Sunday, March 16, 2008

Pretty Things Spotlight: * Elephantine *

Update:
Congratulations! Amber is the winner of the Elephantine "Menagerie Tour" notecard contest! Thanks so much to everyone who entered...and be sure to check out this week's give-a-way treat by Tambatoys!

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Elephantine is a whimsical little shop full of quirky little monster plushies, cards and stickers. Each little cutie plushie is lovingly handcrafted and therefore has a unique personality of its very own.




"I love making things. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to open a little
shop and share my creations with other people."



In my own little wunderland imagination,
these little critters seem to come alive... romping about the flowers in a lush green meadow or hiding behind the mushrooms in the forest, just waiting to jump out and play!



Spotlight: Elephantine



*Tell us a bit about yourself

My name's Rachel Blakley and I live, work, and play in Sea
ttle, WA. I'm an interactive designer by day, then trade in my keyboard and mouse at night for some felt and a needle. I'm an only child, I took German during college, I used to make a magazine when I was really young called "Kid's World" but sold it to my (adult) relatives, my contacts are different colors so I don't mix them up, I like 80's music and 90's movies, I would eat pasta for the rest of my life if I could, since the very beginning I've wanted to be a novelist, and I've known my boyfriend since we were in kindergarten.


* What inspires you?

Other Etsians constantly inspire me – I love having that, "wow, I would have never thought of making it that way," reaction to something. Before I starting creating things, I had this kind of hard-to-pin-down idea in my head about what I wanted the overall look and feel of my work to be like, and I've been working hard since then to attain that daydream. Usually I'll sketch a lot until something evolves that I think would work as a plushie or as an illustration.


* Apart from creating things, what do you do for fun?

Pretty typical activities, I think: watching movies (a sucker for sci-fi and good foreign
films), cooking (nothing gourmet), both window and splurge shopping, reading (salinger, plath, and ellis are some of my favorites). I like to play tennis during the summer. My moody, complaining cat named Rufus keeps me on my toes as well.



* What has been your most memorable
moment selling your art?
Being contacted for wholesale and custom orders is a great confidence booster. I
also always love when someone lets me know how they found my work, or what occasion they're purchasing it for. Etsy is such a great support system for both brand new and experienced artists.

* Any advice for fellow artists...
I think what's most important is
to make things because you love to do it. And try to show not only what you can make but who you as a person. People are more drawn to work when they can learn about the process or know a little about the artist's life. It makes perfect sense... when you really think about it, the point of all this creating and crafting is to connect with other people.

Etsy Shop: http://elephantine.etsy.com
Blog: http://elephantine.typepad.com




(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸ * ◦ *¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)

Enter this week's Give-a-way!!

The give-a-way for this is week is the sweetest little notecard entitled "Menagerie Tour" by our featured artist, Elephantine!

The "menagerie tour" notecard is a print of an original artwork illustration drawn first in ink, then colored digitally. Printed on a natural colored card.

How to enter:
Take a peek into Elephantine's shop and comment here on what your favourite item is from her sweet little shop! If your favourite Elephantine goodie is not part of your comment, your entry will be disqualified.



All entries must be received before next Sunday's feature, meaning the deadline is to the very last most littlest minute and second of Saturday, March 22nd, 2008, PST. This contest is open to everyone around the globe, but please leave a viable way for us to contact you. Duplicate entries will be deleted. The winner's name will be drawn out of a hat...the good ole' fashioned way to do things.


Best of luck!


24 comments:

LoveMeKnot Creations said...

omg i loooovvvveee this shop!
and i looovvve this http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10082104
July the Lion, CUTE!
Great feature:)

kelly barton art + design said...

me too. i have a couple of her things in my favorites!

woolies said...

I love the paper doll and all of the plushies. (why don't I have a little girl??? boys don't like paper dolls, especially teenage boys......)
:0)

Steph said...

This shop is so cute. One of my favorites was Hal, moustaches are so adorable.

Oh Mandie said...

I'm quite smitten with Maxine! Her little cupcake and her little fangs go quite well together :-)

Great shop!

kelly barton art + design said...

i love cooper, didn't mention that the firstime!

Unknown said...

That paper doll is ADORABLE!!! As is everything else in the whole shop! What a fantastic feature!!

Marisa

Bunny B said...

I love all the plushies, especially the lion, July! :)

Heidi said...

My favourite item in the shop of Elephantine is Nini! Because my goal in life is also to be reunited with my long-lost miniature friend the yeti. Perhaps it is even the same yeti that Nini is searching for. :)

Anonymous said...

Paper doll is definitely my favorite. It brought back some childhood memories for me :)

Anonymous said...

so cute

MyArtInProgress said...

let see my favorite thing from the elephantine shop is the 'whisper notecard' I just find that adorable.
I hope I win :)

windycindy said...

Greetings, What an adorable shop you have. I had to look at everything at least twice in an attempt to pick one favorite item. It is definitely "Maxine!" She is just too cute! Her strawberry cupcake adds more cuteness to her. I am very happy that I have found your artistic creations! Thanks,Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

Very Mary said...

I, too, have a bit of a crush on July!

ei! kumpel said...

I love her work, and she seem such a nice girl :)

My favourite is this guy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10146847

Amber said...

My favorite is Maxine and her cupcake =) Please enter me for this very adorable card!

My email is hurdler4eva [at] gmail [dot] com

Melissa Markham said...

Raven, I wanted to let you know that you were the winner of the Gloves in a Bottle sample via random drawing. Drop me an email at melissamarkham(at)takethemat(dot)com and get me your snail mail addy so I can send you your prize:)

Congrats!

Joelle Dolce Bebe said...

Hey sweets!
Just wanted to say Hi & checking in on all your goodies & info.
Hope you two are fantastic & making those dreams come true!!!

DREAM WITH YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN ~
Joelle XO


*Try something totally diff. & shock yourself 7 those around you!
TRY IT! ; )

Anonymous said...

My favorite is definitely Petra. She's just adorable. (Of course *whispers* it's hard to choose from such a delightful menagerie)

Little Pods Clothing said...

What a wonderful shop and a lovely blog! A great gift for any occassion.

Smarty Pants said...

nini is my favorite. Makes me think of something a child would carry around for 3 years.

Anonymous said...

super cute shop! love the perry & cary paper dolls; remind me of way, waaaay back when.:-)

Raven said...

This contest is now closed...

Congratulations to AMBER who is the winner of the Elephantine "Menagerie Tour" notecard. I will be contacting you regarding shipping information. :)

xxx
Raven

Anonymous said...

thank you everyone for leaving such nice comments! I truly appreciate it :)

xo,
rachel