Creating Success Around the World - Made by iSa (France)

It's time for our weekly showcase of crafters and artisans from countries around the world. I'm the Europe host for this global blog hop, and you'll want to make sure to click on my fellow hosts for North America, Asia and Australia at the end of the post for more great interviews.






This week's European creative showcase:
MADE BY ISA

Who:  Isabelle at Made by iSa
Where:  Rambouillet, France (south of Paris)

BVC:  When did your passion for crafting begin?
Isabelle:  Since childhood I've always been attracted by DIY and crafting.  But clearly this passion accelerated when I became a student and needed to decorate and furnish my student room - and later my home. One of the DIY creations that was a starting point for me:  a button curtain made ten years ago  for my home !  Since then I've never stopped creating and learning creative technics in different areas to satisfy all my creative desires, from textile crafts to the recycling or repurposing of objects.

2000 buttons!

BVC:  Do you have a day job? 
Isabelle:  I followed scientific studies (nobody is perfect ;-) !). I'm currently a homework teacher in mathematics. I coach students of differents ages (children, teenagers), some with handicaps. I love this job for its human aspect. What is also fun with this job is that it meets my passion for DIY:  I sometimes organize creative workshops with my youngest students. DIY is definitely a good complimentary way to teach mathematics, geometry, logic, concentration, ...

clothing repurposed as notebook covers

BVC:  Have you ever sold any of your crafts? If so, do you have any suggestions for other crafters who want to sell their creations?
Isabelle:  I started to sell my textile crafts one year ago. I have direct sales (through a blog dedicated to my textile creations), I participate in exhibitions and I distribute in local shops. An Esty shop is also under development.

My first suggestion for other crafters who would like to sell their creations: to have a personal touch as much as possible, not to copy what everybody is doing !

lavender sachets

BVC:  How is the do-it-yourself (DIY) and crafting industry in France?  
Isabelle:  DIY is trendy in France. People want-need to personalize their home, clothes, ... They are proud to say: "I made it by myself ". The enthusiasm for DIY is also motivated by economical reasons or sometimes by ecological  ones, and the recycling or repurposing of old objects being definitely trendy !  And society is so stressfull:  people need to spend time in a pleasant way. To have hands busy, to do things by oneself is a good loophole!

Isabelle turned an old postcard rack into a photo gallery in her home

BVC:  What is your 'dream craft' project?  
Isabelle:  In my dreams, I would like to have a collective craft room with other local crafters that would be a place for exhibiting ours crafts, sharing our ideas, meeting people, organizing DIY workshops for children in social or scolar difficulties, etc.

BVC:  Can you share 3 other French craft blogs that you think our readers should see?

There are so many talented girls on the french blogosphere ! Too difficult to choose. So... it would be at least 4 blogs or nothing :-) !

Facile Cecile         
The queen of embroidery !

MariMerveille             
Lovely bohemian creations and atmosphere!

Rose Minuscule   
So much poetry and sensitivity ! Each creation tells a story !

Trois fois Rien                   
Fabulous creations made up with small pieces of fabric, wood and wire !

BVC:  Fill in the blank:   If I were in Paris, I would ______________
Isabelle:  have a walk along the "Canal Saint Martin". Such a romantic and soothing place ! I would sit on a bench and then I would take time, daydream, watch people on the street, imagine their life...perhaps find inspiration for new creations... and also visit some of the nice shops in the surrounding area.

Canal Saint Martin - Paris, France

BVC:  Which of your own websites would you like our readers to visit?
My personal creative blog is Made by iSa.
Made by iSa Creations is my professional blog dedicated to textile creations.
And also, why not, my garden blog (I also have a passion for flowers and gardens!)

Merci beaucoup to Isabelle for sharing her time and talents with us all. What I love most are the little peeks at who she is as a creative person via the projects she created for her home. You might remember an inspirational collection of repurposed washing machine drum projects that I posted back in September. Isabelle's own washing machine drum repurposed as a side table was the inspiration for that post.

