Search results (tags) for: "process video"

Process: Farm Tables With David Ellison

2010-02-23T16:00:00-04:00

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(Animation by: Julia Pott, music by: Eric Beug, photos courtesy of The Lorimer Workshop)

New England is a corner of the United States rich with tradition. David Ellison, known on Etsy as lorimerantiques, and to many of his Providence, Rhode Island neighbors as The Lorimer Workshop, builds furniture steeped in such tradition. He is not only fascinated by the New England legacy, but also by how the simple styles of tables built by farmers have evolved in different regions. While his original enthusiasm for woodworking stemmed from restoring antique furniture as a hobby, David's interest in the tradition of farm tables turned into a passion, as evident by the stunning conversation pieces below. Incorporating the history of the wood with a modern aesthetic, David's tables organically serve as a home's nucleus.

Like many master woodworkers, David focuses his attention on the details of the wood that he sources. He gets much of it locally from the many mills on the outskirts of town. To him, each piece of wood has a story to tell, whether it be with the hatch marks of the saw blade, the knots in the wood, or even the dry rot that has accrued from the way a board was assembled in a previous construction. Rather than turn his nose up at boards with rusty old bolts, or holes left from worms or beetles, he would rather highlight them, and incorporate their signature into the final piece. He recognizes that the history of these markings are just another part of the story yet to be told as each board is bound together by his process.

David acquires his wood from multiple sources, seeking wood that has been salvaged from old buildings, or even wood that has been milled directly from trees, but that has aged many seasons and is therefore undesirable for most woodworking fields. He's fascinated by the process that old mills have for using every part of the tree, and tries to incorporate those conventions into his work by using as much of the lumber as he can.

He also pays a great deal of attention to the needs of his customers. He humbly admits that many of the ideas for his designs actually come from them. David's "Bradley" style table, for example, features a natural edge and curvature of the tree still intact running along one edge of the table. While he's not the first table maker to incorporate the natural outer bark layer of the tree into furniture, Bradley was the first customer who asked David to produce something in this style.

Etsy is also a loyal customer of David's, having purchased two of his banquet style tables for our kitchen. Many meals, meetings, parties, and even Craft Night overflow wind up at these tables. Most of the desks in our offices are handmade as well, many of which were made by David, in a Parsons-inspired design.

More Videos From the Process Series | Check out all of our Videos at Etsy.TV

Etsy Video 2009: Year in Review

2009-12-31T15:12:00-04:00

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As 2009 comes to a close, we here at the blog are taking time to reflect on an exciting year in video for Etsy. We met and collaborated with many incredibly talented Etsy artists and had a chance to delve deeper into who they are and what they make. We launched a new video series about home decor and collections called There's No Place Like Here. We look forward to 2010 as a year to explore more amazing spaces, discover new narratives and show how makers do what they do.

We compiled a playlist from our Handmade Portraits, Process and There's No Place Like Here video series to highlight some of the Etsy sellers who have worked with us over the past year. See our free iTunes podcast for all of our videos.

There's No Place Like Here
Artists and designers invite Etsy into their homes to reveal their collections, creations, and uniquely customized living spaces. Find out what captures these tastemakers' imaginations, where they unearth their treasures, and how they have fine-tuned their aesthetics. There's No Place Like Here! Take a peek at Made With Love By Hannah's German chalet, overflowing with vintage kitsch, in downtown Los Angeles. Design duo Something's Hiding In Here give us a tour of their renovated Philadelphia loft full of woodland vintage and an indoor porch swing. Tour the Santa Cruz grounds of Niki Silva's communal living paradise La Selva.

Handmade Portraits
What makes the creative mind tick? Discover the story behind the maker in this mini-documentary series. Handmade Portraits introduces viewers to the creative universe that is Etsy's community. Canadian artist Sarah Faber of Black-Eyed Suzie creates delicate, Gothic art dolls that evoke Victorian times. It took woodworker Fred Jakubiec from Birdhouseaccents 25 years before he made building birdhouses his full-time job. It was well worth the wait.

Process
Get into the creative flow with Etsy's Process series. These illuminating videos provide an intimate glimpse into the relationship between artist and material. Witness the techniques behind the design lifecycle. It's a truly transfixing experience to observe Kim Westad throw one of her signature Sweet Pea bowls on the wheel in her tranquil studio. BeyondthePicketFence is not just a soap maker; she's her own research and development lab — one might go as far as to call her a bathmatician.

