I was prohibited from dressing up for Halloween. As a result of that upbringing, I've spent my entire adult life jaded and faithless, and obsessed with faith, religion and spirituality; but always as a perpetual outsider looking in.


What was the first concert you ever attended?
AC/DC's "Razor's Edge" tour, 1991. It was deafeningly loud and my ears were ringing the whole next day, but it was so worth it!


Visit Jiveworks:
Etsy Shop - http://www.etsy.com/shop/Jiveworks
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Art-of-Matthew-Alexander-Mosaics-Drawings-and-Paintings/257380511780

When you stand for something you don't just talk, you act. You don't just have whimsical thoughts or weak beliefs about it, you have conviction. You don't just go through the motions; you get engaged with purpose and passion.

Take a moment and ask your self these questions:

What Do I Stand For? Make a list of what you truly believe you stand for.

Do My Actions Reflect What I Stand For? For example if you say you stand for your family but you don't make time together as a family then you will want to address this. Evaluate your actions.

Make a Stand for Your Brand. Take action on the things you stand for. Right now, write down 3 actions that you can take that will reinforce what you stand for. Then take action.

Re-evaluate Every Month. This will help you be aware of whether your actions are in alignment with your beliefs. There will always be discrepancies. No one is perfect. The key is to be aware and have a desire to improve.

Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today Exodus 14:13

If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain; Exodus 18:23

No man will be able to stand against you. The LORD your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go. Deuteronomy 11:25

No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5

Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! 1 Samuel 12:16

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. 2 Samuel 22:34

If you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear Job11:14-15

There are nearly 483 references to the word stand in the bible (NIV).

Take yours today!






Sources : http://www.JonGordon.com
http://www.biblegateway.com/

Because its Monday and it's too early to think! Here are some interesting and weird facts for you. Don't know how many are true but at least they are interesting.

• It is not possible to fold a piece of paper in half more than seven times.
• The presidents on Mount Rushmore are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.
• Beavers front teeth have a tough orange coating that protects them from being broken or chipped while cutting wood.
• The Yo-Yo was invented in ancient Greece over 3,000 years ago.
• America's first minimum wage began at 25 cents an hour back in 1938.
• Vermont, Alaska, Hawaii and Maine are the only states in the U.S. that do not allow billboards.
• New York was the last state to put photographs on driver's licenses in 1984.
• The Empire State Building has 6,400 windows.
• It is considered an insult to tip at a restaurant in Iceland.

Know any interesting or weird facts? Feel free to share them with us.

Have a great Monday!

Today is Earth Day. Its one day that inspires many people worldwide to demonstrate their commitment to reduce their environmental footprint.

Many of us artists look for unique way to reuse our scraps and left overs. My mom uses a lot of crochet thread and saves the wooden tubing. She gave me a huge shopping bag of these tubing and scrap fabric. At the time I wasn't sure what to make with them. They just sat in my workshop until I could come up with something creative.



After some brainstorming along with some trial and error I finally got one of my ideas to work. I turned these cardboard tubing into bracelets! I covered a few with some of the beautiful scrap fabrics my mother gave me. I also use some left over yarn for a few bracelets. I really love the way they came out. They are a lot softer than they look.





We can all make a difference on a daily basis to "go green". What are some things that you have done around your house or with your artwork to reduce and/ or reuse?