Wednesday, January 26, 2011

If you havent tried it... you really should!

In my etsy explorations I find so many amazing and wondrous things... and I love to share them here with you...

So a few weeks ago after The things I ♥ right now, I thought how fun would it be to get to know a few of these amazing artists that inspire my everyday and hopefully yours as well! I know its not a new concept, but hey... it's fun! ;0)

So I would like to share with you my very first artist feature!



I found For Strange Women just randomly in one of my late night etsy~a~thon adventures! Her shop intrigued me, and we all know Im a sucker for some smell goods!
Jill's products are well, simply intriguing... from natural oils, and perfume enhancing base to lip balm and massage oils with names like Decadence & Debauchery , Poison Ivy, and Sweet Androgyny Jill truly does create a magical, strange, victorianesque world!

I recently purchased her Mini Mix & Match Natural Oils



The package arrived and I was giddy! Not only was shipping amazingly fast, but then I was greeted with sweet dried roses and the most magical fragrance when I opened the mailer! I'm a sucker for patchouli but these tiny vials take this scent into another realm! I wasn't sure of them at first... Im just going to be honest... I sat and looked at that tiny box for hours sniffing and reading the little cards that explain each scent. So I took the plunge and dabbed a bit of Sweet Androgyny behind my ears and set out to take on the world... Needless to say Im in love! These fragrances remind me of my dearest friend in the world and make me want to dance around in my long flowy skirts listening to ♥ THIS ♥
{ I am mildly in love with Jolie Holland right now}

But enough about me... here's what Jill has to say about her life & her art!

Tell us a little about yourself, your family, and your life outside of the studio...
I live in Kansas City, MO with my boyfriend. He has a son, Simon, who is 10, and I have a cat, Jaqk who keeps me company when the other boys are away. All 3 of them are geminis~ you can imagine the chaos! Luckily we live in the upstairs part of a duplex and I have the downstairs apartment to myself (my studio).


How long have you been creating/selling...
I have been creating forever and I joined Etsy 2 years ago.


What inspires your designs?...

My design draws a lot from the Victorian era, but with a rustic twist on the forest items, and a modern Rococo feel to some of my newer pieces. I am always inspired by nature, yesteryear, and good music.


Out of curiosity, what are the tools of your trade?...
Tools of the perfumers trade would be precise measuring instruments, a double boiler, pyrex beakers, and my nose

What is the one thing in the craft/art world you wish you could do? (ie. sew)
I've tried my hand at leatherworking and wasn't very good at it. I also thought stained glass art would be easy for me but I am so nervous to cut the glass so that never worked out. I have tried just about everything I have wanted to try except ceramics- I hope to take a class soon for this. There are so many things I want to make.


Any Advice to artist/designers just starting out...
In general, I would say learn and practice your skill for a while before "putting yourself out there," if you are easily discouraged. If I opened my etsy shop when I had first started making perfume it would look and be a disaster. Trust yourself and form your ideas and take the time and effort to make your shop/brand/product an expression of yourself. Don't be impatient.

Where can we find you?
www.forstrangewomen.com studio- Kansas City, of 39th st restaurant row products- in boutiques across country

{she also has a beautiful Blog...}


Cameo Noir Valentines Gift Set


Thank you Jill for participating in my very first artists feature!

And to all you Strange Women out there... I HIGHLY recommend you flutter by For Strange Women... because as Bella puts it... "mommy you smell magical" and who doesnt want THAT!

Be good to each other!
Adieu~ ♥ ~Tawny

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey Tawny! It's been a while! Sorry, January caught me in its evil web of business. :P

Congrats on your first artist spotlight. And speaking of spotlights... I'm having a chocolate month over at my blog and I was wondering exactly what kind of chocolate I was going to give away in a few weeks and then I was looking at fellow bloggers' sites and I remembered yours and thought, "Oh my gods! I can't believe I forgot about Tawny's Sugar Shoppe!" so I darted over here and wrote the stuff above and we find ourselves at the bottom of the paragraph.

Long story short, would you be willing to donate a sweet from your shop to Chocolate Month? :)

P.S. Also, I'm not below bribing with amigurumi animals. :P

You can call me Tawny.... said...

Hey!
I would love to do a Giveaway!
Just let me know what and when and all that Jazz!

You can email me at tawny76@cox.net with the info!