[Clockwise from top: Recycled Cotton Tote Bag by forestbound, Maximum Fringe Necklace by iheartnorwegianwood, Vintage Paint-by-Number USA by somethingshidinghere, Ivory Tulle and Pearl Bridal Shrug by Holly Stalder, Girl with Band-Aids by mimikirchner, White Sea Glass Pendant by wildpen, Naked Twirly Vase by Kim Wested, Primitive Birdhouse by birdhouseaccents, Little Bunny Felted Mary Janes by prettylittle]

Thanks for a great year! Post your favorite Etsy video in the comments.

Watch more videos!

Process: Beach Glass Jewelry with Wildpen

2009-08-13T18:00:00-04:00

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Like all our videos, feel free to re-post and embed the video on your blog!

(music by Eric Beug, animation by JuliaPott)

I have met a few cockatoos in my day, but on this day, in early June, I met Sunny and FlaxMan, two Umbrella Cockatoos who help run wildpen, an Etsy shop where they sell handmade (er... beak- and talon-made) gifts. Unfortunately, Hope, a Moluccan Cockatoo was out during the shoot, but she's the third of three cockatoos that make up wildpen.

Sunny likes green sea glass. With her expert vision, and ability to see a 4th color channel, she can spot tiny pieces of glass darting about in the surf from a ways down the beach.

FlaxMan is mostly into a rock and roll lifestyle, but he takes breaks to work on wildpen. It helps to have a little Ani Difranco, Howling Wolf or PJ Harvey on the stereo to jumpstart his creative genius.

Hope is really into the mud masks. She loves mixing and testing personal batches on her feet. Since she couldn't be in the video, we'll indulge in one of her favorites:

Reviving Dead Sea Mud Mask Therapy

By wildpen, $11.95.

View Item | View Shop

Okay, so there is a fair share of (2) human hands involved, but if you buy from this shop, you can bet that a couple of rare birds had something to do with it.

I say rare, but Kate Haley, the birds' human assistant, informed me during the shoot that thousands of domestic parrots or varieties thereof find themselves without homes each year. Sunny, FlaxMan and Hope were all fortunate enough to by rescued by Kate and her husband who brought the birds into their home — a home that allows them to freely express themselves artistically. At the time this video was shot, the birds were donating a percentage of their earnings to charity and spending the rest on personal pleasures. Since the shooting of this video, Kate, Sunny, FlaxMan, and Hope have decided to donate 100% of the proceeds from wildpen to the shopper's choice of one of two bird sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers, to help ensure that more birds like those of wildpen have a safe and fulfilling life.

I suspect that some lucky shopper will walk (or flap) away with the collectible piece that Sunny found and FlaxMan chose for a wrap in this Process Video Feature:

Flaxman's Pendant from the Etsy Video

By wildpen, $22.

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Check out some of the other treasures that wildpen has to offer.

Copper, quartz bead and seaglass pendant

By wildpen, $20.

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Sea Glass and Garnet Pendant

By wildpen, $17.

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Precise flow of copper

By wildpen, $18.

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Citrine and Sea Glass Pendant in Copper

By wildpen, $20.

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Some enthused cockatoos!

Umbrella Cockatoo A Scrabble Tile Pendant

By thegildedlily, $6.95.

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Cockatoo

By wistfulfancy, $25.

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ACEO Cockatoo Painting Watercolor

By carlascreatures, $12.

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Elegant Lady Watercolor PRINT

By ellenmorrowarts, $5.

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Even if you don't live near the water, you can still gaze into the mist of the foggy, rust-covered, mossy piers, like the one just outside of wildpen's beachfront studio.

Foggy Pier

By schugirl, $20.

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Foggy Morning Pier 8x10 photo print

By kwmagnets, $10.

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The Three Stalwarts

By tnoble8238, $4.

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What Lies Beyond the Fog

By WestCoastEchoes, $2.95.

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If you're looking for something a little more tangible, but still can't make it to the beach, there are plenty of shops on Etsy where you can find raw beach glass. Sunny likes the green. It's hard to determine FlaxMan's favorite; he's a wild card with an ever-changing artistic temperament.

