Lucky Thursday
We have been so very luck to be featured by such amazing sites and today it happened again. IndieFixx was super-kool and featured our Bow-Tie earrings on their site - it blew my mind (it's still blown and hurts). Oddly enough, IndieFixx was a site I was in the middle of exploring to feature on this blog-life....you freak me out sometimes (often). So, the good news is that the feature is awesome, especially since Jen incorporated the earrings into a whole vintage outfit and this post will be the first in a series on IndieFixx. Go and check it out here and leave some comments for support. We Got Featured
WoW.....Woke up to a new convo telling me that Mystic Wynd had decided to feature 2 of my pieces on her blog. This counts as better than dreaming-Thanx. So go on over and check out the feature and lets give some cross-blog support!!! It's important to support each other, so lets get moving people... Think Bakery
Do you like "Baking Business?" Hold on, let me restate that......Do you like "Baking Business" if by me saying "Baking Business" I mean gathering tools that will in turn generate sales for your shop? Yummy, right? Well, that is what our new Kool site, Think Bakery is all about. "Welcome to BAKERY, where we bake and you enjoy. There’s just one catch — we don’t bake goods. We bake businesses. We know who you are, and we know what you need. And we have the ingredients to make your business work for you. With a dash of advertising, a pinch of public relations and a smidgen of marketing, we’ll shape your work into something you knead. Err, need."
Along with a great business model, Think bakery has an amazing blog that has provided me with insulting amounts(in a good way) of info and references. For me, it's a must read blog, that never gets old and gives a glimmer of hope to small/home based businesses . Check it out....
Design Milk
Do you like Design? Do you like Milk? Do you like designing with milk? Well, design-milk.com has to do with only one of these and we'll let you guess which one. Design Milk is a blog dedicated to art, architecture, & design but with a little extra in mind. Each blog post in design-milk not only acts as an informative piece of lit but also as a kind of go-between, bridging you and the item/shop the article is about. It's like being told about a wonderful piece of art and then, after showing interesting, that very same person takes you to meet the artist. They receive no money from sales and get all their economic support from sponsors, thus there is no forced voice in the reading. Go and check them out...iSTUDIO-UPDATE
We had our first two iStudio artists (KimberlyRose & YellowGoat) join the party yesterday and so far the gallery looks beautifully-human. For those not knowing about iStudio, let me give a small reminder or you can look five posts down. iStudio was born from the idea that, "where artists work is sometimes just as interesting as the work itself." After seeing several workshops/studios (fancy names meaning-where you work), we quickly came to the conclusion that this was also an art form; more of an anthropological artform. So what does this mean? Well, we are going to post pictures of studios from all over the world and we want you to join in.
E-mail your picture (yes, one picture, so make it a good one) to us, with your info (name/shop/web address) and we take care of the rest. We ask one thing in return, please contribute to our blog, whether it is posting a comment here or in our weekly featured artist contest or Weekly free art giveaway-be involved!!! Let us know what you think.
Featured Artist Contest
Here we go again!! On the 30th of April, we will pick our 6th Featured Artist....so get those posts going!!! The artist that is picked will have their work shown in our gallery, along with a bio and contact info. To enter, you do not need to be a jewelry maker-we accept all artists and do not be afraid to post for an artist that you think is amazing. Here are the rules:
Post a comment in this blog entry and with it leave a link to the site you wish to enter into the contest (make sure to post the link including http://...) You are allowed to post one picture in the blog if you wish but please do not post more, as it slows the site from loading. While we will pick from week to week, do not be afraid to voice your opinion and even vote for yourself. We take all and everything under consideration. Please scroll down and visit/comment on previous artists-we all need support. Also you get extra points for checking out our etsy site.... www.mod3rnart.etsy.com
ETSY Hacked
No, we didn't get hacked but ETSY did.....in a way. Before you freak out, let me explain because it's actually a good thing. There are a lot of things about etsy that we would all like to change, case in point: Quickly knowing where you have posted in the forum: Creating a new listing based on an existing one: Adding zoom options on pictures in your shop/other's shop: and the list goes on. Well, someone smarter
than us has figured it out (I know, they do exist) Let me introduce you to, "etsyhacks." This mysterious man/women has created "scripts" that run within FireFox, which in turn add countless functionalities to etsy. As of right now, these scripts will only run on FireFox (best browser) but there are plans on bringing it to IE, Safari, Opera and Chrome in the near future. I have been using the scripts for a couple days now and see no negative effect on my browser nor computer. This, combined with craftopolis and craftcult make up for the things etsy should have as part of its site. Check it out people and leave your questions and comments here....
