Free Press Friday - Sunny Days Embroidery

Boy am I ever glad it's Friday! This has been one trying week, and I don't think I have ever been happier to see the weekend roll around. In honor of this crazy week I've had, I chose an artisan for Free Press Friday who helps bring the fun back into life. Whenever I have a bad day, or need something to break an angry or foul mood, I go window shop in her studio. I have yet to leave without a giggle.

Meet Fran, the Queen of Quirky. She's the genius behind the awesome patches, lipbalm holders, koozies and assorted other awesomeness at Sunny Days Embroidery. She's been selling on Etsy for three years, and she's been on Artfire since November of last year. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Fran on a more personal level because she's one of my Plurk buddies, and I can assure you she is every bit as cool and funny as her studios imply. In addition to her shops, you can find Fran on Twitter, Blogger, and Myspace. She also has a really cool Flickr page (which is where I stole all the pics in the post!).

Fran holds a special place in my heart because so many of her pieces involve ninjas. On top of that, she's even helping me design a cool, custom ninja patch to repair my beloved snowboard pants! (On one of my many falls last year I ripped them, and now my little ninja booty gets cold and wet when it hits the snow! Thank goodness Fran is coming to my rescue... I guess you could say she's literally helping to save my ass!)

Please check out all the fun, funky finds in her studios! I've chosen my favorites for the spotlight below, but I assure you there are far more goodies there than any mere spotlight can hold! Go say hello to Fran, and remember, she always welcomes custom orders! (Btw, for every order Fran gets right now she's donating $1.00 to her friend JoAnn to help offset the cost of her husband's upcoming surgery. So, not only would you be getting something cool and truly unique, you'd be doing a good deed in the process! What more could you ask for?)


♥

* Would you like to be featured on Free Press Friday? Just leave a comment and tell me that! I'll be in touch shortly!*

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Do You Make a Difference?

I've noticed that there are a lot of artisans who generously give of their time and talents to help the community around them. I am continually amazed at the outpouring of kindness and compassion shown in the handmade community. So I want to give back to those who have given so much to everyone else.

I want to start featuring each of these artisans on a weekly basis here on Ninja Jenn. My sincere hope is that you, my wonderful readers, will be both enlightened and inspired by what these awesome women and men are doing. I ask that, as you read their features, you take the time to look at both their studios and their causes. I will hopefully have the first feature up by next Monday, so please check back to see who is making a difference around here!

Additionally, if you are one of these artisans, please let me know! I want each of you to be a prominent feature here, and I want to do all I can to spread awareness of your cause. I promise I will not judge, so, no matter what your cause may be, if it matters to you, let it matter to me!

If you want to be featured in the future, or you know of an artisan that deserves to be recognized, please leave me a comment with your name and a link to your studio/blog!

♥

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Free Press Friday - Creative Critters

WOO HOO! It's Friday! And we all know what that means, right? Time to stage a "ninja invasion" of another artisan studio and see what sort of awesomeness we can find!

This week's artisan is someone I found on Artfire just recently. She posted in the forums, and I couldn't help but take a peek inside her studio. She's Creative Critters, and her work is so cool, I sent her an email asking her to let me feature her on a Free Press Friday post. She was kind enough to say yes, and I am so happy she did! i can't wait to show the world her awesome art!

Let me start by introducing her to you guys. Her name is Michelle, and she's from Fairview Park, Ohio. She's 33 (which I think is a fine age to be LOL), and she has the ability to take a lump of polymer clay and work miracles with it! When I asked her about herself, she told me "I love all animals, being outdoors and active, anything dealing with fantasy, and working in the garden. When I create, I put my soul into my work- I truly love what I do. And I'm really enjoying getting to know some of the other artists on Artfire!" Well you know what? I couldn't agree with her more! Seems like she's loving her Artfire studio as much as I love mine!

Michelle makes polymer clay sculptures, mixed media jewelry, adorable cloth dolls, knit toys, polymer clay pen sets, and World of Warcraft plush characters, all of which you can find in her studio. She also blogs and maintains a Flickr page (where you can see tons of her awesomely cute sculptures!) If you want to make a more personal connection with her, you can find her on both Facebook and Myspace.

