Sunday, April 3, 2011

April 2011 Monthly Theme Challenge

On April 3, 1892 a wonderful thing happened... it was the first documented evidence of the ice cream sundae in an Ithaca, New York, newspaper advertisement for a Cherry Sunday at Platt & Coles Soda Fountain located in a pharmacy. Many other American cities dispute Ithaca's "Birthplace of the Ice Cream Sundae" title and such cities range from from Buffalo, New York to New Orleans, Louisiana.  As I'm from the southern US, I am doubting New Orleans' claim because even with air conditioning, it's really hard to keep ice cream from melting into a puddle! :)



This month's theme is strictly for ice cream sundaes and other ice cream novelties.  A scoop of ice cream on a cone is not enough for this month - pull out all your supplies and post an ice cream creation!  Fruits, cookies, sprinkles, and of course parfait glasses and banana split boats are a must.  Popsicles, creamsicles, bomb pops are also welcome.



Please tag your entries for this month's challenge in Etsy with MFJoEApr2011. If you have the picture on Flickr, please use the same tag.  If your item does sell, leave a comment on this post with a link to the sold item so it's not left out when I post the results.  If it's not too much trouble, please limit yourself to one entry per member.

Need some help on the types of sundaes you can make?  Check out the Wikipedia article on the sundae or search the tons of images on Google!

Until Later!  ®oscata

Friday, February 25, 2011

Friday, February 11, 2011

Member Spotlight - Little Towne Creations

This member spotlight features a southern belle from my home state of Florida!  Let's all give a welcome to Rebekah of Little Towne Creations!


Let’s start by telling us a little bit about yourself.

I’ve spent most of my life living in Southwest Florida.  My parents and older siblings have said that as a child I was always the self-entertained type.  They could just put a paper and some crayons in front of me and I’d be occupied for hours!  As a child, and even into my early teens, I’ve made miniature things out of clay, starting with little dogs and horses to entire miniature villages and worlds.  Each piece I made was (and still is!) carefully crafted with care.  To each person or animal I made I would give a name, and love it like any child would love their special toys.  But for me, these weren’t just toys.  They had my fingerprints on them.  They were my works of art. 

Needless to say, I’ve always loved being artistic and creating things.  I’ve enjoyed seeing the world from my own unique perspective.  Nowadays I am occupied with full-time school and work, but I still find time to let the imaginative child inside of me out.  Along with making things for my Etsy shop, I enjoy designing things on the computer, photography and Photoshop, and sketching and painting whenever I get the chance.

How did you start into/begin crafting miniature food jewelry?


Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved to make things out of clay.  Making food jewelry all started with the Cheeseburger Earrings, an idea that stemmed from a joke among me and my friends.  It was a silly, yet unique and playful, thing that “only I would think of,” and it turned out to be a great idea!


Describe your aesthetic?

I make sure each piece I make looks realistic, but more importantly, has a little of my own personality in it.  I try not to get caught up in the opinions of others, and how they think a piece should look, but at the same time, I take good advice and ideas, and constructive criticism.

Describe your creative process. 

What inspires me the most is when I see something or have an idea of something that I haven’t seen anyone else do before.  I like to re-create things I see in the world, in my everyday life, but in addition, I like to go the extra mile and throw in something that no one else would normally think of. 





Do you have any favorite pieces?  If so, briefly describe a few and explain why you love them.

It’s hard to choose which of my pieces I like most because if I don’t like something, I usually don’t make it!  If I had to choose a favorite set of earrings, it would probably be my mini cheeseburgers, because they are the ones that started it all!


Describe your etsy shop?  How did you come up with the name? Is there any significance to your name/shop design?


The significance behind the name Little Towne Creations stemmed from several of my childhood experiences.  As I mentioned above, when I first started making miniature things out of clay as a child, I would often make miniature towns, including people, pets, buildings, trees, etc.  These miniature “worlds” that I would escape to would keep me entertained for hours. 