Giveaway-Over as of 27th of April
Recession Antidote-Every week we feature amazing artists and every week we are even more surprised by their generosity. This week is no different, with Helen Gotlib and Shay Dodson giving one huge recession antidote-giveaway to you. Not one but two beautiful pieces can be won this week , so let me tell you a little about them. Helen's prize is a pair of 6.25"x4.5" etched note cards (seen above), which are absolutely stunning, check them out here for more info. Shay's prize is a photo print of her masterpiece "Zoli", which just happens to be my personal favorite (can I cheat and win it?) and can be seen here for more info. Now that we know the prizes, let's talk about the rules...To enter the contest, please leave a comment in this post and a link to your favorite Etsy artist, explaining why they are your favorite. In the spirit of promotion, you can't be your own favorite artist....
If we pick the shop you linked, you win one of the prizes !! Post an image if you would like, but please only post one. The contest will last until Monday 27th of April and feel free to tell as many people as possible about it. Oh....go and thank Helen and Shay by visiting their Etsy shops or leaving a comment, two posts down. TwitPic
What it all comes down to is this, "Twitter and Google will rule the world!!!" Yet, in the mean time, we can all get along....right? TwitPic is a gem of a site that simply allows you to share images on twitter. Now, this can be done in three different ways: by phone, by their ARI or from the site itself-simple right? Best of all, if you have a twitter account, your all set, no need to sign up to another account. (thank god because all these sites mean that I now have 7.3 billion Usernames/Passwords 
FAOTW-Featured Artist of the Week
.....And the Oscar goes to.......Helen Gotlib and Shay Dodson. This week we find ourselves with two featured artists again and if you find yourselves saying, "but why, mod3rnart?" We think the work more than speaks for itself! While from a distance, the theme and medium that our two featured artists have created, might seem similar but by taking a closer look, you truly see how independent and unique each artist is.
Helen Gotlib: Has traveled extensively. Her observations of people and customs in Japan, China and Israel have influenced her perception of the human body and how expressive it is. See her amazing work in our Gallery. Helen's work is in the first two images located above.
Shay Dodson: "Above all, my paintings express a love for paint itself; the fleshy, textural quality of oil paint and its luminescence - its thick opacity versus liquid transparency. Shay's work speaks so loudly about the animation of art and you can see her beautiful work in our Gallery.
As always, make sure to visit our featured artist's etsy shops (Helen's or Shea's) for all artists help and support each other. You can also show your support by leaving comments in our blog and who knows, maybe if the comments are nice enough, one of these amazing artists might give us a piece of art for a giveaway....
iStudio
We promised surprises and we don't lie. So here goes: We have added a new section to our gallery called iStudio and the whole point is "YOU!" iStudio was born from the idea that, "where artists work is sometimes just as interesting as the work itself." After seeing several workshops/studios, we quickly came to the conclusion that this was also an art form; more of an anthropological artform. So what does this mean? Well, we are going to post pictures of studios from all over the world and we want you to join in.
E-mail your picture (yes, one picture, so make it a good one) to us, with your info (name/shop/web address) and we take care of the rest. We ask one thing in return, please contribute to our blog, whether it is posting a comment here or in our weekly featured artist contest or Weekly free art giveaway-be involved!!! Let us know what you think.
**SALE**
Ok, we don't have these often but since Easter is on its way, we thought we should have a small sale in our etsy store. Many of our items are on sale and if you really find something that you like but it isn't on sale, well just convo us or mail and we might be able to work something out. We ship international and most of our items will ship same day or the next day-so no need to worry. At least go on over and take a look at the sale items....
T-Shirts Are Art Too!
Ok, I'm just going to stand up and say it, "I love T-Shirts!!" And you know what? They love me too.....some times. A lot of people forget that without a shirt, you couldn't leave your house. So in essence, a t-shirt is more than just a statement, it's your way into society. Fashion is Art-no way around it and in this post, I am going to show you two of my favorite t-shirt sites.
Palmercash: Was the first t-shirt site I stumbled upon and it has never let me down (above: my newest buys from there). With a very kool/retro website and ever changing catalogue of shirts, palmercash is more like a blog than an online store. Besides having sizing charts, fabric information, international shipping and very detailed close-ups of the designs, every shirt has a bio/story that goes along with it. A must see
Bustedtees: Is the crown jewel in my T-shirt website list. They combine vintage images with crazy/modern slang, which makes for a dangerously funny combo. Their site is endless, with new shirts coming in all the time and old-popular ones being reprinted on demand. Busted also has all the details: size charts, material info, international shipping and a great crew working the site, if you have any questions.
Give them the bird...
