BRAT-TY BLOGGER FEATURE

BRAT-TY BLOGGER
http://www.angieart.blogspot.com/
        This is a new feature on our team blog.  I hope you enjoy it!

♥1. What is your name, your etsy shop(s) name?

My name is Angee Chase and here are my shops.

AngeeArt.etsy.com ~ Vintage and handmade larger sculptures  http://www.angeeart.etsy.com/

WonderWorks.etsy.com ~ Dollhouse Miniatures and Jewelry http://www.wonderworks.etsy.com/

Visualicious.etsy.com ~ Soon to be a How-To DIY shop selling , kits, supplies and .pdf directions for making my edible candy and jewelry "Fruity Cuties." See my sold items for examples.
http://www.visualicious.etsy.com/
HeadlineDesign.etsy.com [letting all the listings run their course to close down. no sales]

 ********SALE ********I will give a 30% discount to any "Military Brat" who purchases from any of my shops. Before purchasing, convo me with " I'm a Military Brat " in the subject line and let me know what item you want to purchase. I will reduce the price of the item's listing and convo you right back. :D



♥2. What is your blog address?

Title: I N S P I R E D ... A Handmade Production Journal ... http://www.angeeart.blogspot.com/



♥3. Why did you start blogging?

I initially began my main blog to consolidate all of my venues and internet interests in one place. Since I regularly work in multiple mediums, I wanted a place to display everything; new ideas, custom commissions, items not listed in my shops, contest entries, etc. I've used it as a glorified portfolio. This blog stores everything ...so if I go into the archives I can literally see how productive I've been. It keeps track of all my links and most images so if my puter dies...what I have posted online stays alive.



♥4. Does your blog have a theme? *** What do you usually write about on your blog?

I guess the theme would be... Angee's Grand Central Station for everything I'm doing and everywhere I am online. Lately I have been using it (not all that often) to list my newest miniature work. But whenever I come up with something new in any of my shops or on any websites... I report on it to my followers. It affords me the opportunity to share with the visitors "Feedjit" (an app I use that shows visits in realtime) reveals from all over the world!



♥5. Would you like more “followers” on your blog?

I would LOVE more followers if blogger would get on the ball and fix the follower thingie so people could see that I have followers!



♥6. Do you promote your etsy shop or anyone elses etsy shop on your blog?

This blog is all about my creations and what inspires me. Mostly I promote my own items and shop venues. However, when entering contests or other such stuff I usually wind up promoting other blogs & websites.

I also have two other blogs that are primarily intented to feature other shops and artisans. (somewhat in disrepair)

DreamMakerMall.blogspot.com

An idea I had using Etsy minis but after I got it rolling realized you can't make multiple pages that way. They all have to stay on every page. So now it is a very elite venue that features rotating Etsy minis. [Hey this idea would work great to rotate featured weekly/monthly Brat team shops.]

..and this one

Title: Creative-Class ~ ac-Class.blogspot.com

Designed to feature only the best and most awesome artisans, their work, and creative processes. There are some awesome artisans there from last year. I got 5 artisans for free features the first of the year, and none of them ever submitted their info so... there it sits, last post was Dec. of last year! :-)



♥7. Where else can we find you online?

I have a NEW Pro Studio on ArtFire where I have all my eggs in one basket... or carry all of my mediums:

www.artfire.com/users/WonderWorks

and, a new Facebook Fan Page for WonderWorks with an ArtFire landing page Kiosk. This page is geared toward my line of handmade dollhouse miniatures from Etsy and ArtFire.

facebook.com/pages/WonderWorks/130996286980194



My main Facebook Fan Page soon to be mostly about my fine art and sculpture.

facebook.com/AngeeArt


I just recently broke down and signed up on Twitter: twitter.com/AngeeArt


♥8. Let’s see your favorite item from your shop and tell us something about it. You can also share anything you are working on.