The Little Towne Creation’s shop is my way of expressing my original ideas and creations to the world.  It’s a venue for me to get my ideas out there and see if people actually like them.  The design and logo for Little Towne Creations was made by one of my friends.  It portrays a little town inside of a snow globe, which I think completely captures the essence of what the shop is all about.




Where do you create?  Do you have a space, room, studio, etc? 

I usually take over the guest room in my house with all of my art stuff.  Sometimes I even go outside because it helps me think. 


What's the ONE thing that as an artisan, you couldn't live without!


If I had to choose one tool that I couldn’t live without, it would probably be a needle.  When making my miniature things out of clay, the needle allows me to do intricate detail work that no other tool can do very well. 


How has being a part of Etsy helped you in your craft and/or in your business?


Being apart of Etsy has allowed me to connect with other artists and like-minded people.  There’s an old saying that says “iron sharpens iron,” and I have been (and am being!) “sharpened” by the other sellers and artists on Etsy.  I constantly get new ideas on how to improve an area of my shop, whether it be the design, the photographs, the marketing techniques, etc. 

What do you like about the MFJoE Team?

Like many other teams, the best part is the freedom to share ideas with one another.


Until Later!  ®oscata

February 2011 Monthly Theme Challenge

... is Valentine's Day!

Image courtesy of team member tuttisweetie!  Thanks hon!

There can only be one theme for February and it's anything that reminds you of Valentine's Day.  You can also enter creations that are red, white, pink or a combination of those colors.  This month please tag your entries for this month's challenge in Etsy with MFJoEFeb2011.  If you have the picture on Flickr, please use the same tag.  If your item does sell, leave a comment on this post with a link to the sold item so it's not left out when I post the results.  If it's not too much trouble, please limit yourself to one entry per member.  No complaints and I'm so happy for everyone participating, but with more and more members being added each week, there are more and more entries. 

Entries need to be tagged or comments left by February 27 (midnight Pacific time) and the blog post with the results will be posted on February 28.

Until Later!  ®oscata

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Polymer Clay Food Jewelry Tutorials from MFJoE Member Toni Ellison of Tiny Tongue!

Hello everyone!

The talented and adorable Toni Ellison of Tiny Tongue on Etsy has posted many well-narrated video tutorials on You Tube and she has graciously allowed the team to post them on the blog - YAY!  To see Toni's entire collection of videos, visit her You Tube channel. I just love Toni's shop.  Her creations are cute and still realistic and her photography is just amazing. Seriously, her Pop Tart jewelry makes me really want to eat a Pop Tart! Congrats on 238 sales Toni! Keep up the fantastic work!

Toni's creations are realistic and adorable!

Toni's Red Velvet Cake Tutorial (she even shows how to make a tiny rose decoration!):


Toni's Bakery Bread Tutorial:


Toni's Flaky Croissant Ring Tutorial:


Toni's Ice Cream Sundae Ring Tutorial:


Toni's Lemon Meringue Pie Charm Tutorial:


Toni's Rainbow Cake Tutorial:


Toni also has posted a ton of caning tutorials and check them out:  kiwi fruit cane, red navel orange cane, salmon make sushi roll cane, and also strawberry fruit cane

Again, thanks Toni for sharing your amazing tutorials with the team and the world!

Until Later!  ®oscata

Results of the MFJOE January 2011 Theme Challenge "Healthy Foods"

Hi everyone!!!  Check out the entries to the Healthy Foods January 2011 Monthly Theme Challenge!



Radish Earrings by LampshadesnLollipops
An Apple a Day Earrings by GlobalJewelryBazaar

Tomato Face Stud Earrings by AthenaWorkman


 Fresh Lemons Earrings by PetitPlat
 Salad Plate Earrings by ArtbyAshLigon


 Healthy Veggie Necklace by saturdaylollipop
 Watermelon Stud Earrings by littletimewasters


Fruit Salad Pendant by ozlemakin



Salad Necklace by inediblejewelry


Eggplant earrings by mmagda
Avocado Earrings by pearberry

January Charm Set by Heathernwells

Until Later!  ®oscata