Time to get it out there

Well it has taken much longer than intended to get photos of our First Year final show up on this here blog.
But alas, here I am with time on my hands, in LA while Christian is at work waiting to leave for Costa Rica to get married.
So without further ado here they are.
Enjoy!

A shot of my forest canopy/tent/fort in the daylight, it is even more magical at night!

This one has a close up of the tiny led votives I added some of my green dyed fabric to for a look of glowing grass.

A peak inside.

Kathryn Bradshaw with her amazingly beautiful books.

Kathryn Bradshaw's impeccably binded book, she's got talent comin' out the wazoo!

William Ruek's Barn, with real live ducks.

Heather Bromer's modified teddy bears.

Killeen Hansen's Papercut Slide Narrative set-up.

Some of Killeen's slides projected onto the wall.

Karl Ramentol's felt bike seats and lamp.

Sheri Earnhart's set design.

Jody Dunphy's seeded and growing paper.

Sheri inside my forest canopy, probably my favorite shot of the night:)

Me and Christian enjoying a break from the show inside the forest canopy with our roommates.

Looking up inside the forest canopy!

And finally a shot of the inside of the forest canopy/tent/fort.

So if you made it through all those photos, I also made a video (my first one ever!) of the dyeing process for this project.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

Till next time!
Hope you are all enjoying your summer:)

Welcome to Portland!

So I've been a bit busy between moving to Portland and starting school, that I have neglected my poor little bloggy blog:(  But worry no more for I will be continually documenting my journey through school, and my new life here in Portland!

For those of you that dont know I moved to Portland at the end of August to go back to school to earn my Masters of Fine Arts in Applied Craft and Design, (a joint program between PNCA and OCAC)... You may say what the heck does that mean?  Well to be honest we are all learning the history of the terms right now in our classes so none of us are really sure the literal translation.  But basically we are getting an MFA in Designing and Making our own work/products.  Its an incredible opportunity as this is a one-of-a-kind degree that is unlike any other out there, and I must say I am proud and excited to be a part of a new revolution in higher education!  Still confused?  Dont worry I will be describing the program in further detail as I go along in future posts.

For now I will share some photos of our first group project that we are working on called the Design Build.  This is a two week (10 day) intensive project where we as classmates design and BUILD a space for a revolutionary condo complex called Eco-Flats.  This is designed into the curriculum as a team building exercise for the class as a way for us to become closer and really get to know one another and our skills.  And a chance to learn some new techniques that we might never have been exposed to.

Here is the layout of the complex.  We are building on the area labeled Stormwater Basin

Site visit to hear from the Developers Jean-Pierre Veillet and Doug Shapiro

A view of the site from the second story of the complex

After the site visit it was back to the studio to brainstorm and build models of our ideas to present to the Developers.

Brainstorming and Building models

Near the end of the Design process we broke up into 2 groups to build on our ideas and presented 2 options to the Developers.

Group 1 - living green wall with a secret garden canopy

Group 1 model side view

Group 2 model top view - a beautiful corner deck with mobile green wall panels

Group 2 model side view

So a decision was reached and we are now building a Living Green Wall and a wooden walkway over the 580 sqft storm water basin.

We just finished our 7th day in the process and are well on our way to completing the project by Wed 9/22:)

I think that is a good introduction so far, stay tuned for more photos of the process and more insight to this brand new program!

One Trick Pony

So with the unusual slowness of my Etsy shop this past month it has left me to ponder my tactics and strategies as far as my shop goes.   So many questions are running through my mind, and I thought, "hey maybe you can help me answer some of them" :)
I have never been a planner, always a "Fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl".  I love learning new techniques and making new products, and have found that reproducing tons of the exact same product tends to bore me.  So it brought up the question...Am I a One Trick Pony?  And if so, is it a bad thing?
For me its the thrill and excitement of creating something new and finding ways to make it different or unique to my shop that really gets my creative juices flowing!  Like creating some fun fabric or crocheted flowers and finding a way to incorporate them into a headband...and then making the flower removable so that it can be placed on a hair clip:) Viola!

The funny thing is, I have been taught all the right ways to create a "successful line"on and off of Etsy; create several variations on one theme, have a signature product/image that is recognizable to the customer, stick with one product and offer a lot of variety within that product,  all things that seem to contradict my strategy of making for the LOVE of making!  Do I compromise the way I want to create to make more money?

My Button Earrings (like the ones below) have always been my best seller.  Are they my best seller simply because there are so many to choose from in my shop?