Well...I just love miniatures (of course) so, if I had to choose a favorite thing from my shops it would be from my WonderWorks Shop... www.etsy.com/listing/54128796/tiny-gingerbread-house-hand-sculpted

This is the first Whimsy House I made in the series and it's been my best seller. It's great fun making all the tiny candies and parts for it. Thought it was the right size for a dollhouse gingerbread house to sit on a mini dining table, but alas, no! Team MIDS (Miniatures in Dollhouse Scale) informed me it was too big for 1:12" scale. So, it inspired a series of tiny collectibles in their own collector cases. It's still very small... 2" in diameter and stands 2" tall. (looks much bigger in photos than it is in realtime)

I just finished three shrunken heads to go in a miniature witch's house for a customer in Australia, and am currently finishing up some miniature books, a dollhouse world globe, a new design for some tiny flamingo earrings, and adding a gazillion things to my new ArtFire Shop.



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Go visit Angie's blog and don't forget to leave her a comment!
****note:  To leave a comment, sign in but do not hit the "stay signed in" button.  Blogger has not fixed this problem yet. 

FEATURED ARTIST

http://www.spiderwoodhollow.etsy.com/

Military Brats FEATURED ARTIST questionnaire


1. Your name and where you live now.

       My name is Ellen Nagel. I now live in Washington with   my husband and three cats.

2. What branch of the service was your parent(s) in?

    My father was in the Canadian Air Force for twenty five years. He was an Aircraft Mechanic with the rank of Sargeant.

3. Where did you live while you were a military dependent?

    I lived in many different places while my dad was in the military. We started in Calgary, Alberta then moved to Greenwood, British Columbia then to Penhold, Alberta.

My dad was then stationed overseas for a year. (England, Germany and France) He took our mother and the youngest of the five kids. Two of us were left with relatives in London,Ontario and two in Lousana, Alberta. When they got back from overseas, dad was stationed in Edmonton, Alberta. From there it was Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan then to Namao, Alberta.

I got married to another air force brat the year before Dad retired in 1968.

4. How did being a military dependent affect you?

    As we were always moving, it was hard to make friends so being a large family, all eight of us girls became very close and were friends as well as siblings.

5. What is your primary art form on Etsy?

    My primary art form for over thirty years was stained glass. Two of those years were on Etsy under the name of Lyons Creations. Now, I make spiders, spiders webs and dragonflies in a shop called Spiderwood Hollow which I opened January 2010.

6. Do you have more than one Etsy shop? Please list your other shops.

    I only have the one shop now on Etsy.

These are some photos of Ellen's work:

Visit Ellen's Etsy Shop:
http://www.spiderwoodhollow.etsy.com/

Military Life from a Spouse's Perspective

The Homefront Team and the Brats are combining efforts to share our experiences with the military lifestyle so that others can fully understand the sense of community, sacrifices, benefits, and expectations we all share as members of a truly unique group of people. Each month we will feature a story shared by a Military Brat Team member, and a story shared by a Homefront Team member.

Military Life…. From a Spouse’s Perspective
Leslie Jeannet of Heart Adrift

Growing up in south Louisiana, I was constantly surrounded by family and friends – you see, southern living has a certain magnetism to it that keeps its natives near and never seems to let them drift far. When my heart became drawn to a “Navy Boy,” as my friends called him, red flags started flying. No one could understand why on earth I’d ever want to be involved with someone outside the city limits, let-alone someone who was in the military!

Fast forward over 4 years later and here I am: far from the family and friends I love dearly, but happier than I could have ever imagined because I married the man who captured my heart. Being a Navy Wife is one of the hardest yet most rewarding aspects of my life. In these short years I’ve learned what it is to trust someone more than I trust myself, gained a love and respect for my country that I’ve only ever heard my grandfather speak of, and realized that communication truly is the key to a successful marriage. Though only partially through his very first deployment, I can tell you one thing: strength finds you when you least expect it.

Thanks Leslie for sharing your story with us! Please visit Leslie's Shop, "Heart Adrift" and her blog, "The Jeanetts"

Also friend her on FB

If you would like to submit a story for this series please contact Jen at Brats of Etsy. You can also find us on Facebook.

The Homefront Team and the Brats are combining efforts to share our experiences with the military lifestyle so that others can fully understand the sense of community, sacrifices, benefits, and expectations we all share as members of a truly unique group of people. Each month we will feature a story shared by a Military Brat Team member, and a story shared by a Homefront Team member.

