tgif FEATURE AND GIVEAWAY :: artlife

happy friday! our featured artist and giveaway is ellen from artlife. it's great fun to learn more about our fellow sellers over at etsy and help get their name out. i first 'met' artlife via a giveaway she had on the etsians blog. i've since then received her note cards set and i absolutely love them! pop on over to her shop as there are many great items to take a look at.

Q. Who are you?

A. I'm Ellen Honich and I run Artlife over at our favorite place to buy and sell all things handmade -- Etsy!

Q. When did you open up shop and how did you come up with your shop name?

A. Artlife opened in August of 2006. I've always been involved in some form of the creative process be it painting, drawing, photography, jewelry making, dance, poetry or graphic design. The mediums have changed over the years, but the art has always been at the center of my life. I'm very interested in conceptual art and actually making my LIFE be my art. Everything I do involves seeing and being and I truly see my life through "art colored glasses". Art and Life are interchangeable for me. Thus the name Artlife!

Q. What do you create and sell?

A. Right now I'm primarily making and selling Note Card Sets, which I design and print myself. I also make pin-back buttons and my Mom has some hand-sewn napkins in my shop. My Mom and I are also about to open another Etsy shop called Booklife where we will sell our fabric-covered magnetic bookmarks.

Q. What is your favorite item in your shop?

A. My favorite item in my shop right now (it changes all the time depending on my mood) are the "Fig 8" Note Cards. Figs are just a nice image and a great fruit. I had fun playing with the word "fig" and the abbreviation for "figure (fig.)" like it is used in a botanical drawing. Plus the number 8 stands for infinity, so there is a lot going on in this simple image if you go a little deeper.

Q. Do you have any advice for newbie Etsy sellers?

A. Well, when you have just opened your shop on Etsy and don't have any sales yet, I highly recommend trading to start building up feedback and your seller reputation. Also, the forums on Etsy are a great source of information. If you are looking for a supplier or advice on a certain technique, chances are someone has started a thread on that very subject in the forums.

Q. What is the passion on your heart or your burden for this world?

A. I think the passion in my heart and the burden on this world both have to do with love. It seems that all the world's problems stem from a lack of love and all the magic in the world stems from an abundance of love (a giving heart, a helping hand, a kind word, spreading your joy out to others). The cool thing is: in every single situation we get to decide our next action. Will it be an action coming out of love or an action coming out of resistance and pain or hate? So in the end, we do get to change our world. Too much of the time we give this power away or think that we don't have it when we always do. We DO have the power to change the world through simple daily actions that radiate love!

Q. Lastly, what is your giveaway this fine TGIF!

(one giveaway winner will be selected at random the following Wednesday at 11.59pm EST. to enter, please comment below with your favorite item from 1. artlife and 2. MustardSeed by.carollai. 'follow' my blog and you'll receive an automatic second entry. :) remember to leave an email address because if you are the winner, you will want to be contacted!)

A. Fig 8 Note Card Set of 3