This one is easy, right? I thought I was the last one to figure out what twitter was or maybe not. Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? Also, it's an easy way to stay up to date with all your etsy friends. That way you'll never miss important information like, "I have a sale" or "Love your store" or "Be right back, I'm going to the bathroom." Join the party and follow us here.
Do You MOO?
Moo.com is the ultimate business card site....if there was to be one, which there should always be at least one....right? Not only are they well priced and ship everywhere but they also work together with etsy. So this means that you can import into your moo account all your etsy store pictures and use them as you wish, this can also be done from flickr. Editing and customizing your cards from there on is a snap and you get to play with font, text size, color, shape, paper style and so on. Check them out!!!
Design Observer
Imagine if FFFFound and Ernest Hemingway had sex; the baby would be Design Observer. In what seems like an endless amount of image posting sites (30% of all websites......ok, I just made that up) here we find one that isn't about the image as much as the word. Design Observer is the critique, the dialogue that takes place when viewing images or more importantly, design and culture. I think it's worth checking out, especially if you want the 1000 words that supposedly come with every picture.
Need Help With Etsy???
Need help with Etsy? Do you ever wish there was an easy way of finding out what treasuries your wonderful items are in or how many hearts you have received? Well, these two sites are right for you!!!Craftcult: Want to know how many hearts your store has gotten on any given day or how many hearts a specific item of yours has? Well, Craftcult goes one step further, you can easily sort: Store Hearts: Item Hearts: Single Item Hearts: Items Views and Features with nothing more than entering your etsy username. No membership is needed and this site is a great tool to assist you as your store matures.
Craftopolis: Want to find out what treasuries your beautiful items are in or just find your treasury quickly-even Treasury West? Craftopolis is a simple but powerful website that takes the looking around and waiting out of searching all the treasuries. Simply enter your username or the username you want to search and you will get a list of all the treasuries that person is involved with. Like Craftcult, no membership is required and yet another tool for your etsy experience.
Etsy Update-Gallery Updated
Update news both for Etsy and for our Gallery. We have added some wonderful pieces to our collection and they represent a completely new series. Lately, we find ourselves playing with black/silver colors and the simplicity of stripes. We have also added a few new piece, which combine silver and pearl-very sexy. Check out all the updates, both here and Etsy but most importantly-post a comment and let us know what you think.
***Featured Artist-April 12th***
Another week another featured artist!! On the 12th of April, we will pick our 4th Featured Artist....so get those posts going!!! The artist that is picked will have their work shown in our gallery, along with a bio and contact info. To enter, you do not need to be a jewelry maker-we accept all artists and do not be afraid to post for an artist that you think is amazing. Here are the rules:Post a comment in this blog entry and with it leave a link to the site you wish to enter into the contest (make sure to post the link including http://...seriously, I mean it this time) You are allowed to post one picture in the blog. While we will pick from week to week, do not be afraid to voice your opinion and even vote for yourself. We take all and everything under consideration.
FAOTW-KimberlyRose Giveaway
Recession Antidote-As we mentioned yesterday, KimberlyRose was awesome enough to give us a free print from her collection, which can be seen on Etsy and in our Gallery. Being the kind, kool and caring people that we are, we decided to hand this over to you, our amazing bloggers. So, here are the rules and they might be familiar if you have played with us before. To enter the contest, please comment in this post a link to your favorite Etsy artist and explain why they are your favorite. If we pick the shop you linked, you win the print!! Post an image if you would like, but please only post one. In the spirit of promotion, you can't be your own favorite artist.... The contest will last until Sunday 12th of April and feel free to tell as many people as possible about it.
FAOTW-Featured Artist of the Week
Ladies and Gents, boys and girls, the wait is over. We are proud to announce that this weeks Artist of the week is KimberlyRose!! As I am sure you will all notice, Kimberly is an amazingly talented artist and she blew our minds away. You can see her beautiful work in our gallery and get more detailed info on Kimberly here. Please take the time to see her shop and gallery, as we all should support our fellow Etsians. Oh, and Kimberly has offered one of her pieces for this week's giveaway, you rock!!!!
As with last week, the turnout for the FAOTW was massive and this week we had about 45 posts, just for the contest The choice was still hard but the contest is gaining force-so full speed ahead. Please leave comments as this is the way we know that you like or dislike what we are doing. Are you our next Featured Artist????
Treasury & Surprise
April 1st has come and instead of a pie in our face or some trickery-we got featured in a treasury RiskoDesign was nice enough to feature us in a beautifully metalicious treasury, you can check it out above. On either side of the treasury is a small surprise that is coming in the following weeks, we are super excited about it. In fact we have a bunch of surprises coming and the coolest thing is that most are for you-our Blog followers!!!!