Sea Beach Glass Flawless RARE Cobalt Blue

From westcoastseaglass, $26.

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Pure Natural Sea Glass Victorian Antique Glass

From TidelineDesigns, $18.

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SALE Genuine Sea Glass Pieces

From SeaSideSupply, $15.

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GLASS BEACH, CA, ROOT BEER Beachglass

From artbycandice, $9.

View Item | View Shop

Check out our other videos from the Process Series and see how things get done around here!

You might also like this seaglass post & the Etsy Pets series

Browse Items from the Etsy For Animals Team

Process: Handmade Soap with BeyondThePicketFence

2009-05-22T16:07:00-04:00

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(music by Lineland)

Gwen Neucall of BeyondThePicketFence is not just a soaper, she's her own scientist and R&D lab. One might go as far as to call her a bathmatician. Well, I would anyway, after visiting Middletown, New York, where Gwen lives with her husband and two dogs and whips up soap from scratch in her home studio.

Gwen was gracious enough (and fast enough) to walk me through her entire process of making her signature Working Woman soap start to finish. Prior to this I knew very little about soap, but I left feeling like an expert. For those unfamiliar to the drill, soapmaking is a very involved and complex process — one where ingredients that are mixed together have to be carefully timed, as well as carefully planned in order to mix properly with one another. I had no idea the level of danger involved in making something that seems so soothing to skin, but there are times in a soap's early life when the soaper has to wear gloves in order to touch it. It takes a lot of research to dial in a great soap, and soap makers must really do their research as to what ingredients will mix well together and not fail. This results in not only a lot of reading, but also a great deal of hands-on trial and error.

For Gwen, it all started in 1996, when her mom — desperate to figure out what to do with a large sum of essential oils about to go bad — decided to try her hand at soap making. Gwen walked in on her with buckets of soap, and that was the birth of a mother-daughter business that her mother eventually left to Gwen to run on her own. But I won't steal her thunder, you can read more about that story in Gwen's Profile.

Bath and Beauty Showcase | Bath and Beauty Category

More Bath and Beauty Posts | SAFE Team

More Process Videos

Process: Sweet Peas with Kim Westad

2009-04-29T16:00:00-04:00

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Kim Westad is a ceramics artist who lives and works in the Bronx, New York. She opened up her studio to show me the delicate process involved in making her Sweet Pea porcelain vessels. The Sweet Peas are minimal and elegantly rotund little "characters," and despite having a simple matte white finish of unglazed porcelain on the outside, their true colors shine from the inside out. Each Sweet Pea is similar to the others, but completely unique in and of itself.

Kim's story starts like many others' — she was formally trained in Graphic Design — but after she found working for others artistically unfulfilling, she took a friend's advice and started attending a pottery class. Five years later she has the successful ceramics career she enjoys today.

Watching Kim's process firsthand, it's clear to me that she draws on her background to unify her work, but clearer still is that she is doing exactly what she was designed to do. Seeing her forms take shape through swift graceful movements is both inspiring and mesmerizing. Her hands and wrists move in calculated yet fluid motions, while her gaze is calmly fixed on every minute detail of her work.

With such a refined skill, it is difficult to imagine Kim making a mistake, but she says much of her success lies in errors. Like a phoenix from ashes, she concedes that if she can make something once — even if it fails — she can always make it better a second time.

Visit Kim's Shop | Watch more Process Videos | Ceramics and Pottery Category

Process: Felted Mouse Booties with PrettyLittle

2009-04-08T16:00:00-04:00

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I first became familiar with Lacey Smith of PrettyLittle's work when Vanessa ordered her felted mouse booties as a gift. I screamed. While I was working on this video, interestingly enough, anyone who got a glimpse of the footage had the same reaction: a squeal of delight. In fact, I've yet to meet someone who hasn't gasped, squealed, squawked, gawked, or become dizzy at the sight of Lacey's creations. There's not much cuter than a baby, but give Lacey a crack at an infant, and you're in for a serious cute overload. Just look at this cutie...

*GASP*

Lacey was gracious enough to invite us into her Portland, Oregon home, where she shared her refined process for making unbearably cute mouse booties. Lacey also gave some insight into the history of her craft and what motivates her to create these mousies, bunnies, and more.