Military Life…. From a Spouse’s Perspective

Milleth Soliza of Fully Hooked

Sometimes someone will say to you “oh you poor dear, deployments must be very hard on you, especially with kids”. Sometimes, they’ll say “thank you for your service”. And then sometimes, they’ll simply give you a look of mixed animosity and pity. And I would respond “yes ma’am, it sure is hard” or “thank you, sir, and you’re welcome”, or simply just smile kindly. Everyone seems to have a premeditated view on military life, and I agree that it’s not the life for everyone. I may sit hours on end, making jewelry and burning the midnight oil, waiting for that phone call to come through from some remote location in the desert, and I may celebrate birthdays, holidays and anniversaries without my other half, but I don’t despair--because this life has allowed me to fall in love with my husband many times over. This life has reinforced every promise we’ve ever made to each other, and truly, I am happy.

Every deployment or separation creates that gut-wrenching anxiety that starts at the pit of your stomach and spreads all over you and seem to settle deep within you, making it hard to breathe… but every return brings with it the euphoria of first love: the butterflies, the tingles, the perpetual pull and gravity of a steadfast commitment made between husband and wife—and I’m okay once more. We knew from the onset that this was going to be hard, but the rewards are great as long as you are committed to making the most of everything. So, hard as military life might be, my smile never wavers.

Thanks Milleth for sharing your story with us! Please stop by visit Milleth's Shop.

If you would like to submit a story for this series please contact Jen at Brats of Etsy You can also find us on FB

Military Life from a Spouse Perspective

The Homefront Team and the Brats are combining efforts to share our experiences with the military lifestyle so that others can fully understand the sense of community, sacrifices, benefits, and expectations we all share as members of a truly unique group of people. Each month we will feature a story shared by a Military Brat Team member, and a story shared by a Homefront Team member.

Military Life….
From a spouse’s perspective
Sara of Sara Rubendall Design Studio.

Sarah modeling as "Barbie"

I never in a million years thought I would be a Navy wife. Never. I met my husband when we were in college and shortly after we started dating he told me he had joined the Navy. I was absolutely devastated. The word Navy to me meant that I would never see him. I was a hot mess when he left for bootcamp and I cried until there were no more tears to cry. I thought at the time that nothing good would come of this, but boy was I wrong.

We got married when he took leave from A-school in December of 2004. I was still unsure of this whole Navy thing because we were still apart and I dreamed of the time when we could finally be together. In April I rode a bus down to St. Mary's Georgia where my husband was stationed on his first boat. I was in heaven. I am from a small town in Illinois and to say I hadn't been much of anywhere was an understatement. Now here I was in Georgia where I never thought I would be. Heck, this was the first time I had even seen the ocean! The Navy was turning out to be not so bad after all!

Winning First Kiss

After I survived my first deployment we were transferred to Washington and I was pretty excited. We packed up our stuff and got driving. Once we got to Washington my mouth hung wide open. Never had I seen a mountain either. It was amazing and absolutely beautiful.

Premade Basic Etsy Shop Set

In my experience as a Navy wife I will say that I have gotten to see and do some pretty cool things. How many people can say that they have been on a submarine? I am so lucky to have had these experiences and I thank the Navy for every last one of them :)

Thanks Sara for sharing your story with us!

Please visit Sara's Shop and her blog.

If you would like to submit a story for this series

please contact Jen at Brats of Etsy
You can also find us on FB

Military LIfe From a Spouse Perspective

The Homefront Team and the Brats are combining efforts to share our experiences with the military lifestyle so that others can fully understand the sense of community, sacrifices, benefits, and expectations we all share as members of a truly unique group of people. Each month we will feature a story shared by a Military Brat Team member, and a story shared by a Homefront Team member.

Military Life….
From a spouse’s perspective

Crystal of Crystal's Treasures

First off, I’m an AF Wife and proud! My husband was in the military when we met, and we have been together for over 10 years.

One of the hardest things to do is say goodbye to your spouse never knowing if they are coming back, and having to see the heartbreak on your children’s faces as the spouse walks out the door.

I become a single parent each time my spouse deploys. The kids in school and their sports practices, working a regular job, and crafting all take time. Then there is the home life of cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, clothes and necessity shopping, etc. Sometimes it’s so hard, but then you get to talk to your spouse by phone, or Skype, and it all just washes away. Nothing I have to do can be harder than what my spouse does.

