There are things in life that you can't live without. Pets have them, children have them, calendars have special days to have plenty of them. What could these three seperate entities have in common? Why treats, ofcourse. Oh, the simple pleasures in life are what keep the spark in our eye the smile on our faces and the gitty in our laugh. Today's friday featured shop will have you doing all three. It is a treat all its own. I introduce to you a shop of illustrative treats to bring the child out in you. The seal of greatness is poured from the seems of a childhood and has found a home where it is shared with the world in the strands of illustration. I'm pleased to 
introduce you to
Name one favorite item from your store & why is it so dear to you?
Words of Wisdom . . . .
This friday feature has been inspired by: http://www.thePaintedPeepShow.etsy.com/
shared with you by: http://www.cisnexpressions.etsy.com/
Keep it fabulous .. keep it crafty.. Etsy Greetings
Charm your greetings no matter the season with non other than the charming works of Kat and drew cards located at www.katndrewcards.etsy.com. Kat n drew cards is one of our very own Etsy greetings artisans that make gift giving extraordinarily simple. Wow, a card and a gift enclosed in one, who would of thunk it? Why Kat and Drew cards of course. Today they treat us with a gracious hello and some great words of wisdom. Ladies and gentleman here is the dynamic crew of
.etsy.com
&
....the duo that makes cards and jewelry, pairing them uniquely together to create gift cards all in one. Staying true to our items, we are about giving more than cards, spreading inspiration and support with every vantage we can muster including supporting charities, featuring artists work and buying local from starting artists (when we can)!
I'm drew and together with Kat, we make cards. More than making cards, we write stories with everything we make. It has certainly been a journey coming to know how our creativity would take form but we're starting to figure it out. We're located all over Canada, really, because we shift and move whereever we feel like at the time but our home base is always Vineland, Ontario and its there that we've really blossomed our creativity. Kat takes on the cards, mostly, and I take on the words, mostly, but we are so involved in one another's creativity, sharing ideas and opinions, that we basically make everything together.
I, Drew, move back and forth from Vancouver, BC to Ontario depending on when school is on while Kat holds down the fort in Ontario. Tea breaks are a MUST around here as well as a break time outside to recharge.
The first item that started us off....
..... was a card from our "4YR Classic Cards" line. It incorporates a scrapbooking design, beaded jewelry and poetic writing all in one. The card was for Friendship, I believe, and was what started us working together from day one!
http://www.katndrewcards.ca/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=64&category_id=6&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=410
My technique includes a tea, most days...
I can't really write the most inspirational stuff every second of the day so music and movies usually provoke the good stuff. As for Kat, the morning is her greatest tool - she can do ANYTHING in the morning. Not to say the afternoon isn't productive but some of her most creative cards have come at the beginning of the day. I'd say the cuttlebug embosser is pretty high up there too. They just make such great impressions. However, usually a need drives the creation of cards. If we feel we cannot provide a card for a certain emotion or give support for a situation, we are on it to make sure we can help give you something - its all about giving and we try to follow that as much as possible
Love it, love it, love it ...
These small cards from our "4YR Cute Cards" collection are my favourite right now. They support our HEART2HEART campaign which showcases local and international artists and entrepreneurs with a portion of the profits - plus they're super cute.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/50860699/embossed-cute-cards-with-charms
We dream ....
Big, Really big. Martha Stewart, Oprah, Hallmark, big. Not to say we want to be any of these specifically but there is definitely something to basing your business around giving and creativity and the more people we can share that with, the better. If we can create and share with everyone we'd be just peachy.
You can find us ...
Everywhere, I believe. Multiple shops and sites as well as social networking sites. Have a look and say hey! We like to chat.
Shop
http://www.katndrewcards.ca/
www.etsy.com/shop/katndrewcards
www.etsy.com/shop/beyondcharms
Become a fan
www.twitter.com/katndrewcards
Facebook search 'Kat n' Drew Cards'
Follow
http://www.itsthatkat.blogspot.com/
Words of Wisdom
Anything we create is sort of an advertisement for the masterpiece we are as individuals. We are all masterpieces because at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day, there is always, only, you. so why not believe in yourself.