 

Second on the best seller list would be my Hand Knit Cup Cozys, although I have slowed on these since its getting warmer and I am not sure there is much demand for Knit Cup Cozys. (but I could be totally wrong:)

 And then there is one of my favorites, my Hand Knit Mobius Cowls  in a 100% Merino Wool that is hand dyed by a womans Co-Op in Uruguay!
These seem to do well at shows but I have only sold one from my shop....hmmmmm? 



And then there are my other Hand Knit or Crocheted jewelry pieces.  Like the Bow Tie Necklaces and Button Bracelets and Cuffs I have a few of these in my shop that seem to just be hanging out.

Do I need to create more Hand Knit Button Bracelets and Necklaces for them to do well?


This leads me to my last question. 
What would you like to see more of in my shop?
-Button Earrings
-Hand Knit Cup Cozys
-Headbands
-Unique hand knit jewelry like the Bow Tie Necklace and Button Bracelets/Cuffs
-Or would you like to continually see more new items like Fiber Flower Headbands, and maybe some Aprons..?

And please do not take this as a 'feel sorry for me post' that is not my intention and am not looking for pitty:)
I am simply looking for advice from others that view my shop from a different pair of eyes...a customers eyes.
So go ahead check out my shop AmyMayDesign and leave your feedback in the comments, or feel free to email me with your thoughts, either way I would love to hear your opinions!

Oh and if anyone can tell me what Movie the quote from above is ("Fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl"), wins Free Shipping on their next purchase!
Hint: its an oldie but a goooooodie:)

And be sure to stay tuned next week as I will be revealing a brand spankin' new Etsy Artist who is just amazing!

Welcome to the Blogosphere!

Well Hello there Blogosphere how do you do?

I've done it, I have made the leap and started a blog!
So to those of you out there reading my first blog post, Hello, and thank you for stopping through:)
I have been contemplating what to write in this here first blog post to give you readers out there a good idea of what this blog will be all about.
I have decided the best way is to conduct a mini introduction interview hosted by Mr.Blogosphere himself who will be asking the tough questions and digging deep to get the "real me" exposed.
So let us begin!

Mr.Blogosphere: So Miss Amy May who are you and where do you come from?

Amy May: Well my birth given name is Amanda May, but my nickname is Amy and have been called both all of my life. Think of it as my stage name;) I am originally from the corn fed midwest city of St.Louis Missouri, but currently live a much more exciting life here in El Segundo CA.

Mr. Blogosphere: Hmmmm interesting, what is it you do?

Amy May: Well I do lots of things, but recently I spend a lot of my time working on my Etsy shop which I am really passionate about. So I am constantly making and designing items for my shop as well as photographing them, listing them all while trying to learn how to make my Etsy shop a successful Handmade Business:) If I am not working on things for my shop than I am usually doing other crafty things and learning new techniques, like machine and hand embroidery, quilting, dying yarn, dying fabric, mostly all things Fibers. And if my hands are not full of fabric yarn or thread, then I am biking, camping & hiking,

rock climbing,


snowboarding (which I dont get to do often)











walking on the beach, taking turbo kick boxing, pilates or boot camp classes at the gym (I love being active), and of course hanging out with my wonderful fiancee!

Mr.Blogosphere: What brings you here to the Blogosphere?

Amy May: I have been toying with the idea of starting a blog for many reasons. For one its a great way to keep track of what I am working on and share it with family and friends and anyone else who is interested, and its a great log for myself to look back on years from now and say "wow look at all the things I have done and how far I have come!". Secondly, I have always enjoyed writing and journaling, which I have not done in many years, so this is a good way for me to get back into the habit of writing down my thoughts, inspirations, dreams and goals. And being able to write to an audience (no matter how big or small) that can comment back makes it even better.

Mr.Blogosphere: What do you intend to write about on your blog?

Amy May: Well I intend to keep it mostly focused on my journey through making, crafting, and learning whether for fun or for my Etsy shop. I plan to share current projects personal and for my shop, business tips and advice, helpful info for all things Etsy and crafts, my inspirations, goals and dreams, inspirational artists and people, and lots of Tutorials and How-Tos!

Mr.Blogosphere: Well welcome to the Blogosphere Amy May!

Amy May: Thank you so much I am really excited to finally be doing this and sharing my love for Handmade with the world in such an intimate and interactive forum!



So if you love learning more about crafts and making things with your own two hands and are looking for some inspiration, then I encourage you to follow my blog and join me on my journey:)