Our spouses work every day to give us our freedom, and for that, I thank each and every spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc. One of the hardest jobs is to be a military wife, and we are STRONG!

Making jewelry for me has been a large outlet of energy for me. I love it, and it’s not considered a job to me, but a vision of fun. I love creating!

Thank you so much Crystal for sharing your story!

If you would like to submit a story for this series please contact Jen at Brats of Etsy
You can also find us on FB

Military Life from a Brat's Perspective -

The Homefront Team and the Brats are combining efforts to share our experiences with the military lifestyle so that others can fully understand the sense of community, sacrifices, benefits, and expectations we all share as members of a truly unique group of people. Each month we will feature a story shared by a Military Brat Team member, and a story shared by a Homefront Team member.

Briana of BP Design

When asked “Where are you from?”, I usually pause. For being from a military family, there is no one place I’m “from“. Every 2 years, Dad would get new orders. We’d pack up and be gone. Each new base would have a whole new set of friends, all with the same story. It is always hard to explain to people what it was like growing up in a military family.

Most of my childhood was spent on the West coast. There were 4 short years that we spent on the East coast. For those 4 years, we resided in North Carolina. I remember riding all over base housing on my bicycle. Learning the lay of the land. There were some woods behind our house that held trails and “hunting” grounds. We played in the Neuse River. A little pill box with the cat on front held (still holds) my collection of shark teeth that washed onto the shore.

It was during those years that I learned to quilt. Dad was in Iraq. Mom and I would go to a fellow military family’s house and meet with other women. Everyone would bring their quilting. I still have the nine patch that I started. It has blue, pink and cream colored squares. This quilt was to be hand-pieced.

One day we went for the quilting and I remember the women sitting around crying and comforting each other. The call had come. We had lost one of our men. Each woman in that room was hurting for the one who had lost their spouse, brother and son. I haven’t picked up the squares since then. Maybe someday I’ll be able to finish it.

As a kid, I knew that Dad was working a lot. I didn’t really understand until that day. He was “working” for our freedom. Our right as a country to choose who leads us. Our right to be individuals. He was willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for me, my siblings, Mom and people he had never met.

Now I am a mother of boys. Whenever we are in town and I see someone in uniform, I point them out to my boys. I tell my boys in a voice for those around to hear, “That man or woman is fighting for your freedom, just like your uncle.”

Please visit Brian at BP Designs

Thanks for spending a few moments with the "Brats of Etsy"
Brats on FB

You See / I See - Trouble Waters

You See/I See is a brand new weekly feature on the "Brat" Blog. Each Friday, we will ask two brats to find an item from a fellow brats shop that represents their idea of the weekly theme. This week's theme is: Trouble Waters

You See...from Robin of CreationsAnew Photography & Design, - "It is blue/green like water with swirls that remind me of ripples and waves."

Couquette Soap * Lip Balm * Perfume* Sachets * More

I See...from Jen of Cupcakes and Cameos, - " The pendent reminded me of a boat and the chain swirling waters."

Seavbeach Designs

Thank you for visiting with the Military Brats of Etsy!

The Homefront Team and the Brats are combining efforts to share our experiences with the military lifestyle so that others can fully understand the sense of community, sacrifices, benefits, and expectations we all share as members of a truly unique group of people. Each month we will feature a story shared by a Military Brat Team member, and a story shared by a Homefront Team member.

Here's her story:

"I have known my husband for half of my life. We met when I was 16, working at a Chinese restaurant. I was looking at colleges to go to, and he was inspired to make more of his life, but had no money for college. He joined the Navy, because they were the only ones that would come to the house and pick him up, since he had no car.

Now to look back, that we hung on to our little teenage romance through 4 years of long distance. I was hooked. I could “see” no other boys around me at college. I was smitten with my sailor. We got married when I was 20.

I've never made a more sound decision in my life! We've been together 16 years now, on this military adventure. When people say "I don't know how you do it?"...I say, "He is worthwhile, I will wait. I'd rather have him some of the time than none of the time." I think most military wives think this way. What better way to show your love and devotion, that is always waiting on the pier, for the love of your life to return."


Deb has been a member of the Homefront Team since 2008 and currently serves as the team's Captain.