Isabelle's Made by iSa blog is in French, but if you scroll down the right column a bit, you'll see language options for English, Spanish, and Italian. And of course if you are using Google Chrome as your browser you'll get an instant option to translate the page (it's my favorite browser on a PC).


If you'd like to catch up with past interviews, check out:
Handmade by Kallaristi (Greece)
Annemarie's Haakblog (the Netherlands)


Now it's time for you to hop over to see who's been discovered in North America, Australia, or Asia.












Are you also in Europe and would like to be considered for an interview feature? Leave me a comment at the end of the post, or send an e-mail with your website/blog.

**Don't forget to add your own blog or website to the link party below to connect with new creative soulmates from across the world.


Until next time...
Mike

Artizen Magazine

The newest edition of Artizen Magazine is out....with an article by yours truly (on page 30)! Just click on the cover below and you'll head straight there.

If you haven't checked out this magazine yet...now's the time. It's free and it's digital, and it doesn't get any better than that!  Cindy Marks is the creative director for the magazine and you can find her at Facebook  or the Artizen Magazine website.

I'm so excited because Cindy asked if I was interested to contribute (as if it were up for discussion) and I get to showcase my favorites - recycled and repurposed artists and artisans. And here's a sneak peek at my feature this month.

Ina was born in Chile but has been living in Barcelona, Spain, for the past several years. She works with recycled clothes in a style that reminds me of knit bombing (you might remember my own style of knit bombing...since I don't knit!). Check out the full article to learn more.

While you are there, leave your e-mail at Artizen Magazine and you'll get a monthly notification when the newest editions are published.

Until next time...
Mike


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A Day's Worth of Inspiration - Repurposed DIY

I love recycled. I love upcycled. I love thrifted. I love junked. 

But my absolutely favorites are...repurposed!

Camille Styles

Luggage as cat bed

1453designs

vintage cameras as bookends

Once Upon a Time

crate as funky chair

Jeremy Petrus

bike seats as bench

Etsy

end table as wall planter

Merrypad

cardboard as lampshade

next two are from Frugal Mechanic

Frugal Mechanic

car transmission as sink

Frugal Mechanic

sockets as coffee table

Gordon Bennett

kitchenware as robot sculpture

Carbono Design

plastic crates as credenza

decor8 at Flickr

end tables as shelves

Was there something that inspired you? Wanna see more?

Repurposed DIY:  289 repurposed DIY projects from around the world

Recycled DIY:  13 recycled DIY projects from around the world

Upcycled DIY:  23 upcycled DIY projects from around the world

Lots more:  2500 inspiring DIY projects by categories at Pinterest

Until next time...

Mike

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14 Holiday DIY Ideas in 14 Days

It's gonna be good holiday fun this year! Diane at Home Sweet Homemade (the original inspiration behind my recycled button bouquet) has invited 14 of her favorite creative bloggers (yours truly included) to participate in the 2011 Make it Merry event featuring a new DIY holiday project each day for 14 days. And all in plenty of time for you to be inspired and create your own holiday decor this season.

Here's what you have to look forward to:

My ideas aren't fully formed yet, but they do involve twigs or branches with at least one project. And a whole lot of trial and error, I'm sure!

If you want to create something new and organic using twigs, branches, driftwood, or other kinds of found and reclaimed wood pieces, visit this Pinterest board with 65 inspirational DIY project ideas. And let me know if you have seen a great project or made something fabulous yourself that you'd like to add to the collection.

Until next time...
Michael


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Creating Success Around the World - Handmade by Kalliristi (Greece)

It's Tuesday evening in Europe, Tuesday morning in the Americas, and Wednesday morning in Australia and Asia. That means it's time for the weekly global blog hop, "Creating Success Around the World". Blue Velvet Chair is your European host on this blog road trip.

If you missed last week, there's still time to catch up with Annemarie's Haakblog in Holland. She's got some wonderful crochet crafts that pop with color and happiness abounds the minute you land on her blog. And I still say that Dutch bloggers are some of the most supportive in the world.

And don't forget to include your blog in the link party at the bottom of the post if you want to connect with other bloggers on this global trip. We had some great connections last week!