I love that Michelle seems to have a little bit of a "geeky side" (as do I!), and it shows in all her wonderful fantasy based pieces! But don't let her fool you... This girl can make just about anything from clay... as you will see if you look around her studio!

I tried to pick a variety of things from her studio to add to my spotlight, but there is no way I can begin to show you all her cool stuff! Please go shop around a bit... I promise you will be amazed at her talent! (And her prices are so reasonable it's crazy!)




It's been my real pleasure to meet Michelle! She's always so sweet in the forums, and her work is truly an inspiration! Good luck to you, Michelle! I imagine you will have great success around here!

♥

* Want to be featured on Free Press Friday? Leave a comment with your name and a link to your shop and I will be in touch! *

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Free Press Friday - Painted Bull

Happy Friday everyone! It's my favorite day, as it's the day that I get to spend window shopping and picking out my favorite things! This week, my focus is on Painted Bull. I first saw her studio on Artfire, but if you keep reading, you will see this talented lady is all over the internet!

Painted Bull isn't really a bovine at all (in case you're curious!). She's actually a very lovely and talented artisan named JJ (This makes her extra cool in my book, because I'm a "JJ", too! LOL), and she's from the mountains of Georgia. JJ has a degree in Medieval History, which, according to her website, makes her "fascinated with the historic aspect regarding art and culture".



JJ is a weaver, and, to be honest, until I actually visited her studio, I thought she made blankets.
Boy am I embarrassed! But I'm also happy to see that I am wrong... and even happier to see what she does make! (Not that she can't make blankets... she's just too busy making other cool stuff I think!) On Artfire, she sells woven jewelry, the likes of which I can almost guarantee you've never seen. She also has hair accessories listed there, and categories in place for rugs, scarves, and even homespun yarn. JJ also has a studio at 1000markets, and you can see even more woven awesomeness there!

If you're just looking to learn a little more about the face behind Painted Bull, you can visit JJ's Facebook page or her Myspace page. She also has an indiepublic page you can check out where you'll see more of her work exhibited and also learn about her favorite movies, book, and artists! Also, if you're like me, and addicted to Twitter, you can even follow her there!

My favorite thing about JJ has got to be her blogs, though. You can read her "normal person" posts on Blogger, but if you're more the adventurous type (and you can stand a few "bad words" LOL), head over to Wefty Woman and check it out! Be warned though, it's not for the feint of heart! And I would advise taking a snack with you... 'cause the reading there is totally addictive! (WARNING: do NOT drink while reading Wefty Woman. Your monitor will be in perilous danger!)

Check out all the awesome stuff that JJ is making these days! I'm sure you won't be disappointed if you head over to her studios!


(I'm trying something new this week, and using ByHand.me to make a spotlight. You guys tell me if you like is this way, or if you'd rather I go back to just choosing two listings each week.)

Thanks, JJ, for letting me feature you! It's been a pleasure to meet you, and I wish you all the best with your art!

<3

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I Was Noticed by MarionsDreamWorks!!!

WOW! I woke up to an email this morning saying I had been blogged! What a great surprise!

And I couldn't have been noticed by a nicer person either! Marion allowed me to do some custom work for her a short while ago, and I never dreamed it would end in such a sweet write up!

You are welcome to read her post, but please, go check out her wonderful studio first!!!

Thanks so much, Marion! You have been a pleasure to work with, and an even greater pleasure to befriend!

(Now everyone head over to Marion's blog and show her some love, please!)
<3

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Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

Well, not really... I'm only like 1/4 Irish. LOL

But I do love green! Maybe that's why I've always celebrated St. Patrick's day to fullest... or maybe it's the beer... Regardless, I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the awesome handmade goodies I found over on Artfire. They're all perfect for getting you in the spirit of things today, and they have the added benefit of keeping you "pinch free"!





Feel free to click on each picture to get a better look at the item!

Happy St. Patty's to each of you!

<3

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