When Lacey decided to start making gifts for family and friends with children on the way, she turned to the Internet and taught herself how to crochet. She started with yarn, and when she became dissatisfied with simple crocheted shoe patterns, she moved forward to felting her work. At this point, she's made hundreds of pairs of felted booties for little ones using patterns that she developed herself along the way. Like many crafters, she's sold her work at area craft fairs and boutiques. Today her success with online orders is all she can keep up with. If you know a fashionable baby (or even a puppy with baby-sized feet!), be prepared to see some of these booties toddling your way in the near future. Aw!

Handmade Kids Series | Process Video Series | Children's Category

Process: Vintage Lace Wedding Shrugs with Holly Stalder

2009-03-18T17:00:00-04:00

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(Music by Eric Beug. Animation by JuliaPott)

Holly Stalder is a prolific clothing designer working out of a cozy studio in Portland, Oregon. Her delicate and feminine clothing and accessories have gained wide acclaim in the blogosphere and in magazines such as SOMA, ELLE, Lucky, and W. Her intricate creations are also quite appealing to many brides-to-be.

We recently visited Holly's studio to see how she constructs her beautiful shrugs. The piece that we were lucky enough to catch Holly making is similar to the version showcased in Portland Bride & Groom, as seen below.

A large part of Holly's creative process comes from sourcing vintage material. Finding just the right lace, pearls or tulle gives each shrug or dress that she creates a unique touch.

Some of Holly's pieces are limited editions that vary slightly piece to piece, while others are one-of-a-kind masterpieces. It's truly amazing to watch her elegant sensibilities shine through as she adapts her materials to her patterns.

From Holly's Blog:

Faded velvet ribbons, Edwardian lace, and the beaded applique of a 1920's dress, aurora borealis rhinestone buttons. Holly's designs begin with her favored raw materials: salvaged antique fabrics and trims. Intrigued by the fragility of fabrics and how they age and wear over time, she incorporates these elements into her modern designs.

Holly's hand sewn accessories and formal wear are made with care and customizable to any formal occasion. They're truly that memorable addition that could make your wedding day.

Image courtesy: Holly Stalder

See more articles from the Handmade Weddings Series | See more Process Videos
Browse the Weddings Category

Process: Tin Toys by Loran Scruggs

2009-02-11T13:00:00-04:00

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(Music by Eric Beug and Boolar. Animation by JuliaPott)

Up in the most northern and western part of the United States lies the artsy little town of Port Townsend, Washington. There, in a chilly workshop, artisan Loran Scruggs fashions whistles, airplanes, elephants, sculptures, and all sorts of amazing oddities from the tin that she collects from all over the world. She uses the tab and slot method in upcycling the tin, an abundant and colorful resource.

We were lucky enough to catch up with Loran this December. We visited her studio to produce the fifth video in our Process series, where we focus on the artists' flow and the conception of handmade items, as shown by the unique and inspiring artisans who make them.

See more Process videos from this series.

Process: New Books with Old Materials by theblackspotbooks

2008-11-07T11:35:00-04:00

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Margaux Kent, aka theblackspotbooks, has always had a love for old things. Her handmade leatherbound books have the feel of beautiful antique manuscripts, like something out of a Medieval library that was used by a monk once upon a time. Her books tell stories while waiting for the words of new owners. It's a magical thing.

Margaux made her first book after her well loved vintage Italian journal fell apart at the seams. She could then see how the book was held together and from that experience she learned how to bind books. Then came the next part: what to cover the journals with? Being vegetarian, Margaux didn't want to buy new hides, so she started scouring secondhand shops where she lives in Philadelphia for old discarded leather.

Since then she has repurposed all sorts of well worn leather, from antique chairs, saddlebags, gunbelts to old purses. Her hunt for leather with a past life continues, ever searching for forgotten pieces that she can transform into new treasures.

The books she sells are so gorgeous, they challenge their owners to write really amazing words, do drawings, or paste photos!

Process is a new Etsy video series that features the intimate relationship formed between Etsy sellers and the handmade items that
they create and make available to the world through their online shops. Process is not to be confused with a How-To video, as each video isintended to show each seller's unique artistic voice through the process by which their items come to be.

Did you know you can get videos downloaded automatically by subscribing in iTunes! You can also check us out on Youtube, blip.tv and get the MP4 video too. Embed the video on your blog and you might just get a special treat from us.