This week's European creative showcase:
Handmade by Kalliristi
Who:  Sisters Rita and Poppy at Handmade by Kalliristi
Where:  Thessaloniki and Katerini, Greece

BVC:  You are two sisters that create and sell together. When did your passion for crafting begin?

Rita and Poppy:  From really early on! We did not really have much choice, with two busy-bee parents who could make anything with their hands, despite their day jobs as teachers! Apart from these role models, Santa Claus (our Mum, Elli) would always bring us creative toys: polymer clay, wire flowers, glass painting... Apart from that, we would spend summers in our country house, where, apart from making "magic potions" out of rose petals and walnut tree leaves, we would always be making something in Dad's workroom, using whatever we could find. I (Poppy) had even made dolls out of floor wood remnants and fabric scraps!

BVC:  Do you both have day jobs?
Poppy:  I am a psychologist. I teach at the University, I am an author, editor and a therapist. Too many part-time jobs at the moment, because of the [economic] situation in Greece!
Rita:  I am currently a full-time mum to a bouncy 3-month old baby, Iasonas, and a PhD student in Comparative Literature.

BVC:  It looks like you sell your products online. Do you make money, and what are your best tips for selling on Etsy or other online marketplaces?
Rita and Poppy:  Kalliristi is a new baby, so how much money we'll make remains to be seen. Our tips are: good quality, low prices, start small, have a good network of friends, create with love, pay attention to details such as pretty packaging and never quit your day job :-)

BVC:  How is the do-it-yourself (DIY) and crafting industry in your homeland of Greece? 
Rita and Poppy:  Getting bigger and bigger, judging from the art material shops and the big corporations that sell DIY products. Not enough thrift shops though, only antiqueries. In terms of knitting, crocheting and sewing, women here in Greece have been doing it for generations, but the online community of crafters is only now picking up. But an interesting thing has happened because of the recession: a sudden surge of mending shops, which are popping up at every street corner! We hope that the ‘mend and make do’ mentality of our difficult times will make people appreciate again an activity that used to be considered fit only for the poor! 

BVC:  What is your 'dream craft' project (something you currently do yourself or something someone else does)?
Poppy:  I can't wait to make a window shutter room divider! 

Rita:  I would love to make a room full of bags for all occasions in all crazy fabric combinations!

BVC:  Can you share 3 other craft blogs that you think our readers should see?

Rita and Poppy:


How Can I Recycle This
A question/answer blog dedicated to recycling and reuse. They take your questions and your suggestions.



Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle

Showcases upcycled projects from across blogland.

Crafty Nest

Bump up the fancy...for less.

BVC:  Fill in the blank:   If I were in Paris, I would ______________

Poppy:  ...probably be cold, so I'd be sipping coffee at a bistro, jotting down notes and sketches for my next projects! 
Rita:  ...pop my baby in the sling and take a leisurely stroll down Boulevard Saint-Michel to check out the used-books stalls, and then have a hot coffee at the Kong, overlooking the Pont Neuf. The view is phenomenal!

A big THANKS to Rita and Poppy for sharing a bit of themselves with us. They also shared these photos taken last week at their summer house in Koukos, Greece, showing them picking grapes (among other things) to make their own wine - in the true spirit of DIY.

Why did I feature Rita (short for Aristi) and Poppy (short for Kalliope) this week? Because their blog is relatively new and I think it's important to support new bloggers, they are using recycled materials when possible, and if you haven't heard anything about Greece lately then you haven't heard about Europe lately. With a country on the edge of economic collapse, a new government on the heels of a resigned prime minister, murmurs of leaving the Euro currency bloc, and a nation treading carefully, the message of reuse and recycle resounds even stronger in Greece as Rita and Poppy echo in their interview.

Thanks again to these creative sisters who are making their way in a troubled national economy. Best of luck!

Make sure to visit the other continent hosts below (simply click on their icon) for other exciting talents across the world. Hosts for South America and Africa recently became free, so if you are reading this and you live on those continents, let us know!






**Don't forget to add your own blog or website to the link party below to connect with new creative soulmates from across the world.


Until next time...
Mike