Thank you to all of you! and to Rocio for featuring us.
Giving only spurs more giving and that is the goal here.
Oh no no my dears, thank you for the opportunity to share your talents with all
our fabulous readers oh yes and not to mention the world. Let me be the first to say congratulations on beeing featured. - Cisne
This friday feature has been inspired by: http://www.katndrewcards.etsy.com/
shared with you by: http://www.cisnexpressions.etsy.com/
Keep it fabulous .. keep it crafty.. Etsy Greetings
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c25732e778c6d91722991d7/traces
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c3b07a678206d91c4ad10cc/blue-and-red-with-no
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c3b0084cff58eef5a11874b/you-heart-me-like-red
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c2d22a624d48eef0e875d34/feeling-bookish?index=3
Rachel's artwork is a vision in motion of artistic delight. Her pieces liven the sences as abstract and aestetic illustrations collaborate into works of artistic mechanics.
Today she is sharing her love and wisdom with us. We are glad to have her.
Tell us a little about yourself
My name is Rachel Smith and I am currently living in Idaho with my husband, Taylor and two cats. I love to zip around on our scooter, take photos with vintage film cameras and scour thrift stores for inspiration. I'm about to begin my third, and final year of graduate school and will finish with my Master’s in Fine Art. I am particularly drawn to things that are left over by society and repurposing those items to create new implications and contexts by reorganizing preexisting images, texts, texture, etc. My etsy shop, Paper Path, is a nice reprieve from some of the tedium of studying and stress of graduate school. I have found it to be a great creative outlet that challenges me in a completely different way than my fine art installations and collages. I am enjoying the challenge of making cards, collages and crafts that are not oriented around a gallery setting, but still creative with a small business twist.
What was the first craft project that began your Etsy venture?
I have been making art for as long as I can remember. So to be perfectly honest my first item that started my craft was crayons applied to my parents’ living room walls. Now a days found objects and materials motivate most of my artwork. I am constantly collecting bits and pieces that are discarded by people. I’ve always made unique gifts and cards for my friends and family and when I discovered etsy it was a perfect way to expand my audience and make a profit off of my craft.
What is your primary technique & what tool do you favor the most in your shop
I work primarily in mixed media/collage. My process is "cut + paste" making my favorite tools glue and scissors and lots and lots of collecting. I collect papers of all kind. Anything I encounter in my day-to-day life, travels and thrift store hunting can become fodder for my next project.
What inspires your creations and what sparks your creativity?
Memories and nostalgia play a huge role in inspiring my work. Found objects and imagery are essential to my work, because I feel that such items retain traces of past ownership, which directly reference memories. I am also drawn to imagery representing systems. Maps, anatomy illustrations, sewing patterns and grids are items that I’m constantly using.
Name one favorite item from your store and why is it so dear to you?
http://www.etsy.com/listing/49119721/storybook-collage
This collage is currently my favorite item on my shop, because I feel like it encapsulates everything that I want my work to be about. I find the tension between intimacy and exposure of the found images and texts to reference ideas of personal and collective memories already embedded in the items while continuing to create a new narrative.
What are your future goals for you personally and as a crafter?
My future goals are to finish up my final year of graduate school with a strong show and thesis next spring. Sometime in the future I would love to start a gallery and restaurant with my husband who is a chef. What’s better together than food, wine and art! As for my shop I would really like to continue to expand it to include a wider variety of handmade paper items. I would also like to start to incorporate more of my fine art collages and projects into my store.
Inspired by Paperpath.etsy.com
Created by www.Cisnexpressions.etsy.com
keep it real ~ keep it handcrafted ~ keep it Etsy Greetings
Gingham and Flowers Apron Gift Card HolderTerrbear37