You can find Deb here:...
Etsy shop: http://www.LilacAve.etsy.com

My website: http://www.LilacAves.com

My Blog: http://www.LilacAve.webs.com/apps/blog

My Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/LilacAve

My Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/LilacAve

If you would like to be featured in this space, just send your info via the "Contact Us" Tab at the top of this blog.

Military Life from a Brat's Perspective: Patti Neal Cadwallader

The Military Brat Team and the Homefront Team are combining efforts to share our experiences with the military lifestyle so that others can fully understand the sense of community, sacrifices, benefits, and expectations we all share as members of a truly unique group of people. Each month we will feature a story shared by a Military Brat Team member, and a story shared by a Homefront Team member.

This feature is written by Patti Neal Cadwallader,
owner of Ocean Kisses

Military Life….
From a brat’s perspective

There are very few things that will make me scream. In my opinion, snakes and mice, although note worthy, are not scream worthy. Certain insects, however, can solicit a scream from me deserving of any good horror movie. One such insect is the preying mantis. It gets its name from it’s prayer like stance, but this bug is not praying. It is PREY-ing.

Notoriously predatory, it lashes out with its spiked forelegs to snare unsuspecting victims, even having a reputation for sexual cannibalism. It has a segmented body capable of remaining completely still while the arms whip out to grab a living meal. This horrific creature has a triangular face and compound eyes and its head is so flexible, it has a 300 degree panorama of vision. And if all these attributes weren’t enough to give you nightmares for the rest of your life; it is a master of camouflage, rocks side to side in the rhythmic movement of a professional boxer, some species hiss, pinch, bite, and fly. Plus, they can reach up to 12 inches in length and there are 2,200 known species in the mantis family on this planet.

In about 1961, the United States Air Force sent my Dad to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippine Islands. Shortly thereafter, my Mom, my two little sisters, and I followed. We resided in an off-base housing compound for the Americans stationed at Clark. These housing compounds had a guard at the entrance, supposedly for our safety, however those guards could not keep out the incredibly huge bug population that lived with us there. We not only had gigantic flying roaches and preying mantises, there were also rats the size of bunny rabbits and lizards, called geckos, that climbed up the walls in our houses. This was the norm for life on these tropical islands. After awhile you simply got used to sharing your bedroom with geckos, but I never got used to seeing 3 inch long, neon green, swively-headed preying mantises that rivaled any monster Hollywood could come up with in their best scarey movies.

There was a lot to be afraid of in 1961, especially when you’re only 6 years old. Never mind Russia and the Cold War, never mind what was lurking under the bed. For me it was the solitary swaying preying mantis that clung to my bedroom window screen, sizing me up, silently contemplating God only knows what. The 664 days I was in the Philippines, I probably saw a preying mantis every day of my life.

One particular day stands out in my memory. My little sister, Brenda and I were just coming home from our neighbors house. As we crossed the front yard in the steamy afternoon heat, I walked under a low hanging branch of a small tree. We stopped momentarily and faced each other to discuss something of sisterly importance when Brenda, looking up at me, said, “There is something on your head.”

Somewhere, deep in my 6 year-old wisdom, I was sure I had a preying mantis in my hair. “What is it?” I asked trying to sound innocent.. “I don’t know,” Brenda responded, her expression telling me a far different story. “What color is it?” I asked, the terror starting to rise in my throat. “Green,” she stated flatly. I looked at her concerned expression and with my last ray of hope I asked, “Is it a leaf?” At this point, I knew we both knew what was on top of my head, but she wasn’t going to be the one to give me the bad news. “I don’t know,” she said unconvincingly.

Finally gathering a meager amount of courage, I put my hand up to the top of my sweating forehead as if in invitation and in that terrifying moment I felt the insect step on top of my, quivering, hand.
The next few moments are frozen in slow motion memory as I brought my hand down to inspect the inevitable. There was the blood curdling scream.

Brenda probably screamed too, I don’t remember. I flung the monstrous creature from me and my sister and I ran for our lives, our screams echoing behind us as I was sure the enormous mantis was in hot pursuit, its barbed forelegs primed to snag me in midstride. Of course, I would not be able to tell you this story if we hadn’t barely made our escape.

Patti's Shop

Thank you Patti! If you would like to submit a story for this series please contact us ("Contact" tab at the top of the blog) for consideration.