In the comments, let us know if there's an artist's process you'd like to see in a video!

Process: Fused Dichroic Glass Rings by zulasurfing

2008-10-17T14:06:00-04:00

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This month, to continue the Storque's jewelry theme, we bring you this video featuring Gil, a former owner of a demolition company who now grinds and fuses glass. zulasurfing is comprised of husband and wife duo, Gil and Irena, based in New York. Gil is originally from Israel and Irena was born in Russia. They fashion a variety of brilliant jewelry pieces in their small, but well equipped studio in the Bronx. We focused in on the difficult and time intensive process of making a dichroic glass ring; zulasurfing's results are absolutely stunning.

Dichroic glass is manufactured by vaporizing various layers of metal oxides in a vacuum using an electron beam. The vapor then crystallizes on the surface in a way that translates different wavelengths of light, producing a colorful sparkle. Gil uses this type of glass to his advantage by fusing it in layers with other pieces of colored glass and clear glass — unique designs appear embedded in the finished product. Gil and Irena work together to determine which colors, which type of dichroic glass, and which shape the overall ring will take.

We are happy to be able to share some of the finished rings themselves in the video because it is difficult to communicate their magnificence with photography alone, but even the videos don't do the rings themselves justice. They are truly majestic when beheld

Irene also does metalsmithing and glass etching and Gil makes some small sculptural glass pieces, so make sure to check out zulasurfing's other designs in their shop.

[etched glass pendants]

[casts of fused glass bricks]

[jewelry made from amethyst geodes]

Process is a new Etsy video series that features the intimate relationship formed between Etsy sellers and the handmade items that they create and make available to the world through their online shops. Process is not to be confused with a How-To video, as each video is intended to show each seller's unique artistic voice through the process by which their items come to be.

Jewelry tagged Dichroic Glass | More Process Videos on the Storque | Jewelry Lover's Gift Guide

Process: Ziptie Rings by Metalnat

2008-10-03T12:00:00-04:00

The studio of Natalia Gomensoro, aka Metalnat, walks the line of serene organization and cluttered potential. Natalia grew up in Uruguay and comes to jewelry with a background in design and architecture. She got started making jewelry in 1994 and studied with Latin American jewelers before moving to Brooklyn. In this edition of Process, we get a chance to see Natalia resize one of her rings cast from a zip tie.

Natalia's work has an industrial feel to it. She uses materials that you wouldn't expect in jewelry like cement, rubber O-rings, and magnets.

Did you know you can get videos downloaded automatically by subscribing in iTunes! You can also check us out on Youtube, blip.tv and get the MP4 video too.

In the comments, let us know if there's an artist's process you'd like to see in a video!

Process: Sustainable Wooden Jewelry by PrasseinDesignStudio

2008-09-26T12:31:00-04:00

Seattle native Shawn Taylor of prasseindesignstudio is sharing her process of making a wooden wrist cuff with us in conjunction with our themes of woodworking and jewelry making.

As a designer, Shawn works with architects designing spaces, and she applies her knowledge of certified wood and recycled materials in a way that makes her designs both safe for habitation and easy on the environment. Shawn is very passionate about sustainability and has partnered with ecohaus, a sustainable urban building supply company based in the Northwest.

While ecohaus attempts to reuse all of their materials in one way or another, the shipping crates that carry their bulk materials often break in the warehouse and then have to be chipped up to be effectively reused in other building materials. Through her relationship with this building supplier, Shawn has inserted herself into that ecosystem to prevent some of the more exotic woods from being destroyed by upcycling scraps into stunning yet minimal wooden accessories.

Shawn was kind enough to take me to the ecohaus branch in south Seattle, where we met Elliott Kopet, her friend and knowledgeable sales associate who led us through the warehouse, sharing various places for Shawn to scavenge for reusable scraps of wood. Shawn's passion for wood was instantly revealed by her ability to accurately identify a variety of different woods all with varying degrees of weather damage. After gleaning what she could from the scrap pile, we continued to Shawn's home wood shop in north Seattle where she transformed a piece of scrap lumber into a magnificent wrist cuff. The piece, Nature's Barcode no. 1, highlights the sustainably farmed certification stamp that was burned into the wood itself, sharing the story of its origins. As stated in her shop announcements, 25% of Shawn's sales from the Natures Barcode series will be donated to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

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